The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee Gives UVA a Pass

The Austro-Hungarian Empire is remembered for what? Possibly being one of the largest European empires at the time, right behind the Russian Empire. Of course it was also a dominant economic powerhouse in that they were the world’s fourth largest machine building nation. Although this ethnically diverse and as a result, unorganized bureaucratic state, has these vast accomplishments it seems to be most famous for its epic, and almost too simplistic, implosion and subsequent triggering of an epic worldwide slaughter called, World War I. The Austro-Hungarian Empire’s only goal in the war was to punish Serbia for assassinating its emperor’s heir, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Instead the empire’s ethnic divisions unraveled, and by 1916 an empire that once portrayed itself as a global force was realized to be a nothing more than a paper tiger. The surprise wasn’t’ that this great nation collapsed, it was the fact that the empire was able to conceal its blemishes so well for so long.

The University of Virginia men’s basketball team is the NCAA’s Austro-Hungarian Empire. It’s easy to see why they routinely are ranked so high in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. According to Kenpom.com, a college basketball statistics database, since 2014 Virginia has ranked in the top 12 for teams with the highest adjusted efficiency metric (adjEM), a statistic used to determine a team’s overall skill. Then again, since 2014 Virginia has been ranked no lower than a fifth seed in the NCAA Tournament and has finished no lower than 5^th in the notoriously brutal Atlantic Coast Conference. In other words, logic says that Virginia deserves to be ranked favorably.

Tony Bennett, Virginia’s head men’s basketball coach, has been able to excel at dominating the regular season. Though, when it comes to tournament play he has failed to capitalize on favorable rankings – only winning his conference tournament once since 2014. The year he won his conference tournament he also won the conference “regular season title” in 2018. That same year Bennett and his team would make NCAA history for all the wrong reasons. The first seeded Virginia Cavaliers would be ousted by the 16^th ranked (lowest seed in the tournament) UMBC. A 16^th seed defeating a one seed was so remarkable that there is a Wikipedia page dedicated to just that first round game. To say that Bennett and his team busted America’s brackets is an understatement. According to ESPN, of the 17.3 million brackets submitted in its Tournament Challenge, only 579,666 picked UMBC to win. That comes to a mere 3.5% percent of people picking UMBC to win the game; whereas 18% of entries had Virginia winning the entire tournament (including your correspondent).

There is reason to believe that this epic and complete debacle of a beautiful season should not transfer over to the subsequent year. It is of course a “new season,” with new meaning and a chance for a team to rewrite, make new, or, in the case of Virginia, bury past history. It doesn’t appear that this mantra holds truth, though. Yes, Virginia has done very well this year (excluding it being outplayed, outhustled, and frankly outmanned against Florida State in the ACC tournament), but there is reason to suggest where some teams are provided with a premium for past successful NCAA tournament performance, no team is punished. To illustrate this theory, it is important to note the premium that Villanova, the defending National Champion, has received from the NCAA Selection Committee in this year’s tournament. Deadspins’ Lauren Theisen describes it best: “The [Villanova} Wildcats might well be overrated by the committee; two national championships in three years will tend to skew perspective a bit.” It seems that arbitrary premiums are placed on teams who have a history of success, yet, a history of debacles and disappointments, like Virginia, do not depreciate a team’s subsequent seasons. If history is the best indicator of the future, then it should not be ignored simply because it may shed a bad light on a certain person, place or even sports team.

Virginia has so far done everything that it has always done – submitted an impressive regular season resume to the NCAA committee. They did the same thing the previous year and years prior- yet have little to show for it.  These impressive resumes are immensely overshadowed by its 2018 history making loss. That loss was the equivalent to when Austro-Hungary’s Archduke, Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated. Virginia and Austro-Hungary, no matter how brilliant their histories may have appeared, have engrained their most memorable moment in history with their most embarrassing. It is their most embarrassing moment, not because of the loss to UMBC in Virginia’s case or the assassination in Austria’s, but because each event revealed what each truly was – a hollow, paper tiger.

