Welcome to the inaugural edition of Smart or Dumb, a game in which I measure the intelligence of several recent sports developments. With no further ado, let's get started.
1. The New York Knicks' rumored pursuit of Allen Iverson: DUMB
Yes, the Knicks are absolutely awful. Yes, they are in dire need of some offense. However, it is dumb of Donnie Walsh to express interest in the petulant Allen Iverson. The fact that A.I. is a Hall-of-Fame-caliber player is beyond dispute. The fact that he is poison to a team's morale and chemistry is also beyond dispute. It took The Answer only one game to whine his way out of Memphis, complaining about how he will never be willing to come off the bench. This came immediately after Iverson left the Detroit Pistons in ruins. Mike D'Antoni's team is already a distracted bunch, thanks in large part to the incessant LeBron James rumors. If the Knicks end up signing Iverson, they will be an even bigger trainwreck than they are now, and Iverson would surely end up voicing his discontent to a hungry New York media.
2. The Bengals signing of controversial running back Larry Johnson: SMART
Larry Johnson, like Iverson, has a tendency to tear a team apart, and he talked his way out of Kansas City. However, unlike Iverson, Johnson seems willing to start anew with Cincinnati. L.J. should finally be happy and motivated playing on a winning team, and the Bengals wisely added more depth at the running back position. Cedric Benson has been stellar for Marvin Lewis' team, but now the Bengals have a player in Larry Johnson who will be able to give Benson some much-needed rest when he needs it.
3. Baseball writers reward Tim Lincecum and Zack Greinke with the Cy Young: SMART
Baseball columnists got it right. With all due respect to Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, CC Sabathia, and Justin Verlander, Lincecum and Greinke are deserving champs. As a diehard Giants fan, I am biased when it comes to Tim "The Freak" Lincecum, but I truly believe that he was the best candidate in the National League. With the exception of Pablo Sandoval and Juan Uribe, the Giants had no offense last season, yet Lincecum dominated in the face of such frustrating adversity. He followed up his 2008 Cy Young campaign with an even greater 2009. Greinke, meanwhile, was lights out for the otherwise dismal Kansas City Royals. Because pitchers take the mound only once every five games, Greinke should not be penalized for the Royals' ineptitude. CC Sabathia has A-Rod, Jeter, and Teixeira, Justin Verlander has Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez. Zack Greinke, on the other hand, has Mark Teahen and not much else, yet he was every bit as dominant as Sabathia and Verlander.
4. Steve Kerr saying he would trade careers with Steve Nash in a heartbeat: DUMB
Has Steve Kerr lost his mind? The Suns GM won three championships with the great Bulls dynasty of the 1990's, and he got to play alongside the greatest player ever in Michael Jordan. Kerr added two more championships as a member of the San Antonio Spurs, where he got to play with Tim Duncan and David Robinson. Kerr is the only player in the last thirty years to have won four consecutive championships, and he is known as one of the most prolific three-point shooters in league history. And he wants to trade places with Nash, a player who has not once won a championship? I love Nash, one of the best point guards ever, but I think Kerr is nuts for wanting to trade away an illustrious career full of championship glory.
5. Jim Harbaugh going for two in the fourth quarter of a blowout win over USC: DUMB
For the record, I am a big fan of Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh has brought some much-needed energy and swagger to a long-suffering Stanford football program, and his players are responding with win after win, as Stanford has a shot at reaching the Rose Bowl this season. But he stepped over the line on Saturday against USC, when he went for a two-point conversion as his Cardinal were destroying the Trojans. This was a relatively classless move, and Pete Carroll had every right to be annoyed after the game.
No comments:
Post a Comment