Sports Talk With Bailey Carlin

The number one seeds in the NCAA tournament are always a much debated topic. Here are the teams i think should be the number one seeds.

1. Ohio State: Sullinger is playing amazing right now as a freshman and this team is my pick to win it all.

2. Kansas: Solid team that has had their ups and downs but has been playing more consistant lately.

3. Pittsburgh: Plays is the best conference in college basketball but still came out of there with a great record.

4. Winner of the Duke/North Carolina game: Evenly matched teams at this point so in my eyes the winner of this team deserves the one seed.

Tell me what you think the one seeds should be!!!

The number one seeds in the NCAA tournament are always a much debated topic. Here are the teams i think should be the number one seeds.

1. Ohio State: Sullinger is playing amazing right now as a freshman and this team is my pick to win it all.

2. Kansas: Solid team that has had their ups and downs but has been playing more consistant lately.

3. Pittsburgh: Plays is the best conference in college basketball but still came out of there with a great record.

4. Winner of the Duke/North Carolina game: Evenly matched teams at this point so in my eyes the winner of this team deserves the one seed.

Tell me what you think the one seeds should be!!!

Time to rank the teams in the Western Conference. This conference is so deep its tough to do, but here it goes.

1. Spurs- Best team im the NBA. Did you see them manhandle the Heat by 30 last night? They have the best record for a reason. they have veterans. They have chemistry, and they know how to win. Tim Duncan is the best PF in NBA history, Ginobli and Parker are dominant at their positions.

2. Lakers- They have Kobe Bryant, the most feared player in the NBA. He refuses to lose and he has heart that makes his team want to play better. Bynum and Gasol kill it down low, and Artest is a defensive stopper.

3. Mavs- Another team of veterans that don't get enough credit. But they are fueled by Dirk and a bunch of role players who know how to win. They are tough to match up against which also ranks them this high.

4. Thunder- They have the most explosive player in the NBA in Kevin Durant, and have a ton of talented youth in Westbrook, Ibaka, and Harden. The recent acquisition of Kendrick Perkins will only make this team better. They are so athletic that almost no team in the NBA can keep up with them.

5. Nuggets- Losing Carmelo doesn't seem to have slowed this team down at all. They look confident, they have youth, and as long as they play well together they can do very well.

6. Hornets- CP3 is the best point guard in the league, and with how well David West and Trevor Ariza have been playing this team is dangerous. They have a defensive presence down low with Okafor and this team is surprisingly deep.

7. Trail Blazers- Gerald Wallace has immediately made this team better, but unfortunately Brandon Roy is not back to his normal self. They can still make a little noise when they play well though.

8. Memphis- Losing their best player, Rudy Gay has certainly hurt this team and dropped their ranking in my opinion. They still have Mike Conley at the point guard though and he has been playing well along with the rest of the team.

9. Jazz- The youth that this team got has made it better. Losing Deron Williams certainly hurts because he has been the heart of the Jazz for years, but this team will certainly get better in time.

10. Suns- Steve Nash is a playmaker and as long as he plays well he makes those around him better.

11. Rockets- Without Yao Ming down low this team seems to not play well. Kevin Martin plays well but it seems as though they rely too heavily on him at times.

12. Warriors- Monta Ellis has proven that he is a pure scorer, and they have a strong 3 point threat in Dorell Wright.

13. Clippers- Its sad that this team is ranked so low, but I am certain that they will be a force in the West in a few short years. Eric Gordon being hurt made it difficult to win because it puts too much pressure on Blake Griffin. But both of these will be dominant NBA players very soon.

14. Timberwolves- Three years from now this team could be at the top of the West rankings with the Clippers, but for now they are too young and too inexperienced. Beasley needs to become more of a leader, but I think Johnson Beasley and Love can become a solid 3some in the NBA.

15. Kings- There seems to be no help for Evans out there. Cousins plays well from time to time but this team needs a lot of help. I love Omri Casspi though.

What do you guys think?

So the Magic vs Heat game tonight got me thinking about how much better the eastern conference is than they usually are. So here are my rankings for teams in the eastern conference. 

1st. Boston Celtics(43-15): Best core 4 in the league and my prediction for team to win it all this year

2nd.Chicago Bulls(41-17): Young, fast, great. This team is also a legitimate finals contender.

3rd. Miami Heat(43-17): I personally think they are overrated but when they are playing well everyone else in the league has a hard time beating them.

