White View
Who Will win the NBA finals? With this being the final edition of the ever popular Blue and White sports debate for the year, we felt it appropriate to make a last prediction before finals week hits us. Who will win the NBA championship? Based on past experience I cannot pick the Utah Jazz for this one, even though I desperately want them too. Picking the Jazz in the past has had a tendency to jinx the team and send them into a downward spiral-see the November Blue and White Utah Jazz prediction followed by an awful December. But, anyway, out of the Eastern Conference the Boston Celtics will play in the finals against the Los Angeles Lakers and will lose in six games to Kobe and company.
Isiah Thomas and the Knicks? Ok, maybe this makes absolutely no sense to me. Isiah Thomas is somehow still employed by the New York Knicks in some sort of weird unknown capacity. The latest report out of New York City is that the former Knicks coach has been banned from talking to any Knick players, continuing his downward spiral in the Big Apple. Why is he even around? Looking at Thomas’ resume in New York, he did nothing to contribute to the success of the organization. He brought in overpriced, under-performing problem players as GM and, as a coach, he was just awful. As a human resource major, I have been trained that when someone negatively impacts a organization like Thomas has then it is time to completely cut ties with that employee.
Who is the best player in the NFL draft? I start by posing this question: How do you define best in terms of NFL prospects? Does best mean the player that is of most value to a team aka Jake Long and the Miami Dolphins. The Fins need a offensive line, so Long would be the best pick for them). Or does best mean the most athletic or physical player in the draft? In terms of the first definition, based upon value I believe the No. 1 pick Long is the man, or possibly the other Long, Chris at defensive end. As far as talent, speed, and athletic ability, I say that Arkansas running back Darren McFadden fits the bill. ESPN.com tabs McFadden as “the most athletic player of the draft.”
Who is the most overrated player of the NFL draft? The player that is getting a lot of hype who potentially could be an NFL bust is quarterback Matt Ryan out of Boston College. On paper Ryan looks like a stud. He’s tall, has a strong arm, and is seemingly pretty accurate. But the reality of Ryan is that he throws a lot of interceptions, misses open receivers and isn’t very mobile. He has a lot of question marks for someone who will probably end up on a struggling team with no offensive line or running back to take any pressure off of the young quarterback. He has a shot, but it would have to be in the right system.
Rant For two years I have written this column each week and this edition marks the last and final white view I will ever contribute to. Though my views and thoughts are usually pretty simple and conservative, I have enjoyed the opportunity to share my opinion with all of you. I want to say thank you to all of the readers who took the time to read the sports debate each week. Special thanks to those who actually saw me in class or around campus and expressed appreciation to my face. Thank you to the one person who actually took time to write me an e-mail criticizing a column. It’s safe to say that I will never get any awards for stirring up controversy or breaking big news, but I have enjoyed being a small part of Utah State University and our wonderful students. Go Aggies.