How The Carolina Trio Will Fair In The NBA

    Many Carolina fans are disappointed with the decision of Barnes, Marshall, and Henson entering the draft, but to be honest the time is now.
    I'm a big fan of the talent of Barnes, a 6'8 215 Small forward that has a NBA game very similar to that of Kobe Bryant. Barnes is the type of kid who can have a 6-19 shooting night a still give you 18 because he can score in a variety of ways. He can score without the ball, with his back to the basket, as his shooting goes as he confidence goes which has been the knock on Barnes from the scouts who say he doesn't have a "motor". Last year you saw what he can do when his confidence is high, he is a threat to give you 40 on any given night. In the right situation he will flourish, it will be interesting to see what time takes him in the draft.
    I wasn't shocked at all by the decision that Marshall will be entering the draft. He stock is higher than it ever will be with him being awarded the Bob Cousy Award for the best college point guard. At the next level I see Marshall as a very serviceable point guard with his ability to past the ball, and he has good height being listed at 6'4. I will even go as far as saying this, in the right situation with an all star caliber player I believe Marshall can blossom into a second coming of Jason Kidd.
    I also believe that Henson will be handle the transition well, and be a serviceable player at the next level. Nothing about Henson jumps right off the screen as far as his game even though he is

Is Austin Rivers Leaving Too Soon?

    It's official as of today that Austin Rivers will forgo his sophomore season and declare his name for the NBA Draft. With that being said, Is Austin Rivers ready for the NBA? I absolutely think so.
     Here's why, Rivers does has some flaws in his game that were brought to light in his first year at Duke, but the kid has a NBA game. People are going to jump on my case when I say this, but the decision for Rivers to go to Duke was not the right fit for him to blossom. I guarantee you if Rivers would have chose to stay with Florida where he originally committed to play or decided to go to Kentucky there is not doubt in my mind that he would have been a POY candidate. The kid does have some work to do but who doesn't?, He does have a tendency to force the issue by driving too deep in lane resulting in a turnover, or his lack of having a consistent jump shot, but at the next level Rivers will shine.
    At 6'3 185 and a frame to build on Rivers is going to be a nightmare for defenders at the next level. In the NBA, you MUST be able to create your own shot in order to be a legitimate threat , and Rivers handle will keep defenders on their heels at all times keeping them honest. His drive and work ethic doesn't need to be questioned, and that will show as he continues to work on his game. What also is a major intangible is his killer instinct wanting the ball in his hands when the game is on the line, which was on display earlier against Carolina. That is something that can't be coached, and that what separates the great from the good.
    As I leave you thinking I want you to remember, Austin Rivers has been trained to have an NBA game since high school, with time and growing pains I have a feeling this kid is going to be something special.

Best Possible Move Was Denver For Manning

I think it’s safe to say Tim Tebow’s services in Denver are no longer needed, due to the five- year ninety -five million dollar contract Peyton Manning agreed to yesterday.

After going back and forth on which move would be best between Denver and San Francisco, I came to the conclusion that Denver is the perfect situation for Manning and here is why. Yes, San Francisco has the exciting young defense to go along with a good offense and receiving core with the addition of Mario Manningham. But, Manning is going to want to control the offense and Jim Harbaugh is NOT going to allow that to happen.

That’s when Denver comes back into the picture, because Elway is going to give Manning complete control of the offense and that’s what Manning wanted all along. Denver is already making Manning feel at home, likely bringing in Jeff Saturday, Brandon Stokley, and Dallas Clark all whom were key players that contributed to Manning’s success in Indy.

Am I going to start calling out how many rings Denver will win? Not at all. I do believe they will the control the AFC West for the next five years with the addition of Manning along with a very good offensive line. The Chargers are falling apart as we speak, the Raiders are solid not really consistent with Palmer at quarterback, and the Chiefs are a project in work with Crennel.

Is there a chance Manning can get injured and cease all of the Super Bowl talk? Yes. Is there a chance Manning can lead the Broncos to the promise land and win it all? Of course but. We have to stay sane and remember Manning hasn’t played in over a year and is soon to be 36 later this month, nobody is going to hand Manning and the Broncos anything. Remember, there is a reason we play the game.

