Tag: Best players

Getting Injured Players Back Can Be as Important as a Trade

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Injury

So who is ready to win the World Series? Well, relax , folks, it is only June and baseball is a marathon. Patience and consistency are keys to being the best in baseball, the same two qualities that are necessary in the world of sports wagering.
After all, it is not the hot teams in May and June that win the World Series, it is the team hottest in October. The 2002 and 2003 Angels and Marlins were great examples, along with the 2004 Red Sox and 2006 Cardinals. One year ago this week the San Francisco Giants were riding a six-game losing streak trying to hang on for first place. Cracks in the armor? No, just a short losing streak in the grind of a 162-game season. Or in the case of the 2014 Giants, more games than that as they rolled to another title in October.

Go back to 2010, the start of their title run, the San Francisco Giants (19 to 1 to win the World Series) were in third place in the NL West in mid-June, five games over .500 with a losing road mark. All those teams were less than stellar in the first half of the season before catching fire down the stretch and winning the World Series.
That 2010 Giants team really made their move in July, starting 15-4 after the All Star break. At the end of the first month of the 2002 season, the Angels were 11-14 and no one was talking about them as challengers in October. A year later, on June 1, 2003, the Florida Marlins were 26-32, looking up at the Braves, Phillies and Expos in the NL East. They were just one-game out of last place in the division and 100-to-1 shots to win the World Series. In October, they did.

Many times a roster a team currently has will not be the one they will be using in October, or even July. Managers are still tinkering with lineups, or practicing patience with slumping players hoping they will bust out of it. General Managers are reviewing team needs and plotting trades to upgrade positions and even minor leaguers can come up to help out.
This season, many talented teams have been waiting for key players to return from injuries or trying some new talent. The Reds have ace Johnny Cueto dealing with injuries, while the Detroit Tigers are hoping to get a boost from Justin Verlander and Victor Martinez.

The Miami Marlins probably won’t be repeating their incredible 2003 campaign from worst to first in a few months, but they have a lot of pitching talent banged up in Mat Latos and Jose Fernandez. A pair of hot, healthy arms in the second half of the season can change a pitching staff immensely. And while Ryan Braun’s thump ever get healthy to provide some offense to the punchless Brewers? The Mets would love to help their offense with a trade – or to simply get David Wright healthy.
Maybe we shouldn’t count out the defending champion Giants just yet, either, as former ace Matt Cain is making rehab starts. The Nationals are already a strong team but could get much better soon if Stephen Strasburg and Doug Fister return to action.
Another factor is the minor leagues, with teams sometimes able to bring up rookie talent to plug into holes. Sometimes they can be key contributors in the second half, and other times it will be done to showcase the young talent because they want to use the kids as trade bait for an established player. Minor league surprised and getting injured players back can be as important as a trade.

