Bishop Media Sports Network
Coming Soon To Atlanta
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL draft is this week. I’m excited to see what my favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons do with their picks. I’m going to try to see who they should select in the first round.
There are several needs for the Falcons. The offense was very good with Matt Ryan finishing the season third in passing yards. Julio Jones was first in receiving yards. The offensive line had trouble protecting the 150 million dollar man, though.
Ryan was sacked 42 times this past season, the eighth most in the NFL and the second most in a single season during his career. The quarterback was hit 113 times in all, the third most in the league, tied with Tampa Bay, and ranking ahead of just San Francisco (124) and Houston (136). The Saints allowed the fewest quarterback hits (53).
Ryan was hit 32 times in the month of November alone, an NFL high in that span.
Running back is also an issue because Tevin Coleman left for San Francisco as a free agent. Devonta Freeman was injured and only played in two games in 2018.
The defense has the most glaring needs and I expect that to be addressed with the early picks. Safeties Keanu Neal and Deion Jones were injured for the season and that played a factor in why the defense struggled.
Atlanta cut ties with Robert Alford and let slot corner Brian Poole leave in free agency. That means corner back is also a big need. They need help at every level on defense but defensive line might be the most pressing need.
The Falcons earned two compensatory picks after the NFL determined that the four players lost by the Falcons — defensive end Adrian Clayborn, wide receiver Taylor Gabriel, defensive tackle Dontari Poe, and specialist Andre Roberts — were of greater value than the two free agents the team gained, right guard Brandon Fusco and tight end Logan Paulsen.
That’s good news because they have nine picks. The first is No. 14 and they should draft someone like Ed Oliver if he’s available. They may need to trade up into the top 10 to make that happen. Oliver is 6’2, 7/8 and 287 pounds. He isn’t considered tall for an interior lineman but I don’t think that matters.
Aaron Donald is the best defensive tackle in the league and he’s only 6’1.
Right tackle Jawaan Taylor (Florida) is someone that might be a good fit. He’s 6’5, 328 lbs. so he has very good size. In 2018 he was named Second Team All-SEC and he started in 12 of the 13 games at right tackle.
Montez Sweat (Mississippi State) is a great edge rusher. Last season he had 50 tackles, 24 solo, 8.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble. In 2017, he had 10.5 sacks. Sweat is 6’6 and 245 pounds, which is prototypical size.
Brian Burns (Florida State) is also a great edge rusher that might still be an option if Atlanta doesn’t trade up. Burns had 31 solo tackles, 10 sacks and 3 forced fumbles this past season. He also fits the mold of what a dominant pass rusher looks like, standing at 6’5, 235 pounds.
We cannot say for sure who is going to be picked until draft night but I’m really looking forward to see who is picked. I think the first pick has to be a defensive lineman.
Save The Dates
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s all about the presentation.
In the past, when a recruit signed with a school, or a player announced he or she was turning pro, at the most they would hold a conference at their respective school to mark the occasion.
Now, it’s all about the theatrics; Instagram posts, professionally done videos, etc.
That same hype has trickled down now to the release of the NFL Schedule.
Instead of quietly releasing the upcoming season schedule, it’s all about the creativity from each team’s marketing and social media departments. I know I might come across like a millennial version of Archie Bunker, yelling at those “darn kids”, but I actually love it.
And thankfully for those of us in this area, both Atlanta and Carolina were the two videos battling it out for the top spot.
If you’re grading on the overall creativity and consistency of the video I think you have to go with the Panthers. Their idea to present the matchups as if they were competing in an actual video game was nothing short of brilliant.
As someone who spent the better part of the ‘90s navigating through his teenage years, I appreciated their nods to games like Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, and Goldeneye. The only thing that could’ve improved their overall presentation was somehow slipping in a score of 28-3 for either of their matchups against Atlanta.
Now, since I am a big Game of Thrones fan, and even though it has become a popular trend of late, I can give the Falcons props for their homage to one of the most popular shows of my generation.
While you can debate the originality of the idea, the video did provide possibly the best five seconds put on film this year. There is certainly no love lost between Carolina and Atlanta, but the one thing both fan bases can agree upon is their complete disdain for anything associate with the New Orleans Saints.
So, when the Falcons video included a ram knocking over a Saints player, followed by a ref running up to the knocked player and waving off any infraction I almost gave them a standing ovation, in my living room. That’s pettiness at its finest, and I’m all in.
