Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Zion Williamson, Thicker Than Most

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A basketball looks more aerodynamic than Zion Williamson.  Since his days at Duke, he’s punished the scales whenever stepping on them as his 6’7 frame carries 284 pounds of “reported” diesel.   

 

One of the dilemmas with New Orleans’ star forward pushing maximum density is he is not a 7-footer, despite being an athletic marvel.  Even if he was a pivot, weighing so much is not necessary.  It doesn’t take a medical professional to point out the extra armor he is carrying on to the court is probably slowing him down and causing unnecessary stress on his lower body. 

 

With respect to Williamson, he may have developed the extra mass while rehabilitating from injuries, which has resulted in him playing 85 games in two seasons.  Yet, there were questions about his durability when he entered the league.  His participation in Summer League didn’t last 10 minutes before bruising his left knee.  He also tore his right meniscus in his rookie preseason, which caused a postponement for his real debut until January of 2020.

 

On draft night 2019, Williamson was listed at 285 pounds.  It was an alarming number then, but he managed to get away with it as his arms still looked massive and defined.  At media day on *Sept. 27,* #1 posed for a photo, spinning a ball on his fingertips, but the image captured is knight-and-day when it’s observed next to the same picture taken two years ago. 

 

Williamson’s face looks puffier, and his arms aren’t as chiseled, but somehow he is still listed at the same weight of his rookie season. He’s rehabbing again, but this time for a surgery he had on his right foot during the summer, which will cause him to miss the start of the team’s campaign.  There is no timetable for a return, per ESPN.  

 

I don’t claim to be a doctor, but with an ailment to his extremities limiting him, maybe Williamson should work on abdominal exercises to slim down his waist.  One would think less weight up top means fewer issues downstairs. 

 

In 2021, Williamson earned All-Star honors.  Of the 27 players who received the title, Williamson was the heaviest, and he is the height of a guard and small forward.   

 

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For Williamson and the Pelicans, the upcoming campaign has enormous expectations.  In his first two seasons, New Orleans had a realistic chance of making the playoffs, despite the extensive time their star forward missed or with the addition of the league mulligan known as the play-in-tournament. 

 

 In both tries, Nola failed to reach the postseason, and the coaches’ heads rolled after each of those years.  The Pelicans needed a fresh start after Alvin Gentry.  David Griffin miscalculated when he hired Stan Van Gundy as his replacement.  First-year head coach Willie Green now holds command, and the anvil placed on his shoulders this year is massive.  

 

With Williamson eligible for a contract extension at season’s end, it’s imperative for the Pelicans to grab a playoff spot without competing in the play-in-tournament.  New Orleans’ worst-case scenario would be if Williamson refuses a new deal and shows a willingness to enter restricted free agency in summer 2023. A hot start and continued success might be the only way the Pelicans can avoid such a fate, but the odds are stacked against them as long as Williamson isn’t available.   

Breaking down potential power play lines for the Florida Panthers

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During the 2020-2021 NHL season, the Florida Panther’s power play was average at best. By the end of the season the Cats finished right in the middle of the league as the 15th best power play with a 20.53% conversion rate. Come playoff time the power play percentage jumped up, seeing the team go 27.27% from the man advantage, getting six goals in 22 attempts during the first round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. As the 2021-2022 season approaches, the power play is going to look a little different from the end of the previous season. I’m going to talk about a few different options the Panther’s can run on the power play this season.

After Aaron Ekblad was sidelined for the season from injury, the Panther’s special teams looked lost on the 5-on-4. Keith Yandle had to reassume the role of power play quarterback and it didn’t go too well. Florida’s zone entries were extremely predictable; Yandle would carry the puck from behind the net, make a telegraphed drop pass from the far blueline and hope that the other team wouldn’t know what was happening for the hundredth time that season. When the Panthers were able to enter the zone, they often tried to force cross ice passes that often got intercepted. There were a handful of games that saw the Panthers concede short handed goals from their lackluster “man advantage”.

Five Top Picks

This season, the Panthers once again have Ekblad as their power play QB and Yandle has taken his services to Philadelphia. With that, the top power play unit will look different. No team in the NHL can field what Florida can on the PP; put five top-four draft picks on the ice at once. After acquiring Sam Reinhart in the off-season, Florida could put Aaron Ekblad (1st overall, 2014), Aleksander Barkov (2nd overall, 2013) Sam Reinhart (2nd overall, 2014), Jonathan Huberdeau (3rd overall, 2011) and Sam Bennett (4th overall, 2014) all on the power play at the same time. Florida had run this five man PP unit in practice during training camp, and according to George Richards of Florida Hockey Now, “it looks scary good”.

While running this rotation, Barkov would be your center, Huberdeau would be on  one of the wings and Ekblad would be the lone man on the blue line. One of Reinhart or Bennett would start the power play on the point and slide to the end boards once the Panthers retain control of the puck. This would have one guy at the point, two along the end boards on the wing, one guy in front of the net, who should be Bennett because of his size and one guy below the goal line who creeps towards the front of the net. I’d want to see Huberdeau down here because of his craftiness with the puck in tight spaces. 

Obviously on the man advantage there’s more space, which will have the players moving consistently, but this basic type of “umbrella” power play allows for shots to be fired from all angles of the ice and have one to two players crashing for rebounds in front of the crease.

