"HALL" to the Redskins!!!

Remember the last "washup" that left Oakland? His team
went 18-1 and almost won the Superbowl.

Is it a surprise to anyone that Danny Snyder signed DeAngelo Hall? No. Especially not with the sale price D-Hall had on him. They signed him for $492,000 for the remainder of the season. This is a not a bad deal to take a chance with this guy. I used to be a huge D-Hall fan when he came out of Va. Tech and was with the Falcons. He was at one point considered one of the best DB's in the league but after running his mouth too much in Atlanta, then going to the black hole (Oakland), he's considered a wash up at the age of 25. He was embarrassed by another Va. Tech standout, Eddie Royal, on opening night and has not looked the same all season. You can probably contribute his sub-par season to the fact that Oakland stinks and that he really doesn't have too much help in the safety position there. Now that he actually has something to play for, let's hope he steps up.

Consolation Prize

Skins lose, history is made....not bad for a consolation prize.

Obama getting his shine on. (Photo Nuccio DiNuzzo / November 4, 2008)

If you're not sure what RalJon is, it's the original name of Landover, MD. (Home of FedEx Field, where the Redskins play) If the Redskins lose on the Sunday or Monday before election day, the opposing party takes office. This year was no different.

I guess I'll take a loss to secure Obama's victory in this year's election. Just like the Skins on Monday, McCain got SPANKED by Obama on Tuesday. I predicted a landslide victory and with the electoral college voting 349-163 in favor of Obama, you can call it a landslide victory, beat down or F-you (my personal favorite) to the people that didn't believe.

I'm sure you've heard all the hoopla about Obama's victory and the history it made. With all what's said and done, I do feel like our election process is a big joke. Especially this one with all the twists and turns and story lines. It made for great T.V. and conversations but it's not a sport or a realty show. Let's have some dignity and humility with it please! And can we shorten it just a little bit? Does it really have to last almost 2 years? No wonder the candidates had to raise 8 trillion dollars just to survive the whole campaign.

Even though the election went in my ( 64 million other Americans too) favor, I had to sacrifice a Skins loss. They are 6-3, 2nd in a tough NFC East conference. They don't have the scariest of schedules for the 2nd half of the season but they do host their NFC East foes plus games at Seattle, Cincinnati, Baltimore and San Francisco.

Now that Obama is on route for change in Washington, can the Skins bring some more change to Washington and win a Super Bowl? What do I have to sacrifice for that? My love for Sarah Palin? I think we can work something out.

A.I. in Detroit

Joe Dumars kept his promise about a big shakeup in the line up for the Pistons. He waited a couple of games into the season but he did it. Allen Iverson is now a Piston and Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess are Nuggets.

In my personal opinion, this doesn't really help either team all that much. The Pistons lack heart so maybe the heart and energy of A.I. will help them get over the hump but they lose a great defender in Chauncey. The Nuggets gets the edge in the trade because Chauncey is easily the best defender on the Nuggets team. This trade should help them sneak into the 8th spot or make a really strong run for the playoffs. The only setback is that Chauncey is injury prone. He was hurt in the playoffs last year and that killed the Pistons' run.

Now where does A.I. fit in Detroit? Rodney Stuckey is a great 1 guard. He's a future star. A.I. can't play 2 guard cause that's where RIP plays. Well some might argue to let A.I. and Stuckey share the ball but $20 mil for a guy to come off the bench? A.I. is not Starberry. How about go real small, run A.I. at 2 (cause he can create), Stuckey at 1 and RIP at 3. That is a decent idea but it will only work until a team slows them down and forces them to play half-court ball.

This is what I think is going to happen. A.I. is obviously going to start because the Pistons aren't going to pay a guy $20 mil to come off the bench. Stuckey is going to handle the ball most of the game. A.I. is going to be the Piston's 4th quarter guy. He can create and score. The Pistons need that.

