2014 Big Ten Basketball Preview

2014-2015 Big Ten Basketball Preview

ESPN projections:                                                                                    Nick's Projections:

1. Wisconsin                                                                                           1. Wisconsin
2. Ohio State                                                                                          2. Ohio State
3. Michigan                                                                                             3. Iowa
4. Iowa                                                                                                   4. Michigan
5. Michigan State                                                                                   5. Michigan State
6. Nebraska                                                                                           6. Illinois 
7. Illinois                                                                                                 7. Minnesota
8. Maryland                                                                                            8. Maryland
9. Minnesota                                                                                          9. Nebraska
10. Indiana                                                                                              10. Indiana
11. Northwestern                                                                                    11. Northwestern
12. Purdue                                                                                              12. Purdue
13. Penn State                                                                                        13. Penn State
14. Rutgers                                                                                             14. Rutgers

Wisconsin-

        A final four team that lost no major players last season, in a league where all of the powerhouses lost at least one major player. Along with Bo Ryan at the helm it's looking like a very bright season for the Badgers.

Ohio State-

        Ohio State lost some big pieces in their starting line-up, luckily for them they have a top 5 recruiting class and of that have one of the best shooting guard recruits in D' Angelo Russell. The Buckeyes have their eyes set on trying to over take Wisconsin as the big dog in the Big Ten.

Iowa-
        The loss Devyn Marble at shooting guard hurts the Hawkeyes, but good for them is the fact that they are only losing one piece of the puzzle instead of a few like a lot of the other powerhouse teams in the Big Ten.

Michigan-
       The Wolverines lost one of the best scorers on one of the best offenses in the Big Ten last season, which is obviously going to be a tough task to overcome. Luckily for Michigan Caris LeVert who is the Big Ten most improved player is now the man this team is based around. Hopefully for Michigan he's up for that kind of work.

Michigan State-
          Sparty lost a lot of big name players, and had the 34th best recruiting class, which is good, but is not going to win you championships. So with the losses and no real big additions how is Michigan State going to place fifth in the best conference in college basketball. Tom Izzo. One of the best coaches in college basketball.

Illinois-
          Illinois lost their starting point guard Tracy Abrams but luckily for them they have a strong group of guys around him that should help Illinois keep going into the right direction and still be able to make it to the big dance in March.

Minnesota-
          Minnesota lost senior shooting guard Austin Hollins who was a spark plug for the Minnesota offense. But luckily for the gophers they have guard DeAndre Mathieu to help fill the void and all of their starters and most bench players are returning this season after an NIT title for the gophers.

Maryland-
            Maryland lost a lot of their key players but bringing in a top ten recruiting class should help Maryland stay in a contention for being an NCAA tourney team. Melo Trimble will really dictate how well this Maryland team will do.

Nebraska-
           Unlike a lot of people I'm not very high on this Nebraska team, they have a superstar in Terran Petteway but they don't have any real player to step up and take some of the work load off of Terran and after playing all year in the Big Ten he should be pretty worn out in March,

Indiana-
            After a disappointing season for the Hoosiers they do have a bright spot in Yogi Ferrell and a couple new recruits that should be able to help turn things around for the Hoosiers who should miss the big dance this year, but if they keep working in the right direction could be there in the 2015-2016 season.

Northwestern-
          Drew Crawford is the only bright spot on this Northwestern team, They had a fantastic defense but the offense was one of the worst in the whole country, They are going to need to make MAJOR improvements on offense if they even want to think about even making the tourney,

Purdue-
         Just like Northwestern they were just horrific on offense, but had a very solid defense, they were one of the best defensive rebounding teams around. If they can find a way to put the ball in the hoop and have a player emerge as a leader on this team, they could surprise a few people.

Penn State-
         It's going to be another tough year for the Nittany Lions who I don't feel really have a chance to compete in the Big Ten, they have solid players around the board but no one to compete with teams like Wisconsin or Ohio State, or even Minnesota or Maryland for that matter. The only plus side for Penn State is that their recruiting is looking up to help bring them back into the light.

Rutgers-
         I have no words for this Rutgers team, they are not going have a very fun season in the Big Ten. Good thing for them is that they have a couple nice recruits that will hopefully bring good basketball back to the Scarlet Knights. I for their sake I hope they change it fast.