Written by Jim Feist for VegasTopDogs.com

Who is the real leader on the surprising Atlanta Hawks

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AtlHawks
This season has definitely not looked the way many people, fans or expert analysts expected it to look this deep into the season thus far. I am more than certain no one had the Hawks, who were 38-44 in 2013 and crawled in at the 8 slot to be a playoff seed. To being a potential 60 game winning team that is scoring 103 a night and playing some great defense as well.
The Hawks have one of the deepest and most complete teams in the Eastern Conference. And with Mike Budenholzer coaching them, he has kept them motivated, playing great team ball. The Hawks have been making good teams look bad, by playing good basketball. Many naysayers have wanted to throw a lot of what they have done this season, as being a lucky team. But, after 50+ games it’s about that time to seriously look at this team as a title contender. I question if the Cavs can guard them, I don’t see the Wizards being able to outscore them. And on top of that, the Bulls have absolutely no continuity.
The sign of any good team is to handle your business vs the inferior teams as well. They have obliterated the inferior opponents they have faced. Taking down teams that the top 5 in the East should beat. And they have also compiled a pretty impressive win streak as well, with their big 19 gamer. If you have any question as if the Hawks are truly currently in the mix, do not dismiss them because of the schedule they have been handed, early in the season.
The East is wide open, so why not the Hawks this year?
They have had many guys on the team contribute, which reminds me of the Detroit Pistons in a weird sort of way, when they had Rip, Chauncy and Rasheed Wallace as their team in 2003, when they were a title winner. Where there biggest and baddest scoring threat was Rip, dropping 18 a night.
Paul Milsap has been excellent in his role. Jeff Teague has been fantastic, scoring the ball at 17 a game, and his ball distribution as well, 8 dimes. He has quick hands, making plays that are both smart and decisive. Teague has seemingly stepped in to play the “Tony Parker” type role, by his distributing the ball and scoring when needed.
They are showing some styles that are similar to some of the past great teams, playing a style like the Spurs have in the past, as well as the Pistons of the past. Playing with confidence and great teamwork. They change their game and they know the biggest threats on the court, and they then adjust to the biggest threats. And when on offense, they stay spaced out on the court, to make the right basketball play repeatedly.
As far as the team goes, the man who keeps the wheels going forward has been Al Horford, the biggest key to the teams success. Big Al has progressed from the one dimensional player from the past. He has bounced back after his torn right pectoral muscle that had him lose the majority of last season. Horford has returned this year as the anchor, on both the offensive side as well as the defensive side of things.
They would not be nearly this good without his solid shooting. He makes opposing defenses break down in the middle because of him, as well as his midrange game, spreads the court a bit as well.
Horford, has finally seemed to come into the game. He has played better than he has in 8 seasons. He gives the Hawks a big enough presence in the paint to disrupt opponents’ offenses. And, he has shown he can protect the rim as well, with his shot blocking ability.
The fact that the Hawks have so many playmakers, he may not always be able to showcase his importance, on the scoreboard and stuffing the stat lines. If he actually had the freedom to play loose every night, his numbers would be even more impressive. Al is not expected to get your typical center rebounding numbers, in the 10-12 range. They like to keep the team spacing, and rebounding has been a team effort, which is why 5 players are getting 4 or more boards a game.
Horford could easily average 24 and 10 if he played more on his own style of play, but that’s not the case. He has bought in full fledged, and is into the Hawks system. And he is with them 100%. The best players are willing to sacrifice their own stats for the team. unfortunately, it’s not often enough. Without Horford, the Hawks would be a very average team, and would not be nearly the team they are now. To put into perspective, Horford has scored in double figures all but a handful of games, including many 20 point games, this season. He has a multitude of double doubles.
Knocking down 54% from the field, which is currently at 9th best in the NBA. As far as a defender he is 21st in the league in blocks. If the Hawks keep going in this direction, with Big Al, healthy, and in the lineup, they truly are one of the most impossible teams to defend.
Written by TonyK for VegasTopDogs.com

College Hoops: Best of the SEC

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The SEC has a bunch of teams loaded with talent, depth and athleticism. Kentucky won national championships in 1998 and 2012, Florida knocked on the door in 2000 getting to the title game against Michigan State, then won it all with back-to-back titles. Here’s a look at some of college basketball’s best teams in the SEC.

Kentucky: The Wildcats have another powerhouse young team for coach John Calipari, who likes to groom them for one year before they head off to the NBA. Kentucky has a powerful frontcourt of 6-11 freshman Karl-Anthony Towns (8.5 ppg, 6 rpg), 7-0 junior Willie Cauley-Stein and 7-foot sophomore Dakari Johnson (8 ppg, 5.5 rpg).
Even the backcourt is huge with 6-6 sophomore Aaron Harrison (11 ppg) and 6-6 freshman Devin Booker (10.6 ppg). They flattened Kansas (72-40) and North Carolina (84-70) by double digits, and showed clutch ability with back-to-back overtime wins over Ole Miss and Texas A&M. The Wildcats are 7-3-1 ATS on the road and 16-7 run under the total with great defense. Just bring on March: This talented, deep group is ready.

Arkansas: The Razorbacks are getting it done by running, Top 15 in the nation in scoring and assists behind a backcourt of 6-5 senior guard Rashad Madden and 6-6 junior Mike Qualls (15.7 ppg). Arkansas leads the SEC in five categories, including scoring (80) & offensive rebounds (13.7).
The frontcourt has a force in 6-11 sophomore Bobby Portis (17.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg), and Arkansas is one of five teams in the nation with two top 30 RPI road wins. The Razorbacks have been great at home and at covering against weak teams, 17-8 ATS at home against a team with a losing road record. They play 5 of their final 8 games on the road, including a showdown at No. 1 Kentucky to end February.

