Sports by Schmucks Podcast - Episode 28 (July 27)

After a brief hiatus, the boys are back with their latest podcast where they talk about notable stories from July.

Sports by Schmucks Podcast - Episode 27 (July 3)

New Sports by Schmucks podcast with Brett, Sean, and Josh.

Sports by Schmucks Podcast - Episode 26 (June 17)

Sean and Brett talk about the conclusion of the Stanley Cup and the NBA Finals, the lack of emphasis on the U.S. Open and dish out some high fives and face palms.

NBA Mock Draft

So, I will admit I did slack a bit with the prospect write ups for this year's upcoming NBA Entry Draft. But with the lottery taking place just last week and the draft order set, I figure I should at least get my NBA Mock Draft in before the draft takes place and Sean and Brett yell at me some more (kind of joking, but not really).

So here is it. The first and only mock draft for this season. I make good picks.

With a draft that contains an amazing and vast amount of talent at multiple positions, this is going to be a draft that is wide open with picks. Teams tend to focus on the best player available, but as a GM this season, do you pick the top rated prospect overall or do you do your job and draft the best player at the position your team needs?

This year's draft order:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers - Jabari Parker (SF, 6-8, 235lbs, Duke, Fr.)
The Cleveland Cavaliers' lottery luck continued into 2014 as they won the No. 1 pick Tuesday for the third time in four years, despite having 1.7 per cent odds. The Cavaliers could try to trade the pick to acquire a proven player. Or, they could keep it and make the safe pick by taking Duke forward Jabari Parker, who could help them make the playoffs for the first time since LeBron James' departure. Kansas centre Joel Embiid's back issues are a concern and Kansas guard Andrew Wiggins probably will need time to develop. Cleveland All-Star guard Kyrie Irving probably wouldn't mind a fellow Duke player joining him.  

2. Milwaukee Bucks - Joel Embiid (C, 7-0, 240lbs, Kansas, Fr.)
Joel Embiid is a game-changer, but his back is a concern. He has star- and franchise-player potential. Embiid is going to be a dominant player down low, and should provide some decent defensive play to a team that averaged near the bottom of the league for most points against per game last season.  

3. Philadelphia 76ers - Andrew Wiggins ( SG/SF, 6-8, 200lbs, Kansas, Fr. )
This is the young man everyone is blasted with on Canadian coverage. From the Toronto area, Andrew Wiggins is presented as a high-intensity, high-flying, and highly sought after player in this years draft. What people see on TV is a ton of propaganda behind him. He is no doubt part of a talented draft class, but not as great as he is made out to be. People need to look at the entire picture here. We barely get college basketball on TV here in Canada, unless you have all the sports packages through your providers. Teams have definitely noticed that he became more assertive, aggressive and confident as his freshman season went on. Wiggins has amazing athleticism and a huge upside. However, he will probably take a longer period of time to develop in comparison to other members of this drat class.

4. Orlando Magic - Dante Exum (PG, 6-6, 196lbs, Australia)
Exum is a player who teams really haven't been able to send scouts and watch like they would in the NCAA. A mystery player if you'd like to call it that. He provides great speed and passing ability from what's been seen in game film from Australia. He's long and athletic, and will be a great pairing to add to last years' pick of Victor Oladipo to solidify a formidable back court for the future.  

5. Utah Jazz - Aaron Gordon (PF, 6-9, 220lbs, Arizona, Fr.)
Utah has a couple different options here with Julius Randle, Noah Vonleh and — who I think they ultimately choose — Aaron Gordon. Gordon plays to win. He played for Arizona, not for Gordon. He is a tremendous passer for a guy his size and will provide his drafting team with a unique ball-handler and excellent rebounder.

6. Boston Celtics - Noah Vonleh (PF, 6-9, 247lbs, Indiana, Fr.)
Noah Vonleh is one of the younger prospects in this draft at 18 years old. He's young and he has huge hands. Vonleh has a big body and can shoot from outside.  His only downfall in my opinion is that he is not a great athlete.

7. LA Lakers - Marcus Smart (PG, 6-3, 227lbs, Oklahoma State)
Marcus Smart had a lot of distractive factors this past season. He has such a strong track record that his incident with the fan is viewed as an anomaly.  With a highly talented PG like himself, distractions are something you need to overcome daily in the NBA.  Playing behind and being mentored by a Steve Nash / Kobe Bryant tandem in Hollywood is a perfect way to have him learn and take his game to the next level.  This could easily be one of the steals in the draft.

