NFL Power Rankings: 21-32

Finally, #21 - #32

They have made all the offseason moves and will work their butts off in training camp and the grind of an entire NFL season, but in the end, these Lombardi Swag seekers will be left looking towards 2014.




# 21 Eagles - Another QB battle, only this one is to see who will take the reigns of Chip Kelly's up-tempo offense.  Vick will most likely win out but there is too much uncertainty with his play style/health and a mid year QB change to Fowles doesn't sound like a playoff bound season for the Eagles.  This does not even take into account some of their glaring holes in their "D."


# 22 Chargers - With key additions this offseason of LT Matt Starks, DE Dwight Freeny, RB Danny Woodhead and CB Derek Cox, new Coach Mike McCoy has to think the Bolts have filled some of their holes from last year. Sadly for Phillip Rivers the one "hole" left out was wr weaponry where its pretty much the same old 2012 story.




# 23 Dolphins - Look for Joe Philbin to make a push to to improve on their 7-9 season last year with tooling up for 2nd yr QB Ryan Tannehilll (re-signing of Harline, signing Mike "9 Route All-Day" Wallace and Dustin Keller.) Their D looks to be improved from a solid 2012 performance with the addition of 1st round pick DE Dion Jordan. A team looking for a bright future? Possibly. A team looking up at the Patriots at the top of the division at the end of the year? Definitely. 

# 24 Titans - Bringing in some key players to solidify their offensive line, CJ 1.2K will have no excuses this year not to put up big numbers. However, even if he returns to 2K form, an inconsistent Locker with an underachieving Kenny Britt will make 2014 a letdown in Nashville.


# 25 Panthers - Is it just me or does the tandem of Jonathon Stewart and DeAngelo Williams seem like the mediocre brittle bones duo for about 5 years now? They along with Steve Smith and Greg Olsen provide the same cast for the Cam Newton show. Their season will depend on whether or not Cam Newton also sees it as a Cam Newton show.




# 26 Chiefs - Andy Reid is now in Arrowhead and making more moves then Jackie Chan knocked up on caffeine.  Some good some bad but regardless, he is trying to imprint his winning (well Playoffs anyway) ways into this franchise.  We do believe he will use the teams best player Jamaal Charles more effectively then last year but we are not sure if Alex Smith will be as productive as he was with a Harbaugh.  A step forward this year for the Chiefs but they will not get over the hump yet.




# 27 Browns - The Browns are quietly creeping up as players in the AFC North with perennial top 10 defenses, a rising star wideout in Josh Gordon and a bell-cow RB in Trent Richardson. Now can Old Man Wheeden bring the Browns back to relevancy in December/January? Probably not this year.


# 28 Bills - Whether it's a "mediocre good-in-the-system" QB in Kevin Kolb or the raw young E.J. Emanuel, whoever is taking snaps at the end of the year will be playing out another disappointing "rebuilding" year for the Bills. The Bills will look to the legs of C.J. Spiller to carry them to a mediocre season.




#29 Cardinals - Is Palmer the golden arm Fitzgerald has been looking for since Kurt left? We like this potential hook up and a young "D" who showed promise last year. There is just not enough on this roster however to see the Cardinals as a serious threat this year.



# 30 Jets - With Sanchez being Sanchez and rookie Geno Smith already looking a bit out of shape in training camp, 2014 doesn't look too bright for the J-E-T-S. Whoever does win this "QB battle" will have a whole host of WR4 options in a 20 team Fantasy League to throw to. Sure Rex's D will find a way to keep them in some games, but we expect him to have more media sound bytes then wins this year.



# 31 Raiders - When your starting QB couldn't beat out a rookie or got passed over by other teams in free agency, then you are looking at a rough season. Every NFL team will only go as far as their signal caller can take them and Matt Flynn looks like he can get them to about 6-10. 


# 32 Jaguars - Blaine Gabbert hasn't exactly shined in his first two years in the NFL and is hobbling into training camp this year. Can Blackmon stay out of trouble? Can MJD return to his former self coming off of an injury? New coach Gus Bradley sure hopes so but we still look for the Jaguars to take a couple of years to turn this ship around.

