Happy Wednesday everyone! I wanted to get an NBA-centric “Heat Check” in before I go all-in getting ready for the NCAA tournament next week. A lot has happened since I did my trade deadline wrap-up two weeks ago. Kevin Durant went down with an injury, and the Cavaliers got some veteran depth (then lost some of it), among other stories. So let’s get into some news and notes from around the NBA.

Golden State’s Adjustment Period Without Durant

Easily the biggest storyline over the past two weeks has been the injury to Kevin Durant and the response from the Golden State Warriors. The current timetable for his return was four weeks, but most are expecting that to be six weeks. That would mean Durant would return to the lineup with just before the playoffs. We are going to learn a lot about the rest of this Golden State team.

We all know how good the starting lineup is for the Warriors, but what can we expect from the bench. In order to get Durant in free agency, the Warriors had to sacrifice the depth of its stellar second unit. This is a much more thin team than the 73-win team from last year, and at times won’t dip into the bench further than the ninth man.

Since the bench doesn’t have the same ability from a year ago, will the added pressure affect the starting unit? The quick answer was yes. In the first full game without Durant, the Warriors were held to 97 points in a loss against Chicago. It marked just the third time all season that Golden State failed to score over 100 points. Golden State bounced back since then winning two close games against New York and Atlanta.

The real test will come over the next four days, which finishes a stretch of seven out of eight games on the road. Luckily, tonight’s game is the lone home game of this little run, but with Boston as the opponent, that could still present some issues. The back-to-back to end this week is going to be incredibly difficult though. Golden State travels to Minnesota on Friday then heads down to Texas for a primetime showdown with San Antonio on Saturday.

In Durant’s absence, the Warriors will have to find a way to hold onto the top seed in the Western Conference. The Spurs are only two and a half games back as of today, and won’t go away quietly. Home court advantage is always important, but avoiding having to play both San Antonio and Houston to get to the NBA Finals could be more vital to winning a championship.

The Struggles of The Brow and Boogie

When New Orleans acquired DeMarcus Cousins from the Kings, most people thought that the Pelicans new frontcourt would dominate. We are almost two weeks into the Cousins-Anthony Davis pairing and the results have been disappointing at best. Yes, it does take time to create chemistry on the court but a 2-5 record since the trade is dropping the Pelicans further down the standings.

Coach Alvin Gentry’s insistence on playing a small-ball style lineup is not maximizing the potential of both of his All-Stars. Cousins down on the block and Davis in the high post would be a deadly combination for opposing teams. However, Davis is playing more on the wing than near the post.

Ultimately, these are things that the Pelicans have to figure out over the next few weeks. If the plan for New Orleans was to become a contender quickly, then this isn’t what you want to see. Not only are the Pelicans in danger of missing the playoffs (4.5 games behind Denver), that unprotected first round pick they gave up could wind up being close to a top-five pick for the Kings.

That could lead to a long-term situation where Cousins may not resign with the Pelicans and leave them high and dry. There is still plenty of time to right this ship but it might be time for to break out the panic button in New Orleans.

Cleveland Sign Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut, Then Lose Bogut

Staying put at the trade deadline ending up being a huge help for the Cavaliers. Once everyone made their moves, Cleveland was in a prime position to clean up the free agent market. Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut were both afterthoughts for their previous teams and cleared waivers. This allowed the Cavs to add veteran talent without sacrificing any pieces of it future.

Williams becomes the second point guard that this team has desperately needed all season. It will help Kyrie Irving and LeBron James play less minutes per night and keep them fresh down the stretch. Bogut was set to help the frontcourt without Kevin Love, and be a valuable asset in a potential rematch against Golden State.

These were supposed to be the moves that put the Cavs over the top and vault them ahead of the Warriors. We still aren’t quite sure if that will turn out to be true though. Cleveland has lost three out of its last four since signing Williams. Plus, in its most recent loss to Miami, lost Bogut for the rest of the season with a broken leg just 58 seconds into his debut with the team.

This is not the end of the world with J.R. Smith and Love on their way back from injury. It will be interesting to see the impact Williams has with this team once they get healthy and he gets acclimated to this offense. Cleveland isn’t working with much room for error with Boston three games back in the standings.

