BYU and the NBA Draft

First of all, I am sorry for not writing recently. School is crazy. I am actually currently in Madison Wisconsin for a law school competition. If i knew how to work my Blackberry I would post a picture of me in Cheesehead here, but I can't. Anyway, I have long been on the record saying that Jimmer Fredette will leave BYU this season. Some people are projecting him to be a late first rounder. That’s just too much money for a slow white guy to pass up. Unfortunately I don’t have the time to write a piece on it at the moment. I will try to get to it Sunday, I need to look up how much more money the last pick of the first draft makes than the first pick of the second draft. I suspect it’s a hefty sum since the NBA doesn’t impose a pay scale on the second round. Regardless, thinking about the draft made me reflect on past BYU stars. I was somewhat curious whatever happened to our BYU studs. The results were not encouraging…

2009 Lee Cumard – Undrafted

Cummard spent the summer after his senior year working out for NBA teams but he ultimately failed to make a roster. He then teamed up with former rival Luke Nevil and joined the Utah Flash. You might remember seeing him on the billboard in Orem. He didn’t do too well. As Mark Madsen told us recently “the D-league guys are really really good.” Cummard averaged just five points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. The flash eventually waived his contract and Cummard is now playing somewhere in Europe.

2008 Trent Plaisted – Middle of second round to Seattle

Plaisted was drafted 46th overall in 2008 by the Seattle SuperSonics, and subsequently had his draft right traded to the Detriot Pistons. He never got any NBA playing time. He ended up signing a one-year contract with the Italian team Angelico Biella. There he played in two games before he suffered a season ending injury…he has not returned to the squad.

2004 Rafael Araujo – 8^th overall to Toronto

Araujo was drafted by the Raptors with the eight pick. He got a good 12.5 minutes a game put up 3.3 points and 3.1 rebounds a game. Still for the 8th overall he was considered a disappointment. The next year his numbers dropped to 11.6 minutes, 2.3 points, and 2.8 rebounds. He was traded to the Jazz in 2006 where he played another 26 games. When his contract expired he signed a 1 year contract to play in Russia. In 2009 he returned to Brazil and currently plays there.

2003 Travis Hansen – Beginning of second round to Atlanta

Hansen is probably the most successful BYU player in the last decade. He was drafted by the Hawks in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft, 37th overall. He played 41 games averaging 3 points a game. Hansen was far more successful in Europe. He helped TAU reach back-to-back trips to the Euroleague Final Four and the Spanish League finals. In 2006 he signed for a Russian team, Dynamo Moscow, for two-years. Hansen helped Dynamo take 3rd place in the ULEB Cup and averaged 17.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg while shooting 56.4 FG and 46.3% 3PT. In February 2008, Hansen extended his contract with Dynamo Moscow for three more years, but a year later was released. We would later sign a two year contract with Real Madrid. The most fascinating part of Hansen’s career is the fact that he received Russian citizenship to play for theRussian national basketball team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, although he never did.

Calling Out All March Madness Bracket Cheaters

“Was that wrong? Should I not have done that? I'm sorry, I'm gonna have to plead ignorance on this one, because if I had known that sort of thing was frowned upon...” stated George Costanza in a famous episode of Seinfeld after getting caught with the cleaning lady where he worked.

Some people might ask similar questions while questionably filling out their NCAA March Madness brackets. They need George’s help to justify their methods. Often the stakes are hight for winner of March Madness brackets like money or even demonic plastic heads that resemble a certain pedophile looking Gonzaga player. Even if there is not money on the line or a creepy plastic trophy there is still a lot of pride for the winner. What am I talking about? I’m talking about 3 kinds of March Madness bracket filler-outers who are basically cheating when they fill our their brackets. I’m here to call you out.

First, and certainly the most offensive is the person who fills out their bracket exactly with all the higher ranked teams winning every game all the way to the final four. Almost every year I see a person who fills out their bracket straight by the numbers. What is the point of filling in the brackets if you’re just going to copy the numbers? I guess you have some hard decisions when you get your four #1 seeds to the Final Four. Too bad the brackets don’t tell you which team will win it all by the rankings, so sorry. The most logical pick would be just to take the best overall ranked team to win it all.