The 2019 Browns Chronicles: Offseason Special Edition - Browns Did Something Good...

The Browns were involved in another one sided trade on Tuesday night. For once, though, the Browns would not be the team who was being duped.  Instead, and a rarity, the Browns made a blockbuster, one sided, deal. In exchange for safety Jabrill Peppers, 2019 first round draft pick (overall pick 17) and a 2019 third round draft the Browns received Giants’ Pro Bowl receiver, Odell Beckham Jr. With the addition of offseason signings of defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, and linebacker/defensive end Olivier Vernon, the OBJ trade is the equivalent of a terrific finale of an already great Fourth of July fireworks display.

For the longest time Browns fans have gone into the offseason and the draft with the same inspiration that 11^th Century Spanish troops had when they rushed into battle following El Cid – a nobleman whose dead body was strapped on a horse and sent into battle. There have been several Browns offseason signings, that to say the least, were a bust. The Dwayne Bowe signing was a wide receiver debacle from nearly the onset. Bowe was signed to a two-year deal worth $13 million - $9 million of that guaranteed. Bowe would last one season with a total of five catches for 53 yards. In other words, Bowe was paid nearly $2 million dollars per catch. Then, of course, the Browns had the “Kenny Britt Era.” That died after John Dorsey, on his first full day as Cleveland’s new general manager, waived Britt. Then there was the signing of, in the descent of his career, quarterback Jake Delehome. So, suffice to say that, similar to modern Browns history, Browns offseasons have been less than inspiring. 

The likelihood of those same issues happening in the case of the Odell Beckham signing are not likely. This is because unlike the previous mentioned players, Odell Beckham is far more talented than either Bowe or Britt. Beckham is a proven wide receiver - one which has been eluding the Browns even after the 2018 signing of Jarvis Landry (who is still extremely talented). According to Pro Football Focus’s 2018 Top 101 Players, Odell Beckham ranked 36^th. Furthermore, even after missing the last quarter of the 2018 season with injury, Beckham still managed to have an explosive season (on a terrible team) and had a grade of 90.0. It should also be noted that in 2018 Beckham was being thrown to, according to Pro Football Focus, by the 31^st ranked quarterback in the NFL – Eli Manning. Now, with Odell Beckham having (almost) rookie of the year quarterback Baker Mayfield toss him the ball, opposing defensives will be hard pressed to double Beckham as Jarvis Landry and sophomore wide receiver, Antonio Callaway will be lining  up opposite to Beckham.

However, what the Browns are doing isn’t new and it was done last year by the Los Angeles Rams, (who were able to make it to the Super Bowl) and the 2014 Seattle Seahawks (who won the Super Bowl that year). The Browns, after nearly two decades without one, have finally found their franchise quarterback in Baker Mayfield. The Browns have a core defensive unit and with the addition of Richardson and Vernon, only have a more bolstered lineup. Similar to the Rams who had cornerback Lamarcus Joyner and defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the Rams went out and signed cornerbacks  Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, and defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh. The finances also make it a time for the Browns to “make moves.” Like the Seahawks with Russell Wilson in 2014 and the Rams with quarterback Jarod Goff in last year’s Super Bowl, the Browns, too, have a star-studded quarterback who is on his rookie contract (i.e. cheap). According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, “[t]he Browns can afford to devote nearly $30 million of their cap to Beckham and Landry in 2019 because Mayfield has a cap hit of $7.4 million . . ..” In other words as soon as a team realizes they have a franchise quarterback under a cheap rookie contract, the next best thing to do is spend to assemble expensive pieces around him in order to win. The Seahawks did it in 2014, Philadelphia did it in 2017 (to a lesser extent), the Rams did it last year and the Browns are doing it this year. It’s a method that has proven at the very least a playoff appearance and at the most a Super Bowl victory.

