By Guest Blogger Geoff Nelowet:

Andray Blatche Should Be Traded:

There was a point last season when I was ecstatic about Blatche’s progression as a long and dynamic power forward who could kill a team in a multitude of ways. Blatche was putting up something like 22 and 9 over the last 30 games or so of last season, and he looked like a major part of the Wizards’ future.

Well, things have changed this season, and Blatche has become a black hole on offense with his horrendous shot selection, and coupled with his lazy, indifferent collective attempt at playing defense, he has undoubtedly become the archetype for a “stats guy”. People like to gawk at his size and skills, and when they see he’s only 24, they peg him as a future star. These would be shrewd observations, but when taking into account just how effortless Blatche’s play really is, it’s evident that he’ll never be more than an inefficient jump-shooting seven-footer who has an aptitude for avoiding contact on defense. I think the Wizards should trade him before the deadline. He hold some value and he currently has decent numbers (16 and 8), and I think a contender along the lines of the Oklahoma City Thunder might consider him a good option off the bench.

The Wizards Need To Be Careful With Nick Young:

Nick Young is having a career year averaging nearly 17 points per game, and this is not discounting his time on the bench behind Arenas. Young has essentially been scoring well over 20 a game since he’s taken over as a starter, and all signs point to a pretty big payday – whether it’s justified or not – come this off season.

My fear is that the Wizards will overpay as they historically have done. Obviously, the Wizards are operating under new ownership, but the Gilbert Arenas contract still burns, and Antawn Jamison’s contract was clearly a mistake considering his age and his value to his team. Young is looking like an efficient scorer – but not much more than that. There’s a lot of excitement surrounding Young because of his age and the perceived potential that he ostensibly hasn’t unleashed, but the reality is that he’ll never be more than a good scorer in the NBA, and the last time I checked, guys that can put up 20 a night aren’t that uncommon in this league. I see Nick Young in the J.R. Smith vein, and that doesn’t amount to more than a very good role player. I think they should let Nick Young walk. They’ll likely have to overpay for a guy whose stock couldn’t be higher right now.

John Wall Looks Good, But Has Work To Do:

Wall has been mostly impressive in his rookie season thus far averaging 15 points and 9 assists. I believe his assist numbers, assuming he’ll keep them up, will be the highest for a rookie since Mark Jackson’s 10.5 in 1987-88. Aside from that, Wall has been shooting poorly of late, and he hasn’t had much success with his jump shot.

There have been countless comparisons between him and Derrick Rose, and I think at this point, Wall is actually farther along. Rose is having an MVP-caliber season, but prior to this year, he had a number of issues with his game. Mainly, he wasn’t getting to the free throw line nearly enough to be considered an elite point guard, and what made things worse was that his jump shot was slightly worse than Wall’s is now. Rose’s free throw numbers have gone from 3.1 attempts per game, to 4.3 in year two, to now 6.2 thus far this season. On top of that, his three point percentage has gone from 26% last year to 37% this year. Both his free throws and jump shooting have drastically improved.

Wall, on the other hand, is putting up better overall numbers than Rose did his rookie year. He’s shooting 30% from three, and he’s averaging 4.8 free throw attempts per game. More importantly, he’s averaging three more assists each night than Rose did during his rookie campaign (6). The fact remains that if Wall puts the work in, he’ll be at least the player Rose is today, and in my opinion, he has a higher ceiling as he’s a better passer.

If you talk to most Nationals fans, it is clear that they realize that 2012 has the potential to be their year. 2012 marks when Stephen Strasburg will be healthy again, and when top prospect Bryce Harper could look to make his major league debut. Beyond those two, the Nationals have a number of other reasons to be optimistic a year from now. Young players such as Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa, Wilson Ramos, and Jordan Zimmermann (among others) should be established pieces of a good team. Other prospects like Catcher Derek Norris and LHP Sammy Solis should be ready to contribute as well. Also, if the Nationals choose a top college pitcher with their first round pick in this year’s draft he could be ready as well. In addition to all of that young talent that the Nationals are looking forward to, Washington has one of the best players in the game in Ryan Zimmerman, and two offseason signings, Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche to build around. The question remains, just how good can the Nationals be this season?

