Best Point Guard in the NBA?

By: Candy Man 

Russell Westbrook is making his case as the best point guard in the league. He’s had to carry his team with Kevin Durant in & out of the lineup and he has been very productive doing so. People are wondering whether Westbrook might be more valuable to his team than Durant. There are also questions if he could possibly have more success if he was the leading man on his own squad. Just take a look at his numbers from this month alone & you can see why Westbrook’s name has been gaining momentum around the league…he’s been averaging about 30 points, 10 assists & 8 rebounds and has been putting up monster stats with Durant out of the lineup. The most explosive playmaker in the NBA, he’s also been more efficient, posting those numbers while only playing under 30 minutes on some nights. I’m calling it now that Westbrook will win an MVP trophy in the next few seasons.

Other names that are brought up in the best point guard conversation are Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving & John Wall. Paul has been considered the best point guard because he is the prototypical guard with a pass-first, shoot-second mentality. He puts up high assist numbers and gets his teammates involved in the game, while being one of the most efficient players in the league. The only knock against Paul is that he hasn’t gotten deep into the playoffs. His teams have been disappointing in the playoffs, coming in with high expectations but consistently getting knocked out in the first & second rounds. He has cost the Clippers late in games with dumb mistakes & turnovers and he should be more aggressive in scoring as I feel he could score more than 20 a night if he really wanted to. Steph Curry, the best 3-point shooter in the game today, probably has taken the best PG title from Paul this season. He’s elevated his game and improved on much criticized areas such as defense & passing. Curry is the most exciting player in the NBA to watch and is deadly from anywhere on the court. From pulling up for the 3 to swerving through traffic down the lane with his fancy ball handling, he can get any shot he wants and hit it with pinpoint accuracy. John Wall is one of the best finishers in the league and is having a career season. He leads the NBA in assists with over 10 a game and he’s been the key piece to the Wizards getting back into the playoffs. Kyrie Irving is another point guard with a shoot first mentality. He’s not much of a facilitator, isn’t impressive on defense but is a lethal scorer and probably has the best handles out of anybody. With LeBron James & a better supporting cast, he has the potential to be a more all-around guard in the next couple years.

The talent at the point guard position is probably the deepest it has ever been. In addition to the first five, you also have Damian Lillard, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Kyle Lowry, Mike Conley, Goran Dragic, Tony Parker, Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight, & Eric Bledsoe. In my opinion, Lillard has the potential to be the biggest star out of all those I just named. He’s still young (3^rd year in the league) and is far from reaching his prime. If this was a list of the top 5 offensive point guards, he would definitely be in there without a question. He’s one of the most clutch players in the NBA, hitting big shots for the Trailblazers late in games. The man hit one of the best buzzer-beaters I’ve ever seen when he sent Houston home last year in the 1^st round of the playoffs. This season, he’s averaging over 21 points, 6 assists & 4 rebounds a game.

The way Stephen Curry & Russell Westbrook are playing, they’ll be considered for the MVP trophy at the end of the season. Steph most likely is going down as the best 3 point shooter ever along with Ray Allen & Reggie Miller. It seems like Westbrook has gotten even better & more explosive since his torn meniscus injury in the 2013 playoffs and arthroscopic surgery last year. I feel like Westbrook is the player Derrick Rose was supposed to be before his knee injuries. With Steph & Westbrook in my top 2, the rest of my top 5 in no order would be Paul, Kyrie & Wall with Dame not too far behind them at 6th.

Highlights of NBA All-Star Weekend

By: CandyMan

Last weekend was one of the better weekends for the NBA All-Star weekend in recent history. Every event was fun, engaging & competitive. The weekend started with the celebrity game where Kevin Hart won his 4^th straight MVP. There were more deserving candidates though, as his East team lost to the West 57-51. Mo’ne Davis probably had the play of the night after driving down the lane with Hart in her face and hitting him with a spin move that opened up an easy layup for her. Next, there was a new format in the Rising Stars Challenge. Freshmen & sophomores from the USA & international countries would compete against each other. The World team beat the U.S. 121-112 as Andrew Wiggins (from Canada) scored 22 points and won MVP. Victor Oladipo & Zach Lavine were the leading scorers for team USA with 22 points each.

