Just Sayin..

It was just about a year ago that the Brooklyn Nets, fired then coach Avery Johnson when the Nets have a record of 14-14. Fast forward today with new coach Jason Kidd and the Nets are 6-14 after what was considered to be the greatest coup of the off season when the Nets traded for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from the Celtics. But Boston is 10-12 and at the top of Atlantic division while Brooklyn is 2nd to last.
Now there's plenty of time for Nets to turn it around. Injuries and lack of chemistry have factored in early in the season, but how much more slack will GM Billy King and Jason Kidd have going have if the Nets woes continue.

Place your Bets!

No, this isn't about March Madness. Sports betting has been a hot topic of debate over the last few months in my home state of New Jersey. The aftermath resulted in NCAA withdrawing 6 events the were originally played in New Jersey venues this year including a Div. 1 Women's basketball regional. This also removed the Prudential Center and IZOD Center from the list of NCAA potential event sites for future use. With a recent court decision going in the NCAA's favor. The NCAA reversed the ban — but the damage has already been done in form lost revenue the these events would brought.
  For those who don't the history, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 allows for 4 states (Nevada, Montana, Oregon, & Delaware) to have some form of sports betting (sportsbook) or lotteries and had a provision clause for New Jersey to enter by January 1, 1993. The New Jersey Assembly failed to get a bill passed by the deadline and really didn't show much interest pursuing the matter over the last 20 years.
So why now? Overall the "why" has to with New Jersey's financial crisis and steady decline of (let's be honest... dying) the state's casino and horse racing industries. Allowing sportsbooks in Atlantic City casinos and or at race tracks like Monmouth and the Meadowlands certainly could breathe new life and create jobs on top of the revenue.
 There's no guarantee however that New Jersey would have the same kind of success that Nevada has enjoyed for decades. In 2009 Delaware passed a law that allowed for betting on all sports. The NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and NCAA filed a lawsuit stating that the Delaware law violated federal law. The US Supreme Court ruled that the Delaware law only partially violated the federal law and when it was all said and done Delaware's sportsbooks could only bet on NFL games which in 2011 only netted the state a whooping 4.4 million dollars(That hardly seems worth it).
 While New Jersey is trying to save 2 industries, they're possibly handicapping (no pun intended) others. While I don't see the NFL taking next year's Superbowl away it certainly could affect future considerations. The NCAA has made it perfectly clear that they aren't a fan and a prolonged ban on NCAA events for New Jersey venues would especially hurt the Prudential Center and the IZOD Center in long run as they compete with Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center for sporting events.  In 2011 Newark made well over 15 million dollars because of March Madness alone that was a huge boost to local businesses. With the Nets now in Brooklyn, and shortened NHL season due to the lockout that's a lot of lost $$ on top of an estimated loss of 6 million dollars after being removed from the list of host sites for the 2014 & 2015 NCAA Men's basketball tournaments. New Jersey arenas cannot afford to lose that kind of money or ground.
  It's estimated that 380 billion dollars is made yearly on illegal sports betting. With the economy the way it is right now most states (not just New Jersey) trying to find ways to bring in money that don't include raising taxes. Sports betting seems to be a option for a lot of state legislatures right now and have been watching to see how New Jersey fares in the courts. The NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and NCAA can't be short sided to see that much of the infrastructure they make their money from is comes from state and local governments footing the bills for the stadiums and arenas which teams play.  Let's be honest they ain't fooling anyone with "fantasy sports" either and sooner later they are going to have to share their profits.

Re Defining the D-League

ESPN recently posted their 5 on 5 column  that primarily focused on the aftermath of Spurs "Restgate" scandal(or whatever you want to call it) with David Stern. One the topics they brought up was the length of the NBA season.
Overall I'm fine with an 82 game season. But I'd like them  to use the D-league like MLB uses the minors. One of the more productive things that I thought came out of last years Lockout negotiations was the ability to send players back and forth the D-League and their NBA counterparts. About a third of  NBA teams have taken advantage of this by owning their own D-league teams. Inserting coaching staff, offensive, and defensive systems to replicate those on the NBA level. This is great and I hope that more teams take advantage of this.
So what does this have to with the NBA season and Restgate? MLB has September Call Ups, The NBA should have February call ups. The D-League's season is only 50 games(excluding playoffs), That leaves 32 games left in the NBA season. Coaches can rest players and it gives that D-leaguers something to work towards.

What to do about the New York Jets

I've purposely haven't posted anything on the blog for a while until I could fully flush out my thoughts on the recent happenings within the New York Jets–So here we go...

   The GM selection process was like watching draft night. A lot of speculation, names you weren't thrilled with, then head scratching, ultimately leading to booing from an already frustrated fanbase. John Idzik (even with his impressive credentials) isn't what this team needed.  His handling of Darelle Revis has already made me wary of what the offseason has in store. Reports have come out that Jets are looking at former #1 pick JaMarcus Russell. Seriously!? The Jets are grasping at straws. This throw something at wall and see what sticks approach has not worked out (the greatest example being Tim Tebow).
   I'm probably one of the few people who actually is glad the Rex Ryan is still the Jets coach. His antics aside, he has 34-30 record(which doesn't warrant firing in my mind). 2013 will be the defining year for him. With a huge turnover in coaching staff, anemic offense, and lackluster defense he's got his work cut out for him. One of the bright spots of this overhaul is new offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg . He's probably the best to evaluate whether or not Mark Sachez has a future with the Jets. If anything they try work to his strengths and minimize his mistakes on the field. Mornhinweg's record as an offense guru is jaw dropping. 8 top 10 scoring offenses as coach or coordinator. 9 top 10 passing offenses. 6 top 10 rushing offenses.  Whether or not he'll have similar success with the Jets, will have to wait until July.
     Most of the Jets offseason work will be on the defensive side of the ball. Cap casualties and free agency will drastically change how the defense looks. Jets have a young core of players in Coples, Davis, and Wilkerson. Coples and Wilkerson combined for 10.5 sacks, which amazing considering how bad the Jets pass rush has been over the last 3 seasons. Davis had a quiet rookie year, but many believe he'll grow into more of a bigger contributor going into next season. With a deep deep defensive draft the Rex have has no excuses not to build a better defense.
    As it stands right now, the New York Jets aren't committed to winning anything as much as they much as they are committed to sports entertainment.  The Jets might as well be the WWE, 'The Real Housewives of ___________', or the Kardashian sisters because they seem more concerned with the spectacle and image, than actual football. That is a direct reflection of the owner Woody Johnson. Not to say that he doesn't want to win, but he doesn't seem to want to fully invest in making the Jets successful. That takes a certain level of commitment that the only a handful of owners are willing to do.   Sure they might get lucky and win a Superbowl, but to be in the hunt consistently requires a plan and and framework of a good front office and ownership willing go that extra mile. and right now the Jets don't have that.

