All posts by nimamajidi

Is the Reign of the Cavs Over?

April 14, 2017 nimamajidi Leave a comment

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the biggest names in sports since acquiring the one and only LeBron James with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. The Cavs have only further etched their name into sports history since LeBron’s return in 2014. The defending NBA champions averaged 38.7 FG per game last season, jacking up 10.7 3-pointers-made per game. This offensively dynamic team is led by a stacked starting lineup including James, who now has three championships under his belt, and 4x All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Together, this triumvirate brought an end to Cleveland’s 52-year professional sports title drought. Times have changed since their dramatic championship run. Before Cleveland’s win against the Celtics on April 6, the Cavs had dropped to second in the East. After four straight wins, they resumed their status at the top of the East. With continuous fluctuations at the top of the standings the Cavs have found themselves in uncharted territory, trailing Boston in the standings with no games left to be played in the regular season. The Eastern Conference is arguably in the worst state that it has been in years. Despite the Cavaliers’ placement in a weaker conference and talented roster, their record is the only good for fifth best in the league, tied with four other teams and trailing the Warriors, Spurs, Rockets and Celtics. Many believe that the Cavs aren’t the super team they were once made out to be.

One of the reasons behind this new viewpoint is because the Cavaliers stopped playing to win towards the end of the regular season. The Cavs were characterized by their fire and physical dominance in the 2015-2016 season have lost their motivation to perform in the regular season, and if I were a Cavs fan, I would be worried about how that would translate in the playoffs. They have shifted their focus to outside of the perimeter, relying on sharpshooters like Irving and Kyle Korver to win games by close margins. They have attempted the second most 3-pointers per game in the NBA at 33.7, up by four from last year, and their win percentage is down 6% from last year.

1484661114842 — Three-point stud Kyle Korver is among the many acquisitions that the Cavs made this season in a last-ditch effort to improve their chances at being successful this season.

Because of this outlook that regular season games don’t matter in the broad spectrum, the Cavaliers have been resting LeBron, sparking an intense debate regarding its ethical implications. LeBron has missed six games this season due to rest and the Cavaliers are 0-6 without him. King James himself has shrugged off questions about regular season games, citing his immaculate record and saying, “I’m not one to get caught up in the regular season. I’m sorry. I’ve been to six straight finals, man. I’m the last person to ask about a regular-season game.”

Hall of Famers have begun speaking out against the Cavs’ resting tactics. Former Utah Jazz great and second all time NBA leading scorer Karl Malone spoke about the Cavs’ loss to the Clippers on March 19, saying, “If you don’t have at least ten years’ experience, get your ass playing.” Malone himself was one of the hardest workers to ever play in the NBA, missing only ten games in his first 17 years in the league, compared to LeBron’s six missed games in this season alone.

Karl Malone (L) of the Utah Jazz works against Den — NBA greats Karl Malone (left) and Dennis Rodman (right) are among the many former players who have criticized the trend of resting players this season.

Dennis Rodman also spoke out against LeBron’s actions. “You know what, LeBron’s doing one thing that I always said that Michael Jordan never did,” Rodman said. “He never rested. He played every game. He played every game.”

Another reason behind their decreasing productivity is the Cavaliers’ team chemistry. When there is so much talent on a single team, tensions tend to fly high as players fight for individual statistics and personal acclaim rather than doing what is necessary to procure a win. After the Cavs’ last season, players expect to win and a lack of results leads to players blaming one another. This culminated in the heated exchange between LeBron and Tristan Thompson. After a made three-pointer by Pacers All Star Paul George, LeBron publicly blamed Thompson for leaving him completely unguarded. Even though James and Thompson both apologized during their respective post-game interviews, sources from inside the Cavs locker room stated that there was still an air of tension.

Tempers have flared this season in Cleveland, culminating in public disputes between players.

The Cavaliers’ defense has also been disappointing, especially in the second half of the season. Since the All-Star break, the Cavs have been 28^th in the NBA in defensive rating. This season, Cleveland has the least amount of steals per game in the league. They’re in the bottom half of the league in defensive rebound percentage, blocks per game, and opponents’ points per game. The fact of the matter is that there is no defensive powerhouse on the Cavaliers outside of LeBron, and it could come back to haunt them at the end of the day.

