Friday, April 29, 2011

Daily Onions: Mailing It In

Not to steal any thunder from Sports Guy's big announcement yesterday releasing more details about his new website, but Daily Onions is announcing a new addition to our site with Mailing It In. This will give readers the opportunity to email questions to Daily Onions, and every so often.....we'll answer them! What a novel idea. These questions can be basketball related, sports related, pop-culture related, really anything related. If we don't think we have a good enough answer, we'll bring someone in to help us out. Do you want to have your question answered by Daily Onions? Shoot us an email at jrsacks22@gmail.com or post in the comment section and we'll do our best to provide you the goods.

Our first question comes from Pittsburgh, PA. Brady asks:
"Daily Onions, which team has a brighter future, the Knicks or the 76ers?"

Thanks for the question, Brady....that's an interesting one, and one that appeals to many of our East coast readers due to their rooting interests in these teams. In fact, all NBA fans should have a liking in this question, especially with Chris Paul and Dwight Howard being eliminated from the playoffs last night, rumors of their whereabouts for next season will start swirling.

Back to the current players on these teams those. Let's start at the top. The Knicks obviously have the advantage in the "superstar" category with Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. Both are perennial all-stars and both are legitimately top 20 players in the NBA right now. For the Sixers, their superstar would be......Bueller? Frye? Anyone.....anyone? Something d-o-o economics. Voodoo economics. Anyway, who is it? I guess you would say the closest thing is Andre Iguodala. In fact, let's start a new paragraph for Iggy.

Here are my thoughts on Iggy: One of the most athletic players in the league; One of the top lockdown perimeter defenders in the league; Not a consistent shooter at all; Has the ability to get to the rim, but often avoids contact and begs for calls; You don't feel confident when he has the ball in the final seconds and your team needs a bucket; He is the ideal #3 option for a top tier team in the league; He has the ability to put up a triple-double on any night (more of a 11-10-10 type of triple-double) because he does so much for you on the court. With all that said, I don't know if he should be in the Sixers future plans. As we saw last summer when he played with some NBA superstars on the World Championships squad, he'd be awesome if he were the third or fourth option on offense, and was a guy that could shutdown the opposing team's best player and do all the little things well for your team. The Sixers aren't good enough (yet) to have him play that role on this team, so they need him to do more and I'm not so sure that is a good thing. Oh, and I don't think Iguodala is good enough to "demand" a trade as he did earlier this season. I think its better off for both sides if they part ways this summer.

Future's bright for Holiday (Getty)
The Knicks have the edge in the superstar category, but I'll take the Sixers in the "young talent" category. Throughout the season and more recently the playoffs, I was impressed with the development of Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young, Jodie Meeks and I've always been a fan of Lou Williams. Throw in Evan Turner, who was the 2nd pick overall last year, even though I'm not sold on him ever being an All-Star in this league. Prove me wrong, ET. New York's young talent consists of Landry Fields, who showed his true rookie colors in the playoffs, and really hasn't been the same since the Carmelo trade. Honestly, I don't think Knicks fan should be banging on Lance in anyway because they basically were playing with house money. He was barely expected to make the team, but instead he turned out to be one of the best rookies in the league for 80% of the season. The Knicks other youngster that has a future is PG Toney Douglas, who did a nice job as a backup or fill-in for the injury prone Billups. He still has some ways to go before he isn't getting abused by Rondo anymore. As you can see, in our opinion, Holiday, Young, Meeks, Lou and ET > Fields and Douglas.

Let's head to the sidelines to see who has the better guy leading the way. I'll admit, I was wrong about Doug Collins. An old-school guy, with a heck of a basketball intelligence, I wasn't sure he'd be able to connect with this inexperienced and raw Sixers roster. He did. He cares about the players, he has them playing hard, and he has them all bought in to the system of playing both ends of the court and playing as a team. Dougie was a legit candidate for Coach of the Year this season. On the other side, you have Mike D'Antoni. He was great in Phoenix thanks to Steve Nash, but he has yet to find the player to lean on in New York. He's got two super-duper stars in Melo and Amare, with the potential of another one coming to NY in the near future (Paul, Howard?). Is his laid back approach to coaching the right fit for this collection of players? Probably not. The biggest predicament for the Knicks would be who could handle these big boys..........VAN GUNDY!!! HAAAAHAAA! (Sorry, that commercial is stuck in my head). Who knows if JVG will leave the booth and come back to coach, but I could see his return to MSG. Bottom line, I think D'Antoni is on the way out, and that is a good thing for the Knicks.

On the intangible side of things, I'm taking the Sixers. They play harder, they play as a team, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say they have the potential to be a poor man's Oklahoma City (stud Kevin Durant not included). Note, I said poor man's, so it's not THAT far fetched. I would like to stick up for the Knicks though. They had a lot of injuries and lots of roster changes this season, with a coach that doesn't really believe in practice (we talkin' bout PRACTIC), so its easy to see why there wasn't always a lot of continuity for the blue and orange.

So who has the brighter future? With the current roster, I'm taking the Sixers. There is more potential there and I like their cohesiveness. Insert Stephen A. Smith HOWEVER here. I do think that the Knicks have the potential to bring in a bigger name player in this off season or next off season, which could make them a top 4 team in the conference (assuming we have a season). The Sixers need some more talent/depth up front, and I doubt they'll get a top tier player at that position. That's fine though, they'll plug in the right guy who fits in with the culture that DC has created.

Am I Sixers fan? Yes. Was this answer slightly skewed towards the Sixers? Maybe, but I think we looked at both sides of the coin and were pretty honest with what each team's outlook is as of now. Did we mail it in while writing this post? Definitely not, so that means you should keep mailing in your questions!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Lessons Learned

We apologize for the brief hiatus, but the home offices of Daily Onions were recently moved so we've been spending lots of time getting organized and readjusted to the new digs. Oh yeah, we are now under the same roof as the First Lady, so we may have potential posts coming about that new and exciting experience as well.

Let's get down to basketball business now though. We all know about the Twelve Days of Christmas, but we've recently had the first Twelve Days of the NBA playoffs. To be honest, thanks to the quality of the majority of the games, its pretty much been like Christmas for NBA fans. Over that time, we've learned a lot about some teams, players, and other things associated with the Association. In no particular order, here are some lessons learned in the first twelve days of the NBA playoffs.