I do realize that these rankings are given by college basketball experts, but come on people take a chance. Filling out a bracket like this is just plain boring. Why not solve a really easy Sudoku puzzle instead because that’s basically what you’re doing. Not to get sexist, but I’m going to because I swear it’s always a girl who thinks she is so smart who picks all #1’s. It is stupid though. Only once in history has all four #1 seeds made it to the final four which was recently in 2008.

The second offenders are the ones who copy exactly what an ESPN analyst has. It’s not wrong to look at these experts opinions are, but to copy exactly their picks is dense. I know these are so called experts, but they are wrong all the time. This takes a little more work than the first offenders so I commend them for their determination. Think for yourselves people. This is supposed to be fun, not see who can copy and paste correctly.

Another offender in this category is one who waits till the end and copies exactly what their knowledgeable friend has except for one game; therefore, making that game the deciding factor. This is an especially jerk-store move when the only game difference is one game that the other person might be gambling on. Anyone one who does this is basically the spawn of Satan and should be treated as such.

The third and final way to bracket cheat is one that I have been guilty of, but I have repented and will not do this again. Some might say that this isn’t cheating, but it is just increasing their odds. I say it all depends on what is at stake and how much you are going to brag after the victory. For instance, if I am in 10 different March Madness bracket groups and I pick different winners in each, then my odds for winning at least one of them increases, but my chances for losing the other 9 are probably higher. It’s not cheating to be in 10 different leagues or even to fill out more than one bracket, but it is very lame if you get worked in 9 leagues and then boast that you are this March Madness genius to the only league that you picked correctly.

I would like to see people pick the same teams in all their leagues. Put their money where their mouth is kind of thing. Then if you’re right you could win all 10 leagues. How sweet would that be? How much more satisfying is it to root for the teams you picked in all your leagues instead of saying, “Well it doesn’t matter who wins because I have a contingency plan for every possible scenario because I filled in so many brackets. This isn’t your stock portfolio, this is Madness. Let the 300 jokes stop here, because if you’re going to fill out 300 brackets I don’t want to hear it from you.

So now you know that these kinds of things are frowned upon. And yes George, it was wrong.

-Mark Mills

(Mark Mills is a loyal friend and a regular contributed to Booyasports blog. Booyasports thanks him for his contribution.)

Pessimism at its finest

"Pessimism at its finest. We gripe all day for BYU to get some outside respect in any form and for any sport, and then we mock them for it when they finally do." - Kyle Lord Kenny

The Selection Committee showed no favors to BYU by giving them a 7 seed when most people thought that BYU's national ranking would guarantee them a five or at worst a six seed. Interestingly it seems that experts everywhere are determined to make up for the Selection Committee's disrespect. Just look what has been published during the last few days….

Joe Lunardi predicts BYU will reach the Elite Eight

The records might not reflect it, but I believe BYU is the best team in the west in 2010. Now I know that they lost twice to New Mexico, and I know that Cal won the Pac 10 outright, but this BYU team when its healthy and Jimmer Freddette is operating on all cylinders, is very very good offensively. I like them to take care of Florida fairly easily in the first round and then pull even more upsets over Kansas State and Pitt to reach the elite eight. Yes that is how much respect I have for Freddette and the cougars. That first round jinx is over. BYU is in this tournament to stay all the way to the elite eight.

Eamonn Brenan predicts that BYU will reach the Elite Eight

OK, so this part of the limb might be a little further out than I wanted to tread, but the more I think about it, the more I think it's entirely possible the Cougars can top Kansas State in the second round in Oklahoma City. This BYU team is much better than their No. 7 seed. For starters the Cougars are a potent offensive team with a bonafide star inJimmer Fredette and an experienced sidekick in Jonathan Tavernari. To be sure, Kansas State will be something of a shock to the Cougars' system -- BYU hasn't played a team that defends quite as thoroughly as the Wildcats. Nor do most teams attempt to run with BYU's uptempo offense. The Wildcats, who average 71.1 possessions per game, will be more than happy to go up and down with BYU for 40 minutes. In an up-and-down game like that, either of these teams can get especially hot and pull away before the other has a chance to regroup. Why can't that team be the Cougars?

