The Draft rant: part two

Congrats, Donnie Avery on being drafted. Who are you again?

Okay, people. This draft has been super-crazy (just wanted to offer my 2 cents on it.) I can't wait for Kenny to talk about his Cowboys, JAG to talk about his Bengals, and for George to talk about his Colts. I'm gonna try and be polite on this one.

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The Draft rant: part one

Run-DMC to the Raiders? Someone says WTF...

**By featured contributor Kenny Masenda - Check him out at www.kennymasenda.blogspot.com.

At times, I can be a very disgruntled person, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. In this case, it comes courtesy of The Oakland Raiders, and for the beginning of the end for one of my favorite players, the great Darren McFadden.

Here’s my problem with this entire process:

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The Studs, duds and unsung heroes: part one

Dwight, can you please stop dunking on the Raps? Look at Bosh! Look at him!

During the playoffs, I will periodically give a breakdown of the best and worst players in the '08 postseason. PLEASE CALL ME OUT if I miss anyone. My brain has exploded probably about 214 times due to the sheer greatness of the playoffs, and they just started Saturday!!!

**NOTE - The Spurs/Suns playoff series has the potential to be the greatest first round series of all-time. Better than Heat/Knicks (Allan Houston bouncer), Celtics/Bulls (Jordan's 63), Sonics/Nuggets (scarred my childhood; damn you, Robert Pack), Warriors/Mavs (Unfathomable...), and Nets/Pacers (Reggie hitting a 35-footer, and dunking from just inside the free-throw line w/ two hands!!) I've never seen a team score so easily like the Suns, yet at crucial times, struggle to get buckets, while the Spurs seem to be able to get every crucial bucket. Crazy.**

I will give three designations during the playoffs: studs, duds, and unsung heroes. Keep me on my toes, and make sure I don't leave anyone out. Here we go.

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The Washington Wizards will make the NBA Finals...

The best matchup in the playoffs? Not Wiz/Cavs. It's LeBron v. DeShawn

Are you drunk?

Okay bear with me, this is a BOLD prediction...

I'm just putting this out there, because this was supposed to only be about the Wizards vs. Cavaliers.

Washington could conceivably wreck this entire playoff series in the East. Please look at the last game from the Wizards-Celtics. Here's the Washington Wizards road map to get to the Finals...

Washington v. Cleveland
Washington v. Boston (sorry Atlanta)
Washington v. Detroit/Orlando (DET-ORL split series 2-2)

Then, if you don't know about Washington's history versus the best team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics.

Washington won the series 3-1, winning the last three consecutively, and now they're fully healthy! Jamison has given KG problems in their entire career, Caron can lock down Pierce, and DeShawn gets Ray-Ray, but lets not get ahead of ourselves...

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Save the Sonics? Yeah, right...

Oh, boy. Here we go...

Taken from Wednesday's article of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "Maybe Howard Schultz finally gets it. His decision two years ago to sell the Sonics to fork-tongued Oklahomans promising a good faith effort to keep the team in Seattle was a bad idea."

It just took the Starbucks mogul awhile to realize what we all suspected. For too long, he savored the sweetness of the millions he and his co-owners pocketed by selling out to the out-of-towners.

Then came the bitter aftertaste.

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MVP 4 CP3

Your Western Conference Player of the Month, but its another award we're thinking about...
By featured contributor Tyrell Wolfe - Check him out at www.myspace.com/82011286

MVP is the most valuable player in the league, not the best player. A player can be the best in the league but doesn’t add value to his or her team (sorry, Kobe.) MVP isn’t just the best player on the best team. There are too many variables that could determine the best team. One team can have a better record but play in an easier conference (sorry, KG.) Value is defined as the worth, importance, or usefulness of something to somebody (Encarta Dictionary.) That is exactly why Chris Paul (CP3) should be the MVP. If that definition doesn’t sway you, here are four reasons why CP3 should be MVP.

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KG 4 MVP

By featured contributor Kenny Masenda - Check him out at www.kennymasenda.blogspot.com

Is it KG's turn? Someone thinks so.

I’ve seen and heard arguments for other players, and some people have made some very valid points, but if you look at this season, from top to bottom, the best team has been the Boston Celtics, and the main reason for that is the acquisition of the one and only, Kevin Garnett.

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The Black Mamba for MVP. Ugh...

I'm not jocking Kobe for questions. Instead, I'm going to tell the truth on my own...

Ed does not like Kobe Bryant. You don't say? Really? I never would've thunk it.

Okay, I haven't liked Kobe since he shot those two airballs against the Utah Jazz in the 1997 NBA Playoffs. I really didn't like him when he snitched on Shaq, and I almost hated him when he went off on Bynum, but momma told me not to hate folks, so I just really, really, really, really really really did not like Kobe Bryant. However, I'm a grown man, and I can do this. I'm going to write an article on why Kobe Bean Bryant, aka "The Black Mamba" should win MVP. Ugh, here goes.

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It's a three-horse race...

Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett...

MVP...

Who's gonna win?

If you look at the polls to the right, you'll see that the readers have spoken their feelings as well. We will display our debate with three different points of view. You might ask, where's LeBron at? It is understandable that the Cavaliers would be battling the Miami Heat for the number one pick in the '08 draft if it weren't for LeBron, but we are identifying the three players who have taken their team to the ultimate level, not hovering around the .500 mark.