There will be numerous touchdown celebrations, quarterback sack dances, and taunts throughout the season, but I don’t know if any of them will be as brutal as that takedown the Falcons just performed on the Saints.
I do think there was some room for improvement though. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like they missed a golden opportunity by not including a “Jameis Winston running out of Publix” set piece.
I admit I haven’t actively searched out New Orleans or Tampa Bay’s schedule release video, but I doubt it compares at all to these two.
Oh, and as for the actual schedule itself, would it really matter all much if not for these videos? I mean, most of the games are already predetermined and no matter how difficult or easy we perceive a schedule to be, it all changes once the season begins anyway.
One thing the NFL does better than any other league- the NBA isn’t too far behind- is they’ve turned their season into a year around event.
The release of their schedule is just one more thing we as fans now have to look forward to. I know I sound like Meathead, but I almost don’t care how my team does this season; it’s all about the announcement video now.
Fire Fighter
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There is such a thing as beating a dead horse – so head’s up: I am about to do it.
I am about to talk about relief pitching, and it will not be a positive column. You have been warned.
The Arizona Diamondbacks swept the Atlanta Braves, finishing up yet another series in which the Braves proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they desperately need help in their bullpen.
Reliever AJ Minter took a loss in the series, spoiling a great start by rookie, Max Fried. Both Minter and Chad Sobotka gave up 3 earned runs a piece in the loss.
That dumpster fire was followed up by an extra innings loss after Jesse Biddle couldn’t hold the tie game in the 10th inning.
Then Mike Soroka took a loss even though the young hurler gave up one run on six strikeouts and a walk in five innings, but Sobotka gave up another three (two earned) to let the game get away from the Braves.
I’m not sure this can be considered a silver lining, but in the first game of the doubleheader against the Indians, it was Julio Teheran who gave up the most runs in the Braves’ fourth straight loss (Wes Parsons did give up three as well; that bullpen will not be outdone!).
So back to that dead horse. Even though we haven’t brought him up in the SSE for a while: let’s talk about Craig Kimbrel.
Kimbrel is still sitting at home with a week and a half left until May. From what I’ve read, there’s an increasing chance that Kimbrel’s asking price has dropped from the reported six-year, $100 million-or-so to possibly even a much more palatable three-year contract.
Interesting note, Kimbrel’s agent is the same guy who represents Ozzie Albies, which is bonkers when you think about it: one guy is sitting at home because he’s asking for too much, the other guy took roughly 1/10th of his value for the next decade.
But let’s throw money out of the equation for now and pretend that the Braves and Kimbrel could reach a deal that would satisfy both the flame-throwing righty as well as Liberty Media.
Would Kimbrel really be the savior of the season if the Braves actually inked him to a return deal? Well, no. Despite being one of the greatest closers of all time even this early into his career, he’s still just one guy.
He can replace Arodys Vizcaino at the back end of the bullpen (Vizcaino, possibly the most reliable piece on the relief staff, is out for the season), but he can’t set up for himself, or do damage control for three innings in the middle of a game. He’s a great pitcher, but he’s not five great pitchers.
The starting rotation, which has been very good, isn’t going to provide eight innings every night, either.
Unfortunately, that’s the only situation in which signing Craig Kimbrel solves all of the Braves’ problems. That being said, it also would be a good start. The best bullpens are built from the 9th inning on down, and a reunion with Kimbrel would certainly be a step in the right direction.
Lights, Camera, Action
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
At some point there will be a major motion picture about Tiger Woods.
All the plot points are there- a child prodigy with an overbearing father who becomes one of the most, if not the most, famous athlete in world; an earth-shattering fall from grace due to injuries (both emotional and physical, many self-inflicted), followed by a miraculous return back to the top of his profession.
It’s going to happen, it’s just a question as to who will inevitably garner an Oscar nomination for playing the role.
Whether you root for Tiger or against him- and the lists on both sides are long and justified- when you consider what has transpired over the past 10-15 years it’s hard to argue there has been a more impressive feat in sports history than him winning the Masters. And if there is, it has to be a pretty short list, right?
The fact his first major championship victory took place in Augusta, at arguably the most renowned golf course in the country, just makes the whole event that much more delectable.
I’m sure he would’ve taken a win at any of the four majors, but there’s something about him accomplishing it at the Masters that makes it that much more satisfying.
Over the last few years, whenever Tiger has produced rounds that flashed glimpses of his old self, we’ve been bombarded with “Tiger’s back” articles and talking points.
