T-Mac Back!

-Ryan Rubin

Flashback ten years ago, and you will meet a 23 year old rising NBA star, Tracy McGrady. Just 6 years into his NBA career, McGrady was already featured in SLAM Magazine’s “Top 75 Players of All-Time,” and was a human highlight real who posterized defenders, hit clutch shots, and scored at will. Ten years later, Tracy McGrady is a 7 time NBA All-Star, 2 time Scoring Champion, 2 time All-NBA First Team member, and up until April 16, 2013, a member the Chinese Basketball Association’s Qingado Eagles. However, today is a new day for Tracy McGrady, as the San Antonio Spurs made an end of the season free agent pickup to add the 33 year old former super-star to there roster to compete for an NBA championship. Now that McGrady has finally landed on the number 2 seed Spurs, many critics are already asking “will Tracy McGrady rise up to the occasion and get his first NBA tittle, or will his previous injuries come back to haunt him, and send him into permanent retirement?”

T-Mac returns to the NBA just in time for the playoffs.

To understand why the Spurs made sports headlines across the world with there acquisition of Tracy McGrady, any reader must understand who Tracy McGrady is, and what he has accomplished. Coming straight out of high school, McGrady was selected with the 9th overall pick of the 1997 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. Playing alongside his third cousin, Vince Carter, McGrady participated in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest, averaged 15.4 points per game, and even lead the Raptors to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. His tenure in Toronto only lasted 3 seasons, as in 2000 the Orlando Magic traded for McGrady in exchange for a first round pick. Immediately, McGrady took over the Orlando Magic while earning himself an All-Star selection, his second playoff appearance, and the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. The following season McGrady advanced to the playoffs yet again, and even was selected to his second All-Star game, and first appearance on the All-NBA First Team. If his progression hasn’t impressed critics yet, McGrady silenced them in the 2002-2003 season. Besides making the All-NBA First Team and All-Star team again, McGrady made history by averaging an astonishing 32.1 points per game to successfully capture the NBA scoring tittle, making him the youngest player to do so since the merger of the NBA and ABA in 1976. From then on, McGrady played one more season in Orlando where he again captured the NBA scoring tittle, and scored a career high 62 points in a single game.

McGrady then got traded to the Houston Rockets in a multi-player blockbuster deal, which included Steve Francis, Juwan Howard, and more. In Houston, McGrady expanded his public image through endorsements by Adidas, staring in several commercials, and appearing on the cover of NBA Live 07. His game also flourished as McGrady earned himself several more All-Star game selections, All-NBA Second and Third Team rights, and stellar stats. As McGrady dominated the regular season, McGrady soon became plagued with unlucky playoff appearances, and injuries. Tracy was never able to go past the second round only once in his career. As McGrady continued to fail in the post season, his body deteriorated at a tremendous rate. Constant knee surgeries and back problems, McGrady lost his ability to electrify the court like he once did, and failed to live up to the hype he once created for himself. In 2009 McGrady’s time in Houston was finally up. He then attempted to resurrect his career in New York, Detroit and Atlanta. All of these attempts failed, and help make a strong argument to support that despite McGrady’s early success, he is not entitled to a Hall of Fame selection.

Let’s fast forward to present day in mid-April 2013, where Tracy McGrady was playing basketball in the Chinese Basketball Association for the Qingado Eagles. Averaging an impressive 25 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game, and 5.1 assists per game, McGrady proved he was capable of playing the game he once dominated. April 16, 2013, the San Antonio Spurs announced that they signed Tracy McGrady to help them beat out the tough Western Conference, and take the 2013 NBA championship.

 

The Spurs had a great season, as they currently hold the number 2 seed in the Western Conference. But alike the past three years, the Spurs seem to be getting worse at the wrong time. The Spurs are bruised up and rattled from a tough season. The Spurs are lead by two future Hall of Famers, coach Greg Poppvich and big man Tim Duncan. But beyond those stars, the Spurs main contributors have shown sudden weakness. Clutch shooting guard Manu Ginobilli has been rattled up for the past couple of weeks, All-Star point guard Tony Parker has been injured, and young assets Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green are showing maturity issues.

Both looking for a championship, the Spurs and Tracy McGrady signed a contract for the remaining of the season on April 17, 2013. McGrady isn’t the player he used to be, and there’s no surprise he’ll be coming off the bench playing limited minutes. However, McGrady’s experience and scoring potential could be extremely helpful in the playoffs. If he’s able to effectively under Popovich’s system, McGrady could give the Spurs anywhere from 8 to 16 points off the bench. These points may not seem that big in playoff time, but for a bench player coming on the court in the mid second and third quarter, these numbers can give the Spurs the push they need to succeed.

