Saturday, August 3, 2013

The Repeat, The Reunion, and The Relocation

The Repeat-LeBron James and the Miami Heat did what they were basically supposed to do, repeat as NBA Champions and make most of the sports world continue to be annoyed by them.  Despite a valiant effort by the Spurs, who very nearly made me look like a genius by almost putting away the Heat in Game 6 of the Finals, the Heat wouldn't be denied another title.  Most of the Finals were hard to watch with all the blowouts we had.  We finally got a couple of good, intense games mixed in but for the most part it was not great for the average NBA fan.  I think the most annoying part of the Heat is their brutal habit of "flicking the switch" in the middle of a game after they get bored enough or down by 20+ and finally start playing.  Maybe they can work on that a little and make them slightly less annoying to watch as they go for a three-peat next season.  We also have to brace ourselves for another circus next summer if LeBron decides to leave Miami early and take his talents elsewhere.  There's a part of me that wants to be happy for LeBron and appreciate how talented a player he is, but he makes it so hard to when his ego gets in the way. 

The Reunion-Tim Tebow didn't leave the NFL world for long.  After everyone, but NOT his brother, told him his NFL career was likely over and that he would probably be best suited for the CFL, the New England Patriots came out of nowhere and picked up Tebow to give him another shot.  Tebow will be reunited with Josh McDaniels, the man who drafted him while in Denver, who is now the Patriots offensive coordinator.  While the Pats are currently insisting that Tebow was picked up as a backup QB, it's safe to say that he will not be seeing the field as the QB this season since Tom Brady is firmly in place there.  I'm guessing that Tebow likely has enough respect for the Patriots organization that he will be happy to play other positions there and be used in a utility role as a wildcat QB or TE.  Honestly, that's really what Tebow is best suited for and Belichick is just that smart of a coach to realize that and will likely get the best out of Tebow.  Good for Tebow for continuing to live his dream of playing in the NFL.  The truth is Tebow is not meant to be a natural NFL QB, but he is definitely a talented athlete and can bring a high quality of character and passion to a football team which is what many are lacking.  Tebow is a leader and the Patriots will get the best out of him.  It could be one of the better feel-good stories in the league this year. 

The Relocation-Well, Dwight Howard and the Lakers tried to make it work, but that didn't last long and now Howard has moved on to a more suitable situation in Houston.  This wasn't that surprising considering how awkward it was watching the Lakers last season.  In the limited number of games that Kobe, Nash, and Howard played in together, it just never looked right.  Those are three very talented guys, but they just didn't fit together at all.  Many say it was because of the offense that Mike D'Antoni ran as the coach, but really you can just tell when a team has the right group playing together or not.  This past Lakers season was a good example of how important team chemistry is.  It's very underrated at times, especially when these teams in the NBA like to sign big name players together and think they will just win a bunch of games and be championship contenders.  That only works if they actually play together as a team.  I also think Kobe and Dwight were never on the same page and their egos could not fit in the same arena.  

One final thought...August is here, and preseason football begins!  BRING IT ON!!!