Day 37: NBA Preview, Vince Young, Clippers Jinx and more

1) With the 2009-10 NBA season opening up tonight give the readers your picks for the teams that you think are going to reach the NBA Finals.

Ben: I'm going to go with the Cavs and Lakers. I want to pick a surprise team like Portland or Utah in the West, but I feel like the Lakers are too strong to allow a mid-level team to sneak through. I think the West is still the superior conference, but I do feel like teams such as the Cavs, Magic, Celtics, and even Toronto to some extent can challenge some of those teams.

Look, Shaq and LeBron together, along with a couple of decent role players that help share the load with those two, get them out of the East, and the Lakers only added talent in Ron Artest so they are the team to beat out West.

Boz: I like the Spurs and the Celtics to make the NBA Finals come June 2010. The Spurs made a big addition when they traded for Richard Jefferson during the offseason and adding RJ to a list of names that already includes Timmy D, Manu, and Tony Parker is big. I also liked the Spurs draft. Every season it seems that the Spurs get a lot out of their no-name draft picks (i.e.- George Hill from IUPUI). However, this season they got a big name in Dejuan Blair who will be a huge piece to this team coming off the bench.

The Celtics also made a splash in the offseason by signing Rasheed Wallace. Not only the 'Sheed give them another offensive weapon to turn to, but he fits the Celtics gameplan defensively as well. He allows the Celtics to take Kendrick Perkins, who has been starting the last couple seasons, and move him to the bench, giving them a deep bench. I also see Rajon Rando having an even bigger season than last year, moving up the list of top point guards in the process.

2) Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams has told Jeff Fisher that he wants Vince Young to be inserted as the starting quarterback Sunday against the Jaguars. Do you agree with Bud Adams?

Ben: Yes. I have been a huge proponent of playing Vince Young since Kerry Collins started to stumble down the stretch of last year. There is one fact about each of these two QB's that sticks with me. First, Vince Young is a winner. He hasn't had a sub-.500 record since they started keeping score when he was younger. He was 8-4 and 10-6 in the NFL, he's won 2 Rose Bowls, along with a National Championship in college, and has always been the go-to player on his teams. Second, Kerry Collins has always been a loser. He has constantly disappointed, since the moment he was drafted in the top 5 out of Penn State. Every team he's been with has got rid of him, he hasn't left anyone. That says something to me.

Play the kid, he's a winner and a playmaker.

Boz: Absolutely. When you've started the season 0-6, you're not going to rebound and make the playoffs. Therefore it's time to start planning for the future and Kerry Collins is not the quarterback of the future. He's a nice quarterback that can help in the short term, but he has never sustained success as a team's starting QB. Therefore, it's time for Vince Young to re-take over the reigns of the Titans. The kid can win football games, it might not be pretty wins with great stats, but he puts up W's on the board. It's time for the Titans to show fans that the psychological stuff that Young was dealing with a year ago is behind him.

3) The Clippers have announced that first overall pick Blake Griffin will miss six weeks with a broken left kneecap. The Clippers haven't had the best of luck with first overall picks with Danny Manning and Michael Olowakandi. Do you believe in the Clippers Jinx?

Ben: Not really. I mean, it is kind of suspicious, but I don't think they are cursed. The Clippers have hurt themselves with the picks of Manning and Olowakandi and Benoit Benjamin -- those guys bombed because they were bad players, not because of some curse.  They have been poorly managed, as well as poorly coached -- no curse involved, just a poor organization.

Boz: No. It's only six weeks in a season that is seven months long. Griffin will recover from this injury and come back and still make a bid for the Rookie of the Year award. Not to mention he is only 21 years old and has a long career ahead of him. The Olowakandi pick wasn't part of a curse, it was just awful scouting. You couldn't mis-scout on Blake Griffin and he'll eventually be a all-star calibur player.

4) Charlie Manuel will give the ball to Pedro Martinez for Game 2 of the World Series instead of Cole Hamels. Is this a smart move?

Ben: Yes. Pedro has pitched very well throughout the postseason, and even going back to the regular season, whereas Hamels has began to struggle recently. I think Pedro can help shutdown some of the Yanks (Posada and Jeter especially) and get a solid start for the Phillies in a potentially must-win game for them.

Boz: Yes. Martinez is a veteran and knows how to pitch in high-pressure games. He has proven that he can still pitch in big games since returning to baseball in July. You'd rather save Hamels, who seems mentally and physically inconsistent right now, for Game 3 at home in Philly. I'm very excited to watch Pedro pitch in the Bronx during the postseason again and I don't think the MLB could have scripted this situation any better for ratings.

ODDS

1) What are the odds that Manny Acta will take the Indians to the playoffs next season?

Ben: 0%. Bob Brenly is getting a top job again soon, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was with the Indians. Manny Acta's going to have to wait awhile after his debacle in Washington  to get another head job.

Boz: 5%. The Indians are rebuilding for the future after having a firesale last year before the trade deadline. However, the future is not next season. They'll have a lot of young players on the roster and we saw how Acta did with young players when managing for the Nationals. The Indians are a better situation than the Natinals, but any other team in the MLB would be a better situation than the Natinals.

2) What are the odds that Alex Smith will remain the starting quarterback for the 49ers throughout the season?

Ben: 100%. The kid obviously has talent. Let him play under the new regime. Shaun Hill was a scrub for a reason. Rarely is one team's trash another team's treasure - Hill is another example of that. He was decent for a short stretch, but not a long-term answer. Alex Smith could be.

Boz: 80%. It's never a good situation when you go back and forth between two quarterbacks (ask the Browns) so I think it would be wise to stick with Smith. Shaun Hill proved he was a decent quarterback but he not the guy to bet all your marbles on. Smith might not be that guy either, but right now he gives the Niners the best chance to win football games. They might want to look at Jeff Garcia though.

3) What are the odds that LeBron and Shaq each put up double-doubles tonight against the Celtics?

Ben: 100%. They will both go nuts, and LeBron is almost guarenteed to get the double-double and the Celtics have almost no one who can even bang with Shaq down low.

Boz: 95%. It seems like LeBron always has a double-double. Shaq is big enough to where he should be able to get a double-double.

HAPPY HOUR

Ben: Happy 5th Anniversary Steve Williams. Williams, who came up with the 700th home run ball Barry Bonds hit on September 17, 2004 in San Fransisco, sold the ball after a 10-day Overstock.com on-line auction and 240 bids for $804,129. Williams, who came up with the milestone ball in SBC’s left field bleachers announced he was quitting his day job as a broker's assistant, but hadn’t decided what to do with the windfall. I wonder how that's going for Williams -- I'll probably Google him later.

Boz: Happy 25th Birthday Brady Quinn. You might want to ask for money for your birthday since you're going to lose $11 million in bonus money since you'll be spending the rest of the season on the sideline. You should also find a way out of Cleveland so you can show people that you can be successful when surrounded with a real NFL team.