King's Thoughts. : CBSSports.com Blogs

NBA Round 2 Rankings and Predictions

Mon, 04 May 2009 12:59:17 EDT

These are pending tomorrows results, and will be edited then as well.

A. Cavs

B Lakers

Nuggets

5 Must-Do's for the Pacers

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:47:42 EDT

1st -Re-Sign Jarrett Jack. There is no exception to it. The Pacers have no excuse in not signing him. He was the only Pacers player to play in all 82 games. And for a franchise that has had a history of injured players, it is a luxury to have someone as durable and effective as Jack. He averaged 13.1 PPG and 4 APG, but those numbers would be higher had he been starter the entire year. In a recent interview Jack announced his desire to stay in Indiana, and applauded Bird for putting together a locker room full of great guys that have fun together.

2nd- Get a Defensive PF. A Jermaine O’Neal of 2004 or 2005 would be ideal. They need to get a defensive minded Power Forward. Roy Hibbert and Troy Murphy may be the worst 4-5 defensive combo in the NBA, no exaggerating. Playing Murphy and Hibbert together should not be done too much. But they do bring a unique offensive combo, especially as Hibbert continue to develop his post game. Either through the NBA Draft, Free Agency, or Trade this needs to be a top goal. My preference would be trade. I want Tyson Chandler on this team, and he is definitely available.

Season Rewind: Pacers

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:41:25 EDT

Back in his hey-day Larry “The Legend” Bird said, “When I was young, I never wanted to leave the court until I got things exactly correct. My dream was to become a pro.” Now, Bird, President of Basketball Operations with the Pacers, has a tough task ahead of him. Probably the hardest job he has had since retiring from the NBA as a player. The task? Rebuilding the Indiana Pacers, who many believe is one of the tougher rebuilding jobs in the NBA right now.

The foundation is there. Danny Granger, the forth year swingman out of New Mexico, has emerged as the primary scorer and leader of the Indiana Pacers. Fifth in the NBA in scoring (25.8 PPG), Granger has also excelled defensively; guarding primarily the opposing teams best offensive threat.

NFL Mock Draft 4.0 (Final)

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:34:34 EDT

Detroit Lions- QB Matthew Stafford- They need a face of that franchise. Makes sense to take Jason Smith, but Stafford is too good of a talent to pass up. QB should be their biggest need right now. They are negotiating with Stafford, Smith, and Curry, but are being very secretive. Tom Condon was in Detroit, but it has to be difficult negotiating with an agent that represents two of your targets.

St. Louis Rams OT Jason Smith- Last year they addressed the defensive line, this year they will go offensive. Losing Pro-Bowler and Future HOF LT Orlando Pace leaves a glaring hole on the left side to protect Mark Bulger and get the running game going for one of the top backs Steven Jackson.

Kansas City Chiefs LB Aaron Curry- Overall the best talent in the class in my opinion. Always around the ball, and will be a Patrick Willis type of LB. Has all the tools to be a Super Star in the league for years to come.

NBA Playoff Power Rankings 1-16 UPDATE 4/27

Sat, 02 May 2009 17:42:52 EDT

Cleveland Cavaliers (Obviously)

Lakers

Nuggets

Rockets

Post-Combine NFL Mock Draft 3.0

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:13:57 EDT

NFL Mock Draft 3.0

Detriot Lions. Matthew Stafford. He is a stud. Monster arm, and they need a face for that franchise. It should be Calvin Johnson, I can't seem to figure out why people don't think he is the face.

St. Louis Rams. Jason Smith. Went with the defensive line with the 2nd pick this year. Should go offensive line this year. Orlando Pace anchored that line for quite a while. His time is up. Jason Smith is athletic, and very possibly the top pick in the draft. Very athletic.

Kansas City Chiefs. Aaron Curry They just got Matt Cassell. Which is bad news for Sanchez. Whom ever does not get picked first, because they are going to slip, and slip FAST.

Grading NFL Free Agency Team-by-Team....

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:06:15 EDT

NFL FREE AGENCY GRADES

Arizona Cardinals: D

Nothing, placed Franchise on Karlos Dansby. Lost Antonio Smith to the Texans, and JJ Arrington to the Broncos. Edge wants out, and they have done nothing to address a big concern at RB. Tim Hightower and Leshan McCoy could be it.

Atlanta Falcons: C-

MLB season Preview and Prediction.

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:31:11 EDT

American League This order the teams are listed in their divisions in the order I am projecting they will finish the year in the standings.* Denote Wild Card Winner

AL East:

New York Yankees. Is there a safer pick in baseball? They may come out of the gates a little slow I think, but they should sale into the playoffs. The rotation is one of the best ever assembled with CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Chin Ming Wang, and Andy Pettite at the top with Joba Chamberlain likely to be the 5th starter. CC will eb a 20 game winner for the first time in his career for sure. Mark my words.

Tampa Bay Rays*. Yes, they wil beat out the Red Sox for the Wild Card. A full year of experience for stud 3B Evan Longoria, and the thrill fo watching Joe Maddons squad play baseball the way it was meant to be. Good solid pitching with rookie Price. Solid vet. leadership in the rotation brought by Scott Kasmir. This team is build right. Patt Burells bat is a nice addition with a lot of good expierience.