Monday Morning Mehta 4/24/06

Edition # 159
April 24, 2006

www.mondaymorningmehta.blogspot.com

Also, for the NBA Round 1 Previews, go to:

http://mondaymorningmehta.blogspot.com/2006/04/nba-playoffs-preview-round-1.html

Phillies/MLB

Phillies are back to playing "Phillies Baseball" with a terrible 2-3 week vs. the bottom feeders in the NL East. As usual there isn't much more to say than I've already said, so I'll say it again.

- Too many streaky players on offense. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell have been feast or famine this year.

- A average at best middle relief corps relief is overused. Can anyone remember the last time three Phillies starters went 8 innings in b2b2b games?

- Watching Abraham Nunez and Sal Fasano have me screaming for the return of David Bell & Mike Lieberthal.

- Positive Note: Brett Myers & Tom Gordon have looked very good.

- It's getting very close to the time to start looking to fire Charlie Manuel. Team GM's are lot more patient than fans. As a fan, he should be gone after last year. But I suspect Pat Gillick will be quick to pull the trigger, as a new GM generally likes to have his own man in the manager's seat. If they lose 3 out of 4 to the Rockies this week, Manuel might not be making the trip to Pittsburgh. More likely is that a few games will get rained out and we'll be stuck with Cholly.

- Member when Phillies fans wanted to sign AJ Burnett and MMM warned them of his injury issues and how high of a price that was to pay for an unproven pitcher ($55 million over 5 years). Well AJ Burnett just landed himself on the DL last week with an elbow injury. I don't know much about medicine, but I know when a pitcher is going to see Dr. James Andrews, it's not good.
Around the League

The two World Series teams from last year are also the hottest teams in baseball after 3 weeks. Houston Astros haven't lost a series all year and lead the NL with a 13-5 record. They have had a weak schedule but so have the Phillies. The White Sox are just on a tear, winning 8 in a row after struggling the first week of the year.
Detroit is probably a .500 team for a full year, but they are playing some good baseball so far. Phillies didn't want Jim Leyland.

I don't know what it is, but the underrated great manager in baseball is Buck Showalter. I like watching Texas for some reason, probably because they score a lot of runs, and Showalter always seems to be making the right moves.

Atlanta is about a week or so away from getting their sh$t together and winning 12 out of 15.
It's early and I'm not changing my pick of the Dodgers in the NL West, but the Giants sure look good. I underestimated this team's offense minus Barry Bonds. It's actually pretty decent. If they can sure up the pitching injuries, they could be a force later in the year.

Next weekend: The NFL Draft. I'd give you a full Mel Kiper type preview, but it's almost Monday Afternoon, and MAM doesn't sound as good as MMM. Also, I don't know anything about more than about 5 players. Anyway, I think the Eagles will trade up and get this Ngata guy from the Ducks (huge DT). I've heard that the Browns also want him, and this may be a little payback for the whole LeCharles Bentley thing. Or is his name LeBentley Charles?

NBA - Derreck Sura

- Being that I got 13 of 16 playoffs team correct in October, the annual 'Tap Dancing' segment is shorter then ever. Without further ado...

EAST 7 of 8

I had in, but didn't make it

New York (23-59) - This is what I get for putting my faith in Larry Brown. Last season the Knicks finished 33-49. At the start of the year I thought LB would be good for at least ten wins. Never did I think he'd end up COSTING them ten wins. I'm sure by now you've heard many "experts" suggest that LB sabotaged the season for any number of reasons (like NY setting the NBA record for most different starting lineups used). Even with my dislike for the man, that's hard for me to buy into. The fact that people even suggest it though is probably the biggest indictment of Brown's character. Also, when you look at the Knicks' roster, they do have some talent, albeit not Larry's type of players. Indictment number two: LB proved that he is either incapable or unwilling to coach to his player's strengths. Even with all that, NY seemed to be turning things around until Stephon Marbury sprained his left shoulder running into a pick set by Wally Szczerbiak on 1/16. After that, they bought a few rolls of stamps and mailed in the rest of the campaign.

Out but In

Chicago (41-41) - I had to see all five teams from the same division make the playoffs before I was going to believe it. Now that it's happened, I won't hesitate to pick that way if I feel it again. You probably already know that the Bulls finished atop the field goal defense charts (42.6%) this season. But did you know that makes two years in a row for them? Chicago did it last year too (42.2%). I'm not sure why coach Scott Skiles doesn't get more credit for that impressive feat in the national media. Anyway, kudos to Skiles and the Bulls for making me wrong on them two years in a row.

WEST 6 of 8

In but Out

Utah (41-41) - Two things went wrong with the Jazz this year. First, Carlos Boozer missed 49 games with a torn left hamstring. Next, for the second consecutive season coach Jerry Sloan was unable to decide on a rotation and stick with it. Sloan is a Hall of Fame coach, but the older he gets, the more of a problem he's having keeping his emotions in check when it comes to demoting players. Deron Williams and Devin Brown come to mind this year. That said, if Boozer comes back five games sooner, Utah probably makes the playoffs.