8. Sacramento Kings - Doug McDermott (SF, 6-7, 220lbs, Creighton, Sr.)
No relation to fellow writer and podcast co-host Sean on this one, but if it was our good friend here at Sports By Schmucks should be impressed. Being the son of a coach, he is going to find a way to score. He might not have a position set in stone, but he is a smart team defender.

9. Charlotte Hornets - Jusuf Nurkic (C, 6-11, 280lbs, Cedevita Zagreb)  
He's like a DeMarcus Cousins type in size and offensive game. He plays more athletic and swift than you would expect for a guy that's 280 lbs. This type of player could easily help a team with a young dynamic point guard like Kemba Walker in continuing to develop their future.

10. Philadelphia 76ers - Julius Randle (PF, 6-9, 250lbs, Kentucky, Fr.)
Philly in my opinion may have one of the best drafts once we're all said and done. Pulling in a player like Wiggins or even Parker if they flip spots, and grabbing a guy who should easily have been a top-5 pick slip down to 10th is a God-send.  If he were to slide down to 10th, it would be because he's a high turnover guy who is not the most skilled. He got by in college by bullying for points, which is something 76er fans would enjoy on their team.

Here are the 11-30 picks:

11. Denver Nuggets - James Young (SG, 6-7, 213lbs, Kentucky, Fr.)
12. Orlando Magic -  Dario Saric (SF-PF, 6-10, 223lbs, Cibona Zagreb)
13. Minnesotta Timberwolves - Nik Stauskas (SG, 6-6, 207lbs Michigan, So.) 
14. Phoenix Suns - Tyler Ennis (PG, 6-3, 182lbs, Syracuse, Fr.)
15. Atlanta Hawks - Adreian Payne (PF, 6-10, 239lbs, Michigan St, Sr.)
16. Chicago Bulls - Gary Harris (SG , 6-4, 205lbs, Michigan St, So.)
17. Boston Celtics (Brooklyn) - T.J. Warren (SF, 6-8, 220lbs, NC State, So.)
18. Phoenix Suns (Washington) - Zack LeVine (SG, 6-6, 181lbs, UCLA, Fr.) 
19. Chicago Bulls - Kristaps Porzingas (PF/C, 7-0, 220lbs, Spain Sevilla)
20. Toronto Raptors - Clint Capela (PF, 6-11, 222lbs, France Chalone) 
21. OKC Thunder - Rodney Hood (SG/SF, 6-8, 208lbs, Duke, So.)
22. Memphis Grizzlies - K.J. McDaniels (SF, 6-6, 196lbs, Clemson, Jr.)
23. Utah Jazz (Golden State) - Kyle Anderson (SF, 6-8, 220lbs, UCLA, So.)
24. Charlotte Hornets (Portland) - Elfrid Payton (PG, 6-4, 185lbs, Louisiana-Lafayette, Jr.)
25. Houston Rockets - Jordan Admas (SG, 6-5, 209lbs, UCLA, So.)
26. Miami Heat - Shabazz Napier (PG, 6-1, 175lbs, UCONN, Sr.) 
27. Phoenix Suns (Indiana) - Bogdan Bogdanovic (PG/SG, 6-6, 200lbs, Serbia Partizan) 
28. LA Clippers - P.J. Hairston (SG, 6-5, 229lbs, Texas Legends, D-League) 
29. OKC Thunder - Damien Inglis (SF-C, 6-8, 240lbs, France Roanne)
30. San Antonio Spurs - Mitch McGary (C, 6-10, 263lbs, Michigan, So.)

So that's it 30 picks made for this year's draft.  Let's see if I'm even remotely close.

Sports by Schmucks Podcast - Episode 23 (April 28)

New podcast with Brett and Sean recorded yesterday about Donald Sterling, the NBA playoffs and games to look forward to in the upcoming NFL season.

Sports by Schmucks Podcast - Episode 22 (April 18)

Brett, Sean & Kieran talk Champions League and the NHL/NBA playoffs

Sports by Schmucks Podcast - Episode 20 (April 9)

Brett and Sean battle colds to talk about the NBA and NHL playoffs. They also add some early overreactions to MLB's season. Also, some high fives and face palms to close the show.

