Random Thoughts (January 30, 2011)

The Celtics are the best team in the Eastern Conference, play the hated Lakers tomorrow, and are a true contender to win the NBA championship. All that and I still have an eye on the NBA Draft. The reason why I can spend even a little effort focusing on the college game is because of Jimmer Fredette, the fabulous scoring guard for Brigham Young University. Fredette is leading Division I in scoring with 27.4 points-per-game and has BYU off to an impressive 20-2 record. The 6-2 guard is a deadly long range shooter who is also capable of getting to the rim. The Celtics will be drafting at the bottom of the first round which may not be enough to select the Jimmer but if he is around when it's Danny Ainge's turn to pick, I can see him wearing green... Under Bill Belichick, the Patriots have made a habit of trading down in the draft and going after many quality players instead of going after one or two high profile players. It is a draft philosophy that has produced three Super Bowl championships and ten consecutive winning seasons. This year I would like to see Belichick get aggressive and use some of the picks he has at his disposal to move up in order to acquire one of the premiere pass rushers that is available. The Patriots have a solid young defense but they do need a player capable of disrupting an opponent's passing game with their ability to get to the quarterback. Von Miller of Texas A&M or Robert Quinn of North Carolina would be excellent additions to the Patriots. Moving up may not be the "Patriot Way" but it would be nice to see them try and acquire an impact player that could make the difference between a loss in the divisional round of the playoffs and winning a Super Bowl... In my humble opinion, the only chance that The Office has to rebound from its recent years of mediocrity is to bring in Ricky Gervais to replace Steve Carrell when he leaves the show at the end of this season. Gervais - who had a cameo on this week's episode - was the star of the original British of The Office and could breathe some much needed life into the struggling series... Happy 56th Old Man...