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The Juice Is Ready...

OJ Mayo.

When you read his name, what are your first thoughts of him?

Overhyped? Selfish? Overrated?

Understandable, but after watching him play this season and getting a better understanding of what his USC team was all about, I totally get why he played the way he did. In fact, I would say that in the second half of the season, he made his team better. Yeah, I said it; better.

So I say all of this to say the following: OJ Mayo will be a perennial All-Star and help his team become a future title contender.

Ed, that's ridiculous. Are you on meds? No, not this time. At least, I don't think so. Well, who does he play like? He plays like Chauncey Billups. He's 6'4", 210 pounds. He's not like Rajon Rondo, where his jumper is an offensive liability. He's an above-average defender that can guard both the point and the two.

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Fine female athletes...

Ok, so I've gotten over the Memphis scandal in San Antonio (no, I haven't) and am looking to address a couple of issues here, but first...

...what better way to get rid of a torrid thought of free throws and a couple of shaky calls by looking at beautiful women?

So I am now attempting to showcase the finest athletic women I can find. Now you won't see the typical women on here: Anna K. and Serena, because that's too easy. Here we go with my list; no order, just a list:

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Ed's down for an eight count...

Let's just say Ed The Sports Fan's stunned...

Its been 24 hours since the demise of the Memphis Tigers took place by the hands of the Kansas Jayhawks in San Antonio, Texas.

I'm not over it. I'm just not. It's weird, because me and some of my frat brothers and friends were at my house watching the game, and my frat Dame hit me and said, "What's up with you saying 'we'? Is Memphis your team?"

And it hit me: I had put my heart into Memphis. As you all know, I'm from Oklahoma, and I ride or die with my Sooners or Cowboys, through thick and thin.

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Memphis v. Kansas (just as I predicted...)

X-factors: Sherron Collins & Antonio Anderson could be huge Monday Night.

Just for the record, I now think that Kevin Love is more like David West than Psycho-T. I got my big white boys that the press loves to hype confused. Also, I actually had Tennessee vs. Texas in the championship (shows what the hell Ed knows.) Seriously, this had to be the year that all those people at your job who just follow enough basketball to say, "North Carolina looks really good this year" probably won your office pool. All of us aficionados of the game would say, "I'm not picking ALL four number ones to get to the Final Four. It's happened...never." Yet, ESPN showed that over 400,000 PEOPLE picked the Final Four correctly, but out of the 400,000, ZERO picked the correct Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. You know what that means?

People guessed the pool. They went to all the favorites and picked the number ones to win. Folks who have no business winning won, because they "didn't" know the history. I'm sorry for you guys who picked Louisville, Pittsburgh, USC, and others. You see who I picked. Regardless, this is why March Madness is greeeeeaaaaat!!!

On to the analysis...

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CDR = Chris Deserves Respect

CDR, come out and get your respect, bro...

Did I miss the memo?

You know, the memo that Derrick Rose is the best player on Memphis Tigers? The media has been saying that Derrick Rose is the best player on Memphis all week. Excuse me? Didn't Chris Douglas-Roberts just make first team All-America? Let's do a comparison, based on numbers:

Chris Douglas-Roberts: 18 ppg, four rpg, two apg (55% FG, 42% 3PT, 71% FT).

Derrick Rose: 15 ppg, four rpg, assists apg (48% FG, 35% 3PT, 70% FT).

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Introducing the best #00 since The Chief...

Kenny likes Mr. Arthur - The question is: how much will UNC love him Saturday night?

**Mr. Soul On Ice, Kenny Masenda is back to grace Ed The Sports Fan with some more of his thoughts. Be sure to check him out at http://www.kennymasenda.blogspot.com/. Thanks again everyone for commenting on the site and showing love. Stay posted for more posts and news on Ed The Sports Fan. Later. -Ed.**

Well, we all know what time it is: the Final Four where, for once, all the number one seeds are in it to win it. Honestly, there may not be a "favorite," because all of the teams have a strong case to win this thing.

Some people feel its UCLA's time, and for good reason.

Some people say Memphis is due, and if anyone saw how they BLASTED the Michigan State Spartans and Texas Longhorns last weekend, its hard to argue against them.

You have North Carolina, who has been playing extremely well all tournament (and ya'll know Ed now likes Psycho-T...)

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Psycho-T vs. David West..WHAT??!?

Cover boy, Psycho-T vs. Mr. Reliable, David West. Hmmm...Ed what are you thinking??

First off, congratulations to UNC, Kansas, UCLA and Memphis for making the Final Four. In lieu of the constant breakdown of the Final Four participants, I will attempt to give you bits of information that you may not know about the four teams in the tournament, and I'll give you a prediction as well; not that it'll be correct or anything...

I have been in the doghouse about UNC, because I personally felt that they were overrated (weak non-conference schedule, the ACC being down this year) and wouldn't make it this far.

Boy, was I wrong.

Well, after watching UNC a little more closely, I've come to the conclusion that Tyler Hansbrough will be a good pro. I'm not saying perennial all-star and hall-of-famer, but I had a revelation...

Tyler Hansbrough is the next David West. Go ahead, laugh away. Get it out your system.

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