Is Vick worth 40 Million Guaranteed?

The Philadelphia Eagles signed Michael Vick to a six-year, 100 million dollar contract extension with 40 million dollars guaranteed. This is Vick's second 100 million dollar deal and the circumstances surrounding this contract are astronomically different from the first.

Not many people could imagine Vick eventually becoming the face of the Philadelphia Eagles when he was released from prison in spring of 2009.

Vick is now the third highest paid QB in the NFL, so the natural question that comes with such a contract is whether Mike Vick is worth backing up the truck for.

There's no question that Vick has rehabilitated his image greatly from his Atlanta Falcon days and he's also improved his play exponentially.

The Eagles are currently one of the top contenders in the NFC and are considered by many to have one of the best offenses in the league.

But giving a six-year deal to a 31-year-old player isn't something that should universally applauded.

Vick is a QB who has done a lot to adjust his reckless play, but in the end he still isn't as durable as his coaches would like.

Playing full seasons is something that Vick has only done once and that was five years ago during his final season in 2006 with the Falcons.

It's no secret that being a QB in the NFL isn't easy and when you play the style of football that Michael Vick plays, career longevity is a legitimate question.

Vick has done a lot to change the face of the Philadelphia Eagles offense, but so far he hasn't proven to anybody that he can do what Donovan McNabb couldn't do and that's win the big game. And McNabb has had more postseason success than Vick, success which is worthy of what McNabb has been paid.

There's no doubt that with Vick at QB, the Eagles have a terrific chance to win, but until he achieves significant postseason success, he will and should face questions about his ability to win the big one.

This will be the most important season of Michael Vick's career, failure to live up to the enormous hype will make that 100 million dollar contract feel a whole lot heavier than it does now.

Photos Courtesy of the Canadian Press and AP

VMAs 2011: One of Music's Biggest Nights

One thing that's really impressive to consider about the MTV Video Music Awards is how much better the production has become over the years and now they're on the level of a Grammy's and in my opinion they have become the 2nd best music awards show of the year.

MTV puts a lot of time and effort in the show every year and one thing they attempt to do, and get right most of the time, is the mixing of genres. There are a lot of factors that go into who should perform and be nominated every year and as a hip-hop fan I feel that it's always a fair mix of talent every single year.

This year was a little more hip-hop heavy than most and it left a lot to review, so here's my take on one of music's biggest nights.

First off, there are very few artists that make me cringe or potentially change the channel and the VMAs had two of them present last night.

Lady Gaga and Tyler, the Creator are two of music's most controversial acts. Gaga's name is present because of her unconventional style while Tyler is one of the most offensive artists to hit the mainstream in a long time.

I always appreciate the diversity of who's present at the show, but there was too many uncomfortable Gaga moments and Tyler should never be given a live mic on national television.

I loved Adele's performance, as did many, she's not flashy or gimmicky, just damn good at what she does. Her voice is so soulful and real, it's tough not to like her music and respect the place it comes from.

Chris Brown made up for his terrible BET Awards performance and the reason why it was so good was because he didn't rap. I'm not saying he's not a competent rapper (which he kinda is), but whenever Breezy hits the stage, the last thing you want to see him do is rap and he didn't last night which was a win for him.

My favorite performance of the night had to go to Kanye West and Jay-Z, they performed Otis as surprise additions to the show. Those two added an energy and excitement to the show that really made it feel A-list. Not to mention, I love Otis and to see the two try to match their swag-heavy music video was worth tuning in to the show.

The most newsworthy event from last night was the announcement that Beyonce's pregnant. And Bey went out and performed anyhow and really did it big. She did much better than Alicia Keys did when she performed pregnant, so on that scale Bey was a 20. Mrs. Carter can do no wrong when ti comes to tearing it down on stage.

Most disappointing moment of the night had to be Lil' Wayne's performance, it was utterly terrible. I always have a tough time understanding Weezy when he's on stage and last night didn't help things. Not to mention, How to Love is one of Weezy's worst singles to date only made the performance harder to get through. A lackluster ending to a really good show.

BrandonWhatsill rating: 7.5/10

Photos Courtesy Getty Images and Film Magic

Come On, Man

*Quick Note- I aim to incorporate more pop culture into What's ill, hopefully you guys enjoy it*

Some news broke this morning from 50 Cent about his album in November.

Apparently, the album has been canceled and now Fif is threatening to leak a new Dr. Dre single in retaliation for Interscope not giving his project the publicity it deserves.

As a big 50 Cent fan, it's disappointing to see him drop to this level. It arguable that 50 is as influential as a Jay-Z, as mainstream as a Lil' Wayne, and as buzzworthy as Kanye West, but we haven't seen a 50 Cent album since 2009 and that album to many people didn't impress.

There have been many stops and starts to 50's fifth studio album and it always seems like Fif has more excuses than hot tracks.

The most recent 50 Cent track was a street single called 'Outlaw', it wasn't the best, but it was okay and was getting some radio play and now 50 cancels his album because of Interscope. When someone as famous as 50 complains about lack of support and publicity, no one buys it.

50 Cent is his own promotion, he has the resources to go and promote his album the way he sees fit, when someone like Lupe Fiasco talks about a lack of a push, it's reasonable because Lupe isn't as big a superstar as 50 is and needs well put together marketing campaigns to sell an album.

The real issue for 50 is the lack of a hit single, the same problem Game is going through with the Red Album. Rappers never look themselves in the mirror when it's time to realize that they aren't coming through for the label.

I can't remember the last 50 Cent single that's charted (you can't count Down on Me), and it's really sad to see Fif talk about trying to recreate 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' because it's at that point in time when rappers are done.

We've seen rappers like Fat Joe, Ja Rule and others try to recreate hit albums to no response and it's usually the tell-tale sign that people don't care about you.

Can 50 get back on top, yeah, because he has the fan base to make a comeback, but he has to stop taking L's and start making hits.

Kolb Didn't See This Coming

Andy Reid very rarely admits he was wrong, he'll always say he has to do better, but the words "I was wrong" won't emerge from Big Red's mouth often, but when he officially trades Kevin Kolb that is what he'll admit to the masses.

Reid drafted Kevin Kolb in the 2007 NFL Draft and no one thought that he would be the guy to replace Donovan McNabb because it was so clear that Donovan was Andy's guy and why would he waste a second round pick on a guy that was going to sit on the bench indefinitely?

Well, as time went along we could clearly see where Andy was looking and Kolb tickled Reid's fancy, he was a true gunslinger, accurate and a lunch box type guy that came to work and kept to himself.

After Donovan failed in his last playoff performance to date, Andy Reid saw his chance to finally insert the future QB of the Eagles.

Kolb had already impressed earlier in the season when McNabb was injured. Kolb threw for over 300 yards in his first two NFL starts and his hype was through the roof, so the confidence was definitely there by the organization and the coach.


Michael Vick was supposed to be the backup but it was clear that Vick was always the wild-card in the ascension of Kevin Kolb and once Kolb got hurt and Vick dazzled in last year's season opener, it didn't matter what Andy Reid said to the media about the job being Kolb's because in Andy's head the position now belonged to Vick.

Kolb had a chance to play last season when Vick went down, but the spark in the Eagles offense fizzled out when Kevin was under center and it was that and his teammates' assistance on Vick holding the position which buried Kolb.