With this win I imagine those will only increase over the following weeks. If he is truly back and winds up winning a few more tournaments over the course of the season, I’ll be interested to see how he is embraced.
To me, one of the best parts to come out of all this, and something I believe is being overlooked, is that there is a completely new generation of golf fans who were able to witness it.
How many times growing up did you see an athlete towards the end of his or her career and wish you could have seen them in their prime? I’m not saying Tiger is in his prime, but what he pulled off would be comparable to Michael Jordan leading the Wizards to NBA championship during his return.
Like Nicklaus in ‘86, this will become a “Where were you?” moment.
I am currently on the cusp of turning 39. I eat healthy, workout three to four times and week, and all things considered am in very good shape for someone my age. My knees also routinely pop when I stand up, I wake up multiple times during the night, and seem to have acquired a love/hate relationship with dairy.
I mention this because not only is winning the Masters an impressive achievement, but to be the second oldest ever to do it at 43 makes it all the more incredible.
There’s a line in “The Dark Knight” when Harvey Dent (Two Face) says “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Now I’m not sure Tiger Woods has ever been close to dying as the hero, but he sure knows what it’s like to go from hero to villain….and now possibly back to hero.
I have no idea if Tiger’s Masters win is the beginning of his redemption story, or merely the closing highlight at the end of a remarkable career. Either way, it’s a story made for Hollywood and we’re all lucky to have been able to witness it.
Pouncing Tiger
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When Tiger Woods won the 2005 Masters tournament, it was hard to imagine there would ever be a time when he wasn’t in contention at Augusta.
That win was Wood’s ninth major victory and began a stretch of four victories in a stretch of eight majors contested.
But, for the past decade, it was easy to wonder if he’d ever be in contention again as personal and physical problems kept Woods off the course far too often and rendered him ineffective in most majors where he was able to participate.
Everything came full-circle on Sunday afternoon at Augusta National.
Woods trailed for the first 12 holes, but as the top of the leaderboard swelled and the drama heightened, Woods – as he has done so many times before – was the only one who could stare down the pressure.
Tiger was the only player in the final group to avoid the infamous waters of Rae’s Creek on No. 12. He made birdies on each of the par 5s on the second nine, the second of which gave him the outright lead for the first time in the tournament.
And then, with several players still in contention and attempting a late charge, Tiger flipped the switch on his own personal time machine, briefly turning into the nearly unstoppable force from years ago. Woods’ tee shot on No. 16 judged the large slope in the green perfectly and nearly grazed the hole to set up an easy birdie and a two-stroke lead.
On No. 17, commentators speculated about Woods’ choice to hit driver instead of a safer tee shot with a 3-wood, but the second-guessing had barely gone out over the airwaves before Tiger unleashed one of his biggest drives of the day and stalked it down the fairway, wearing a stoic and determined gaze the whole way.
Up at the 18th green, thousands of patrons had heard cheers from farther down the course and they turned their eyes to the scoreboard. With no one able to birdie No. 18 to put the pressure on Woods, the updated scoreboard showing a two-stroke lead unleashed a roar that was the loudest of the week, the volume and emotion of it capable of being produced only by Tiger Woods.
There was still some work to do and Woods made bogey on No. 18, but the tournament was all but sealed when he chipped safely onto the green and just barely missed a par putt before tapping in for his fifth green jacket and 15th major championship.
Speaking in an interview less than an hour after clinching his win, Woods said it still hadn’t sunk in. But for the thousands surrounding the 18th green and likely millions more watching on television and reacting on social media, the gravity of the moment was immediate and cathartic.
Press members who have covered Woods throughout his career were hopeful for him throughout the week and were openly cheering his clutch shots down the final stretch. Fellow golfers – both young and old – stuck around the 18th green to bear personal witness to Woods’ return to the top.
And then there was Woods’ family.
Tiger and his father famously embraced after his first Masters victory in 1997. Woods also had one of his most public showings of emotion in 2006 after the death of his father when he discussed not having him there at the end of his Open Championship victory.
The full scope of the major drought came when a new family member made an appearance behind the 18th green. Woods’ son, Charlie, raced into Tiger’s arms for a celebratory hug. Charlie was born in 2009, eight months after Tiger’s 2008 U.S. Open victory – his final major win until Sunday.
“I’m so happy that my kids could be here to see me win and to celebrate,” Woods said. “For a few years (while battling health issues), all they saw was that golf caused me pain. Today, they get to see how happy I am to play this game that I love.”
March Madness Roller Coaster
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2019 Men’s NCAA Tournament is one of the most surprising in as long as I can remember.