This is A.I.'s last year in his contract and I don't see the Pistons re-signing him unless it's for dirt cheap. They aren't going to re-sign Sheed either. A lot of people are getting ready for LBJ's free agency but I have news for Detroit....LEBRON JAMES IS NOT GOING TO DETROIT!!! Lebron is staying in Cleveland or going to the Knicks. Lebron has said he wants to take over the world, NYC is where he's able to do so, not Detroit.

If anything, this trade keeps the league and A.I.'s career even more interesting. I really hope A.I. can win a ring. I just don't see him doing it in a Piston's uniform.

NBA Season Preview

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images


Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

So the NBA is about to tip off and I think we're going to have a very interesting year again. Bron Bron got a little help from his Executives (they are really worried he's going to dip out), Kobe has Andrew Bynum back, Chris Paul got James Posey, who seems to be the missing link between a ring or no ring on the teams he bounces around to, Greg Oden finally graces us with his presence and The C's get rings and motivation for a repeat. And there are a bunch of new coaches floating around (I think five). I'm going to give you my unbiased, very uneducated opinion on what's in store for us this season.

The WEST:

1. LAKERS
2. HORNETS
3. JAZZ
4. ROCKETS
5. TRAIL BLAZERS
6. SUNS
7. SPURS
8. MAVERICKS

The big story in the west is the Lakers getting Bynum back and Chris Paul getting James Posey. Like I mentioned before, James Posey seems to get rings wherever he goes. Is he the new Robert Horry? The Lakers starting five is going to be Bynum, Gasol, Radmonovich, D-Fish and Kobe. They have Odom coming off the bench. The Lakers have good depth on the bench but the young bench players are going to have to play with a lot more intensity if they want to win this year. Gasol and Odom have to toughen up too (remember them getting bitched out by KG in the finals?). And Phil is going to have to really coach or his team is going to get dogged again. These guys don't have the basketball IQ like his previous championship teams. They can't just play through opposing teams' runs. He's going to have to get out of his seat a few more times this year....maybe even call a timeout or two.

The Hornets get the dude that only wins championships. James Posey is going to help big time with defense and he's a great clutch player. CP is going to be beast again this year. He's my pick for MVP. This is already a pretty complete team and with the addition of Posey, they are even scarier. I can totally see these guys outplaying an over confident Lakers team. They have the slight edge because they have NOTHING to lose. Finishing 2nd in the west is the worst they'll do. Sky's the limit for these guys.

Will Jerry Sloan ever win a championship? I doubt he'll do it this year. They have a good squad with Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer anchoring but they are lacking that certain player. The heart of the team. The KG, the Kobe, the Lebron, it's just unfortunate because there can only be so many of those guys in the league. They'll have a great regular season but will get beaten in the playoffs......again.

Now this is when things get real interesting. The Rockets, Trail Blazers, Suns, Spurs, and Mavericks all gets mushed up from the 4-8 spot. I think 2-5 games will separate the 4-10 spot just like last season. Then you have the Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors, all of these teams are going to be very competitive. There are going to be a few very good and deserving teams left out of the playoffs.

The Rockets have # 1 bad boy Ron Artests and he brings TOUGH defense, a good 3-point shot and the potential to start to a riot. Yao Ming should be healthy and I think this is the year TMac finally gets passed the first round.

Greg Oden finally gets on the floor for the Trail Blazers and boy are his expectations high! Greg is a really smart guy and will learn the NBA game real quick. Brandon Roy is in my top 5 of PG's in the league. Oden and Roy together should help these guys win a lot of games. Oden is also my pick of Rookie of the year by a landslide.

The Suns have Terry Porter roaming the bench now. Steve Kerr brought him in to coach these guys some defense. Shaq is old, Steve is getting there, Amare keeps getting hurt. I want Steve to win a title but I can also see these guys not even making the playoffs due to a very competitive western conference.

The Spurs....well they are much of the same. They of course will be competitive again this year but Tim Duncan is getting older too and so is everyone on the team. Manu has to stay healthy for them. As always, nothing exciting and new from these guys.