Andy Reid believed in Kolb until he saw just how unready he was to be the guy for this franchise, whether it was nerves or whatever, Andy made the right decision, Kolb had his chance to win back the job in the early stages of last season but couldn't match the excitement and play making abilities of Vick.

The question now has to be, is Kevin Kolb ready to be that guy for any franchise. Kolb had all the offensive talent in the world surrounding him when he failed in Philadelphia last season.

There are teams right now that believe in Kevin Kolb leading their team, but will they still feel that way after Game 1 of the 2011 season?

McNabb to the Vikings

Another offseason, another team for Donovan McNabb. Donovan hasn't had a rumor free offseason in what seems like years and now he goes to his third NFL team in as many years, the Minnesota Vikings.

McNabb has a chance to rehabilitate his career in Minnesota, as he was put through the emotional gauntlet last year with the Washington Redskins.

There's no doubt that McNabb was terrible in Washington, but you can also argue that he wasn't the worst thing about that team last year, but because of the biggest and newest face in the Mike Shanahan regime, McNabb got more flack than he deserved.

If you take out his absurdly high number of interceptions, McNabb was putting together numbers that weren't appalling by any stretch of the imagination, they were average, but because of the high-profile off season trade, there had to be a fall guy for the Redskins' struggles and that was Donovan.

Donovan has been quite the controversial figure over the years and now has become an NFL nomad looking for a place where he can prove to the Eagles front office and all of his doubters that he can still play and win at a high level.

McNabb was nine playoff wins in his career, you can't scoff at that number no what he did in the Super Bowl. He can still be a good player in this league and he can still win games in the right situation and it was clear thanks to the coaching staff that Washington was not that spot.

Landing with the Vikings was the best possible spot for McNabb, as he will be surrounded by arguably the most talented team he's ever been around and for the first time ever, he'll have an All-Pro running back in his prime in the backfield to back him up.

I made a comment on Twitter that it'll be interesting to see what Donovan can do in comparison to what Brett Favre was able to accomplish in his first season with the Vikings.

Just because McNabb is out of Washington doesn't mean the pressure is off, in fact the expectations will be higher than ever given the current state of the Vikings and how they want to bounce back after a disappointing follow-up to their NFC Championship Game run. 

There's no doubt that Minnesota is good enough to make it back to the playoffs, but are they Super Bowl bound with McNabb under center? Because of his recent performance, one would say no, but I believe that Donny Mac has more left in the tank than anyone could imagine.

Photos Courtesy of the Associated Press

Finals Talk: Feel-Good Champions

First things first, congratulations have to go the the Dallas Mavericks for beating the Miami Heat in a series that they had no chance of winning according to the sporting public.

Dallas was playing with house money from Game 1 on because it seemed like people were beginning to make excuses for Dirk Nowitski not winning his ring, it was all set in stone that the Dallas Mavericks were set to be tragic losers once again. 

Well, it didn't happen and it didn't happen for a bunch of reasons and just to make the record clear, I picked the Mavs in seven game before the Finals began and it wasn't because of hate or LeBron or any of that, but rather because of size, depth and Dirk being the MVP of the postseason going into the Finals.

It's always a great sight to see a deserving superstar get his first ring and Dirk and Kidd and Terry all deserved to win this series because of the long fight all of those players put in over the years to get to this moment and they finally achieved it.

Game 6 may have been the least competitive game in this NBA Finals, the one thing it had going for ti down the stretch was the threat of someone stepping up for the Heat to make that last run, but it never really happened and the Mavericks kinda coasted to the win and it made the loss for the Heat that much more telling.

The fight was clearly gone from the Heat bench as they entered the last couple minutes and it was quite the sight.

Lebron James last night completed one of the worst NBA Finals for any superstar ever. It's amazing how numbers almost have to be disregarded to consider the way he played in this series. He had as many turnovers as he did assists.

Today is about the Mavericks and Mark Cuban and the terrific job they did in this series in proving their NBA worth to the rest of the world.

Photos Courtesy of Getty Images

Finals Talk: Never Say Die

Well, that was an interesting conclusion to a game that many people thought was over before it actually ended.

The Dallas Mavericks tied the NBA Finals at one game a piece when they were able to erase a 15 point deficit in the fourth quarter on the back of eight huge fourth quarter points by Dirk Nowitzki.

Many people said that the series was over after a dominant fourth quarter by the Heat and those proclamations would have gotten even louder if Miami had held onto that huge lead to make it a 2-0 series.

The funny things about last night's game is how people are talking as much about the Heat's premature celebration as they are about the dagger by Dirk.

Personally I find nothing wrong with what LeBron and Wade did after that three point make by Dwyane with 7:13 to go which put the score at 88-73.

The timing of the celebration may have been a little early, but it's something that all NBA players do and it's not the thing I would criticize the Heat for.

Chris Bosh defending Dirk on the last possession was puzzling and LeBron taking fall away jumpers when Wade had 36 points is questionable. Wade only took two shots after that three point basket and one of those shots was the last second heave at the buzzer.

With the series tied at one, the question is how will Miami respond going to Dallas for Game 3 amidst all the talk of the Heat's epic collapse.

One thing we do know is that this series is definitely not over.

Photos Courtesy of the McClatchy-Tribute and the Associated Press

Finals Talk: Game 1 Overreaction

Last night, the Miami Heat took Game 1 of the NBA Finals by a score of 92-84 and looked impressive in the fourth quarter when they finally pulled away from the Dallas Mavericks.

As always instead of talking about what the win means for the Miami Heat and speaking about what the Heat did well, everyone overreacts and says that the Mavs are done and the series is over...goodness, what is wrong with people?

It's Game 1 people, Game 1. The Mavs are still in this series all they did was lose Game 1 on the road, far from being a dagger in the hearts of Dallas.

The one thing that will hurt Dallas is the torn tendon in Dirk Nowitzki middle finger on his non shooting hand.

Nowitzki had 27 points on 7-18 shooting and wasn't as deadly last night as he was in the Thunder series and missed some shots that helped to kill whatever momentum Dallas was trying to build in the forth quarter to stay in the game.

The performance from the Mavs didn't sync up last night and it wasn't because of outstanding defense by the Heat, it was because of missed wide open shots that ended up turning the page in favor of Miami who was able to get some key transition baskets.

Jason Terry only had 12 points on 3-10 shooting and only 3-7 from three point range, while Peja Stojakovic went scoreless on three bad misses from beyond the arc and J.J Barea didn't bring much to the table either.

These guys won't remain bottled up for the duration of the series and while that won't guarantee a Mavs Finals victory, it at the very least shows that this series is not over.

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Finals Talk: Prediction

As the seconds tick closer to the first tip of the 2011 NBA Finals, it's time for that ever so important prediction.

The Dallas Mavericks are the team best equipped the compete with the Miami Heat with the number of weapons they can put on the floor that can shoot the lights out from three point range.

Jason Terry is guaranteed to garner some conversation from the Heat coaching staff, the guy is red-hot from three point range this postseason. He's averaging six a game and is shooting 46% from beyond the arc which is completely ridiculous

Dirk may be the only true star on the team, but he isn't their only playmaker, there has been phenomenal play from Shawn Marion and Jason Kidd.

Kidd is tied for third in assists in the 2011 playoffs and has made a couple big shots throughout this run to the Finals by the Mavs and an unquestioned leader with unmatched experience on the floor.