NFL Power Rankings 11-20

Continuing on from our top 10 of the power rankings, we have gathered some updated information on teams and for your reading pleasure have dissected teams a little deeper.  We are extremely excited that training camps have finally started back up (it seems like the confetti fell on Flacco about 13 years ago at this point)! Without further adieu..

#11 Dallas Cowboys
When owner Jerry Jones saw the amount the Ravens paid their QB he knew he was as well going to have to overpay his middle of the pack QB and that he did. With Romo getting an extension he is guaranteed that the Cowboys are his team! Now is the time to step up and with Dez, Miles and Jason Witten, Romo has a high powered aerial attack and if they can get Demarrco Murray to stay healthy the NFL better watch out!




#12 Washington Redskins

All we really have to say is they still have Mike Shannahan correct? I mean that guy is a guinness, he can take any RB and make him an instant star. Alfred Morris, Tatum Bell, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, Reuben Draughns are they still around? Well Alfred is and if RGIII comes back with a season anywhere close to what he had last year the Redskins will have a solid season.



#13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Acquired a lot of important holes in their locker room. With the acquisitions of Darrelle Revis (Healthy?) Dashon Goldon and Eric Wright the Buccaneers added depth and great skill to their secondary! Josh Freeman is a good QB who has plenty of room and time to grow. Vincet Jackson is more familiar with the offense now and signing Mike Williams to an extension the Buccaneers are looking at a bright future!

#14 New York Giants

What? The New York Giants barely crack the top 20 are you kidding me? No we are not. The Giants lost a few key players this off-season, Osi Umenyiora, Chris Canty, Martellus Bennett and semi injury prone Ahmad Bradshaw.  Thats a lot of key starters that have helped the Giants the past few seasons. Plus they had the holdout of Victor Cruz which is never a good idea for a player just hurts the team and makes you look bad if you do not play up to the contract. They still have Eli Manning at the helm and for some reason that guy always seem to win. 

#15 Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers seem to be on a decline the past couple of years but make no doubt, they will still be a hard nose D with a ground and pound Offense that can manage to win games. If Big Ben can stay healthy all year, the Steelers could definitely be a contender this year. Losing their deep threat Mike Wallace sure hurts but look for Antonio Brown to try and fill the void. Tomlin has a lot in store for him this year but from his short career in coaching we can see that he can handle adversity!


#16 Indianapolis Colts
We are not completely sold on the Andrew Luck wagon quite yet. That being said he definitely showed great leadership last year and showed the potential to be a great NFL QB. Last year the Colts were playing with a lot of emotion and their strength of schedule was not so tough but they are another young team that look to have an amazing future ahead of them! T.Y. Hilton looks to be a great compliment to Reggie Wayne and their young D has a year under their belt, the Colts look to have a pretty good season.

#17 Baltimore Ravens
Unlike the last Super Bowl team, the Ravens decided to stick with their QB and give him an outrageous amount of money! Making a lot of people wonder if Flacco was really worth losing numerous people on Defense. Yeah we knew the time would come when there would be no more Ray or Ed but to just let Ed go seemed a little weird? If their young D comes out and can play somewhat like last years than the Ravens will be alright this year but it is hard to tell right now. They also just lost Flacco's go to man around the end Zone Dennis Pitta along with losing Boldin because they could not afford him. Ravens have some decisions ahead of them and they obviously know they have a target on their back being the defending champion!

#18 Minnesota Vikings

All Day (Adrian Peterson) is without question one of the best RB's of all time as long as he stays healthy. The Vikings had a great draft some might even say the best draft this year. They found a WR from Tennessee in Cordarelle Patterson and with the addition of Greg Jennings, the Vikings have already improved greatly from last year. They stole Sharrif Floyd and Xavier Rhodes late in the first round which is a huge addition for their D in a pass heavy league. If Christian Ponder can improve a little each year, look for the Vikings to have a great next couple of years!

#19 Chicago Bears
Da Bears! Jay Cutler stay healthy and your team will make it to the playoffs. Their D just keeps getting better the older they get it seems.  Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler are one of the most fun QB/WR combos to watch in the NFL! Now all they need are some supporting cast at wideout. Look for Alshon Jeffery to get more looks this year and if Matt Forte and Michael Bush stay healthy all year as a 1-2 punch then the Bears will find themselves sitting at a decent record!