Durant has been taking over 4th quarters
1. Closers: Over the past two weeks, we've seen a passing of the torch for the best closers in the game go from Kobe, D-Wade, Melo and Lebron (how'd that name get on there??), to Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant. The Bulls might have closed out the Pacers in five games, but they got all they could handle in four of those games. Needing to come back from fourth quarter deficits in three of their victories, it was Derrick Rose that put the Bulls team squarely on his shoulders, and took over down the stretch. What do you need...floater in the lane, a three, a block on the defensive end, a layup in traffic....doesn't matter, Rose has got you covered. The only thing Rose hasn't done, is figured out how to wake up Carlos Boozer. That might be the toughest challenge he faces, but one of the most important things that need to happen for the Bulls to make a run to the Finals.

And then there is Kevin Durant. He took a huge leap this summer as the leader of the USA team that won the World Championships. He was the man on that team, and everyone expected big things from him all season long, especially after he led the league in scoring last year. A sluggish start and the emergence of Russel Westbrook might have had a few NBA folks forgetting about K-D. Well, not the case anymore. In the five game series against the Nuggets, Durant went for 41 twice, and in the close-out game, he scored 16 of the team's last 20 points to erase a 9-point deficit with 3:30 to play. Oh, and Mr. Westbrook, there is no reason for you to take 30 shots in a game.


2. NBA Basketball in NYC is Back....? Basically someone threw the question mark at the end of the sentence, like they threw a question mark at the end of "I'm Ron Burgandy...?" I don't think anyone expected the Knicks to win a playoff series this year (trade or no trade), but I also don't think anyone expected the Knicks to get swept in the first round of the playoffs either. A few quick thoughts on the Knicks, which we will expand more on tomorrow in a special new feature on Daily Onions (the suspense..stay tuned): Not sure they have the right guy in place on the sidelines for this team. You have two big chips in place with Melo and Amare, as well as some good young role players in Tony "Bologna" Douglass and Landry "Lance" Fields (and Andy Rautins...go Cuse!). You need someone to make that all work, to define some roles, to get the team playing together on both sides of the floor. Also having better players than Roger Mason Jr., Shawne Williams and Jared Jeffries would help as well. One final thought here - do we know how much of each paycheck D'Antoni gives to Steve Nash for helping make his NBA coaching career? Just wondering.

3. Young and Fun - A phrase that was once used to describe the t-shirts I wore in high school, this can now describe the youth movement in the NBA with teams like Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, with a little bit of Indiana, New Orleans and Memphis thrown in there. I said it last week and I'll say it again, Oklahoma City might be one of the most likable teams in the NBA (minus the scariest guy in the league in Kendrick Perkins). They have fun, they like each other, they play hard, and they've embraced the city and community of OKC as much as the community has embraced the team. Good story all around. The Sixers, led by crafty veteran coach Dougie Collins, have a good core group of young players in Jrue Holiday, Thad Young, Lou Williams (who has been in the league 6 years, but is only 24) and Evan Turner (still not totally sold). The biggest question for the Sixers is what they do with Iggy in the offseason. Last summer on the USA team, he showed he is the perfect #3 guy on a team - can score a bit, lockdown defender, athletic as heck, and can fill up the stat sheet. What he's not, is a guy that should have the ball in his hands at the end of the game. Sixers should try and move him this summer (assuming there is no lockout) to try and bring in some reinforcements in the middle. All things considered, very impressed with what the Sixers and Dougie accomplished this season.

CP3 messed around and got a triple-double against Kobe & Co. (Getty)
4. Health and Happiness - Not only is this the favorite toast of Daily Onions reader, Ramy, but it also describes Chris Paul. If he is totally healthy, the basketball world is happy - minus the guy trying to guard him. What he's been doing against the Lakers is quite impressive. At 100%, I think I'm taking Paul as my point guard right now. But not sure he can put together an entire season on that knee, trying to lead a team all by himself. It will be interesting to see if he stays in NOLA or heads elsewhere to team-up with a few other superstars. Either way, let's hope the knee holds up because I'd like to see a few more triple-doubles from CP3 in the future. Speaking of knees, hello Brandon Roy. The guy goes from 8 minutes and one field goal attempt in Game 2, to saving the Blazers season in Game 4 with his take over in the fourth quarter. He only had eight points in Game 5, so which Roy shows up in the elimination game tonight?

5. On the Tube - I'm officially moving the broadcast team of Marv Albert and Steve Kerr to the number two spot on my current favorites list (they are behind the Big Monday crew of McDonough, Raftery and Bilas - good luck trying to remove them from the top spot). With the classic sound of Albert, accompanied by the knowledge and wits of Kerr, they've been a great duo to listen to throughout the playoffs thus far. Not high on my list are the local broadcast team feeds that NBAtv has been using. Brevin Knight and Sean Elliott just aren't doing it for me. At least give me some Stacy King with his "hot sauce", "too big, too strong, too fast, too good" and "Big Sexy" (nickname for Kurt Thomas) if you are going to go local.

Speaking of the coverage, I have never watched an episode of Bones or Charmed in my life, but I have seen the final few minutes of Bones probably a couple hundred times. Tuning in to catch the beginning of the coverage on TNT, I am usually a few minutes early, so I get to see the awkward sexual tension scene between Bones (is Bones the girl or the guy, or neither?) and the other person (I don't know who's who!). Have they gotten together yet? Also, who knew that Charmed was on every morning at 7 am on TNT. Actually, I did, because that's what channel my TV ends the majority of most nights on during the month of April and May.