To figure this out I am going to compare the Nationals offense, defense, rotation, and bullpen to their fellow N.L. East compatriots:

OFFENSE:

The Nationals swapped Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham for Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche, but I’d expect a significant improvement in their offense. Now Werth is the key, as he might not have the power of Dunn, but he is just as dangerous of a hitter. The most important thing for Werth though is to just stay healthy. The Nats lost Willingham for 1/3 of the season last year and their offense suffered without him. If Werth can be counted on for 150+ games, their offense should be fine. LaRoche needs to stay healthy as well, but he isn’t near the concern of Werth.

The Nationals will need more than just a healthy Werth to improve on an offense that ranked in the bottom third (and usually closer to the bottom) in every major category. The first thing to point out is just why Werth’s health is so important. If Werth can play just about every day, then that means only one of Roger Bernadina and Mike Morse is in the lineup every day, allowing the Nats to take advantage of their strengths. Also it means a much more potent bat is on the bench for pinch hitting duties. Now obviously the Nationals need to see Morse sustain his success from last year, and Bernadina to continue to grow. While neither player is a star, they can be an effective platoon for the Nationals.

Another area where the Nationals can improve is the 660 at bats that Adam Kennedy and Christian Guzman had last year, that now should go to Danny Espinosa (and a few more going Ian Desmond’s way), which should be a big improvement. Espinosa at his peak profiles as a solid-to-good starter, and should perform near that level this season. I’d expect him to offer more production than what Guzman and Kennedy combined for. The Nationals will also likely see a boost in production from the catching department. Pudge Rodriguez held his own last season, but in reality his numbers died off after a huge April. He should probably receive no more than half a season’s work at this point in his career, which is exactly why the Nationals went out and acquired Wilson Ramos. Ramos is a pretty good catching prospect, who likely won’t be an All-Star, but should be a very good starter. He will definitely improve on last year’s back up catcher’s Wil Nieves at bats (.554 OPS, ouch), and will be at least a slight improvement over Pudge’s at bats as well.

One area where the Nationals greatly improved, but is often overlooked is their bench. Last season Justin Maxwell, Alberto Gonzalez (still could be back), Wil Taveras, and Willie Harris combined for about 550 at bats and the results weren’t pretty. This year you can expect the majority of those at bats to go to Jerry Harriston Jr., Rick Ankiel, and Matt Stairs. While none of Harriston Jr., Ankiel or Stairs are stars, they should offer a big time improvement over the bench options from last season.

Now I don’t want to make it seem like the Nationals will have a top ranked offense or mash their way into the postseason, but I do think it is important to acknowledge that improvements have been made, and while there aren’t any additional superstar players (i.e. Werth=Dunn), the quantity of major league talent as gone up. I’d expect the Nationals offensive numbers to be somewhere in the high teens (15-19 range) in most major categories. While it won’t be a drastic change, it is a step in the right direction.

Now even with those improvements the Nationals offense is far from great, but it should be more competitive. Pound for pound it pales in comparison to both the Phillies and Braves, but it definitely is a lot closer than it was before. The Marlins had a solid offense last season, right about where the Nats should be this year, so you could go either way as to who is better. Florida did lose Dan Uggla from the middle of their lineup, but they should get better full seasons from top young guys Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton, so that is basically a wash. I think overall I’d give it to the Marlins by a slight edge, but the Nationals offense will be right behind them. The Mets on the other hand are trending downward, and while they should have a few players returning from injury this year, I think their offense will be well below the Nationals in terms of production.

While the Nationals improved on offense, it is really just one part of the equation, and in the coming days I’ll look at their defense, rotation and bullpen and how it stacks up.

By Guest Blogger Rob Yunich:

It’s not often that a visiting player is the reason for a special night at any NBA arena. But such is the case these days with Omri Casspi, the only Israeli-born player in league history. Since joining the league before last season, Casspi has been honored during many Jewish Heritage Nights around the country.

“It’s a great feeling and something I look forward to when I’m on the road,” he told me recently. “It’s great support, it’s unbelievable to go out there and have people cheer for you.”