#20 St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams are in a tough division and will have to play the Seahawks and 49ers a combined four times throughout the year! That being said the Rams are a young and very talented team looking to improve from last year. Adding Jake Long to their team will definitely help out their O-Line so look for Bradford to help take this team to the next level with Rookie WR Tavon Austin and second year starters Brian Quick and Austin Pettis. It always helps to have a great coach in Jeff Fisher.

Monday Make-Ups

Monday Make-Ups

Just a snap-shot of some of the major headlines coming out of last week...

MLB

Ryan Braun was suspended for the rest of the year (65 games) and will not contest the ruling after emphatically proclaiming his innocense previously. -  Its late July.  Pennant chases? Pitcher's Duels? Walk off HRs? Rising young talent? Trading deadline?  Apparently the only story in the MLB Dog Day's of Summer and sadly this one was not a surprise. 

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Tim Hudson's out for the year with a broken ankle.  Ouch.  Still look for this team loaded with talent to make a push this October even with the loss of the clubhouse veteran.  



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A-Rod gets doctor to evaluate (not in person) MRI and challenge Yankee doctor about his status to play - I am sad to even list this as a major headline.  After sending his hand picked doctor to all the media outlets to proclaim him "ready to play," A-Rod finally quieted and accepted the Yankee's initial evaluation and rehab assignment. 


NFL

 Von Miller facing potential 4 game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. - I just can't take him seriously with those glasses on, nonetheless the Broncos really need their young linebacker to back up most people's prediction for them to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

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NFL Players Report to Camp: Sorry MLB, Tennis and PGA events without Tiger but the preseason cometh and the world will be completley captivated by fake games and fake teams created at fantasy drafts.  Are you ready for some football?  Great post here from the bleacher report on the best camp battles.

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Belichick comments on "the former player" at press conference- He read a prepared statement that was appropriate and respectful.  No real targets for Brady and we still expect this organization to find 10 wins and a playoff run.  Respect the hoodie right?

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Matty Ice get's deal done with the Falcons, 5 yrs and $103 Million and some change. - Only 1 playoff win since he's been in the league but hey, he definitely rocked for my Fantasy Football team last year and quality QB's in the NFL is more rare of an item found in nature then Plutonioum.

Oh yeah, Matt Stafford banked a little 3 year $56 million dollar extension himself.

"Over Baked" Bakers Gotta Go! Maybe???

Hypothetically: What if we were to tell you that the Cincinnati Reds have just hired a new coach and he has a history of coaching some pretty good ball clubs. He has managed a total of 3116 games to date and has a winning percentage of 52%. Throughout his 20 years of coaching he has won exactly 1 pennant and has yet to win a World Series Ring! Although he seems to take his team to the playoffs about 50% of the time they never seem to make it past the wild card series. If you are a Reds fan and are okay with this type of resume for a manager than you are perfectly okay with Dusty Baker managing the Reds. If you are not okay with this mediocracy then you will agree with us in saying the Reds will not make it deep into the playoffs as long as Dusty is in charge.

Not saying that Dusty is a terrible coach at all but we just think that every time the Reds or the Cubs or the Giants made it to the playoffs, he would always be out-coached by the opposing coach.  Take for granted the situation he is in now with the Cincinnati Reds, many would say that the Reds have a deep starting pitching rotation, an unbelievable bullpen and an offense that could explode at any second. Why then can we not make it past the wild card series? Answer: Bakers the coach!

Baker's flaws:

Know when to pull the string on your starter!

As a coach you have to know when and when not to pull your starting pitcher or relief pitcher. We as Reds fans have seen this far to often.  Most often with Bronson Arroyo, he is having a great outing heading into the 7th only allowing the opposing team 4 hits and 1 run but the lineup is getting ready to turn over. What does that mean? The team is about to see Bronson for the third and possible fourth time and they are not going to be fooled by a swooping curve of a 75 mph change, we need a fresh arm in there!

Stick up for your team every once in awhile.

Anyone that is not a Reds fan but is a fan of the MLB can still recall the infamous reaction by Lou Piniella running out and chucking first base towards right center (like the base had just taken a second glance at his daughter) because the ump made a terrible call. May not seem like a lot but we can guarantee it sets fire to the team and helps them play better! Since Dusty has managed the Reds I can count on my two hands the number of times he has ran out to argue a call.

