Foul on You

Dwight Howard became a mockery in the recent playoff series against the Charlotte Bobcats. His foul trouble limited him to average 28 minutes a game throughout the series. Howard is usually a master at avoiding fouls, blocking 2.8 shots per contest. It’s no surprise that he plays physical, but fouling out of games is not a familiar scenario for Howard.

Already the youngest player ever with two NBA defensive player of the year awards, Howard felt disrespected by the referees. He claimed a lack of "star" treatment when compared to the likes of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. In his blog he stated, "I just don't see other star players getting called for fouls the way I get them. No star player in the league is outta games the way I am."

Well Howard, there must be some self-evaluation and self-responsibility here. The fouls have somewhat been accurate for the exception of some unavoidable collisions, which usually go either way. When Howard starts reaching in against point guards, the referees will not give him the benefit of the doubt.

The Magic center is not playing great basketball he wanted to show off this post season. However, following the first four games of the 2010 playoffs he can’t complain. Orlando was the first team to get their tickets punched into the second round. Advancing despite Howard’s limited minutes shows the depth of the Orlando Magic.

Howard may expect star treatment, but whom is he comparing himself to? LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Kevin Durant? These guys are all slashers and pure scorers. Amare Stoudemire may be the best comparable player, but again he is a pure scorer, Howard is not. Howard has far greater defensive assignments than all of those “stars.” He has to contest almost every shot in his vicinity and he doesn’t have to score nearly as much so it’s hard for him to gage whether he is being treated fairly.

Howard has gotten away with a lot of contact and because he is so strong it does appear somewhat abusive against other centers when he’s fighting for position. Of course smaller guys tend to flop, and those are hard fouls to accept. Yet when Howard reaches in or swipes down on players, it’s relatively easy to call a foul on him. Wade, James, and Bryant all tend to guard passive offensive players unless they must absolutely guard the opposing teams best player, thus foul calls against them tend to be limited.

Howard must focus his attention on altering shots and playing smart on the offensive end. His offensive foul rate is alarming, and if flopping is the reason for that, Howard might have to get with the program and flop with the flopper because he continues to find himself on the wrong side of the a entanglement.

Being smarter with his lower body instead of flaring his elbows and arms are a smart way to avoid cheap calls. The best strategy defending Howard is to get the biggest and strongest center frustrated. It has worked, even though the Magic keep winning.

Against the Hawks, Howard will have a chance to showcase his defensive skills. Lets hope the bobcats were just a friendly reminder that even the defensive player of the year can be a target if he gets lazy or unfocused.

Tim Tebow

"With the 25th overall pick, the Denver Broncos select... Tim Tebow, quarterback, Florida." Immediately following the selection thousands of Bronco fans in harmony sang the same tune, "whattttt?" The 75th NFL draft saw plenty of unexpected moves, the biggest perhaps being that of the Denver Broncos selecting the semi-endorsed quarterback Tim Tebow. The draft board looked recognizable to experts following the first two draft selections. The rest of the first round saw many drops and some exciting and unexpected eye-openers. The Broncos selecting Tebow not only opened eyes, it ripped some out. What is the sense behind the 25th selection?

The Denver Broncos in particular represent an unlikely destination for the legendary college quarterback. Their key needs were quite clear. The gapping hole Brandon Marshall left on his way to South Beach was impossible to ignore, while the aging defense behind captains Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins are a step closer to fossilization. The defensive end position has been an issue for most of the 2000's, and the once running back safe haven of Denver, has yet to see an impact running back since Clinton Portis in 2005. Where does Tim Tebow fit into the puzzle?

Josh McDaniel’s, the Head Coach of the revamped Broncos, has all but erased any linage connecting to former coach Mike Shanahan and any of his previous roster transactions. Pro Bowler's Jay Cutler, and Brandon Marshall were eliminated in a 12-month period. The rest of the former 2008 Broncos team, little by little withered away, month by month on the waivers list. Last season A 6-0 start made the youthful coach appear brilliant, yet his 2-8 finish down the stretch clarified some early convictions.

Speculations for the unexplainable moves and selections would lead to his coaching birthplace, New England; the pinnacle of success within the last decade. The philosophy powered by Bill Belichick prides itself on a team mentality of high character guys. The star power isn't a necessity, instead heart and effort is a primary requirement, and the coaching and management is the wizard on the team of OZ.

The pieces are scattered on the Mile High chessboard, with Tim Tebow keeping everyone guessing whether he will be a pawn, rook, or king. Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn were ready for a starting dual, now Timmy the kid might be the last man standing.

If the message of high character guys is the song, McDaniel’s is getting the right dance crew. Tim Tebow has been painted as a high character for years. Perhaps a bigger story going untold is the selection of Demaryius Thomas over the flashy Dez Bryant. Again, it represents another high character move.