The Wall Street Journal recently chronicled several heritage nights around the league, noting that Toronto, Boston and Atlanta have honored Casspi this season. Last year, New York — home to the second-largest Jewish population (by metropolitan area) in the world – honored Casspi in a celebration that included the playing of the Israeli national anthem.

“He’s done more than his share,” Kings’ spokesman Troy Hanson said in the WSJ article. “We just had to say no to some teams.”

But there’s more to life in the NBA for the six-foot-nine-inch forward from Yavne, located about 15 miles south of Tel Aviv. Casspi, like any young player, has been working to improve his game.  So far, the 23rd pick of the 2009 draft hasn’t been able to improve upon last year’s modest 10.3 points per game average, but he’s shooting nearly 40-percent from the three-point line this season and about 72-percent from the free-throw line — both upgrades from his rookie campaign.

“I feel a lot more comfortable. Things are going well,” he said. “I would like a lot more wins, obviously, but besides that, I’m happy with my game.”

Growing up, Casspi only had the opportunity to watch Israelis play for American college teams. The two most famous men, Doron Sheffer (who was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers but never signed) and Nadav Henefeld, both starred for the University of Connecticut. (Shay Doron played at the University of Maryland and subsequently in the WNBA before going back to Israel.)

“I really wanted to make the NBA. I had the opportunity to go play college ball, but it never crossed my mind too much,” Casspi said. “I’m just happy that I had a chance to make the NBA and hope to be here for many years.”

A Guest Blog By Fanspeak Contributing Writer Brian Murphy:

Devils Trying to Put This Season on Backburner with Their Hot Streak:

The Devils have the least amount of points (as of January 26, 2011) in the NHL.  But if you have been following the NHL the past two weeks you would find it hard to believe.  In their past 7, the Devils are 6-0-1, including wins over the Lightning (twice), Penguins, and Flyers.  I think they may have dug themselves into too far a hole to make the playoffs if they keep this up after the All-Star Break.  An interesting debate in New Jersey is if soon-to-be restricted free agent Zach Parise will return to the Devils.  Parise, one of the best LW in the game, has been out injured nearly all year.  Is seeing a happy, productive Ilya Kovalchuk and rejuvenated Brodeur enough to get Parise to sign a contract extension?  Only time, and the Devils second half, will tell!

The Eastern Conference Race is Heating Up Heading Into Break:

The Philadelphia Flyers have been playing great hockey as of late, and will head into the All-Star break at the top of the Eastern Conference standings.  The Flyers have won 10 of their last 12 and have 71 points.  Not far behind are the red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning (67 points) who have won their last 5 heading into the break.  Led  by Steven Stamkos and the always-studly Martin St. Louis, the Lightning will pose a big threat to reach the Eastern Conference Finals this playoffs.  The Flyers and Lightning will play in Tampa the first game after the break on February 1st.

A team that can’t wait for the All-Star Break to get here is the Washington Capitals.  The Caps have dropped to 5th in the Eastern Conference standings and have only won 4 games in their past 11 games.  The first half of the season was a very streaky one for this squad.  In December, they lost 8 games in a row after looking like the best team in the NHL in the beginning of the season.  In order for the Caps to gain some steam heading into the playoffs, they need to make sure they are on a hot streak and not a cold one.

By Guest Blogger John Manuel:

How does Bruce Pearl still have a job?  Or maybe it’s just a matter of time until the NCAA cracks down on Pearl and Tennessee.  Pearl clearly cheated in recruiting, got caught lying and worst of all, has a terrible past.  Pearl was considered a top coach who did a great job making Tennessee a contender, now he is a joke.  I know there are coaches who cheat and nobody is probably 100% clean, but a coach to attempt to turn in a rival school for cheating twenty years ago as an assistant to get caught now is bad.  If you’re not familiar with that, check the Bruce Pearl Wikipedia page under Pearl/ Thomas incident.  I thought Pearl couldn’t be more of an idiot than the time he painted himself orange for a Tennessee women’s game.  And I thought John Calipari was the biggest ahole in the SEC.