 With Tracy McGrady’s arrival on the Spurs, there’s a number of “what ifs.” But with the drive to win, and exceptional play off the bench in Greg Popovich’s system, McGrady can come alive in key moments for the Spurs. In a time period with uncertainty and a tough matchup against the Lakers in the first round, Tracy McGrady has the potential to be the unlikely hero to save the day for the San Antonio Spurs.

State of the Knicks

-Ross Perlow-Hansen

J.R. Smith is trying to get the Knicks back to their winning ways.

The Knicks this year… what to say first, well they exceeded my expectations.  Unfortunately as we know they are crippled by injuries.  It is frustrating but expected because the team is older.  Also, from last year we knew Amar’e Stoudemire was an injury liability.  If the Knicks were healthier this year there would be a greater chance at them winning it all. I just don’t see the Knicks doing it this year with teams who are hungry like Oklahoma City Thunder.  The bright spot is that Carmelo Anthony is scoring 27.5 points per game and that J.R. Smith is playing his heart out and shooting almost 17 points per game.  It’s not like the Knicks aren’t trying. They have been clutch this year at times but at other times you could be scratching your head saying how did they lose to the Toronto Raptors? Also, Coach Mike Woodson has been doing a great job in my opinion.  To his critics I would say that he has owned up to letting the team slip and can’t do much with such a greatly injured starting lineup.  Overall, it has been a stable, above .500 year for the Knicks.  You can only look to build on the success of the revamped team. My final thought is that hopefully the Knicks will make the semifinals this year which will help the team’s confidence going into next year.  Don’t worry Knicks fans, things can only get better from here and who knows, maybe they will do the unpredictable this year and win it all.

 

Is Joe Flacco Worth $120 Million Dollars?

-Ryan Rubin


There’s no question Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was tremendous in the 2012-2013 NFL postseason as he led the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory over the 49ers. Over the years, the 6’6” 245 pound athlete from the University of Delaware has transformed his game immensely. Flacco has been able to take advantage of his incredibly strong arm, and develop one of the best deep balls in the NFL today. A championship ring and Super Bowl MVP on his shoulder, the Ravens have rewarded there star quarterback with a record setting six-year contract worth over $120 million dollars. This huge contract now makes Flacco the highest paid quarterback in NFL history. As he did have a more than impressive win in Super Bowl XLVII, many have come to question if Flacco is even worthy of one of the most lucrative contracts in the history of football.


How much money is Joe Flacco really worth?

Coming into the season, most football fans would expect the Ravens to come out with a vengeance after a blown touchdown and field goal in the final seconds of the 2011-2012 AFC Championship game. However, the Ravens ended with an above average 10-6 record. Joe Flacco wasn’t too spectacular either as he ranked just 12th in quarterback ratings and tied for 15th touchdowns amongst the league. Throwing 22 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and having a passer rating of 46.8, Flacco looked like an average quarterback on a good team.


Headlined by the Ravens 13 time Pro Bowler, and 2 time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Ray Lewis’ announced retirement, the Ravens brought life back into Baltimore come playoff time. The Ravens battled and fought there way through the tough AFC, including wins over the Colts, Broncos, and the former AFC champions, the New England Patriots. Then the Ravens took out the San Francisco 49ers to take Super Bowl XLVII, and give both Joe Flacco his first Super Bowl ring, and Ray Lewis’s last. The most eye-popping stats of all belong to Flacco though. Flacco through an extraordinary 11 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions throughout the entire postseason. Yes, that’s right, 0 interceptions! And to top it all off, his quarterback rating throughout the entire postseason nearly doubled his regular season total with 83.6 overall, and 95.1 in the Super Bowl game. Joe Flacco’s near perfect Super Bowl performance more than earned him a Super Bowl ring and Super Bowl MVP, but put him on the front cover of every newspaper nation wide, and put him in the conversation for top 5 quarterbacks in the league. His journey from the University of Delaware to the Super Bowl MVP quarterback is one of a kind.


