~MSU's basketball schedule is out! Woo! All I can say is Jesus Christ this schedule is killer. Nobody can ever- and I mean ever- say Izzo doesn't play tough competition. Here are some of the highlights:
-South Carolina (ESPN's annual 24-hour college bball marathon)
-Connecticut (Potential matchup in the Maui Invitational)
-Kentucky (Potential matchup in the Maui Invitational final)
-@ Duke (ACC-Big Ten Challenge- The final game of the challenge)
-Syracuse (in NY, Coaches vs. Cancer)
-Texas (Continuing our annual home-and-home with the Longhorns)
And that's just non-conference! The conference schedule is always tough, but this year we only have to play the Buckeyes once (and Indiana once as well, too). That still means two against Purdue, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. And we finish the year against Michigan in Ann Arbor...during their spring break. Think the crowd might have an green and white feel to it?
~Sports Illustrated wrote a piece on some 5-year old kid that can hit an 85mph pitch. I haven't read the article, but that's pretty fucking insane. I did watch this video that shows him hitting a pitching machine set at 85mph. Very impressive. And his fielding is pretty damn slick, too.
~Okay, fantasy predictions...
Prediction: Jamaal Charles will look a lot like Chris Johnson, only in a red jersey.
Okay, Charles was an absolute beast at the end of last year. He would have been a sure-fire top-10 back if the Chiefs hadn’t gone and grabbed 1400 yd runner Thomas Jones. Heck, his draft stock is falling even more because Thomas Jones has been named the starter. But I’m still going to go ahead and predict Charles as a top-10 back.
First, some stats to marinate over from last year:
Top 3 RB YPC (yards per carry):
-Jamaal Charles, 5.9
-Chris Johnson, 5.6
-Ray Rice, 5.3
Runs Longer than 40+ Yards Leaders:
-Chris Johnson, 7
-Jamaal Charles, 5 (remember, only played half a season)
-Frank Gore, 4
-Ray Rice, 3
-MJD, 3
-AP, 3
And did you know Charles led all running backs in yards after contact? The guy does all the things Chris Johnson does, and in some cases, better.
If you paid attention to the preseason games it fairly obvious to see that Charles is on a different level than Jones. Earlier in the offseason new offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss dubbed Charles the “centerpiece” of his offense. Head coach Todd Haley recently said, in reference to Jamaal Charles, that the preseason is about getting guys practice, but also not showing your full hand. Could the Chiefs just be keeping their stud in the stables until the season starts?
With his skill set and talent, along with the number one most favorable schedule for running backs, I’m buying on Jamaal Charles this year in a big way.
Prediction: Mark Sanchez will throw at least 18 picks this year.
I’ve tried to talk myself into Sanchez as a decent fantasy quarterback, but I can’t do it. The guy has Braylon Edwards, Jericho Cotchery, Santonio Holmes, Dustin Keller, and now LT to throw to. He has one of the league’s best offensive line and a productive running game to keep defenses honest. He’s in his second year of Brian Schottenheimer’s offense. And yet I still think he’ll suck.
Most quarterbacks don’t make a significant jump in stats until their 3rd year (well, the good ones at least). Matt Ryan is a good example. He had a solid rookie year and everyone expected great things from him (including me) his sophomore campaign, but in many ways it looked like he regressed, at least stat-wise. But those are the growing pains. So when I look at Sanchez and his 12-20 TD-INT ratio, that’s a lot to improve on to even be a trustworthy fantasy backup. I watched him against the Giants in the first preseason game, and the interception he threw was absolutely horrid. I know it’s just one game, but that one was bad. I think he’s in for another long year.
Prediction: Bernard Scott will be this year’s waiver-wire darling.
Miles Austin. Jerome Harrison. Sidney Rice. Jamaal Charles. Every year they win leagues. The guys you get in Week 8 after a monster performance that you ride till the end of the year. My favorite to explode, given the opportunity, is Bernard Scott. He’s currently the second running back behind Cedric Benson, but given the chance to start you could see a Jamaal Charles-like finish to the season. He’s another explosive, dual-threat back that just needs that opportunity.
Prediction: JerMichael Finley will be this year’s top fantasy tight end.