Texas A&M: The Aggies are not an easy team to face with their attacking defense. They gave up just 70 points to No. 1 Kentucky in a loss — in double overtime. They held Kentucky to 28% shooting. 6-7 junior guard Jalen Jones (13.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and 6-7 junior Danuel House (13.8 ppg) anchor the backcourt and lead the team in scoring, with 6-9 senior Kourtney Roberson manning the low post.
Junior guard Alex Caruso is a terrific playmaker averaging 5.5 assists per contest. The Aggies are a great bounce back team, 51-25 ATS following a loss. And that great defense really helps on the road, where the Aggies are 46-21 under the total.

Ole Miss: The Rebels have impressed with another strong offense behind the backcourt duo of junior guard Stephan Moody (15.5 ppg) and senior Jarvis Summers (13 ppg). Like Texas A&M, they took top-ranked Kentucky to overtime, an 89-86 loss. They held Kentucky to 42% shooting. Ole Miss is now 13-102 against Kentucky! Kentucky had its worst defensive game of the season. The Wildcats allowed Ole Miss to shoot 49 percent from the floor and 53 percent from 3-point range. Kentucky was also outscored in the paint 30-26 by Ole Miss. Ole Miss has been on a recent 10-4 run over the total, including 7-2 over on the road.

LSU: It’s no secret how the Tigers win: Like the days of Shaq or Big Baby Davis they have a huge frontcourt with 6-10 sophomore Jarrell Martin (16 ppg, 9 rpg) and 6-8 sophomore Jordan Mickey (16.7 ppg, 11 rpg). Once again they are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation.
The backcourt has size, too, with 6-6 sophomore Tim Quarterman (12 ppg) and 6-4 junior Keith Hornsby (12.6 ppg). The Tigers have been better on the road than last season, pulling off victories at Ole Miss, Florida and Vandy, the latter in overtime. They even have a non-conference win at West Virginia building an impressive resume before March. LSU is 20-7 over the total in SEC play.

Georgia: Let’s call them the “Not-Quite Bulldogs,” because they haven’t quite been there when stepping up. Georgia lost to Gonzaga by 14, lost at home to Arkansas by 4 and lost in double overtime at LSU. 6-8 senior Marcus Thornton (13.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg) is a force at center but missed a few games recently with a concussion.
The backcourt is fine with 6-3 junior Kenny Gaines (11 ppg) and 6-5 junior Charles Mann (11 ppg). They had a showdown at Kentucky and covered as a +18 dog, but lost by 11 after falling behind at the half, 42-27. Georgia committed 16 turnovers leading to 18 Kentucky points. The Bulldogs are an impressive 30-12-1 ATS against the SEC and 19-7 under the total after a spread cover.

Written by Jim Feist for VegasTopDogs.com

What Kevin Love gives LeBron James

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Cavs

This season 4 time MVP LeBron James is getting to play alongside one of the best knock down shooters in the game, Kevin Love. A different kind of big man with some really interesting skills that far exceed Bosh in a number of ways, it’s not too shabby of a trade off if you ask me.

KLove brought a lot to the table alongside LeBron, that Bosh didn’t bring in Miami. Now, granted Bosh had to change his gamestyle to play with LeBron and Wade in Miami, Love has to adapt to do the same thing. Big difference to me is the fact that when Bosh came from Toronto, Bosh had a high post game. Love’s is the perimeter, which I thought would be far better for LeBron. Bosh was forced into playing more perimeter last year as he became a bearable perimeter threat at best last year, putting up a career-high 218 triples and hitting 74, for a 34%. Before 2013, Bosh was not anything close to pulling up for the deep ball, with his career high in attempts only being 74. But it’s also worth noting when Bosh was there he also was never a convincing rebounder. Now James also has a more than dominant rebounding force in the paint.