Marion has improved his play as the playoffs progressed and he capped it off with his best game of the playoffs in the Game 5 win over the Thunder when he got 26 points and eight rebounds.

The Miami Heat once upon a time was as deep a kiddie pool, while it's gotten better, they still don't have the production from the rest of the roster not named Wade, James and Bosh as they would want, but it's worked out fine so far.

Though Miami has gotten a much needed defensive lift from Joel Anthony and Udonis Haslem, those two guys provided much needed post toughness that has been missing for majority of the season.

Miami is no longer a push over in the paint, but Dallas will have a distinct size advantage down low with two seven foot guys in Heywood and Chandler.

Dallas will continue to spread its scoring attack while Miami will stick with what's worked, going through Wade and James with Bosh picking his spots and attacking when necessary. I don't think that will be enough however.

My pick for the 2011 NBA Finals is the Mavericks in seven, this will be a great series as we'll see great performances from all the principle characters in this series and we're guaranteed to see LeBron take over at least two games in this series.

But in the end, the hunger is greater with Dallas and the roster is overall better and the size factor will come into play many times over the course of the series.

I said before the season that three guys don't equal the production of an entire team and I've been proven wrong up until this point, but I see the Heat's run ending here and Dirk gets his first and potentially only ring.

Photos Courtesy of the Associated Press

Hustle Points: NBA Finals Preview

Tonight marks the kickoff of the NBA Finals and the NBA has been in the midst of a great run recently with regards to the increased popularity and ratings.

The 2011 NBA Finals features another interesting matchup and also interestingly enough this is the first Finals matchup in two decades that will not feature a Jordan, Olajuwon, Duncan, O'Neal or a Bryant, which would've made this a new blood match up if it wasn't a rematch from 2006, but that aside there are great stories abound.

The Dallas Mavericks have been plagued for years as the team that couldn't win in the playoffs and when they made any progress, they were expected to choke like they did back in the Finals in 2006.

It's tough to say that a team which has won 50+ games in a season 11 straight times is a fluke or a fraud, but that became the perception of the Mavs. They were a team that were destined to be bridesmaids (nice current pop culture reference) and it would take an amazing twist of fate to prove otherwise.

It may be safe to say that the 2011 playoff run of Dallas has done that and made everyone re-evaluate this team and how good they are and how great a player Dirk Nowitzki is.

Nowitzki is averaging 28 points per game this postseason in 38 minutes of action for the Mavs and provides a match up nightmare for anyone that opposes Dallas.

Dirk is a top ten player in basketball, but has been a also-ran in a league full of Bryants, Lebrons, Wades and Howards. Not many people volunteer Dirk's name when discussing the best in the game today.

It always felt as if everybody knew how good Dirk is, but no one spoke about it. Well, the words are flowing now, Michael Wilbon even shared some thoughts on how Nowitzki compares to Larry Bird, which is immense praise.

From the Miami Heat side of things, the talk will continue to be about the Big 3 and what they've accomplished fairly enough, but in the end it looks as if LeBron will be the one getting a majority of the credit and the pub if the Heat were to pull off winning a ring in their first season together.

The most important part of that is the response of Dwyane Wade, he doesn't care about the overblown reaction to James and he definitely wouldn't care if he wins another ring. There has been no fight for power in Miami this season, no conflict for the basketball (some from Bosh, but he doesn't matter in that regard).

The NBA's two biggest superstars have been on the same page the entire season and that's the reason why Miami is at this point right now.

If James is able to get his first ring in his first year as a Heat, then a lot of the criticism of him and his "Decision" will cease to exist because he'd be well on his way to making his point of wanting to win multiple championships and we all know that the first one is always the hardest for teams capable of winning multiple.

Then you look at the story of a Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion and Jason Terry and their chase for championships, this series is dripping for great drama and I'm eagerly anticipating the tip off of this series and I'll be covering this series from tip-off to final buzzer and this preview is only the beginning.

Finals prediction coming later in the day!

Photos Courtesy of the NBA

ill Take: Jim Tressel Steps Down

Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel stepped down this morning under the light of increased speculation of continued program violations at OSU.

"After meeting with university officials, we agreed that it is in the best interest of Ohio State that I resign as head football coach," Tressel said in a statement Monday morning. "The appreciation that Ellen and I have for the Buckeye Nation is immeasurable."

I spoke at length about Tressel a couple months ago and what I said then still applies now. After what occurred with former player Ray Small and what he said late last week and the rumors are that his conversations lead to this development.

While I'm not the biggest fan of college coaches and I find many of them to be insincere, I know that Tressel is not alone in these actions in the NCAA, there are numerous programs that are guilty of major NCAA infractions and won't be caught because of how well the violations are hidden.

Tressel should have been fired months ago for his actions and the fact that it took more accusations for him to realize what long-term harm he's causing to the program is ridiculous.

What he did isn't the problem for me, it's how he did that screams the loudest and now the Ohio State program will be under a very watchful eye for years to come as people talk about OSU receiving a penalty as harsh or harsher than USC's.

The most eye opening thing about this is not that Tressel was caught, but how easily everything can unravel for a upstanding university like Ohio State in a matter of months and the reality is that all the major programs despite the image of compliance and hanging on by a thread because of the possibility of that one athlete opening his mouth or being spurned by the university from spilling the beans about events that could put his/her school on lockdown.

Now we're going to hear more talk about how the NCAA should pay its athletes and allow this and that, but it'll never happen and if anything more rules will be enforced to prevent future nonsense from happening at the top schools and things are only going to get worse as a result.

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Fifth Starter Struggles Again

For one day, all the struggles and controversy that's plagued the Mets organization had subsided. On Sunday afternoon, the Mets beat their biggest rival and did it convincingly while the Phils were left wondering about their fifth starter again.

The Mets defeated the Phillies (33-20) by a score of 9-5, as the Mets were able to avoid being swept at Citi Field by the Phillies for the first time since the ballpark opened.

New York scored nine runs for the first time since early May as they snapped a three game losing streak and had previously lost six out of seven games before their win yesterday.

Vance Worley got he start for the Phillies and was hit all the ballpark for his three innings of work.

The Mets racked up a season high 17 hits in the victory and a amazing 12 of them came off of Worley.

The 12 hits surrendered by Worley are the most given up by a Phillies starter this season and yesterday's outing marks the second shaky start in a row although Sunday's game definitely sparks more concern than his previous start against the Reds did.

Ultimately on a day where many of the Phillies starters were resting since they are currently in the midst of a brutal stretch for the team, the Mets loss isn't overly concerning.

The only potential worry out of the game was just how defeated Worley looking on the mound, which was a complete contrast to the other three outings where even when he was hit, he bounced back and remained his composure on the mound, stuff-wise.

A bad fifth starter won't hurt the Phillies too much, they were able to get by Blanton's 5.50 ERA before he got hurt, but one has to wonder just how much better would the Phillies be if they had a competent fifth starter, although depending on Worley's next outing he may well prove that he could be the guy for that spot and this could be just one really bad outing.

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Hustle Point: Heat Return to Finals

It's been quite the season for the Miami Heat, they've been basketball celebrities since the infamous "Decision" and we've seen more drama from them than from a episode of All My Children.

We've changed our minds so many times about the Heatles, that our thoughts today about them barely resemble what we thought in July.

Now that Miami is in the NBA Finals, things believe it or not are about to get even more interesting from oft-discussed trio.