The Big Dance-
        I believe that the Big Ten sends 8 teams and the top eight in my rankings from Wisconsin through Maryland. They could send nine but it all depends on if someone else can help Terran Petteway in Nebraska.

      

Show Me the Money

Athletes continue to demand high contracts. When organizations are willing to hand out money, why not? Athletes such as Dez Bryant and Richard Sherman like to say that they don't care about the money but they want the respect that goes with the flashy new deal. 

My problem with forking over $300 million to Giancarlo Stanton is it will hurt the Marlins organization more than it would help them. I'm not saying Stanton isn't worth a lot. He had a MVP type season, and he is the Marlin's best player. I'm saying that the organization would be tied down financially for a long time. The Marlins would invest highly in one outfield position when they have several other positions that need to be fixed. In any sport, one player can't carry a team but baseball is probably the hardest to do that. A player can step up to bat four times a game and hit four home runs but that doesn't mean the pitcher will perform well. The other players on the field may make errors and end up losing 4-5. We have seen organization spend heavily on players in the past. The Yankees are notorious for doing this. It works for the Yankees for a few years but then they spent multiple years in a slump because they have no players and no money to spend. The Los Angeles Angels have spent a lot of money the past few years on Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, CJ Wilson, and Mike Trout, and they have yet to win a World Series with them. The Minnesota Twins spent a lot of money on Joe Mauer. The team has struggled ever since and that isn't all on Mauer. Sure Mauer has been struggling the last few years, but the has little money to put else where. The Rockies have the same situation with Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki. 

Now as a fan, one of the hardest things to see is your team's star player walk away to a big contract somewhere else. Ask Cleveland Cavalier fans how they felt about LeBron James in 2010. I wanted the Minnesota Twins to do what ever it takes to keep the homeboy Joe Mauer, but I was thinking short term. The Twins should have let him wear pinstripes. In sports you pay a player based on what he did not what he will do. Often times when you are paying a player the big bucks they are nearing the end of their glory days. It doesn't mean it's true for all cases but mainly in baseball. In football, Aaron Rodgers got a huge contract, and he is playing like he deserves it. 

Look at the New England Patriots. They hardly ever spend money on one single position. Tom Brady is one of the best ever but he doesn't get paid like it, but he knows the rings are more important. The Patriots want to evenly distribute among all positions so they can constantly compete and don't have a lot of weak spots. The Oakland Athletics do a very similar thing. 

In order to win, you will have to open the checkbook but just be careful on how many zeros you add to the number. 

The Social Athlete

Athletes and fans have never been closer, thanks to social media. Players update the fans with information they wouldn't normally hear. What is Clayton Kershaw doing this offseason? What are Alex Ovechkin's thoughts on the Washington Nationals (if you can read Russian)? Players allow fans an insight into their personal life. It allows athletes and fans to have a stronger connection 

As a Minnesota Twins fan, it was exciting to see Denard Span (Washington Nationals) and Ben Revere (Philadelphia Phillies) have a conversation on twitter. Two former Twins players having a casual conversation even though they are cities apart. As a fan, it is also exciting to see arguments between players. Richard Sherman is famous for that. He has been in arguments with Patrick Peterson, Darrelle Revis and DeAngelo Hall. The fan gets a front row seat to a battle you don't see on the field or on ESPN. On social media, athletes often show who they truly are.

Fan also get the chance to interact with athletes via social media. I had the privilege to have a positive interaction with Stevie Johnson. 

Players and fans have never had interactions like this before social media. The only way to talk with athletes was running into them somewhere on the streets. Speaking of which, Jared Allen did walk into the ice cream store I work at a few years ago and that is an experience I would take over a million twitter messages. It just isn't common to see an athlete on the street, but you can find them on social media. 

Not all interactions with fans can go well for the athletes on social media. During the 2014 March Madness Tournament, Roddy White was on the wrong end of a bet and wasn't living up to it. 

Eventually enough people tweeted at Roddy White to pay up and he did. The fan even got to meet Roddy White.

Sometimes the fan can end up on the bad end of a social media conversation with an athlete. Brandon Marshall called out one of his followers when he called his mom some unnecessary names. Marshall offered the fan $5,000 to fight him. If the fan wins, Marshall will give him an additional $10,000. If Marshall wins, the fan has to volunteer for 100 hours at a charity and apologize to Marshall's mother.