The addition of Reinhart is going to be deadly for the Cats while running this set. After scoring 20 plus goals for five seasons in Buffalo, the 25-year-old will feast when he has Huberdeau, Ekblad and Barkov feeding him pucks in the slot. If you watched Reinhart throughout his 

career, you could see how good of a shot he has. On the other side you’ll have the captain Barkov, who is always dangerous with the puck. Since Barkov can shoot and pass without hesitation, he’s going to draw the attention of the other team’s penalty killers, which could leave a Panther open. At the top they’ll have Ekblad walking the blue line trying to find open players and shooting lanes. Before his injury last season, he had 11 power play points in 35 games. 

 

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Second Unit

Despite having so much fire power on the first unit, they can’t stay on the ice for the full duration of the powerplay. Luckily Florida is so deep at the forward position they’ll be able to put out a second power play unit that wouldn’t miss a beat. Carter Verhaeghe is going to be a mainstay on the powerplay this year for Florida after scoring 36 points in 43 games last season. Alongside him I would put Owen Tippett and Frank Vatrano on the ice. Tippett has become more confident in his game since making the jump into Florida’s top-six last season, playing on a line with Huberdeau and Bennett. Like Reinhart from unit one, Tippett can snipe the puck, which is why he will be on the wing for this PP. Vatrano’s speed and ability to score in clutch situations will pair nicely with Verhaeghe, so he will be on the opposite wing from Tippett.

Up front there’s two options I would consider looking at right now. The first one is Patric Hornqvist. When Hornqvist joined the team last season, he brought something that the powerplay didn’t previously have. A feisty net front presence. Nothing gets under a goalie’s skin more than someone who is sitting at the top of their crease and screening them while they try to track the puck. Hornqvist does exactly that and it fires up the rest of the team to keep pushing for opportunities in front of goal. Another option here would be Anthony Duclair. With his foot speed and skill with the puck, zone entries on the rush would be extremely efficient with Duclair on the power play. While he doesn’t bring that net front presence like Hornqvist, he will have more skill with the puck in the lower areas of the zone, which could help open up the other players.

For the defenseman on this unit, there are quite a few options. Florida has given Brandon Montour a few looks on the power play last season and in practice this year. He is good at jumping in the rush and controlling the puck in the offensive zone. MacKenzie Weegar could also be in consideration at some point during the season on the power play. Weegar has continued to elevate his game on both sides of the puck, and is becoming more of an offensive threat at this point in his career after scoring 36 points last season. Put him at the top of this power play unit and I see him filling out a similar role to Ekblad on PP1, quarterback of the powerplay. He looks more and more like a top defenseman and his confidence is through the roof, this could be a good move for Florida. Another player I wouldn’t count out here is Gustav Forsling. If Florida is running one defenseman on this power play unit I don’t think Forsling would get the nod over Weegar or Montour, but if they wanted to run two defenseman, his speed kills and it would make offensive zone entries and defensive transitions a lot easier for the Panthers. 

The quality of players Florida has on their roster truly makes their special teams combinations endless. I had mentioned 13 players as potential guys to look for on the power play this year and I kept the likes of Anton Lundell and Joe Thornton off the list, both of whom could potentially find some PP time during the season. Florida is going to have two very skilled power play units to cycle through this year.

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Living on Irving Island

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It won’t be a surprise if Kyrie Irving‘s attitude costs the Nets their best chance at a championship. To date, Nash has defended Irving in front of the press, but the former two-time MVP’s patience is tested every day while he supports the star guard’s decision to avoid the COVID-19 vaccine.

 

Whenever Brooklyn’s coach addresses media inquiries about Irving’s status, his body language screams he would rather be anywhere else than answering questions about a man who does not respect his instructor. 

 

Teammates have not thrown him under the bus either despite Irving’s unacceptable actions.  But GM Sean Marks drew a line in the sand with his statement Tuesday that Irving will not practice or play until he can be a full-time participant, per the Athletic. 

 

Management’s ultimatum puts the ball in Irving’s hands to do the right thing.  Still, his reluctance to do what everyone else on the team has done is a distraction and an indication that Irving is a walking contradiction.  

 

Brooklyn’s lead guard is known for acts of generosity.  He has given six-figure donations to food banks and personal protective gear to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe during the pandemic, where he is an honorary member, and for his support of women’s professional basketball.  These initiatives paint the picture of a man who is not afraid to show empathy, but his anti-vaccination stance and the ramifications that come with it counter his good deeds.  

 

The pandemic has claimed the lives of 4.5 million people worldwide, but Irving thinks taking the shot or even revealing he has is a personal matter.  He even whined that his privacy should be respected.  It would be nice if Irving could explain to everyone why all those dead people are a partisan issue beneath him.  Unfortunately, it will probably never happen because when Irving is tested on anything, he goes off on a pseudo-intellectual rant that’s almost incomprehensible. 

 

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He’s the same guy who thought it was hilarious because the fans and media were curious why he said the earth was flat four years ago.  He did not understand that as a public figure, unfortunately, people will listen to what he has to say just because he dribbles a basketball.  Worse yet, some will think that a man who went to school on an athletic scholarship for a semester before going pro is a revolutionary thinker.   

 

Thus far, the mercurial guard has missed the first three preseason games.  The first in Los Angeles was a coaching decision. The second exhibition was in Brooklyn against Milwaukee, where he couldn’t play because of New York City ordinance. The third was in Philadelphia and he was not with the team.  These games are relatively meaningless and count only for making sure the players aren’t fat and that teammates develop timing and chemistry.  