Saturday night started off with the first ever fashion show in which JR Smith, who just got traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, finished in first place. The Shooting Stars competition got off to a fast start with all 4 teams finishing und^rd straight Shooting Stars win. Next up was the Skills Challenge with a new tournament format where 8 players competed against each other 2 by 2 side by side. Patrick Beverly won the event after struggling with the chest pass in the last 2 rounds, but came from behind & hit his first 3 point shots with ease against Jeff Teague in the semifinals and Brandon Knight in the final round. 

er a minute. But only 2 could advance into the second round, Team Westbrook (Russell Westbrook, Penny Hardaway, Tamika Catchings) & Team Bosh (Chris Bosh, Dominique Wilkins, Swin Cash). Team Westbrook couldn’t make their half-court shot after using up the whole minute & thirty seconds. Team Bosh came out on top after a half-court shot from Wilkins with just under a minute. It was their 3

The 3-point contest itself was an All-Star roster and ended up meeting expectations as one of the best 3-points competitions ever. The roster included James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kyle Korver, Wesley Matthews, Marco Belinelli (last year’s winner) & JJ Redick. Matthews scored 22 points in the 1^st round but it still wasn’t enough to get into the 2^nd round as Curry, Thompson & Irving all scored more. Curry finished with the title after scoring 27 points and hitting 13 straight shots at one point. Many consider Curry to be the best 3 point shooter in the game and he solidified that status with this win. The final event of the night was the dunk contest. Everybody knew Zach Lavine was going to win and he did just that. He had two perfect score dunks in the first round that brought the whole crowd on their feet. Honestly, they were his best dunks of the night and there was no competition. The Greek Freak was hyped up coming into the event but failed to finish a dunk which basically knocked him out. Victor Oladipo had an impressive first dunk and advanced to the 2^nd round but couldn’t keep up with Lavine.

Now on to the main event on Sunday night. A few stars missed the game due to injury including Kobe Bryant, Anthony Davis & Blake Griffin (all starters for the West). DeMarcus Cousins & Damian Lillard got to play in the game at last, after being snubbed when the initial roster was announced. It was the usual All-Star game: fast-paced, little defense, plenty of turnovers, many 3-pointers and a lot of highlight plays. The West’s stacked roster beat the East 163-158. Westbrook was very explosive from the start and scored 41 points for the West and won MVP. LeBron James scored 30 points for the East and finished 2 points shy of tying Kobe for most career points in an All-Star game. The West is 4-1 against the East in the last 5 All-Star games.

The Bigger Picture: Jackson Robinson West striped of Little League World Series Title

By: Jimbo Brown 

Life has shown us that if you are in a position of power (race, money, title) you are somewhat above the rest of society. You are more than likely will go through life without any major hiccups. Growing up in the 90’s when most of the MLB stars were using PED’s while the people in charge turned the blind eye. Alex Rodriguez, arguably one of the greatest Yankee players admitted to the DEA that he used Performance Enhancement Drugs for a two-year period. Even though the MLB has since tightened their polices, the actions of the 90’s probably played a part in A-Rod decision making. Kids easily can see that if you are in a position of power the rules of life are beneath you. This got me to thinking about the Jackie Robinson West little leaguers.

If your not familiar with the situation, an all black team of little league baseball players from the inner city of Chicago had some players out of their region on the team. This was against the rules of the Little League World Series and had their 2 championship titles vacated. The players of Jackie Robinson West will be hurt because they are not the Little League World Series Champions. The memories created can never be destroyed. I believe the committee did make a impact on the future athletes of the world. 

I believe that this can be an example for future generations to learn from. With great success it can be great failure. The adults in the situation failed the kids. The committee could have slapped them on the wrist and punish them for the next year, instead extreme measures was took and the title was striped from the team. We may prevent the next Josh Gordon or Johnny Manziel from happening once they get success. 