The Chicago Bulls were bounced out of the playoffs in five games punctuated by last night's 83-80 loss in which Dwyane Wade and LeBron James scored 22 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to help spark a 18-3 closing run that vanquished the Bulls.

And both Wade and James are in vastly different positions now than they were when they last reached the NBA Finals.

Both players touched briefly on the last times each played in the Finals, James went in 2007 and of course Wade won his ring in 2006 vs. these Dallas Mavericks.

LeBron in 2007 was still a happy member of the Cleveland Cavaliers when they were swept in four, but James the player was seen in a completely different light.

James was a fan favorite, the feel-good story, the underdog and many people wanting to see LeBron capture his first ring. The mood has changed ever so slightly, LeBron is still seeking his first ring, but the people are no longer on his side and James in a strange twist of fate has become a villain.

The 2011 NBA Finals are chock full of great subplots and there are superstars abound, I'm going to give you guys my Finals preview sometime over the weekend, but I wanted to take a moment to kinda come to grips with where I stood with LeBron after the last three playoff series.

As a former LeBron die-hard, I am one of his former fans and I admit that, but I can admit that he has stepped up to the occasion in a way he's never done before and it plays to the point he made many months ago about needing help to get it done.

It's amazing on a nightly basis to see two of the top five players in the game perform in the way they have and the fact that LeBron to this point has backed up his comments about needing help to reach the next level in his career and if he's able to win a ring with this Heat team in its first year together, watch out.

Photos Courtesy of the Associated Press

Lee's Red Hot Bat

It's been a while since I've written a Phillies recap, but it's like riding a bike, let's get to it.

The Philadelphia Phillies (31-19) won the series finale today over the Cincinnati Reds by a score of 10-4 behind the bat of Cliff Lee. Yes, that Cliff Lee.

Lee got the win for the Phils today going eight innings, allowing four earned runs on ten hits while striking out eight to pick up his fourth win on the season. But the story was about Lee's day at the plate.

At the plate, Lee was one of the Phils' biggest contributors going 2-4 at the dish and driven in three runs, included a game breaking ground rule in the bottom of the sixth inning which broke a 4-4 tie.

Lee has always been enamored with the prospect of hitting in the National League and has said on many occasions that he enjoys the opportunity to get his hands a little dirty and he showed why today.

The Phils were able to take three out of four against the struggling Reds and have seemed to right the ship after losing five of six games in one stretch.

Philadelphia is also seeing a spark in run production after a nine game stretch where the Phillies couldn't score more than three runs in a game, the Phillies have scored three or more runs in their last four against Cincinnati, a team not starved for starting pitching.

The Phillies didn't look very tired at all after a 19 inning marathon on Wednesday night which saw the two teams playing past 1am.

It has also a great sign for the Phillies to see Raul Ibanez continue of his hot streak at the plate, as he hit a three-run home run today and has been hitting at a .340 clip since his 35 at-bat hit less streak.

Chase Utley also chipped in with his first home run of the season since returning to the team on Monday.

This is a team that badly needed a shot in the arm offensively have seemed to wake up, thanks in part to a guy that couldn't buy a hit a month ago and a second baseman who wasn't on the team for 95% of the season.

It's safe to say that things are looking up for the Phillies and sometimes we forget that this team has locked down the top spot in the NL East basically from the beginning until now even with the constant struggles and injuries.

The Phillies are now looking ahead to a weekend series up in New York against the self-imploding Mets. Roy Oswalt will take to the mound tomorrow night for the Phils and will be opposed by Chris Capuano. First pitch tomorrow night is set for 7:05pm.

Photo Courtesy US Presswire

Hustle Points: What were the Lakers thinking?

Mike Brown was officially hired as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers yesterday and somewhere Kobe Bryant is not happy.

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a terrible collapse in the second round of the NBA playoffs when they lost to the NBA Finals bound Dallas Mavericks, the result of that series saw a change in philosophy from the Lakers front office.

It was a rumor that if the Lakers went to the Finals this postseason, then when former coach Phil Jackson retired, it looked like a lock that assistant Brian Shaw would be his successor.

Thanks to that miserable sweep in the conference semifinals, the Lakers may now be forever screwed...or maybe just screwed until they get rid of the guy.

Mike Brown has been all polished up the last couple days on ESPN, maybe due to his employment there for the last couple months, but there hasn't been much talk about why Brown was fired and what happened to the Cavaliers on his watch.

Yeah, it's easy to look at the fact his teams in Cleveland won and he has one of the best winning percentages as a coach in NBA history, but it isn't exactly rocket science to win with LeBron James in the Eastern Conference during the years where the East was a "rebuilding" conference.

The true test of a coach is playoff effort, playoff results, having the respect of a team and having authority and just overall looking like a coach. Mike Brown did very few of those things during his time as a head coach.

I get the fact that he's a great defensive mind, then hire him as an assistant. There are numerous defensive geniuses that are head coaches and they dot the sidelines in the NFL. Being a great defensive mind doesn't make an automatic great head coaching option.

Mike Brown is a good guy and a good basketball guy, but he will have to completely renovate his coaching image after being quit on in Cleveland and fired. Kobe Bryant is one of the most demanding players in the NBA and if Brown doesn't get his respect from the jump, then Brown could be in for another rocky tenure as a head coach.

Photos Courtesy The Associated Press

Top 5 NBA Playoff Storylines

The NBA playoffs have been eye opening and revealing in many ways for many teams. With all the happenings over the last couple months, I feel as if these are the stories that are the most intriguing.

5) The Re-emergence of Dirk Nowitzki for the Dallas Mavericks: Going into this postseason Dirk was an also-ran superstar that everyone knew, but nobody feared. In many minds, he's the NBA's gentle giant. In one postseason, he was able to shape and form a completely new identity and is now receiving praise that he hasn't heard since his MVP season.

One thing that people continuously forget about Dirk (me included) is how hard he is to stop when he fully utilizes his entire moveset on the floor and there are shots of his that are completely unguardable, like that one legged fade away jumper. All of us are guilty of forgetting just how dominant Dirk can be and he also proved just how clutch he can be when he hit that huge three point dagger last night.

4) The Rehabilitation of Zach Randolph: Zach has always had potential and the size to be a superstar and he's even had the numbers to be considered a "star", but for whatever reason there was no floor presence with Randolph. That all changed this postseason when he became a certifiable post demon, when he's as focused as he was this postseason we all saw just how tough he is to guard and how much he stuffs the box score.

The Memphis Grizzlies went from being forgotten to being the next chic pick behind the Oklahoma City Thunder as the "next" team in the Western Conference and a big reason for that is the rise of Randolph and the way he's captivated the city of Memphis, and it's made for a great story on Beale Street.

3) The Apparent Fall of the Orlando Magic: The Orlando Magic are one of a few Eastern Conference powers and are a perennial playoff contender, but they always seem to fall short and it's been a gradual drop since the year they made the NBA Finals. This year, they lost in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks...wait what? They lost to a team they completely obliterated one year prior.

On top of that, it becoming clear that the team is beginning to respond less and less to coach Stan Van Gundy and it's clear he was sick of them by the end of the season with regard to some of his postgame press conference comments. And of course there is that elephant in the room by the name of Dwight Howard who seems closer to leaving by the day. It doesn't look like the Magic will continue their run as a top four seed in the East.