6. Final Random Thoughts - How many people ordered a customized Gary Neal jersey on NBA.com last night? Could you pick Gary Neal out of a lineup?.......Throw the Pacers into the mix of East teams that will fight for the 6-10 spots in the Eastern conference with teams like the Sixers, the Bucks, the Knicks, the Hawks, etc for the next few years. Lots of young talent on the team, and Vogel's got them playing hard........The Chris Bosh Face is one of my least favorite things of the NBA playoffs. Carlos Boozer's constant yelling when he misses a shot, turns it over, or thinks he got fouled is probably my second least favorite thing of the NBA playoffs..........I love this commercial..........If Orlando doesn't comeback to win this series, how many games does Dwight Howard have left in a Magic jersey, 0, 40, 90?........Last but not least, remember the Celtics? The defending Eastern Conference Champions that looked like crap at the end of is regular season? Well, they seemed to work some things out in their first round series against the Knicks. Granted, they were lucky to win games 1 and 2, but the Celts pretty much owned NY at the Garden. Christmas come early for all of us now, Celtics and Heat in Round 2.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Memorable Melo

During the 2002-03 college basketball season, I had the distinct pleasure of covering Syracuse's basketball team, the eventual National Champion. That allowed me an up close and personal look at Carmelo Anthony and his ability to take over a game. I remember sitting in the Carrier Dome or on the road in East Lansing or in New Orleans for the Final Four, and as the game would tighten down the stretch, you knew that Carmelo would come to save the day. I remember realizing that Melo was the definition of "we need a bucket, give it to this guy and he'll make it happen."

While I'm not a Knicks fan (my team is the 76ers, and now I have an adopted step-son team in the Bulls), I'm a fan of Carmelo, and a fan of the NBA being relevant in New York City. So as I watched last night's Game 2 against the Celtics, I found myself rooting for Carmelo as if he was wearing a different orange and blue jersey. I was annoyed at how Melo got ripped after his lousy Game 1 performance and people all of the sudden were questioning his place amongst the top players in the league. We'll call it Overreactionitis that is a part of today's sports world. Whatever just happened, we need to blow it out of proportion and throw out any other evidence we might have to make a claim. Need another example? A few weeks ago, people ripped Butler for their poor shooting night in the Championship game, discounting the run they made to that game. Sure, for the second straight year, Butler knocked off powerhouse after powerhouse to get to the Final 4, but since they are a mid-major, its obvious they weren't prepared to perform on the big stage. We all know that shooting performance could have happened to any team. Enough about that.
Carmelo couldn't quite close out the Celtics (SI.com)

Anyway, everyone was calling for Carmelo to respond in Game 2. He had to show that the Knicks made the right decision trading half their team for him just two months ago. Throw out the fact that the Knicks were playing at the defending conference champions, throw out the fact that the Knicks team consists of Anthony, Amare and Billups. Melo had one off night, so it was the end of the world....for a day or two.

I don't know if Carmelo was trying to prove a point last night, but what he did was something special. With Billups doing his best Andy Rautins impression, rocking a suit on the bench, and Amare leaving the game midway through the 2nd quarter, the Knicks team looked like a mid-major college team, or an undermanned high school team. And that's what it felt like when I was watching, rooting for Melo and the Reserves to take down the Celtics in their building. I've been in my fair share of games as a coach or as a player, where we've been overmatched from a talent standpoint. But we fought, battled, scrapped, and had someone that was unconscious from the floor, keeping us in the game. The team started to depend on the senior at the end of the bench, who never played but was a good teammate, also known as Roger Mason Jr. The coach started to tinker with the lineup and was making the undersized, skinny kid play the center position because you were short on bodies (that was me!), also known as Jared Jeffries. Your backup point guard who was great to give the starter a rest during the season, and would play extended minutes on occasion, was now in the starting lineup and running the show. Yes, that would be Toney Douglas.

And then there was the superstar. The guy that was doing it all. Taking, and making, tough shots (Melo had 42 points on 14-30 shooting, 10-11 from the line). Putting the team on his back, doing everything he needed to do to try and steal a W (Melo had 17 rebounds and 6 assists, led the team in both). Then there were the shots that you can't give justice to in print. You know, when Melo catches on the wing, has a defender draped all over him. He goes into that series of jab steps, rip-throughs and head fakes before catching his opponent off guard and pulling up to drain a jumper with a hand in the face. I compare Melo on the wing to a scary movie (It's dark, the music is playing, you know something is going to jump out at you, you just don't know when). He's got the ball, you know he's going to shoot it, but you don't know when.....and then in a split second he rises and fires (Gus). Well what Carmelo was doing last night was a nightmare for Celtics coaches, players and fans. Luckily, the Celtics have four All-Stars on their team, and one of them (KG) was able to step up in the final 15 seconds to hit the game-winning shot on one end, and forcing a turnover on the other.

Carmelo's heroic 42, 17 and 6 didn't have the happy ending that Hollywood (or at least ESPN Classic) was looking for, but it was still quite impressive. The Knicks haven't won a playoff game since April of 2001. They'll play their first home playoff game since 2004 on Friday night. New York and MSG will have an amazing buzz in 2 days. While the Knicks might be down 0-2, they've proved they can play with the Celtics, no matter who is out on the court.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Opening Tweet-end of the NBA Playoffs

In case you missed any action from the Opening Weekend of the NBA Playoffs, Daily Onions is your one stop shop to catch up on things - twitter style. The following commentary is a list of tweets we might have tweeted throughout the weekend. 140 characters or less, hash tags included.

Bulls vs. Pacers
-Tyler Hansbrough > Carlos Boozer today. Just another entry in the UNC-Duke rivalry.
-Thaaaat's a technical foul. Luol Deng is lucky his T with 5 minutes lit a fire for the Bulls, and didn't backfire for the Bulls.
-Derrick Rose is just ridiculous. Name another PG that can get to the rim and finish like that....whenever they want. #MVP
-Is Kyle Korver going to be the 2011 version of John Paxson and Steve Kerr for the Bulls? After 1 playoff game, looks like it
-Pacers coach Frank Vogel compared Rose to Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups and Michael Jordan all in one sentence.
-Pacers best player Kevin Granger compared Rose to a crazy stalker ex-girlfriend. I think Rose will appreciate Vogel's comparison a bit more.

Sixers vs. Heat
-Sixers show they can play w/ Heat. Playing w/ a team & beating a team are 2 different things. Beating team & winning series also different.
-For all the Bosh supporters, one good game in the playoffs against Spencer Hawes doesn't mean Bosh is the man. Give it some time.

Magic vs. Hawks
-Etan Thomas, Cuse alum, and all around good guy. But jeez, he was getting abused by Dwight Howard (46 points)....in a loss for the Magic.
-Howard and Jameer Nelson combined for 73 of the team's 93 points. Orlando, enjoy Howard while you still have him. #FreeAgency2012

Blazers vs. Mavericks
-Blazers over Mavs is the trendy upset/#12 over #5 pick of this year's playoffs/tourney. Mavs hold serve in Game 1.