Duke looked like a lock to win it all when the season began. After Zion Williamson was injured in February, the team struggled. Once he returned for the ACC Tournament, the Blue Devils were back on track.
Other than the first round, Duke struggled in the tournament. They barely beat UCF and Virginia Tech. Then they lost to Michigan State in the Elite 8.
North Carolina is another No. 1 seed from the ACC that was expected to reach the Final 4. They only advanced to the Sweet 16 and lost 97-80 to Auburn.
The Tigers were the lowest seed (No. 5) to reach the Final 4. They are known as a football school that typically has a poor basketball team. They beat a few blue blood programs in the tournament like Kansas, UNC and Kentucky.
No. 3 seed Texas Tech had a great season. They won the Big 12 regular season title. Kansas had a streak of 14 consecutive Big 12 titles that the Red Raiders snapped. Texas Tech ranked third nationally in scoring defense, only allowing an average of 58.8 points per game.
They beat a very good No. 2 Michigan State in the Final 4 to advance to the national championship game. Virginia had also never won a national title before. It was the first title game where both teams had not won before since 1979.
Virginia has to be the most resilient team I have ever seen. Last season they were the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16 — the one thing that had never happened in a tournament where anything can. They did not just lose; they were blown out by 20 points against University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). That was an embarrassing loss that the Cavaliers tried to overcome all season.
Going into the tournament, I did not have any faith at all in Virginia because of that. It looked like they were going to do the same thing this year. In the first round against No. 16 Gardner-Webb, they were down by 14 points in the first half. The Cavs cut the deficit to 6 points at halftime.
It looked like history was going to repeat itself. UVA did not panic and they came out in the second half and outscored the Runnin’ Bulldogs 41-20. They are led by their defense which was the best in college basketball, only allowing 55.5 ppg.
The road to the championship was difficult. They beat No.3 Purdue in the Elite 8 in overtime 80-75. They beat Auburn in the Final 4 63-62.
Sophomore guard De’Andre Hunter helped lead them this season. He averages 15 ppg, 5 rpg and he shoots 52% from the field. In the championship game, he scored 27 points and had 9 rebounds. The Cavaliers won in overtime 85-77.
“Surreal,” Hunter called it. “It’s a goal we started out with at the beginning of the season. We knew we were going to bounce back from last year. We achieved our dreams.”
They went from the lowest point last season to the pinnacle one year later.
“I told them, I just want a chance at a title fight one day,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “That’s all I want. … You’re never alone in the hills and the valleys we faced in the last year.”
This might have been the best season of college basketball in history with all of the upsets and storylines.
Terror Town
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Let me start off by making this statement. Glynn Academy football has never been better than it is currently.
The program is riding high and is the elite football program in Region 2-AAAAAA. Why is it elite? Here is your answer Rocky Hidalgo.
Since Coach Rock arrived in 2014, Glynn has won 49 football games in five seasons. That averages out to almost 10 wins per season.
When you want to establish a program you have to make a statement in your community and the easiest way to make a statement is to beat your number one rival.
Prior to Hidalgo’s arrival at Glynn the Red Terrors had lost six of its last seven games to Brunswick High School and the Pirates had controlled the City Championship series for two decades. Hidalgo is 5-0 against Glynn Academy’s number one rival, and Glynn firmly controls the series.
Prior to 2014, Glynn Academy had not won a region football championship since 1972. In 2015, Hidalgo led the Red Terrors to the region title. The first in 43 years and a berth in the State Championship game. That had not happened in Glynn County since 1999 when BHS advanced to the title game.
Hidalgo has led Glynn Academy to 4 straight region championships. That is an amazing accomplishment and Glynn will be the favorite in 2019 to capture a fifth straight region title.
Coach Rock has turned Glynn into a state brand since 2014. In that timeframe the Red Terrors have won 12 state playoff games and made it into the third round in four of his five seasons.
Translation is Hidalgo has made Glynn very well respected around the state of Georgia, which is very hard when the power structure and population center is based in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
What is the recipe for Hidalgo’s success at Glynn?
- The man can motivate kids. He makes kids believe in him and his system by being consistent but demanding. The Glynn kids know he will go to bat for them and they respond and give him their best effort.
- Hidalgo can develop talent. He gets every ounce of talent out of his program, and his teams put the word team first and it shows on Friday nights.
- The man can find and develop coaches. Glynn has the best coaching staff around because Hidalgo can locate them and he lets them coach. Kind of like a CEO approach.