Book it. The guy is a physical specimen. In a lot of ways he reminds me of Vernon Davis in that he’s got speed and hops. He broke out towards the end of last year, and especially in the playoffs with a 150-yard performance against the Cardinals. He’s a gigantic redzone threat, especially considering the undersized receivers the Packers have in Driver and Jennings. And it helps to have your QB say things like this: “He's a great player. He's going to be a big part of our offense. Anytime I get the ball, I'll look for him.” Throw in the fact he’s got the 2nd easiest schedule for tight ends and he could have a Vernon Davis-type breakout season.
Prediction: Joseph Addai will reach 850 yards rushing, 300 yards receiving, and 10 total touchdowns. Donald Brown will basically be irrelevant.
With Addai getting older and Brown being a former first-round pick, some people think this is the year Brown wins the lion share of the carries. After all, Addai’s overall numbers last year were far from impressive.
But while Addai might not break off 50 yard runs (or 20, for that matter), he does do all the little things. He’s a great redzone back. He’s a great receiver. And maybe most importantly, he’s a great pass protector. Those things keep you on the football field, and Addai’s just better than Brown at them. And the last time the Colts had a back that was entering his free agent year (Edgerin James), they worked him like a dog. I think one last hurrah and double-digit TD season is reasonable for Addai, and then it’s bye-bye.
Prediction: Jay Cutler will throw for 4000+ yards, 27+ TDs, and less than 26 INTS, bettering every one of his 2009 stats.
Jay Cutler threw the ball the fourth most times last season and then the Bears brought in Martz. But how much more can the Bears throw? They threw a shit ton last season, and they’ll throw a shit ton this season. This year, however, they will throw more effectively. I think Cutler will improve on his 3600 yards and 27 TDs, and will lower his 26 INTS (wow that’s a lot). I’ll put Cuter at 4200 yards, 29 TDs, 20 INTs. The Martz effect.
Prediction: The top fantasy running back this year will be…Adrian Peterson
AP finished with 17 total touchdowns last year. That’s a lot, and that’s with Brett Favre throwing it all over the place. The offensive line is still decent, but Favre’s weapons have decreased due to injuries. You have to think that means more opportunities for All Day.
But nobody is really talking about the absence of Chester Taylor, who was the Viking’s primary 3rd down back because he was a receiving threat. This year the Vikings want AP to be that guy, so expect an uptick in APs receiving stats. He may not be the homerun hitter Chris Johnson is, but he’s still a playmaker. Get the ball in his hands and good things will happen. Plus what are the chances CJ rushes for 2000 yards again? Nahhhhhh that would never happen again…
Prediction: Larry Fitzgerald will finish with 7 or less touchdowns this season.
That's how much I hate the Arizona QB situation. Matt Leinart has already been benched. I mean the guy couldn't even make it to Game 1 before getting pulled. And his backup? Derrik Anderson? If only INTs counted as TDs, he'd be golden. And it's not like there are a lot of weapons to take the pressure of Fitzgerald. Early Doucet is unproven, and Steve Breasten is a great WR3, but really that's all he is. If I was a defensive coordinator I'd quadruple cover Fitz and let the rest of that junk for an offense try to beat me.
Prediction: Vince Young will be a starter for Kevin's team by Week 3.
He just loves him too much.
~Mikey D
Best and Worst Picks:
Round 1: Best- Aaron Rodgers (Wicked Weasels), Worst- Maurice Jones-Drew (1st and Goal) Big fan of Rodgers...I picked MJD as the worst because Amber wasn't there to draft. Boo.
Round 2: Best- Andre Johnson (1st and Goal), Worst- Shonne Greene (Royale with Cheese) Andre Johnson lasted until the 14th pick? That's a great steal...so why didn't you grab him, Jason?!? I think Greene might have come back to him in the 3rd round, in hindsight.
Round 3: Best- Calvin Johnson (I'm not a Pig-Cow!), Worst- Brett Favre (Royale with Cheese) Randy Moss and Megatron make a nice 1-2. It was the one guy Grace really wanted, so I'm glad she got him...I'm not too hot on Favre this year. I think the magic from last year is gone.
Round 4: Best- Greg Jennings (1st and Goal), Worst- Hines Ward (Wicked Weasels) I think Jennings bounces back big time this year...too early on to pick Hines; could have had him 3-4 rounds later.
Round 5: Best- Rashard Mendenhall (The WhIZ Kidz), Worst- Matthew Stafford (Royale with Cheese) The guy is the 11th ranked player overall...Stafford could have been had one or two rounds later.