- Eamonn Brennan ESPN

Stuart Mandell Predicts that BYU will reach the Final Four:

BYU. The committee gifted the Cougars an opportunity to play in their Salt Lake City backyard if they can get through the first two rounds. Banged-up Syracuse is vulnerable to begin with, and Fredette can break down its zone.

-Stewart Mandell Sports Illustrated

Jeff Call predicts that Cougars will reach the Elite Eight (and maybe the Final Four)

But I'm predicting BYU will end the streak, and the curse, Thursday in Oklahoma City. The Cougars are due in a big way. And I like their chances against No. 2 seed Kansas State in the second round. From there, BYU would return to Salt Lake City for the Regional semifinals at a place the Cougars are very familiar with -- Energy Solutions Arena. If they get that far, anything could happen? Maybe a last-second coast-to-coast dash by Jimmer Fredette in the waning seconds against Syracuse?

-Jeff Call Deseret News

Gregg Doyel Predicts that BYU will reach the Elite Eight

“Here’s Syracuse, a No. 1 seed from New York, facing the potential of a game in the regional final against BYU in Salt Lake City. That’s what my bracket says will happen actually.”

-Gregg Doyel CBSSports.com

BooyaSports predicts that BYU will win one game

As for myself. I think that Florida has no business even being in this tournament and we will beat them. However, I just don’t think we can beat K-State. They do exactly what we do, only better. I think their guards will be able to shut down Freddette and Haws and I just don’t have enough faith in Tavernari and Hartstock to carry the team. Let’s hope I’m wrong.

Lebron in LA?

The Clippers fired Dunleavy today. Bringing me one step closer to jumping on the bandwagon. Ssources are indicating that Dunleavy wasn't fired because he sucks (which he does) but that he was fired in an effort to lure Lebron. According to NBA Fanhouse and ESPN the Clippers are planning on offering Lebron the opportunity to choose his own coach and his own general manager.

I had previously never beleived that the Clippers could land Lebron. The combination of Incompetent coaches, clueless management, and a racist owner was just too much to overcome. However, the Clipper's latest scheme might just work. The Clippers have a good team to work around, Lebron could likely lure Phil Jackson (who is getting fed up with the Laker's organization and considering he wouldn't have to move or even change stadiums), Los Angeles is a huge market, and it would provide Lebron the opportunity to consistently play against Kobe, putting an end to the better player discussion. The warm weather and the beaches would definitely make it easier for Lebron to convince free agents to play with him in LA than it is in Ohio.

It would be an interesting position to be in as a fan. I have never had to choose between Southern California teams before. The Clippers have been so bad that there is generally no harm in rooting for them. The Angels and Dodgers play in different leagues. The Kings and Ducks play hockey, and no one really cares about hockey. But if both the Clippers and the Lakers became dominant I imagine that lines in the sand would have to be drawn. Maybe that Los Angeles would stick with the Lakers and Orange County would rally behind Lebron. Maybe the lines would be drawn by age, with anyone who can remember the 80's or to a lesser degree the 3 peat sticking with the Lakers and with the younger crowd following Lebron. Most likely, we will just remain fickle and root for whatever team is doing best.

I still think that the possibility of Lebron going anywhere is slim. He will most likely remain a Cav. Nonetheless, it is exciting to think about.

Comparing BYU TE's

Dennis Pitta is flying up the draft boards. He is now projected to be a second round pick, the second TE taken after Oklahoma's kid. However, I remember being really high on Jonny Harline who to the day has yet to catch a ball in the NFL. So I thought i would compare and contrast some BYU TE's to put it into perspective.