Spurs vs. Grizzlies
-Shane Battier's the type of guy who hits game winner for first franchise playoff win then welcomes second child into world. #DayToRemember

Lakers vs. Hornets
-I didn't watch this game, but saw the highlights. Lakers better find someone to guard Chris Paul; 33 and 14. #RoseStillBetter

Knicks-Celtics
-Refs w/ questionable offensive foul against Melo to start the game, and to end the game. #SwallowtheWhistle2011.
-Ray Allen drains another clutch shot. Weird. #BestPureShooterEver
-Doc Rivers coached em up in final minute. Lob on out of bounds play, and back screen to free Allen for game winner. #WhoNeedsIsolation
-Melo getting ripped on Twitter for poor play down the stretch. #SportsIn2011

Nuggets vs. Thunder
-"Oh Nene....a foreign facial!" #ThingsIanEagleSays
- Russell Westbrook = Derrick Rose Lite
-Better Combo? Birdman's mohawk and tats, or Harden's mohawk and Moses beard?
-Thunder coaching staff includes HC Scott Brooks, and Mo Cheeks. #1988Philadelphia76ers
-Kevin Durant starting to take the game over in the 4th quarter, also known as "Derrick Rosing."
-Nene has dunked on like 4 different players on the Thunder this game. #ForeignFacials
-For what its worth, OKC is a fun and likable team to root for. Will it win them a few playoff series? We'll see.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

ONIONS Exposed

As promised, today is the day we get to highlight the winner of the 1st Annual Show Us Your ONIONS competition. We are lucky enough to chat with one of Daily Onions earliest supporters, and he even helped name this lovely space. Here's a sit down, virtual interview with Show Us Your Onions winner, Brady Smith. 

Daily Onions: How many times did you fill out a bracket before showing everyone your Onions?
Brady Smith: It was hard, but I filled up two before I let my onions hang out. Umm, that's what she said??

DO: Why did you pick UConn to win it all?
BS: That's simple: they were the Big East champs, one of the hottest teams in the country with five straight wins, and had arguably the best player and "game closer" in the nation in Kemba Walker. Plus, picking Duke to advance out of that region made me wanna puke.

DO: Who is the dirtier coach, John Calipari or Jim Calhoun?
BS: Ahh, yes I’ll take, “Dude Whose Agent/Business Associate/Friend/Whatever is Nicknamed World Wide Wes” for $500, Alex. (Editor's Note: Yes, that is correct. Brady keeps control of the board.)

DO: If you were a high school senior and were being recruited to play basketball, what coach would you want to play for?
BS: Well, I actually WAS a highly recruited high school senior … Izzo, Bobby Knight, Coach K would not stop calling my house. It got really annoying, especially since I didn’t even play on an organized hoops team. I guess that’s what being a street ball legend with a killer sky hook will do for you. In all seriousness, I think most people would say Butler’s young, affable coach Brad Stevens, but I’m afraid if I go with Stevens that Mr. Daily Onions would morph into a teenage girl, become insanely jealous and de-friend me on Facebook (Editor's Note: True story, I would.). So because I bleed Gold and Blue, and because I highly value the ability to give a good face rub in times of adversity … I gotta go with my boy Bobby Huggins.

DO: Who is a better rebounder, Charles Barkley or you?
BS: Some basketball historians would argue that I was the first original Round Mound of Rebound. Others would say that’s freaking ridiculous, considering I was 4 when “Chuck Broccoli” was a rookie for the Sixers. So, I’d say it’s a toss-up.

DO: Is the 1st Annual Show Us Your Onions contest the coolest thing you've ever won in your life? If no, what was?
BS: I think it’s a cross between this, All-South Jersey Choir in fifth grade (Editor's note: Yes, he really was an All-South Jersey Choir member...flexing his golden pipes back in the day), and my Unsung Hero award in baseball for hitting .240 as a designated hitter my senior year of high school.

DO: How much money would you pay to spend a weekend with Bill Raftery?
BS: Forget spending a weekend with him – I’d pay $1,000 to anyone who can decipher what the hell he’s saying half the time.

DO: What is your favorite saying of Bill Raftery's?
BS: C’mon dude. There’s no better call in sports then a true Raftery ONIONS call after a big shot – a la Morehead State in the tourney.

DO: If you had to name your first born son after a player or coach from this year's tournament, what name would you choose?
BS: Shaka Smith has a great ring to it. But I guess Kemba Smith would be more appropriate, since I wouldn’t be writing this if it wasn’t for him. I think my son will look more like a Kemba then a Shaka, come to think of it. (Editor's Note: Interesting that Brady passed up on names like Jimmer, Momo, Shabazz).

DO: Last question: Crystal Ball - who wins the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship? 
BS: Whew – talk about a long way off. I think I’ll just stick with my formula of picking the Big East champ, so the question becomes – “who will win the 2012 Big East Championship?” Daily Onions will surely be psyched about this pick, but with the veteran Latin American core of Scoop Jar-diene, Brandon Tri-chey, Fabio Melo Yellow, and Hall-of-Fame coach Jim Boe-heimanos, I’m picking El Cuso to take the Big East and win the whole damn thing in New Orleans (Editor's Note: Don't even ask why Brady has turned Syracuse into the Latin All-Stars). You want more reasons to like the Orange? How about the Final Four is in New Orleans in 2012 – site of the Cuse’s last national championship win in 2003? What’s that - you want more? How about UConn cut down the nets one year later in 2004 … in the state of Texas like this year? Write it down. Cuse’s back in the house, OH MY GOD … Cuse’s back in the house OHHH NOOOO.

(Editor's Note: We absolutely LOVE the pick. In fact, Daily Onions was sitting court-side when the 'Cuse cut down the nets in 2003 in the SUperdome. Anyone up for a trip to NOLA next April??)