I think the Mavericks are going to show some new life. I'm a fan of Rick Carlisle. He's going to have these guys playing to their potential again. I'm curious to see how Jason Kidd is going to fare this year. He showed he can still ball in the Olympics and I can see these guys going a long way this year even though I have them picked to finish 8th in the West.

The Clippers picked up Baron Davis. He doesn't make them all that much better because Elton Brand rolled east but they should have enough to contend for a playoff spot. The Nuggets are going to have to play D or they're not going to even get into the playoffs. I keep hearing rumors that they are trying to work up a big trade for someone but nothing ever happens. This team needs an overhaul or some balls to play defense. Expect them to lose 150 - 152 a lot this year. The Warriors are another team that didn't get much better. Actually, I think they got a little worst with Baron Davis going south. They picked up Corey Maguette but he's not going to help them with anything. They are missing some pieces.

The EAST:

1. CELTICS
2. CAVALIERS
3. PISTONS
4. MAGIC
5. WIZARDS
6. 76ers
7. HEAT
8. RAPTORS

Well the east is finally competitive again. You probably won't see a playoff team from the east that's under .500 like you'll usually see. The C's bring everyone back except for James Posey whom they'll miss but their bench players are only going to get better. Guys like James Powe and Eddie House will play their role real well. As long as the big three stays healthy, they will be the team to beat again in the east and maybe the NBA. They sure know how to play defense.

The Cavs do get a little better with the additon of Mo Williams but I still don't believe he'll be enough to push them over that hump. But then again, when you have Lebron on your team, anything is possible. I think Lebron is going to have one of the best seasons ever from a 23 yr. old. (can you believe he's only 23!?!)

The Pistons are the same old Pistons with a new coach. I'm not sure what Michael Curry brings them but the starting 5 is aging a little bit. They have the defense to win a lot of games and make a really strong push for the finals but sometime I wonder if they have the heart anymore. (remember the 76ers gave them a scare last year).

The Magic is an interesting team. Dwight Howard lacks a little offense and their back court is a little weak. They'll finish like they did last year but I don't expect them to do much beyond making the playoffs.

The Wizards have the squad to do some damage in the east but until Gilbert Arenas gets back to 100%, they are not going to get there. Gilbert is out until January and who knows what he'll be like when he returns. Gilbert is one of my favorite players and I really hope he makes it back. I'm sure Washington is hoping for the same since they just dropped $111 millie on him.

I feel like I'm ripping off the 76ers by not putting up them higher then the 6th spot but they just don't play that consistent enough for me. Elton Brand makes this team better. He's a strong low post player and there aren't a lot of those in east. I really like want this team to win. I like them a lot.

The Heat are going to finally have Dwayne Wade back 100% healthy. He looked great in the Olympics. Michael Beasley is going to have a strong rookie year. Marion might be another victim of a mid season trade depending on if the Heat are contending or not. Besides these 3 guys, I couldn't name another guy on the roster. Oh yea....there's that pothead/Final Four hero, Mario Chalmers. He'll be alright.

The Raptors has my favorite alien boy, Chris Bosh and they picked up Jermaine O'Neil. O'Neil has been injury prone. If he stays healthy, they can finish as high as 4th in the east.

Don't be surprised if the Bulls make a run for a playoff spot as well. They have the talent but they don't play to their potential. Not sure what kind of coach Vinny Del Negro is but they have Derick Rose who might be my new favorite player. I'm really pulling for these guys because I like their squad so much. The Knicks has Mike D'Antoni coaching but they have the same issues. They are still a season or two away from being competitive again.

So yea...this season should be filled with good drama and great competition. Don't be surprised if I'm all wrong come April. I don't think I've been this excited for an NBA season in a long time. My gut tells me we're going to see a Lakers/Cavs finals and it will be even more epic then last year's finals. One can only wish!

*While I'm writing all of this, Greg Oden hurt himself AGAIN! Poor guy.