Round 6: Best- Eli Manning (TakingItToTheIzzone), Worst- Ronnie Brown (Dublin Daredevils) Eli isn't a sexy pick, but Adam waited on his 2nd QB and it paid off: he got the last of the "stable" quarterbacks. 20+ TDs is pretty much a guarantee...I like Brown, but he's too much of an injury risk. I would have taken Beanie, Pierre, Jamaal, Jahvid, or Cedric instead.
Round 7: Best- JerMichael Finley (Royale with Cheese), Worst- Terrell Owens (Wicked Weasels) All-in on Finley this year...Owens could have been had a round or two later.
Round 8: Best- Cedric Benson (Wicked Weasels), Worst- San Francisco Defense (Dublin Daredevils) Seriously? How did Benson slip this far!?! Awesome value...I think the SF defense would have been there a few rounds later.
Round 9: Best- Jonathan Stewart (TakingItToTheIzzone), Worst- Mark Sanchez (Wicked Weasels) I was hoping Stewart would slip to me, but no dice. Nice job, Adam...HATE Sanchez. I don't see him making any sort of improvement over last year.
Round 10: Best- Vince Young (Kevinexhaustable), Worst- Stephen Gostkowski (1st and Goal) Not bad for a backup! And Kevin got his man. All is right with the world...this is what happens when you auto-draft. You get a fucking kicker in the 10th.
Round 11: Best- Arian Foster (The WhIZ Kidz), Worst- Sidney Rice (1st and Goal) Another starting running back, and in a high-powerd offense...had Amber been drafting, she would have known Sidney might not be back all year. Oh well.
Round 12: Best- Mike Wallace (Dublin Daredevils), Worst- Devin Aromashodu (The WhIZ Kidz) Anybody else see a DeShaun Jackson in the making with Wallace?...I took a guy who's listed as a #3 on his team's depth chart.
Round 13: Best- Jason Campbell (Dublin Daredevils), Worst- Ryan Longwell (Wicked Weasels) Great backup QB in the 13th...still too early for a kicker.
Round 14: Best- C.J. Spiller (Kevinexhaustable), Worst- TJ Houshmanzadeh (Dublin Daredevils) Of all the players in Round 14, Spiller has the most upside and potential...Thought about McGahee here, but even with Rice exploding last year McGahee had 14 TDs (14!!!) and is a Rice injury away from being a stud back. I just don't trust any Seahawk, and Houshmanzadeh disappeared last year.
Round 15: Best- Matt Forte (TakingItToTheIzzone), Worst- Kickers (Many Teams) Wow, Forte in the 15th? Bush and Dez Bryant too! It's amazing some of the players that slip through the cracks...kickers, bleah.
Round 16: Best- Heath Miller (Royale with Cheese), Worst- Josh Johnson (1st and Goal) Heath Miller is not a kicker or defense. He's a real player. Best pick....Whoa. Josh Johnson is the backup QB on the Tampa Bay Buccanneers. What???
My own personal thoughts on my team. I did a bunch of statistical work this summer because 1)I had the time, and 2)I lacked a real hobby. I looked at a lot of things, from rankings, to projections, to the previous year's points and draft results. From all the number crunching and analyzing, I basically reached the following conclusions:
1)After the top-7 QBs, there's quite a drop off in terms of production and uncertainty.
2)Andre Johnson and Randy Moss are clearly the top-2 WRs. But after that, 3-11 on most draft boards are basically interchangeable in terms of projected production, but the dropoff after the first 11 is significant.
3)WRs, compared to RBs, are safer picks. More WRs live up to their pre-draft ranking than RBs.
4)There is definitely an elite-tier of running backs, but the RB position on a whole is deeper than any other position. This is primarily due to the running back by committee approach, with more quality backs available. What makes CJ and AP so valuable? Talent AND opportunity. There are a lot of talented backs out there...it's guessing the ones that will get the most opportunity that's the hard part.
So with those thoughts in mind, my plan was to grab two elite QBs with my first two picks, followed by two of the WRs that were ranked in that 3-11 range. After that I wanted RBs, and I felt like there would probably be a RB or two that would slip down and be a great value pick. I could fill out my WR3 late with a Johnny Knox, Mike Wallace, or Malcom Floyd type player with some good upside.
