Pettitte : Given the benefit of the doubt?

Tampa,Fla - Andy Pettitte faced the media today at the Yankees spring training complex hoping to put an end to his endless summer of embarrassment . I believe to an extent he did. Pettitte stood at the podium and took all questions, except those concerning Roger Clemens. One particular question stood out “Do you consider yourself a cheater?” he was asked. Pettitte replied “I didn’t do it to try to get an edge on anyone; I didn’t do it to try get faster, or stronger, or throw harder. I did it because I was told it might be able to help me. If people want to think that I am lying, then they should call me a cheater. “He displayed the same genuine, honest, folksy personality that makes him so likeable in New York. Oh and did I mention his demeanor on the mound in a big game? Pettitte will get by this like he got by the Atlanta in ’96 with a hot John Smoltz on the mound. Like he almost did last season in Cleveland before the bugs attacked Joba Chamberlain. That’s how he needs to look ahead to this season, like a big game. He needs to pull the brim of his cap down to the top of his eyes and dig in. After all they visit Red Sox nation the second weekend of the season, where the fans will be ready for war. I look forward to it.

Phoenix Suns: Looking Into The Crystal Ball

The Phoenix Suns are a great team, but I really think that their recent trade for Shaquille O'Neal hurt them a lot more than helped them. A Lot.  Losing one of the best forwards in the NBA is going to be a huge blow to the Sun's forward core.  The Suns', obviously, have a superstar center in Amare Stoudemire averaging 23.2 points per game, 9.3 rebounds per game, and 59% field goal percentage.  Grant Hill, the Sun's starting small forward, has really been the one consistent forward that the Sun's still have this season averaging almost 15 points per game.  Brian Skinner, Shaq, and even Boris Diaw have all been very inconsistent this season leaving a huge hole in the Suns' lineup.

That is my first concern with this team's playoff chances - if they meet a team with strong forwards they could get dismantled.  My other main concern with the Phoenix Sun's is the very, very thin roster.  When (and if) Shaq gets healthy then the Sun's will be lucky to have a seven or eight man rotation and in a long playoff series fatigue could play a factor.

Outlook & Predictions: I think Steve Kerr, Suns' General Manager of Basketball Operations, and the rest of the Phoenix Suns franchise will find that they should have kept Shawn Marion as this team ends the season 53-29 as the #5 seed in the Western Conference, and loses to the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the playoffs.

Michael Beasley < Kevin Durant

After going to the Texas Tech - Kansas State basketball game and seeing him live, in person, there is no doubt about it - Michael Beasley is an absolute beast.  He has as many skills as any other player in NCAA Division I basketball and has single handily made the Kansas State Wildcats contenders in the Big XII.

But when the question of whether or not Beasley is better than Kevin Durant, what Complete Sports posed a few weeks ago, my answer does not take any numerical statistics into account.  The most important stat to me is maturity, and for Beasley that his lack of it.  As the Washington Post reported last March, Michael Beasley's immaturity is really no secret.  He jumped from high school to high school five times in only four years, and he just assumes he will make it to the National Basketball Association because of his skills; but the NBA should never be considered a given.  Though Beasley and Durant's numbers from their freshman year are almost completely identical thus far, Beasley needs to realize that is time to grow up and stop doing petty things that get him in trouble both on and off the court.  Against Texas Tech, on Wednesday, there is no doubt that Michael Beasley was frustrated and played nowhere near his 'A' game, but still managed to score 22 points and grab 15 rebounds.  The problem was that Beasley was noticeably frustrated and did nothing but complain the entire game; if he did that in the NBA, he wouldn't be playing or very long.

Michael Beasley has all of the talent to be a superstar in the NBA, but now he needs to gain the maturity level too - before it's too late.  If Beasley continues with his immature behavior it won't be long before he is kicked to the curb like so many other young stars.

Dallas Mavericks' "Trade" All Makes Sense Now

Mark Cuban never intended for Devin Harris, Desagana Diop, Maurice Ager, Jerry Stackhouse, or Devean George to leave for the New Jersey Nets.  I think that's definitely clear, at least in my mind, until he proves otherwise. 

If you go to the Dallas Mavericks site or Mark Cuban's blog, neither one have any mention of the potential trade.  And I know you guys don't believe and will try to find something, go ahead, I dare you. With the NBA trade deadline looming and only six days away, I really think Mark Cuban consulted his players, especially Stackhouse and George , before the Jason Kidd trade was accepted.  He told Jerry Stackhouse to say that he will be back in Dallas in 30 days and Devean George to stand firm with his bird rights.  The reason George was able to block the trade was because of his "Larry Bird rights", keeping him from losing contract leverage this summer as a free agent.  I really think Mark Cuban knew this when he accepted the trade and contrary to what some believe he is a very smart guy.  

What this probably means is that, in reality, Cuban is trying to get Jason Kidd for less than what he is actually worth, or instead just trying to keep the Dallas Maverick's fans happy by "trying" to make a trade, and either way it's a stroke of genius by Cuban.  Another possibility is that Cuban intended to trade away the rights of Keith Van Horn, who is still technically a part of the Mavs.

 Of course, all of this goes out the window in the next six days if Jason Kidd becomes a Dallas Maverick and the original trade goes through.  We'll just have to see...

Jason Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks? - The Year of The Trade

First, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.  Then, Pau Gasol, Shaq, and Shawn Marion.