But, if we look at something else, it changes things drastically. In the 2014 Finals, Bosh couldn’t stop a 37 year old Tim Duncan, who scored 15 a game with ease, and owned several games with his rebounding and his dead spot on shooting, over Bosh repeatedly. Bottom line, Duncan owned him throughout.

There’s no question about it, The Cavs are a poor offensive team. And, their defense is heavily relying on LeBron and Kyrie Irving (and that’s not saying much) other than that, they truly don’t have other than above-average defenders. Giving up 101 oppg and a whopping 47 FG%.

Now, Kevin Love was never given credit as much of a leader in Minnesota. Now he doesn’t need to be one in Cleveland with LeBron. Love, drew the attention of entire defensive game plans in Minnesota, where he was the sole scorer and still did whatever he wanted. Now, if the Wolves had made the playoffs a few times, I guarantee most people would have considered him a top 5 player, but because of horrendous teams he was buried with he is looked at a little contrarily. Truthfully, his numbers speak for themselves, statistically he’s pretty much currently behind only LeBron and Durant as far as “wow numbers with players.”

Love is the best of the best as the new mold of next-generation stretch the court bigman. A PF and possible C dropping 30 footers at an alarming rate, 190 in 2013, 440 for his career, and Love’s assist avg cracked 4.4 in his final season with the Wolves. Love is exactly the kind of perimeter threat that teams love to have in their frontcourt. This year, though, he has been endurable with just 64 deep balls, hitting just 43 % of his shots, and getting just 13 shots a game.

James has to step up and be the unquestioning leader here now. Imagine what Love could do with James attracting most of the attention. Sharp shooters, Kyrie and Kevin are both much better 3 point shooters than Wade and Bosh ever were. And with a quick eye, and big body, Love is arguably the best outlet passing big man in the game, which should be fantastic for LeBron and Kyrie, who both can wheel downcourt in seconds.

Tristan Thompson was a 12/9 big last year and coming off the bench this year, so he is suddenly a very viable big to come off the bench who can produce points, and rebounds, taking the load off of Love as well. And he has been all season.

Problem has been, can Love adapt like Bosh did in Miami?

I believe that the issues lie deeper. I look more to Kyrie as not helping matters for Love. LeBron and Love, I think would be just fine. Love is a far better player than Chris Bosh ever was, Love is a top 8 player in the league and Bosh is around top 30 at his best.

The Cavs have to get something working right, because they could be more fun that the Heat were when they formed the Heatles. And it starts with Kyrie learning what team work actually is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December NBA Power Teams

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by Jim Feist of VegasTopDogs.com

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Preseason prognosticators and handicapping analysis focuses in on what they expect to happen, based on the draft and offseason moves, but there are always surprises at the start of each season. Here’s a look at some of the early NBA teams off to impressive starts.

Raptors: With LeBron leaving Miami and Indiana losing its best player to an offseason injury, there’s a vacuum in the East. A young Toronto team has gotten off to a fast start, top 10 in points scoring and points allowed. 25-year old 6-7 DeMar DeRozan and 28-year old Kyle Lowry lead the backcourt and the team in scoring.
The middle is being manned by 22-year old Jonas Valanciunas who has been scoring and rebounding giving this team balance. They are also top 10 as a team in free throw shooting, a key edge in close games (and for late spread covers). The team has been on a recent 18-8 run over the total, including 13-5 over at home.

Wizards: The young, athletic Wizards have battled injuries the last two seasons, but appear healthy and formidable early on. Guard John Wall pushes the team while newcomer Paul Pierce is trying to teach the kids how to get to the next level. The inside game looks primed for the long haul with 7-footer Marcin Gortat and Nene Hilario.
Washington is playing some defense early on, including Top 10 in field goal shooting allowed. The one weakness, though, is they are soft at defending the three-pointer. The Wizards had a nice stretch at 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games playing on one day’s rest.

Warriors: Steve Kerr inherited a good team and they have been playing even better. Golden State can run with anyone, Top 5 in the NBA in scoring behind Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. This team can play defense, too, Top 5 in field goal shooting from the field and from long range.
Young Draymond Green was forced in last year and play well in the frontcourt, while 7-footer Andrew Bogut has been healthy — knock wood. Golden State was on a recent 19-7 ATS run, including 16-5 ATS against a team with a losing record. And they are better on defense than many think: The under is 39-15 in the Warriors last 54 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.

