Top Five Friday...Power Forward edition

5- Dennis Rodman
One of the absolute best defensive players in NBA History. Yea he was a little (a lot) eccentric with his attire/hair/attitude/behavior, but there wasn't a player on the court who gave more effort, worked harder and wanted it more than "The Worm." The guy was a key member of 5 NBA Championships and deserves to be in consideration for one of the Top PF's of all time. He was a defensive master and a rebounding machine. There hasn't been nor will ever be a guy like Rodman.

4- Charles Barkley
Sir Charles was probably one of the most undersized PFs of all time. Standing at 6'6" he went toe to toe with every big man that stood in his path. Barkley had the moxy and persona to be the best and if not for Jordan, he'd have at least 1 ring. There hadn't been a player like Barkley who could run the floor like a 2 guard but post up and defend bigs. He was so unique and special, he changed the way people thought about power forwards. If we were judging the best athletes who are now commentators, Barkley would be hands down number 1. The guy is hilarious and speaks his mind, and I love it!

3- Karl Malone
The Mail Man. He and Stockton were one of the most formidable duos in NBA history. They mastered the pick and roll and it was essentially impossible to stop. I am not sure I've ever seen a Karl Malone jump shot ever hit the rim, he was nothing but net almost every time. Aside from being one of the most physically dominant players in the NBA, he always delivered when it was necessary. He and Stockton never won a ring together (again, because of Jordan) but he will still go down as one of the best players in NBA History. O by the way, hes second all time in points scored in NBA history.

2- Kevin Garnett
"The Big Ticket" came into the league out of high school and immediately made an impact. He has had sustained success for a long time and there isn't a more intense player than KG. He helped the TWolves get to the playoffs for a number of years but could never make it to the promise land. He finally got his taste of a ring with the Celtics. There haven't been too many players like KG, who take pride in playing defense and can also put up 30 on you. All these young kids coming into the league who are stretch 4s should go back and watch tape of KG when he was with Minnesota to learn how to play the game the right way. Hey, "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!"

1- Tim Duncan
"The Big Fundamental"I don't think anyone can argue NOT having Timmy as the best PF of all time. The guy has done it the right way and with one team his whole career. He's got 5 rings and has been the centerpiece of all of them. He is as humble as they come but like a fine wine, seems to be getting better with age. I've never seen anyone use the glass the way this guy does. He has a touch like no other and is one of the more underrated defensive players that I can remember. He is the last superstar who not only has been dominating in the NBA, but also is a 4-year college graduate and helped put Wake Forest on the map. He is the definition of franchise player and superstar. If you're talking about power forwards, Tim Duncan is the G.O.A.T!

Could this be the greatest sports weekend of all time?

For all men out there that will gander onto this article please be sure to do so away from your significant others.  I'm sure the women have great plans this weekend like enjoying the nice spring weather that we have in Atlanta, or maybe taking in a nice play at the Fox Theatre.  However, for the males you can put that off another weekend or so because you will want to be glued to the TV and here is why...


TOP 10 Sporting Events this weekend (April 30th - May 3rd)

1) Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather - Fight of the Century, Saturday Night
Can be seen for a whopping $100 bucks via Pay-Per-View.

Boxing has been gone for quite a while.  No one has really cared to see Floyd take on guys with half his talent and pedigree or watching Klitschko whoop up on somebody.  This will be a great fight, a match between good and evil some might say.  Floyd being the arrogant undefeated champ from our home country with some serious issues outside the ring and Manny being an ambassador for the sport and his home country of the Philippines. The fight coverage will start at 7PM and you likely won’t see Manny and Floyd until after 11PM.  Everyone is making money on this fight win or lose, including all the local bars that want to charge $30 to get in the door and sit around for 5-6 hours?? (wtf!)