The great football coaches today have to be able to delegate and hold their assistants accountable and none in these parts are better at that than Hidalgo.
When you are very successful bigger programs come calling. To ensure against that systems have to be set up to keep Glynn County coaches in the county.
The County of Glynn needs to get on a level playing field when it comes to coaches supplements. Did you know that AAA program Pierce County and AAAAA Ware County have a higher football head coach supplement than both AAAAAA high schools in Glynn County? That is disgraceful.
We have great head coaches in Glynn County and we need to have incentives in place to keep them in place.
Back to Coach Hidalgo the big dogs are knocking on his door and I would hate to see him leave one day.
It’s time to lock down the greatest head football coach in Glynn Academy history, and a man who is a valuable asset to our community.
He has put Glynn Academy in the spotlight in the State of Georgia, not only because he wins football games, but more importantly because he develops young men.
Acuna Money-tata
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
If we’ve learned anything from the 11th hour contract signings of Manny Machado and Bryce Harper and the fact that Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel are spending time with their families nearly a week into the new season, it’s that free agency is not the sure-fire promised land it once appeared to be.
In fact, players all across Major League Baseball seemed to have realized that in the past few weeks.
The Harper and Machado deals were followed by a slew of contract extensions, pushing back free agency for the likes of Alex Bregman, Jacob DeGrom, Blake Snell, Paul Goldschmidt, Xander Bogaerts, Justin Verlander and of course Mike Trout.
These are all players who would make a killing on the open market, with teams fighting over them to the tune of escalating contract offers, or at least that would have been the case a few years ago.
The cold stove of 2018-2019 seems to have put ballplayers off of free agency altogether, opting to agree to terms with their current teams instead.
For Braves fans, that trend reached its glorious zenith on Tuesday, as Atlanta inked Ronald Acuna, Jr. to an eight-year, $100 million-dollar extension, with team options for years 9 and 10.
The details of the contract, briefly, are this: it starts this year, when Acuna will earn $1 million, then bumps up to $5 million in 2021 before a nice raise to $15 million in 2022 and settling in at $17 million from 2023 to 2026. The team options are worth $17 million for 2027 and 2028 with a $10 million buyout before the ’27 season.
For a young kid who’s got only one year in the majors under his belt (a Rookie of the Year, mind you), that’s a lot of scratch. On the other hand, based on this kid’s potential ceiling, it might end up being a steal for the Braves.
I was reading MLB end-of-year award predictions last week, and one of them put their money on Acuna to win the National League MVP in his second season. His prediction didn’t begin with “now this seems crazy.” That’s because it’s not crazy. What Acuna showed in 111 games in 2018 is that he can be an elite player at the big-league level.
For the sake of comparison, here’s what some former MVPs are going to be making in 2019:
Mike Trout – $36 million
Clayton Kershaw – $31 million
Bryce Harper – $30 million
Miguel Cabrera – $30 million
Justin Verlander – $28 million
Albert Pujols – $28 million
Giancarlo Stanton – $28 million
Let’s also not overlook the fact that Acuna’s teammate Josh Donaldson, who is 33 and coming off an injury-plagued 2018, is making $23 million this season.
Now I have no idea if Acuna will win the NL MVP this year, but if he does, he’ll be making nearly $30 million less than the average of the eight guys I just mentioned.
If he wins an MVP award at any point during the next eight seasons, he’ll be making at most $13 million less than that average.
So, at best the Braves are getting a bargain on Acuna’s potential production. As much as baseball players get paid, this deal is a good one even if Acuna’s rookie campaign turns out to be his ceiling.
A good defensive outfielder who hits around .300 with 25+ dingers and a handful of stolen bases to boot is worth $17 million easy.
Andrew McCutchen (another former MVP) is making $17 million with the Phillies this year and he’s beyond the days where he can put up those kinds of numbers.
And let’s face it: Acuna has not come close to hitting his ceiling. Good deal.
Folded
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s been more than 30 years, and some people still haven’t learned their lesson.
For the better part of the last half century, football has been the most popular sport in America.
The Super Bowl has supplanted the World Series as the pinnacle of the sports-watching season and the last decade or two has seen college football rise to second place behind the NFL in terms of attention paid to any specific sports season.
But that still doesn’t mean that there’s room for more football.
The Alliance of American Football kicked off its inaugural season just a week after the Patriots defeated the Rams in the Super Bowl. The upstart league drew some ratings and attention in early weeks from folks who weren’t quite ready to settle into a winter of basketball, hockey and early-season golf.