In his rookie year, Joe Flacco signed a five-year contract worth around $30 million dollars, $8.75 million of which was guaranteed. More than suiting for a average quarterback, after Flacco picked up his game, and had a more than memorable performance in the 2011-2012 AFC championship game loss, a contract extension was looming. But as news broke out that Flacco’s agents and the Ravens were very far away from the deal, his future in Baltimore was suddenly is limbo. In fact, at the begininng of the 2012-2013 season, Flacco and his agents rejected a new contract worth $16 million dollars a year, citing that he believes he could earn more. His Super Bowl season definitely raised that $16 million dollar mark much higher. But when reports came out on March 1 saying Flacco had signed a six-year contract worth over $120 million dollars, the sports world starred in amazement. Joe Flacco has become the highest paid quarterback in NFL history, and is currently set to make more than superstars Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady. 


Now the highest paid quarterback in the history of the NFL, Joe Flacco is on top of the sports world right now. But is Joe Flacco really worth $120 million dollars? The answer is no. As spectacular as Flacco played throughout this postseason, Flacco’s regular season stats are simply average, and is just not at the same level skill wise as some of the other top quarterbacks in the league like Aaron Rodgers. Flacco’s value on the Baltimore Ravens is not in question, and especially with the Ravens leader Ray Lewis retiring, there going to need all the leadership he can get. Still, Flacco is not a $120 million dollar quarterback until he shows he can compete with the superstars all season long.


Readers might be asking themselves right now, “If Joe Flacco isn’t worth $120 million dollars, where does he stand amongst all other quarterbacks?” Well Flacco has certainly put himself in the top 10 this year. In his defense, he now has a ring to prove it. But he doesn’t put up the same types of numbers as the top 5 quarterbacks. In no particular order, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Eli Manning are all better than him. They put up top 5 caliber stats every year, and have either one or multiple rings to prove so. Now that Flacco isn’t the top 5, where does he go next? Still, Flacco is behind 2 time Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger, and just behind his other 2008 draftee Matt Ryan. Ryan played absolutely phenomenal this year, as he led the Falcons to a 13-3 record, earning them the number 1 seed in the NFC. Let’s not forget to mention that besides having better regular season stats then Flacco, Ryan was also one game from the Super Bowl. After Ryan comes Flacco at the number 8 spot. In fact, even at the number 8 spot, he still isn’t safe. He has his competeting super bowl quarterback Collin Kaepernick right behind him. Especially with the loss of wide receiver Anquan Boldin, it’s going to be a tough year for Flacco. Yes, he peeks the top 10, but his regular season performance is not consistent enough to land him in the top 5.


Let’s reflect: Joe Flacco had a interception-less post season, a Super Bowl ring, and a Super Bowl MVP. Nevertheless, his regular season stats don’t add up to make him a top 5 quarterback in the league. Joe Flacco deserved a significant contract extension, but his six-year $120 million dollar contract making him the highest paid quarterback in the NFL just isn’t right. Any fan can respect Flacco, and he has a bright future ahead of him that has potential to live up to his contract. But right now as it stands, he isn’t at the top 5 level, and will burden the Ravens come free agency and draft time when they want to sign big name players, but will have to cut back due to giving Flacco too much money.

The Yankees Do Have Problems But They Can Be Fixed Easily and Cheaply

It has been one of the most difficult stretches in recent history for the New York Yankees. It all started after being eliminated by the Detroit Tigers in last year's ALCS with concern about Derek Jeter's ankle injury suffered earlier in that series. Then add on the controversy that is Alex Rodriguez with not only more reports of steroid use but also a hip injury that could not get operated on for weeks after and the loss of Russell Martin as well as many of the players that helped the bombers in 2012 and you already were concerned about the team in 2013 but it doesn't end there. Also factor in the Toronto Blue Jays getting as many as four All-Star caliber players in the offseason (Jose Reyes, R.A Dickey, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle) plus how good the Rays & Orioles were last season and before pitchers and catchers even report the Yankees were considered something you rarely associate with them: "underdogs".

Now with less than three weeks remaining until Opening Day the Yankees find themselves with some serious question marks after losing both Curtis Granderson (broken forearm) and Mark Teixeira (sprained wrist) for at least the first month of the season. Normally the first month of the season, you would say eh, no big deal right? Well, not exactly. See both these injuries can easily be re-aggravated if Granderson and/or Teixeira come back too soon or swing awkwardly. This is why the Yankees must make a move. What kind? An important one that will help them this season, yet still keep them at the all important $189 million cap for 2014. Who exactly can accomplish both of these factors? Two names come to mind

1. Justin Morneau of the Twins: Why?

• with just one-year left on his contract he would not affect the Yankees goal for 2014.
• he would serve as more than just a replacement at 1B for Teixeira. He can DH for Travis Hafner who will likely be on the DL at least once in 2013.
• Morneau also improves your bench which was a strength for the team in 2012.

