Saturday, June 27, 2009

Peppers The NBA And Soccer

When the news broke that Julius Peppers wanted to be traded a couple of months ago I questioned what in the world was Peppers thinking. Well all is well in Panther land now as Peppers has signed a one year deal worth $16 million. Julius Peppers will be a Carolina Panther for at least one more year.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are doing everything they can to convince LeBron James that he needs to stay in Cleveland. Next season is Lebron's last year of his contract and rumors are flying that the New York Knicks will land him next year. As long as the Knicks have the ownership they have now, why would anybody want to play for the Knicks? Money?

Despite the Shaq trade going to Cleveland, I think the best move of the week was Orlando landing Vince Carter. Orlando gave up a lot but they desperately need a person that can score when you need to score.

Eight players with North Carolina ties were drafted Thursday in the NBA Draft. The Charlotte Bobcats went for Gerald Henderson of Duke. Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player in NBA history. His decision making on the quality of other players he's strictly New York Knick management material.

I guess having a father who played in the NBA helped both Stephan Curry and Gerald Henderson. neither is ready for the NBA and I don't see where either will ever be as good as their dads.

I don't care what sport you are when ever you draft a player as a 1st round pick you should be expecting that those players will play for you ten years or more. i think this years draft demonstrates why there are so many foreigners are being drafted. American players come to the NBA too early, they are not fundamentally ready as well their skills are not developed yet.

Foreign players by the time the NBA scouts watch them they are developed, having good shooting skills are are far more developed than American players. Even though foreign players are not athletic generally they are far more superior in fundamentals.

There are a lot of people who don't understand why soccer has not taken off in the United States. I think the answer is simple. We have never had a generation of mothers and fathers that played soccer.

I grew up in football, basketball, and baseball so when my kids played soccer they were coached by the only guy who had a kid on the field that had ever played soccer. No longer is soccer a game where the guy coaching the team has no idea which end of the ball you kick.

Sunday American soccer can take a 1980 step like the hockey team had in the 1980 Olympics. I don't even know the name of the tournament that they are in now but already they have been beaten by Brazil 3-nil.

You know in 1980 before the Olympics the Russians beat the USA 8-0. If somehow the USA beats Brazil Sunday soccer just might be the most popular sport in America in twenty years.

You say it will never happen. Who would have thought the largest auto company in America is Nissan twenty years ago.