It isn’t a stretch to say McDaniel’s is already digging his grave, he's chipping a hole into his boat, or he's committing roster and management suicide. Talent has always been a catalyst for success. If the high character guys of Denver don’t equal talent, we may see another roster genocide and a new face at the helm sooner than later.

McNabb Moves Forward

If there is one NFL team that has been successful in cutting ties with players almost immediately before they lose value and plateau, it’s the Philadelphia Eagles. However they too make mistakes. With the trading of Donovan McNabb, the Eagles let go of a franchise quarterback who led them to 5 NFC Championship games in eleven seasons. This may be a big mistake.

It’s simple to just assume the Eagles were ready to move forward in a different direction, perhaps look to begin a new era. As many franchises do in several sports, this makeover could mean the team just felt the window of opportunity closed. The Detroit Pistons blew up their roster in 2008 after their team went to several Eastern Conference Championship games. Their GM, Joe Dumars, felt the team had hit flat ground and key pieces were dealt and let go.

As McNabb continues to age, the Eagles may have also felt his production was only going to decline, and with no intention of paying the quarterback big money, the only solution was for McNabb to cash in out of town.

Kevin Kolb has been introduced as the new starter to replace McNabb. The Eagles interestingly traded McNabb to a rival team. Many inside sources say this is not at all surprising from McNabb’s camp considering he seemed unhappy he was traded to begin with. Thus he wanted to control his destiny. Allegedly McNabb threatened to retire if he was to be traded to Oakland, and ultimately he selected the Redskins who already brought in Hall-Of-Fame coach Mike Shanahan.

The decision may be one the Eagles regret. As they did last year, they want to avoid paying their older stars big money and essentially they simply let them go. Brian Dawkins was a victim of this last season after the Eagles refused to resign him. Dawkins later found great success in Denver proving he still had a lot of ball to play. McNabb looks to do the same thing, and lucky for him, he will have multiple opportunities to do so against the Eagles.

McNabb made sure to reference his new coach Mike Shanahan during his recent press conference. He spoke of Shanahan’s experience and how he worked with John Elway in the later stages of Elway’s career. Two Super Bowl rings were the result. Finding success with McNabb is something Mike Shanahan can accomplish, and winning a Super Bowl is something McNabb can certainly still achieve, especially if it comes at the expense of the Eagles who left him for dead.

Orlando is "Home"

Tracy Mcgrady recently stated he would be open to a return with the Orlando Magic. Is this the same Me-Mac that requested a trade out of Orlando in the summer of 2004?

How ironic is it that McGrady now wants to return to the place he so desperately fled when things went astray. T-Mac was so concerned with salvaging his career by not playing on a losing team. He managed to get traded to a playoff team that would never advance to the second round.

Now the sad story of McGrady has reached new heights. Not only has he ended up on the Knicks after the woeful Rockets decided to bench him, he finds himself in the same situation he was in before he requested a trade in Orlando, he’s playing for a losing team.

McGrady has had a long history of injuries that have hurt his career. It has also led to incomplete seasons and was a big part of his eventual departure out of Houston.

Now recently traded to New York, McGrady reportedly was texting LeBron James inviting him to sign with the Knicks. The once prolific All-Star is now saying money is no longer an issue. With big free agents eyeing New York, accepting the roll of a pawn is just fine if it will calculate into a winning formula.

Now as the Magic contend for a championship, McGrady watches as his cousin Vince Carter runs the show. Let’s not forget McGrady become a perennial superstar in Orlando.

While remembering the last days of McGrady’s stay with Orlando, lets remember some trivial things. T-Mac did not want the Magic to draft Dwight Howard in 2004. He said it would take too long for the Center to develop his game, time he refused to wait for. The decision to draft Howard, 5 days before McGrady would be dealt meant the end of his run in Orlando. McGrady admitted that he didn’t play hard on every possession, and rarely supported his teammates who called him a team captain. He left town, and the Magic have yet to regret their decision.

McGrady has failed to pan out his excessive talent. Once leading the league in scoring, McGrady has been injured every season since and his numbers have drastically declined. He was rarely used in Houston this season as the coaches felt he was more of a cancer than a solution.

The Magic are contenders. Older players in the ladder stage of their careers look to play for contenders in the hope of winning a championship before retirement. McGrady is another one to add to the list, except we are talking about a return and I'm not too sure one would be welcomed from the guy who wanted out when the times were bad. Sure he's talented, but it’s kind of like the hot girl who dates the guy for his money. When the situation was bad, T-Mac wanted no part, now that the man is rich, guess who wants to, "come home."