2. Michael Cuddyer of the Rockies: Why?

•  one key word: versatility. Something that is lacking from the current lineup. Cuddyer can play 1B, 3B and the outfield.
• a right handed bat that has had success in the American League.
• Only two years remain on his contract.

The Yankees have three weeks to figure out how they can help their team not only for the first month of 2013 but the whole season because an OF of Rivera/Diaz, Gardner & an infield of potentially Youkilis at 3B, Dan Johnson at 1B & Cervelli/Stewart at C is unacceptable for Yankee standards and the Yankee fans who will be paying a ton of money to see, what is right now a team that is not only a third or fourth in the AL East team but a non-playoff team. But again, while the Yankees do have problems, it can be fixed easily and cheaply which is the best thing for the team.

-Johnny Montalbano

-Follow Johnny on Twitter @MontalbanoNY

-Listen to Johnny on "Review and Preview" every Monday 4-6pm ET on WCWPSports.org.

Mets Spring Training

-Ross Perlow-Hansen  

Travis d'Arnaud is making a splash early in the spring.

 

The Mets have a new look this year and exciting young talent.  The talent that the Mets acquired was catcher and MLB.COM’s No. 7 top prospect Travis d’Arnaud, starting pitcher Zack Wheeler and Jenrry Mejia.  However, the Mets’ luck has put them in a predicament.  Wheeler suffered an oblique injury and Mejia got lit up recently allowing a grand slam. d’Arnaud is making quite the positive splash in spring training. That being said, the Mets are looking better than last year.  The fact that David Wright signed a long term contract recently only helps their chances in the season.  Also, pitcher Matt Harvey, who played at the end of the season last year, looks good in this year’s spring training. Now I will say this, the Mets need to keep their young players healthy and continue to make smart decisions when it comes to trading a player.  I know from just watching Wheeler pitch when he is healthy that he is really good and could go deep into innings when they need him.  I have faith in the Mets in the long run that they could be a winning team and have the potential to be a pitching power-house.  Don’t worry Mets fans there is hope, you just have to wait a few more years for these young players to develop.

LIU Post Senior Day!

Tomorrow is Senior Day for the women's and men's basketball teams at LIU Post. Earlier today, Lady Pioneers color commentator David Otero talked to the seniors of Head Coach Deirdre Moore's team this season: Ashley Caggiano, Nicolette Marciniak and Samantha Kopp. The trio talked about what Senior Day means to them, the upcoming game against NYIT, the regular season as a whole, and what their time at LIU Post (both on and off the court) has been like. Take a listen!

 

Matt Soldano, Pioneers play-by-play man, also sat down with the trio of seniors from the men's team: Tobin Carberry, Billy Butler and Jon Schofield. Here is their conversation!



Be sure to tune into 88.1 FM and WCWP.org tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. for pregame for the Lady Pioneers. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The men have a scheduled start for 3:30 p.m. in the final home regular season game of the year!

Frank Martin Bashes Own Team!

Frank Martin is the head coach for the University of South Carolina's men's basketball team. This is his first season at the helm for the Gamecocks who own a 12-12 record. Martin, well-known for displaying his emotions on the sideline during games as well as during post-game interviews, was "embarrassed" after what has transpired over the past month involving the play of his basketball team. The Gamecocks have lost five games in a row, and seven of their last eight.


In the clip above, Martin completely bashes his own team after an ugly 64-46 loss to LSU. I mean, he completely tears his team to pieces...shreds it!


Some  notable quotes:
1) "I've never been more embarrassed to call myself a basketball coach."

2) "If you take Bruce Ellington off our team, you'd probably have the 12 leading candidates for the Return of the Living Dead."

3) "The desire to play is not there. I've always taken pride to get guys to do what I ask them to do. And right now that's not happening. And they didn't bring me here to create a bigger problem. They brought me here to fix a problem. And I'm not doing a very good job of that right now."

4) "If this was the NBA we'd fine them, we'd take their money, we'd release them, and say 'Good luck ever finding another job.' It's not the NBA. We're an education, so somehow, someway we have to reach them. But it's embarrassing."

