The Phenomena Known As Jeremy Lin

         It's Lin-sanity! Super Lin-tendo! A Lin-derella story! Lin-possible! Call it what you want, because all he does is Lin Lin Lin! Keep the puns coming! This kid is Lin-credible!
         Last night in Toronto, Jeremy Lin struck again.
         The New York Knicks trailed the Toronto Raptors by as many as 17 points, and with 4:15 left in the fourth quarter, trailed 86-77. The Knicks clawed their way back in the game and trailed 87-84 with just over a minute remaining.
         And then it happened. Lin went hard to the lane, drew the foul, and sank the bucket with an opportunity for a 3 point play. After sinking the free throw to tie the game at 87-87, Leandro Barbosa missed a 3 point shot, giving Lin and the Knicks a chance to win the game.
         First, Iman Shumpert, a talented rookie, attempted to hit the game winning shot and missed. Memo to Mr. Shumpert, Jeremy Lin is on fire. Tyson Chandler corralled the offensive rebound and passed it out to Lin. As he calmly watched the clock tick down, Lin rose to the occasion and with under a second remaining, drilled the 3 point shot in Jose Calderon's face. Cold blooded. After a missed desperation shot by Rasual Butler, the New York Knicks celebrated the shocking 90-87 victory over the Raptors. Lin had 27 points and 11 assists.  
         It was a heart-breaker for the Toronoto Raptors, who witnessed their home crowd cheering for Lin and the Knicks. When Linsanity hit the game winning shot, the Air Canada Centre crowd instantly erupted.
        It's Lin-mania all around the NBA. Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, and Shane Battier all publicly acknowledged that even they are fans of Lin.
        For the past week and a half, Jeremy Lin has taken the sports world by storm. It's Tebow mania all over again. Lin, an undrafted free agent out of Harvard, is putting up unprecedented numbers. Since the NBA-ABA merger, Lin has scored more points in his first five NBA starts than any other NBA player. Not Michael Jordan. Not Allen Iverson. Not Shaquille Oneal.  Jeremy Lin.
        Floyd Mayweather claimed that black athletes perform like Jeremy Lin every night but do not receive the same praise. Sorry Floyd, in actuality what Lin is doing has never been done before.
        Mayweather also said that "all the hype is because he's Asian". Wrong.
        Certainly some of the hype is because Lin is Asian, but there are more African American NHL players than there are Asian NBA players. It's somewhat of a rarity. So Lin clearly deserves it. He is the first Asian-American NBA player ever. Obviously he's going to get hype when he plays out of his mind.
       But there is more to the Jeremy Lin story. After leading his high school team in Palo Alto to a 32-1 record and a California state title, Lin did not receive a single scholarship offer from a D-1 college. So, he chose to attend Harvard where he was guaranteed a starting spot.
       During his time at Harvard, the team broke program records for wins, non-conference wins, home win, and road wins. Lin was twice named to the All Ivy-league first team and drew praise from coaches and analysts around the nation including UCONN coach Jim Calhoun and ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla. Lin average 16.4 points, 4.4 assists, and 4.4 rebounds his senior year at Harvard. Despite these accomplishments, Lin went undrafted in the 2011 NBA draft.
      Subsequently, Lin attended the Dallas Mavericks mini camp and joined their summer league team. After playing well in the summer league, Lin signed a 2 year contract with Golden State Warriors. In his rookie year, Lin saw minimal time and played in only 29 games. Entering the 2011-2012 NBA season, Lin was waived by the Warriors the first day of training camp. Lin had a short stint with the Houston Rockets during the preseason but was waived prior to the start of the regular season.
      The Knicks claimed Lin off waivers, and after circulating between the D-league and NBA, he finally got his chance. With the Knicks record at 8-15 and point guard Baron Davis suffered a setback in his return from an injury, Coach Mike D'Antoni gave Lin a shot. Lin came off the bench on February 4th against the New Jersey Nets and recorded 25 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds in  36 minutes. The Knicks won 99-92.
      Lin received his first career start the following game against the Utah Jazz. He played 45 minutes and recorded 28 points and 8 assists in a 99-88 Knicks win. Next, Lin recorded his first career double-double with 23 points and 10 assists in a 107-93 win over the Washington Wizards.
      It was clear that Jeremy Lin had jump-started the Knicks, but many people questioned how long it would last. Especially with a game against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers coming up next. Lin quieted the naysayers with 38 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebound in a 92-85 win over the Lakers.
      Next, Lin put up 20 points and 8 assists in a narrow 100-98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
      And that led us to his latest heroics. The win over the Raptors. It has been quite an underdog story. And America loves underdogs.
       In the six games that Lin has received quality minutes, the New York Knicks are 6-0 and have improved their record to 14-15. And that's without NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony.
       Anybody with an unbelievable story like that, Mr. Mayweather, deserves all the hype in the world. He is Lin-vincible.
       Linch by Linch, he is taking down NBA teams. But will Lin's dominance continue? Are the Knicks a threat in the Eastern Conference? Will Carmelo affect Lin's play negatively or positively? What do you think?

