Donovan Mitchell (13.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game)

The Jazz are a team that are very well balanced and do not rely solely on one player. It was a pleasant surprise for them when the

University of Louisville product turned out to be one of the pieces that would contribute to their scoring on a consistent basis off the bench. He has had multiple games recently where he has put up big numbers, scoring over 20 points 3 times in his last 6 games. The Jazz were a team with a big question mark over their head after the loss of Gordon Hayward this offseason, but Donovan Mitchell is proving to be a piece that can help replace the lost scoring that the Jazz need to return to the playoffs.

Lauri Markkanen (15.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists per game)

Currently second in scoring for the bulls, which is not much of an accomplishment, Markkanen has shown that his skill set and shooting ability can translate to the NBA as he is currently shooting 43.5% from the field and 38% from three. He hopes to be a stretch-four that the bulls can rely on as one of the initial pieces in their current rebuilding phase. He could put up some inflated numbers as the year goes on due to lack of talent around him, having a solid first year to his career.

Kyle Kuzma (15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.4 assist per game)

Lakers fans everywhere were anticipating the arrival of Lonzo Ball into town for this current season. But those who watched the

summer league knew that there was another intriguing piece added to the roster in Kyle Kuzma from the University of Utah. While the Lakers obviously believed they picked a good player, I doubt they would have been able to predict that to start of the season Kuzma would currently be averaging the 3^rd most points among rookies and being the teams 2^nd highest scorer. Much like the Bulls the Lakers are in a sort of rebuild stage that they hope to mature out of soon, and Kuzma was a pleasant addition to the roster that should be able to contribute as the team strives to compete in years to come.

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Opening Night

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics

The first game to be played on opening night, and a battle of two teams that many people though would meet in the conference championship game come playoff time. When the Kyrie Irving/Isiah Thomas trade went through this summer, the game had even more meaning behind it. Sadly, neither of these points were why this game will be reminded. Instead the disturbing image of Gordon Hayward’s injury will be held in people’s minds as they think about this game. What a terrible way to start an NBA season. Hayward is a player that I was extremely excited for this season as he finally was going to get the chance to show his ability to contribute and lead a team. Unfortunately, he will not be able to do that this season for the Celtics

A little more on the actual game itself, the Celtics came out an impressed despite having lost one of their key players 6 minutes into the first quarter. The major key for the Celtics was the performance of Jaylen Brown, who proved he made big strides this off season and was worth the 3^rd pick in the 2015 draft. This is also huge for the Celtics because he will help fill the role that was emptied by hayward. Jason Tatum also had a good start to his season which continued through he first month, showing his skills set will transfer well like many people believed it would.

Finally, the Cavaliers played about as you would expect the Cavaliers to play. Lebron James topped the stat sheet and was followed by Kevin Love. The rest of the new pieces that they acquired in the offseason did a fair job in their respective rights, with Dwayne Wade, Derrick Rose, and Jae Crowder all putting up solid numbers.

Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets

The score line of this game started out as many people may have thought, with the warriors holding down an early lead, and carrying around a 10-point lead consistently into the start of the 4^th quarter. Now the interesting thing was that they got to this lead at the hands of . . . Nick Young. Yes, you read that right, Nick Young was having himself a great night in his debut for the Warriors. This 10-point lead was not enough as the Rockets bench came up big in the 4^th quarter and brought the rockets back into the game. All of this lead up to a game winning shot opportunity by Stephen Curry with 5 seconds left, which hit rim and was rebounded by Kevin Durant who put the shot up but had a finger on the ball for about 0.1 second too long and the shot was no good.

The Warriors could compete as they always do, and plated a great game against a top team in the Rockets. The only thing that was potentially worrisome for any fans was that they were in a 1-point game with needing Nick Young to put up big numbers, something that will not happen even close to consistently. If the Warriors make either one of the last shots no one is talking about any downsides that may have come from the game, therefore I don’t see anything to point out as to why they lost, the just simpler weren’t able to close out. Now you can play now your favorite games online and win incredible prizes.

Worry comes for the Rocket team when looking at the poor performance and injury that hindered Chris Paul from playing well. Paul was one of the main reasons that this team was going to do be a force this season and he has been a shaky piece of the team to start that season. That being said the team should be optimistic as to how well they played despite Paul’s lack of contribution in the scoring department. The bench contributed a good amount of points, as well as brought the game back due to performances of the 3 bench players that logged minutes: Eric Gordon, Luc Mbah a Moute, and P.J. Tucker.

