Jeremy Lin Return: Magic of Linsanity Can't Save Reeling Knicks

Jeremy Lin is close to returning for the New York Knicks. Join me in asking the biggest and boldest question out there, so what?

Linsanity will return, only it will be much more measured than its initial burst onto the national scene. Can a mania be boring?

That's a very real question that must be addressed as Lin returns to a squad that has already melted down and destructed upon entering the playoffs. 

You see, I love Lin. 

I love the way he plays the game and the story that surrounds his mystique, but even magic can't save these New York Knicks. 

Hell, I wouldn't give Magic Johnson in his prime a fighting chance to lift this squad to a win over the big bad Heat. 

Hoopsworld reports it is entirely possible for Lin to return to the court against the Heat. Head coach Mike Woodson sounded measured in his optimism, via the report. 

We haven’t run up and down in terms of being able to scrimmage or anything like that. And that’s where the test is going to come. When he’s got to cut and guard people and push and do things of that nature, that’s the big test. And we don’t have time to practice like that. We really don’t. So basically all he’s done is drills and he’s shot the ball a lot here as of late, but only time will tell.

The media is already wondering if Lin will return, and whether he will be a help if he does. You can almost see the hype rise like smoke off the computer screen. 

There are two facts that make this a non-story. 

First, Lin doesn't sound like he is in the best of shape to take on a Heat team that is on fire right now, not participating in contact drills and being untested in cutting drills. 

Second, the Heat pretty much ate up Lin and spit him out in their February meeting. I am sure that Lin learned well from the unrelenting double teams, but I don't see him coming off a meniscus injury and showing off the effects of that tutelage. 

Lin will give depth, and a great deal of morale for a team that needs it. 

But the loss of Amar'e Stoudemire, the frustration of two losses and a team on the brink is too much for one player to manage. 

Jeremy Lin will return, and we can all celebrate another game from a great story, but it ends there. There is no way Superman is coming to save the day. 

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Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1168300-jeremy-lin-return-magic-of-linsanity-cant-save-reeling-knicks

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Big Ten Football: Let's Stop Fetishizing the Rose Bowl Already

Stewart Mandel's dispatches from the BCS meetings indicate that the conference commissioners aren't at a consensus, but at the very least coming closer to it:

"Multiple sources with direct knowledge of last week's discussions in South Florida have confirmed to SI.com that the new favored proposal for a four-team playoff within the bowl system would place the two semifinal games at the traditional anchor bowls of the No. 1 and 2 teams' conferences. For example, No. 1 Alabama of the SEC would host the No. 4 team in the Sugar Bowl, while No. 2 USC of the Pac-12 would host the No. 3 team in the Rose Bowl."

This idea is, of course, lousy.

There's no good reason for involving bowls other than the continuing love affair the bowls' directors have with conference commissioners—a relationship that has quite little to do with the sport of college football itself or its fans. And nowhere is that slavish codependency more evident than with Jim Delany and the Rose Bowl.

The intent of the "traditional anchor bowl" should be to give the more highly-ranked team a home-field advantage of sorts. That will never be the case with the Big Ten and the Rose Bowl.

At best it is a neutral site. More usually it's a game against USC in the Trojans' backyard. That the Big Ten is so beholden to the Rose Bowl's best interests is a case study in counterintuitive reasoning.

The conferences have agreed that a four-team playoff is best for college football. That is accepted across the board. In every playoff, the highest seeds are incentivized, mostly by way of opponent and/or location.

There is no shortage of game-ready stadiums in the Big Ten footprint, including the 12 that the member schools already use several times a year. If the Big Ten wants to pick where a higher seed plays, it should choose somewhere around the Big Ten.

And yet, the fetishization of the Rose Bowl and tradition itself demands otherwise, so Jim Delany demands otherwise. It's embarrassing.

The Rose Bowl will survive outside of the playoffs. Bowl games will survive outside of the playoffs. The top two teams in the nation have already found themselves in a playoff system (a very brief one, but still), and the Rose Bowl did not crumble.

Taking away the third- and fourth-best teams so they can play for an actual championship will also not cause the Rose Bowl to crumble.

But it's obvious that the conference commissioners are struggling (and that is putting it nicely) to incorporate the Rose Bowl into the playoff proceedings and cement this vestige of decades past onto the future of college football.

The Rose Bowl is just that, though—a bowl.

Bowls are not playoff games. We don't need to pretend they are. They have their time, their place and their tradition. Those things just happen to have nothing to do with the college football playoffs, and it serves nobody's best interests but the bowls themselves to pretend otherwise.

Let's get our priorities straight.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1167181-big-ten-football-lets-stop-fetishizing-the-rose-bowl-already

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Jonathan Goff Should Start Alongside London Fletcher for Washington Redskins

New signing Jonathan Goff should be plugged in right away alongside London Fletcher in the Washington Redskins starting lineup for the 2012 season. 

While Goff's acquisition is a smart move, it was surprising to read that he will contend for a backup role. The former New York Giant can add more to the team as a starter.

The 6'2", 241-pounder is a thickly-built linebacker who excels at stuffing the run. Goff can plug the middle and take on blockers, allowing Fletcher to do what he does best and stay active all over the field.