Pelicans: 21-year old Anthony Davis has always been real good, but he appears to be developing confidence alongside his growing experience. All of which makes him an incredible inside force and this young New Orleans team is reaping the benefits.
With Omar Asik and Tyreke Evans, this team has been tough at rebounding and scoring easy buckets, Top 10 in scoring. Despite the shot blocking Davis this is still not an elite defensive team and note that the over is 35-15-1 in the Pelicans last 51 games vs. a team with a winning percentage below .400.

Grizzlies: Memphis continues to be a matchup nightmare in the low post, a defensive dynamo that is Top 5 in the league in points allowed and Top 10. Zach Randolph is a beast in the low post when his mind is focused on playing, Marc Gasol is a handful, while Tony Allen and Mike Conley anchor a deep and flexible backcourt. The Grizzlies started 9-3 over the total at home.

Blazers: Portland was all about running and gunning last year, but this year’s team looks better as they are focusing on defense augmenting a dynamite uptempo attack. This is a terrific frontcourt with LaMarcus Aldridge, Robin Lopez, Chris Kaman and Nicolas Batum, a group that can pound the glass with anyone.
They’ve been playing great defense at home, on a recent 7-2 under the total at the Rose Garden. However, are they ready for prime time? The Blazers started the season 3-9 ATS against a winning percentage above .600.

Is Ryan Tannehill the answer in Miami

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NFL: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill has been steadily decent in his first 2 seasons in Miami. With 36 TD passes in his first 32 games, to his 30 picks in the same time-frame, he has had his shares of ups and downs. He has been hit and miss with his accuracy, at times, looking really sharp sometimes, hitting on 62% of his throws, in his good games, and then we have the rough games, where he is 10-27 completing 37%. Who is the real Ryan?

Ryan has led his team to 15 wins over 32 games, which is pretty satisfactory for a team that is playing in a division with the mighty Patriots. And has led his teams to wins over the Colts, the Pats and Bengals last season. But it’s time for him to take his team on his shoulders, and can he, does he have the ability to that? When he was drafted 8th overall in 2012 he came out of Texas A&M as a high-end prospect. With most opinions about him being that he was a manageable “work in progress, but could be amazing.”

When playing in Texas, Tannehill was nothing short of a quick wonderboy, with 29 TD passes, a late upsurge and a great 2011 season behind him to back up his legacy. And in only 2 seasons of playing, had a following that many felt he was going to be an exceptional player. He has always had a slight issue with his accuracy, even then. How does his future look wearing the Dolphins aqua blue?

His receiving corps has been unstable over the last couple seasons. With Brian Hartline being the best option for him in getting open, seemingly, all the time. And Davone Bess in 2012 and now he’s in Cleveland, awaiting Manziels legacy to begin.

Out of the backfield, in 2012, they have had Reggie Bush who could at least provide some alleviation in the passing attempts for him, as the Dolphins were in the top 10 last year, in the NFL with passing the ball. Tannehill has had 12 games with at least 35 passing attempts. That’s a lot of pressure to move the team via airwaves. Now, adding Knowshon Moreno, will be a priceless piece in this offense. He has an ability to gain positive yards in certain downs, in particular on 3rd downs. Where the ‘Phins were awful last year. Moreno got 53 first downs in 2013. Compared to just 26 for Lamar Miller and 17 for Daniel Thomas. Moreno will really help them gain more short yardage conversions. Again taking away some urgency of their QB to be forced to throw. Every team, would like to have a guy out of the backfield who can catch some balls, and make a play. Moreno can be that guy. He proved in 2013 that he can do that easily. I feel the Dolphins need to employ his all around ball skills often.

