Swish: San Antonio Spurs
Honorable mention: Kyle Busch, Steve Alford,
As we approach the All-Star Break, if I was to ask you who the top teams were in the first half of the NBA season are, how many would you list before you got to San Antonio? Would you even mention them at all? Well, the NBA’s most consistent (and boring) team is at it again. The Spurs recently rattled off an eleven-game winning streak to take hold of the Southwest Division. They’ve done all of this despite missing Manu Ginobili for a large chunk of the year, and with a hodge-podge of role players pitching in. San Antonio doesn’t have the starting fives that Chicago, Miami, or Oklahoma City boast, but their depth is second to none. Ten Spurs regulars are averaging at least seven points per game. Most importantly, in a Lockout-shortened season, each is playing more than twenty minutes a night. Having so many contributors has thwarted the fatigue factor, which has led to slumps like what we just saw the Pacers go through. The Spurs may not be serious title contenders, but with a sparkling 13-1 home record, I sure wouldn’t want to draw them in a seven-game series.
Brick: Brady Quinn
Honorable mention: Karl Hess, Northwestern’s NCAA Tournament hopes
It’s one thing for members of the media, or of other NFL teams, to question Tim Tebow. But, it’s completely different when a teammate – especially one that is below Tebow on the depth chart – does so. That’s what Brady Quinn did this week. In an article by Yahoo!’s Mike Silver, the former Notre Dame star credits Tebow’s run of success to “luck” and questioned his humility. While Quinn apologized on his Twitter account, it’s hard for me to believe that these quotes were “misrepresented” as he insisted:
“We've had a lot of, I guess, luck, to put it simply.”
“If you look at it as a whole, there's a lot of things that just don't seem very humble to me. When I get that opportunity, I'll continue to lead not necessarily by trying to get in front of the camera and praying but by praying with my teammates, you know?”
Quinn should be supporting his teammate and working harder to get better instead of whining about it to the press. Regardless of how he was passed on Denver’s QB Depth Chart, the reality is that he was passed, and Tebow didn’t do anything to lose his spot. For a guy that like Tebow was also a late First Round draft pick and a highly-decorated college quarterback, Quinn hasn’t come close to the success that Tebow had in 2011.
(I couldn't find any action shots of Quinn because he rarely plays)
Air Ball: Kelsey Barlow
Honorable mention: Greg Oden’s injury luck, Illinois, Davonte Neal’s parents
Kelsey Barlow had plenty of chances. His choking incident back in 2010 during Purdue’s win over Indiana caused embarrassment for the program, but was ultimately forgiven. His NCAA Tournament suspension last season, reportedly for failing a third drug test, wasn’t the last straw either. But, when Barlow’s bad decision-making put his teammates in the line of fire, Matt Painter decided that he had had enough. Early Friday morning, following perhaps Purdue’s biggest win of the season at Illinois, Barlow sparked an altercation at Where Else? Bar in West Lafayette which ultimately led to D.J. Byrd’s arrest. I’m not condoning Byrd’s actions – his BAC was through the roof, and some have said he was part of the fight – but neither he nor Robbie Hummel would’ve even been in that situation if not for the actions of Barlow. A gifted athlete with a basketball-pedigree (his dad, Ken, starred at Notre Dame and was a First Round NBA Draft pick in 1986), Barlow was an important player for the Boilermakers. However, his maturity was often an issue during his less than three-year career. Now, short-handed Purdue will try to keep their hope for an NCAA at-large bid alive. Unfortunately, for a third straight season, the Boilers will go into postseason play without a full compliment of weapons.
© 2012