There you have it. We have officially completed year 1 of Show Us Your Onions (actually, the t-shirt is still in production). Thanks to over the 30 people that participated in our contest this year, and we REALLY appreciate everyone reading throughout the season. Make sure you stay with us for what should be an exciting NBA playoff season.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

It Ain't Easy Being Green

A day late...and maybe a dollar short, but we are going to give you some of our thoughts on The Masters, and even relate it a bit to the NCAA tournament. We'll also throw in some other green related thoughts.

-We'll start with the golfer that found out the hard way that indeed it ain't easy being the green jacket winner. Rory McIlroy pretty much did everything perfect at the Masters, starting on Thursday and going all the way through Sunday evening. Oh, besides those 4 hours that he spent actually playing golf on Sunday. The 21-year old was the second youngest golfer ever to hold the 54-hole lead at The Masters. Besides doing all the right things on the course, he was saying all the right things off it. When asked about Tiger Woods lurking on the leaderboard, Rory didn't worry about others, just kept talking about the way he was playing, how he felt comfortable, and how he would just have to continue that throughout his final round. Then he pulled a Butler. On the day things mattered the most, he just didn't have it. Actually, wasn't even close. The worst collapse at The Masters ever. Kind of sounds like the worst shooting performance ever in a National Championship game. But just as Butler did, Rory handled things better than ever in defeat. He talked about learning from this collapse, how this will help build his character, and how this will make him a better golfer in the end. He's right. He's 21 years old, and he'll be back.

-Speaking of being back, it was good to have Tiger back on Sunday. Whether you are a fan of him or not, the bottom line is that golf is better when Tiger is around. For the first 14 years of his career we were mesmerized by what he could do on the golf course. If you've ever heard a "Tiger Roar" from the gallery in person, you know it gave you the chills. Well on Sunday, he looked like old Tiger. He was walking putts in, he pulled out the swinging fist pump and was firing up the crowds. He shot an impressive 31 on the front nine, making him a co-leader at the turn. Two missed putts from five feet on the back proved that it wouldn't completely be his day (insert your "First time Tiger couldn't close in the last two years joke" here). He was also back to being himself with a brief (and what some might say...rude) post-round interview. We'll be honest with you, we are fans of some of the young guns on tour and want to see them succeed, but having Tiger around will only make things better for the upcoming golf season. Keep it up, Eldrick. Just lose the cursing and other poor behavior on the course.

-Here is what the final leaderboard at The Masters looked like: Charl Schwartzel, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Tiger Woods, Luke Donald, Geoff Ogilvy. We can only imagine what was going through Jim Nantz's mind as we came down the stretch, and he was prepping for a final call. After wearing us out with plenty of cheese during the National Championship, the possibilities were endless for many of the potential winners. "It's a beautiful Day in Augusta for Jason!", "Great Scott!", "Tiger, back on the prowl at The Masters!" (ok, maybe not totally appropriate), "Luke, I am your father, and you are the Masters Champion!". You get it. If Nantz pulled out "Walker Texas Ranger" and "Best in Show" for Kemba and UConn on Monday, you'd think we could have gotten a "Charl's in Charge!" or a "May the Schwartzel be with you!". Oh well, maybe next year.

-Staying with the green theme, but switching to the NBA, the way the Celtics have been playing of late has to make their fans a bit green in the face (BBM puke face to be exact). Things haven't looked right since the Kendrick Perkins trade, and the Celts have lost 2 in a row, are 5-5 over their last 10 games, and are 9-11 over their last 20. Last year Boston stumbled into the playoffs as well, but were able to flip the switch and eventually ended up losing in Game 7 of the Finals. For some reason, things don't feel like that this year. They locked up the 3 seed and will draw the Knicks in Round 1. Daily Onions isn't quite sure what our prediction for that series is at this point, but it should be one of the more exciting match ups in the opening round. We aren't going to bet against the Celtics, but Carmelo, Amare and Chauncey (and Lance!) should make things interesting and can win 2-3 games. Just as it is good to have Tiger back, equally good to have NBA relevant at Madison Square Garden in April......and May?

Friday, April 8, 2011

Diced Onions: Week in Review

You've probably been wondering....wha happened? Where did the Onions go? Well, we needed a little break, and had to catch up on some things outside of the Onions world. No fear though, we are here to recap many things we've been thinking about over the week.

-You officially know the NCAA Tournament is over when...
  • You delete the March Madness On Demand App from your iPad or iPhone (what a great addition that thing was to the tournament though...whew).
  • You stop having dreams about when you met Brad Stevens (wait, all of you didn't have this dream...nevermind).
  • You start seeing waaaay too many underclassmen declaring for the NBA Draft. Since when did it become "cool" to be a mid to late first round pick? Remember when you only came out of college early if you were going to be a Top 10 pick? Yeah, me too. That's one of the reasons we are seeing "down" years in basketball, as well as younger players who are either struggling or riding the pine (or should we say cushioned seats) in the NBA.
  • You yell ONIONS! when someone at work does something great under pressure, just to fill the void of Raftery in your life. You also throw in the Gus Johnson patented "HAHA" at the end of different statements.
  • You realize you have about 350 days until you "gamble" on a sporting event again.
  • You are waiting for Daily Onions to post an entry about this year's Show Us Your Onions Winner (coming early next week).
-With the end of the college basketball season, comes the beginning of the pre-draft NBA workouts and the Portsmouth Invitational, a showcase for college seniors. I'm Sorry Rick Jackson is showcasing his double-double-bility this week for the K & D Rounds Landscaping team. They already beat Sales System Ltd in Round 1. If they keep winning they might play Cherry, Bekaert and Holland in the finals. We LOVE the fact that these team names are completely local business sponsors. Brings us back to the days when we played street hockey for Adams Service Center, and were competing against the likes of Little John's Towing, Parker and Dudas, R and S Collectibles, to name a few. My brother and I always wanted to sponsor a youth sports team, and then become the Maloofs or Mark Cuban of youth sports by having the nicest uniforms, buying the kids gatorades and snacks after the game. Maybe Daily Onions will look to sponsor a little hoops squad next season.