      

  

Dropped Pass Dooms Patriots, Giants Prevail

          In the fourth quarter of  Super Bowl XLVI, the New England Patriots lead the New York Giants 17 to 15 with four minutes left in the game. On the Giants 44-yard-line, Tom Brady lines up in shotgun formation on second-and-11 takes the snap. Reading the Giants cover 2 defense perfectly, Brady completes a pass deep down the left side of the field to Wes Welker. Its a New England first down inside the redzone. It virtually seals the victory for the Patriots. Tom Brady will win his fourth Super Bowl, making him one of only three quarterbacks to accomplish that feat, along with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw.
           That's what could have been. Tom Brady is probably replaying the pass to Wes Welker over and over again in his head. One of the most sure-handed wide receivers in the game dropped the biggest catch of his career. Had he made the catch, everyone would be talking about Brady as the best quarterback of all time, but he didn't. Next year, Tom Brady will be 35. Father time is closing in on Brady, and he knows it. Perhaps Brady will win that coveted fourth Super Bowl, but until he does, "the play that could have been" will be haunting number 12.
           As for the New York Giants, they are Super Bowl champions again. The spectacular 38-yard completion from Eli Manning to Mario Manningham, two plays after Welker's infamous drop, will be talked about for years to come. Four years ago it was David Tyree, and now its Mario Manningham. Those two miraculous catches will haunt Patriot fans for as long as they live.
            The future for the Giants looks extremely bright. Eli Manning is in the prime of his career and at the age of 31, he shows now signs of slowing down. Especially with that wide receiving core of Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, who put his name on the map with his 82 receptions, 1,536 yards, and 9 touchdowns. Cruz had never caught an NFL regular season pass before this year. With a solid offensive line and a healthy Ahmed Bradshaw, the Giants offense is extremely potent.
             On the other side of the ball, the defensive line is one of the most dominant in the game. Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora are both in the prime of their careers, and with the emergence of 23-year-old Jason Pierre-Paul, quarterbacks will hoping the Giants don't end up on their schedule. The line-backing core is good but not great, but with that defensive line, the line backers will have a lot of help. The secondary was a weak spot this year, but it should improve. There is definitely not a lack of talent.  Aaron Ross was the winner of the 2006 Jim Thorpe award, given to the best defensive back in college football so he obviously has talent. Antrel Rolle is a two time pro bowler. Kenny Phillips had the best year of his career and at age 25, he should continue to improve. The veteran of the group, Corey Webster, has been playing with the Giants since the 2005 season and provides leadership to the secondary. If they can pull it together, the defense will make its way up the ranks and more than likely become a top 5 defense.
          Although the Giants do look like the team to beat in the NFC next year, remember that they were once a lowly 7-7 team earlier in the year. They caught fire and didn't lose another game after that. But with the likes of the Lions, Packers,Saints, and 49ers also in the NFC, it will not be an easy road back to the Super Bowl. The NFC East is ultra competitive with the Eagles looking for a bounce back year and the Cowboys still in the mix. But, the power has shifted to the NFC after  AFC teams like the Patriots, Colts, Steelers, Jets, and Ravens seemed to hold it for so long.
           What do you think about the futures of the New England Patriots and New York Giants? Are the Patriots still the team to beat in the AFC? In a competitive NFC, how will the Giants fare in 2012?
         

Top 5 in Each Sport

Here are my top five athletes in each of the four main sports (NHL,MLB,NFL,NBA). By athlete, I do not mean pure athleticism. I am factoring in leadership ability, desire to win, how clutch the player is, etc. Also this list is factoring in the time span of which each player has spent playing on a top tier level. Obviously, right now Claude Giroux is playing great hockey, but I need to see more than one season to put him in my top 5.
Respond with your lists or your opinions.