We will have to wait and find out if the fan will fight Brandon Marshall or hide like I would do. 

While social media has offered a whole knew perspective for fans, be careful what you get yourself into. It is so fascinating to get a response from an athlete you like so much because for once they notice you. I hope fan and athlete interaction continues to grow over time because it is important to the fans. We just need more social athletes.  

Way Too Early NBA Awards

Here it is, my way too early NBA awards! Who will be the coach of the year? MVP? Rookie of the year? Most improved? Coach of the Year? Lets find out:

MVP

The MVP for this season really depends on team success. I'm giving the award this year to Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans. 

Right now he is putting up absurd numbers, 25/13 with 4(!) blocks a game. If he can keep that up, heck, even if his numbers go down a little, those are still absurd numbers. Although if we see the rockets hold on to a number one, two, or three seed in the west you might see James Harden getting the MVP award. 

Rookie of the Year

This years top rookie is going to be Jabari Parker of the Milwaukee Bucks. 

He leads all rookies in points and rebounds with 11/6 a game. He is the most polished of the rookies, although many would doubt if he had the best career of all the rookies. A scorer, I expect Jabari to finish the year averaging 16 points and 6 boards a game. 

Most Improved Player

The most improved player in the league this year could be Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls. 

Averaging almost 20 points a game and still playing his typical stout defense, Jimmy Butler is on the way to a big pay day next year. Averaging over 10 points better than his career average right now, I don't expect him to keep all this scoring up, especially if Derrick Rose can stay healthy. However, He is doing exceptionally well right now, and I expect him to end the year putting up around 16 points a game with 4 rebounds and assists to go with it. 

Coach of the Year

I expect the coach of the year to be Newcomer David Blatt of the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

While it might be criminal to bet against Greg Popovich, if the Cleveland Cavaliers win 55+ games which i expect them to do, David Blatt will be the coach of the year. There is a lot of hype surrounding the European "genius" which helps his case as Coach of the Year. 

What Can the Browns Do for You?

The media is like a girl in high school, creating drama where it doesn't exist. Now that Tim Tebow and Michael Sam are out of the NFL, the media turns its attention to Johnny Manziel. Incase you don't know, the Cleveland Browns are in 1st place of the AFC North at 6-3. They got their with the help of QB Brian Hoyer. That's right, not Johnny Manziel. He has been warming the bench. That is why people are speculating that the Browns will trade Johnny Manziel. 

I can assure you Johnny Football will be staying in Cleveland. Why? For once the Browns have options at a position they have struggled with for far too long. They have had 17 QBs start since 2002. Brian Hoyer is also a free agent at the end of the season. Who is to say that Hoyer doesn't walk away to a team that offers him more money? I also don't see why they would trade away such a great prospect. Manziel has such great potential. Plus he has been sitting out all year and hopefully learning some important skills. Even if they were open to trading, I don't think they would get enough in return for their 22nd overall pick. 

I believe a first round pick is what it will take to land him. A team with a top 10 pick in the 2015 NFL draft is probably looking at Oregon Ducks QB Marcus Mariota or Florida State QB Jameis Winston. A team looking to move up to snag one of these QBs may be better off going after Money Manziel. He will cost less because the Browns will have Hoyer (if he resigns) and the teams that are high up in the draft will most likely demand a lot. Also, Manziel will have a year in the NFL on his resume. 

So lets pretend a team is willing to trade their first round pick for Money Manziel. I believe the best teams to do so are: 

• St. Louis Rams: not really sure what is going on with Sam Bradford but it may be time to move on. Manziel would save them a lot under the cap. He would bring life to a very sad franchise. Imagine if they end up in LA in a few years, Manziel would own the city. However, he could save the franchise from moving to LA.
• Chicago Bears: Can we all agree the Jay Cutler project is over? He looks great at times but he is not leading this team to a Super Bowl anytime soon. Johnny Manziel would shine in an offense that consists of Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett and Matt Forte. 
• Houston Texans: The team has the defense working for them but lack some offense. Arian Foster has been amazing but they are thin at the QB position. This might be the move that would make Andre Johnson happy to stay. 