#AthleteTalk Recaps National Signing Day

By: Candy Man

National Signing Day came & went and Dade County sent athletes to schools all over the country. Two of the biggest football programs in Miami, Booker T. & Central, had about 30 players altogether sign with schools yesterday. Both schools are coming off three straight state championships & have sent big time athletes to college & the NFL over the years. Booker T. had 2 players sign with Miami, running back Mark Walton & linebacker James King, joining Chad Thomas & Demetrius Jackson from last year’s class. Devonaire Clarington & Davante Davis, a Homestead transfer, both signed with Texas. The 3 other Homestead transfers that played big roles for the T last season committed to FIU (Maurice Alexander), Florida (Antonio Calloway), and FAU (Ocie Rose). Two other key players that had productive seasons, Terry Jefferson signed with FAMU & Vaquan Smalls signed with Samford. Central already have 2 of their best players from this class attending Florida State, receiver Da’Vante Phillips & defensive back Calvin Brewton, continuing the Central to FSU pipeline. Fermin Silva & Anthony Jones both enrolled early at FIU. Marshall University, where former Rockets Rakeem Cato & Tommy Shuler have broken multiple records, is getting Marquis Couch & Jason Jean. Keivonnis Davis will be joining the Gators & Dade County’s leading rusher signed with Jacksonville State. I’ve seen Miller play in person & I’m surprised because he has the talent to play for a major D1 team & should’ve got more offers. 

Some of the best high school football is played in South Florida & that is illustrated on National Signing Day every year, with high schools all over Dade & Broward sending athletes to college on football scholarships.

·      NORLAND…Carlton Davis – Auburn, Rayshad Jackson – Florida, D’Andre Smart – Kent State, William Gordon – Alcorn State

·      KILLIAN…Jaquan Johnson, Sheldrick Redwine – Miami, James Bowe – Massachusetts

·      NORTHWESTERN…DeAndre Baker – Georgia, Khalid McGee – South Florida, Samuel Dervil – South Carolina State, David Vincent – Mississippi Valley State, Xavier Bailey – Florida A&M

·      CAROL CITY…Rashad Fenton – South Carolina

·      EDISON…Robert Knowles – Miami

·      GULLIVER PREP…Dominic Sheppard – Virginia, George Grimwade – Samford, Antonyo Sotolongo – Bowling Green, Jowan Watson - Georgetown

·      ST. THOMAS AQUINAS…Jordan Scarlett, Richerd Desir-Jones – Miami, Damon Arnette – Ohio State, Colin Byrne, Samuel Clausman – Syracuse, Chris Hart, Tyson Cisrow – Utah, Devante Peete – Louisville, Brandon Boyce – Duke, Rashard Causey – Central Florida, Wyatt Ray – Boston College, Jawaun Harris - Rutgers

·      MIRAMAR…Tyrek Cole, Jovon Durante – West Virginia, Kahlil Lewis – Cincinnati, Leeward Brown – Tulane, Jeffrey Hill – Northern Illinois

·      AMERICAN HERITAGE…Torrance Gibson – Ohio State, Tarvarus McFadden – Florida State, Christian Irving – Wyoming, Anthony Flory – Appalachian State, Janarvis Pough – Bowling Green

·      MONARCH…Calvin Ridley, Shawn Burgess-Becker – Alabama, Ronnie Hoggins – South Florida

·      HALLANDALE…Sh’mar Kilby-Lane – Florida State, Juwan Taylor – Georgia, Taj McGowan – Central Florida, Malik Henderson – Pittsburgh, Dana Levine – Temple, Richie Cooper – Akron

Alabama, Florida State, USC, Clemson & Tennessee all finished with top 5 recruiting classes according to Rivals & ESPN, with Alab

ama having the #1 class in the ESPN rankings & USC with the #1 class in the Rivals rankings. Florida State, by far, ended up with the best class in the state. They signed 5 5* athletes that should be able to come in & contribute right away. Florida had a horrible class a month ago but new head coach Jm McElwain & his coaching staff had a great National Signing Day & finished with a top 25 recruiting class. Headlined by Martez Ivey & Cece Jefferson, they also stole a few recruits from Miami including Jordan Scarlett, Jordan Cronkite & Antonio Callaway. Miami had a good class and ended up finishing a few spots behind Florida in the rankings. Mark Walton, Jaquan Johnson, Bar Milo & Scott Patchan are some of the key players they signed but UM also lost a lot of potential players with about 15 decommitments.