LeftRightLeftRightLeft

Thank you Coldplay for that album title now all Dusty can think about is that there has to be a right in between a left always. No, put Jay Bruce in front of Joey Votto and make pitchers leave mistake pitches for a hitter that can annihilate the cover off the ball. We are pretty sure that if a professional hitter still has that much trouble facing an opposite hand pitcher then we need to send the player packing or replace our hitting coach (oh wait Brooks Jacoby we do!)

We do not want you to think that we are hating on Dusty, I mean the man has been in the Big Leagues for 45 years now. We just want him to change a few of his coaching methods and bring the World Series Trophy home where baseball was created.  And we will gladly forgive you Dusty for being out-coached last year and 2010!

The Mad Mayor's Sports Musings

We here at NSN do not even know who this mysterious figure is.  He signed his letter the Mad Mayor and left it in an old piece of parchment which looked like it was from the Cival War era and he sealed it with a wax marking as if he was stinking Alexander the Great.  Still, his writing was somewhat amusing and we will share it with you now.

tHe Mad MaYor's SpoRts MuSings

A strange thought occurred to me a couple days ago as I was watching my nieces in their tree house in my parents backyard. You see they have a slide, swings, monkey bars, and even (unheard of in my youth) a rock climbing wall, so pretty much it is a pimped out tree house for a three and four year old. So what do you think they use the most in the tree house? Nope not the slide but good try kids. It is the area under the house that they use to stage a tea party and the most activity happens when they argue about whether Addys babies or Dodo’s bears get more seats at the table.

Doesn’t fit but I see you laughing

As I watched I couldn’t help but laugh when I thought of the guys that go out in the middle of the woods and spend the weekend running around acting like wizards and other pretend creatures from the Forgotten War Torn Lands of Gonderdor. How can these full grown adults with jobs, kids, and mortgages still play dress up and make believe with other adults? Wow, they must have grown out of the “tea party stage.” Before the point of this article a funny larping picture.

 

Quickly after my laugh at larpers, I began to think back to my magazine in the kitchen which is one of many, along with web sites and podcasts I use to scout for my fantasy football teams. Should I take a running back or a quarterback in the first round or if I’m the last pick do I try for the double up quarterback wide receiver combo? Then it hit me, Fantasy Football and the tea party are not that much different, lets replace seats at the table with spots on my team, and bears and babies with quarterbacks and running backs. In the end Addy and Dodo, larpers, and us fantasy sportsters are all just playing make believe. We just do it with sports which, yes without a doubt makes it cool (lets face it, sports (except for hockey) make everything cooler) but it’s the same principal. So next time you see little kids acting like animals or a grown man dressed as a wookie don’t be so quick to laugh they might know that wide receiver sleeper that saves your season.

 

The Dog Days Are Over

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It doesn't take much to realize it.  It is pretty obvious to even the most die-hard fan (whether they admit it or not).  It is a sad reality but all too true.  The time period between the All-Star game and the start of training camp is proof that the "Dog Days of Summer" for baseball are more and more becoming the Fantasy Football research times for the common sports fan. 



This could never be more evident then when you have a player who was "alleged" to have taken PED's and got off on some technicality from some clinic's co-op's mistake a long time ago finally admits he lied and it is a major story on all media outlets.  It somehow doesn't seem feasible to believe that sports fans around the country were nodding their heads thinking "yeah good stuff today on the radio and in sporting news, I can't believe Ryan Braun lied, this PED stuff is bad for baseball" as they listened to every analyst or sports talk personality rant about the incident.

Is this really the only way baseball can get widespread news coverage?  In the dry desert of the sports media landscape between the All Star break and pre-season football, the loudest baseball can scream to the sporting world is P..E..D!  (Tiger is not Tiger so golf doesn't count, and no Phil is not Tiger either so again still, golf doesnt count)  Thanks a million Main Stream Sports media for flooding us with similar takes on a unsurpising-beaten to death story. 