Houston (34-48) - Tracy McGrady missed 35 games, Yao Ming 25, and Rafer Alston 19. That adds up to three starters who missed a combined total of 79 games. Almost a full season there. Things may never be the same for the Rockets either. T-Mac's back has been getting progressively worse for years now, and that trend is expected to continue. Yao's broken left foot is cause for concern as well. You never ever know about a big guy's longevity once he starts having foot problems.
Out but In

Clippers (47-35) - I knew that Los Angeles had plenty of talent on paper before the season began. Truth be told, I thought they had too much, and that guys like Sam Cassell, Cuttino Mobley, and Corey Maggette would hog the ball and ignore Elton Brand. I was way off, and the credit goes to coach Mike Dunleavy for keeping this crew on the same page (even when it came to tanking). I have a sneaking suspicion that Maggette missing 50 games with an assortment of injuries actually had something to do with how well the Clips' chemistry and rotation came together, but we'll never know for sure.

Lakers (45-37) - I figured that coach Phil Jackson was good for ten wins (turned out to be 11), but with Smush Parker and Kwame Brown penciled in as full time starters, and no bench to speak of, I by no means thought Los Angeles could make the playoffs in the West. I was never so glad to be wrong.

- As always, I'm passing on the Most Improved Player. In my opinion, no award is more subjective. Just because someone gets more minutes, does not mean they are improved. Drum roll please...

Defensive Player of the Year
1. Bruce Bowen
2. Andrei Kirilenko
3. Gerald Wallace

All-Defense Team
Bruce Bowen
Andrei Kirilenko
Gerald Wallace
Ron Artest
Ben Wallace

Sixth Man of the Year
1. Mike Miller
2. Shareef Abdur-Rahim
3. Jerry Stackhouse

Executive of the Year
1. Bryan Colangelo
2. Danny Ferry
3. Jerry West

Coach of the Year
1. Phil Jackson
2. Avery Johnson
3. Flip Saunders

Rookie of the Year
1. Chris Paul
2. Charlie Villanueva
3. Andrew Bogut

All-Rookie Team
Chris Paul
Raymond Felton
Charlie Villanueva
Channing Frye
Andrew Bogut

Most Valuable Player
1. Kobe Bryant
2. LeBron James
3. Dirk Nowitzki
4. Steve Nash
5. Chauncey Billups

All-NBA First Team
Steve Nash
Kobe Bryant
LeBron James
Dirk Nowitzki
Elton Brand

Second Team
Chauncey Billups
Dwyane Wade
Shawn Marion
Kevin Garnett
Tim Duncan

Third Team
Tony Parker
Paul Pierce
Carmelo Anthony
Chris Bosh
Pau Gasol

NHL Week In Review By : Ed Wasser

- If there's one cool thing about hockey it's this...people make the case to me all the time that the NHL isn't all that popular, and they may be right. People say to me that the NHL isn't as popular as NASCAR or even the NFL draft, and it may be true. But you can go all over the world, from coast to coast, from pillar to post and all the ships at sea and you can ask everyone just one question...."Who plays for the Stanley Cup?" And they all know it's the National Hockey League. And to emphasize my point, some country singer kid I never heard of was playing the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville last Thursday. Half way through his act he said to the crowd in his southern twang "Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to introduce to you a very special guest....the Stanley Cup". With that the Stanley Cup handlers brought out the Cup and put it on a chair on stage, and the crowd went NUTS!!!! Granted, it's the Predators first ever time in the playoffs but I just love the fact that the fans in Nashville, Tenn. of all places, in only a few short years as an NHL franchise, know what the Cup represents.

- OK, a little background. So Luc Robitaille's first ballot Hall of Fame career ended last Monday night after an unproductive last season. Robitaille ended his career as the highest scoring left winger in NHL history and the LA Kings all time leader in goals, assists, games played...you name it. Plus Robitaille is widely seen as Los Angeles' biggest hockey ambassador. Prior to Robitaille announcing his retirement he had a handful of healthy scratches due to his offense struggles which Robitaille accepted and kept quiet about, at least in public. It was known that Robitaille was unhappy with the scratches and his dwindling ice time but he always stayed positive in the media which is what class guys do. With 11 games remaining in the year King GM and former Robitaille teammate Dave Taylor fired coach Andy Murray and replaced him with John Torchetti. Over the remaining 11 games of the season Taylor and Torchetti scratched Robitaille in a bunch of games including 3 in a row, but instead of pulling him aside and telling him in the afternoon, they waited until the last second. And by "the last second" I mean right before the team hit the ice for the game. And THEN with 5 games to go and it being common knowledge that Robitaille would retire at the end of the season Torchetti implied Robitaille may be scratched for the duration of the season. It's actually not that uncommon to scratch a player right before a game but the guy is the best left winger that has ever played the game, he'll have his own section in the Hall of Fame dedicated to his accomplishments, but most of all....the Kings weren't even a threat to make the playoffs so what's the difference? Let him play, why screw him like that? I'll tell you why, because when all this was going down Robitaille said to the media on one occasion "I think I deserve more respect then this". That was it. Well the day after the season ended both Taylor and Torchetti were unceremoniously fired. OH SWEET KARMA!!!! "Lucky" Luc did deserve better.