Sports by Schmucks Podcast - Episode 12

One of the Schmucks returns to the podcast for the first time in a year!

Sports by Schmucks Podcast - Episode 11

Josh Spadafora makes his podcast debut with Brett and Sean. The Schmucks talk about Michael Sam, the Olympics and NBA All-Star Weekend.

Sports by Schmucks Podcast - Episode 9

The Schmucks are back to talk about the Pro Bowl, the Super Bowl, Masahiro Tanaka and the Slim Reaper. Make sure to leave a like and comment on the YouTube channel.

Mid-Season Check-in with Jabari Parker

Alright everyone. The second instalment of my mid-season check-in with potential top draft picks continues with the dynamic small Forward Jabari Parker of the Duke Blue Devils.

Player Profile:

NAME: Jabari Parker
POS: SF
H: 6-8
W: 235
SCHOOL: Duke Blue Devils (F)
HOMETOWN: Chicago, IL

2013-2014 NCAA Stats (courtesy of ESPN):

MIN: 29.2
FG%: .485
3P%: .391
FT%: .750
REB: 7.3
AST: 1.5
BLK: 1.2
STL: 0.8
FOULS: 2.2
TURNOVERS: 2.2
PTS: 18.8

Draft Prediction: Lottery Pick 1-3                                                                                
Possible Teams: Milwaukee Bucks, Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic


In my opinion, Jabari Parker will instantly provide any team in the NBA with a strong bodied small forward.  Direct comparison in my eyes is that of former Toronto Raptor turned Sacramento King Rudy Gay. Standing at 6'8" and weighing 235 lbs, Parker is a big body to have at the swingman position. He is quite capable of shooting the ball from beyond the arc, and is very well equipped to get to the line for free throws. Parker is a strong rebounder and a very disciplined player.  His raw talent and emotion will have him going just above Wiggins for this upcoming draft in my opinion.

I see Parker getting his "jazz hands" ready as my prediction has him going to Utah 2nd overall in this upcoming draft.

Utah fans will be quite pleased with this prospect.  He will instantly come into the league and help the struggling team out, only to get better.

Check out some "Jabari Parker" highlights below.

Mid-Season Check In with Andrew Wiggins

With the college season part way through, I have decided to take a look at the top 5 prospects, their season stats, and what each of these players can provide to a team most likely to end up in the NBA Lottery this season. Our first review is of Canada's own Andrew Wiggins, also referred to as "Maple Jordan".

Player Profile:

NAME: Andrew Wiggins
POS: SG
H: 6-8

W: 200
SCHOOL: Kansas Jayhawks (F)
HOMETOWN: Thornhill, ON

2013-2014 NCAA Stats (courtesy of ESPN):

MIN: 31.5 
FG%: .452
3P%: .311
FT%: .766
REB: 5.4
AST: 1.4
BLK: 0.9
STL: 1.0
FOULS: 2.2
TURNOVERS: 1.8
PTS: 15.8

Draft Prediction: Lottery Pick 1-3                                                                                
Possible Teams: Milwaukee Bucks, Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic

In my opinion, Wiggins placement in the 2014 NBA Draft realistically depends on where the lottery teams finish. I see him most likely ending up in Orlando next year season, and my guess is it will be around the third pick. Milwaukee is the current favourite to grab the number one pick, however anything can happen as we've seen in past draft lotteries. Wiggins will provide any team with a long body and quick guard. He takes high percentage shots and is not afraid to shoot the three ball if needed. He does need some work when it comes to sharing the rock, which is something most young players need to develop. I feel Wiggins' player development is going to be what might make him slip to third in the draft. Fellow 2014 draft prospect Jabari Parker (SG, Duke) has the edge over Wiggins in my opinion. Parker shows more raw talent and emotion in games, which again could come in time with Wiggins. However scouts will look heavily towards a player who provides that emotion now, rather than in a couple years of playing with the "big boys".

Keep posted for next weeks edition of the Check In, when I take a look at Duke shooting guard, Jabari Parker.