 

The regular season is approaching on Oct. 19, and there is no sign that he will vaccinate.  If that’s the game #11 wants to play, the Nets should fine him for every game he misses.  Executive Director of the Players Association Michele Roberts told the New York Daily News the Players Union did not agree to dock pay for missed games for an athlete who is not vaccinated, but that it is the position of the league that it can.  

 

The Nets should fine him anyway.  If the Players Union has an issue with that, then both parties should settle it in court.  If it gets there, Brooklyn’s conscience should be clear.  Irving made it ugly. 

 

Road to the Orange Bowl: The purpose of the conference championship game

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Ever since the College Football Playoff was established in 2014, the conference championship game has been reduced to being nothing more than the method of propping up the flag carrier. Look no further than the Big 12. The lack of a title game left out TCU and Baylor in the first year of the new era. It is the only Power 5 conference to have a title game without divisions, meaning the top two teams in the standings play for the crown. 

It’s basically a bonus ranked game for Oklahoma, whom has won the conference championship every year since 2015. We all got a sequel of the Red River Rivalry in 2018 because of it and this year might bring back-to-back Bedlam. Both No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 12 Oklahoma State are currently undefeated.

Pac-12

The Pac-12 is another example of a conference that needs the perfect matchup in the title game to give them a chance in the playoff. One of things I personally love about the Pac-12 is the parity, nearly every game is competitive. Unfortunately, the CFP committee doesn’t look at parity too kindly. Which means the top two teams need to meet for the conference title game for their best chance at crashing the party. 

No. 9 Oregon and No. 18 Arizona State are both on top of their respective divisions and won face each other unless they meet in the title game. The Ducks lost to Stanford in overtime but the Sun Devils avoided the Cardinal’s attempt at a second consecutive upset with a 28-10 blowout win on Friday. 

Oregon should win its remaining six games as there are no ranked teams left on the schedule. An early season win over No. 3 Ohio State served as the only ranked matchup and victory for the Ducks. That makes playing Arizona State in the title game important. The Sun Devils have gone 1-1 in ranked matchups but are one of two teams with perfect conference records in the Pac-12. That will change this week when ASU takes on Utah.

It is in the Pac-12’s best interest to have both Oregon and Arizona State meet in the conference title game without another loss. But will that be enough to distinguish the winner with Cincinnati?

AAC

Cincinnati has so far backed its perfect regular season last year with a 5-0 record including a win over No. 9 Notre Dame. The No. 3 Bearcats only have one more ranked matchup remaining in the schedule, assuming No. 23 SMU doesn’t lose until then. It would be interesting to see if the committee will respect Cincinnati’s victories or gradually move the Bearcats down the rankings.

SEC

Alabama has been so good for so long the Crimson Tide basically goes into every year with a +1 handicap.

The fact that they lost on the road to Texas A&M on the road by a field goal will not derail their playoff chances, especially when they run through the remaining six games of the schedule, which consists of a road game at Mississippi State, four straight home games and Auburn on the road, which is always tricky.

What the loss does do is eliminate the nightmare scenario in which a SEC Championship Game between Alabama and Georgia would result with both teams going to the playoffs regardless of the outcome. If No. 1 Georgia were to win that matchup then a two-loss Alabama team will be left out.

 Big Ten

With Iowa beating Penn State, a battle between No. 3 and No. 4, the No.2 Hawkeyes serve as the top opponent for whomever emerges from the Big Ten East. Both Michigan and Michigan State remain undefeated, which makes their incoming matchup a highly anticipated affair. Ohio State already has a loss on its record but is a perfect 3-0 in conference play. The path for all three and even Penn State would be to win out and defeat Iowa for the conference title. There is a guarantee that the playoff committee will award the Big Ten with a playoff spot just like it will for the SEC. 

ACC

With the fall of Clemson, the ACC has largely been forgotten in the playoff conversation. It be time for the nation to accept this version of Wake Forest for what it is, a high scoring team that will let their opponents catch up, only to make the game more entertaining. The No. 19 Demon Deacons avoided a scare with a 40-37 overtime win at Syracuse. 

No matter who they play, they always seem to score somewhere between 35-42 points. Wake Forest is a fun team to bet the over on. Sadly it may not be enough for a playoff push unless they go undefeated. 

Xavien Howard and the Miami Dolphins defense had a rough time in a 45-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pressure Point: Dolphins’ decline on defense adds to heat on Flores

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As let down as Miami Dolphins followers feel about this 1-4 train wreck of a start to the season, imagine the gut punch for the 81-year-old team owner.

Steve Ross went all in on the Brian Flores/Chris Grier regime leading a rebuilding effort to finally get the Dolphins off the NFL island of lost causes. Instead we are reminded that one 10-win season with a young coach is no basis to declare him a success, as Flores follows the trajectory of predecessor Adam Gase that may lead him to oblivion.

The surprise is that the failings of Flores’ strength as a defensive technician may become his downfall.

Granted, Sunday’s trip to Tampa Bay to face the defending champion Buccaneers wasn’t a likely win. But the 45-17 debacle was an absolute indictment of Flores’ defense, which was supposed to be the cornerstone for improving on a 10-6 season.

There may be no opposing coach with the basis for defending against Tom Brady that Flores has, from all the years they spent on the same sideline in New England. And there was the Dolphins win in the regular-season finale of 2019 – Flores’ first season in Miami – that prematurely ended Brady’s Patriots career.

But Brady at 44 had his way with Flores’ defenders all day Sunday, making it look ridiculously easy while throwing for 411 yards, five touchdowns and a 144.4 passer rating.