I’m not going to go so far as to say that the Cavs don’t have a chance of back-to-back titles, being that they demolished the first place Celtics 114-91 on April 6, but they are in no way the same team as last year. Despite playing less games, James continues to break records this season as he is now the 7th leading scorer of all time after starting the season as the 10th leading scorer. James is also the first player in NBA history to average more than 25 points per game in 13 consecutive seasons, previously being tied with Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone for a streak of 12. It is quite possible that we will see a paradigm switch as the Cavs enter the postseason, because as the Cavs showed during their comeback in the 2016 NBA finals, it is never too late to count them out.

football

NFL Combine Highlights Promising 2017 Draft Prospects

March 26, 2017 nimamajidi Leave a comment

The 2017 NFL Scouting Combine took place between February 28 and March 6 at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. All around the stadium, there 300-pound men were running 40 yards in under five seconds, hulking giants bench-pressing rep after rep, prospective NFL players jumping several feet into the air, and several yards forward. The athletic prowess displayed at the NFL combine is unlike any other.

The NFL Scouting Combine is an annual NFL event where college players invited by NFL teams perform in a variety of events including the timed 40-yard dash, the broad jump, the vertical jump and the bench press. These workouts are designed to test their mental and physical capabilities while simultaneously gauging the talent for the upcoming 2017 NFL Draft. The Combine was first proposed by Tex Schramm, the former president and owner of the Dallas Cowboys. He suggested bringing college players together for a single cohesive event, instead of each team bringing in players individually to run drills and participate in workouts. As a result, the National Invitational Camp was created in 1982, and was later renamed the NFL Scouting Combine after a merger between three such camps. Since 1987, the event has been permanently moved to Indianapolis, and has since turned into an NFL tradition.

monaco — Schramm (pictured) saw a need for further league-wide exposition for potential NFL draft picks and helped pioneer the NFL Combine

The 2017 Scouting Combine hosted some very talented players from a variety of colleges. Some of the most notable benefactors of the 2017 NFL Combine include John Ross, Myles Garrett, Deshaun Watson, Jabrill Peppers, Obi Melifonwu and Bucky Hodges.

John Ross’ 40-yard-dash result was one of the most notable performances of the four-day event. Ross broke the previous all-time 40-yard dash record, by running the distance in an astounding 4.22 seconds. NFL teams like the Eagles, Bills and Titans who have expressed interest in drafting a wide receiver will be surely consider this speedster when it comes time for them to draft.

john-ross-nfl-combine-record-40-yard-dash — Washington WR John Ross (pictured) broke NFL RB Chris Johnson’s combine record for the 40-yard dash.

DE Myles Garrett and LB Jabrill Peppers were among the most dominant defensive players of the NFL Combine. Most analysts have projected that Garrett will be drafted first overall by the Browns. He proved that he deserved this tremendous honor with a vertical jump of 41 inches, higher than any other 2017 defensive lineman. Additionally, his 4.64 second-40 yard dash was faster than that of 18 starting QBs, including that of Super Bowl 51 winner Tom Brady. Not to be overlooked, Peppers also boasted impressive stats, running a 4.46 40-yard-dash and a making a noteworthy broad jump of 10 feet and 8 inches. Both of these stats were the best performances of any 2017 linebacker in their respective events. It should be noted, however, that Peppers will most likely be drafted as a safety, and that he only ran with the linebackers to stand out more. Experts project that Peppers will also be drafted in the first round either by the Chargers, Redskins, or Steelers.

Jabrill Peppers (pictured) is considered to be one of the most athletic players entering the draft.

Top QB prospect in the draft, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, also proved his merit at the Combine. His 4.66-second 40-yard dash, 32.5-inch vertical jump, 9 foot-11 inch Broad Jump, and 6.95-second performance in the three cone drill all placed within the top five for prospective QBs. This type of outstanding athleticism and skill, coupled with his championship win against Alabama, is why many experts think that Watson is one of the best QBs in the 2017 draft class.

Virginia Tech tight end Bucky Hodges and UConn safety Obi Melifonwu were some of the players in the NFL combine who outperformed their projections. Hodges had a 39-inch vertical, which was first among 2017 tight ends, but his best performance was in the Broad Jump, where he set a record for the longest leap by a tight end, managing a staggering 11 feet and 2 inches. Melifonwu possibly had the best performance at the 2017 NFL Combine. Both his 44 inch vertical and his 11 foot, 9 inch broad jump were the best of any player in the 2017 NFL Combine. While Hodges and Melifonwu, weren’t first-round draft prospects going into the combine, their outstanding performances definitely drew enough attention to merit first-round consideration.

58671599c0273.image.jpg — Virginia Tech tight end Bucky Hodges (left) made his imprint on the NFL Combine, largely influencing his draft stock.

Many sports analysts claim that the 2016 NFL Season was one of the worst seasons in NFL History due to more games being won by much larger margins than they have been in previous years. Teams like the Jets, Jaguars, Browns and 49ers look to start anew and they turn to this year’s draft class to give them the boost that they so desperately need. The NFL Combine was a great presentation of the skill that the incoming NFL athletes have to offer prospective teams, and shows that there is still hope for the aforementioned teams to build a new, talented core.