The AAF assumed to fly high where other leagues, such as the USFL and the XFL had failed previously.
As it turns out, the AAF wasn’t even as successful as those previous failures.
Just eight weeks into its’ 10-week season, the AAF has shut down all football operations. The league didn’t even make it two weeks in before a desperate infusion of additional cash was needed to cover paychecks and even that couldn’t float the league through its first regular season.
There’s no shame to be had by the players and franchises of the AAF. A few hundred football players were out there doing their best to maybe catch the eye of a scout who could get them to the next level. Good for them for chasing their dreams.
But as for the executives and corporate-types who continue to hatch these ‘professional’ football leagues, it’s really time to take a step back.
The immediate failure of the AAF – and what can be assumed to be an uphill battle for the reiteration of the XFL next season – has served home the fact that there is a saturation point for even the most beloved sport in the country.
Fans go nuts over their favorite NFL team, but maybe that’s because they only have to make a 5-6 month investment.
College fan bases show up by the hundreds of thousands to tailgate and cheer and travel to far-reaching bowl game destinations, but that’s still just a few months of commitment.
The AAF – like other leagues before it – has crapped out on the same faulty line of thinking. The fact that America loves football doesn’t mean it has the ability to tolerate sub-par versions of the game through an entire calendar year.
A sea of players that plunged head-first into a new league shows that there is an ample supply of talent that is willing to keep toiling away in hopes of making it to the NFL someday. Unfortunately, the AAF was never the place for those players.
There may well be a league or program that can serve as a stepping stone for players to move from college into the pros, or that can provide a chance for former pros to get back into
the game. But the AAF was just another league that served the front offices and league owners far more than the players.
Just like the failed leagues before it, the AAF promised ‘FOOTBALL’ and not much else.
And unfortunately for the AAF, football fans have remained consistent in believing that there can be too much of a good thing.
Worst Of The worst
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NBA regular season is almost over. We know who the top contenders are and also the struggling teams. This makes me wonder what is the worst division in the league?
It looks like the Southeast division is by far the weakest. The best team, the Miami Heat are only 38-38. Every other division leader has at least 50 wins.
Miami currently holds the eighth seed in the playoffs. Orlando (38-39) is ninth and Charlotte (35-41) is tenth.
The other two teams in the division, Washington (32-46) and Atlanta (28-49) are terrible.
One of the reasons the division is so bad is because it lacks talent. Only four players made the 2019 All-Star Game and only one was a starter. They were Kemba Walker (24.9 PPG, 5.6 APG), Nikola Vucevic (20.4 PPG, 10.6 RPG), Bradley Beal (25.1 PPG, 5.4 APG) and Dwyane Wade (14 PPG). Being honest, Wade was voted in out of sympathy because it is his last season.
Walker has made three All-Star appearances. John Wall is also an elite player that has made five All-Star teams but he was injured in December (ruptured Achilles) and he is out the rest of the year.
Historically, these teams are some of the worst in the NBA. The Miami Heat are the most successful with three championships. All of them came this century. The only other franchises that have championships are the Washington Bullets (1978) and St. Louis Hawks (1958).
The Orlando Magic have reached the Finals twice. Charlotte has never made a Finals appearance. Another possible reason for the lack of success might be due to having several smaller markets.
Fans in the South may have better days ahead due to the young talent available. Rookie Trae Young got off to a slow start when the season began. The Hawks drafted Luka Doncic and traded him on draft night for Young.
I still feel that Doncic is the better player but Atlanta also gained an additional first round pick this year because of that trade. I think that could turn out to be a great move in the long run.
Young has averaged 25.8 PPG, 9.0 APG and 4.4 RPG since the All-Star break and became only the eighth rookie in league history to log at least 35 points and 11 assists in a game during the Hawks’ 133–111 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 20-year-olds claim to the rookie class’ highest honor has since gained traction, with Donovan Mitchell, Kyle Kuzma and Blake Griffin all declaring Young the victor after he dropped 32 points, 11 assists and a game-winner on the Philadelphia 76ers.
The current projected draft order will have Atlanta picking fifth and sixth overall.
Washington should have the seventh pick. Charlotte (12th), Miami (13th) and Orlando (15th) all have high draft picks. They all have the opportunity to acquire great players that can change the hopes of the franchise.
I cannot picture any of these teams being contenders next season but they can improve. I think we will see multiple teams from the Southeast make the playoffs in 2020.