Lakers Ownership Issues Become More Personal and Complicated

One of the biggest stories from the trade deadline seems to get more intriguing with each passing day. Jeanie Buss, who has the controlling stake of the Lakers, cleaned out the team’s front office. That included firing her brother Jim, along with other long time members of the Lakers. She installed her own braintrust to help run the team, which included Hall of Famer Magic Johnson as president of basketball operations and Rob Pelinka (Kobe Bryant’s agent) as the general manager. A new chapter was set to begin for the Lakers as they attempted to regain its status as a perennial contender.

It turns out that this front office drama isn’t quite over as Jim and Johnny Buss allegedly made an attempt to oust their sister as controlling owner and president of the team. Their lawyers have since denied those claims, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Jeanie Buss filed for a restraining order in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

According to the bi-laws of the franchise, the Lakers board of directors must meet every year to vote on the controlling owner. That meeting has not taken place in the 15 months since Jeanie took control of the team from her brother Jim. In the court filings by Jeanie Buss, she alleged that her brothers were planning a hostile takeover of the Lakers by convening a board of directors meeting to have her replaced on the board, which would force her to cede control of the team. Once again, the brother’s have since denied those claims.

Now a report has surfaced that Jim and Johnny Buss want to cash out, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. However, this move would require the brothers to break up the trust that belongs to the six siblings of former owner Dr. Jerry Buss. If that were to happen, Jim and Johnny could sell their stake (22 percent of the controlling interest each). That would leave the Buss family, led by Jeanie, in the minority of the Lakers ownership.

This is a volatile situation that will have a profound affect on one of the NBA’s most storied franchises. It is not often you see this type of family drama play out on a stage quite like this. The Lakers, and the Buss family, are have been engrained into the culture of Hollywood over the past four decades and it is a sad state of affairs to see things going this way.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with the return of “No Huddle” as NFL free agency officially begins. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

I really do love this time of year. Conference tournaments are underway, and a few NCAA tournament tickets have already been punched. Today marks the start of the major conference tournaments with the beginning of the ACC tournament in Brooklyn, NY. The big dogs in college basketball are all vying for a conference championship while the potential Cinderellas are trying to punch their ticket to the bid dance. It is a fantastic week of basketball that serves as a rich appetizer to the madness of March. For today’s “Heat Check” I’m going to take you through all of the major conference tournaments this week. I’ll have my favorite to win the tournament, and give you a dark horse that could make its own run like UConn in 2011’s Big East Tournament.

ACC Tournament (March 7-11, Brooklyn, NY)

Since the tournament tipped off today, this is the most logical start the tournament previews. The ACC has the potential to be the most hotly contested tournament of all the major conferences. There are heavy hitters at every turn, and seemingly most of the top-eight teams have a viable shot to cut down the nets in this tournament. Whoever comes out as the ACC champion will certainly see their national title hopes boosted. The semifinals here will have Elite Eight-level matchups, so it might even be an understatement to say that the champion will be “battle-tested.”

Favorite: North Carolina

This was a tough pick, but it was hard for me to not go with North Carolina in this spot here. The Tar Heels won the regular season title in the ACC by two games, capping it off with a nice win over Duke in a revenge game. North Carolina is loaded with ACC Player of the Year Justin Jackson leading the way. They are already one of the favorites in the NCAA tournament and could lock up a number one seed if they can win the ACC tournament.

Dark Horse: Duke

It’s difficult to call any of these teams a dark horse in this tournament, but I think the Blue Devils are equipped to win the ACC tournament. While it has been a bit of a disappointing season for Duke after coming into the year as the top team in the polls, this roster is still one of the most talented in the country. Duke does have to get by Clemson and Louisville, but if they are able to get to the semifinals it would be tough not to give them a punchers chance. The Blue Devils are 6-4 against the top-25, which includes wins over North Carolina and Florida State (the top two seeds in the ACC).

Big Ten Tournament (March 8-12, Washington D.C.)

You can’t deny that it has been a down year for the typically strong Big Ten conference, but that won’t diminish what could be a proving ground for the tournament champion. With perennial Big Ten power Michigan State falling to the fifth seed in this tournament, you get the feeling that this tournament could be wide open for a hot team to roll through. The Big Ten conference is known for being a “tournament conference” so we can throw out the records here and just enjoy the ride.