-We'll start to shift our attention to the NBA now, with the playoffs only 9 days away. Congrats to South Jersey native, Frank Vogel, for clinching a playoff berth for the Indiana Pacers, after taking over midway through the season. Elsewhere, if Derrick Rose didn't put the stamp on this year's MVP with his performance against the Celtics last night, we aren't quite sure what else he could do. He took Rajon Rondo's pants off (credited to Ramy) a few times in the Bulls blowout victory over Boston. The Celts didn't look like the dominant team that everyone is scared to face in the playoffs. We know they usually can turn it on when it counts, but we'll see if the team will recover from the Kendrick Perkins trade that obviously has shaken up the team on and off the court.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Dear Diary: 2011 Championship Game - Butler vs. UConn

You are loooking liiiiive at the Daily Onions home office. Actually, you aren't really looking live at it, but we are reporting live from the Daily Onions home office. We are going all out for the final game of the college basketball season (not including Skylar Diggins' coming out party tomorrow night), with a running diary of the National Championship between Butler and UConn.

Let's jump right in with the starting lineups. We kind of miss the alternating starting lineups they used to do in the Championship game, as well as seeing the players autographs on the screen when they are announced. Ahh the good ole days. All the Butler players pet Blue II the Bulldog - except Shawn Vanzant (maybe he is allergic?). Jim Calhoun and Brad Stevens with the pregame handshake, looks more like a grandfather excited to see his grandson.

Kudos to CBS for including Steve Kerr for the Final 4. He's great on NBA games, and has been awesome throughout the tournament. Taking some airtime away from Clark Kellogg is always a plus too.

Nantz's first call - "It's time to settle the Madness." Sounds good, Jim.

18:52 - Chase "Steven" Stigall hits his first shot of the tournament (not really, but close) to give Butler a 3-2 lead. He could provide a nice little spark for the Dawgs.

17:55 - Stigall misses his next three. So much for that.

17:06 - Walker, Mack and Lamb are a combined 0-5.

16:35 - Second fundamental box out by Butler leads to second over the back call on UConn.

15:58 - Andrew Smith sideout on a Kemba Walker layup. First media timeout. Big game nerves in full effect. Walker 0-4, Lamb 0-2, Mack 0-3, Howard 0-2. Oh and by the way, Daily Onions prediction is 60-56 Butler. Low scoring affair as we think both of these teams, especially UConn, are gassed.

15:56 - Steve Kerr says he is expecting a low scoring game....beat you to it, Stevie.

15:30 - Kerr talks about Butler's defensive rotations. We should have set an over/under on how many basketball fundamentals are discussed when talking about Butler tonight. I'd take the over.

15:17 - Howard is the first "star" from either team to score with a 3-pointer, his first of the Final 4.

13:19 - Howard, probably the slowest guy on the court, beats everyone down the court and Ronald Nored finds him with a nice hit ahead. Howard is fouled, drains two - 8-8.

13:06 - "WALKER on the board now" - Nantz (pull up jumper from Kemba)

12:34 - Walker driving layup in transition.......and the foul. Makes the FT, UConn goes up 13-8.

12:20 - Kemba gets a break...Calhoun sees the under 12 timeout approaching, to give Kemba some extra rest.

11:58 - First turnover of the game by Butler and we head to another media timeout. UConn leads 13-9. Walker has 5, Oriakhi 4 for UConn, while Howard has 5 for Butler. Mack, Vanzant and Lamb all still scoreless.

11:45 Tyler "White" Olander takes his third shot of the game (a 17 ft jumper), and then Jim Calhoun promptly takes him out. Not surprised.

11:10 "That's Andrew Smith, with the reach around." -Nantz

10:26 Loyal reader Ramy texts me that UConn is too big. Oriaki then picks up his 2nd foul, and the next play Andrew Smith scores on a baby hook in the post. So much for that.

9:35 Mack misses a layup in traffic. Shellllllllvin!!! He's 0-4 and Butler is down 13-11.

9:02 POTENTIAL TURNING POINT: 7th team foul on UConn - shooting from here on out. Mack makes one of two...he's on the board!

8:16 Butler's size causing problems. On an offensive rebound, Andrew Smith draws Lamb's 2nd foul. Smith makes one of two. Tied at 13! Sloppy basketball at its best!!!

7:40 Kerr says both teams struggling to find any rhythm. Seriously, Steve, stop stealing my lines.

7:20 STIGALL again!!! Butler up 16-15. (Nantz tells us Stigall is from SteveAlford, Indiana).

6:44 Media Timeout. Butler leads 16-15. Butler shooting 22% from the field, UConn shooting 29%. I'll take "The Under" for $300, Alex.

6:03 Back to back baskets by UConn and Huskies go up 19-16.

4:46 UConn with a couple of offensive rebounds to keep a possession alive, now lead 23-16 on the glass. Ramy was right - too big.

4:14 Mack with his first field goal, a three, to tie the game at 19.

3:49 Final media timeout of the half comes on a dumb foul by Vanzant. Stevens tells him that he is smarter than that. He's right. All square at 19.

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there....with a Hot Tub!

2:46 Howard takes a charge on Kemba. That's number 2 on Walker. Game still tied at 19. Butler has only made 5 field goals this half (5-24).

44.8 Howard takes another charge. And Roscoe Smith picks up his second foul. Kerr tells us Butler considers taking charges their version of blocked shots. White boy blocked shots. I like it. I definitely led the team in White Boy Blocks back in high school.

As time expires, Shelvin Mack drains a three from deeep. Butler takes a 22-19 lead to the half. "Mack is Back" - Nantz (Jim is already in Augusta).

So at the half, Mack and Walker both have 7 points. If you drew Chase Stigall in the second leading scorer at the half pool, you won! He's got 6. Biggest surprise, Lamb is 0-1 with no points and 2 fouls.

All around ugly game. Both teams playing hard, but its ugly. Neither team shooting higher than 24% from the field. Butler has made six baskets, only one of them as two-point bucket. UConn is up 14-0 in points in the paint, and are up 9 in the rebounding column and are trailing by 3 at the half. Makes sense.

Show Us Your Onions finalist Brady gets in on some twitter action with this gem: #bradstevenslookslike ... Matt Howard's younger brother that he gives noogies to.... 
And we are back....

19:45 STIGALL again!!! He's got 9 points. Lamb who? Kemba Who? We got Chase Stigall!! Butler up 25-19.

19:21 Oh, there's Lamb. Draws a foul and makes 2 FTs to FINALLY get on the board.