The Bucs scored touchdowns on six of nine drives (not counting the final possession when they ran out the clock). They made a field goal, missed one and punted only once.

Dolphins disaster on third down

Perhaps most notable, Tampa Bay converted eight of 11 third-down chances.

But that is simply a continuation of what we have seen all season. Flores’ defense has gone from the best in the NFL on third down in 2020 (31.2 conversion rate) to second worst (54.2 percent) in the first four weeks. That was before the Bucs, missing Rob Gronkowski, converted 72.7 percent on third down.

This Dolphins defense has been a sieve on every down so far this season.

They were sixth in scoring defense last season, allowing 21.1 points a game.

They have given up an average 30.8 through five games this season, which would have all been losses if Xavien Howard hadn’t wrestled a fumble away from the Patriots in the final minutes of the opener.

But Howard was beaten by Antonio Brown for two touchdowns Sunday, including a 62-yard scorcher. Brady fended off the Dolphins’ highly paid cornerback duo of Howard and Byron Jones like a couple of common houseflies.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay averaged 4.8 yards a carry rushing, which made Brady’s task easier.

More from Five Reasons Sports: Brian Flores needs to fix this fast

Dolphins’ offense lacks luster

The offense showed some promise early. It helped to have Preston Williams (three catches for 60 yards) back at wide receiver and Myles Gaskin (99 all-purpose yards, two touchdowns) back in the game plan.

They’re still not getting what was expected of rookie receiver Jaylen Waddle, who has his moments but too many drops.

The bottom line is these Dolphins look like a team in need of a rebuild rather than one in the third year of a complete makeover that was supposed to lead to the playoffs this season.

Granted the schedule looks more favorable the rest of the way (the 0-5 Jaguars next week in London). But the flaws of this team are plentiful and glaring.
Clearly they’ve miscalculated in player evaluation because they are getting pushed around up front and beaten at the skilled positions.

Most damning is the lack of impact so far from the nine draft picks taken in the first two rounds in the past two drafts.

Waddle may yet turn into a star, and fellow 2021 first-rounder Jaelan Phillips is looking better each week (first full sack Sunday). The jury is still out on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who may return next week.

What will owner Ross do as Dolphins sink?

But how patient will octogenarian owner Ross be as he watches another coach/front office combo foundering?

That may be more interesting to watch than anything that transpires on upcoming Sundays. Specifically, will Ross go into damn-the-torpedoes mode and order full-fledged pursuit of Deshaun Watson despite the legal issues hanging over the troubled Houston quarterback?

After all, it’s tough to justify refusing to part with a stockpile of high draft picks if you keep firing blanks year after year and remain mired in the same muck of mediocrity.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on Twitter @CraigDavisRuns

Dolphins Receiver Dilemma: Redemption for Preston Williams?

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The Miami Dolphins play Tom Brady and the Buccaneers this upcoming Sunday; However, the biggest story regarding the Miami Dolphins right now is their 1-3 start.

Many might have not anticipated a 1-3 start in the beginning of the season. The outlook has been bleak ever since the injuries to Tua Tagovailoa, Raekwon Davis and Will Fuller V. It has also been rough water due to losses against the Bills, Raiders, and Colts.

Parker hurt again

There could be another loss this Sunday in Devante Parker. Death, Taxes and Devante Parkers hamstring injuries

Devante Parker was limited on Friday because of his shoulder and hamstring injury and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay.

Parker, who is the most experienced WR for the Dolphins had four catches, 77 yards, and one touchdown. Offensive Coordinator echoed more opportunities should be given to Devante Parker.

If Parker is unable to suit up against the Buccaneers, this is a golden opportunity for Preston Williams to show he is capable of being the “X” receiver.

Redemption Time

Williams, who was a healthy scratch against the Colts, is destined for an increased role on offense this Sunday.

Williams doesn’t boast much utility on special teams, so it was difficult for the Dolphins to justify making him active for the Week 4 loss to the Colts.

The roster now has a different context, however, with Will Fuller going on IR and Jakeem Grant being traded to the Bears.

Albert Wilson has been ineffective the last four games, Williams could have a clear path not only to being active versus Tampa Bay but potentially gaining meaningful snaps against a decimated Buccaneers secondary.

In 2019 where Williams played only 8 games due to a knee injury, showed consistency in making big plays when it mattered. Not to mention using his  6’5  220 lb  frame to get 428 yards. An ankle injury forced Williams to sit out the 2020 season.

The Dolphins will have to rely on Williams in the redzone as he and Mike Gesicki are the only notable pass catchers that create mismatches with their size when the field gets smaller.  Williams, in his short playing career has done most of his damage in the endzone.

If all systems are a go, be on the lookout for the Unicorn.

 

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2021-2022 Florida Panthers Season Preview

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The start of the new NHL season for the Florida Panthers is only a week away and the league should be scared of this year’s Cats team. With key players returning from injury and some new faces in Sunrise, can the Panthers compete for the Stanley Cup? Here is the 2021-2022 Florida Panthers season preview.

Last year the Panthers surprised a lot of people around the league after finishing second place in the Discover Central Division and taking the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions to six games in the first round of the playoffs. After a long off-season, the Cats are back, but Bill Zito and company weren’t going to let other teams get the jump on them for this season. The team made some huge moves in the summer which helped line up their roster for the upcoming year.

And the bookmakers have noticed.

The Panthers are in the top 10 favorites to win the 2022 Stanley Cup. Their current odds are listed at +1800 which is a slight improvement from prior to the preseason games.