NHL- not including goalies
1) Johnathon Toews
2) Pavel Datsyuk
3) Alexander Ovechkin
4) Evgeni Malkin
5) Steven Stamkos
*Sidney Crosby is number one when he is healthy.

Honorable Mention: Claude Giroux, Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Phil Kessel, Erik Karlsson, and Zdeno Chara
Up and Coming: Johnathon Tavares, Logan Couture, Jordan Eberle, and Taylor Hall

NBA
1) Lebron James- go ahead and dog this pick
2)Kevin Durant
3)Dwight Howard
4) Derrick Rose
5) Kobe Bryant
Honorable Mention: Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Kevin Love
Up and Coming: Black Griffin, Russel Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, John Wall

NFL- This is a tough one, forgive me if I leave someone off
1) Tom Brady
2) Aaron Rodgers
3) Drew Brees
4) Patrick Willis
5) Ray Rice
Honorable Mention: Calvin Johnson, Darelle Revis, Adrian Peterson, Arian Foster, and Roddy White
Up and Coming: Mathew Stafford, Julio Jones, Matt Forte, Ndamukon Suh, Cam Newton, and A.J. Green


MLB- excludes SP
1) Albert Pujuls
2) Ryan Braun*
3) Miguel Cabrera
4) Jose Bautista
5) Josh Hamilton
Honorable Mention: Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano, Prince Fielder, Paul Konerko, and Jacoby Ellsbury
Up and Coming: Jason Heyward, Carlos Santana, Eric Hosmer, Elvis Andrus, and Billy Butler

Bulls Bench Making a Difference

           Tonight, the Bulls took this to a whole new level during a hard fought game with the Indiana Pacers. With nearly a minute remaining in the game, Tom Thibodeau called upon Brian Scalabrine. Yes, Brian Scalabrine. Instead of Carlos Boozer or Omer Asik, Scalabrine entered the game. And not only was he in during the most critical possessions of the game, he took the most important shot which unfortunately may have cost the Bulls the game. They probably should have turned to reigning MVP Derrick Rose instead. But with the bench playing solid basketball this season, it really wasn't a bad decision considering Scal was wide open.


            Despite the loss, the Bulls record stands at 16-4. This is pretty impressive considering the injuries the team has dealt with. So far the bulls have dealt with injuries to Rip Hamilton (10 games), C.J. Watson  (9 games),Derrick Rose (5 games), Taj Gibson  (3+ games), and Luol Deng  (2+ games). Besides these injuries, the Bulls have also dealt with the poor play of Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer.  Considering these injuries and the poor play from Noah and Boozer, Thibodeau has called upon the bench to step up. And they have answered that call.


           Omer Asik has been a solid contributor off the bench, playing important minutes in most games. The same can be said of Taj Gibson who recently went down with an ankle injury. The two have combined to play the majority of 4th quarter minutes. Ronnie Brewer has also played well in the absence of Rip Hamilton and Luol Deng. But perhaps the biggest surprise has been the play of the backup point guards. John Lucas III stepped in and played solid minutes when both C.J. Watson and Derrick Rose went down with injuries. When Lucas III went down, Mike James stepped in from the D-League and almost picked up a double-double. Also, the continuous hard work of Kyle Korver and Brian Scalabrine has been effective.


         When a player goes down, the next guy comes in and doesn't miss a beat. This has proven to be a huge asset for the Bulls. The condensed and busy NBA season  has seen the Bulls play back to back to back games. The Bulls are built perfectly for this type of season. With a rotation that includes ten very talented players, the Bulls do not slow down. Many teams would struggle with the loss of a reigning MVP , but the Bulls did not miss a beat. If the bench keeps playing well, the Bulls are a force to be reckoned with. This makes them a perfect match up for a Heat team that lacks talent coming off the bench. 


          The Bulls are built like an old school team from the 80's or early 90's. Thibodeau has built this team on depth  and defense. Nowadays, this is uncommon in the NBA. Not to forget, they also have one of the best players in the NBA, Derrick Rose. Rose's leadership and althleticism, the ferocious defense, and the solid contributions from the bench are promising. If the bench can keep performing well, the Bulls should make a deep run into the playoffs.