So it was mission accomplished with Brees and Brady (although I was shooting for a Rodgers-Romo pairing, but hey, elite is elite), and then Miles Austin in the 3rd round (apparently I like him more than most people). I was hoping Marshall would fall, but Kevin nabbed him on his back to back picks. I was looking at Jennings and Jackson, but I really wanted Finley as my TE, so I was nervous about taking two guys from the same team, which left me with just Jackson. I don't hate Jackson, but when I looked at the RBs, with DeAngelo and Mendenhall still there...I just couldn't resist. I just liked them more than Jackson.
In hindsight, I regret that decision because Mendenhall still made his way to me in Round 5, which is a great value, but I could have had my WR2 in the 4th and still gotten a good RB in the 5th. I liked Steve Smith (NYG) in the 5th as well, and would have taken him instead of Mendenhall, but like DeAngelo, the value was just too good. So given the choice...I went with the RB that will get 250+ touches.
If there was one player I really wanted, it was JerMichael Finley. I think he will be the number one tight end this year. I thought he'd make it around to me in Round 7, so I gambled and took my other pre-draft favorite, Jamaal Charles. Two questions: Who had the highest YPC last year? Charles. Highest YAC (yards after contact)? Charles. Yes please. I'm buying.
My hopes for Finley were washed away quickly when the run on tight ends occurred and Jason took him one spot before me. I figured I'd finally attend to my receiving corps, but then there was Jahvid Best. An electric starting running back that can run and catch? That's worth more than grabbing some crappy receiver like Dwayne Bowe (who I got a couple rounds later anyway).
I finally addressed my receivers with Bowe, Knox, Aromashadu, and Berrian. Sounds weak, but I think at least one will emerge as a weekly starter. I'm glad I grabbed both Chicago guys. I'm a believer in the Martz offense and the fact that it makes players better for fantasy purposes (case in point: Roy Williams and Jon Kitna). Knox has been raved about by the coaching staff thus far in the preseason. Aromashadu and Cutler developed a connection with monster games towards the end of last year. One will hopefully emerge. And Berrian (nicknamed BTwice)...look, Harvin is liability, and Rice is gone. Who's left? By default Berrian will be the team's number one, and with Favre throwing him the ball I could get 7-8 TDs possibly from this deep threat. In the 14th round I think I could have done worse.
The receivers are definitely a work in progress, and are my team's biggest question mark without a doubt. I'm pretty comfortable with my other positions (especially after trading for Finley), and given that I'm pretty deep at RB I'm hoping I can pull off a trade midway through the year and upgrade at WR. We'll see. Overall I thought my draft was a little crazy, but I'm more comfortable with this team than after last year's draft.
I'll probably do a post with some predictions in it the next day or so.
~Mikey D
I'm 110% sure this is how all the divisions will shake out at the end of the year.
NFC
NFC East:
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. New York Giants (Wild Card)
3. Washington Redskins
4. Philadelphia Eagles
Dallas is the most complete team of the four, so by default they get to be first...I kind of like the Giants, now that they're healthy, got a couple of guys into their secondary, and are recommitted to the run...The Redskins will finish 9-7, just on the outside of the playoffs...The Eagles are too young for me (Kolb, McCoy, Maclin, Jackson) and their defense was a letdown last year, they need to go through some growing pains.
NFC North:
1. Green Bay Packers
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Detroit Lions
4. Chicago Bears
The Packers addressed their one weakness, offensive line, through the draft...I don't like the Vikings as much because I don't think Favre repeats last year, Rice and Harvin are injury concerns, and their schedule is pretty tough...Yes, the Lions top the Bears! Gotta start somewhere, from 4th to 3rd this year...Excuse me for not believing in a lame-duck coach in Smith, Mike Martz's offense, Jay "INT Machine" Cutler, the lackluster Matt Forte, an aging defense, and the non-existent offensive line.
NFC South:
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Atlanta Falcons (Wild Card)
3. Tampa Bay Buccanneers
4. Carolina Panthers
I will give the nod to the Champs, although I wouldn't be surprised if Atlanta overtook them...Now that Turner is back and healthy and the team is refocused and less hyped, watch out as Matt Ryan heads into his 3rd year...I like Tampa Bay, they're a fun young team and could pull off a couple upsets like they did last year against Green Bay and New Orleans...I just hate Carolina's QBs and they lost their best player in Peppers. Steve Smith isn't getting younger, so really what you have is a superb running game, but not much else.