Panicking on Cavaliers or Warriors?

If you are currently panicking on either the Cavaliers or the Warriors getting off to the start that you may have not expected, stop. This is a lot more relevant for Cavs fans who are seeing their team struggle, but the Warriors more losses on their record than one would expect. There is no need for either of these teams to worry though, because they are in fact the best teams in their respective division. Every team has to shake off the dust in whatever sport they are playing, but eventually a team with the talent these two teams have will come together and be a well-oiled machine a little way into the season. There is no doubt in my mind that both teams will get back to the performances that we expected from them going into the season

Who’s Real and Who’s Fake

All of the following teams have in my eyes outperformed their projections that I had for the team in the regular season. The west coast sees two teams that were fringe playoff teams, playing with top talent in the league right now. The east has many teams that I would have said had under a 50% chance of making the playoffs, but are currently a top 8 seed in the east.

Magic – Fake

The top team in the Eastern Conference, sorry Magic but I don’t think so. While this team has been off to a hot start I don’t think that it is too bold to say that they are going to slow down. The big reason this team has been playing better than years past is the performance of recently signed Jonathan Simmons, as well as the emergence of Aaron Gordon as he is finally playing Power Forward, rather than Small Forward that he was playing last week. This fits much better with his game and has allowed for him to make major steps in his game. This team is young an trending in the right direction, and may finally move closer to making the playoffs, but their fall from the top of the Eastern Conference is just waiting to happen within the next couple of weeks.

Clippers – Real

I slept on the clippers going into the season, and I feel like I owe and apology to Clippers fans everywhere. This team has showed consistency week in and out, and have a very good bench to support the starting line-up. Through a lot of offseason movement with the lineup, the team acquired players from many different skills sets creating a great offense/defense balance. If Blake Griffin is able to stay healthy, we may see this team make a low end playoff push easily, something that was up in the air for me at the start of the regular season.

Detroit – Real

Another team that I was doubting going into the season due to their performance last year.I thought this lineup had potential last year, but I gave up hope after, yet another mediocre year was produced from Detroit. This doesn’t look like this will be the case this year, as Tobias Harris is having a big start to the year to lead the team, and the pieces around him are all starting to play well at the perfect time. I believe that the Pistons have the ability to make the playoffs in a weak eastern conference, and maybe even push up into a 6^th seed.

Indiana – Fake

I have been extremely impressed with the Indian Pacers, specifically Victor Oladipo. Oladipo has yet to find a place to call home in the NBA, but it looks like he may be settling in nicely in Indiana. This is a team that has a very interesting mess of players in different career stages on their lineup, and I don’t believe the talent is there for them to squeak out close games leading to them just missing the playoffs.

Memphis – Fake

This team has some extremely good wins (Houston twice, Golden State once) but it is their lack of depth in the starting lineup that worries me. The Grizzlies are always a fascinating team that finds ways to use a few of their stars, along with some gritty G-League or college players to field a team, and always do well with them. This Is the same type of team, but the wins against the top tier teams won’t be there for long when all it takes is one player for Memphis to do bad and they don’t have many others to pick up the slack. I still see this team potentially making the playoffs, but they will not continue to play as a top team like they are right now.

My Predictions

Western Conference Playoffs –

1. Warriors
2. Rockets
3. Spurs
4. Thunder
5. Grizzlies
6. Timberwolves
7. Clippers
8. Jazz

Eastern Conference Playoffs – 

1. Cavaliers
2. Celtics
3. Wizards
4. Bucks
5. Raptors
6. Detroit
7. Charlotte
8. Philadelphia

MVP Race – 

• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Stephen Curry
• Blake Griffin
• Russel Westbrook
• Lebron James

Rookie of the Year Race – 

• Jayson Tatum
• De’Aaron Fox
• Dennis Smith Jr

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No matter who the best prospects are in the NFL draft for a given season, it seems inevitable that at least one, if not multiple, Quarterbacks will go in the top few picks. Quarterback is the most important position in football, and every year teams are trying to find the player that is the next big thing in hopes that he will lead them to success for years to come. It takes a lot of time to fully judge a Quarterback, as they often times may need to develop a little bit, or simply don’t immediately have the pieces around them to find success. That being said, it seems as though the 2016 draft class produced two phenomenal players in Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, that are starting to make exponential jumps in only their second seasons. On top of progressing individually, these players are leading their teams to success early in the 2017 season, and hope to keep up the pace for years to come. While it is still early to call, I think that it is reasonable to believe that these two Quarterbacks could run the league for years to come.