Prediction - Floyd in a decision but I'm rooting for a knockout from Manny

2) NFL Draft - Begins Thursday night and will end Sunday

All coverage will be aired live on ESPN

A lot of great story lines coming into this draft, will Phil Rivers be dealt?  Will someone try and trade up for Mariota?  Who will be the first RB off the board and how early?  Will make for an interesting weekend, unfortunately as a Bills fan we won’t be all that involved at least until day 2. 

3) NBA Playoffs - First round currently airing and will go through weekend
ESPN and TNT

We have at least 3 series that will have gone to 6 games.  ATL/BRK, SAN/LA, MIL/CHI and these games will begin Thursday night and finish up on Friday.  Potential for a few game 7's that would air Saturday and Sunday. 

Prediction - I think all three are going to go the distance.  Atlanta will find a way to lose in NYC, CP3 will find a way to get it done in San Antonio and the Bucks will take care of business in MIL.  I look for Atlanta, Chicago and the Clips to advance.

4) Kentucky Derby - Saturday afternoon
NBC

What’s better then dressing up and heading out to a derby party just to sit around and drink some Mint Juleps?  Not much and although I'm not a big gambler everyone enjoys a good 2 minute horse race.

5) MLB GAMES - All weekend

Yankees/Red Sox is the obvious choice for best series of the weekend but there is plenty of games worth tuning in for.  Pirates/Cards, Royals/Tigers, Mets/Nationals are all divisional rivals that will battle each other throughout the year for the division.




6) NHL Playoffs
NBC
Second Round kicks off today with Washington/NY and Calgary/Anaheim, followed by Tampa/Montreal and Minnesota/Chicago tomorrow night. 


7) PGA Match Play Tournament
Golf Channel/NBC

Usual suspects Rory, Spieth and Bubba all won on Wednesday and are moving on. 

8) NASCAR - Talladega

9) Soccer Matches (English Premier, MLS, etc.)

10) College Baseball

The Overdevaluation

Time and time again analysts argue that the RB spot on the gridiron is the most replaceable position on the field. This mindset has been taken to a whole new level as of late and some argue that it doesn't matter who you put in the backfield, if the line is solid and the scheme is right, the guy will produce." While to an extent I see the point, I think this has been extremely oversimplified the past few seasons and here are a few quick reasons why:


#1. Jack of all Trades - Running back by committee is pretty much par for the course these days. Like QB's though, my mindset is "If you have 2, you have none". If you have 1 guy that can run between the tackles, hit the edge, pass protect and catch out of the backfield, that is 100x more valuable than 4 guys that have their respective specialty. If you have the rare talent that is a quadruple threat (Matt Forte), the defense is forced to be a 1/2 step slower to react and at this level, that makes all the difference not only for the running game, but for the passing game and offensive line as well.

2. Trent Richardson Rule - The whole "Don't take a RB in the first round" mindset started seemingly after the Browns snagged Richardson with a 3rd pick in the 2012 draft. The guy has been more than a disappointment. Instead of just chalking this up to a bad pick (as we do for every other position), people are just making blanket statements that running backs are unworthy of that spot. Quite the contrary, if you can get a guy that is THAT much better than the next guy in line...why would you pass on him?? Of course there is no such thing as a "sure thing" and if, this year in particular, your eyes are on Gurley or Gordon, you would be a fool to pass it up and fall victim to a 3-year-old mindset that will soon be disproved.


3. Typically, if you're drafting in the Top 10-15, lets face it, your team sucks. While it could very well be that RB is a position of need, odds are that there are bigger holes elsewhere that should be addressed first. In no way does this imply RB's are not important, they are just secondary needs to what is the bigger issue all together. There is a reason why you were 4-12 last year, and it isn't JUST the lack of a home-run threat in the backfield.


My take, WR's are next. If your saying RB's are a product of the line, then you have to say WR's are a product of the QB to a similar extent. Once WR's make the fall from immortality (7 projected in the first round..7! Really??), RB's will once again crack the Top 10 on a regular basis.