AP in Oak-Town?
Pick of the Day – Suns @ Pacers
Phoenix Suns @ Indiana Pacers
Suns (-5)
Tuesday, February 27th – 7:00 PM ET
Right in front of our eyes, you can see Steve Nash slinging passes to and fro, on way to his 3rd straight MVP award. On Tuesday Night, Nash and the Phoenix Suns run their way to Indiana to play the Pacers in an East/West showdown.
Bottom Line:First of all, the Suns haven’t lost a game since MVP, Steve Nash came back from his injured shoulder after the All Star break. Steve gets his squad going, something the Pacers desperately need. Too bad, so sad. Indiana just doesn’t have the offensive fire-power that will keep them battling with Phoenix. In the Suns’ recent 4 game win-streak, the haven’t scored less than 115 points, and have won those games by at least 10 points. Amare Stoudemire & Shawn Marion have been playing out of their minds, while key contributors like Leandro Barbosa and Raja Bell have been adding consistent scoring and on the ball defense. While Phoenix is hot of late (4 in a row, 3 of which were on the road), the Pacers have lost 5 of their last 8 contests (including 4 losses at home). Jermaine O’Neal had been very solid, but he can’t do it by himself. The game will start off with a quick Sun jab to the mouth of the Pacers, and in the end, the repetitive beating will break down Indy at home.
Adrian Peterson on his way to Oakland?:All this talk about which quarterback the Oakland Raiders should take with their 1st pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, Brady Quinn or JaMarcus Russell, is really starting to make me think, are the Raiders really pondering this decision? Not that the choice between Quinn and Russell is a particularly easy decision, because its not, both have their upside, and both should be considered great prospects. (I personally love Russell’s game, but I have always considered him a top prospect, while Brady Quinn has only proven that he can do amazing things when given a sufficient amount of time to throw) But I’m not wondering if the Raiders are considering either young signal caller, because I think there’s a far greater debate they are weighing; Adrian Peterson or Calvin Johnson? Yes, both will be better NFL players than either Quinn or Russell, and both are absolute physical specimens in the mold of exactly what Al Davis loves. Calvin Johnson is, to put it frankly, the best wide receiver prospect ever (and I’m not making a Bill Walton blunder here) while I can’t argue that their has been more talent out of a running prospect than what Peterson has shown. Sure, Johnson can’t throw himself the ball and Peterson has shown a knack to get injured. But don’t be confused. Johnson succeeded against all competition, and that was with Reggie “I couldn’t throw a ball accurately if my life depended on it” Ball as his quarterback, while Adrian Peterson damn near won the Heisman as a freshman, and has shown an uncanny collection of power, vision, and elite speed. While both Quinn and Russell are fine prospects, there will be upgrades at the QB position throughout the first day, and I say the Raiders pick up their next signal caller then. As for two all time elite prospects at skill positions, there’s only one place to get players like AP and Calvin, and that’s right at the top of the 1st round. Expect this idea to become more and more of a reality as the draft nears. Can Al Davis pass up on what a player like Bo Jackson did for his Raider team? As for the Detroit Lions expect them to ignore the chance to get an elite skill player, because the Lions rarely make the right decision. However, Joe Thomas should be a great player in the League. But like Mario Williams’ inability to shake the label of being taken over Reggie Bush, he’ll never live up to being selected over Calvin Johnson.