My random sports musings are here, in addition to some blog content for Uptick Sports.
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Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
It’s Not Always Sunny in Phoenix
The NBA playoffs are here, and I don’t care. There. I said it. I know that there are many compelling stories to watch during the playoffs this year, such as the pressure that Miami Heat are under, Derrick Rose’s ascension and the issues that both the Lakers and Spurs are having. But as an Arizonan, something is missing from this year’s playoffs that I cannot overlook: The Phoenix Suns.
You see, the Suns are about the only source of consistent winning that we have in the Phoenix area.
And we know consistency. The Arizona Cardinals almost always have a high draft pick, giving us Phoenicians a reason to get excited about the NFL in April. 
The Arizona Wildcats nearly always field a great men’s basketball team. The Diamondbacks are usually a source of apathy, because most baseball fans in the Valley of the Sun have imported their loyalty from other cities. The annual Territorial Cup between the Arizona and ASU football teams is always a memorable battle. The Phoenix Coyotes are constantly rumored to be on the move to Canada. I could on on… but you get the drift.
Yes, as an Arizona sports fan, I’m set in my ways (ironic given my embrace of change in most other circumstances). The playoff just aren’t the same without the Suns, and sadly, the near future doesn’t look bright for the team.
Rookies to boycott NFL draft?
Well this us an interesting move. NFL players (and their decertified union) appear poised to hit NFL owners where it hurts: on TV. Prospective top draft picks may be “strongly encouraged” to boycott the NFL draft, thereby ruining the televised event. Instead, the draftees would attend a function organized by current players.
Can this really work?
Cardinals to trade for QB?
Speculation continues about the Arizona Cardinals’ plans for finding a serviceable quarterback (see link). While many draft analysts foresee AZ finding a QB such as Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert via the draft, a trade might be more likely.
Why? Unlike many teams with early draft picks, Arizona expects to win now. Ken Whisenhunt isn’t afraid to go against conventional wisdom and he has a very short-term focus.
In my view, it’s hard to argue that AZ would be better off taking the best available QB at #5 overall (in a relatively weak draft for QBs) instead of picking up a stable veteran (Carson Palmer, Kyle Orion, Kevin Kolb?) and snaring the best football player at #5.
Patrick Peterson of LSU would be a nice complement to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the Cardinals’ secondary.
It’s the offseason
Now that the offseason is here, we’ve closed our fantasy football stock trading platform until next season nears (check out our season-ending wrap up for a summary of the…
I have $80M in the bank.
- Carson Palmer, explaining why he won’t back down on his threat to retire if the Bengals don’t trade him.
Surprising NBA Demographics
A friend asked me today when Oklahoma City and New Orleans had acquired NBA teams. It seems that many men in their 30s have lost all interest in pro basketball.
It surprises me, then, to discover that the age 35-44 demographic is the NBA’s largest. The attached link dives into the demographics from a few angles.
Anybody else surprised by these findings?
Rookies to suffer from NFL lockout (rethinking Andrew Luck)
I have previously criticized Stanford QB Andrew Luck’s decision not to enter the NFL draft. I even suggested that Standford should perhaps kick him out of school for lacking basic math skills (because he’s taking a huge risk by forgoing an enormous contract, worth tens of millions of dollars, that would come with being the #1 overall draft pick). Well, this link provides a sobering look at a potential “lost year” for rookies that would come with an NFL lockout. Perhaps Luck is bad at math. Or perhaps he has a better statistical model for the probability of a lockout than I do.
Offseason Update: Your Feedback In Action!
Shares Traded, Weekly
In January, we released our 2010-2011 Season Review, which highlighted the 188% year-over-year growth in trades within the Uptick…
Buy or Sell: Cam Newton's decision
You have to love Cam Newton’s confidence. While many top draft prospects (especially QBs) minimize risk and skip working out at the NFL combine, Newton will go through a full workout.
By contrast, Blaine Gabbert — Newton’s competition as the top QB prospect — will opt for private physical workouts instead.
What do you think? Do you BUY or SELL Newton’s risky plan to throw to unfamiliar receivers at the combine? I’m buying.
The issue with him is accuracy.
Mel Kiper, commenting on Jake Locker
(Source: ESPN)
Tebow to start over Orton?
New Broncos coach John Fox is saying that Kyle Orton is ahead of Tim Tebow on the depth chart at QB for the Broncos.
Either this is a smoke screen designed to drive up Orton’s trade value (several teams are in desperate need of a capable veteran QB, such as Arizona and Minnesota), or this is potentially maddening situation for fantasy football owners.
This could become a rotation system, much like the Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson rotation that Cleveland had a couple of seasons ago.
Not good.
Happy for Carmelo? Yes, I am.
I’m happy for Carmelo Anthony. Granted, it can be tough to feel sorry for millionaire professional athletes. But Anthony was unhappy in Denver and wanted to go home to New York.
Think about it. If you could handpick the city of your choice to live in, plus engineer a trade from your employer to the job of your choice in that city — and get that new employer to pay you $65M or so over 3 years — wouldn’t you take that scenario?
Carmelo did. And you can’t blame him for it. Plus, he handled his desire for change better than LeBron “I’m going to take my talents to South Beach” James.
Thoughts on Don Banks' latest NFL mock draft
Don Banks’ latest NFL mock draft is live. I have to think that, if he indeed goes to the Rams at #14 overall, Julio Jones will have the biggest impact among all the offensive rookies.
Each of the draft’s quarterbacks are likely to require time to develop. There’s not a Sam Bradford in this draft.
A.J. Green (whom Banks projects at #4 overall to the Bengals) and Mark Ingram (whom he projects at #15 overall to the Dolphins) seem to have nice upside as well.
The 2010-11 Season in Review for Uptick Sports
It’s been an up-and-down year, albeit a good one, for Uptick Sports. Now that the 2010-2011 NFL regular season has come to end, the fantasy football stock market is…
Fantasy Football “Investor Roundtable” for Week 7
Welcome to the latest edition of the Fantasy Football “Investor Roundtable”. Each week, some of the best and most knowledgable stock traders in the Uptick Sports …