Sports by Schmucks Podcast: Episode 3

We've got a YouTube channel now where we'll be posting our podcasts and other videos. Make sure to leave a like and subscribe to know when we post. Enjoy this podcast about MLB at the midseason, why I can't keep up with my fantasy teams, and the offseasons in the NHL and NBA.

2013 NBA Playoffs - Conference Semis

We are now into the second round of the NBA Playoffs. And since I did pretty well with predictions for the opening round, I decided to do it again.

In the Conference Quarterfinals, I picked seven of the eight winners, three of which were in the right amount of games (Miami, Indiana, Chicago). So, Stephen Curry led the Warriors to the Round of 8, the Clippers imploded in Game 6, and Westbrook is riding the bench with an injury. Let's jump back into some predictions.

Photo credit: The Bleacher Report

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (5) Memphis Grizzlies
The Thunder certainly survived a scare from the feisty Houston Rockets. How much can be credited to the loss of Russell Westbrook? Well, he certainly takes a lot of pressure off Durant offensively. With Westbrook in the line-up, it makes it so much harder for the defense to be able to double team Durant. Now, the Grizzlies were able to dismantle the Clippers with the physical combination of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Lob City just didn't have anything to match up with the two powerhouses down low, especially with Blake Griffin being hampered by an ankle injury. It'll be an interesting match up down low, since the Thunder can counter Z-Bo and Gasol with Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka. One major concern for the Grizzlies is where the offense will come from if OKC can shut down their frontcourt? This is a really close match up for me. When it comes to that, it's hard to go against the best player in the series: Kevin "Iceberg Slim" Durant. (I take no credit for that nickname. That's all Jalen Rose.)
Oklahoma City wins the series in 7.

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Golden State Warriors
Now this is a surprise, especially for me. I had the Nuggets being all over the Warriors in the previous series. When David Lee left, I thought it was wrapped up. Well, Stephen Curry came to Golden State's rescue, carrying them to the Western Conference Semifinals. Their reward for taking down the Nuggets? A date with the well-rested San Antonio Spurs. It will be interesting to see how the Warriors will be able to respond to Duncan's presence. One of history's best power forwards, Duncan averaged just 32 minutes a game against the Lakers. So, a healthy and energized Duncan, healthy Parker, healthy Ginobli, and a bench that will do anything to win? I think that'll be too much for Golden State to overcome, especially without Lee - who averaged 20+ points and 10+ rebounds in the regular season. Curry made the league take notice, and will probably steal a game or two based on his ability to get his shot off. However, experience wins out in this one.
San Antonio wins the series in 6.

Eastern Conference

(1) Miami Heat vs. (5) Chicago Bulls
There is a whole lot of interesting storylines that come out of this series. LeBron James was just named the NBA MVP, giving him his fourth in five seasons. Earlier in the season, the Bulls ended the Heat's 27-game winning streak. In that game, James complained about overly-aggressive and violent fouls. Oh, and there are all the rumours of Derrick Rose somehow coming back in this series to challenge the NBA's defending champ. The Bulls are still fighting injuries - who knows how healthy Joakim Noah is at this point. The teams split the season series, with each winning in their opponent's gym. Plus, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has seemingly found a defense that works against this Heat team. All that being said, the Heat still have the three best players in the series. The Bulls will put up a fight, but the Heat will make it to their third straight Eastern Conference Finals.
Miami wins the series in 6.

(2) New York Knicks vs. (3) Indiana Pacers
Was the Celtics offense that bad, or were the Knicks that good? I found myself asking that question as I watched some horrendous basketball during that opening series. There were times the Knicks looked like they could challenge the Heat for the Eastern Conference title. There were other times it looked like both the Knicks and the Celtics forgot how to play basketball. The Knicks' key to the series isn't Carmelo Anthony since everyone knows he'll get his points. It'll come down to the play of J.R. Smith. When he is concentrating on basketball and not all of the after the whistle action, the Knicks should be fine. The Pacers won't be an easy out though. They have tough team defense, anchored by Roy Hibbert down the middle. For the Pacers to win, they'll need at least four strong games from Paul George. He might have to go shot for shot with Anthony, for example. If that's the case, the Pacers are in trouble. Again, it's hard to go against the best player in the series. Especially when this best player led the league in scoring.
New York wins the series in 6.

Well, there you have it. I'll be back with some predictions for the Conference Finals. Enjoy the playoff basketball. Hopefully this round will be much more exciting than the first. With these match-ups in place, that shouldn't be a problem.