I have to admit I have not been 100% in on college hoops so far.  Got multiple texts from the Matzie talking up the Big East this season–although the Matzie went to a Big Ten school?  Since his text barrage, Pitt lost to Notre Dame and Syracuse dropped three in a row including at home to Seton Hall.  Right now the Big East is the best conference, but it helps when you do have 959659 teams in it.   It’s got so many, solid teams like Marquette get forgotten.  How can one conference be so loaded in basketball, yet so pathetic in football in the same year?  The real question is what happens in March with the Big East.  Can any of the 589985 teams win a title?

I watched a rerun last week of the ESPN 30 for 30 when the Red Sox came back from 3-0 to the Yankees.  I hate both the Yankees and the Red Sox very, very, very much.  But this one might be my favorite because they had Lenny Clarke and Bill Simmons commenting on it.  If you ever want a reason to hate Alex Rodriguez, just watch this again.  With failed steroid test and the orange faced interview, you forgot about the play where he intentionally knocked the ball out of Bronson Arroyo’s glove at first base.  From Simmons and Clarkes commentary to Orlando Cabrera’s wiping his eyes to the Yankees fans this is great.  Plus it showed the class of some Yankees fans throwing stuff onto the field.  Sorry for all the hate, but A-Rod and Bruce Pearl should hang together, they would probably get along great like Chunk and Sloth.

I applaud Boomer Esiason this week for standing up for Jay Cutler and attacking Deion Sanders.  Deion questioned Jay Cutler’s heart.  I agree with Boomer in that Deion wouldn’t make contact or hit anyone.  I am sick of Deion Sanders and probably will stay away from the NFL Network shows because of him.  I was almost all in on the Skins drafting Eric Berry last year just because he ripped Deion.   Although I have never had any issues with Maurice Jones Drew, what was with his questioning of Cutler?  He said he played with an injured knee all season?  He missed the last two games when the Jags were battling for a division title.  I heard he then said he was joking, hope so.  Its true, Cutler should have acted better on the sidelines, but that flat out sucks to be knocked out of a NFC championship game.

I hope the Packers take down the Steelers next week.  Should be a good game.  Will be ready game day to make some solid in game wagers like will the next commercial be a Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie or Steve Carrell movie?  Will the Black Eyed Peas screw up a miss a line?  Or the over/under on when Troy Aikman forgets where he is.  Calling first touchdown to John Kuhn.

Where Will Tate Forcier End Up?: Former Michigan quarterback, Tate Forcier is finalizing his transfer options, but his choices seem to be all over the place. He has a mix of Division I schools as well as a few I-AA choices. While most of Forcier’s Division I choices are second tier schools, (New Mexico, San Diego State, Middle Tennessee), he does have Miami and Washington on his list. He has about zero chance of ever starting at either one of those schools, and might not even be the third string quarterback at Miami. If Forcier goes to any Division I school he will have to redshirt for a year, making the I-AA options a bit more appealing. While a Montana might not be on the same level as a Michigan or a Miami, it basically is on the same level as a New Mexico or San Diego State. And if you can get a pretty solid guarantee at the starting job and you don’t have to sit out a year, that makes a lot of sense for Forcier. Regardless this has been a long road for Forcier, from Michigan’s starter two years ago to now almost an after thought. I would recommend that Forcier not sit out a year and rededicate himself to football. Forcier can’t afford to become irrelevant. And the best way to do that is to start next season.

Paea Suffers A Big Injury At The Senior Bowl: Defensive tackle Stephen Paea suffered a damaged lateral meniscus in his right knee during his first practice on Monday at the Senior Bowl. Paea will have surgery to repair the damage, but it could have serious implications for his draft stock. The recovery time for this type of surgery is at least 5 weeks, which means it is almost a given that he can’t workout at the Combine next month. And he also likely won’t be up to full strength for an individual workout as well. Paea is ranked as a 1st round defensive tackle right now, but could slide into the 2nd round or later depending on how he heals. Even if he is 100% for a workout in April, missing out on the Senior Bowl and Combine will be hard to overcome.