NFC West:
1. San Francisco 49ers
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. St. Louis Rams
I hate all the teams in this division, but San Francisco is mediocre instead of awful, so they get to be first...Matt Leinart will make the Cardinals choose a QB in next year's draft, mark my words...Matt Hasselback can't do it anymore, the offensive line is a mess, and their receivers are old. They should be a last-place team, but...St. Louis is in their division. Train wreck.
NFC Playoffs:
Wild Card:
Atlanta at Dallas (Cowboys 24, Atlanta 14)
New York Giants at San Francisco (New York Giants 21, San Francisco 20)
Divisional:
Dallas at New Orleans (Cowboys 34, New Orleans 31)
New York Giants at Green Bay (Packers 38, New York 17)
NFC Championship:
Dallas at Green Bay (Packers 27, Cowboys 21)
NFC Champion: Green Bay Packers
AFC
AFC East:
1. New England Patriots
2. New York Jets (Wild Card)
3. Miami Dolphins
4. Buffalo Bills
The Patriots are still pretty much the same team as last year, and oh yeah, they finished first in their division...Too much hype on the Jets. I actually considered putting them 3rd. Sanchez has more growing to do, and their are too many personalities on this team. Plus they're not sneaking up on anybody this year. And no Revis (as of yet)!...Like the Dolphins, if they can stay healthy at RB and WR,and if Henne can become the man, but that's one too many 'ifs' for my liking...Wow, I watched the Bills first preseason game and I have to say, they might be worse than the Rams.
AFC North:
1. Baltimore Ravens
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Cincinnati Bengals
4. Cleveland Browns
Baltimore wins one of the most competitive divisions in football with their nasty defense and improved offense...They trade Holmes, lose a starting offensive lineman and are without Big Ben for at least four games. Oh, and they will probably lose Troy P. to some sort of season ending injury at some point. Not a lot going for this team, yet they are always in the thick of things...I think the Bengals regress. Their schedule is tougher and I'm not sold on Palmer as a legit stud QB...I like the Browns. They have a good offensive line and will run the ball well I think. Watch out in a year or two.
AFC South:
1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Tennessee Titans (Wild Card)
3. Houston Texans
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
Peyton Manning plays for the Colts. Enough said...I like Vince this year as a starter for the whole year. He may not be a stat sheet stuffer, but he wins football games. It helps that Chris Johnson is on the team, too...There's something about Houston that just rubs me the wrong way. Schaub was great last year, but has only done it for one year. The expectations are high (much like Atlanta last year) and I just think the pressure will be too much...Jacksonville might be a bottom-5 team, even with MJD on it. I don't like their defense and David Garrard is going backwards in his development as a QB. He's a backup on pretty much every other team.
AFC West:
1. San Diego Chargers
2. Oakland Raiders
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Denver Broncos
San Diego will definitely take a step back this year, but they are still talented. They might not win their division by a lot, but they'll win it...Love the Raiiiiiderrrrrrrs this year. Good offensive line, better QB, a solid defense, and a weak division. That's a recipe for some surprise success...Like Kansas City too, but not as much. That defense is still missing some players, and I don't know if I trust Cassell that much...No me gusta Denver. No receivers, hurt RBs, porous offensive line, undersized defensive line, Kyle Orton at QB...eek.
AFC Playoffs:
Wild Card:
Tennessee at New England (New England 35, Tennessee 13)
New York Jets at San Diego (San Diego 13, New York Jets 10)
Divisional Playoffs:
San Diego at Indianapolis (Indianapolis 27, San Diego 14)
New England at Baltimore (Baltimore 23, New England 17)
AFC Championship:
Baltimore at Indianapolis (Indianapolis 26, Baltimore 24)
AFC Champion: Indianapolis Colts
***
Super Bowl: Green Bay Packers vs. Indianapolis Colts (Indianapolis 30, Green Bay 23)
Super Bowl Champion: Indianapolis Colts
~Mikey D
As you know, I’m a little bit of a basketball recruiting junkie. I follow it almost religiously. The last week has been absolutely nuts in the MSU recruiting world with three recruits committing in Kenny Kaminski, Branden Dawson, and Travis Trice. You guys saw how excited I was over the Kaminski verbal commitment this past weekend, as he is a perfect start to the 2012 class. But as excited I was about Kaminiski, I’m ten times more pumped about Dawson. He is the crown jewel of the 2011 class, and Izzo’s number one target.