Be sure to follow the new Sports by Schmucks Twitter for updates on when new articles will be posted. We've also started to live tweet some games and events. You never know which game we'll do.

2013 NBA Playoff Predictions

It's a very exciting time for sports: baseball is back, the NFL Draft is almost upon us, and both the NBA and NHL are gearing up for the playoffs.

With the quest for the Larry O'Brien Trophy beginning this Saturday, I'm going to take a look at all eight of the first round series in The Association (high seed listed first).

Western Conference

Oklahoma City Thunder (60-22) vs. Houston Rockets (45-37)
This will be an extremely entertaining series to watch. Not only does it have the built-in James Harden vs. his old team storyline, but the two teams like to get up and down the court. The Rockets and Thunder were #2 and #3 respectively in points per game. Houston also averaged the most possessions per game in the league. The Thunder won the regular season series 2-1 and I don't see this playoff series being any different. OKC put up 363 points in three games against the Rockets. Even with the loss of Harden, the Thunder are still a deep team with Kevin Martin coming off the bench. Plus, having two of the top-10 players in the league with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook never hurts.
Oklahoma City wins the series 4-1.

San Antonio Spurs (58-24) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (45-37)
Many people thought this could be a potential Western Conference Final. Now, these two storied franchies are meeting in the first round of the playoffs. If Kobe Bryant didn't recently go down with an ankle injury, I'd feel better about the match-up for the Lakers. However, he's on the shelf with an Achilles injury. Add that to the fact that Manu Ginobli just returned for the Spurs, it's hard to imagine the Lakers pulling an upset.  And don't forget: Steve Nash isn't the most capable defender in the league. At 39, he'll be in charge of keeping Tony Parker in check.  The only bright spot for the Lakers is that Dwight Howard carried the Orlando Magic to the 2009 Finals on his now surgically-repaired back. If he can reclaim that form, the Lake-show can push the Spurs. That being said, Tim Duncan and the Spurs have one last run in them.
San Antonio wins the series 4-2.

Denver Nuggets (57-25) vs. Golden State Warriors (47-35)
The Nuggets are another team that like to run, leading the NBA in points per game and being a very close second to the Rockets in possessions per game. They'll play even faster without injured forward Danio Gallinari. Ty Lawson loves to push the team in transition. My only concern with Denver is the health of "The Manimal" Kenneth Faried. He should rebound quickly from his sprained ankle. The case for Golden State comes from the sharpshooting of Stephen Curry, who just set the record for most made 3-pointers in a season. Golden State will go as far as Curry will take them, but the Nuggets have too much depth. If the Nuggets get past Golden State, expect them to make a long run through the rest of the playoffs -- possibly to the NBA Finals?
Denver wins the series 4-1.

Los Angeles Clippers (56-26) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (56-26)
It'll be a strange sight to see the Clippers have a home playoff game before the Lakers do, especially this year. And I know it's a disservice to this Clippers team by mentioning the Lakers right away. It just comes with the territory. Anyways, I doubt Lob City wanted to see this Memphis team in the playoffs again after last year. L.A. won the series 4-3, but it could've been very different. The Grizzlies gave up a 27-point lead in Game 1 and did not have the strongest Game 7. As for this year, Memphis is 27-10 after trading Rudy Gay to the Toronto Raptors in January. As much as I think Blake Griffin's game has improved, I see Memphis taking this series. However, it's really hard to pick against Chris Paul...
Memphis wins the series 4-3.

Eastern Conference

Miami Heat (66-16) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (38-44)
Really? Heat will romp all over the Bucks. Except a really quick series to give LeBron and Co. some time off for the rest of their run in the playoffs. Milwaukee will wish that the league went back to the best-of-five this season.
Miami wins the series 4-0.

New York Knicks (54-28) vs. Boston Celtics (41-40)
Two more teams that met in last year's playoffs. The Celtics knocked out the Knicks last year, and I think this year will be another tight series. Since Rajon Rondo tore his ACL, Paul Pierce has put this Celtics team on his back. It's also hard to find a player more intense than Kevin Garnett, who showed earlier this season he could get under the skin of New York superstar and NBA scoring champion Carmelo Anthony. It will be up to Melo to show he can fight back with his play on the court. If the Celtics can get Anthony off his game, the bulk of the scoring will have to come from *gulp* J.R. Smith. I think this will be a very close series as Boston isn't ready to relinquish their hopes of a playoff run. However, the Knicks will knock the veteran team out of the playoffs.
New York wins the series 4-3.

