Changing of the Guard

  Kobe Bryant is one of the most polarizing names in all of basketball. Whether you love him or you hate him if you are a fan the game he plays you most definitely respect him. After 17 years in the national basketball association at the age of 34 Kobe is averaging a league leading 30ppg. I Don’t like Kobe Bryant at all because of the comparisons that are made to Michal Jordan. But the more I think about I realize that I have been privileged to witness the careers of the best shooting guards to ever play this game. More than being a statement on how impressive Kobe has been this year, for a player with 17 years of wear and tear on his body, that stat is really an indictment of our future. Kobe will leave the game at some point and can we really say that his level of fear inspiring dominance at the SG position can be attained by anyone who us currently on the world basketball scene? The answer is no, but I will go through a couple of players, that are near the beginning of their careers, who I feel have the potential to be dominate at the SG position.

James Harden (aka The Beard)

Yeah so this is an easy one. The Beard has burst on to the scene this year after being trade for the Thunder to the Rockets. Harden is averaging 26.6ppg 4.2rpg 5.4apg. Those are elite numbers for any position. At the SG spot Harden is head and shoulders above his contemporaries. What is separating Harden from reaching a Kobe like stature is time. This Harden’s first year producing at an elite level and he has only been this good for a little less than ½ a season. Though there is no reason to believe that he won’t be this good for years to come. At 23 this will only be Hardin’s 4th year in the league so he has not yet reached his prime but he has already shown dominance at the SG position. Harden is not as big or athletic as Kobe and has yet to show me he can get I done when it matters in the playoffs but he is my leading candidate for dominant 2 guard of the next decade.

Klay Thompson

Thompson, at 22 years old, is only in second year of his career and already has shown some of the skills set you look for in an elite scorer. Though he has yet to break out like James Hardin has Klay is already on pace statistically to have a better sophomore more season than James Hardin had. Klay is a tall 6’7 lanky scorer that is a prolific 3 pointer and really a terrific shooter all around. As he continues to adjust to the pace of the game his confidence in his of the bounce game will increase. Once he has master the pull up game he will be a nightmare to stop. Thompson is really more in the mold of a Reggie Miller type SG guard than a Kobe Bryant type, regardless he has the potential to be dominate.

MarShon Brooks

Yes I’m digging a little deep here but I still think given the right situation brooks has the ability and the killer instinct of a truly dominate SG. Will he get the opportunity to prove himself Is the only question. Brooks has a great handle and just a knack for scoring. He’s a natural and without questions a candidate to be the next come from out of nowhere break out star ala Linsanity.

Dion Waiters (Honorable mention)

DW has some qualities that intrigue me he has a great handle solid stature and is fearless. The major flaw I find with waiter is the he is a streaky shooter. It’s hard to be a dominant shooting guard with without a reliable jumper. Granted every shooter will have their ups and downs but Waiter is a particularly streaky shooter and his game really centers more around getting the basket but when he is in rhythm with jumper his potential for dominance is evident .

Here is some video footage of each canidate.

Scrap It!!: The Bears need a complete face lift.

Now that the Lovie Smith era is over the Bears and GM Phil Emery turn their attention to the future. Naturally the process will begin with finding a new head coach that fits the organizations goals for the future. I think what Phil should do instead is look for a brand new team. The Bears as a team have failed to get it done over the past 9 years. You could place much of the blame on the coach or the GM of the last decade but these elements have now been removed. So the question we ask now is why hold on to any of the mess Lovie and Angelo created?

So Who’s On First?

In the world of basketball potential is the most sought after, elusively divisive single element governing the sway of the entire league. On the contrary in football you don’t tend to have such a high importance placed on future gains. That’s of course until this year’s quarterback debate. RGIII vs Andrew Luck has become a monster. With Lucks team being a surprise playoff contender and RG3’s blitzing the league with better numbers, who actually is the best rookie QB has been hard to determine for most. But not for me. Football is still game where everything can change any given Sunday.(pardon the pun). So with that in mind let’s take a look at these QB’s as they are right now.