Favorite: Purdue

I could easily put favorite in quotations marks and write it in with pencil because I think that this could be a screwy tournament. That being said, I think the Boilermakers are the strongest team in this conference. Caleb Swanigan took home player of the year honors in the Big Ten and could very well add a most outstanding player award to his mantle by tournament’s end. Swanigan is an absolute beast on the inside and has the ability to be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. Purdue has ridden on his shoulders all year and they will go as far as he can take them.

Dark Horse: Northwestern

Northwestern may have locked up its first NCAA tournament bid in school history, and that is a wave of momentum that could carry them deep into the Big Ten tournament. The Wildcats also have a seemingly favorable route to the championship game on Sunday. As the sixth seed, they will face the winner of Ohio State and Rutgers. Maryland is a tough team, but has underachieved all year and could be ripe for another disappointing outing. Northwestern has already defeated two-seed Wisconsin once this season as well. I just get the feeling that there could be something special at work here for the Wildcats.

Big 12 Tournament (March 8-11, Kansas City, MO)

In my opinion this could very well be a two-team tournament. I’m not as big of a fan of the Big 12 conference as most but this is a very top-heavy conference. Kansas and West Virginia are head and shoulders above the competition in this conference. A potential championship game between the Jayhawks and Mountaineers has me very excited. We’ll see how it all plays out though.

Favorite: Kansas

Part of me wanted to go with WVU here, but it is very difficult to go against the top ranked team in the country. Plus, the Mountaineers meltdown a few weeks ago against the Jayhawks gives a slight edge to Kansas in my eyes. Frank Mason III and Josh Jackson are one of the best one-two punches in the country. Mason III is in the midst of strong push for the Wooden Award and National Player of the Year. You ride the hot hand in March and Mason III has one of the hottest hands right now.

Dark Horse: Baylor

Its not my most confident pick for a dark horse, but considering the Bears would avoid a semifinal matchup with Kansas there is a chance for a run here. Baylor has racked up some impressive wins this season, which includes victories over Louisville and West Virginia. The Bears also took Kansas to the limit a few weeks ago. While I think that this is potentially a two-team tournament, Baylor has the best chance of any team in the Big 12 to take down both of the top seeds for the conference championship.

Big East Tournament (March 8-11, New York, NY)

It doesn’t get more traditional in March than the Big East tournament on the hallowed court at Madison Square Garden. While I said the Big 12 could be a two-team tournament, the Big East is all about the potential championship game between Villanova and Butler. Injuries crushed Creighton and Xavier, which took some of the intrigue away from this typically great tournament. Either way if we get a Villanova-Butler final, I think we would all be very happy.

Favorite: Villanova

The defending national champions have to be the favorites here. Josh Hart is one of the favorites to win National Player of the Year, and is an incredibly difficult player to stop once he gets going. The Wildcats have the experience to get through this tournament and could steal away the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament if Kansas falters. My only concern is Butler, who has beaten them twice and just might have Villanova’s number.

Dark Horse: Butler

Admittedly, I’m copping out on this pick. Outside of Butler, the only team with a marginal chance in this tournament is Seton Hall. That being said, the Bulldogs have the best shot to take down a heavily favored Villanova team. Butler is a hard-nosed defensive team with a wealth of experience from its upperclassmen. Those two wins over Villanova were impressive, especially the dominant victory at The Pavilion.

Pac-12 Tournament (March 8-11, Las Vegas, NV)

Aside from the ACC tournament, the Pac-12 is the tournament I am looking forward to seeing the most. Oregon, Arizona, and UCLA all have great chances to win the national championship and this could be the beginning of that run for either of these teams. I’m already circling a potential rubber match between Arizona and UCLA in the semifinals, which could prove to be the best game of the conference tournaments. The Pac-12 championship may even lead to a coveted number one seed in the NCAA tournament, or at the very least keep the champion in the West Region.

Favorite: Arizona

By a slim margin, I’m going with Arizona as my favorite to win the Pac-12. I have been a big supporter of the Wildcats since Allonzo Trier returned to the lineup earlier this season. They are one of my national title favorites because of the versatility this team provides. Arizona is able to play at any pace, and have the length/size to matchup with just about any team in the country. Sean Miller has built a monster with these Wildcats and has his team ready to cut down the nets with a Pac-12 championship in tow.