There are, like anything the Browns do, some worries. The first is the very fact that Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr., and Baker Mayfield all have egos. This trifecta of talent also comes with three men who hate to lose.  This mentality, at times, has caused on the field tantrums (Odell Beckham). If things are to go south, there is fear that the locker room could become broken with these polarizing personalities acting out, especially when in March all the press was saying they were now contenders. This issue is exasperated with the second issue – the inexperience of first time head coach, Freddie Kitchens. Although brilliant as an interim offensive coordinator in 2018, Kitchens has never been a head coach before (not even a middle school head coach). If things were to get heated with OBJ’s personality or any other player, it would fall on Kitchens to broker the peace and bring the team together.  These two issues are only created because of the very fact that for once in modern Browns history, the Browns are predicted to make the playoffs and even win their division. Considering last year Browns fans were just hoping to win a game, it is incredible that a year later the Browns are picked to win more than ten games and be in the playoffs.

Yet, this is the situation that Browns fans have longed to be in. This win now pressure is what we have been salivating for decades. Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr., and Jarvis Landry are, yes, some of the more emotional players in the league, but that’s because they care and have also been noted by fellow teammates to be some of the hardest working players in football. In turn, with the combination of their longing to win, their pride in their work ethic, and Cleveland’s loyal and proud fan base, the likelihood the Browns blow this opportunity is slim. The Browns are finally being led into battle with their very much alive nobleman, John Dorsey . . . it’s about time!

 

Go Browns!!

Tristan Thompson: Enriching the Kardashians, While Embarassing The Cavs

“One: No feelings . . . Two: No social media posts about me . . . Three: I sleep with other people.” In his interview with Sports Illustrated’s Ben Reiter, Trevor Bauer, the  brash and outspoken Cleveland Indians starting pitcher, listed his three rules with anyone who has the “pleasure” in courting him. Although Bauer’s macho masculine, Neanderthalic sense of entitlement is practiced by most major professional athletes, it is widely concealed and cleverly camouflaged under the cloak of an athlete’s foundations, charity funds, and Wheaties commercials. More surprising is that, other than the civilization that resides north of Mansfield, Ohio, most sports readers or even lay-people would have assumed that these three commandments were uttered by the Cleveland Cavaliers center, Tristan Thompson.

The NBA and Kardashian, Inc.  once again collided when it was revealed that Tristan Thompson was “most likely” having coitus with model and Kylie Jenner’s friend/tenant, Jordyn Woods. This wouldn’t have been odd if it wasn’t for the fact that Tristan Thompson was, concurrently, in a relationship with Khloe Kardashian (a half-sister to Kylie Jenner and another asset to Kardashian, Inc.) in which a child resulted from the individuals’ consummation. Tristan and Khloe named their child, like any other reality T.V. star desperately seeking public attention, “True.” So as the Kardashian fandom mounts its warlike mentality towards whichever way Khloe’s Twitter/Instagram wand instructs her zealots, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tristan “can’t keep his hands to himself” Thompson’s employer, is trying to salvage an already fire dumpster of a season and a team. The best thing the Cavs can do is trade Thompson this offseason.

Ever since Lebron James leapt for La La Land, allowing another proud moment of Cleveland history to decay in the rust belt, the Cavaliers have stunk. At this moment in time the Cavaliers are the third worse team in the NBA and have just avoided tying a franchise record with the least number of wins. The thought of moving Tristan Thompson is neither farfetched nor rash. Rather, moving Tristan Thompson will alleviate a team that is in the midst of an ultimate rebuild and a team that resembles the Washington Generals more than the reigning Eastern Conference Champs.