Jared Goff (Drafted by the Los Angeles Rams #1 overall in 2016 out of the University of California, Berkley)

What were people saying out of college?

Scouting reports surrounding Goff were concerned about his accuracy translating to the NFL. It was known that the kid had an arm that could make just about any throw on the field, as well as the poise of an NFL Quarterback. So far Goff has been able to achieve the high points that people saw coming out of college, as the arm skills and leadership of the offense have been as good as one could hope for. As far as his weaknesses go it is apparent that he struggles with completion percentage, but the upside is that he has improved greatly from his rookie year to this year regarding completion percentage.

First Year Results

Goff’s first year was rough to an outsider looking in. He was thrown in 9 games into the season as the Los Angeles Rams needed a change in Quarterback, and they decided to give the ball to the young gun Jared Goff. When watching him play you could tell that the potential was there, but the stat line did not follow. He ended the season completing 54.6% of passes and throwing for 1089 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. All of this

considered, Goff did not have the best of teams around him, and was operating in an offense that was not built for his playset. This led to Goff going 0-7 in the year, and some people doubting his skills going into the 2017 season.

Second Year Results

While some people were doubting Goff’s skills, the Rams were buying into the Jared Goff era. The organization went and made offseason moves to give Goff weapons (Drafting Cooper Kupp and trading for Sammy Watkins), as well as protecting him upfront with improvements to the offensive line (Signing Andrew Whitworth and John Sullivan). These additions along with the ability to build the offense around Goff has lead to much better results during his sophomore campaign. Through six games Goff has improved his completion percentage by 5.4% from 2016, and has thrown a much better ratio of 8 touchdowns to 3 interceptions. Along with these boosted stats, Goff’s big arm is being shown off as he averages the most yards per completion in the league (13.4) so far, this season. Overall, he is performing with the best in the league up to this point, coming in at 9^th in passer rating (93.2) through the first 6 weeks.

What does the future look like?

The Rams have a very talented and young roster around Goff and are in a division that seems to be getting older and older as the Seahawks and Cardinals are starting to regress talent wise. I could see the Rams making a run at the division, more realistically the wild card, this season. That being said, I expect that within the next two seasons the Rams will make a big jump in the division, becoming the team to beat in the NFC West for years to come and creating a dynasty within the division.

Carson Wentz (Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles #2 overall in 2016 out of North Dakota State University)

What were people saying out of college?

Much like Goff, there was no question about the raw talent of Wentz. Wentz has the arm to make every throw on the field, as well as phenomenal touch, placing the ball where the receiver has a major advantage over the defender. Because of this great placement, scouts were extremely high on Wentz’s accuracy, unlike his counterpart Goff. Wentz’s flaws were the exact opposite of Goff’s, in that scouts questioned Wentz competition as he came from a FCS school, as well as his inability to make progressions when his main targets were covered up.

First Year Results

Unlike Goff, Wentz started week 1 of the 2016 season, and seemed to silence any doubters almost immediately. While against weaker competition (Cleveland, Chicago, Pittsburgh), Wentz started off his career extremely hot with a 3-0 start. During this stretch he completed 64.71% of his passes, averaging 256 yards a game (769 yards total) and throw 5 touchdowns with no interceptions. After this hot start Wentz and the Eagles started to decline, finishing the season with a 7-9 record and missing out on the playoffs, but the promise was there for Wentz to be the Quarterback of the future for the Eagles.

Second Year Results

Much like Goff, Wentz has made major strides his second season. Right now, Wentz has the Eagles on top of the NFC East, and tied for the best record in the NFL at 5-1. Much of this success is due to Wentz playing to the level of the top Quarterbacks in the league, and the stats back him up. Through six weeks, Wentz ranks 5^th in passing yards, 2^nd in touchdowns and 7^th in passer rating. Outside of rookie sensation Deshaun Watson, the players ahead of Wentz are established Quarterbacks that have been in the league for many years, and Wentz finds himself among them in the rankings. If Wentz continues to play at his current level, it will lead to a great season for Philadelphia with potential for a playoff run come January.

What does the future look like?

