The 3 point shot!

There are two types of shots in basketball that will get the crowed more pumped up than any other. The Dunk and the 3 Pointer. Over the years we have seen the 3 point shot being taken more often in the NBA. Over the past decade, the percentage of possessions used by NBA teams to shoot the 3 continues to grow each year. In the 2009 season, 22% of possessions were used to shoot a 3 pointer. Players are no longer hesitating to pull of for a long 3 on a fast break instead of drive it to the hole. Is this a cause for concern?

I think that players are shooting the 3 ball more because they are better at shooting it than they ever have been in the past. Do teams need to shoot the long ball more to stay competitive? The final four teams in the NBA this year shot the 3 an average of 25% of their possessions and shot at almost 38%. That's some good 3 point shooting.

Do teams like the Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls , and Detroit Pistons, who only used about 17% of their possessions as threes, need to change their style of play to stay competitive? All 3 of these teams lost in the first round to teams that shoot almost double the 3 pointers. I think that with the talent in the league will only get better and better, and the number of 3 point shots will continue to increase.

Will Michael Vick play again?

     Now that Michael Vick has been been released from prison all fans of the NFL are wondering if he is going to play again.  I don't think the question in not if he is going to be reinstated to the NFL, but who is going to want him to play for the team.  Vick has served his time in jail and is finishing off his sentence on home arrest, and I dont have any doubt that Commissioner Goodell will give Michael Vick one more chance.

     Who will sign Michael Vick? Michael Vick is remembered for his amazing speed and athleticism, but if you look closer at the numbers he had the last few years, there might be better options out there.  His last year playing in the NFL he led the Falcons to a whopping 7-9 record, completed only 52% of his passes, only threw 20 TDs and 13 INTs, and had quaterback rating of only 75. Those numbers have been declining the past 3 years.  He just spent time in jail where the types of workouts he could do would be very limited.  Is Michael Vick in playing shape?

     All if these questions will soon be answered.  The start of the NFL season is only a few short months away.  GO SAINTS. 

Will Tiger ever be "Tiger" again?

The 2008 US Open was arguably one of the most impressive rounds in golf's history, when on a bad knee, Tiger Woods came from behind, and with an amazing birdie put on the final hole, forced an 18 hole playoff with Rocko Medeate. With every shot hit he would grimace in pain, but some how managed to pull it off.

After the Open, Tiger under went knee surgery to repair the damage. After 8 months of rehab, he reentered. After watching him the past 4 or 5 tournaments we are all asking the question, "Will Tiger ever be 'Tiger' again?" If you take a step back and look at what he's accomplished, it's still quite amazing. All top ten finishes and one win. Playing like that is more than an amazing career for any other golfer, but just because we are talking about Tiger its not the same.

Tiger has come close the last few tournaments but has just come up short. He made a run at the players, but his drives just weren't there. And at the other tournaments he's played in, he has had trouble hitting the fairways and has been missing makable putts.

I think the competition is getting better and better every year, so Tiger doesn't look quite as dominate as he once did. Once his tee shots are back to full strength and he can start hitting fairways consistently, he will once again be a force to be reckond with, but I personally think the days of Tiger being the sole ruler of the golf world are slowly coming to an end.

NBA Western Conference Salary Porblems

The salary cap in the NBA is based on the revenue the NBA makes from the previous year. The problems with the economy has lowered the luxury tax substantially for the coming 2009-2010 season. It is predicted to be somewhere between 69-70 million dollars. If a team decides to go over the tax then they will lose millions of dollars. Each NBA team is required to have a minimum of 13 players on their roster and the money is distributed between these players. Living in Utah I know the jazz are in big trouble for the coming year with 5 players who have the decision to opt out of their contract, and all of them want more money. If the Jazz want to keep them all there is no way they can pay them and stay under the cap. But if you look deeper into the western conference a lot of other teams are facing the same problem. I figure there are 6 teams in the west that can compete over the next couple of years: LA, Houston, New Orleans, Utah, Denver, and Portland. Each of these teams, with the exception of Portland, has issues with their team and the luxury tax.

UTAH JAZZ~ For the 2009/10 season, as of right now the jazz have 10 players on their roster and are just over $71 million. That’s already over the cap. And Milsap is not one of those 10 players. The Jazz need to add a minimum of 3 more players and have no money to do it. As you can see, the Jazz are going to have to make some big changes.

LA LAKERS~ The Lakers are in even bigger trouble than the Jazz. Currently for next season the Lakers have 9 players on their roster and at sitting at $74 million dollars. Lamar Odem is not one of those players. Bynum is set to make $12 million next year, Gasol is making $16, and Kobe $23. The lakes will want to keep Odom, and will still need to sign 3 others. But being in a bigger market its not as big of a problem of that facing the Jazz.

DENVER NUGGETS~ The surprise team in the league this year. The Nuggets have a little more room to work with their players. The need to had 3 players and have about $7 million to do so. I am assuming that 2 of those players will be the resigning of JR Smith and The Birdman Chris Anderson.

HOUSTON ROCKETS~ With Ron Artest being a free agent after this season once again, and wanting to stay in Houston, that causes problems for the Rockets. Not only is Artest a risk to have on your team, if he wants a raise, that alone will put them over the cap, still needing to add one more player.

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS~ The Hornets might be in more trouble than any other team. For next season they have 10 current players on roster which are slated to make a combined $76 million. They are already $5 million over the cap with a mandatory need to sign 3 more players.

The Western Conference is always exciting to watch. With the teams 2-7 being decided only by 3 games anything can happen. With the way the luxury tax is, its going to make for an exciting off season. Changes with each team are inevitably going to occur.