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The NBA’s Officiating is a Real Problem

Two nights ago during the 4th quarter of the Lakers and Pistons game we witnessed a very entertaining incident to say the least. You had Isiah Stewart bulldozing through his own teammates and coaches while leaking blood, that same guy sprinting through the locker room to come out the other side and sneak LeBron, Russell Westbrook looking like the fighting irish logo waiting to throw hands, and Carmelo Anthony waiting for Stewart to come through the locker room so he could get some action. I don’t think I missed anything, oh yeah wait, IT ALL STARTED BECAUSE STEWART WAS HOLDING BRON. LeBron simply tried to get the pistons center off of him and accidentally caught him with a sharp elbow to the eye.

The video sure was comedy, but it gets a little bit serious once you hear the consequences. Isaiah Stewart was handed a 2 game suspension which was probably the least we expected. However, LeBron James was also suspended for a game. This is shocking considering aside from the foul that caused the fight James wasn’t even involved in the altercation. Personally I don’t even think the foul should have been a Flagrant 2, Stewart had no business grabbing him like that shot in an effort to give a soft shove LeBron gave him a sharp elbow. That’s a Flagrant 1 at worst if you ask me. Even though I believe LeBron’s punishment was a bit harsh I am glad to see the league finally not showing mercy on LeBron. However I feel like eventually the league has to become more consistent with their set rules and punishments. That’s all for today, just giving a little something that was on my mind, I hope you enjoyed it!

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New Beginnings in the NFL

Last Monday I had begun working on an article basically talking about if Cam Newton and Odell Beckham Jr. still had time left in their career after they had both been released. Today, it is November 11, 2021 and my questions have been answered. Just before noon, the football world learned that the Carolina Panthers would be bringing back their former MVP quarterback, Cam Newton. Hours later we learned that OBJ would be getting another shot at redemption, but this time with the Los Angeles Rams. However just because my questions are answered does not mean there aren’t more to come. Will Cam even start? Will OBJ be the number 1 receiver for LA, will he even fit in the offense? That is what today is about, what impact will Cam Newton and Odell Beckham Jr. have on their new teams.

Let’s start with Superman Cam himself, the current starter in Carolina is Sam Darnold. In their last outing against the New England Patriots Darnold went 16 for 33 while throwing for 172 yards and 3 interceptions. All of this and not a single touchdown, so question one is answered, Cam will probably be the starting quarterback when the Panthers match up against the Cardinals. The Panthers are currently 4-5 which isn’t great and does not give Cam much room for error. However I think because Cam has been working for this since he was cut by New England he will step up from the moment he steps on the field. Having guys like Robby Andreson and DJ Moore to throw passes to definitely helps too. I’d say at most it will take one game for Cam to regain his groove.

Beckham’s situation is a bit different from Cam’s. He hasn’t really had many struggles, and now that the drama in Cleveland is gone, I predict he will be very successful with this newly formed super-team in LA. His only problem is figuring out his role. The talent is and will always be there for OBJ, but what is his job in a wide receiver room with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods. As of right now the  Rams have Kupp at the 1 and  Woods at the 2, so what happens now. While Cooper Kupp made a name for himself as one of the best slot receivers in the league, this year he has been out wide and has had his best season ever. However Robert Woods and OBJ are also guys who work best out wide. Rather than ruining Kupp’s flow or forcing Beckham to do something he only does sometimes, I think the Rams will let the two rotate between wideout and slot. This way team’s are kept off balance and either way there are two pro bowl level receivers on the field together. As long as Beckham can accept the role and not cause drama then I think the Los Angeles Rams are your favorite to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

It’ll be interesting to see how these two moves pan out, once Cam and OBJ perform maybe I’ll post an updated version based on what I see. Until then, I hope you enjoyed the article, and make sure to check in every week for more content!

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THE NBA IS BACK

THE NBA IS BACK and I gotta say, we’re only a week into the season and I’m already loving it. There just isn’t anything like coming home from practice and turning on some good basketball or waking up at 6 in the morning before school to watch Inside The NBA. If you ask me, the thing that’s been most entertaining about the season is how out of the ordinary everything is playing out. 

Take some of the league’s young stars for example. Up until last night when he had 7 points,LaMelo Ball was playing like he was bound to be named an All – Star. You could see while watching him that he had clearly become more confident in his ability to shoot the 3 off the dribble. That alone has opened up room for him to get in the lane and finish or throw a lob. Speaking of lobs, the Hornet’s biggest surprise this year has been Melo’s typical lob partner, Miles Bridges. This year Miles has stepped up his aggressiveness and willingness to score as a whole and it has led to his point average jumping from 13 to 26. If the Hornets find a way to stay on this track they are on they could be a scary 6th-8th seed in the playoffs.

