The NBA's D.A.T.: Delicate And Tender

After sitting here and thinking I came up with a list of NBA players that always have to miss time due to injury or some other ailment. Some call them injury prone, I call them D.A.T., delicate and tender. So here goes with the list. A few might be missing from this list, but I just got home from my day job so forgive me.

Vince Carter- The king of being delicate and tender. Any time he gets hurt, he has the look of a European soccer player or someone that just was shot. Right now he's a gametime decision for a knee injury that has no significant damage.

Jermaine O'Neal-Out right now with hamstring, back, and knee problems. A smorgasbord of injuries early in the season. Everyone knew about the but this? He hasn't been the same since the "Malice at the Palace" and when he donned the ski mask for his big contract.

Greg Oden- I kinda feel sorry for the big lug. Even when he started college ball he was behind because of a hand injury. That balky knee isn't doing him any problems. The Sam Bowie comparisions will always be there. Fortunately he's only 22 and has time to salvage his career.

Brandon Roy- Another player I feel sorry for. His knees are taking the same path as Oden's. The Trailblazers' medical staff has been under some scrutiny lately for the plethora of injuries on their roster.

Baron Davis or any L.A. Clipper- Go ahead, pick a Clipper, any Clipper. Most would pick Davis because of his poor conditioning, that leads to back and knee problems for him. He's out until at least Thanksgiving, unless the turkey puts him down for the count.

Luol Deng- He just seems to come down with something every year.

Andrew Bynum- When healthy you can see why he's one of the top centers in the league. Problem is he can never last a full season or a deep playoff run.

Grant Hill- He's just about worked himself off the list, due to most of his problems being in the past. Still going strong in his later years.

Leon Powe- He's a hard worker so I won't rip him too bad. He's just had bad luck with knees throughout his career. This problem goes back to his freshman year in college. More bad luck than being a wuss.


Tracy McGrady-Obviously not the same since microfracture surgery. Every time it seems like he's ready to come back, he does more hard time on the injured list. Everyone knows he's not explosive anymore and he must reinvent his game to extend his career.

T.J Ford- I thought he could've been a solid point guard. He now finds himself chained to the Indiana Pacers' bench. He was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in high school and it has followed him to the NBA. Every time I see him take a hard foul, I hope we don't have to see him go out on a stretcher.

Yao Ming- That bum foot has cost him and the Rockets a lot of games. I don't mean to down him but you simply can't count on him. He's talking retirement if the foot doesn't improve. If I'm in the front office, I say goodbye if his contract comes off the books and start over.

Kenyon Martin- Sometimes you think of what if with this guy. Jason Kidd made him an All-Star and got him his big money deal. It seems like he's spent more time on the sidelines than on the court since he came out of college. Somehow he retains a sliver of explosiveness that will forever keep him in the league. Also he is one of the legitimate tough guys in the NBA. Just ask Tim Thomas and Tracy McGrady.

Defensively, Robinson Isn't The Problem

As much as it may pain Michigan fans to fathom this opinion, I'm going to say it anyway. For all the problems there are on defense, defensive coordinator Greg Robinson isn't the problem. I know a lot of Michigan fans will disagree with me and say get rid of him. If you ask me what the problem is, I'll tell you it's the ridiculous 3-3-5 scheme that Rich Rodriguez has bestowed upon him.

Robinson, a successful coordinator in the NFL and Texas, I bet has never run a 3-3-5 until he came to Ann Arbor. It hasn't been successful before he got here and it won't be if he is shown the door after this year. I believe talent may be some of the problem, but they still have some highly recruited players on that side of the ball, no matter what Chris Spielman says. They did have a lot of defensive players transfer. Either they didn't want to be there or couldn't play. No depth anywhere is gonna kill you no matter if the kid is a player or not. If you watched the game against Wisconsin, Spielman constantly questioned the scheme, saying that the 3-3-5 isn't the defense for the Big Ten. Furthermore, in a 3-3-5, you put more of the weakest links on the field. Whom do I speak of? The DBs. I wouldn't run a 3-3-5 in a video game, no less college football. I don't like the idea of 5 DBs in a base defesne. The only time you trot out 5 DBs are in a nickel or dime package (don't get excited smokers). Rodriguez needs to go ahead and ride out with what he has. Take the extra practices for the bowl game and tweak the scheme. I'm sure he won't unless he's forced to switch coordinators again. I just don't think this scheme is tailored to what Robinson likes to do. Look at what Syracuse has done this year with Robinson's players. Sure it's Syracuse and the Big East but it's a conventional defense. Something Michigan needs to switch to. I'm sure they might be better off with it, because this 3-3-5 West Virginia bull just doesn't cut it.

So before you run Robinson out of town, think about his track record and what scheme he's been forced to work with. These strange bedfellows just aren't made for each other.

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Quote Of The Week: Matt Millen, Roy Williams

Drinking Partners

Matt Millen and Dallas Cowboys receiver Roy Williams must've benn doing some heavy smokin' together this week.

For starters Matt Millen,the former GM and president of the Lions, sung the praises of former Lions head coach and current Chicago Bears defensive coordinator, Rod Marinelli.

Here's part of what Millen said: "That guy right there is one of the best coaches I've ever been around."

Keep in mind that Millen played for Tom Flores, Bill Walsh, and Joe Gibbs, all Super Bowl winners. What the hell was he thinking when he said that. Marinelli may be a fine assistant coach or position coach, but "one of the best I've been around". Come on. He owns 0-16. Somewhere Tom Flores just headed for his liquor cabinet.