2) The Heat are who we hoping they weren't: Miami is making a believer out of all the disbelievers and they're doing it in impressive fashion, dispatching of the Sixers and Celtics in five and they are ready to do the same to the Chicago Bulls. The only controversy this postseason has been one that has occasionally popped all season with the drama surrounding the question of who's the closer.

Wade and James have proven that when those two guys are on, it appears that you can have only two guys dominating and win playoff games which is something I didn't think they would be able to do and now Chris Bosh has decided to play some basketball and earn his money and as a result, the Heat have become even more dangerous and are destined for the NBA Finals.

1) The curious case of Derrick Rose: Following D-Rose this postseason has been nothing short of illuminating. He's seen all types of criticism and praise and I think if you look at the beginning of the postseason to now, the response to his play is trending downward in a aggressive fashion. There are people that are attacking Rose's style of play, late shot selection, intelligence, shooting percentage, etc.

Rose has been one of the most discussed MVP's in the postseason in a long time and there have been talks of whether Rose even deserved the MVP. My thoughts on this will be brief, Rose is one of the most impressive point guards in the NBA today and deserves more credit than what he's gotten and while he may not prove it in this series vs. the Heat, Rose is going to be one of the focal point's of the NBA for years to come.

Photos Courtesy of  CBSSports.com and Getty Images

Back and Better Than Ever!

It's been a while since I've patrolled these What's ill pages, I had to go graduate and start looking for real work and I've missed a lot of great things and I've missed this site. To have this great canvas to express my opinion, it was missed.

With the Phillies game last night going 19 innings, which was unbelievable and the NBA playoffs inching towards the Finals and Mike Brown getting hired as Lakers coach, there's a buffet of material for me to devour and excuse while I dig in and welcome back to What's ill.

truTV's March Madness Review

Last night was the premiere of the First Four and the first tournament games under the CBS/Turner banner and it made for interesting television for the first official night of the tournament.

I'm definitely a television sports connoisseur as evidenced by my countdown of the best TV sports themes, so I figured I would give my take on the initial effort by truTV.

I'm not thrilled with the revised CBS NCAA theme, but it's okay considering the entire graphics package has been overhauled for the new agreement. I thought the new look was definitely more Turner than CBS, but it was clean and effective enough to make the points it needed to make. Although, I love the new openings splicing past and recent tournament memories.

The pairing of Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr has to work a couple bumps in the first game, Nantz was really shaky throughout the night, but he did get better as the night went on. He didn't seem very into the 16 vs. 16 matchup, although I can't blame him for that.

The game became the best of the night and best displayed what we should be seeing starting Thursday afternoon. The UAB and Clemson tilt made for boring TV, but what can you do when the game is a 20 point laugher midway through the second half.

The halftime shows and studio wrap ups were interesting because I think we saw more vintage Charles Barkley tonight than we did during the Selection Sunday show on CBS. A move I found intriguing was that the networks decided to split the analysts from their normal host, so Kenny and Charles were working with Greg Gumbel and Seth Davis and Gregg Anthony worked with Ernie Johnson.

The Johnson trio worked the best simply because of the insight the NCAA guys were able to provide along with Johnson's continued perfection of the studio host position. That's not to say Gumbel, Barkley and Smith were terrible, but when it came to dissecting highlights, it was clear they weren't familiar with the college game.

Barkley and Smith were at their best when the discussed topics off the cuff and talked about teams being slighted by the media like UAB and how people thought they didn't deserve to be in, I think they should leave the highlights to the NCAA guys and the other stuff to the NBA guys.

The production was smooth and slick and the Inside March Madness postgame show was to the point and effective and had some signature Inside the NBA type humor. Overall, it was a good first night for the tournament presentation wise and I'm actually looking forward to the conclusion of the First four tonight, although the toughest part of the process will be finding truTV again.

Hustle Points: Nuggets > Knicks?

Well, at least two people believe so: Raymond Felton and Al Harrington think that at this point in time the Denver Nuggets are superior to the new-look Knicks.

The idea of Denver being superior now was an idea I've been kicking around since the trade, while others were quick to predict the downfall of the Nuggets, I sat quietly and watched because for some reason I saw them as a better unit without Carmelo, but of course without much to go on, I stayed silent.

Now that we have a small sample to extrapolate from, we can compare the records and stats and overall chemistry of the two teams since the blockbuster trade and I would have to agree with Felton's assessment.

“We’re a better team (than New York), I feel like. That’s it,’’ said Felton.

Here's some numbers courtesy of ProBasketballTalk about the two teams. The Nuggets are 8-2 in their last 10, the Knicks are 5-5. The Nuggets are outscoring their opponents by an average of 12.8 points per game in that stretch, shooting 48.4 percent while holding their opponents to 44.2 percent. The Knicks are outscoring their opponents by an average of 1.4 points per game in the last 10, shooting 46.1 percent while allowing opponents to shoot 48.4 percent.

Al Harrington added this interesting piece of info:

“A lot of people said we were going to be the Cavaliers of the West and stuff like that,’’ Denver forward Al Harrington said. “We got a lot of guys with a lot of pride and we got some good players (in the trade). So we’re just going out with a chip on our shoulder for sure. The New York guys (acquired in the trade) are definitely pissed off that they were moved and stuff like that. We’re just going to make the best of the situation.’’
The Nuggets possessed a roster full of really good pieces before trading Carmelo and when you take into consideration that they only moved two important pieces of their team (Billups and Anthony) for four (Gallinari, Mosgov, Chandler and Felton), this is a team that was getting much deeper with versatile talent.

This team became harder to defend following the trade because of the balance they now possess, opposing teams aren't just looking at one guy in the fourth quarter, they have to worry about four to five guys on the floor and can attack the paint and score, not to mention shoot the three point shot.

The depth of this roster is what impresses me the most, when you have a team that can go, six-eight guys deep, then you're talking about always having guys on the floor that for the most part are fresh and that gives you an advantage late in the season when some teams experience tired legs and injury concerns.

Denver had an issue with the loss of Galinari, but were able to quell that concern by just having more playable guys than most other teams in the West right now.

The Knicks on the other hand, have had a hard time getting into any type of rhythm with Anthony and Stoudemire. They've had great wins followed by puzzling losses. And the biggest issue was the one almost everybody pointed at the time of the move, defense.

New York gives up 110.9 points allowed per 100 possessions when both stars is on the floor. That number should scare Knick fans, because that's a number that's not going to change anytime soon, the only way to combat the pojnts allowed is points scored and because of the clear lack of options for the Knicks. It has to be 'Melo, Stoudemire or Billups every single night or the end result is a loss.

That's an absurd amount of pressure to be placed on a team at midseason, and while the Heat have been able to make the best of having three guys carry an entire offense, their defense is also exponentially better. I may have to change my expectation of the Knicks getting out of the first round.

Photos Courtesy Getty Images

Random Thoughts: What I Missed

I've been away in New York City winning....ahem, and I want to touch on a couple of things that I've missed over the weekend, so let's get to it.

- The NFL officially have locked out their players and law suits are pending and America weeps. The NFL lockout has been the talk of the sports world since the end of the Super Bowl and now that it's underway, we are going to see a lot of negotiating through the media and a lot of finger pointing, if we haven't already. Both sides are going to be quick to say how it's not their fault, but honestly it doesn't matter whose fault this is, all that matters now is if this holds up, then we won't have football and there will be enough blame to go around for that.