While Wentz has debatable been playing better than Goff so far in their young careers, I don’t know if he we be able to lead the eagles to constant success for years to come. The NFC East is a division where every team seems to be able to compete almost every year. Other division rivals in the Cowboys and Redskins have young pieces that make them threats to compete in the division year in and year out. Due to this fact I do not know if the Eagles will lead a dynasty in the NFC East, but rather I see them constantly being in the competitive mix for first place in the division and sneaking into the playoffs a majority of seasons.

While Goff’s and Wentz’s careers are both young, they look to be two stellar Quarterbacks that are going to run the league for years to come. Both have shown improvements from their rookie season, and seem to be getting familiar with the offenses around them. Assuming that neither player experiences a major injury or setback, I believe that they could be the top two Quarterbacks in the league in 3-5 years, making the 2016 draft class one to remember throughout history.

The post Sophomore QB’s Start off the 2017 Season Sizzling appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Four Years, Two Teams?

It may be to the point where these teams have faced each other so often that it is now considered a war by international law, but odds have it that the Warriors and Cavaliers will play each other in the NBA Finals once again. The argument remains as to whether or not the dominance of these two teams is good for the NBA, but anyway you put it this is the outcome for the 2017 season and maybe even a couple more years down the road. Buckle up NBA fans, this one may be a long ride. On another note the question remains, can anyone challenge either of these teams? No. At least not this year, and it is hard to see a new team emerging if both superpowers stay together this off-season.

Moves, Moves, and more Moves

There was a major shopping spree on players this off-season, as this it was one of the most active and exciting off-season’s that NBA fans have seen in a long time. Big names all seemed to move to and throughout the western conference. So much that it sparked the league to change the format of the All-Star game so that the West would not be so lopsided. One team in each conference stood out to me, as well as many other people, in making the most enticing moves this off-season.

In the east it was clearly the Celtics who had the best additions to their team. Adding Gordon Hayward through free agency and trading for Kyrie Irving were two great moves that helped the team get a lot younger and have a true identity to go along with the youth of their bench. There is still the aging Al Horford who does not fit the long-term plans of the team, but for right now he is good veteran help. This team is not going to stun the Cavaliers and take the eastern conference championship, but they should at least make the east finals competitive. The Celtics will be a force in the eastern conference for years to come, whether or not they do anything depends on the future of the Cavaliers roster.

As for the west the most intriguing team this off-season was the Oklahoma City Thunder with the additions of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. The fact that both of these trades were pulled off is incredible, especially considering that Sam Presti technically flipped Serge Ibaka (traded to Magic for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis) for Paul George (Traded to Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis). This team now has a very interesting dynamic, as they have 3 guys that love to operate with the ball in their hands. Will they figure out a way to make it work? Yeah, I think they do but I do not think they reach a level that is higher for the Warriors. Sorry Thunder fans.

Lastly, some quick hitters regarding the rest of NBA and free agency moves. In the East everyone seemed to get worse and is entering rebuilding stages as the Bulls, Pacers, Hawks, and Knicks all traded away key pieces to get younger assets. All those stars migrated to the West where there were shuffles on most of the rosters. The Rockets propelled themselves into the top of the conference even further with the addition of Chris Paul. The Timberwolves made a big acquisition in getting Jimmy Butler, a move that they hope will help them in the long run as they have an extremely young roster. Lastly the Nuggets and Clippers both made additions that will likely keep them on the edge of the playoffs, but will not amount to major success in the West.

Graduating Class of 2017

Just about every team not mentioned above decided that it was a good move to invest in the draft, and it looks like the draft class is not going to disappoint. While it seems like the draft prospects have always busted in recent years, the rookies this year seem to be of a different breed. Going into the draft there were talks that this could be the best class since 2003, and from the little film we have seen in the summer league and preseason this looks more than formidable.

The number one overall pick by the 76ers Markelle Fultz not only looks like a stud, but so do his teammates around him. This is a team that has the potential to be really good in years to come if all of their young players tend to pan out how they should. While this pick was a no brainer for the 76ers, he is a perfect fit for their team as he provides the outside shooting needed to spread the floor.

The second overall pick went to the Los Angeles Lakers and they selected Lonzo Ball, as I am sure everyone on the planet knows by this point. Put his dad and all the drama aside and consensus has it that this kid is going to be a star. The pieces around him seem to be in place, but it is just a matter of how everyone progresses in the coming years. The interesting thing to follow with this roster is what happens next year in free agency, as the Lakers have a lot of money to spend and a lot of big name free agents should be available.