Dark Horse: USC

Outside of the top-three teams in this conference, it is kind of a crapshoot trying to pick a dark horse team. The team with the best shot to make a run though is USC. Desperation often has a double-edged effect, and the Trojans certainly have a bit of that at play here. Blowout losses to UCLA and Arizona, combined with a potentially debilitating loss to Arizona State have dropped the Trojans to the bubble. An early exit in this tournament could mean the end of its season. However, I think that the desperation to make the NCAA tournament could light a spark underneath this USC team.

SEC Tournament (March 8-12, Nashville, TN)

Here we are with another conference tournament that should boil down to the top two seeds fighting for the championship. Kentucky and Florida have easily been the two best teams in this conference all season. A potential rubber match between these two would be a fantastic game. Unfortunately, hoping for chaos in this bracket could be a pipe dream.

Favorite: Kentucky

The Wildcats are easily my favorite to win this tournament. Star players typically shine in these tournaments and Kentucky has the best of them all in Malik Monk. John Calipari’s team is loaded once again, and the talent should carry them to the finals. The only stumbling block here could be Florida, who has been a thorn in the side of the Wildcats this season.

Dark Horse: Vanderbilt

Similar to my USC pick in the Pac-12, Vanderbilt is a bubble team that has all of the motivation to make a deep run in this tournament. The Commodores can ill afford to falter early in this tournament, and might need to score a signature win against one of the top dogs in this conference to punch its ticket to the NCAA tournament. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a team in the SEC jump off the bubble with a deep run in the tournament. Georgia was able to win this tournament in 2008 as an eleven seed, and this Vanderbilt team is much better than that.

That’s it for me today. Enjoy all of the basketball this week. I’ll be back tomorrow so stay tuned to Shooting the Moon. Also be on the look out next week for the debut of the Shooting the Moon Podcast. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

The NHL trade deadline has passed and similar to the NBA, the blockbuster move just wasn’t in the cards this year. That doesn’t mean that teams weren’t making moves though. Unlike the NBA, the final hour was rife with teams wheeling and dealing. Rather than doing winners and losers, I’ll be doing some of my biggest takeaways from the NHL trade deadline.

Washington and Montreal Go All-In

The leaders in the Metropolitan and Atlantic divisions pushed their chips into the middle of the table for a better shot at hoisting the Stanley Cup later this year. Montreal, realizing that there is a small window with aging stars like Carey Price and Shea Weber, made a few moves to acquire multiple players at the deadline. The Canadiens were easily the busiest team in the NHL over the past 48 hours. These moves signal a defensive philosophy under new head coach Claude Julien. Montreal loaded up on big-bodied defensemen and is banking on the blue-liners to bring them deep into the postseason. It cost them picks, but the Habs were able to keep its best prospects in the process.

Meanwhile, Washington made the biggest deal at the deadline, acquiring the top name on the market in defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. It wasn’t cheap, but most experts were surprised that the Capitals didn’t give up more to get Shattenkirk. Washington gave up a first round pick in 2017, a conditional second round pick (likely in 2019), plus prospects Zach Sanford and Brad Malone. TSN’s Bob McKenzie also reported that the Blues retained nearly 40 percent of Shattenkirk’s salary in the deal. Now, this is a “mercenary deal” because Shattenkirk will become a free agent after the season and will likely test the market rather than resign with Washington.

It is a bold move for the Capitals, who haven’t gotten past the second round during the Alexander Ovechkin era. This is a case of the rich getting richer though, and Washington telling the rest of the league that it is Stanley Cup or bust this year.

Radim Vrbata’s Bonuses Keep Him in Arizona

As the clock ticked away to 3 p.m. today, many of the analysts on NHL Network believed Coyotes forward Radim Vrbata would be the big name on the move today. That would not come to be, and then reports trickled in regarded a factor that likely warded off potential suitors. Vrbata, who is in the top-30 in assists this season, had massive postseason performance bonuses in his contract. Those bonuses could have paid him up to $250,000 per round, and was likely the biggest factor in Vrbata staying put this year.

The NHL salary cap is one of the toughest, and these types of financial factors always come into play this time of year. Take a look at some of the moves that Tampa Bay made over the past week and you have a good idea of just how much money talks in the NHL.