And with Mike Wallace looking like he could be a growing in his advancement as a legit WR1, and rookie Jarvis Landry coming in to show what he has to add to the mix, I think it’s time for Tannehill to come around. The Dolphins have put their QB in position to deliver the goods. Last year, their O-line was garbage. And throwing the ball all the time, was their best choice. But they have fixed the O-line this off-season. Adding LT Branden Albert and keeping Mike Pouncey, quickly created an offensive line with 2 Pro-Bowlers. I think that Tannehill is going to be the long haul guy to carry them forward. Ryan Tannehill is only going to get better with his passing skills and his knowledge to read defenses once he gets a solid RB behind him, I feel he could easily be a 25+ TD guy in the NFL. As long as they give him some time to throw, they could win 10+ games pretty quickly.

Written by TonyK of VegasTopDogs.com

NFL Pre-Season Report part 1

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Contrary to popular opinion there’s money to be made during the NFL preseason. One of the tools I use is my 4D handicapping software in order to develop proven betting systems that have survived the test of time.

As I have stated on several occasions, you shouldn’t just limit yourself to one facet of sports handicapping when wagering your hard earned money. However, I’ve taken the time to share some extremely profitable betting systems during the NFL preseason that can serve you well as a fundamental starting point. All of this information is originated from the 4D software, and only a handful of professional sports handicappers in the country currently possess.

•Any NFL preseason away underdog of 3.5 or less that’s coming off a straight up favorite loss by 10-points or more, versus an opponent coming off a SU&ATS win is 23-4 ATS (85.2%) since 1980.

•Any NFL preseason away underdog of 7.0 or more, versus an opponent coming off a SU&ATS win in which they covered by 5.5 or more, has gone 19-9 ATS (67.9%) since 1980.

•Any NFL preseason away underdog that’s coming off 2 consecutive wins, versus an opponent coming off a win by 10-points or more, has gone 22-6 ATS (78.5%) since 1994.

•Any NFL preseason underdog of 6.5 or more that’s coming off a loss by 10-points or more, versus an opponent coming off a SU&ATS win has gone 20-5 ATS (83.3%) since 1980.

Written by Ross Benjamin of VegasTopDogs.com

2014 NBA Finals

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by Jim Feist of VegasTopDogs.com

 Say, what happened to “Youth Must Be Served?” Last year a pair of veteran teams met in the NBA Finals, with Miami winning its second straight title in seven games against the aging Spurs. Lo and behold, the same team teams made it to the Conference Finals again, with the young Pacers and Thunder trying to break through. Two years ago it was supposed to be the time the kids stepped up in Oklahoma City stepped up. OKC came close, winning Game 1 of the Finals before Miami won four in a row. The previous year a younger Miami team came close, carving out a 2-1 series lead before collapsing, as it was those old fogies in Dallas who came away with the title – another veteran team winning the whole thing. You get the sense the NBA is suddenly an old man’s game. In fact veteran NBA teams have been on a roll, with the Celtics winning it all in 2008, the Lakers in 2009-10, the Mavericks in 2012 out of nowhere, and the Heat the last two years. This year young teams from Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, Memphis and Golden State made the playoffs but are gone.

In 2012 the thirty-something Mavericks won it all as a No. 3 seed. Despite then 26-year old Jose Barea running all over the place, it was a veteran Dallas team behind then 33-year old Dirk Nowitzki, 34-year old Shawn Marion, Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic (both 34) and 39-year old Jason Kidd. This year the NBA’s Final Four has a pair of young teams (Pacers and Thunder) against the old men of San Antonio and Miami. While the NBA is more of an athletic game, primed for young legs, the experience of the Mavericks certainly helped them two years ago and helped the Spurs plow their way to the No. 1 seed for the second season in a row. But at some point age can work against a team, breaking down from injuries. There really haven’t been many youthful teams winning the NBA title lately. The Celtics and Lakers were veteran teams that clashed in the Finals in 2008 and 2010. The experienced Lakers topped the young Orlando Magic in 2009, blowing out the kids in Game 1, 100-75. Prior to that veteran teams like the Spurs, Pistons and 2006 Miami Heat won titles. Ahh, the Miami Heat. They really aren’t that youthful, with LeBron James the only kid at age 29, and even he’s been in the league ten years. He’s also been in the NBA Finals in 2007 with Cleveland. Dwyane Wade (age 32) already has a ring with the 2006 Heat, a veteran team that also had Shaq, Antoine Walker and Gary Payton. One thing that stands out with the NBA’s Final Four of 2014 is defense.