Will the Blackhawks be the Number One Seed?

The Chicago Blackhawks currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference standings. With 64 points, the Blackhawks are tied with the St. Louis Blues and trail the conference-leading Detroit Red Wings by 3 points. All three teams have played 49 games to date. After tonight's game with Nashville, the All Star break will begin for the Hawks. 

So how can the Blackhawks improve their record in the second half of the season and secure the number one seed in the Western Conference???

1. They must play better on the road.

The Blackhawks are 10-9-2 on the road and 19-5-4 at home. After tonight's game, there will be 32 games left in the season. Out of these 32 games, 20 will be played on the road. Report indicate that Patrick Sharp will be ready for the first game after the All Star break. Perfect Timing. The second half for the Hawks  starts with a nine game road trip. This will prove to be the most important stretch of the season. The Hawks will face Vancouver, San Jose, Colorado, Nashville, and the New York Rangers during this trip, all of which are current playoff teams. If the Hawks can win 3 of these 5, it would be a solid road trip. The remaining teams are Edmonton,Calgary, Phoenix, and Columbus. The nine game stretch will set the tone for the remainder of the season. If the hawks can steal 6 of these 9 games, it would be a tremendous victory and a huge step in securing the number one seed.

     2.   Acquire another top 6 forward.

The Blackhawks arguably have the best top 4 forwards in the league with Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Johnathon Toews, and Marian Hossa. The Toews and Kane line should be fine with Viktor Stalberg on the left wing. But the Blackhawks could really use a second line center for the Hossa and Sharp line. The future for Marcus Kruger may be bright but if the Hawks want the number one seed, they may want to acquire another center. Also, Jimmy Hayes and Andrew Shaw have played very well but it is likely that at least one of the two will hit a wall at some point during the second half. So what names are being mentioned in trade rumors?

1. Derek Roy, Buffalo Sabres- Roy has underachieved this season. After registering 35 points in 35 games last year, Roy has taken a dive during the 2011-2012 season. He has 25 points in 46 games and the Sabres cannot be happy with his play. The Sabres may look to trade Roy because the club is having a terrible season and change is obviously needed. However, Roy has proved he is a very capable top line center and if the Hawks can grab him at the right price, it may put them over the top.  

                              

2. Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks- Getzlaf has also had a rough start to his season and his numbers have significantly decreased since last season. In 67 games last year, Getzlaf scored 76 points. It looked as if he was on his way to becoming a superstar. But this season, he has only 34 points in 47 games. To add to this, he has a -15 plus/minus. The Ducks may be willing to part ways with Getzlaf. The asking price for Getzlaf will be enormous but if the Hawks can add him to their top 6, the sky is the limit.   

                                      

3. Jeff Carter, Columbus Blue Jackets- Although Carter is out with a separated shoulder and considered week to week, he should be ready for a comeback sometime around the start of the second half. Carter was a big acquisition for the Blue Jackets in the off-season but he has not been close to the type of player they hoped for. Carter is the least likely to end up with the hawks because he is currently under contract thought the 2021-2022 season after signing an 11 year, $58 Million contract extension last year. That's  $ 5.27 million a year and it is unlikely the Hawks can afford this, but if they can dump some money, Carter would be a dream acquisition.    
                                                                                               

4. Other possibilities include Tomas Plekanec of the Montreal Canadians, Sam Gagner and Ales Hemsky of the Edmonton Oilers, and Frans Nielsen of the New York Islanders.

With the acquisition of one of these players or if another player becomes available toward the trade deadline, the hawks will position themselves for a powerful second half push. 

This isn't to say the hawks can't win with the team they have because they most certainly can. But with one of these talented second line centers, the Hawks would become an even more dangerous team. 

If the Hawks can improve their road record and acquire one of these players, there is no doubt in my mind they will secure the number one seed. This will give them home advantage throughout the playoffs where they are 19-5-4 on the season and a clear path to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Lets start with a win vs. Nashville tonight. GO HAWKS

Welcome to the Windy City Sports Blog

Hello,
I will be starting my sports blog tomorrow. The blog will consist of my daily thoughts on breaking stories in the sports world. I will also analyze the games from the previous day. I will try to center around Chicago sports since most of my readers are fans of those teams. I may also give out fantasy advice and predictions. Feel free to comment and state your own opinions. Enjoy.
Thanks,
Steve