Indiana Pacers (49-32) vs. Atlanta Hawks (44-38)
While Josh Smith may be playing for a contract, Paul George has shown he is capable of carrying a team. Now, will he make "The Leap" in the playoffs? He has a nice opponent in an Atlanta team that hasn't shown a lot of life coming down the stretch, as they are 4-6 in their last 10 games. It will still be a close series. The teams split the season series, so that doesn't help clear up this picture. In the long run, I think the Pacers will be able to clog up the middle with Roy Hibbert and ride George to a close series win.
Indiana wins the series 4-2.

Brooklyn Nets (49-33) vs. Chicago Bulls (45-37)
The Nets face a tough challenge here against Chicago. The Bulls have been crippled by injuries all season, losing a total of 180 games due to injury this year. However, they are getting (somewhat) healthy at the right time. Joakim Noah is back, but will see limited minutes to start. Will the Nets be able to take advantage of that? They should have a favourable match-up at the point guard spot with Deron Williams. He'll need to be at his best to beat this tough, defensively-sound Bulls team. This one will probably be a toss up, but Chicago has been resilient this season.
Chicago wins series 4-3.

Overall
Now, since the NBA has a weird schedule in the playoffs, it's hard to do round-by-round predictions. So, I'll give the remainder of my predictions here. I'll start off with I think may be the easiest pick of them all. The Miami Heat will win the Eastern Conference. Vegas has you losing money if you place a bet on the Heat winning the conference. That's not a good sign for the remaining teams.

As for the Western Conference, I think it'll be an Oklahoma City/Denver Conference Finals. This will be an exciting series, but OKC will prove to be too much for the Nuggets. It will be a close series though, probably going the distance.

So that brings us to a rematch of last year's NBA Finals. As much as I love the Durant-Westbrook combo in Oklahoma City, it's hard to beat the best player in the world. While Durant - or "Iceberg Slim" as Jalen Rose calls him - may be the best pure scorer in the game, LeBron is the best overall. After this season, it'll be two rings for The King. It's very hard seeing any team stopping the runaway freight train that is the Miami Hat.

So, there you have it. If you're going to watch any playoff basketball, lean towards the Western Conference. Do you agree or disagree with my picks? Do you think I'm taking the easy way out having Heat win it all again? Let us know in the comment section below.

Be sure to follow the new Sports by Schmucks Twitter page for updates on when new articles will be posted.

Revamping the Dunk Contest

It's been just over a week since Raptors' rookie guard Terrence Ross won the 2013 Slam Dunk contest during All-Star Weekend in Houston.



As dunk contests go, it was pretty good, but there wasn't much that made me jump out of my seat. There were some creative dunks, but a lot of missed attempts watered down the proceedings. I started thinking about some ways that the NBA could improve their annual contest.

More Stars
This is one of the most obvious remedies. First, it would attract more fans to watch the event if the main event is a Blake vs. LeBron finale. There was a rule put in place a while ago which only let players compete if they were in their first three NBA seasons. Regardless, bigger names would make the contest more attractive and add a nice closing to Saturday night. The likeliness of this happening is very slim. Most of the biggest stars want the time off to relax and play in a light-hearted game on Sunday night.

Raise the Rim



Dwight Howard literally raised the bar with this dunk. He showcased his athleticism in a unique way. Sure, he's listed as 6'11". I'm sure other dunkers have tried this. Why not bring this out for the whole contest? Many of the contestants have tremendous leaping ability. We've seen this time and time again when players are dunking in-game with their heads already about the rim. The NBA should want to show this off on the grand stage. It would also make many of the dunks the players try more impressive. Imagine Terrence Ross' first dunk being done on an 11-foot (or even 12-foot) rim. The fans would be out of their seats and some excitement would be back. Or, how about this: first round of the contest is on the regulation rim and no one is eliminated. In the second round, the rim is raised to 11 feet and two are eliminated. The final round has a dunk-off on a 12-foot rim. That would be good TV.