The next surprise is the rookies. Starting with the 13th pick in the draft, Pacers guard, Chris Duarte. Not gonna lie to anyone, on draft day I had never heard of this dude. Even right before opening day I still didn’t know, but Chris put himself on the league’s radar with a 27 point outing in his debut. The rookie out of Oregon can shoot with the best of them and once he gets into his pull up game, you might as well count the bucket. Next up There’s Jalen Green. Now it doesn’t take an NBA enthusiast to know who Jalen Green is, most people know him from when he was in high school dropping smooth 30 balls and dunking on everyone’s head. In the league he has proven that he is not just a highlight reel, what’s impressed me the most about Jalen is his ability to change directions and speed. He’s an extremely quick and athletic wing, and I think If he can improve his shot selection a little bit, he will be not just good, but great.

Now for my personal favorite surprise of the year, we have Ja Morant. This man right here is about to take the Grizzlies to the playoffs by himself like D – Rose with the Bulls. His shot has improved, and even though he’s always been a killer, I feel like that instinct is officially activated. He’s coming down full court and just shaking defenders to get to the rack. What I love about Ja, is he sticks to what he knows he’s good at. Once you start to lay off so he doesn’t run by you, that’s when he starts to shoot. He has a counter for everything he does, and so far it’s making him look like a real MVP candidate.

The final surprise on this list is the Chicago Bulls. Everything in that organization is perfect. They made three big moves to pick up Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso and all three of them have already sunk into their role and played it perfectly. Last year the Bulls had an All – Star in Zach LaVine who was best when the game was moving fast, but they never had a point guard to control the speed of the game. Bringing in Lonzo not only got them a guard to push the tempo, but it also gave them a knockdown shooter and a great defender at the point guard position, being 6’6 definitely helps too. Another problem for them was when teams found a way to stop Lavine their only option was Nikola Vucevic. Bringing in DeRozan means another player that can create his own shot whenever he needs to, and once again push the tempo. Demar is also in his 13th season, which gives Chicago an extra veteran to lead the team. What people don’t talk about enough is Alex Caruso. Him being on the squad adds a little bit of that Chicago hustle and scrappiness that the Bulls were missing. The spirits in the Bulls locker room are lifted just by having this guy around. Because of these pickups the Bulls are off to a hot start and are a lock for the playoffs if you ask me.

I’m not gonna lie. I loved writing this article, and I think I’m gonna make random rants like this more often because I think this season will be one for the ages.

Ohhhhhhh, Ben

As I prepared to post this article I learned that Ben Simmons IS BACK. I’m not quite sure what exactly happened to make him have an entire mood switch, but it had to be something. However even after the news all of my opinions on the situation remain the same. 

Back with another one guys, man this never gets tiring (hopefully you felt that sarcasm through the screen). Today’s topic is Ben Simmons once again, since the last talk about the 6’10 diva he has come out and said his time in Philadelphia is done and has decided to hold out of training camp. It all reminds me of a messy relationship between two popular kids. Ben is the male and he has been here since the beginning when the girl (the 76ers) loved everything about him. Since then he has made a few crucial mistakes (bad playoff performances) and now is hated by all of the girl’s friends (the 76ers fans). This hate by all of the friends has really messed up Ben’s mind and now he is breaking up with the girl (he wants out). The only problem is they are still linked because even though Ben has moved on, the girl still wants Ben around and will do almost anything to keep him here (he is holding out until he gets traded but the sixers won’t trade him and are fining him until he comes back). 

That’s just a summary of the situation, now here are my actual thoughts. On paper keeping Ben would most definitely be the move considering no team wants a whole diva as one of their team leaders. However if the Sixers were to keep Ben then the chemistry of the team would be absolutely awful, and even more people would want out. Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Mattisse Thybulle went out to LA to visit Ben, but they were told not to go and that Ben did not want to speak with them. That was later followed by this quote from Joel Embiid; “The situation is weird, disappointing, and borderline disrespectful to all the guys that are out here fighting for their lives. Some guys rely on their team to be successful to stay in the league and make money somehow.” That right there is Embiid saying alright bet I guess it’s over then. If you thought this season Ben was scared to shoot then you will be outraged watching him this season if we keep him on the squad. Ben will pay with about 50% energy because he simply won’t want to be here.

To summarize all of that I will say this, if you are the 76ers either way you go you are making a huge mistake. A few weeks ago trading Ben would’ve been the choice because you could probably get a lot back. Now he is becoming this diva with a ridiculous attitude, so nobody is going to want to give up their first, second, or maybe even third best player for him. However if you keep him he’s just going to cause problems in the locker room and for the entire organization. The Sixers are soon going to be forced to make a huge and difficult decision.