Why Kendall Marshall Is The Best Point Guard In College Basketball

Nowadays many spectators who watch the game of basketball usually the younger generation don’t appreciate the value of a “True” point guard. People have been falling in love with the scoring guards who just happen to run the point guard position, for example Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams, and Derrick Rose.  There a few outside of the analysts that appreciate the point guards like Rajon Rondo and Jason Kidd. What kills me is the fact that people knock Rondo and Kidd for not being able to score or shoot. Well if you don’t know I would like to inform you that the roll of a true point guard is to command the floor and get others involved. If you curious to what point guard plays with all these qualities at the college level look no further than Kendall Marshall. In my opinion there isn’t a point guard who puts his teammates in better position than Kendall Marshall for the North Carolina Tar Heels. I haven’t seen a kid at the college level with his kind of passing ability in a very long time. He is hands down the best floor general in college with the way he pushes the ball ahead along with finding the open man. I’ve often compared his game to Jason Kidd with him having the “Past first mentality”. Though there are some flaws in his game with him being criticized about his lack of a consistent jump shot, and his faults on the defensive end. He isn’t a bad defender; he just struggles with explosive guards who have quick first steps. As far as his shot, he is a better shooter than people give him credit for he has shown signs up that this season scoring 22 at NC State and 20 at Duke. Whether or not Marshall decides to stay or not he’s a can’t miss talent when he declares his name for the NBA Draft. Carolina goes as Marshall goes, and it’s now being reported that Marshall suffered a fractured right hand in the win against Creighton to advance in the Sweet 16. Will this make or break the Heels?                                                                                                         

Tournament Teams To Watch Out For

This years tournament shall be interesting, but I just want to give you a few teams to keep an eye out for when filling out your brackets:

Florida State - I'm a big fan of the Seminoles, not because of the fact they sweep Carolina and Duke, but the fact that they are a tough team. They aren't the most talented team in the tournament, but its something about that toughness and in your face style of defense that I'm a fan of and not to miss Michael Snear who's been playing well along with Ian Miller who's the sixth man.

Xavier - I know your wondering why I picked Xavier, they haven't been playing well as of late despite making it to the A-10 Conference Championship and LOSING. But I haven't given up on them just yet If the team that shows up prior to the Cincy brawl, they will be able to make some noise with Tu Holloway and company IF is the key word.

Florida - The gators are also a team I'd keep an eye out for YES they are streaky with shooting a high volume of shots from the 3, but when they get hot they are no joke with Brad Beal Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker.

There are a few others that can make some noise as well that I'm just not as high on like NC State and Memphis.

Luck, Irsay, or Manning ?

Have you ever ask yourself what if Andrew Luck is a bust? What if this quarterback out of Stanford who has received the highest grade from Todd McShay doesn't live up to expectations? How does this make Jim Irsay look for running Peyton Manning out of the city he never wanted to leave? These are all great questions that will be answered eventually down the road. I personally don't have anything bad to say about Andrew Luck, but there's something about him that leads me to believe that he will be the biggest bust in NFL history with all of the praise he is receiving. At Stanford, he was a college coach’s dream quarterback, he gave you everything you wanted and then some. He's big strong and fast, and more importantly he looked like he belonged on the field making all the right reads while letting the game come to him. But, I'm still not sold because I saw a not so spectacular quarterback at times against Southern Cal and Oregon. I'm not bashing the kid at all I want him to succeed I just don't see him as "The Next Big Thing", but I'm not the only one who feels this way ask Joe Theisman and Greg Cosell and get  their opinion on Luck. IF Luck was to turn out to be a bust, Jim Irsay might become the most hated in the state of Indiana. The way he handled the Manning situation was "childish" in my eyes going back and forth with the media, to repay the man that made your franchise relevant in the way he did was completely not professional. That's why this upcoming NFL season will be an exciting one with that being said I leave you with two questions: How will Luck far in Indianapolis? Along with How good will Peyton Manning be next year? Keep these questions in mind, because the answer will reveal itself.