4th. Orlando Magic(38-22): Dwight Howard being the most dominant center in the league is a huge thing for the magic. When he is playing well NO other center in the league can guard him.

5th. New York Knicks(30-27): This team is destined for greatness. They're record is in no way a representation of their new team so it should be interesting to see what they can do.

6th. Atlanta Hawks(36-24): Al Horford is playing great as well as Joe Johnson. I see this team having a strong future

7th. Philadelphia Sixers(30-29): The Sixers are playing OUTSTANDING basketball over the past month. They could do something scary in the playoffs this year.

8th. Indiana Pacers(26-32): I don't really know why the Pacers are up this high but they aren't playing bad right now so that's where they fall.

9th. Milwaukee Bucks(22-36):  Brandon Jennings has a promising future in the NBA and if this team adds some other players to it.

10th. Detroit Pistons(22-39): The Pistons have some turmoil going on within their organization but they are only a couple games out of the playoff race.

11th. Charlotte Bobcats(26-33): The Bobcats record is better than my 8th 9th and 10th teams but they traded away Gerald Wallace and got barely anything in return for him.

12th. Toronto Raptors(16-44): The raptors lost Bosh over the summer so they are obviously hurting. But they aren't in last place so they're better off than the Cavs!

13th. New Jersey Nets(17-43): The Nets are horrible again. Nothing new there.

14th. Washington Wizards(15-44): The Wizards actually aren't that bad this year at home(14-16) but have a horrendous away record. They do have John Wall though so that is always promising

15th. Cleveland Cavaliers(11-48): All I can say here is, "LeGONE"

 So tell me your rankings and how they're different than mine!

I do not know much about wrestling, however i do know that this past weekend in Albany something very special happened. Jimmy Duckham, a fellow Arlington student won the New York States wrestling tournament for the 103 lb division! So instead of me poorly trying to explain exactly what did happen, watch the video below. The entire Arlington community is proud and honored that you are part of us Jimmy!

http://www.carlinsportstalk.com/apps/videos/videos/view/12798315-jimmy-duckham-wins-states-?profile_tab[poster_id]=52128195&profile_tab[tab_count]=3

1.Kobe Bryant

2.Lebron James

3.Kevin Durant

4.Carmelo Anthony

5.Chris Paul

6.Dwayne Wade

7.Dwight Howard

8.Dirk Novitzki

9.Kevin Garnett

10.Derrick Rose

Honorable Mention: Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay, Danny Granger, Ronny Turiaf...

Todays 2nd topic is FAVORITE SPORTS MOVIES. Now take this as you wish, it could be the best movie, your favorite for sentimental reasons, whatever you want, just put your favorites down and give a reason why.

I'm going to put my favorite for each category to get it started.

Football- Remember the Titans. This movie gives me chills everytime I watch it. Its got Football. Its got heated tension. Its got crazy hard hits. It has Denzel. Enough said.

Basketball- COACH CARTER- Not only is this my favorite basketball movie, it is also one of my favorite overall movies of all time. The crazy realistic basketball, the amazing story itself, the characters, everything really is perfect. Plus its got that guy from snakes on a plane on it, how can you beat that?

Baseball- The Sandlot. Benny 'The Jet' Rodriguez is the coolest kid in any movie. He takes the nerdy kid under his wing and leads his team to victory. Then makes it to the majors. Best part though is when he laces up those PF Flyers and outruns 'The Beast'. Either that or when Squints makes out with Wendy Peffercorn... Anyway, epic baseball movie.

Hockey- Miracle. Nothing makes we want to chant USA! USA! more than when I watch this. Best part is its true.

Soccer- The Big Green- I know theres not too many movies out there dealing with soccer, but this ones a classic. The visions that the goalie has are movie genius. Typical underdog story that leaves you feeling good afterwards.

It was tough to pick these 5, and feel sure to add other sports if you want. Put your favorites down and tell why.

A lot of trades wen't down in the NBA this week leading up to the trade deadline. There was the HUGE Denver New York trade, the New Jersey Utah trade, and many, many, many, MANY other trades.

          What teams do you think helped themselves the most, as well as the teams that hurt themselves the most. In other words, the best trades and the worst trades. Feel free to offer up what you think teams should have done rather than what they did.

PLEASE COMMENT!