The Thunder, Pacers, Spurs and Heat all finished in the Top 10 in the NBA during the regular season in either points allowed for field goal shooting defense. Oklahoma City was tops in the West in FG shooting defense, while the Pacers were best in the NBA. This shouldn’t surprise. Two years ago Miami was sixth in points allowed during the regular season, Dallas was 10th; Miami was second in field goal defense (.434%), while Dallas was 8th (.450%). The Western Conference Finals was a terrific clash of Youth vs. Experience. Oklahoma City has 25-year old 6-10 Kevin Durant and 25-year old Russell Westbrook (23.7 ppg), while the Spurs are filthy with age and talent. The Spurs have 38-year old Tim Duncan, 36-year old Manu Ginobili and 31-year old Tony Parker, though the Spurs rely heavily on their bench, which leads the league in scoring for the fifth straight season. So how did defending champion Miami do against the Best of the West? They got crushed by the Thunder (112-95) at home, won at OKC (103-81), got blown out at San Antonio (111-87) and won at home over the Spurs (113-101). Which shows how little stock you should put in regular season meetings, as situational factors and injuries come into play. Are the kids ready to take over? Or will we see another bunch of old men hoist the trophy?

2014 VegasTopDogs NFL Draft Predictions

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Mock Draft
It’s almost here, that wonderful time of the off-season, we all look forward to like a special holiday for grown ups, NFL draft day. I know I am as excited as you are, waiting to see who my team is going to grab in the 1st round, who can we sneak out in the 3rd, and make it all come together. This HAS to be the year, right?

Draft season, brings everyone together as a unit, like a load of team colored, jersey wearing soldiers, to cheer, jeer, moan and groan at who picks up who, and who passes on who. Will your team be drafting who you are hoping for, or will they let you down? It’s a day, where we all are GMs of our teams, and looking at who we think our teams should be drafting. With all the teams and their hopes in the offseason, bad teams try to get better, teams like Cleveland and St. Louis are thought to be instantly teams that are expecting a great turnaround from last year simply from having 2 picks in the 1st round. But not so fast, it all comes out in the wash during the upcoming season.

So we will go through the 1st round, Mock draft style and let you know who they teams should be taking in their slots.

1. Houston Texans – Jadaveon Clowney, DE
2. St. Louis Rams (from Washington Redskins)- Sammy Watkins, WR
3. Jacksonville Jaguars- Khalil Mack, LB
4. Cleveland Browns- Mike Evans, WR
5. Oakland Raiders- Greg Robinson, OL
6. Atlanta Falcons- Jake Matthews, OL
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Taylor Lewan, OL
8. Minnesota Vikings- Johnny Manziel, QB
9. Buffalo Bills- CJ Mosley, LB
10. Detroit Lions- Calvin Pryor, S
11. Tennessee Titans- Darqueze Dennard, CB
12. New York Giants- Louis Nix III, DT
13. St. Louis Rams- Justin Gilbert, CB
14. Chicago Bears- Timmy Jernigan, DT
15. Pittsburgh Steelers- Kyle Fuller, CB
16. Dallas Cowboys- Kony Ealy, DE
17. Baltimore Ravens- Xavier Su’A-Filo, OL
18. New York Jets- Odell Beckham, WR
19. Miami Dolphins- David Yankey, OL
20. Arizona Cardinals- Blake Bortles, QB
21. Green Bay Packers- Zack Martin, OL
22. Philadelphia Eagles- Merqise Lee, WR
23. Kansas City Chiefs- Gabe Jackson, OL
24. Cincinnati Bengals- Dee Ford, DE
25. San Diego Chargers- Anthony Barr, LB
26. Cleveland Browns (from Indianapolis Colts)- Derek Carr, QB
27. New Orleans Saints- Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S
28. Carolina Panthers- Cyrus Kouandjio, OL
29. New England Patriots- Ra’Shede Hageman, DT
30. San Francisco 49ers- Jason Verrett, CB
31. Denver Broncos- Kelvin Benjamin, WR
32. Seattle Seahawks- Eric Ebron, TE

What makes this draft so great is because it is so deep and so talented, on all levels. I think that this draft could produce a couple handfuls of Pro-Bowlers easily. Maybe I’m crazy, maybe I’m right on, but we will find out soon enough. Looking forward to this Thursday, May 8th, so let’s do this!!