18:32 Kemba...for 2. 25-23 Butler.

17:46 Welcome to the ballgame Jeremy Lamb, who drains a 3 - UConn up 26-25. Loyal reader, Ramy tweets that he wishes Jeremy Lamb was his younger brother. Not really sure what that means, but we do too!

Loyal reader JaLil texts me a reference about The Wire and Alex Oriakhi, that I didn't get because I haven't watched it yet. I'll get to it...I promise.

15:54 Media timeout 27-25, UConn leads.

15:02 Nored misses a 3 for Butler. That means that the only 3-pointer that Nored has ever made at Butler was a banked in 3 against Syracuse, in the final minutes of last year's Sweet 16 game. #stillhurts #notbitter

13:37 Lamb with a steal and a dunk. He's got 7 in the 2nd half and UConn is now up 31-26. Timeout Brad Stevens. Kerr points out that it might only be a five point lead, but it feels like a lot more. He's right (obviously). Butler is 7-41 from the field, and Mack is 2-12. I've seen fourth grade CYO games with better shooting.

Reader Kenny texts with this "Who told Shelvin to play like Jimmer tonight?" You could add William Buford, Erving Walker, and Nolan Smith to that list.

13:15 Right on cue, Howard misses a shot in the lane.

12:56 Lamb misses a jumper, gets his own rebound, and then hits a jumper. 33-26, Lamb has 9, and a new older brother, Ramy.

Reader JaLil texts with a Clark Kellogg "bang bus" joke. Always good for a laugh.

12:32 Ladies and Gentleman, we'd like to welcome Shawn Vanzant to the ballgame, as he hits a jumper. Cuts the UConn lead to 5.

11:50 Media timeout. "The Dog Fight....continues in Houston." - Nantz (way to get creative, Jim. If you are going to mail it in, at least hand the mic over to Gus).

11:07 Its becoming the Jeremy Lamb show as he catches an alley oop and lays it in. 37-28 UConn. Lamb now has 11 points in 9 minutes.

10:12 Kemba with an acrobatic layup to give UConn a 39-28, leading to a Butler timeout. This is Butler's largest deficit of the Tournament. As we go to break, "UConn on a roll, a finger roll..." -Nantz (Jim, make it stop)

9:50 Howard misses another layup...doing his best 2010 Rick Jackson impression in the paint (credited to JaLil)

I don't remember the last time Butler made a shot. They are 2-21 in the 2nd half. They've missed 19 of their last 20 shots. They are 8-49 in the game. Gross.

7:25 Oriakhi, the UConn center hits a 15 foot jumper...almost rubbing it in. UConn goes up 41-28.

6:11 Andrew Smith ends the drought of six and a half minutes for Butler. But UConn answers with a dunk, lead 43-30 going to the under 8 timeout. "...And they have Walker...Texas Ranger." - Nantz (really?)

5:49 Ramy texts me the "Curtains" call, meaning the game is over and UConn wins.

4:58 Nappier with a driving layup gives UConn a 46-32 lead.

4:35 Vanzant hits a 3, 46-35. If Butler is going to make a run, they need to go now.

3:48 And....Howard throws up a wild running shot in the lane. So much for that comeback.

3:17 The final media timeout. UConn leads 46-35. "UConn has 10 blocks, which ties a NCAA tournament record." -Nantz (hold on, Jim...That wasn't cheesy. Do it over!)

Donyell Marshall is shown in the crowd. We met Donyell at Little Star Basketball Camp at Kutztown University back in 1989 (Daily Onions fun fact of the day).

2:58 Oriakhi grabs another rebound. He's got 11 and 11. Remember when Daily Onions had Oriakhi on our favorite underclassmen list back in January. Yep, we do too!

1:50 We see a graphic that shows the lowest FG% in a championship game was 21% back in 1941. Butler is shooting 19%.

1:40 Mack hits a 3. Lead down to 8. Could have used that one about 5 minutes ago, Shelvin.

:30 Walker at the line, hits 2 free throws. UConn up 53-41.

Clock is winding down....

"The Huskies are the Top Dog in 2011!" -Nantz (Well, you didn't disappoint with that one Jim.)

Oh wait....what's this, another one? "But one thing was very clear tonight in Houston, Connecticut wins best in show." - Nantz (Just go, Jim. Go to Augusta and don't ever come back.)

So, that's that. UConn wins 53-41. After trailing 22-19 at the half, Jeremy Lamb gave the Huskies a huge lift to start the second session. It helped that Butler shot an NCAA Championship worst, 18.8% from the field.UConn was the better team on Monday night,  the best team in the last three weeks, and they are the National Champions. Oh, and they were 9th in the Big East this year, so obviously the Big East isn't a strong conference. It's UConn's 3rd Championship since 1999. As we mentioned on Friday, we think Calhoun will go out on top, sidestepping the pending suspension next year and retiring to Cape Cod, or Southern New Jersey if he is like Bo Ryan.

For Butler, one bad game won't take away from the amazing run that they've had the past two years. They are still one of our favorites and we'll take every opportunity to see them play live next year in Chicago. Anything to get us closer to Brad Stevens.

Just because the college basketball season is over, doesn't mean Daily Onions is done. We still need to crown our Show Us Your Onions Champion (Brady Smith), and we'll switch gears to NBA playoffs, with some NBA Draft, coaching carousel, etc mixed in as well over the next few months. Keep coming back!

This is for all the ONIONS!

And then there were two. They both have diplomas from West Virginia University (yes, they actually give diplomas from WVU - I was just as surprised as you were), and they both have UConn in the National Championship game. Brady Smith has UConn winning, so if the Huskies do indeed win in what could be Jim Calhoun's final game as head coach, the Onions go to him. If Butler is able to win one more game in the tournament than they did last year, it will come down to a tiebreaker with total points, giving Lindsay Spieler a chance, and something to brag to her friends about.