So this afternoon it was announced that point guard Deron Williams was traded to the New Jersey Nets by the Utah Jazz for point guard Devin Harris, small forward Derrick Favors and two first round draft picks. This is quite a lot to give up for one player and even though Deron Williams is one of the top players at his postition, i am not convinced that the trade was worth it. The nets got rid of rookie Derrick Favors who is averaging 6 points and 5 rebounds, as well as Devin Harris who is averaging an impressive 15 points and nearly 8 assists(7.6). 

Deron Williams does average 21 points and basically 10 assists(9.7) but i am always concerned that teams do not value draft picks as much as they should, especially a team like the Nets who are in need for a complete resurrection. In the end We will have to wait and see what he can do, even if it is just turning the Nets into less of a laughing stock. 

But tell me what you think! Do you think the trade was worth it? If so why? Also, what would you have done differently, what other players would you have gotten rid of, or other players you would have tried to acquire. Please Comment!

I decided to do a highly debated topic for this post. My ideal starting five in the NBA. Well here it is....

My starting point guard would be Rajon Rondo. This is because he is the most dynamic and electric passer in the league. He also is becoming a much better scorer and jumpshooter. He makes everyone around him better and I completely disagree with the people who say he only is so dominant because he is surrounded by three potential hall of famers. 

My starting shooting guard would be Kobe Bryant. Even though kobe is way past his prime I still see him as the best player in the NBA. He still pretty much scores at will and is THE reason the lakers still have so much success. He may not have the explosiveness he once did but this has made him a much better jump shooter. 

My starting small forward would be Carmelo Anthony. Remember, this is my ideal starting 5, not the best player at each position. He is the purest scorer and best all around offensive player in the NBA. His versatility is outstanding with his range stretching as far as the three point line to his expertise as a finisher around the rim. He has also lately stepped his rebounding up, leading all small forwards in that category. 

My starting power forward would be Amare Stoudemire. In the pas year or so he has expanded his game to include mid range jump shots. For a player playing a position that is lacking more than any other in the NBA right now. He is still a dominant finisher around the rim and has become an outstanding leader since coming to New York. 

My starting center would be Kevin Love. He is a different type of center. He is a great three point shooter, but also an AMAZING rebounder. He leads the NBA in rebounding as of right now and is still very young. He is on the way up and I see a blazingly bright future for him. I cannot wait to see what his stats are going to be like in a few years.

Well that is my starting five. Tell me if you agree/disagree and why, or put your own starting five that you would like! 

Clutchness is not something that can be taught. That being said, Carmelo Anthony possesses something that few players in the history of the NBA and even fewer players active right now do. This is an ultimate calm and collectiveness towards the end of games. He is second behind only Kobe Bryant in game winning shots by active players as well as first in shot percentage in the last 10 seconds of games. Here is a clip that is a little outdated but still shows what he can do in the closing minutes 

BESs

For my first real post I'm going to talk about Carmelo Anthony finally going to the knicks. Since the summer when speculation of "Melo's" future began, Knicks fans have been waiting, while Nuggets fans have been dreading this day. When Carmelo was offered his contract with the Nuggets this past summer everyone believed that he was going to take the extension worth 3 years 65 million dollars, so when he didn't people were shocked and confused. Since then rumors of all types have been floating around, everything from him being traded for Joakim Noah, Stephen Curry, Derrick Favors, to him waiting until this summer to sign with the Knicks as a free agent, as well as many other rumors. Eventually some pressure was put on the Knicks from the Nets who put out a couple of different offers to the Nuggets themselves, such as Derricks Favors and 4 draft picks for Carmelo and Billups. Eventually the Knicks and Nuggets came to an agreement which sends Carmelo, Chauncey Billups, Renaldo Balkman, Sheldon Williams, Anthony Carter and 3 draft picks to the Knicks, while sending Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari and Timofey Mozgov to the Nuggets. Also, Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph were sent to the Timberwolves.

        A lot of people are comparing all this "melodramaticness" to what Lebron did in Cleveland but I see it in a completely different light. Carmelo could have just finished this season without telling the Nuggets he wanted out, but he went to them and told them he was not at all interested in staying, so they could get something for him. What Lebron did was left Cleveland broken and disheveled with blatant disregard for the franchise.

In the end, the drama is over and Melo and Billups have the daunting task of proving they are better than the three starters the Knicks traded away to get them.

To them, Good Luck