Colin Kaepernick playing for San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on September 9, 2012. Photo by Mike Morbeck (courtesy of wiki commons). If you do not follow either football or politics, then you might not know who Colin Kaepernick is. He is a former NFL quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers who now cannot get a job in football. The reason? He knelt for the national anthem to draw attention to the unfair treatment of African-American people across the country. Boom. He lost his job. NFL teams say that he is not good enough, but he is clearly better than other quarterbacks standing in for their injured leaders. Who would you rather have on your team: Tom Savage (Houston Texans) or Colin Kaepernick? When DeShaun Watson tore his ACL, who started the next game for the Texans? Tom Savage! Let’s give some credit to Tom Savage, though. He has a pretty cool name. When Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone, who did the Packers send in to replace him? Brett Hundley. And on Brett Hundley’s first throw, he threw it and it landed softly in Xavier Rhodes’ hands! Unfortunately for him, though, Xavier Rhodes is on the Vikings. Better luck next time, Brett. No team–not the Packers, not the Texans–has tried to sign Colin Kaepernick. No NFL player, coach, owner, or executive can honestly say that Tom Savage or Brett Hundley is more talented than Colin Kaepernick. Colin Kaepernick is 30, while Tom Savage is 27 and Brett Hundley is 24. Tom Savage and Colin Kaepernick don’t have a very significant age difference. You could try to make the case that Hundley is a promising prospect, but in my opinion nothing is very promising about him. When a reporter asked the Packers’ coach Mike McCarthy about replacing Brett Hundley with Colin Kaepernick, Mike McCarthy was not very happy. “Did you just listen to that question I just answered? I got three years invested in Brett Hundley. Two years invested in Joe Callahan. The quarterback room is exactly where it needs to be. OK? We’re fortunate to have a great quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. We’re committed to the path that we’re on. We need to play better as a football team.” Source: ESPN. Today, so many players have kneeled or protested. A few weeks ago, some teams did not even come out of the tunnel during the national anthem. Michael Bennett, the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive end even sat for the national anthem. The entire Green Bay Packers team locked arms for the national anthem. Why has nobody dropped those players? Colin Kaepernick has recently filed a lawsuit against the NFL based on what happened to him. Isn’t is wrong to lose your job just because you peacefully protested your rights?
Designing the top 5 NBA Franchises
NBA Basketball Key (image courtesy Wikimedia) These are the best 5 NBA franchises of all time, in my opinion. I include the team’s best point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, center, and 6th best player. I also calculate chemistry. For example, Steph Curry, Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant, Charles Barkley, and Shaq would not be the best team ever, even though they are some of the best players ever. There is only one ball, so five of the best scorers who just aren’t great passers would not work. 5. Golden State Warriors PG: Steph Curry SG: Klay Thompson SF: Kevin Durant PF: Draymond Green C: Wilt Chamberlain Sub: Tim Hardaway It’s surprising to see Draymond Green as the Warriors best power forward. You’re probably thinking, “there had to be someone better, right?” I know some old Warriors power forwards who weren’t as good as Draymond Green, but I can’t think of any who were better. The reason the Warriors are not 3rd or 4th best is only that they have too many pure scorers. 4. Chicago Bulls PG: Derick Rose SG: Michael Jordan SF: Scottie Pippen PF: Dennis Rodman C: Artis Gilmore Sub: Jimmy Butler For this to work, it would have to be the MVP, uninjured Derick Rose. Artis Gilmore is a Hall of Famer, along with Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and of course, the G.O.A.T. [Greatest of All Time], Michael Jordan. Jimmy Butler is a rising All-Star for the Timberwolves, but I still count him as a Bull. 3. San Antonio Spurs PG: Tony Parker SG: George Gervin SF: Kahwi Leonard PF: Tim Duncan C: David Robinson Sub: LaMarcus Aldridge This is the opposite of a selfish team. If you watch the Spurs play, you can see their ball and player movement, and also their unselfishness. Adding “The Iceman” and ‘The Admiral” would be safe because neither one of them were selfish players. 2. Los Angeles Lakers PG: Magic Johnson SG: Kobe Bryant SF: Elgin Baylor PF: Kareem Abdul Jabbar C: Shaquille O’Neal Sub: Jerry West The hardest thing about this was positioning Kareem and Shaq. They are both almost the definition of center. Kareem is a bit more athletic than Shaq, so I put him at power forward. Hopefully Magic Johnson will make up for Kobe’s selfishness. Having Mr. Clutch (Jerry West) definitely helps. 1. Boston Celtics PG: Kyrie Irving SG: Paul Peirce SF: Larry Bird PF: Kevin McHale C: Bill Russell Sub: Bob Cousy What???!! Kyrie Irving? He hasn’t even played ten games for the Celtics! But, he has the most points of any Celtic for his first five games. It’s hard to argue that they are not the best team though. Which other team has 17 championships? This is like combining all of the NBA’s eras. First, the earliest era (Bob Cousy). Then, the Bill Russell era. Then, the Bird/Johnson era. Then, the beginning of the modern era (Paul Peirce). Then, the Future era (Kyrie Irving).
Trade Options for Kyrie Irving
The Cavaliers have engaged in many trade talks for their star point guard Kyrie Irving. Irving has expressed much anxiety to get away from Cleveland, whether or not it has anything to do with LeBron James. There have been many incidents involving bad chemistry between the two. For example, Irving is upset that James leaked the fact that Irving wanted a trade, while James is reported to have said (though he denies) that he was tempted to “Beat Kyrie’s @##.” This may have been building for many years. When James left Cleveland to “take his talents to South Beach [Miami],” Irving was soon to be drafted. (Irving was drafted in 2011; James betrayed his team in 2010.) Though Irving wasn’t on the Cavs when James left, he may have disapproved of the decision. The Cavs have officially attempted to acquire Eric Bledsoe and Josh Jackson from Phoenix in exchange for Irving. Phoenix declined but it seems likely that Irving will not be long for Cleveland. This brings us to the New York Knicks. The Knicks have been a major factor in the Irving trade talks. Arguably their second best player, Carmelo Anthony (Kristaps Porzingis may be their first best), wants a trade. The Knicks might hold off for now, because Irving may be interested in joining them. The Knicks are unwilling to trade Porzingis for Irving trade, however, because Porzingis is a complete player, and still young. The Houston Rockets were a possible destination for Irving before they acquired Chris Paul, also a point guard, from the Clippers. If Irving were traded to the San Antonio Spurs, they would be a powerhouse team, with an Irving/Leonard/Aldridge trio. With Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Chris Paul, and Danilo Gallinari all headed out of their respective cities, the NBA off-season has been wildly chaotic. As a loyal Bulls fan, I was torn up when Jimmy Butler got traded, and I still think of the Clippers as a Chris Paul/Blake Griffin/DeAndre Jordan team, but I accept that this will be a new chapter in the NBA.
