Random Thoughts (February 22, 2008)

I was going to post a new "Super 16" college hoops poll but I will wait until early next week for two important reasons. First off, I feel the need to wait until the No. 1 v. No. 2 showdown of Memphis hosting Tennessee tomorrow night before making any judgements. Also, the messy situation at Indiana over what to do with Kelvin Sampson has me nervous that the Hoosiers, one of my Final Four picks, could be doomed... Dale Arnold at WEEI finally has his wish, sort of. Way back when I was commuting to Bridgewater State five times a week, I listened to Arnold's mid-day show on 'EEI and when the Pats were searching for Pete Carroll's replacement, ol' Ned Flanders himself publicly cried out for Dom Capers. Well Dale, you got your man. Capers was reportedly hired as the Patriots secondary coach yesterday. I bet the folks at the Maine Diner were happy as well... Many NBA trades have gone down in the past few weeks. Of the teams that received "big names" in return, I categorize them as such: WINNERS: Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs The Lakers grabbed Pau Gasol for nearly nothing, vaulting them into contenders in the West. The Spurs, quietly lurking as they usually do in the regular season, picked up Kurt Thomas from Seattle. CONFUSED: Phoenix Suns From what I hear, the market for the disgruntled Shawn Marion was almost non-existant so dealing him for Shaq may not be too crazy. As much as I love Shaq, I don't see the fit for him in Phoenix. In the short term he might get them out of the West but it's no sure thing. Long term, Shaq has a lot of money coming his way and the weight must be wearing down his joints. LOSERS: Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers Dallas was the most settled team in the West, they were serious contenders before the flurry of trades hit the NBA. Moving the promising -- and experienced -- Devin Harris for the aging Jason Kidd looks to me to be a panic move. If they don't win now with their 53-year-old point guard, what's the future look like? Cleveland is a loser in all of this in my estimation solely because I think that in the crunch, teams will be able to double team LeBron with almost no consequences. Ben Wallace's tank is on empty, plain and simple. As of right now, I'll go with a Lakers-Celtics Finals... Manny Ramirez looks healthy and happy. American League pitchers beware...