- UConn completed one of the most impressive runs through the tournament ever by winning the Big East Championship in New York and I must say that Kemba walker after taking a cat nap through the middle of the season is back now and ready to ball and the only thing I wish could have happened with the seeding of the tournament is the pairing of BYU and UConn in the same region, because Jimmer vs. Kemba would've been the ratings beast for CBS or TBS or TNT or whatever.

- The Sixers had a very interesting two day stretch of basketball this weekend. They went out and beat the Boston Celtics in what may have been their most impressive win of the season and then laid the biggest egg they've laid this season by getting obliterated by the Milwaukee Bucks of all teams on Saturday night. I can understand that tired legs argument and sometimes you have off nights, but don't lose by 30. That aside, I'm sure coach Collins is preaching now as much as ever their one game at a time mentality. This team hasn't lost two in a row since January and the Sixers have a down on their luck Jazz team coming up, now is not the time to get complacent for the Sixers.

- The WVU Mountaineers managed to get a five seed in the tournament, I would imagine on the back of their severely difficult schedule and the way the finished the regular season, but they weren't given much favors in the first round having to wait for their opponent to determined following the play of the First Four. WVU can't get caught looking past their potential second round matchup with Clemson towards a rematch with Kentucky or else they could become the first team to lose to a First Four team, which would draw this season to a head scratching conclusion.

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Sixers are Rolling

The Philadelphia 76ers are introducing themselves to the rest of the NBA right now, even ESPN showed some Sixer highlights last night on the 11pm edition of Sportscenter.

Last night, the Sixers defeated the team chasing them for the seventh spot, the Indiana Pacers by a score of 111-100 and looked solid while doing so. Philadelphia is now six games in front of the Pacers as they continue to solidify their playoff positioning.

I've talked a lot about the continued rise of Andre Iguodala and last night he was at it again, following up his consecutive triple-double performances with another double-double showing with a 16 points and 10 assist game and in March, Iguodala has stepped up his game huge.

This month, Iguodala is averaging 17 points per game along with nine assists and eight rebounds a game.

Those are big-time numbers from a player who has risen to the occasion as we enter crunch time for this NBA season and it'll be very interesting how much will Iguodala continue to improve going into this next two game stretch of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics.

Philadelphia has won seven out of eight and three in a row and have been a fun team to watch over the last few months as I've become more and more invested in this team because I think people are starting to realize that this roster isn't as bad as people thought going into this year.

This team has played .600 basketball since the first month of the season and are as even keel a team that you can see in the NBA and that can play to your advantage in a NBA where you have teams crying in the locker room following losses (couldn't resist). Losses don't bother this team because they have great leadership and terrific balance. 

The Sixers can easily go nine deep and have the most productive bench in all of the NBA and last night, it showed again as they put up 39 points and seven out of nine players scored double figures, this team is versatile and crazily enough, they are deep enough to make some noise here at the end of the regular season and I believe they can make an impact in the playoffs.

Photo Courtesy US Presswire

ill Take: Tressel Looks Like Typical College Coach

How many times have we seen college football coaches compromise standards and loyalty and team for the sake of winning and money? Just about every single season in one environment or another and now we have yet another instance of a college coach looking the other way to protect himself and the bottom line for his university.

Ohio State University football coach Jim Tressel received an e-mail last April telling him that two of his players were caught up in a federal drug-trafficking case and the sale of memorabilia, breaking NCAA rules.

Tressel implied that he was going to get on the matter "ASAP", but as he said yesterday he wasn't sure where to go with the info.

I understand that there are certain departments that handle different violations, but how about starting with just telling somebody, so that you know that the buck doesn't end with you. He sat on that email for months and it's hard to believe that he couldn't have said something to somebody regarding what he learned.

I get the idea of Tressel trying to protect his players, but once the news broke and the school was caught, what was stopping Tressel then from saying that he received info of a possible infraction but he either didn't believe it or thought the problem was fixed, at least then he would have been able to say that the reason he didn't speak out then was out of respect and trust for his players, instead he was silent and that silence was to protect himself from penalty.

Tressel hung his players out to dry and preached about honor and respect and how his players shouldn't leave and come back to play another year and serve their penalty, but wasn't going to out himself for any wrongdoing.

And now the "hammer" comes down on Tressel as he has to pay a fine of 250,000 dollars and sit out only two games.

I'm not saying it's all college coaches that act in such a fashion, but it's amazing how often these coaches are willing to hide behind their players and use these players as pawns in a chess game that either results in a raise or a new job, when as a college coach you sell these guys on the idea of the team is your family, but they'll leave at the drop of a hat with no remorse.

The arrogance is unbelievable and it never ceases to amaze me what these guys are capable of, and the fact that Tressel was caught hiding information is just another reason why many of these college coaches are just scam artists, they talk a huge game but lack moral fiber and in the end, these are the men teaching college kids about life. That's a lose-lose situation if I've ever seen one.

Photos Courtesy the AP and US Presswire

It's Big East Tourney Time

What other tournament can you get nine ranked teams in action on one floor, what other conference tourney can you get powerhouses like Villanova and UConn playing in the opening round and of course what other tourney gets the chance to play at Madison Square Garden, it's Big East Tournament time, one of the most exciting sports events of the year.

It's been a crazy year in the Big East, but not for the usual reasons. This year, the story in the conference has been about how every team has had literally two sides to them this season.

Teams like Syracuse that started out on fire and had a stretch mid season when they couldn't stay in games, let alone win them and yet they finish the season with a 25-6 record.

There are also teams like Notre Dame, had got bit by the upset bug a couple times then go on to utterly destroy a team like Villanova and the Fighting Irish was able to finish with a crisp 25-5 record.

Then you have the truly schizophrenic teams like West Virginia, Villanova, St. John's and UConn. These four teams have embodied just how unpredictable the Big East can be.

Villanova (21-10, 9-9) went from competing for a double-bye in the tournament to playing on the first day, they've endured one of their worst stretches of basketball since Jay Wright has become head coach and yet they have 21 victories and a talented roster that knows how to play in March, so hands are in the air in regards to 'Nova.

St. John's (20-10, 12-6) has been the surprising upstart to the Big East party since the hiring of Steve Lavin and they've played the role of Giant Killer really well, it's those little fish they have problems with.

They've lost games this season to: St. Bonaventure, Fordham and Seton Hall, go figure. But they've put themselves in a great position in the tournament getting a fifth seed and having to play the winner of Rutgers/Seton Hall, but then again Seton Hall could be a tough out for the Red Storm considering their history.

UConn (21-9, 9-9) started the season with a 17-2 record and was viewed as the real deal thanks to star guard Kemba Walker, but have lost four of their last five down the stretch and are as cold as a team in March can be, but will definitely be energized by the fact they aren't in the NIT this year and who knows where that energy will take them in the tourney.

The West Virginia Mountaineers (20-10, 11-7) have been the definition in inconsistent, but if you've followed the Mountaineers at all the last couple of years (football or basketball), you would know that's the only way they know how to do it. The Mountaineers are suddenly hot after two huge wins over two ranked opponents in UConn and Louisville.

At many points throughout this season, WVU has looked and longed for some offensive identity bouncing from guy to guy with nary a play maker in sight, but coach Bob Huggins has turned that into an advantage as in the last two games it's been a round robin of production capped off by a impressive Kevin Jones.