Perhaps its laziness, but we listen, absorb and take it all in nonetheless (though its news days like this that it wants to come back up fast).  Nonetheless tomorrow will bring another day and with it our Cincinnati Bengals as well as many other NFL teams will report to camp!  The dog days are over and we are definitely ready for some football.  So feel free to turn your eye's to the NFL baseball fans (of which we here at NSN are huge), if your MLB team is 5-10 games out of the race do not fret, they still have 243 games to get back in the race.  We will swing back around in late September. Maybe.

 

Buy Andy Dalton Stock Despite "Make or Break" cliches

This is truly a make or break year for the former Horned Frog now Bengal, entering into his 3rd season at the most important position in sports.  Andy Dalton has lead the Bengals to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons in the league but came up short each time with subpar performances.

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Will Dalton get over the "hump" in the big games and be able to get to the next level as a premier quarterback in the league? Or will mediocrity and folding in the big moments be his ceiling as a player in the NFL?  This season we shall find out. 

Or not.  The "now or never," "make or break" and the "this is the season we find out what he is" cliche's are all over hyped, over sensationalized musings by local and national media that love a good story line.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good story line too (see NBA post), but this one about Andy Dalton needing to step up this season or else he just might not be elite or the QB to get the Bengals to the next level is not a story line and simply not true when viewed in the context of a larger picture.

Take a look at a few of these stat lines and I think that all the "make or break" and "over the humpers" would agree that if Andy Dalton puts up numbers like these then we've seen his plateu as a signal caller in the league.

Season A:

Record: 7-8
TD: 18
Int: 23
YDs: 3513
Comp %: 59.7
Playoffs: Don't make

Or how about:

Season B:

Record: 8-8
TD: 24
Int: 18
YDs: 3244
Comp. %: 57.7
Playoffs: Lose in the first round

Well these 2 seasons are the 3rd year statlines of two QB's who went on to have not only huge games in the post-season but each have a stash of a couple Lombardi trophies somewhere in their man-caves.

                                  A                                                                                     B

(Sure Ben won one of those trophies the previous year but it was on the backs of an amazing defense, one of the most controversial Super Bowls and a mediocre "didn't do enough to screw it up" type of season - 17 TD 9 Int, 2,300 Yds.)

The reality is simply this:  of course Dalton has room for progression and should not be listed as one of the league's elites, of course he needs to show times where he can put the offense/team on his shoulders and "will a win" to happen when it didn't look likely, of course he needs to make small improvements on his pocket presence/awareness and long ball (in accuracy and timing but not arm strength), but it doesn't have to be this year. 

Do I think it will?

Based on his work ethic, progression as a leader, talent around him and lets not forget the huge,

"2nd rounder/5th QB taken in 2011, arm strength questions, size questions, back to back playoffs first two years in the league and already being questioned if he has what it takes to get Who Dey Nation over the hump" chip on his shoulder, then yes.  

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Sure A.J. Green was and is great, but I don't care if a QB has a Megatron 2.0 to throw to in his first 2 seasons, winning in the NFL is hard.  Dalton has had good success his first 2 seasons, has shown he can win (19-13), can bounce back, can get better (AFC North victories in '12), and is a one foot overthrown pass away from "getting to the next level" and being the Hero of the Jungle.  It is amazing to think that 1 foot of a pass can tip the media scales both local and nationally.  If it's complete and Dalton wins a playoff game would any questions have arised? We shouldn't be surprised though.  The media is fickle, volatile, highly over-reactionary and for ironies-sake some might say "fanatical." Nonetheless the media are always loud and this year I believe Dalton will have to let winning and winning in late January silence all.

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Mike Leake, aka "Maddux Jr."

Mike Leake, AKA "Maddux Jr."

      Mike Leake is off to an amazing first half of the season and it's time to take a look into what makes Mike Leake a pitcher to be feared. Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds out of Arizona State University in the first round of the 2009 draft, the Reds knew what they were getting when they chose Leake with the eighth overall pick. A control pitcher with no over powering pitch, but the ability to locate all of his pitches anywhere he wants to.

