A Little Bit of Everything

This is a busy time in the world of sports. The Superbowl is less than 2 weeks away, the NHL and NBA are midway through the season, and baseball season is right around the corner. There's a few things that I want to bring up. The first being the World Baseball Classic.



I didn't really get into the 2006 WBC but I am excited for this one. The rosters aren't fully set, but I already feel that the Dominican Republic is going to be the team to beat. Their lineup is going to be unstoppable. Players who have already agreed to play for Dominican are Alfonso Soriano, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Vlad Guerrero, David Ortiz, and Robinson Cano. I don't think any pitcher on the planet wants to see those guys all in a row. I could care less about their pitching, which I'm sure is great too, but this lineup alone is enough for them to dominate.

With the NHL's All Star break this weekend, theres many things to discuss about the first half of the season. The Sharks and Bruins lead their Conferences but I feel the best team in the league is the Detroit Red Wings. They're keeping pace with San Jose and are only 3 points behind. This team has a great chance to win back to back Stanley Cups. In the East Boston has been ahead of everyone the whole season but look out for the Washington Capitals and the New Jersey Devils. Alexander Ovechkin is flat out the best player in the league and he can take this team deep into the playoffs. The Devils are almost fully healthy and can jump into first place in the Atlantic Division with a game at hand with a win Wednesday before the break. When Marty Brodeur comes back, this team is going to be dangerous.

There have been many surprises so far in the NBA. Although the Celtics are still an elite team, they came back down to Earth and other teams are now finding out how to beat them. I still think the Cavs will be champions after the season and as long as they are healthy I feel like the Spurs can make a run through the West. LeBron is the favorite for MVP but in last night's matchup between the Cavs and Lakers, Kobe Bryant showed me he should not be forgotten about. Kobe played great defense on LeBron and got the job done offensively, all while playing with a dislocated finger in his shooting hand. This is what I like to see in players and it's nice to see a NBA player not cry like they all do. The Knicks have clearly made improvements and Mike D' Antoni is doing a great job. David Lee is a beast, and if this team can go on a run in the near future, the Knicks could possibly be in position for a playoff spot in the weak Eastern Conference.

I just wanted to get some stuff out there because there is a lot going on and needed to be talked about. I'm pretty pumped for the next couple of weeks in sports. It's a big time of the year.

The Mike D' Antoni Era Has Begun

So far new head coach of the New York Knicks, Mike D'Antoni, has been making huge strides. Although the Knicks are currently 11-17, they have shown that they are improving in a lot of areas of their game. The attitude of the team has changed drastically and it's nice to not see terrible coaches like Isiah Thomas or Don Chaney. This is the first legit coach that they have had since Jeff Van Gundy ( Sorry Larry Brown, but you weren't fit for NY). So how is D'Antoni doing it? Lets take a closer look at the roster to find out.

They have brought in new players like Al Harrington, Tim Thomas, and Chris Duhon to run the "7 seconds or less" offense. Harrington is averaging 22 ppg since coming over from Golden State in a trade. Tim Thomas returned to the Garden in another trade and has played well off the bench. Chris Duhon, who was recommended by Coach K while him and D'Antoni coached the USA Olympic team together, has been playing almost 40 minutes per game and averages over 8 assists per game. But the player who has taken his game to a whole different level is Center David Lee. Lee is averaging a double-double (14 ppg, 10 rpg) and is benefiting from this new offense. He is undersized at 6'9 but works hard and gets the job done night in and night out. The team is scoring over 100 ppg and are an exciting team to watch.

Also factoring in the rebuilding process is the benching of Stephon Marbury. Marbury is such a distraction to the team and seems to be only concerned about himself. I give D'Antoni a lot of credit for not playing his highest paid player because he wants things done his way.

The Knicks have a lot to look forward to as they will be ready to land some huge free agents in the summer of 2010 (hopefully LeBron). Keep an eye on the Knicks because although their record might not show it, they have made tremendous improvements and are going to continue to get better.