Flyers vs. Sabres.....The Flyers lost game one 3 - 2 in double overtime. The Flyers, with the exception of goalie Robert Esche who had an incredible game, did everything possible to lose the game. They gave up point blank shots, they took stupid penalties, and got into an up and down skating game with the Sabres and it eventually killed them. And by the way, the Flyers did indeed take a lot of stupid penalties but the overall officiating was ABYSMAL. Mike Knuble got cracked in the face with a stick in the first period, he went down in a heap with blood gushing out of his nose....two officials were on the ice, no call. The Sabres were getting every ticky tac call, in overtime no less, including three power plays in a row. Game 2 is tonight, I predict whoever wins the game wins the series.

Rangers vs. Devils.....The Rangers have walked into a lion's den wearing a hot dog suit. Just call the Devils butter because they're on a roll. 11 straight wins going into the playoffs with Martin Broduer playing lights out and now they're playing their hated rivals. In game 1, the Devils blew the doors off the Rangers winning 6 - 1 with Brian Rafalski playing Jaromir Jagr so tight defensively he can now pick Jagr's prostate out of a police line up . Plus Jagr got hurt during the game killing a penalty, why he was out killing a penalty in a 5 - 1 game is anyone's guess. And since it's playoff time the Rangers won't let on how severe the injury is. The Rangers might steal a game in the Garden but they're out matched and out classed by a team that is firing on all cylinders. Devils in 5.

Colorado vs. Dallas.....The 'Lanche had a big win in game one in Dallas (5 - 2) and newly acquired goalie José Theodore played really well. Thankfully this issue of MMM is coming out after the playoffs started because I was going to predict that the Stars would be a playoff dark horse. PHEW!! That was a close one. OK, I won't back down, I still like the Stars in this one. They have loads of talent, speed on defense (see : Zubov, Sergie), and the goaltending is....well, it's adequate. Stars in 7.

Edmonton vs. Detroit.....The fact that Edmonton is the 8th seed in the playoffs should show you how superior the western conference is to the east. The Oilers are a feisty bunch, the almost won game one and took game 2, 4 - 2. It's still going to be an up hill battle for them, Detroit is really strong and they just send wave after wave of offensive threats at you. But so far Edmonton is doing all the right things....they've blocked shots like crazy, Chris Pronger is playing great defense (plus he has 2 goals), and goalie Dwayne Roloson is playing well. And Detroit has a history of recent playoff collapses against teams they should have hammered. That being said I have to go with my head, Wings in 7.

Carolina vs. Montréal.....Anybody catch the license plate of the truck that ran over the Canes? Wow, game 1 was a 6 - 1 arse kicking by the Habs. Alexei Kovalev came up big and goalie Christobal Huet crushed the Canes like Richard Simmons at a biker rally. I dunno, I still have to go with the Canes in the series in 6 games but it's a little troubling that Carolina, on home ice no less, would come up so small in their first playoff game.

San José vs. Nashville.....The series comes down to one thing, penalties. The Predators are a small team, I've seen more grit from guys wearing t-shirts with "99 Luft Balloons" written on them, so if the refs swallow their whistles they're done because once the Sharks get cycling they're tough to stop. So far the refs have kept up their end of the bargain and have called the Sharks for numerous interference penalties, but the series is tied at 1 game a piece. In game 2 the Preds penalty kill was awful and the Sharks won 3 - 0. In the long run I think the Preds take this series because the only way the Sharks know how to stop the speedy Preds is to hold them so I expect them to be playing a lot of the series a man down. Preds in 6.

Tampa Bay vs. Ottawa.....On paper the Sens should be crushing the Bolts, but they don't play the playoffs on paper. In game 1 the Sens scored 4 unanswered goals in the 3rd period and appeared to be in command from shortly after the start of the game on. But in game 2 the Sens couldn't get out of their way and lost the game 4 - 3, a game the Sens lead twice. Prior to taking over the goaltending duties from injured Dominic Hasek the only thing I knew about Ottawa goalie Ray Emery was that he once ate a cockroach to win a $500 bet. But he's playing solid, his defense has just been letting him down. But I think the Bolts are too injury riddled to make a run. Sens in 6.

Calgary vs. Anaheim.....Odd man rushes are KILLING the Flames, they gave up 4 in game 2 alone. The series is tied at 1 but if it wasn't for goalie Miikka Kiprusoff they'd be down 2 games to zip. The Flames have a kid named Dion Phaneuf who is a phenomenal young offensive defenseman, he had a goal in game 2, but he takes too many chances. Don't abandon your post unless you know someone else will cover it kid!! The Ducks are playing well too, especially Scott Niedermayer who may be the most underrated defenseman in the league. I'm going to take the Flames in 7 but this one could go either way.