After my tangential Redskins posts (made irrelevant yesterday for reasons explained in Bits), I have a decent amount to talk about. Every year this week in early March provides perhaps the most intrigue across all sports. March Madness, NFL free agency, and the NBA trade deadline dominate the headlines while we mortals scribble to predict the best playoff in sports, all on one sheet of paper. Truly fun.
Given those topics, I will not act arrogant enough as if you all will take any of my NCAA predictions seriously, so the most compelling story out there centers around Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard. On Tuesday morning, ESPN’s Ric Bucher reported the Magic, in an attempt to keep Howard in Orlando long-term, promised him full authority to decide the fates of both GM Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy if he signs a long-term extension.
To articulate the ridiculous argument first, some out there think Howard has done enough to merit this kind of authority. As a franchise caliber player to build around, some believe Howard deserves the ability to in effect act as general manager in the biggest decisions. And, what better way to keep him in Orlando by bending over backwards and delegating more responsibility, right? The franchise went to the Finals once recently so it’s not too much to suppose one good coach or capable GM will propel the Magic back to the Finals.
I could not disagree more. While I understand the wish to center a franchise around one player for the foreseeable future, the consolidation of authority does not work in sports. A recent basketball example would be Isiah Thomas, who singlehandedly undermined the Knicks for years.
Football presents other good examples. Mike Holmgren could not be both GM and coach. Jerry Jones thinks he wears both the owner and GM hats well, but hasn’t made any real impact in almost 15 years. Even the best coach in football, Bill Belichick, has whiffed on the majority of his draft picks since GM Scott Pioli left for Kansas City. The majority of evidence makes clear that coaching/playing and personnel responsibilities don’t go together effectively.
Obviously, your star player’s opinion matters. The Lakers would never hire a coach who couldn’t get along with Kobe. And yet, most players don’t want the responsibility to fire/trade/cut/amnesty others in the organization, nor should they.
Players possess neither the acumen nor the skill set to combine responsibilities. GMs must build franchises, whether for the here and now, or the longer term. Players play in the present, without too much consideration for the future, and become captive to events happening right now. In addition, the working relationship between a GM and all-powerful player would be extremely awkward. Would you want your job contingent on the wishes of your inferiors? Absolutely not.
As far as using enhanced responsibility to maintain Howard in Orlando, I see it as too little too late. The Magic currently sit somewhere in the middle of the East without any real chance to compete with the Bulls or Heat this year. Howard can ask for a better sidekick, but barring a huge upgrade, it seems he will leave regardless. The Magic would do better to gain value for Howard now rather than lose him in free agency or give him a quasi-front office responsibility. Yes, such a decision will look to many fans like Shaq’s exit from Orlando in the 90s, but at least the Magic might build a little bit. With Shaq, Orlando was able to reap in zero value or benefit.
Bit #1: QB market upheaval
Last week, Peyton Manning met with John Elway and the Denver Broncos, and by all accounts the meetings went extremely well. The same occurred with Ken Whisenhunt and the Arizona Cardinals. The most interesting prospect is not Manning playing for these teams (still not certain) but what such a development bodes for the current QBs on the roster.
Start with the Cardinals. Somehow, Kevin Kolb continues to fool teams into believing he’s a real NFL starter. Should his $7 million option be enacted on Thursday, Kolb will have made almost $27 million over three years while playing in 20 games. Should Manning go to Arizona, Kolb will be out of a job with no real prospects, except maybe Cleveland, as horrible as that sounds.
The Broncos may have found the best way to extricate their team from Tebowmania and the circus that comes with it: replace him with a complete stud. It speaks volumes about the Broncos that they would give up a playoff winning quarterback from just one season ago. While I personally see Manning and Tebow co-existing, I would be willing to bet Denver trades Tebow should Manning come to town.
(Just saw the Bears acquired Brandon Marshall from the Dolphins, who clearly must believe their chances of luring Manning to Miami are nil.)
Bit #2: Why my last two posts are now irrelevant
Remember the $40 million number I had for the Redskins salary cap? Look at that no longer with the NFL’s announcement that the Skins will lose $18 million in cap space this season. The reason: excessive spending during the un-capped 2010 season. I have tried to be unbiased in assessing this, but the announcement stinks like a fish market in Anacostia. The Redskins and Cowboys (who lost $5 million) worked within the rules at the time and should not be penalized in this ex post facto fashion. Additionally, why would the NFL inform the teams one day before free agency starts? Furthermore, teams like Cincinnati didn’t spend enough to meet today’s cap floor in that year, so why aren’t they being penalized similarly? While part of me doesn’t feel too bad for cash cows Jones and Snyder, another part wonders if the NFL knew these penalties would come months ago and delayed announcing.
Bit #3: Massive change in college basketball
The Tournament begins tonight, but I am struck by the changing nature of college basketball, lots of it drawing from the existence of one-and-done. Those are players who fulfill the one obligatory year of college before jumping to the NBA. While the quality of play certainly increased, we as fans no longer see those teams with Jordan or Olajuwon as juniors or seniors. Highly touted high school recruits are less likely to become upperclassmen, denying the chance for many programs to sustain high performance unless they continue recruiting one year players. I will most likely post further on this when prospects start moving to the draft after the Tournament.
Bit #4: Penguins continue to get better
The Pittsburgh Penguins are getting hot at the right time. They have won nine straight games without Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang (star defenseman). The really bad news for the rest of the league: Crosby will return on Thursday. Might be a bit too early, but the Eastern Conference will be the better conference in the playoffs this year. Penguins, Bruins, Rangers, Flyers, and even New Jersey have legitimate chances to win the Cup. Be ready and waiting for this to begin.
Bit #5: March 13, 1954 – Move over Bobby Thomson
On this day, Bobby Thomson, an MLB legend responsible for “The Shot Heard Round the World” in the World Series against the Dodgers in 1951, broke his ankle in a game with the Braves, only to be replaced by one Henry Aaron signifying one of those moments in sports where one legend leaves the scene for the start of another legendary career. Aaron went on as the home run king for 27 years until Barry Bonds broke the record. Not really an edifying sports history tidbit, but a fun moment nonetheless.
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