The last calendar year has been full of blockbuster trades in the NBA and it looks like the end isn't sight.  Jason Kidd appears to be heading to the Dallas Mavericks for Devin Harris, Desagna Diop, Devan George, Jerry Stackhouse, and Maurice Ager.  Yes, that's a lot of names and that is my main concern with this trade - the Maverick's new depth - or lack of it.  Dallas will also receive PF Malik Allen and G-F Antoine Wright in the trade and some sources say Jerry Stackhouse could re-join the Mavericks in 30 days.  When Stackhouse found out about the trade here is what he had to say about it, "I feel great.  I get 30 days to rest, then I'll be right back, I ain't going nowhere."  It makes sense because Stack has only played once in the past 11 games; for the Maverick's sake, I hope this is true.

As a Dallas Mavericks fan at first look this trade is absolutely ludicrous, but if you think back to last May against Golden State, you can't but shrug your shoulders and applaud Mark Cuban for at least doing something.  Though Jason Kidd is almost 35 he is still playing great basketball and will be a part of a Big 3 that is close to what Boston has in Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce.

I want the Mavericks to be good in five years, sure, but as a fan I can't help but think how close we have been to a championship (Game 3 of NBA Finals up 2-0 on Miami Heat) and how this trade could propel the Mavericks to that coveted NBA Championship.

No one really knows - this could be one of the worst trades in NBA history or we could be sitting here in June with the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.  For now, I'll just have to hope that it's the latter of those two.

Texas Tech Men's Basketball Attendance Woes

The Texas Tech men's basketball program has gone through a lot in the past half a decade: the hiring of Bobby Knight, eight transfers in the last two seasons, the recent resignation of Bob Knight, and the beginning of the Pat Knight era.

By the way, another bigger problem, Texas Tech's men's basketball attendance in the United Spirit Arena is averaging only a measly 6,943 this season.

Here is an attendance list for each home game this season:

Team	Attendance
Stephen F. Austin	5,762
TCU	5,942
Louisiana Tech	5,742
Stanford	7,119
Northwestern State	6,402
Lamar	5,075
UTEP	6,458
Texas A&M	11,268
Missouri	7,317
Oklahoma State	8,351

Yes, this is in the same United Spirit Arena that George Strait sold out in three hours for his March 7 concert in Lubbock. It is not hard to tell that basketball is not on the minds of many people in West Texas, but this wasn't the case so long ago. Bob Knight's first season in Lubbock the average game attendance was 13,743 - near twice what it is right now. But this season isn't the first season that attendance has proved to be troublesome since Bob Knight; here is an article from 2003 concerning Knight's frustration with the attendance at games.

When asked what the reason for the lack of attendance I have heard almost every excuse in the book, but the most popular answer is "if the team would win, than I would go to the game," but that's simply a horrible excuse. If you look at the Iowa State Cyclone men's basketball program, the team is 13-11 (3-6 in Big XII play) and a modest 12-4 at home in Ames, Iowa, yet still ranked second in the conference in attendance with over 13,000 sold tickets per game. This in a town that is less than 1/4 the size of Lubbock and with a university with about 4,000 less students. Your Red Raiders? A perfect 10-0 at the USA in Lubbock, even without the support of the community rallying behind them. It is no single person's fault for the lack of attendance, but I think everyone needs to take at least some responsibility.

As a student that lives on the Texas Tech campus I know that there are plenty of students that are bored on week nights and have nothing better to do - so I ask all of you guys this question - why not go to the Tech basketball? If anyone saw the ESPN 2 broadcast of the Red Raider game against Oklahoma State last week, the announcers disrespected Texas Tech the entire game and even went as far as saying the USA was a "morgue." I, personally, was at the game and would hardly call it quiet, so television really does no justice. For any student that says basketball games are boring, I would disagree with that statement too. Just come to a game, sometime when you are bored, what's the worst that could happen, you have fun?

I don't know what you will be doing during the next Texas Tech men's basketball game at the United Spirit Arena, but I will be in the student section, standing and screaming my head off - the entire game, just like always.

Happy Pat Knight Day Lubbock!

Detroit Pistons: Looking into The Crystal Ball

The Detroit Pistons, the number one seed in the Eastern Conference the last two years, came into the 2007-2008 not really knowing what to expect, but this team has just kept trucking along this season. It seems as though the Pistons have flown under the radar most of the season, and with their recent eight game winning streak they find themselves only three games back of the Boston Celtics for the Eastern Conference lead.

Though the Detroit Pistons have three all-stars this season in point guard Chauncey Billups, shooting guard Richard Hamilton, and recently named Rasheed Wallace, their stats are hardly overwhelming. Nevertheless this team consists of a solid core of talented veterans that compliment each other perfectly. The Pistons, this season, are once again the class of the National Basketball Association in defense surrendering only 89.3 points per game (ranked 2nd in the NBA - only 0.3 points behind guess who? the Celtics!). The only thing that concerns me with this team, at least this season, is that they have had a few fourth quarter letdowns. When the Pistons take the lead into the last stretch of the game, they should have the tools to put the game away.  Beyond this season and next season, the current core of veterans will be too old to keep the Pistons in position to contend for the NBA Championship in 2010 and beyond.

Outlook & Predictions:  I think the Pistons go 60-22 making them the Eastern Conference's #2 Seed.  Ultimately I think it will come down to the Detroit Pistons vs. the Boston Celtics and in a seven games series, if the Celtic's three superstars are healthy than the Pistons will be beat in the Eastern Conference finals.