   Sound familiar?? We think that Mike Leake has all the tools to have a career like one of the all time greats (arguably one of the bests ever) Greg Maddux. Like Leake, Maddux was never able to over power hitters with heat, but he was able to move the ball around the plate and deceive hitters with all of his junk pitches. Maddux was and is no doubt the best pitcher ever to be able to locate pitches and put them right where the catcher wanted the ball. Although Leake is not as consistent as Maddux was, Leake transfered straight out of college to the Majors without pitching a single pitch in the Minor League. Few pitchers have been able to say this and stick around as long as Leake has without being sent down. So needless to say he has some time to improve on his consistency.

    Of course comparing Leake to Maddux right now would be insane but we believe that Leake has all the tools and definitely has the offense to get him the wins to obtain a successful career. Leake as stated is off to an amazing start this year posting a 9-4 record with a stunning 2.79 ERA. What team would not want those numbers with their 5th starter?

   Enough rambling, since we are comparing Leake with Maddux we chose to take a look at their first three years in the MLB and see just how close they were to each other.

Mike Leake- 3 yrs. Totals:

28-22 Record with an average ERA of 4.22. 

Averaging 2.5 Walks/9 innings and 6 Strikeouts/9 innings.

Giving up an average of 23 HR's a year.

Greg Maddux- 3 yrs. Total: (We will not count his first year as he only started three games)

43-34 Record with an average ERA of 3.91.

Averaging 3.4 walks/9 innings and 5.33 strikeouts/9 innings.

Giving up and average of 14 hR's a year.

  While Leake is no Maddux yet, give him some time and if he keeps pitching like he is this year then the Reds are looking at a future ace of the team.

NBA Quick Hits

Hats off to you NBA!  If you are anything like me you got completely sucked into this year’s NBA Playoffs (which seemed like they went on for about as long as a season of the MLB).  All the story lines, the drama- multiple game 7’s and underdog upset scares, small market vs. big market, the tension -physical/aggressive series almost coming to blows- and the talent all made for quite a memorable end to a great NBA season.  Which brings me to my next point, aren’t you glad that the NBA is back! I mean I know that it hasn’t gone anywhere, but ever since the lockout in 1998 and the post-Michal Jordan era, it had went from all-time high TV ratings in ‘97-‘98 to record lows in ‘03-’04 (Thanks Neilson). 

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It has always been said that basketball is a “player’s league” and it really is.  The game allows its stars to be in your face with no helmets or pads and puts only 10 guys in the competition at one time.  We as consumers of the sport and members of a society that is obsessed with reality TV, love good characters.The NBA is the perfect showcase for good characters that just happen to be some of the best athletes on the planet!  The advent of the Age of Social Media has only amplified a sport chalk full of these Freak Talents with many personalities.  In 1987 you may never have known how Isaiah Thomas reacted after a hard foul from Jordan unless you were at the game or lived in Detroit or Chicago.

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In 2013?  If Lebron James makes a goofy face after a bad call, 156 million people are dialoging about it on twitter or saw the pores in his nose as he committed it on their HD televisions.  Every season is a story.  Everybody likes a good story.  What do all good stories have?  Good characters, characters that divide the audience in their opinions about them.  In the NBA there is no bigger character than Lebron James.  Analogy: Whether you see him as the original super hero- American flag waving Hulk Hogan that is the optimal role model of his profession or the Hollywood Hulk Hogan that is the villain that everyone loves to talk about,

either way Lebron  is polarizing a character, a character that just happens to be one of the most gifted athletes of all time.

Now take the Dwight Howard saga for instance.   Do you think James Worthy cared about his global image or whether or not he received the “attention” he felt he deserved?  The modern NBA of up-close-and-personal athletes multiplied by the affects of social media has created many athletes that are no longer just a basketball player desiring trophies but a reality star living out a constant self-made Truman Show scenario with Tweets, Instagrams, Websites, Facebooks, Branding etc. 

Sure the NFL has these as well but we only hear of them when there is a "sideline helmet off confrontation," an off season reality show or a shirtless workout/interview.  We call them Wide Receivers.  Nonetheless, I love this modern NBA.   I love the good vs. evil, large market vs. small market, the emotions raging, the player/team backstabbing, the inter-squad drama and the legacy building.  I know I used the WWE and its characters both good and bad as an analogy for our NBA personalities of today, but if the NBA would only cut out all of the WWE-esque flopping, it has all the talent and star power to at least rival the behemoth ratings monster that is the NFL.