Jarome Iginla and Thomas Vanek Deals Highlight the Final Hours of the Deadline

While the big blockbuster deal didn’t happen today, two teams did make moves to bolster its roster for the playoff push. Los Angeles acquired veteran winger Jarome Iginla from Colorado. Iginla may be one the last legs of a great career, but he will get one final chance to win a Stanley Cup with the Kings, who are also making a push to win a third Stanley Cup with its aging core of players.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Florida Panthers added some firepower by trading for winger Thomas Vanek from Detroit. Vanek has been on the decline in recent years since leaving Buffalo, but he will be a solid veteran presence for a young Panthers team looking to make another step forward. It’s also a good faith move for its aging stars Jaromir Jagr and Roberto Luongo, who have a limited amount of time left before hanging up their skates for good.

Mark Streit’s Interesting Day

Mark Streit had a very weird hour or so as the trade deadline approached. The Philadelphia Flyers came into the trade deadline with some uncertainty. They have been struggling since the ten-game winning streak earlier in the year, but are still theoretically in playoff contention. Many people around the league weren’t sure if the Flyers would be buying or selling today. We got our answer right around 2:30 p.m. as Philadelphia shipped Streit, one of the team’s assistant captains, to Tampa Bay for center Valtteri Filppula, a 2017 fourth round pick, and a conditional seventh round pick.

This is where part of the fun of the trade deadline in the NHL came into play. Unlike the NBA, teams are able to trade recently acquired players right away. Tampa Bay, literally, wasted no time moving its newest player. In the waning moments before the trade deadline, the Lightning traded Streit to Pittsburgh for a 2017 fourth round pick. It’s a good thing Streit didn’t have time to make travel arrangements to the Sunshine State.

The Las Vegas Golden Knights Officially Join the NHL 

Amidst all of the wheeling and dealing, the league office made a move of its own today. The NHL announced today that the Las Vegas Golden Knights have officially been added as the 31^st team in the league. In addition, the league also outlined the regulations for Las Vegas to conduct business in regards to roster moves ahead of the Expansion Draft on June 21. This means the Golden Knights can now submit waiver claims and make trades. Obviously, they won’t make any trades until the offseason now. The official addition of Las Vegas to the NHL and the impending Expansion Draft will be an intriguing subplot for the rest of the league heading into the 2017-18 season.

 

That’s it for me today. I’ll be covering St. Augustine vs. Red Bank Catholic for SNJ Today tomorrow. You can watch the game on Facebook or on SNJToday.com. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

I’m giddy with excitement folks, and do you want to know why? Tomorrow is the first day of March. It’s the final week of the regular season in men’s college basketball which means tournament season is right around the corner. While the NBA enters the final quarter of the regular season, the professionals will take a backseat to the collegiate game for the next month.

As we get closer to March Madness, I’ll be taking a closer look how the 68-team field will be determined. For today though, I’ll be giving you my most intriguing takeaways from the latest AP top-25 poll and Joe Lundardi’s Bracketology predictions. Then I will look ahead to the biggest matchups of the week. Strap in folks, its going to be one hell of a ride to the national championship game in April.

So let’s start our look towards tournament season with a quick peek at the AP top-25 for this week. Gonzaga’s run as the top ranked team in the country came to an end along with its bid for an undefeated season. That opened the door for a new team to take over the number one ranking in the polls. Enter the Kansas Jayhawks, who recently put the finishing touches on a thirteenth-consecutive Big 12 regular season title. Bill Self’s team is looking strong yet again, and will almost assuredly be one of the top seeds in the NCAA tournament.

Interestingly enough, Villanova stayed put at number two despite losing at home against Butler last week while Gonzaga dropped down to number four. UCLA got a huge bump in the rankings following a massive road win against Arizona, which got them to the third spot in the top-25 for the week.

While we did get a new-look top-five this week, there has already been a casualty at the top. #5 North Carolina was upset last night by #23 Virginia in an extremely defensive game. The Tar Heels had been looking like it would be one of the favorites for the NCAA tournament, but this could prove to be a small bump in the road if they can bounce back later this week against #17 Duke.

Speaking of the Blue Devils, they took quite the dive in the rankings after a rough week, which saw them upset by Syracuse and Miami. Duke had been on a great run after beating UNC in the first matchup this year in the Tobacco Road Rivalry which saw them reach #10 in last week’s rankings. The Blue Devils are currently sitting fifth in the standings in the ACC, which could give them a difficult road in the conference tournament. I still think that the Blue Devils are a team that you don’t want to see in the national tournament, but the next two weeks will give us a good idea of how this latest set back will affect them.