Roy Williams piggybacked on that by saying that Millen assembled good players at the skill positions in Detroit. Is that why most of the players he drafted are out of the league. If I had what they were smoking I'd be less stressed right now. 

Coaches That Probably Saved Their Job

There were a few coaches that entered the college football season on the hot seat. Here are some that will survive the ax wielding AD's after this season is over.

Ron Zook, Illinois- Zook came into this season needing to go to a bowl game and by getting his sixth win yesterday will be in Champaign for at least one more season. I know Illini fans have seen this before. The team makes some strides only to fall on their behind the season after. Illinois has shown some progress this year. They need to take another step up the ladder next year.

Tom O'Brien, NC State- O'Brien has done a great job this season. This is what everyone in Raleigh expected when he arrived from Boston College. Now, what does O'Brien do after Russell Wilson leaves town.

Ralph Friedgen, Maryland- After years of going backwards the Terrapins are going bowling again. Even after blowing a shot at ACC Atlantic, Friedgen got his contract extension. If they can build on this season they can stay relevant,when you think how anyone fails to claim ACC supremacy. I just don't see anyone doing what he has done at Maryland.

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State-Perhaps the biggest winner on this list. At the start of the year, I heard rumblings that if Gundy couldn't succeed, Mike Leach might've been there to poach his job. Well, the Cowboys have exceeded expectations with a 10-1 record and having a chance to got to the Big 12 title game. Beat Oklahoma next week and he'll be there for at least another three years.

Mike Sherman, Texas A&M-Sherman had a big win against Nebraska last night. If the Aggies can get some help, they will have a chance at the Big 12 title and a BCS game. Something A&M hasn't seen in a while. The Aggie seem to be finally breaking through.

Pistons Need To Let 2004 Go

Just by body language and actions alone, Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton need to be shipped out of town. It's time to let go of 2004. Get them out and if you can get anything for Ben Wallace take it and get him out of here too. Get rid of the past and start anew. It's the only way to go.

Hamilton has been brooding and pouting since Chauncey Billups was shipped out of town. Everyone knows that trade changed the dynamic of this team, and Hamilton, or anyone else on the roster for that matter, was the same. They had their doors blown off in the playoffs and missed them altogether last year. I know Joe Dumars might have his hands tied since the team is up for sale, but he has to make these deals to get them younger and maybe net a future star. Especially since it seems that Prince and Hamilton have grown tired of being in Detroit. For proof, don't look any further than the events that happened in the past two weeks. Prince blew up at coach John Kuester and Hamilton was kicked out of the Lakers game for essentially muttering a few choice words and it seemed like he really didn't care about leaving the game.

Prince has an expiring contract, which in the NBA is like gold, so Dumars may be able to get something for him. I personally think Hamilton still has value, but he needs the right team and sidekick (like he had in Chauncey). Problem is he has an unforgiving contract since Dumars signed him to that ridiculous extension.

It's time to stop living in the past and let go of 2004. Start playing the young guys (Greg Monroe) specifically and see what you have. Stop paying Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva obscene amounts of money to come off the bench. Also, move Rodney Stuckey to the 2 guard, he's not a point man and never will be. And you might also need another coach to get it done. This is no indictment of Kuester, I just don't think he's the right fit for this team. Officially blow this thing up instead of simply trying to retool. It's just not working. 

Why I Remain A Lions Fan

Growing up in the Metro Detroit area, the Detroit Lions weren't the first NFL team I identified with. That was the Pittsburgh Steelers. At that point I didn't really know about the Lions' run of futility. When I really started to understand the game of football the Lions had drafted Billy Sims, whom I had known from watching him in his Oklahoma days. So I've seen the mediocre, ugly, and a little good of Lions football. I know that throughout my years the Lions haven't been all bad. That's part of the reason I remain a Lions fan.

I'll never proclaim to be Lions free. I still like the Lions and hold out hope that one of these years will be their year. Or they'll put together a nice run of good football that will culminate in a Super Bowl trip. I just remain cynical. I'm a die hard, but I'm not crazy. To me the Lions are pure entertainment. I watch them every Sunday, unless their blacked out. I know they probably won't win most of the time, but I'll still watch. When they're up in a game i wait for the other shoe to drop. Most times it will, sometimes it won't, which is rare.

I'm cynical in the fact that I feel they are who they are until they prove me otherwise. I won't be jumping off a ledge if they lose. I don't get too high when they win or too low when they lose. The Lions haven't captured my heart like most people in this region. This is our team, but some take it too seriously. I've heard some callers on radio shows calling for Jim Schwartz's head already. They see some teams that have went from one or two seasons go to the playoffs the next. I look at it this way, he had to start from ground zero,literally. And that wasn't a one year thing. That was a buildup over a number of lousy years and setbacks to a team that couldn't afford any. The teams that pulled it off had recent success and the Lions came off a number of double digit loss seasons. It was always perpetual rebuilding before 0-16 came along. I understand the fans, myself included are hungry for a winner. Sometimes when you see things go in a positive direction, you have to be a little patient. Success doesn't come overnight. The sooner some of you realize that, the better off you will be. I realize that and I'll always be a Lions fan no matter what. Laugh if you want, but I know there are some people in Cleveland that can't catch a break.