Written by TonyK of VegasTopDogs.com

Johnny Manziel is the quarterback that’s ready for the NFL

Posted in College Football, Daily Sports Newsletter, NFL FootballTagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment

2012 Heisman Trophy Presentation

Johnny Manziel is coming off of one of the most intriguing seasons in college history. With 4114 yards passing, 37 TD passes, rushing the ball for 759 yards and 9 scores as well. for a whopping total of 46 TDs this season for Texas A&M. His numbers at Texas A&M place him in the WOW category as far as collegiate athletes go. Winning the Heisman trophy in 2012 after a phenomenal freshman season, where he took everyone by storm. Finalizing his career at Texas A&M with 7820 YDs, 63 TDs to 22 INTs, and of course the 30 more rushing TDs. And a 69% completion passer as well.

He played excellent against some of the best competition as well. Putting up numbers that most other QBs would love to have had half the success against. His game vs Auburn when he was spectacular, putting up 454 in the air, and 5 total TDs in a heart-breaker, where his defense let him down again. Manziel put up astounding numbers against top SEC competition, where as most struggled vs the best conference in college football.

He can be abrasive and hard to deal with at times, with an arrogance, that many feel almost intolerable. And i understand the aggravation and frustration with it, no one likes the big mouth kid coming in, who hasn’t done anything at the pro level yet, talking like he is going to set the league on fire.

But is he?

Some can also say he carries with himself a load of confidence. maybe more than deserved at this super early stages of his “what is to be a career” but ask yourself another question. Do you want a guy coming in not feeling that he is the man to lead your team? Do you want him unsure if he can handle the NFL? Honestly, I want a guy who says, “jump on my back boys, I’m going to get us there.”

Manziel seems to already have a chip on his shoulders, wanting to make teams pay if they pass on him. Good. make GMs and teams question once, twice, even five or six times, what they are going to do. Are they making a huge mistake if they don’t take the kid. Or are they saving their franchise by not?

Manziel recently stated, that he wants to be the first rookie to win super bowl. Marvelous. Come in letting your future team know, you are not here for ticket sales, you’re not here for hoopla. You are here in the NFL to win a championship. That’s what a fan wants to hear.

I think he has superior footwork in the pocket, with his scrambling and zipping and dodging wold be tacklers and all angles. Some believe he doesn’t quite have the arm strength in the pocket to make all the throws around the field needed of an NFL quarterback. I think his arm is good enough to make it in the NFL.

He has a “never count me out” attribute about him, where it’s simple to dislike him, but also leaves you shaking your head in either amazement, or because what he just did against your team.

Expectations are going to come in relatively shaky for Manziel. In particular with him flying off his mouth letting teams know he is more than ready for the NFL game. What he will do is anybody’s guess. I personally anticipate good things, if not great. Manziel has the talent, the tools, the intangibles, and the uncanny “it” factor. Where in the back of your mind, you cant help but always think a team is still in it when he is out there on the field.

He most certainly can be the solution for a team. I think the best spot for him to land would be in Houston. With the Texans running the offense, the way they do, Manziel could stand out in that atmosphere. he would play 6 games vs his division opponents, who were not very good overall against the pass, so he would get some time to evolve even a little more. And he would sell crazy tickets, coming from a Texas school, and with his ability to create big plays out of nothing, having a good defense and Andre Johnson and future breakout star, DeAndre Hopkins to chuck the ball to doesn’t hurt. Oh yea, and then they also have a 1500 YD rusher, Arian Foster. He is easily the most awaited quarterback to enter the NFL in this years draft class.

It’s not whether Manziel is ready for the NFL. It’s is the NFL ready for Manziel? Houston will regret it, if they don’t take him and its not looking like they will.

Written by TonyK of VegasTopDogs.com