1. Add Rashard Mendenhall to the list of guys who are probably not representing their side of a fight properly. His recent tweet furthering Adrian Peterson's assertion that playing in the NFL and slavery parallel each other seems like a misplaced thought. As Peter King points out, you choose to play in the NFL, you work your butt off for years trying to make it to the NFL and you can leave whenever you want. I think we can all understand the feeling of being powerless to the will of a potentially overpowering boss. Not all of us can relate to that as an NFL Player, and certainly we can't all relate to the plight of slaves when the slave trade was prominent. But this kind of rhetoric simply won't get it done in this fight. According to this USA Today salary database, Mendenhall pulled in $4.8 million last year (must have come via a bonus of some kind, since his base salary was just around $400,000) and the last time I checked, not many slaves were making that kind of dough. At some point, you start to sound like Latrell Sprewell when you compare a multi-million dollar paycheck to slavery.
2. I was on 106.7 The Fan on Saturday talking to Danny Rouhier about the lockout, but I had to address an earlier caller of his who suggested Nolan Smith would be a good draft pick for the Wizards in the 1st round. NO HE WOULD NOT. First of all, the most successful Duke players in the NBA tend to be bigger guys (Carlos Boozer, Elton Brand...even Laettner, Dunleavy and Battier were bigger than some of the smallish guards that have come out of Duke). The Wizards have a lot of holes to be sure. But I believe a high draft pick spent on a guard would be a disaster. We need young talent at the 3 and 4 spots. If there is a big man who can bang, play some defense and hit a 15-footer, I want that guy at the top of the 1st round.
3. Pretty sure the Wizards can find a serviceable shooter with Atlanta's 1st round pick that we acquired in the Kirk Hinrich trade.
4. Speaking of the Wizards acquiring additional first round picks...isn't that refreshing?
5. After the first round of the NCAA Tournament, I feel very much like I do on the day after Christmas. So many great moments spread out over such a small period of time. Even though this tourney plunges on, we will not have the amount of action we had this past weekend for another year. It's like a once-a-year conjugal visit. Sure, we'll have some fun over the next few weeks, but it won't be the same.
6. Season-culminating events like the NCAA Tournament are what we gear ourselves toward throughout the calendar year. To be deprived of such exhibitions would be downright punishing to the masses. Here's hoping the NCAA doesn't ever figure out a way to lock out its college athletes in the hopes of making more money.