It might be worth checking out some of the sportsbooks available for NHL right now before the odds get even better. If they win this season and bets were placed on the current +1800, the payout would be good. There are a bunch of other futures you could find on the sites, just make sure to shop around to find one that gives you the best value.

Forwards

Top Six

The biggest off-season move for the Panthers has to be the acquisition of Sam Reinhart from the Buffalo Sabres. The former second overall pick had five 20 goal seasons in his six full years with Buffalo. At just 25-years-old Reinhart has already scored 295 points in his NHL career, while playing on one of the worst teams in the league. He is expected to start the season on the first line with Carter Verhaeghe and Panthers’ captain Aleksander Barkov. Barkov just won his first career Selke trophy as the best defensive forward in the league and finished the year above a point-per-game. Verhaeghe finished his first year with the Panthers scoring 18 goals and 18 assists in only 43 games, proving to be a consistent scorer for the club. Expect this line to put up a lot of goals, night in and night out.

While Florida’s first line will be a nightmare for any opposition to come against, the second line is arguably just as lethal as the first. This line is led by Florida’s leading scorer last year, Jonathan Huberdeau. Huberdeau has been above a point-per-game player in his last three NHL seasons and has solidified himself as one of the best forwards in today’s game. To start the year on the opposite wing will most likely be 22-year-old Owen Tippett. Florida’s first round pick from 2017 played his first full NHL season last year with the team. After a shaky start to the season which saw him getting limited ice time, Tippett found his game and went on a tear while playing big minutes on Florida’s top-six. In six playoff games last season, he scored four points and has already shown good form this preseason. Down the middle is another former first round pick and potentially the hidden gem of Florida’s forward core; Sam Bennett. Bennett joined the Panthers at the trade deadline last season and immediately made his presence felt in the lineup. He’s a big, aggressive center who not only can lay the body, but can also put the puck in the back of the net. My main critique of the Panthers at the beginning of last season was their lack of physicality up front. With Bennett slotted down the middle, nobody is safe when he’s coming at them.

 

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Depth forwards

The Panther’s top two lines will be carrying the load offensively for the majority of the season, but where the true heart of the team lies is in the bottom-six, or the depth lines.

The third and fourth lines aren’t as clear cut as the first two; there are too many different options the Panthers can field for me to create accurate lines. However, this isn’t a bad thing. Some depth guys this season will include Anthony Duclair, Frank Vatrano and Mason Marchment; all of whom spent time playing on top lines throughout the last few years. Duclair and Vatrano both can be moved up and down the lineup throughout the year, as seen last season. With the speed and skill of Duclair and the clutch late scoring genes within Vatrano, Florida won’t have to continuously depend on Barkov, Reinhart and Huberdeau to provide consistent offense.

Compared to the beginning of last season, a lack of physicality isn’t an issue for the Panthers anymore. Mason Marchment made his debut last year after being acquired from Toronto the season before in the Denis Malgin trade. The 6’4, 210 pound winger is big and will need to lay the body when he is on the ices;. However Marchment isn’t the energy bus of the bottom-six, that would be 5’9 Ryan Lomberg. While he isn’t the most offensively or physically gifted player on the team, Lomberg plays with his heart on his chest. He will drive the net, get into the corners, fight guys twice his size and throw his body everywhere. Both of them played in all six playoff games last season and let their presence be felt.

While this team is composed of mostly guys in their mid twenties, Bill Zito hasn’t been afraid to bring in veterans during his tenure in Sunrise. One of his first moves as GM last off-season was bringing in two-time Stanley Cup champion Patric Hornqvist from Pittsburgh. Hornqvist became a fan favourite and was part of the Panthers’ leadership group last season. This year another long-time NHL vet will be joining him at FLA Live Arena, future Hall of Famer Joe Thornton. Thornton has accumulated over 1,500 NHL points in 1,680 NHL games. Jumbo Joe also has 134 points in 186 career playoff games. 

Florida lost Alexander Wennberg to Seattle in free agency this year, but his replacement is the 2020 first round pick, Anton Lundell. Lundell was a star at last year’s IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship (U-20) and IIHF World Hockey Championship (Seniors) for Finland, leading the Finns in points at both tournaments. He showed that he was a man amongst boys at the World Juniors; his puck moving ability paired with his speed and hockey IQ helped lead Finland to a Bronze medal in Edmonton. Lundell didn’t miss a beat when he got the opportunity to play for the senior national team at the World’s, once again proving he could play with the best in the world. He won a Silver medal for his country in Riga. Lundell is only 20-years-old but the 6’1 Finn is going to be good and playing on the same team with one of the best Finns on the planet Aleksander Barkov will only boost his development. 

Defense

Defense wins championships is a true statement. Look at the bluelines of the last few Stanley Cup winners. Each team had a Norris trophy caliber defenseman. Luckily for Florida Aaron Ekblad is back and looks better than ever after he suffered a season-ending injury against Dallas last season. Before the injury, Ekblad looked as if he would be contending for the Norris. When the number one defenseman on the team went down, it seemed as if Florida was in a tough spot. And then MacKenzie Weegar stepped up and never looked back. Weegar ended the season with 69 Norris trophy votes, the seventh most in the league. For this upcoming season, a healthy Florida D-core would have two elite level defenseman playing on the top pair with Ekblad and Weegar.