Some other noticeable draft picks were Jayson Tatum to the Celtics at three, Josh Jackson to the Suns at four, De’Aaron Fox to the Kings at five, and Dennis Smith Jr. to the Mavericks at nine. All of these players have potential to shine almost immediately in the league, and could very well be superstars in the making. Tatum is in a very interesting scenario as he is going to develop on a team that will likely get a lot of playoff success and experience. Jackson is on a young, but extremely talented team as he prepares to pair up with Devin Booker for years to come. Fox and Smith will not have any enticing prospects around them, but both are extremely explosive and quick players at the point guard position and should have long careers ahead of them.

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In 2015 Blake Bortles was coming off his rookie campaign in the NFL, which was sub-par to say the least. The first year is always rough for a rookie Quarterback in the league, so the optimism was still there for Bortles after year one. Sure enough, Bortles made the stride that everyone had hoped for his second year and all the sudden the team from Jacksonville was a threat to compete in the AFC South.

During his 2015 season Bortles put up statistics some of the best QB’s in the league. He ranked top five in touchdowns and top ten in yards for the season while only 23 years old. He beat out the likes of players such as Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Ryan Tannehill in both categories. While there were many positive outlooks to his season, it is not a hidden fact that there were some struggles as well. A good amount of Bortles’ stats got inflated during “garbage time” of games making it look like he played much better than he truly did. He also struggled with completion percentage and interceptions throughout the season. Nonetheless the potential for Bortles was shown, and there was optimism that through lowering interceptions and raising his completion percentage he could be a solid Quarterback in the league for time to come.

Surrounded by Young Talent

Jacksonville saw this potential in Bortles and has constantly surrounded the team with young talent through the draft. On the offensive side, they have drafted young players such as Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns at receiver, both who played huge roles in the 2015 offensive success. They also have addressed the running game to complement the passing attack as they drafted both T.J. Yeldon and Leonard Fournette, as well as lineman Cam Robinson. Lastly, notable draft picks have been made defensively, drafting Myles Jack, Dante Fowler Jr., and Jalen Ramsey. These players have progressed extremely well thus far in their careers and show a bright future for the team.

But wait, that’s not all the help the Jaguars are giving Bortles, there is more. Jacksonville has gone out and made numerous free agent signings over the past couple years to better the team. Signing Malik Jackson and Calais Campbell on the D-Line, and AJ Bouye, Barry Church and Tashaun Gibson in the secondary.

Can Bortles Make the Next Step?

All together you look at the talent added to the team and it is extremely hard to not see this team making strides forward, yet they seem to be going backwards. Going into the 2016 season with some of the new talent listed above on the roster, Bortles led the team to a worse record than in 2015 and he lowered his total yards and touchdowns, but most worrisome his completion percentage and interceptions did not get any better. Nonetheless it was not time to pull the alarm and worry, the team was still young and needed to improve, it was just a small hiccup of a season, right?

Hopefully so, but the current 2017 season has not gotten off to much of a better start. Bortles has only thrown for 348 yards through two games, his completion percentage is lower than his average his past three seasons, and he has thrown as many interceptions as touchdowns. And yes, there is the disclaimer that Allen Robinson is out for the season but Bortles was unable to gather any chemistry with him last year and he still has other weapons around him. While it is still early in the season, the question starts to rise, is it time to jump ship in the Blake Bortles project? The talent surrounding him is enormous and he seems incapable to lead them to victory. If so what do the Jaguars do?

Abort Mission

One alternative would be to get a Quarterback in the upcoming draft that favors the position heavily. Sadly, the Jaguars will most likely have too high of a pick to get one of the elite prospects in the draft. Their pick will most likely land a lower QB prospect that needs to be developed, which will do no good for the team as it is built to win in the next few years.

Insert a trade with the Buffalo Bills, a team that is trying to rebuild and get rid of any asset they have. Tyrod Taylor is 28 and does not fit the long-term plan of the Bills, but is a perfect fit for the Jaguars. Sure, he is not going to put up the numbers that Bortles did in his 2015 season, but the efficiency will be an enormous difference as in the past 31 games he averaged a 62.6% completion percentage, and 39 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. On top of that he brings a rushing threat with him, having rushed for 1000 plus yards and 10 touchdowns over the last two seasons.

Say what you want about Blake Bortles but the Jaguars are a team that is built to win now, and before too long pieces might start to slowly leave. The organization needs to act fast to take advantage of their current roster and Tyrod would be a perfect fit for the team in its current state, leading it to great success in the weak AFC South.

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