Goff's intelligence will help him make a quick transition to the 3-4 defense, having spent his four-year career in a 4-3 front. He understands pass defense concepts and can be a factor in underneath coverage.

In his one season as a starter, Goff started all 16 games and made 80 tackles in 2010. He missed all of 2011 with an ACL injury. This no doubt raises questions about Goff as starter's material in Washington.

However, if can prove his fitness, Goff should have no problem making the team and is a better all-around player than youngster Perry Riley. The second-year pro supplanted Rocky McIntosh in 2011 and became something of a fan favourite thanks to his tough, hustling style of play.

Yet Riley is limited athletically and was frequently victimised in coverage. He is still learning his craft, and many Redskins fans are keen for the team to include as much youth as possible.

However, being young doesn't necessarily make a player the best choice to start. Goff can take over and allow Riley to learn behind Fletcher, with a view to partnering Goff when Fletcher retires.

Roster size has been increased to 90, but the signing of Goff should be viewed as more than just a means of increasing competition. Pairing Fletcher and Goff together is the best way to improve 2011's 18th-ranked run defense.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1167797-jonathan-goff-should-start-alongside-london-fletcher-for-washington-redskins

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NBA Playoffs 2012: Superstars Who Will Define the Postseason

The 2012 NBA Playoffs are off and running, and although it has only been three days, we've already seen some series-defining moments from some of the game’s biggest stars.

NBA superstars not only make the postseason, but they define it as well. It's the time of year where the great get even greater and big-time performances seem to happen by the day.

When it is all said and done, only one team will be left standing, but there will be several defining moments before a champion is crowned.

Let's take a look at who will be the authors.

 

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

Many feel this could be Durant’s year. If it is, he’s already off to a good start, leading the Thunder to a pair of tough wins over the Dallas Mavericks.

A game-winner in Game 1, followed by a 26-point, 10-rebound effort in Game 2 has Durant well on his way to making this postseason a special one. He’s not shooting the ball particularly well, but that won’t last long, and I expect Durant to have much more magic up his sleeve.

 

LeBron James, Miami Heat

LeBron has a statement to make to his critics, and he’s making it in a big way against the New York Knicks.

James is shooting 56 percent from the floor and averaging 25.5 PPG through two games, but he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder and quite frankly he looks like a man that won’t be denied a championship right now.

 

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe wants that sixth ring, and who’s going to tell him he can’t have it?

Bryant was very good in Game 1, dropping 31 points on the Nuggets, but when Kobe is focused on a goal, he’s going to leave everything out on the court in order to get it. By the time the playoffs end, Kobe could turn in one of his best postseason runs of his career.

 

Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers

If the 2012 regular season wasn’t a coming-out party for Bynum, the playoffs very well could be.

The All-Star center already has a triple-double, and if Bynum is committed to playing great defense and rebounding, he’s going to be huge throughout the Lakers' run.

 

Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks

Here’s a guy that has the talent to do some big things in the postseason and could potentially carry the hawks on a mini-run in the process. If the Hawks can get past the Celtics, a Bulls team without Derrick Rose isn’t unbeatable.

Smith got off to a good start in Sunday’s Game 1 win versus the Celtics with 22 points and 18 rebounds. If the Hawks are going to advance, they will have to lean on Smith, and he could be ready to deliver.

 

Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics

Down one game in the series with Rajon Rondo suspended for Game 2, somebody wearing a Celtics jersey is going to have to step up.

That guy could be Garnett, who had a solid 20 points and 12 rebounds in Game 1, but the veteran forward put together a solid regular season when some questioned if he had anything left in the tank. He could step up and throw the Celtics on his back one more time.

 

Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs

Parker should be a serious MVP candidate but won’t be, but potentially leading the Spurs to another title would be even sweeter for the 29-year-old point guard.

He got off to a good start by scoring 28 points and dishing out eight assists in San Antonio’s Game 1 win over Utah. Parker hasn’t slowed down all season and I see no reason for him to do so now.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1167742-nba-playoffs-2012-superstars-who-will-define-the-postseason

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Thunder Vs. Mavericks, NBA Playoffs 2012 Game 2: OKC Holds On For 102-99 Win

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/5/1/2990471/mavericks-vs-thunder-2012-nba-playoffs-score-recap

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20 Reasons for Manchester United Fans to Be Excited About Next Season

Manchester United may miss out on the title this year, but there are many things to look forward to next season.

United's heartbreaking 1-0 loss to City puts them in a tie with their arch-rivals at the top of the table, but City's goal difference is eight points better than United's.

This is a lot of ground to make up in just two fixtures, and the Red Devils will likely finish as runners-up in 2011-12.

But the 2012-13 will be starting up in August, and here are 20 reasons that United will bounce back for their next campaign.

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Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1167313-20-reasons-for-manchester-united-fans-to-be-excited-about-next-season

Francisco Cervelli Chad Moeller Jorge Posada Lance Berkman Reegie Corona Juan Miranda

Thunder Vs. Mavericks, NBA Playoffs 2012 Game 2: OKC Holds On For 102-99 Win

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/5/1/2990471/mavericks-vs-thunder-2012-nba-playoffs-score-recap

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