The Mountaineers can easily make a run in the Big East Tournament as they have in year's past and are pretty comfortable in New York, being the reigning Big East Champs from last year and with that this Big East Tournament may be the most unpredictable ever.

Photos Courtesy the US Presswire and All-Pro Photography

Hustle Points: Struggling Star-Crossed Teams

Last night was a night two of the marquee NBA teams would like to forget, The Miami Heat got stomped out by the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks lost to the Cleveland Cavs.

First I'll start with the Knicks, I understand that Chauncey Billups was out of the lineup because of a bruised left thigh, but as we all remember, they lost when he was the starting point guard as well.

The best game the Knicks have played since the 'Melo trade was against the Heat, which is looking more and more questionable by the second.

New York since the trade has struggled to beat a terrible Bucks unit and dominated a lost New Orleans roster and of course there's that Heat victory.

It hasn't been an impressive showing from the New York Two Step (I want that to stick), and I honestly thought there wouldn't be as many issues as there have been because of the ability of Carmelo to take over games and come through in tight situations.

Well, he hasn't done that much at all, since he's become a Knick it's been hit and miss with the misses overwhelming the hits. When he's not shooting 10 of 26 for 25 points, he's committing the game ending foul like last night to effectively seal the game for the other team.

The one thing I didn't think the Knicks would have to wait for is Anthony's ability to control games, in New York it seems like the moment of playing at the Garden is controlling him a little bit.

There's no doubt that Billups will make the Knicks a lot more cohesive than they looked last night, but maybe I got ahead of myself when I said that this team could compete for the second round berth in the playoffs.

Now to the Miami Heat, I honestly thought they were past their early season struggles, but I was wrong about that too...I'm usually never incorrect. The Heat look as bad as they did in that 9-8 and maybe even worse.

There's nothing that can be said about last night's 30 point destruction, so I'll instead try to look at the other games, the Heat have blown in the past week.

The biggest thing about the Heat has been how there's no direction in the final possession of close games, but the ball always inevitably ends up in LeBron's hands which has proven as of late to be the wrong move.

And on Thursday night, Chris Bosh was set up for the final shot, Chris Bosh?

Why hasn't Dwyane Wade been in that position this season, I can count on one hand the amount of times Wade has taken the final shot in a game, if the Heat wants to be able to finish games off vs. winning teams going into the playoffs, the ball has to be put in Wade's hands in the final minute much more often.

Is fixing the Heat as simple as putting the ball in Wade's hands in the final seconds and is fixing the Knicks as easy as getting Billups back and giving him a bigger piece of the scoring pie, as of today, yeah I think so.

Photos Courtesy Reuters and the New York Daily News

Iguodala Takes Over

Last night's victory for the Sixers wasn't a game changer by any means, but it showed once again how this team has been able to avoid the dreaded slump that a bad loss could cost and the Sixers also looked like a better team down the stretch after the T'Wolves made a charge in the final minutes, both really good signs as the Sixers prepare to battle the Knicks for the sixth seed.

Philadelphia climbs over the .500 mark once again, now at 31-30 on the season and are only a half game behind the Knicks, who faltered at home last night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Andre Iguodala has been a gigantic reason behind the resurgence of the Sixers this season and last night is a reason why.

Iggy has been the vocal unselfish leader for this team and quite frankly, he's put his money where his mouth is and has stepped it up with his attitude and play rather than only with his numbers.

Andre has had good stats this season, not superstar level stats, but they have been what this team has needed to be competitive night after night against the best and worst in the NBA and as a result this team is in the race and Iggy is a big reason for that, so we have to give him the props he deserves and last night he lit it up again.

Iguodala had a big-time triple double last night of 22 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists and every single play he made last night has a big one as he appeared on many occasions to be in multiple places at once.

Andre is one of the most discussed "superstars" in Philadelphia and it's mainly because of his large contract, but honestly you can't dis a guy when he's performing and to me averaging 14/6/6 is just what Doug Collins is asking for and on top of that, his teammates love him.

It's about time the Iggy haters take a step back and look at the larger picture which is, this team isn't as good as they are now without him.

You can want the video game numbers and LeBron-like performance, but we have to realize that's not Andre's game. He's a great slasher with lock down defensive ability and he's been exactly what we've needed this season, let's appreciate that.

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

ill Take: Palmer's Ultimatum

It's never a good situation, when players want to bail on your organization. It's even worse when we're talking about the quarterback of an NFL team. And it gets even worse than that, when the team we're talking about is the Cincinnati Bengals. Oy vey.

The Bengals have been a down on its luck franchise since the late 80's-early 90's, and it's been through every single low you could imagine from the Akili Smith pick to the Dick LeBeau years as the head coach. It's been a forgettable 12 or so years until they hired Marvin Lewis and then things began to look up, sorta.

Lewis went .500 for the first time in six years and then drafted Carson Palmer with the first overall pick and they went 8-8 again while Palmer got acclaimed with the system and then the team improved drastically and made it to the playoffs and then Palmer went down and everything changed.

The Bengals went 8-8 the following season, but all people could wonder is what if Palmer didn't get hurt and it was a question that plagued the Bengals for most of the season and the next couple years after that were miserable and also included another Palmer injury in 2008.

The injury in '08 tainted his numbers during a resurgent 2009 season for the Bengals which still ended with a wild card loss and we all know and remember just how terrible the Bengals were this year and that was probably the final straw for Palmer with this team and organization.

You have to wonder about the inner workings of a organization when both player and coach have to evaluate a team's front office.

Marvin Lewis, before resigning with Cincinnati had reservations about returning because he thought the team had to perform better in regards to personnel moves like the Baltimore Ravens.

And now Carson Palmer has the same concerns as Lewis and isn't as easily encouraged about the future of the Bengals as he now views them as "hopeless" and it's not a secret that the Bengals are not the picture of stability by any means, but Palmer is doing more to hurt their image this way than anything Chad Ochocinco has done the past five years.

It's understandable where Palmer is coming from in terms of wanting to win and hating the uncertainty of not knowing whether your bosses are going to do what's needed, but have some tact in the matter. There's nothing wrong with wanting to leave a city, but understand that there are ways to go about doing it.

You don't bash an organization on the way out, because it devalues your character and even though Carmelo forced his way out of Denver in the guise of "wanting to win a championship", I can't remember a single comment that was either said to the media or leaked to the media that resembled him bashing the Nuggets.

Frustration is one thing, but remember Carson, even though this team hasn't won a single playoff game during your tenure and have shot themselves in the foot more times than many people can remember, don't forget that in both of those games you were the starting QB under center. So yeah, the Bengals are now hopeless and that's partly because you lost hope.

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Sixers Try to Build Following Tough Loss

Last night's defeat to the Dallas Mavericks at the Wells Fargo Center wasn't an easy one for the Sixers to swallow because it was a game that could have easily gone the other way, not just because of plays here and there but because of the way the team responded down the stretch.

There's no other way to say it, but calling it like it was, the Sixers flinched, bad. When the Sixers pulled to within a point of the red-hot Mavs, a combination of bad decisions and missed free throws made Philadelphia look unprepared for such a situation.

Now we all know that the Sixers have made serious strides this season and even at 30-30 on the season are progressing greatly every night, but I didn't like what I saw in the final two minutes of play and neither did the boisterous crowd that saw free throw after free throw clang loudly off every part of the rim.

