OTT is Back!

Look the election is over and I am back in sports mode, sorry for the absence but I was so locked into the Presidential Election I actually took a break from sports, but those days are over so let me get you caught up…

The Lakers fired Mike Brown, passed on Phil Jackson and went in an absolutely different direction and hired Mike D’Antoni. In my opinion, the more I think about it, I love it. It’s an incredibly hard offense to guard and will use Nash, Gasol and Dwight Howard in the Pick and Roll while MWP and Kobe can hang out in at the 3 point line to catch and shoot.  A lot has been said about the lack of Defense D’Antoni coaches but the truth the matter is simple, He has never had guys that could play defense like MWP, Howard or Kobe.  Where do I see the Lakers ending up? That’s simple in the Finals against the Knicks or the Heat.

The Thunder traded James Harden and proved to me that small markets kill themselves. Why on earth do you let a guy like him go? That trade will come back to bite them in the ass later on in the season. They had so much attitude and were so close to making the West all theirs. Now they are going to be just another team the Lakers beat. The juggernaut they were so close to being ended with that trade.

The Knicks are steamrolling everybody right now; it might not last when Amare comes back so I would look at finding a way to trade him and his insane contract. The problem is who is going to want to take on that deal? Only a few organizations can take on his contract or the Knicks could Amnesty him, either way they need to find way to move him. This is Melo’s team and they play to his strengths when Amare is out of the picture.

The Heat are still the Heat, I think they will continue to do well, but their lack of size in the paint will cost them this year, Teams are finally seeing what I’ve seen all along, you need to grow some yams and take the charges from Lebron and make him think twice about driving to the basket. He is an amazing athlete, but I still say he is not the best in the NBA, that still goes to Kobe.

Let’s shift gears to the NFL, this season is almost over and we have not learned anything new, the Browns, the Chiefs, the Jags, and the Panthers are still horrible. The Falcons are a mirage; they will not be the rock steady team that have been in the regular season when the post season picks ups. The biggest surprises to me are that the Browns have stuck with Pat Shurmur; the Cowboys have stuck with Jason Garrett and the Lions are in last place in the NFC North.

The Browns will keep Shurmur through the season, it’s another “Wait till Next Year” type season for them and they can start putting feelers out now for a head coach. Whoever it turns out to be I hope he understands the City, the State and the legions of Browns backers around the World are long overdue for a team to be proud of.

DALLAS COWBOYS

The Cowboys keeping Jason Garrett and Tony Romo has turned into a joke for me. I am tired of people saying Romo is an elite QB, the only thing he is elite at is losing when it really matters. Garrett is in over his head, he led the coup on Wade Phillips and wasn’t able to capitalize on it. A team with tons of Talent is still only as good as the Head Coach, (Look at the Browns and the 49ers). If Garrett lasts the season he will not last the long in the off season.

The Lions are so much better than their record shows, but they are playing like they have nothing to prove, they are playing like they don’t care if they win or lose and again that falls on the coach.

Urban Meyer (photo by USPresswire/Greg Bartram)

College football time, the season doesn’t hold much interest to me since the best team can’t make it into the Bowl Series this year, but just a word of warning, THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES will win the National Championship next season. This year though, I thought the USC Trojans would have been a lock for the Championship, bad coaching strikes again. Lane Kiffin is a turd, really his is. The best thing for the Trojans in the long run is to fire him at seasons end and go after somebody that has nothing to do with the Pete Carroll era. It’s time to move on and stop the illegal practices taught by Pete.

I think when it’s all said and done, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame win the big

Brian Kelly and the Irish #1 (photo by: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE)

show. I really hate to say it due to the fact that they are one of my least favorite teams but the fact is, they are a hell of a team, playing very solid team football and doing what they need to do to win, nobody is a star there, they just play the way they are coached. Brian Kelly is doing a hell of a job and should be recognized for it. I think, unfortunately for me, that we are on the verge of another run of a few years watching the Irish at the top of the heap, along with THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES of course.