The top-two defenseman on the team are set in stone, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more to be excited about. Gustav Forsling joined the Panthers before the start of last season after being waived by the Carolina Hurricanes. When Ekblad went down, Weegar assumed the top defenseman role and Forsling leaped into that number two spot. The Swede is extremely fast on his feet, both with the puck and without. I’d say he is the fastest defenseman on the team. Forsling will command that second unit and he has a few guys that could pair up nicely with him. As of now it looks like Brandon Montour will round out the top-four defense pairs for the Cats. Montour was traded from Buffalo to Florida last season and jumped into the lineup straight away. Both Montour and Forsling have the ability to jump up in the play and create offense from the back-end. The pair also extended with Florida this off-season, each signing three-year contract extensions. 

To round out the defense, the butcher himself Radko Gudas will continue to be a human wrecking ball on the blueline. Gudas led the NHL with 250 hits last year in his first season with the Panthers. The sixth defenseman spot is up in the air as of now, with the likes of Markus Nutivaara and Matt Kiersted in contention. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kevin Connaughton also gets a look.

Goalies

The biggest question heading into next season for the Panthers is between the pipes. With the departure of Chris Driedger, there’s no doubt that Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight will be the two goalies for Florida this season. Yet, we don’t know who the starting goaltender will be for the year. It looks like Bobrovsky will be the starter on opening night and if that’s the case, it will be his net to lose. Spencer Knight is the future of the Florida Panthers goaltending and he did a great job coming in the middle of a playoff series last season and winning the Panthers a game at just 20-years-old. But he is still only 20 and has yet to officially play in his rookie season (didn’t play enough games in 2020-2021). Goalie is the most important position on a hockey team. A hot goaltender can carry you in a series, as we saw last year with Carey Price taking the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final. Even if Bobrovsky is the starter opening night, down the stretch, who will the Panthers call? On one hand you have a two-time Vezina winner with Bob. When he is on his game, he is one of the best in the world. However he hasn’t performed like his former self in his two seasons in Florida. On the other hand Spencer Knight is a rookie playing on a team that could very well compete for the Stanley Cup. Goalies VERY rarely ever make their NHL debut at such a young age, but Knight isn’t a normal goalie; he is a first round pick and a proven winner at the junior level. Only time will tell who is the number one goalie going forward for the Panthers.

Expectations

Looking at this roster, it is extremely deep. The top-six has proven scorers in this league and they seem to be very comfortable playing alongside one another. Every team experiences injuries and setbacks throughout a season. Having guys who can jump in and out of the lineup on the forward side will be a key to the year round success of the team. The defensive core is strong, but after the top-four, it’s not anything special. Having a healthy blueline at the end of the year will be important for the team. Finally, the goaltending. The Panthers could either have two really good goalies, one guy that isn’t living up to expectations, or another long off-season. Can the Panthers win the Cup? Looking at how other contenders are constructed around the league, I do believe Florida should be one of the top-five teams in contention for the Stanley Cup. Then again, the Cats haven’t won a playoff series since 1996 and they are playing in easily the most competitive division in hockey this season, the Atlantic.

Tyler Herro is Primed for a Bounce Back Season

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The 2021-22 season is a brand new start for so many players on the Miami Heat. Some of them are newcomers, while others are familiar faces with something to prove. The trials and tribulations of an embattled second season are behind guys like Kyle Lowry, Bam Adebayo, and Duncan Robinson. But for Tyler Herro, a player entering his third season, he sees an opportunity to show everyone what he’s truly made of.

To look forward to the future, we must first examine the past path of the young guard out of Kentucky. Herro would have to abruptly stop the rookie campaign that saw him post a solid 13-4-2 line while shooting 38% from 3 on 5 attempts a game. An unprecedented pandemic forced everyone to readjust their usual NBA clocks. It’s hard to imagine how this would affect rookies that had yet to even set their clocks. But Herro made the most of the break between the abrupt hiatus and bubble down in Orlando.

We saw small improvements in his finishing that included hints of a floater game; as well as better on-ball handling, and reps in the pick-and-roll. The young Heat rookie had worked tirelessly to help his team reach another level once it was playoff time. This reputation of always wanting to improve and wanting to be in the gym like his mentor Jimmy Butler was a reason the organization fell so fast for him. Though Miami ultimately came up short in their run; the team and their fans felt they had something special brewing with Tyler Herro.

But not everything comes easy, and reality can hit you like a sack of bricks. The NBA announced that the next “regular” season would begin in less than 80 days. No real offseason for a player who proved what he could do when given the proper time off to improve. Another wrinkle in the path Herro thought would be a lot smoother.

It was a rough 2020-21 season for the team as a whole, and especially for a second-year player like Herro. Dealing with the weight of expectations, nagging injuries (hip and foot) that never went away, and new celebrity status. But even when going through the hell that was 2021, Tyler came out of the other side with improved raw stats as he put up 15-5-3. When you took a closer look, his shooting numbers did take quite a dip, but the perseverance to get any sort of upward tick was gutsy in itself. You could see how everything was weighing him down throughout the season. It was fitting that the day he had his best game of the season against the Sixers, putting up 34-7-4, we learned he was playing through neck spasms.

Herro played through it all yet received numerous criticism for falling in love with the celebrity side of NBA life. While he was improving his finishing at the basket, people could only point out his shortcomings. Expectations were getting ridiculous and his loud internet fanbase wasn’t helping manners. Neither were the constant trade rumors following him for pretty much the entire season. From the James Harden whispers to the Kyle Lowry talks that followed soon after.