Dennis Pitta:

Height: 6'4

Weight: 245

40 yard dash: 4.63

Bench Press: 27

Vertical Jump: 34

Broad jump: 9'5

Three Cone drill: 6.72

20 yard shuffle: 4.17

60 yard shuffle: 11.53

Jonny Harline

Height: 6'4

Weight: 248

40 yard dash: 4.86

Bench Press: 15

Vertical Jump: 28.5

Broad jump: 8'10

Three Cone drill: 7.05

20 yard shuffle: 4.68

60 yard shuffle: 12.2

Danielle Coats

Height: 6'3

Weight: 257

40 yard dash: 4.99

Bench Press: 34

Vertical Jump: 30

Broad jump: 9'3

Three Cone drill: 7.07

20 yard shuffle: 4.43

60 yard shuffle: DNR

Its pretty easy to see why Coats has gotten a starting gig in the NFL. He is simply a blocking machine. To put it into perspective Coats's did two more reps than Ndamukong Suh posted. Very impressive.

By contrast, Harline seems downright weak. 15 reps at 225...where is Dave Barney at? I bet he could tie that. He wasn't that fast either. Good hands just wont cut it alone in the NFL.

Pitta did very well. he was third in the 40 yard dash. Second in the bench press. First in the 20 yard shuffle. First in the 60 yard shuffle. And first in the 3 cone drill. He also is generally regarded to have the best hands of this year's draft. The problem is that he is not Danielle Coats. Most teams want blocking TE's not pass catching ones. I still think Pitta goes second round but the teams that are interested will be fewer.

I would love to see him end up on the Arizona Cardinals; they need a TE to help Leinart get adjusted. Another intriguing option is Atlanta; Tony Gonzalez is 34. How cool would it be if went to the Colts? Probably wont happen, Clark is playing great and is only 30. Seattle needs a real TE. Seattle makes the most sense to me. They would draft at the end of the second round, and already would have had two first round pics to sure up their offensive line. The only draw back is that they will probably look to get a Rb in round 2.

Anyway hope this was insightful. Go Cougars.

Some Thoughts

NFLPA

I had the opportunity to meet with an NFL agent this week and discuss the potential NFL lockout. Originally, I had sided with the players. After all, the players get paid less than NBA players and much less than MLB players. In fact, the average player makes $300 k a year and only plays for 3 years. That seems pretty skimpy considering that the NFL is an $8 billion dollar business. Finally, the owners refuse to show their books. But the agent enlightened me to something I didn’t know. Under the current collective bargaining agreement the owners are required to spend 63% of the revenue on the players. That’s pretty steep. In this economy owners of business are firing people right and left so they are not held personally liable. The 63% requirement makes it so the owners don’t have that option. They simply have to suck up the losses; they can’t fire the players to save money. That’s a pretty raw deal.

Nonetheless, something has got to give. This is what I think will ultimately happen, the NFLPA will go down to 61% or so. But the veteran players won’t be giving up anything. They will put in a strict rookie pay scales and make the young guys take the hit. I love this idea. Matt Stafford got $72 million dollars for 6 years. Tom Brady signed a $60 million contract for 6 years. Not quite right. Most frustrating is the fact that the rookie salaries are so high that teams can’t draft the guys they really want. For instance, the Suh is the best player in this year’s draft but $70 million is way too much to pay for a non QB or an OL. That’s why the Rams will have to draft Bradford, the 7^th best player in this year’s draft #1 overall.

Brittney Greiner

Baylor’s Brittney Greiner punched a girl in the face when the girl wasn’t even looking. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQPnshT6KI. It’s a pretty nasty hit. The girl is 6 foot 8, and wears a size 17 mens shoe; you can’t check weight of girls players but she surely weighs over 200 pounds. So what does the NCAA do? Suspends her for 1 game. She got one other more game of suspension from the Big 12. That’s it. Blount from Oregon got almost a full season (and I thought that was too little.) I am getting sick of the NCAA. Let’s look at Florida. Florida players have been charged with crimes in 24 cases during Meyer's four years as coach. There have been 21 arrests, with three more players issued citations and later booked on charges. Of the 24 cases in which players have been charged, nine of those charges were for felonies. http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20090614/ARTICLES/906141012?p=2&tc=pg. Can’t we do better than this? It just makes me sad.