Winning games late in the NBA is hard to do and it's been hard for the Sixers to do this year as they are among the bottom in the league in regards to their record in close games.

Teams like the Celtics and the Lakers and even the Suns as of late have been able to make the most of those clutch moments and as we've seen this season, finishes like those can make your season easier and propel you into a stretch of play that lifts the team in the standings and the mood in the locker room.

So if there is one thing that needs to improve with this Sixers team, it's definitely the late game nervousness of some guys on this team because the later we get into the season the tougher these games are going to get and even though the Miami Heat are also with the Sixers in relation to having an equally terrible record in close games, they have the advantage of having two top five players on their roster.

I've loved the development of guys like Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner, but we saw last night that they were not ready on a couple of occasions to make a big play and I feel that with Jrue, that big shot feel will come because he definitely has it and has displayed it at different points this season.

While with Turner, I would seriously think about limiting his late game minutes if the game is in doubt because he's still a raw offensive talent and in closing moments you need guys on the floor that can get you easy points and it's been an all season struggle for Turner to get on track, I'm not knocking him, but he's not far along enough in his development to be on the floor late in the fourth quarter.

I've been as positive as anybody regarding the Sixers this year and this right now is the most pressing concern to this roster, to become more comfortable in a late game environment when the game is in doubt.

The sane thing almost occurred in Cleveland when the Sixers almost blew a double-digit lead late in the forth quarter, finishing games is an acquired skill in the NBA and it'll take time but if the Sixers expect to be a threat going into the playoffs, then adjustments have to be made or else playoff time will come and no one will be looking at the positives anymore.

Call Your Ma and Pa, The Sixers are above .500

It was another defining moment for the Sixers in a season of them. Philadelphia is now 30-29 on the year and now that puts them over the .500 mark for the first time since 2009, wow.

It's been a long time for the Sixers and the team has come a long way since 3-13 and now it feels weird to actually seriously discuss a playoff appearance, but Philadelphia is making really good headway towards that goal of reaching the postseason and the crazy thing is that they might be able to make some noise.

The Sixers are a game behind the New York Knicks for sixth place in the East and are tied with them in terms of victories with 30 each. They are 7-3 in the last ten and have won a season high four games in a row.

This team is peaking right now, at a great point in the season, but it gets a little harder tomorrow night when they host the Dallas Mavericks, but one thing we've all seen about this Sixer team is how tough they play vs. the best teams in the NBA.

Since that 3-13 start to their season, they've beaten Portland, Orlando, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver (with 'Melo twice), San Antonio and lost a couple tough ones to the Celtics,this team has experience vs. the best in the league and they've had some success that they can fall back on going forward.

Part of the reason for their recent rise has to be their awesome bench play, Lou WIlliams and Thad Young have torn it up this season along with a constantly improving Evan Turner, this team has a lot of different looks to throw at the opposition.

While I was watching the game last night on the Cavs feed (terrible homer announcers by the way), there was a good point made about just how well the Sixers can play both the fast-paced style and the half court game.

With the legs of the younger guys, it's not surprise that this team likes to run and can run with the best them and this is evidenced by their very high fast break point total which leads the NBA.

Then they can also slow it down with Elton Brand and Spenser Hawes in the half court being fed from Jrue Holiday, who has improved at a massive clip this season, it's becoming a real treat to watch him play the point and it'll be something we'll hopefully be able to see play over the next decade.

There are many positives about this team going forward, but there are some quirks to this unit as well, but since this is a day for celebration with the team getting over .500 and all, I'll save that for another day.

Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Hustle Points: Knicks Get Taken Seriously

Last night was a statement game for the New York Knicks coming off an embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Cavailers, it didn't matter if the roster was new or not, you just don't lose to the Cavs this season unless you want to be the punchline of a joke.

The Knicks had to respond and even though it is the last day of February, New York learned a lot about where they stand today because of last night.

I think all of America realized at the same time over the course of the last couple of days how important Chauncey Billups is to the Knicks in the 'Melo transaction, he's a bonafide big time player who does his most damage in situations like last night when you most need it.

Billups had his lowest scoring game as a Knick but it was arguably his best showing since the sudden change to the Big Apple, he hit a huge go-ahead three pointer with just over a minute to play in the game to put the Knicks up for good and he had a clutch steal with under a minute to play to give the Knicks a couple more at the free throw line courtesy of Shawne Williams.

It wasn't pretty for most of the night, but the one thing I saw that impressed me from the Knicks was the constant fight the team had when they were down 15 and when it was down in the second half to keep coming back and I think that's represntative of the majority of the roster now. We're talking about guys that weren't playing at all and were fighting to stay employed and now they're getting a real chance to be apart of the rotation and we're seeing that same fight on the floor.

The one aspect of the Knicks that's been interesting to watch is Amare's transition in all of this, he's gone from being THE guy to the number two scoring option on the team, there's no question about it.

Amare's opportunities aren't coming as much with 'Melo on the floor even though you would assume it would be the other way around. The Cavs game was a typical Amare game, pre-Melo, he had 31 points and 10 rebounds, but they lost.

How will Amare and Carmelo gel over time? Can they work together sure, but will Amare enjoy getting less opportunities as a result in the long run if that's the way the offense shakes out? I'm not so sure about that.

Photo Courtesy News One

Hustle Points: A Shift in Power

With the acquisitions of Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams in the past week to the East Coast, there have been rumors about the demise of the West and it may be happening before our eyes.

For the last decade on the backs of the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers the Western Conference have had a stranglehold on the top spots in the NBA and now the league is seeing a major shift in talent to the other coast.

The eyes have been on the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets in terms of where the NBA is going and it truly is heading in the direction of East Coast superiority because of the major markets that line the Atlantic.

The Boston Celtics notwithstanding with their odd decision to trade Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder, it seems for the most part that the best teams are now sitting in the Eastern Conference, where for years the opposite was always true.

When you look at the top of the West, it's the names that have held true as I said earlier, the Spurs and the Lakers, but when you look at the other major contenders from the West, are they true championship contenders?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are absolutely a title contender now with Perkins because the one flaw they did have before the trade was the lack of an aggressive big and they added two of them in Perkins and Mohammed.

The Dallas Mavericks are always that really pretty window dressing, but there's never any more to it than them having a really good regular season without the great playoff run to match, they're a pretender. The Denver Nuggets are a team in transition and a team without a true leader right now and even though they definitely have the talent to win some games, there's a huge question of who's the finisher on that team and no disrespect to JR Smith, but I don't think it's him.

As you look up and down the playoff seeding, there are three contenders in the West and in the East, there are at least five dangerous teams that could contend for a Finals bid and four teams that could easily win it all.

The Boston Celtics are a given, the Miami Heat have proven how dangerous they can be when the big three shows up in important match ups, the Orlando Magic have gotten the the Finals before and will always be able to make noise with Dwight Howard in the playoffs if he plays aggressive, the Chicago Bulls are a team that can and have beaten all the top teams in the NBA and the sky is the limit for them. And while the New York Knicks aren't going to contend for a title, they're fun to look at and I wouldn't be surprised if they won a playoff round.

Times are changing in the NBA, the Western Conference doesn't draw the same fear from its opponents as it use to, and it may be up to the two old faithful Western goats to knock some respect back into the East come playoff time.

Photo Courtesy TSN