Let’s start with Dawsen. Ratings-wise (and there is always a discrepancy among recruiting sites) Dawsen is between the 15-25th best player in the country overall. He’s a small forward listed at 6’6” and about 200 pounds (and probably some change). Just looking at him you know he’s an athlete- he’s got that type of build. Like I mentioned, he’s been Izzo’s number one target for quite awhile, and with good reason. Check out these write-ups on Dawson (from Scouts, Inc.) and tell me that he isn’t an MSU-type player:
“Dave Telep: However you want to phrase it, pound for pound, inch for inch, whatever, Branden Dawson is in my opinion the best rebounder in this class. Actually, he’s the best offensive rebounder, which to me is an even loftier distinction. Dawson owns a strong body, a nose for the ball and the natural ability to track down a rebound like he’s locked in via homing device.
Evan Daniels: The nation’s top rebounder isn’t a power forward or a center. The nation’s top rebounder is 2011 wing prospect Branden Dawson. An athletic 6-foot-6 forward, Dawson makes it his personal goal to lock down the paint and snag any and every rebound in his vicinity. He’s especially an animal on the offensive glass and more often than not turns those boards into points.”
Branden Dawson is a rebounding machine that is coming to play for Tom Izzo. That’s just downright scary. It’s hard to compare Dawson to any particular player from MSU’s past, but it seems like he’s got the versatility of a Raymar, the hops of Durrell, and has the potential to be the type of player Jason Richardson was. There is definite reason to be VERY excited about this kid. He’s probably our biggest recruit since Shannon Brown.
Dawson’s recruitment has been very interesting as well. Dawson visited MSU back in early spring and gave the visit “an 11”. He’s been very high on MSU, almost as much as Izzo’s been high on him (Izzo attended every one of his AAU summer league games). Still, Dawson let the media know that he wasn’t going to commit until next spring, which is a typical decision of most high profile players. So it definitely came as a shock that here we are in early August, and Dawson let his intentions be known through texts to reporters and on his Facebook page that he was going Green (the media actually found out before Izzo!). Apparently the bond he’s supposedly developed with Izzo is strong enough to make him decide to verbally commit well before his original timeframe.
This commitment also sends shockwaves through the Big Ten landscape. Dawson was born and raised in Gary, Indiana- Purdue country. Joe Rexrode of the LSJ said that “Gary is sort of like Purdue's Flint”, and the fact that Izzo went in and took Dawson away from Purdue is a very big deal (conversely, could you imagine if Matt Painter came and stole an MSU recruit from Flint?). If there was any doubt who the king of Big Ten basketball is, there isn’t any more. Izzo recruits the players for his system, and he’ll take them from any Big Ten school’s backyard.
Now as surprising as the Dawson commitment was, the Travis Trice commitment was equally surprising because nobody had even heard of the guy. As far as recruiting services and messageboards are concerned, he wasn’t even on MSU’s radar. So who is he? Well, from the limited information about him he is a point guard that can score, score, and score (and hopefully not with Durrell’s girlfriend). Did I mention he can score the basketball? He is very small at 5’11” and weighs only 160 (apparently he’s getting stronger and putting on more weight, we shall see though), so think of him like a Korie Lucious, but a better scorer. Another comparison would be to Taylor Battle of Penn State, in terms of his ability to score.
So how did he end up on Izzo’s radar? Well, care to venture a guess as to who the PG of Branden Dawson’s summer league team was? Yep, Trice. Izzo was at not only all of Dawson’s games, but Trice’s as well, and apparently he liked what he saw. And Trice seems to have some chemistry with Dawson that should be exciting to see when they come to State together. Says Trice:
"I've actually been playing with (Dawson) since freshman year," Trice said. "We're really close so we've got a nice chemistry together. ... He's a heck of player and I love playing with him, so it's good I'm gonna get to spend at least four more years playing with him."