Not your Average Victim: The Nets Fire Avery Johnson

News came out yesterday that Brooklyn Nets fired Avery Johnson. Johnson started the season out 11-4 and was named Eastern Conference "Coach of the Month" in November. December wasn't so kind – as the Nets have gone 3-10 so far with some big losses to the Knicks and Celtics.
The Nets made some great moves in the off season, but the results have been mixed on the court. While I laugh maniacally at the Nets sufferings, I am sad to see Johnson go. I've always liked him as a coach and was glad when the then New Jersey Nets signed him.
The Nets expectations this season might be a little overblown considering their recent history. At this point in time last season the Nets were 1-3. In the 2010-11 season the Nets were 9-24. In 09-10 the team was 3-29. 14-14 sounds like progress to me, and it would be if they were still playing in Newark.  But with the move to Brooklyn it was apparent the stakes were much higher. With a bigger market comes bigger pressures. 14-14 might have been good for the New Jersey Nets, but it's not acceptable for the Brooklyn Nets. ESPN, and other media outlets might have been praising Johnson for his work to get the New Jersey Nets to 14-14, but he's getting fired by the Brooklyn Nets because their 14-14.

Foul Play: San Antonio Spurs Edition

Yesterday The NBA levied $250K fine to the San Antonio Spurs for not playing the stars against the Miami Heat during a nationally televised game last Thursday. NBA Commissioner David Stern was quoted saying "The Spurs decided to make four of their top players unavailable for an early season game that was the team's only regular-season visit to Miami. The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media, or the league office in a timely way. Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans." Apparently the Spurs were in violation of league policy against resting players in a manner "contrary to the best interests of the NBA." Resting players no matter what the sport has always been debatable. But can anyone blame Greg Popovich when Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili  are in their 30's and injury prone. What bugs me though is the wording of the policy– "Contrary to the best interests of the NBA!" That's code for "You're messing with my/our money!" 
Everyone knows that sports is big business. The NBA, NFL, MLB, etc. aren't just selling tickets to games anymore. They are selling a brand, an image, and or a experience that seemingly has nothing to do with actual athletic competition. Fantasy sports, TV, and stadiums/arenas are all meant to keep consumers (not necessarily fans) engaged. You're not watching the San Antonio Spurs play the Miami Heat, your watching LeBron James play Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobilli. But if Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobilli don't play there's still going to be a basketball game. While NBA TV ratings might be little down because of lack of star power (What!? LeBron James wasn't enough!). You can't gloss over the fact that 19,703 people bought tickets for what turned out to be a competitive game.

Seeing Red! Why moving to the Big Ten might not be the best idea for Rutgers

News broke yesterday that Rutgers University is expected to accept an invitation to join the Big Ten Conference. While this sounds like great news, I'm a little hesitant to jump for joy.
   Let me preface this post by saying this... I didn't go to Rutgers (my sister did!), but I have been a long time fan and follower of all things Scarlet Knights since my youth. I remember watching SNY Commentator Ray Lucas when he was QB and when games were on NJN. I remember when Bob Wenzel was coach of the men's basketball team and watching them get trounced by John Calipari and Marcus Camby UMass teams when they played in the A10. I like most New Jeseryans have reveled in the success of women's basketball program the the resurgence of the football program over the last decade.
  Joining the Big Ten would certainly raise the profile of the school and would have a definite financial benefit.  But I think the Big Ten is a bit stretch for Rutgers. The level of competition is much higher than the Big East. The Big East was once a power house in football with teams like Miami, Va Tech, and Boston College. But when they moved onto the greener pastures of the ACC – the steady decline of the Big East football  has allowed RU to look better by comparison. I'm not just talking about on the field. The Big Ten and it schools have made a killing in college sports as a "business". I can't see Rutgers competing with the likes of Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State and their billion dollar endowments to update facilities, provide staffing, coaching, recruiting, marketing, etc. in order to run their athletic programs effectively.
 It's also a stretch regionally. The Big Ten is a midwestern conference plain and simple. With Maryland joining the Big Ten as well, Rutgers wouldn't be the only east coast team, but they'd be spending more time traveling with the exception of the occasion trip out State College, PA or College Park, MD.    
Rutgers joining the ACC makes better sense if the option were available. You'd be able to keep traditional rivalries with Pitt and Syracuse going to the ACC and renewal old ones with BC, Miami, Va Tech. Not mention you add Clemson, Florida State, UNC, which provides you with stronger competition and schedule not just in football, but basketball as well with Duke.
 But it always comes down to $$$. The Big Ten provides better security in the long run, and the fact they want expand their brand to the NY market makes them and Rutgers perfect partners.