 

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Herro’s 2020-21 was a war of attrition between him and circumstances beyond his control. One battle would end and another would start immediately after. He never surrendered but it was clear the ammunition just wasn’t there.

But now the 2021-22 season is on its way. Herro’s received proper time to prepare for new battles and obstacles thrown his way. “He’s had a great offseason, it’s all about impacting winning. Everything his 1st year was roses & easy sailing. Last year he was better statistically but it’s important to be able to handle adversity and when the narrative changes to forge ahead” said Coach Spoelstra on Herro during media day. “I am going to wake a lot of people up,” said Herro about the number of people sleeping on him.

We got a glimpse of the newly equipped Tyler in his first preseason game against the Hawks this past Monday. Herro was not only hitting his usual jumpers but getting to his spots easier. You can see from the video below how much the game has slowed down for him. You can’t take too much from preseason, but the style of play and fluidity of motion is easily translatable into the regular season. The dividends that Herro’s on-ball reps that occurred throughout his first two years were starting to show already. You can see the way he puts his defender in jail when coming off that initial screen. He’s not being forced out to the perimeter as easily with his newly added bulk. Getting to that second line of defense consistently was always the next step in his process to being a really good scorer.

 

It’s pretty appropriate he was up against Trae Young, who has mastered this exact kind of scoring. Another thing Herro looks to emulate from Young is the immaculate floater game. While Tyler is a much bigger player than Trae, it never hurts to use the shot known as the “giant killer.” Herro spoke after the game saying “I think it’s a really efficient shot for me as opposed to getting all the way to the rim against 7 footers all the time. Whether it’s pulling up in the midrange, or getting to that floater, I think I can be really efficient in that area all season.” The in-between scoring has always been a facet Herro has shown flashes of before. Mastering it will allow him to take another step forward.

There is also the rim pressure portion of Herro’s game that was quietly on display that night as well. Tyler’s added weight and visible bounciness helped earn him 6 free throw attempts and assists off drives. During a team scrimmage earlier everyone was buzzing about a dunk he had in traffic that seemed to turn some heads. No one had seen things like that before; which is why it was the cause of such talk. Adding 4-5 free throws a game would do wonders for someone who already has such a smooth jumper. What better players to learn about drawing fouls at the rim than Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry after all?

Speaking of Lowry, his impact is going to do wonders for the next step the boy wonder will take. Having another player like Butler who loves setting up his scorers the way Lowry does? That’s music to the ears of everyone involved, especially a score first guard. “Everyone notices the differences when he’s out there. The way he gets everyone to their spots, he’s really advanced in that area. He’s helping me a ton, I’m blessed to be able to play with another guy like him,” Herro said about playing with Lowry.

Thinking less and being able to play more freely are what Lowry allows Herro to do. These sorts of things are even more important to a guy like Tyler, whose game is best suited in free-flowing offenses. Allowing him to read and react faster without the demon of overthinking hanging on his shoulder. That overthinking was what constantly jammed his process last season; whether it was on the floor or off of it. Now leading a bench unit all to himself, while at the same time always being on the floor with another creator in Butler or Lowry or both. A Sixth Man of the Year award seems more than likely if he performs the way many envision.

Guys like Kyle Lowry can do wonders in player development.  Just look at how much it helped with players like Fred Van Vleet, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby. Miami hopes that he does the same with Tyler Herro as well as Bam Adebayo.

Tyler Herro has very rarely dealt with any sort of normal circumstances since he got into the NBA. But he hasn’t complained one bit, even if it would be quite understandable. He’s forged ahead with the hand he’s been dealt when others might have crumbled. Ready to prove to everyone that writing him off so early was their first mistake. Playing “free” and “loose” with a bounce to his step.

A bounce that has visibly returned, whether literally or figuratively. Tyler has talked about how much his game is predicated on confidence. Last year was such a rough year, that it might have broken any other player’s confidence — but not for Herro. He started immediately after the Bucks series, as Coach Spoelstra pointed out, and never looked back. He looked forward to working hard on his game during an actual offseason. Adding whatever he could with the time finally granted to him. His confidence, health, and bounce are back; all that’s left is to show everyone who the real Tyler Herro is.

 

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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: J-Kidd Off to a Rocky Start?

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It didn’t take more than a day for Jason Kidd, newly hired head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, to take an unfair jab during media availabilities at his rockstar point guard Luka Dončić .  The art of communication has never been a forte of Kidd’s.  Just ask his first wife, Larry Sanders or Zaza Pachulia.  But this latest under-the-radar admission potentially indicates he didn’t learn as much as he said he did serving under coach Frank Vogel’s Lakers staff.

 

“I want to remind him that he can rely on his teammates,” said Kidd while comparing Dončić to a young Picasso.  

 

Someone as talented and experienced as Kidd should know that it’s injudicious to criticize a player in front of the press.  Worse yet, when his reasoning is misguided and it’s the star of the team.

 

The only player on the Mavericks that can initiate the offense to take 10 eyes of Dončić while they share the court is Jalen Brunson.  The roadblock here is that Brunson is most effective in a reserve role and should probably see the court mostly when Dončić rests because of the group’s shortage of orchestrators. Dallas’ All-Star is burdened with scoring, facilitating and rebounding because the front office keeps striking out in Free Agency.  

 

At Media Day, Dončić was asked about Kidd’s comments and said he agreed.  Yet what else can you say when the new boss is a reported verbal abuser and proven wife-beater? Dončić was possibly trying to start on a bright note after souring the relationship with the previous honcho (Rick Carlisle).  

