The Bulls and the Beez

The latest projections from most draft experts have the Chicago Bulls leaning towards home-grown point guard Derrick Rose with the number one selection in the upcoming draft.

My question is: Are you serious?

I know Rose dazzled in the NCAA tourney leading his Memphis Tigers to a minute away from a national championship, while Beasley bowed out early with his two-man Kansas State team (Billy Walker can ball.)

Beasley is a no-doubt 20-10 guy tomorrow. At this stage in his career he is far more physically NBA-ready than Kevin Durant, and led the NATION in rebounding. I know, I know, there are "attitude" questions. My response: How many kids with terrible attitudes and the ability to drop 30 a night lead the nation in rebounding? The kid is a beast, the kind of player you can build around for the next 10 years, and the kind that can take the Bulls to the elite in the Eastern Conference NEXT YEAR.

Check out this stat line:
39 points, 11 rebounds, 31 minutes.

That was Beasley against National Champion Kansas and their NBA-ready front court. He similarly dominated Blake Griffiin and Oklahoma, dropped 19&13 versus Luke Harangody and Notre Dame. With double and triple teams all season, Beasley produced every night.

Many scouts have labeled his upside as "Amare Stoudamire meets Antawn Jamison." I wonder why no one has said "Amare meets Dirk." Perhaps it is the wierd unwritten rule of not comparing white dudes and black dudes when referencing players games... not sure. But there is a lot of Dirk Nowitski circa 2004-2005 ice-cold hand-in face knocking down 22-footers in his game.

Note to Bulls GM John Paxson. Pretend it is March 13th and you have the number one pick in the draft. It is a no-brainer. Michael Beasley. Don't let a few extra games under the sparkle of March Madness blind you.

The Results are In....

Another Great Year:

Thanks to all participants in this year's March Madness Extravaganza! In one of the mostly tightly contested contests of all time, two victors emerged. In first place, with a PERFECT Final Four bracket, Chandler! Chandler claimed his second consecutive family pool.

When asked for comment, Chandler responded, "Yeah, I am excited. I guess...I mean it is always nice to win. But winning the Scheeren family pool is sort of like winning the 100 yard dash at the Special Olympics. You just don't have to run quite as fast."

In related news, Steve Scheeren is no longer paying for the wedding. Steve told March Maniacs that "If that bastard marries my daughter, the pool remains unwinnable. Plus, he is funny looking, and I do not want ugly grandchildren."

In second place, the Commish's wife rejoiced when Mario Chalmers' prayer was answered. She finished in the money for the second time in family pool history. Shanda, unquestionably excited said she was "most excited to beat my dumbass husband again. I mean, he writes this column like he has a clue, then picks Xavier in the Final Four. Smart gamblers never bet on emotion. I mean, last year he finished 4 places behind Pacer. Pacer is a freaking DOG for crying out loud. Smart gamblers bet on logic and intelligence. My husband is not a smart gambler."

The Commish agreed with Shanda's sentiment, citing his marriage to her as a prime example.

Other notable performances included Sara and Lee, both of whom selected Kansas to cut down the nets and fell a few points short of placing, and Kevin J, who posted the highest score of any incorrect champion selector. Sara's excitement was dampened by finishing just two places out of the money... and by the fact she is actually going to marry Chandler (seriously dude - bad move...)

The Commish and fellow maniacs are already looking forward to 2009 - we hope to have you back again. Except Chandler.

By the way click on some ads so I can send my brother-in-law (who is really one of my favorite humans on the planet -for those who didn't get the sarcasm... I like my wife too... and the Special Olympics... relax folks....) his second trophy. He earned it. Argh.

One Shining Moment

Ok, maybe a bit cheesy, but don't tell me you don't get a little misty...

Walking in Memphis

Oh What Could Have Been...

The celebration flowed like sweet jazz until the early morning on Beale Street. The "dream team" had done what no other Memphis squad ever could. Bring a title home to the city.

John Calipari had claimed from the outset that foul foul-shooting would not deter his squad from reaching college basketball's loftiest perch. "They'll make 'em when they need to." he said over and over. Monday night they did just (barely) that. Despite a few late missed attempts the Tigers made enough of them early and often, including 4 straight by All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts with several minutes to go in the contest.

The real turning point in the game was when Kansas coach Bill Self elected to go to a box-and-1 defense on Douglass-Roberts. This was all the opening Freshman sensation Derrick Rose needed to assert himself and take over the game. Rose, the Final Four MOP said, "I took the challange. They decided to focus on CDR, and I knew my team needed me to make something happen."

Make something happen he did, scoring a quick seven points and changing the tenor of the game back to Memphis's style. The Jayhawks never recovered.

Bill Self, arguably now the front-runner for title of Best Coach to Never Win A Championship (along with UCLA's Ben Howland) was classy, yet despondant after the game. When asked if the Oklahoma State rumors had any impact on his team, he replied flatly, "None. None at all. My focus was on MY team, and on finding a way to beat Memphis. They just executed and made a few more plays. It was their night."

Perhaps the most important execution of the night came on the final play when Calipari elected to have Douglass-Roberts foul Mario Chalmers with 3.2 seconds remaining. The Tigers, clinging to a three point lead wanted to prevent Kansas from attempting a game-tying three point shot. Chalmers calmly sank the first free throw, and intentionally missed the second. Dozier corralled the hard rebound and fired the outlet pass to Rose who threw the ball jubilantly towards the rafters. With that toss, Memphis capped off a dominant tournament run in which they beat Michigan State, Texas, UCLA and Kansas with the school's first national championship.

The sweet sounds of victory flowed from campus to dowtown, a title in Memphis, the Tigers, walking with their feet ten feet off of Beale...

All-Final Four Team

The best thing about it - in six hours SOMEONE not on the list will prove they should have been.

PG - Derrick Rose - a real tough call, as Collinson and Lawson are both fantastic, but to me Derrick Rose presents a match up problem unlike any other in the Final Four. His blend of strength and quickness makes him a mismatch on any of the smaller PG's left in the tourney.
SG - Russel Westbrook - another tough choice, picking him over Chalmers of KU and Douglass-Roberts. Westbrook's ability to dictate the game from a defensive standpoint will be key to slowing the Tigers fantastic backcourt.
SF - Brandon Rush - Kansas's fate swings on whether or not Rush is able to show up on the big stage. He has been here and there in the NCAA tournament. He needs to be ALL there for KU to hang with the Tar heel's explosive offensive attack.

PF - Tyler Hansbrough - Is there any doubt? Yes, Kevin Love has been fantastic (you can cheat and call him a center if you want...) but Tyler Hansbrough has been consistently dominant. Those who question his athleticism, check out the put back dunk against Louisville in the closing minutes.
C - Sasha Kaun - The underrated big man provides a David Padgett-like stabilizing effect on the Jayhawks. His ability to stay on the floor and out of foul trouble is vital for the Jayhawks to beat UNC.

Coach - Roy Williams - All three are fantastic coaches, but only Williams can rely back on the experience of cutting down the nets. Howland will get his third consecutive crack at it, and Calipari heads to the Final Four for the first time without Marcus Camby on the payroll. Bill Self will be playing with house money, having the BCTNFF monkey off his back.