It's Spieler vs. Smith for all the Onions
Just as there is plenty of media hype around the actual championship game tonight, also lots of festivities surrounding the finals in Show Us Your Onions. Yesterday there was media day, when Spieler and Smith posed for the camera in order to create some promotional photos for Monday night's matchup. No word on whether we'll be putting together a One Shining Moment video for the winner.
Luckily we won't be watching these two play tonight.
As far as our thoughts on the actual game being played tonight, our heart is in one place. Even though we tend to support the Big East, we are fine with touting to the haters that of all of the teams remaining in the NCAA tournament, 50% of them are from our conference. Take that Big 10, ACC and SEC! And even though we are developing a bit of a childhood crush on UConn's freshman Jeremy Lamb, who we partly hope stays in school, so he can add some weight to his frame, but also hope leaves so he doesn't terrorize the 'Cuse next season; we are still rooting for the Butler Bulldogs tonight. What Brad Stevens and the Bulldogs have been able to do over the last twelve months is one of the most impressive pure sports stories in the last 10 years (maybe more), as stated by Smith via phone interview yesterday (and we are in total agreement).

If you aren't rooting for Butler to win tonight, then you probably rooted for the team from South Bend in Hoosiers, you rooted for Roy Hobbs to strike out in his last at bat, you rooted for Rudy to not get a jersey, you rooted for the Soviet hockey team in the 1980 Olympics, and you probably couldn't see Shoeless Joe and Company playing baseball in a cornfield in Iowa. Get it? Many are saying that UConn is the more talented team and the Huskies should beat Butler. But many of those "experts" said the same about Old Dominion, Pitt, Wisconsin, Florida and VCU when they matched up against the Bulldogs. Does UConn have a more individually talented players...yes. No disrespect to what the Huskies have done over the last month of the season, but there is no better TEAM in college basketball than the Butler Bulldogs. Let's hope that by the end of the night, Stevens and Co. have the hardware to prove it.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Who Wore it Better: Final Four Edition

Daily Onions takes a shot at the always fun US Weekly game, "Who Wore It Better?" Obviously all of our questions will be Final Four related:
  • Who Wore it Better: Young Coach: Brad Stevens or Shaka Smart?
  • Who Wore it Better: Dirty Coach: John Calipari or Jim Calhoun?
  • Who Wore it Better: Tournament Game-winning shots: Brandon Knight or Matt Howard?
  • Who Wore It Better: Freshman Making a Difference: Jeremy Lamb or Kentucky's Young'ns?
  • Who Wore It Better: Dogs: Bulldogs or Huskies?
  • Who Wore It Better: Lamb: Deron (UK) or Jeremy (UConn)
  • Who Wore It Better: Potential Uncreative Headline: Butler Did It Again or Yes UConn or Top Cats/Blue Heaven or Insert Shaka/Cinderella/VC-Whew headline?
Daily Onions Answers/Predictions: Stevens, Calipari, Knight, Jeremy, Bulldogs, Jeremy, Nobody Wins on this one. We'll check back this weekend with a breakdown of the results.

McDonald's All-American Game Nuggets

I know earlier this week I spent some time talking about bad headlines, but how can you resist the nuggets and McDonald's connection. It's like trying to resist a McDonald's breakfast sandwich when you are hungover...tough to do.

With the game being played at the United Center, Daily Onions was able to earn a media credential for the evening, which allowed us a media room pre-game meal (boy, have we missed these!), the ability to rub shoulders with Doc Rivers, and also chat with players after the 40-minutes of action. Here are some news, notes and thoughts from the evening.

From a college conference perspective, the SEC cleans up having seven players in the game, thanks to that slick salesman Mr. Calipari. Kentucky has 4 of the 7 SEC players in the game, including game MVP and New Jersey native Michael Gilchrist. We won't get into the fact that World Wide Wes was at the McDonald's practices rocking the UK gear (not shady at all). The Big East and the ACC each had five players, the Big Ten claims four, while the Big 12 has two and Conference USA has one.

Duke had three players in the game including the high school player of the year Austin Rivers. We (along with the rest of the hoard of media) had the opportunity to chat with Austin after the game. As impressive as he is on the court - compare him to Stephen Curry with a little more pop - he is just the same off the court. Well-spoken kid, who says the right things and just gets it. Not surprised since he has been around elite athletes his entire life. In addition to Doc, Austin's older brother plays hoops at IU, while his sister was a volleyball player at Florida. If Kyrie Irving ends up staying at Duke, the Blue Devils automatically have the best backcourt in the country. Even if Irving leaves, Rivers will be able to step right in and make an impact from Day 1.

Carter-Williams and Christmas headed to the Cuse (Syracuse.com)
Speaking of the Blue Devils, they'll now have THREE Plumlee brothers on the roster. Mason and Miles' younger brother Marshall will be joining them next year. The Dukies also get Quinn Cook, a 6-0 guard out of Oak Hill Academy.

Let's get on to more important, Orange colored things, as in Syracuse. Two members of the East squad are headed to CNY next season. Rakeem Christmas (Philadelphia), who is listed at 6-10, didn't look that big on the court during the game. However, standing next to him afterwards definitely gave us a crick in the neck. He looks to have the potential to be a solid man in the middle, despite only getting one bucket (a 12-ft jumper). He doesn't have a ton of weight (235 lbs in your program) on  him right now but looks to have a pretty athletic build and a long wingspan. Will he be able to replace I'm Sorry Rick Jackson next year? Probably not, but in two years could be a double-double guy in the Big East. We also have a soft spot in our heart for him now, as he showed us a lot of love with a handshake into a half hug, when he learned of the 'Cuse connection. Can't wait for Christmas in Syracuse (heyoooo).

The other player to head to the Salt City is Michael Cater-Williams (from Mass.). First thing that stood out about MCW was the 'S' shaved into the back of his head. Nice. The second thing that stood out was the fact that he was swimming in his uniform. He's listed at 6-5, 175. I think its probably closer to 6-3, 135. Syracuse will need to put him on the 40 meals per week once he steps on campus. No disrespect to the skinny kids. Daily Onions was once just as skinny and Cuse helped us bulk up freshman year (15?). MCW won the skills competition at on Monday night and will be a slasher/shooter coming off the bench next year. We LOVED the fact that he took a charge...in an All-Star game! We've taken a charge in a scrimmage at a summer camp played on tennis courts, so we like the effort. With Scoop, Triche, Waiters, Fair, Mookie (?), and Joseph playing the 2 and 3 positions, MCW may take some time to see the court next season. In the long run though, a McDonald's All-American is a McDonald's All-American.