 

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It must have been an uncomfortable situation for Dončić because disagreeing makes it a story on day one that the new coach and star player don’t see eye-to-eye.  Kidd’s cliche was unnecessary and perhaps disingenuous, owing to the fact that Dončić has no co-star.  Kristaps Porzingus was supposed to be the antidote to this problem, but his health is always compromised by injuries which leaves him out of sync when returning to the court. 

 

The last two playoff appearances for the Mavericks resulted in first-round losses to the Los Angeles Clippers.   It’s unforgettable how effective Dončić was while catching all of LA’s defensive schemes, even doing so playing through neck pain. Had Dallas’ lead guard had a running mate available that could get two feet in the paint at will, maybe the Mavericks wouldn’t be so concerned about Dončić wearing down at the end of each series.

 

 It’s the front office’s responsibility to put pieces around the former EuroLeague champion that will simplify his job and not just replace an instructor with a coach that speaks in platitudes.  In Kidd’s last two posts as head coach, he first tried to unceremoniously seize general manager Billy King’s position, the man who hired him, but was denied by ownership.  The Nets then traded Kidd to Milwaukee for a pair of second-round picks, per Jeff Zillgit of USA Today.

 

As “leader” of the Bucks, Milwaukee reached the playoffs twice, and he was let go a couple of months into his fourth season due to the team’s disappointing start.  It was reported by ESPN that Giannis Antetokounmpo was unhappy with his dismissal, but NBA Insider and former columnist and reporter for the New York Post Peter Vecsey told me that news was exaggerated.

 

In Kidd’s third stop as lead instructor, paired with a generational talent for the second time, he has four years to live up to the heights reached by Rick Carlisle and the 2011 Mavericks. Indeed, a challenging task for someone who struggles with controlling his emotions. 

Road to the Orange Bowl: SEC and Big Ten pave the way but what about Cincinnati?

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The road to the Orange Bowl, one of the two semifinal sites of the College Football Playoffs, are being paved by two conferences, the Big Ten and the SEC. 

Every week has been an example of just how powerful No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Georgia are and just how powerful No. 3 Iowa and No. 4 Penn State could be in opposition. 

It’s going to take a lot for the playoff committee to resists rendering the conference championship games pointless. If both Alabama and Georgia go into the SEC Championship Game undefeated and the game is close, what are the stakes outside of loser drops down to No. 4? 

However, could you blame them? Arkansas shocked the nation and went into last week’s game against Georgia at No. 8 and got shutout. Ole Miss was sold as team who could unseat Alabama and that wishful thinking didn’t last nearly long enough to make the game fully enticing. 

The Big 10 will be more interesting considering how many teams are highly ranked and how the divisions are aligned. Iowa has a clear path to the conference title game but someone among Penn State, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 9 Michigan and No. 11 Michigan State is going to emerge from the East Division, which will make for an entertaining season. 

So what happens when the top four teams are competing for two conference championships? Do we just scrap the concept of a playoff and pit the winner of the Big 10 and SEC against each other? Maybe that’s what the Orange Bowl is for. 

Cincinnati is the new Boise State

About a decade ago, the integrity of the inclusivity of the BCS was constantly being tested by a powerful outsider who would dominate its conference and even take the blue bloods for a ride. The one problem was that the team was called Boise State and the Broncos were playing in a dying conference and could never get over the glass ceiling. 

Boise State cracked the top 10 in numerous seasons from 2004-11. The Broncos reached prominence with an improbable win over Adrien Peterson’s Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl in 2006. They beat No. 4 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl in 2009 and went as high up as No. 4 in 2010 before losing to No. 19 Nevada. Kellen Moore broke a NCAA record by winning his 50th career collegiate game in the Las Vegas Bowl against Arizona State in 2011 at the end of the run. 

None of it was good enough to play for a national championship but if there were a four team playoff, maybe there would have been an opportunity. 

Boise State crawled so that Central Florida and Cincinnati could run, and the Bearcats ran over Notre Dame this past weekend to move up to No. 5 in the rankings. 

Cincinnati is good enough to run the table and take advantage of rival conferences cannibalizing each other. Going undefeated last year helps their cause this season but a single loss will torpedo their playoff hopes. 

Clear path for the Pac-12

Whenever Oregon is running rampant undefeated, Stanford is always there to knock the Ducks down a peg. An overtime win for the Cardinal leaves the Pac-12 with the potential for a battle between two loss teams in the conference title game. 

No. 22 Arizona State returned to the ranks after an impressive 42-23 win over UCLA (No. 20 at the time) and could face No. 8 Oregon in the Pac-12 title game, should both teams make it to the end of the season without a loss. 

Now the Sun Devils will have to avoid being victim of a second consecutive upset bid by Stanford on Friday. Junior quarterback Jayden Daniels has a knack for avoiding turnovers and finding the open lanes to run. Most of the touchdown opportunities has been going to senior running back Rachaad White, who has eight touchdowns. Only five other offensive players in the nation have more rushing touchdowns.  

Considering that the Sun Devils’ lone loss came on the road at No. 10 BYU, they should have a strong resume should they emerge as Pac-12 champions. However, unlike other conferences, none of that is for certain  in the Pac-12, which is unfortunately seen as a knock.

“Well, it’s a week to week situation in the Pac-12,” ASU coach Herm Edwards said. “We all know that, that’s how it works in our conference,” Edwards said. “You never know what’s going on. You just see it. You think, ‘Oh,’ and then somebody loses, I just think, every week, and that’s how we approach it.”