While it’s nice to have a point guard on board next year with Lucas leaving, there is one major question: Was Trice’s offer given in order to land Branden Dawson? Now this is pure speculation, but it is a question that should be asked. Personally I cannot believe Izzo would do that in order to land one guy, as he has always been a “do what’s best for the team” coach, as evidenced by the Chris Allen dismissal. I don’t think there’s any way he uses a scholarship on a guy he doesn’t like. It also should be pointed out that Trice was really rising up recruiting boards this summer with three stellar performances at camps, and was offered a scholarship to Minnesota by Tubby Smith (unfortunately for Minnesota he committed on the spot when he received the MSU scholarship). So he’s no bum, it’s just that his commitment came out of left field.
The 2011 class is now filled, and should be a top-15 class overall when all is said and done. Izzo has done it again by grabbing top in-state talent and prototypical MSU guys. The benefits of wrapping up the 2011 class now are huge. Izzo can focus on the remaining two scholarships of 2012 (Matt Costello- a power forward- seems like he will go Green, leaving one more scholarship to go to either PG Denzel Valentine or super-stud PG Gary Harris) and then really focus on 2013. The 2013 class is huge because Izzo will have two years to recruit the best of the best (PG Cha Cha Tucker is a top target). If you give Izzo two years to recruit for one class…watch out. Here’s what we’re looking like the next couple of years:
2010:
Guards: Kalin Lucas, Korie Lucious, Keith Appling, Durrell Summers Russell Byrd, Austin Thornton, Mike Kebler
Bigs: Draymond Green, Delvon Roe, Garrick Sherman, Derrick Nix, Adreian Payne, Alex Gauna (Redshirt)
2011:
Guards: Korie Lucious, Keith Appling, Russell Byrd, Austin Thornton, Brandon Kearney, Dwaun Anderson, Travis Trice
Bigs: Draymond Green, Delvon Roe, Garrick Sherman, Derrick Nix, Adreian Payne, Alex Gauna, Branden Dawson
Just looking at our 2011 line-up, depending on how are guards develop this coming season (Appling and Byrd), our 2011 team could be better than our 2010. Do you see the depth we have with our bigs? We lose nobody for the next two years, and add two top-25 recruits to the mix. We could be absolutely dominate in the post.
It’s a very very very good time to be a Spartan. We are looking quite good the next couple of years.
~Mikey D
From Joe Rexrode, LSJ:
'It's a somber story for Allen, who made such strides on the court as a junior while apparently losing sight of his priorities off it. It's a major plot twist for Izzo's 2010-11 team, which may have been his deepest collection of talent yet with Allen on board. This can still be a great team, but there are more uncertainties.
For Izzo, that was a question for another day.'
"I have no idea," he said of how this will affect the team on the court. "The last thing I thought about was my team today."
“It’s kind of sad, to be honest with you," Izzo said. "But you’ve got to just realize things have got to change sometimes.”'
***
Rumors are that Allen might possibly end up at USF with Tom Herzog and former MSU assistant (and now head coach) Stan Heath. Seems like a logical fit, and with Allen walking the fine line the last few months, I imagine Izzo has spoken (and Allen as well) to Heath numerous times to try to set something up. Of course this is all rumor, but if you think about Allen's press release he gave last night, it all seemed a little too nice and amicable...like this wasn't a shocking move by Izzo at all. Allen's departure seems like a mild surprise to only us fans.
Is our team better off? Well, how much is chemistry worth to a team? One high school coach who runs an open gym in the summers in the Lansing area said that Lucious, Summers, and Appling have been playing together a lot and are tearing it up (take it for what it's worth). Obviously last year was a difficult year due to inconsistencies and lack of unity (as well as the injuries). Does that mean we'll be more consistent and unified? Eh, maybe. Hopefully. You know Lucas and Summers will be focused, this being their senior years and with NBA aspirations. Draymond will be his usual vocal self, and we have a nice core of young guys that will blend in nicely with the vets. The leadership is there, and the pieces seem to be there still.
But we still lost our most consistent three-point threat, and our best defensive stopper. That's gotta hurt a little.
I just feel bad for Allen, because like Rexrode said, he really did come a long way last year. This could have definitely been a breakout year for the guy and he could have been a key cog in a our MSU basketball machine. It's too bad whatever he did off the court- and we still don't know that- kept him from becoming something great on it.
Best of luck, Chris. You're still (and always will be) a Spartan to me.
~Mikey D
Some photos of your trip down!
~Mikey D