Again, I don't think Johnny Manziel is going anywhere. I think the Browns would be foolish to dump him. His potential is too high and they wouldn't get enough in return, Plus with the luck the Browns have had, they could use depth at the QB position.

So what can the Browns do for you? 

What is The Players' Tribune?

Last year was Derek Jeter's last year in the MLB. Anyone who follows the game of baseball knows that Jeter has been the standard for what baseball should be for the past two decades. Now, in his days of retirement, Jeter is continuing his trend of setting excellence in the journalism world. His newest endeavor is called The Players Tribune. Listed on the homepage is a summary of what the site is, 

"Introducing The Players’ Tribune, a new media platform that will present the unfiltered voices of professional athletes, bringing fans closer to the games they love than ever before. Founded by Derek Jeter, The Players’ Tribune aims to provide unique insight into the daily sports conversation and to publish first-person stories directly from athletes. From video to podcasts to player polls and written pieces, The Tribune will strive to be 'The Voice of the Game.'"

Alongside Jeter, there are several other athletes who will be contributing to the site, among them are Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Danica Patrick, and Russell Wilson.

Although the site isn't fully functional yet, it is hard to miss the potential this site has. What The Players Tribune does that social media does not is allow the athletes to write about and share their experiences more in depth and with more emotion than just a Tweet or a Facebook post. Also, it shows an academic side to the athletes that we might not be accustom to seeing, rather than what we see on the field.

I hope that this idea spreads beyond the world of athletes, and begins to define what journalism is in the future.

Should College Athletes be Paid?

Although the NCAA makes over $800 million a year, the universities are not exactly sitting in a pile of cash. The revenue the NCAA brings in annually is redistributed to academic enhancement, conference grants, sports sponsorships, student assistance funds and grants-in-aid. College athletes already have huge perks, there is no fair market, and playing a college sport is like having an internship.

College athletes are already getting paid with athletic scholarships that are worth between $20,000-$50,000 a year which means most college athletes are being reimbursed with more money than the average american makes in a year. Traveling around the United States and the rest of the world is another perk college athletes receive. When playing a college sport the athletes travel, for free, to various locations to play an opponent including California, Florida, and Hawaii. There are also various basketball tournaments like the battle for Atlantis and Puerto Rico tip-off which are in other countries. College athletes also get amazing resources at their fingertips. College athletes have the advantage of sporting equipment, use of a state of the art training facilities along with assistance from medical staff and tutors. College athletes receive all these perks and it doesn’t cost them one cent.

College football and basketball are the sports that make the most money. One argument that "pay for play" supporters uses is that college athletes are worth a fortune but in reality, they aren’t worth anything because of NBA and NFL rules. The NBA has a rule that athletes must wait a year after high school to become eligible to play. The NFL requires an athlete to wait three years after high school to be eligible for the draft which makes athletes right out of high school worth almost zero.There is not a fair market when colleges pay the athletes because the large universities will pay more to the athletes than smaller universities giving them an unfair advantage. If a cap is put into place, universities will continue to do under the table deals to have an edge on the competition, giving an unfair market when recruiting which would solve nothing. There is no fair market for college athletes when it comes to their value and potentially paying them.

Playing a college sports is like an internship. Players gain experience in their field of business. The experience will help them get a job in the pros where they will make a lot of money. Athletes also get to use their college stats and games to put into their resume similar to an ordinary internship. Playing college sports gives the athlete media exposure that helps get their name out into the business and build a network of connections like you do in an ordinary internship .  College sports serve as an internship to play pro sports for college athletes.

In conclusion, I support the stance of not paying college athletes. I have proven college athletes get a lot of perks for free that they otherwise would not receive including: large scholarships to attend college for little to no fee, they travel to various locations, and they have many resources at their fingertips. I have proven that there is no fair market for colleges and their athletes because of professional sporting rules, unfair amount of money for large universities and unfair tactics if cap is in place. I have proven that college sports serves as an internship for college athletes because of the experience, resume building and exposure they receive. With all the information stated, college athletes should not be paid for playing in the NCAA.

I would be fine with student athletes having the option of choosing between a scholarship or a check that is equivalent in value to the scholarship.

What are your thoughts?
Some info provided by Sports Illustrated, Newsday, ESPN. Bleacher Report.