Will They Ever?

The year that was 2007 is dwindling down to a few measly hours now and the general sports writing consensus has decided on a year end review. As if maybe they are going to shed new light on these overblown topics or maybe you forgot about the Patriots demolishing the competition, Vick demolishing dogs or Tim Hardaway's hopes of demolishing homosexuals.

I've decided to go another route. A path that includes the opportunity for us fans to judge the teams that have often teased us in the past. Year after year we hear about how these teams will be showering their coaches with Gatorade, however they remains drenched only in their sorrows. Without further descriptions, lets play a little 'Will They Ever?' with some of the more notable suspects.

Team: Memphis Tigers Basketball
Goal: Final Four, National Championship
Case: It seems odd to think that it was all the way back in 2000 when John Calipari inherited a struggling Memphis team after returning to campus from New Jersey. The infantile stages of the Calipari era were littered with premiere athletes and mediocre records that included accompanying trips to the NIT. Now, the quality of the athletes remain and the end product has improved yet found a new obstacle in the form of the Elite Eight. Entering the tournament with one and two seeds respectively, the past two seasons have ended at the hands of the eventual National Runners-up in UCLA and Ohio State one step short of the Final Four. An early home victory over Georgetown did much to impress and upcoming games against Arizona and Tennessee will give us a true glimpse of a team that will find little in-conference bumps on their road to the tournament.
My Verdict: On paper, this is the best shot of the Tigers winning it all or at least playing in the Final Four. As of now, only Carolina and UCLA appear to be capable of defending this team who prides itself on the fast break and an inane ability to run the motion offense, whereas other teams may simply be awestruck of their abilities. Look for them to make it to the promise land this season, but Memphis fans need to be forewarned. Not only will they have to replace a top notch back court after this season, but I fully expect them to be searching for a new coach in a couple of seasons.

Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Goal: Playoff run, Super Bowl
Case: The Bengals have quickly vanquished whatever good will that was set forth by capturing the North Division in '05. Back to back disappointing season have allowed the rumors to float about around Marv Lewis and even that juggernaut of an offense has shown its vulnerability at times. The multitude of arrests coupled with an inability to stop anyone on defense have given whoever 'Dey' are, all the ammunition needed to pummel the Bengals. While they still may not be the 'Bungals' of years past, the play of Cincinnati has left many analyst and fans shaking their heads as they stand surrounded in shreds of paper that was once contained their playoff predictions.
My Verdict: The Bengals lack of defensive talent has been gawked at for years, but the true exposure of this season was how valuable Rudi Johnson remains to this offense. T.J., Chad and Carson have been at the front of many short lists of premiere offensive talent in the league, but the inability to have balance hurt the Bengals all season long. In short, this team does not respect their head coach who lacks authority and will ultimately destroy itself. Sadly, Cincy will not make a Super Bowl in the next couple of seasons and with a resurrected Steelers squad (matched only by the emergence of the Browns) will struggle to see the light of the playoffs.

Team(s): Big East Football
Goal: BCS National Championship Game
Case: Pittsburgh stood in the way of this not even being a topic. Within that defeat lies the true question behind this conference; Can they win the big one when they need it the most? In a year where most conferences tried to devour themselves to prevent one teams hopes of winning it all, the Big East was most notable. Even once admired Rutgers swam to the surface long enough to beat South Florida when they were viewed as a front runner to play for it all and Syracuse reminded us they still have a program when they defeated (a then one loss) Louisville. They just seem like that really cute girl in school you always had a crush on who was always single, but every time you mustered the courage to ask her out, she had just fallen for some other guy. Really frustrating, Big East (and Lauren from Bio 151), really frustrating!
My Verdict: Joke-girl names aside, the Big East is promising. For those out there who do not believe in the power of this conference, please take notice. The ACC looked liked the early victors of the move that sent Boston College, Va Tech and Miami among others away from the Big East. In the later stages the Big East has taken a sizable lead and is looking to expand it with reassuring play from Connecticut and the afore mentioned South Florida. The future is questionable at best for programs such as Louisville and West Virginia who either are or need to be looking for a new coach. Regardless, I look for the Big East in the final pairing within the next two years.

Team: Phoenix Suns
Goal: NBA Championship
Case: Once again we look into the 'What-if Machine' and think what could have transpired had Robert Horry not teed off on Steve Nash in last years playoffs. The Suns have been fixtures in the playoffs since the arrival of Amare, not Nash, but have only been viewed as a threat since his arrival. Behind the two time MVP, the Suns are looking to do more than ever with help from the oft overlooked Shawn Marion and new arrival Grant Hill. Eliminating the Lakers the past two seasons have been amusing to spectators, but the Suns are continuously bounced by teams who have the ability to hang with them defensively.
My Verdict: Unfortunately for the Suns, they play in the Western Conference which guarantees a tough road to the championship every season and usually San Antonio. This team only plays about seven players which leads for sticky situations in the playoffs should a starter get in early foul trouble. Even more troubling has been the fact that more attention has been paid to pity things such as Phil Jackson's artificial hip or his discretion of timeout usage than has defensive strategy in recent years. Realistically, Nash only has a few more great years in him and Marion does not appear to be in the picture for the '08 season which means a ton for this team. For these reasons, I see the Suns ultimately falling short of their hopes of a title, but damn are they fun to watch.

Here are just a sampling of the subtle nuances the sports world has to offer. In the weeks and months to follow look for more of these in the form of players, coaches, etc., but for now enjoy these nuggets. And to everyone reading this, Happy New Year from those of us writing this.
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