Things I learn during the 2014-2015 season

By: Jimbo Brown

Tom Brady is the best ever

• After winning his 4th Super Bowl, Tom Brady, has cemented his spot as one of the all-time greats. Tom is the poster child for the NFL since the start of his career. First, he was a 6th round pick who was the 2nd a string quarterback behind the legendary Drew Bledsoe. Once throw into the starting he began to show levels of greatness by winning 3 Super Bowls in 4 years. While losing twice to Eli Manning in the big game, Tom still lead his team to the first undefeated regular season since the 72 dolphins. He had his down points during his career with the knee injury and recent deflate gate scandal. When the clock reached zero this past Sunday and the New England Patriots was world champions again, Tom had put the exclamation mark on his profound career. 

2014 Wide Receiver Class on track to the best ever

• The 2014 draft class was deep with receivers. There was so many receivers that talent like Allen Hurns went undrafted after setting records at the University of Miami. Rookie receivers has shined all over the NFL. Odell Beckham Jr, Mike Evans, Sammy Watkins and Brandon Cooks all high draft picks had good start to their careers. Even the overlooked guys have contributed to the success: Allen Hurns, Jon Brown and Chris Matthews late Super Bowl efforts. I can’t wait to see how do these guys careers pan out. If they stay hungry and work hard everyday, we will see many great moments. 

Running Backs = Super Bowl

• The road to the Super Bowl is hard and difficult for even the best teams in the league. Those two teams this year was preseason favorites: New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. Even thought they have two different cultures, they are built on some of the same principles. Both teams came into the playoffs at full stride. The teams are highlighted by their defensive powers. Richard Sherman and Darrell Revis are arguably the two  best cornerbacks in the NFL. With talent at each level of the defense these two teams are offensive coordinators nightmare. Both teams had a strong running game. Seattle put the offensive success in the hands of Marshawn #BeastMode Lynch. On the other hand, the Patriots put their running in the hands of a cast of running backs. Legarette Blount become the main gut once things didn’t work out in Pittsburgh and he went back to his former team. 

Super Bowl Predictions from Athlete Talk and Friends

Seahawks over Patriots

Key matchup in this Super Bowl will be the Seahawks defense, specifically their secondary. Just as they overwhelmed Peyton Manning & the Broncos last year, Seattle’s defense will determine the outcome of this game. Tom Brady will have to take advantage of his tight ends & running backs coming out of the backfield because his receivers won’t get much action against Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas & the rest of Legion of Boom. So for that reason, I like the Seahawks over the Patriots. - Candy Man

It still remains, Defense wins Championships 

Leading up to Super Bowl 49 I was on the fence about who would win. These teams both have the key ingredients to win a Super Bowl. Both defense are headlined by arguably one of the best cornerbacks of all time, Richard Sherman and Darrell Revis. Than can turn around and run the ball down your throat and control the clock with the running game. That is the reason why I'm giving the victory to the Seahawks. Marshawn Lynch will score the game winning touchdown to make it, 21-20.- Jimbo Brown 

Special Guest Predictions

I ain't gone lie I think the Seahawks might win them boys hungry- @Phresh305

Patriots! Even under pressure Brady is calm & will have time to throw the ball. Marshawn had to be effective to win. Pats front 7 beast- @JayGravesReport

I like da Seahawks from what I saw that last game and cause they got a strong running game and a defense that's the super bowl formula right there- @OCEANdriveJEFF

I gotta go with the Seahawks because no matter what happens in a game they always overcome adversity- @A1Hurns

I like New England...Tom Brady...GUMP!- @teddyb_h2o