5) "We lead the country in air-ball layups. Guys can't make layups it's hard to win."

6) "If I had Jacob Pullen, Rodney McGruder, Denis Clemente, Brent Wright, Sylbrin Robinson, Udonis Haslem, Steve Blake, Jose Baseu, Gimel Martinez, Allen Edwards, Steve Edwards, Doug Edwards, I don't know, any of those guys...if I had any of them on my team, then I'd have a guy I could trust on my team."


In the final quote, Martin rattles off several of his former players who gave energy, passion and fire on a consistent basis during games. The only thing I'm wondering now is after a press conference of this magnitude where your coach rips the team apart, how do the players respond? Positive? Negative? How would you respond if you were a player on South Carolina??

-David Otero

Follow David on Twitter: @David_ODog and listen to the Sportswire weeknights at 6 p.m. on 88.1 FM and WCWP.org!

Jets New Coaching Staff

Today the Jets have their new coaching staff. After hash debate Rex Ryan is still the head coach even with the switch of the Jets GM. Dave DeGuglielmo has been fired after one season with the team. Replacing Dave is Mike Devlin as a tight-end coach-assistant and the Jets hired Louie Aguiar as an offensive line coach. Also on Rex Ryan's coaching staff are tight ends coach Steve Hagen, assistant offensive line coach Ron Heller, assistant strength and conditioning coach Pierre Ngo, and assistant defensive line/linebackers coach Jeff Weeks. We will see if this new coaching staff will cause the Jets to get more wins. 

Lance Armstrong Cheated His Way to the Top

-Charlie Moerler



Lance Armstrong has confessed to using PED's during career.

Lance Armstrong’s career will not matter much anymore after he confessed yesterday to Oprah Winfrey. He confessed to using performance enhancing drugs throughout his career. What bothers me is that Armstrong denied repeatedly ever using them even when he knows he did and he knows that the drugs helped him win his seven Tour De France titles. Perhaps the worst part of this whole situation is the many people who were right about Armstrong and he would say they were wrong and go after them because they were right.

On the premiere episode of “60 Minutes Sports” on Showtime, Travis Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti Doping Agency, talked about Armstrong giving the agency a generous donation to try and keep the fraud going. Armstrong tried to make this donation in 2004 and it was in the range of $150,000 to a quarter of a million. Tygart also said that Armstrong would try to intimidate other riders into using the PED’s he was using to get ahead or he would also intimidate people who were going to tell the truth about Armstrong and his use of PED’s. For example, Tygart said in the interview that one of the people who told the truth to a grand jury went to a party that same day and Armstrong sent a threatening text message to his wife.

Lance Armstrong was hoping that all the information about his use of PED’s would never come to light. Well now it has and a once well-respected athlete will now have his career tarnished forever. Armstrong did this all his own and has nobody to blame but himself. I personally think Armstrong should apologize to the people he has hurt over the years and come clean about everything he has done. 

BIG CHANGES IN BIG “D”

-Bryan Gallucci

After two failed seasons in Dallas, finishing each of the seasons at 8-8, it was only a matter of time until Jerry Jones started to make the coaching staff “uncomfortable.” First Jones started with running backs coach Skip Peete. I don’t put a lot of stock in a running backs coach anyway. But the most surprising move that Jones made was firing defensive coordinator Rob Ryan; many people have called him “head coach Rob Ryan”, but I didn’t think he got a fair shake in Dallas. You have to remember, he lost Sean Lee and Bruce Carter who were vital to the defense, also not having Jay Ratliff on a consistent basis up the middle didn’t help either.

Jerry Jones is is definitely making his coaching staff uncomfortable!

So now the answer on defense is 73 year old Monte Kiffin, who has had success in the NFL running his “Tampa 2” defense, which means changing around the whole defensive scheme. Dallas goes from 3-4 defense to 4-3 defense, which means DeMarcus Ware becomes a defensive end, Sean Lee moves to middle linebacker, and Bruce Carter goes to outside linebacker. One person that would love the move would be Jay Ratiff, if he can stay healthy.


One note on the offensive side of the ball is that head coach Jason Garrett maybe looking for an offensive coordinator. Now I believe this move should have been done two years ago, that's here nor there, but whom will that name be? Norv Turner, the former San Diego Chargers head coach, is a possible replacement, but all reports see him heading to Cleveland. Should be an interesting offseason in Dallas; let’s see how “uncomfortable” it really gets….