Penalize Missed Opportunities
The dunks were impressive this year. It just took too long to complete the majority of them. The dunkers received multiple opportunities to complete their dunks to what seemed like zero penalty. For example, on Ross' first dunk, he was awarded a score of 50 from the judges even though he missed on what seemed like 10 attempts. Take points off for that. Sure, the dunks wouldn't be as creative since players would be afraid to bring something out they were unsure about. But the surprise would still be there. By the time Ross made the dunk, the buzz in the arena was gone. Everyone knew what he was trying to do. Taking points off for misses would keep the spontaneity up.

Time/Attempt Limit
The league has already tried this: a dunker gets unlimited attempts for 1:30. That's still too long. Cut this down to 45 seconds. Either that or give the dunkers three attempts. If you can't do the dunk in three tries, it's not as special. Sure, it'll look good. Just think about all those great dunks from the past completed on the first try.

Cancel the Contest
This might not be the most popular solution, but it could benefit the contest in the long run. Give fans the chance to miss the contest. Every year, people are trotted out to perform in the contest. To be completely honest, there isn't much left for the dunkers to do. The originality now comes from whatever props each person can bring out. Giving the dunk contest some time off would make the contest fresh again. The dunkers would be able to think of new things to pull out in front of the fans. Plus, they'd appreciate it more after some time off, like sleeping in your own bed after a vacation. You don't realize how much you like it until you go without it.

Anyways, those are just a couple of opinions. Leave a comment with some feedback or your own suggestions to improve the contest.

Raptors/Grizzlies/Pistons Trade

Before Toronto's game against Atlanta tonight, the Raptors acquired Rudy Gay from the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a three-team trade. So, here is the breakdown:

• Raptors receive:
• Rudy Gay
• Hamed Haddadi
• Grizzlies receive:
• Ed Davis
• Tayshaun Prince
• Austin Daye
• Raptors' 2013 2nd-round pick
• Cash considerations
• Pistons receive:
• Jose Calderon

One of the easiest ways to evaluate a trade is deciding who received the best player of the deal. At this point in time, it seems like the Raptors got the best of the deal.

But did they?

Gay will help the Raptors' line-up immediately. He'll push DeMar DeRozan to the shooting guard position, which adds instant athleticism to starting five. With Calderon gone as well, it looks like it will consist of a Lowry-DeRozan-Gay-Johnson-Gray combination until the team gets healthy. Andrea Bargnani and Jonas Valanciunas will likely start again when they resume play.

Gay also helps the Raptors in the fourth quarter, who haven't been able to close out games successfully - just like tonight. I know, I know. DeRozan was fouled. But doesn't that prove the lack of respect the officials in the NBA have for the only Canadian team? Gay has closed out games, especially against the Raptors.

However, the Raptors take a lot of money in the deal. Gay will be paid over $19 million in 2014-15. According to HoopsHype.com, he'll make more than Amir Johnson, Landry Fields, Valanciunas, and Terrence Ross combined (at the time of writing, the site did not have DeRozan's extension included in the cap).

It might not be as bad if they can unload Bargnani, which has been rumoured when he gets back from injury. Toronto has been more successful with "Il Mago", and he is starting to wear out his welcome with the fans. The former #1 overall selection has shown flashes of potential, but is it enough to get a deal done?

Many articles I have read consider this a salary dump for the Grizzlies. They get some nice pieces back for their part in the trade. Ed Davis was starting to come in to his own with more playing time in the depleted Raptors' front court. Davis averaged 33.5 minutes per game in January, putting up 14 points and 8 rebounds a game. He'll be a nice depth addition for the Grizzlies with the chance to develop into a fantastic player.

Calderon heading to the Detroit Pistons as a result of this might pain many fans. The Spanish point guard has played his entire career in Toronto and has done everything asked of him, whether it was coming off the bench of being part of the starting five. Calderon will help the development of Rodney Stuckey and Brandon Knight in Detroit.

In the long run of this trade, I believe the Grizzlies will be the winners of the deal. They have gained some financial stability AND added talent to the roster. The Pistons also come out ahead with experience in the back court. The Raptors appear to be the losers of trade, despite getting the biggest name. The ESPN Trade Machine agrees with me.

The one time the Raptors close something out, they may end up regretting it.