Even in the dysfunctional state of his team, Tristan Thompson is having his own renaissance. Lately Thompson has been averaging 11.5 points per game, 11.1 rebounds per game, and 2.1 assists per game. As reported by Matt John, of NBA Daily, “all of which [the numbers]are either career-highs or the best he has had since Lebron came back to ‘The Land.’” Albeit, and John notes this, Lebron’s departure has opened the ability for a big man to get more rebounds that otherwise would have been consumed by Lebron himself. Thompson is in the top half of the league in rebounds and fourth in offensive rebounds. Considering that the three-point shot has become an offensive norm and fan favorite, most teams would relish having a player who is capable of efficiently rebounding missed three pointers only to kick it out to give his sharpshooting teammates another shot. While Thompson is an overpaid center, being scheduled to earn $18.5M next year, he has the necessary and vast skillset to be the final piece a contending team requires to put them over the edge.

 

Trading Thompson would serve Cleveland well. Not so much for the fact that this would alleviate hefty cap space off the Cavs and allows us to possibly receive some younger talent, but, more so, because it would eradicate another embarrassment from the city of Cleveland’s vast portfolio. Cleveland sports, especially as of late, have been littered with divas, self-serving, nimrods who are either willfully ignoring their overt irrational behavior or just simply have become incapable of recognizing how embarrassing their behavior is. The Browns had the Manziel experiment, which deserves its own blog for the fact that it is amazing how one person could be that utterly stupid. Then of course the Indians are stuck with Trevor Bauer who even when he gets his way, still decides to run his mouth or cut his finger while playing with his drone … in the midst of the postseason. Finally, it is hard not to forget about Hue “Clueless” Jackson, but his embarrassments were more work related (like he couldn’t win a game) than public relations disasters.

Thompson’s scandal is unlike any of the above. It is not his merely being unfaithful to the mother of his child and their entire relationship, callously demonstrating one of the greatest acts of selfishness and disregard for others. No, the reason is because, unlike other unfaithful professional athletes, Thompson is cheating on the Medusas of America. When Thompson does Khloe Kardashian wrong he isn’t just hurting her directly, but he is creating a business opportunity for them. Thompson entertains fans with his ability to make rebounds, block shots and score points. Khloe and her family entertain men/women by wearing skimpy outfits, increasing the size of their rear-ends while slimming down the size of their waists, and doing all this while on their reality TV show – Keeping Up With The Kardashians. So, when Thompson cheats the Kardashians, all fifty million of them, will get on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat and rouse their masses, with the same vitriol that Trump uses to get his base motivated about his absurd wall. The Kardashians do this because this is their business model. Sure, they have makeup lines, clothing lines, but those products aren’t what makes them. Those products just give them an excuse to keep their faces out there so that girls who want to be like them, and guys who want to “get” with them, keep tuning in to watch their unrelatable lives. Thompson gave this business the scandal it needed to remain relevant.

It would be one thing if this was Thompson’s first time acting as though he has a lack of oxygen to his brain. However, he has no short history of acting out of impulse and lack of intelligence. Prior to the start of the NBA season, but after Lebron left, Thompson stated, “[Cavs] still four-time Eastern Conference champions, so until you take us down from that, teams ain’t got much to say.” The NBA season isn’t complete yet and the Cavs have been “taken down” forty-eight times. Then, of course, the very fact that Thompson was publicly seen cheating on Khloe (first time cheating on her), while she was in labor, and right before the 2018 NBA Finals, deserves a gold medal for achieving that level of stupidity.

I would like to say that Thompson has been infected with the “Kardashin Kancer,” but it seems to me that he was just born dumb.  Maybe a team that is a contender, with solid players around him, can insulate the noise from the next time he decides to enrage, and in doing so, enrich Kardashian, Inc. In all likelihood most teams are taking note of the episodic public disaster and embarrassment that is Tristan Thompson. Hence, it seems safe to say that the Cavaliers will be left paying this bonehead $18.5M to win us another 18 games and, in doing so, help sell another several million People Magazines. At least someone is entertained by a Cavalier … unfortunately it’s just not on the court.