The biggest move in the top-25 was the ascension of the Butler Bulldogs. They jumped up nine spots in the rankings after an impressive road win against Villanova. Sitting at #13, the Bulldogs are an intriguing team heading into March. A mix of veteran prowess and a defensive mindset is going to make the Bulldogs a tough-out in the national tournament.

Over these next two weeks, you are going to be hearing the name Joe Lunardi a lot whenever the big dance conversation comes up. Lunardi is one of the foremost experts when it comes to predicting the field for the national tournament. His insight into the 68-team field is usually spot-on and gives us a great idea into where teams will end up and which teams are sitting on the infamous bubble.

In his latest edition of Bracketology, Lunardi has a very interesting tournament field. As of yesterday, Lunardi’s number one seeds are Kansas, Villanova, North Carolina, and Gonzaga. This is definitely subject to change considering Gonaga’s loss over the weekend and North Carolina’s loss last night. Kansas and Villanova look virtually locked-in as the top-two overall seeds in the tournament.

With the final two top seeds in the tournament in flux right now, it will be interesting to see if any team could jump up and snag one of those spots. Interestingly enough, Lunardi isn’t showing a whole lot of love for the Pac-12. Oregon is currently a two-seed while UCLA and Arizona are sitting as three-seeds. You would have to think that if one of these teams is able to win the Pac-12 tournament, the champion would have a strong case to sneak into the one-line.

Typically, the tournament committee tends to have one region set as a murderer’s row. Lunardi believes that will be the Midwest region this year, and boy is it loaded. The top-four seeds in this region according to Lunardi are Kansas, Kentucky, Arizona, and Duke. That is just scratching the surface because this region also includes SMU, Virginia Tech, Wichita State, and Michigan State. Also, both of the non-16 seed play-in games are currently in this region. Clearly Lunardi thinks that the committee is going to put whichever team reaches the Final Four in this region through the ringer.

As far as the bubble goes, Lunardi’s “Last Four In” is Seton Hall, Providence, Marquette, and Vanderbilt. The safest of those four teams might be Seton Hall, but they would have to avoid an early exit in the Big East tournament to seal its bid. Looking at the “First Four Out” Lunardi has Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Rhode Island, and Georgia on the outside looking in. Keep an eye on Georgia Tech and Wake Forest out of this group. The ACC tournament will provide them with opportunities to score major wins against some of the top-25, which could vault either team into the big dance.

The most intriguing team in Lunardi’s latest bracket is Cincinnati. The Bearcats are currently a five-seed in the West Region, which could be a great spot for a deep run in the tournament. Cincinnati could end up as a surprise team in the Elite Eight if this is how the chips fall on Selection Sunday.

Before I wrap things up for the day, here are a few games to keep an eye on this week:

Tonight

– Georgetown vs. Seton Hall, 6:30 PM (FS1)

– #15 Florida State vs. #17 Duke, 7:00 PM (ESPN)

– Vanderbilt vs. #9 Kentucky, 9:00 PM (ESPN)

 

Wednesday

– #8 Louisvile vs. Wake Forest, 9:00 PM (ACC Network)

– Marquette vs. Xavier, 9:00 PM (FS1)

– Washington vs. #3 UCLA, 11:00 PM (FS1)

 

Thursday

– Houston vs. #18 Cincinnati, 7:00 PM (ESPN2)

 

Friday

– #24 Iowa State vs. #10 West Virginia (ESPN2)

 

Saturday

– #2 Villanova vs. Georgetown, Noon

– #19 Notre Dame vs. #8 Louisville, 2:00 PM (CBS)

– Seton Hall vs. #13 Butler, 2:30 PM

– #25 Miami vs. #15 Florida State, 4:00 PM (ACC Network)

– #7 Arizona vs. Arizona State, 4:00 PM (CBS)

– #6 Oregon vs. Oregon State, 6:00 PM (ESPN2)

– #1 Kansas vs. Oklahoma State, 6:00 PM (ESPN)

– #17 Duke vs. #5 North Carolina, 8:15 PM (ESPN)

 

Sunday

– #16 Purdue vs. Northwestern, 4:30 PM (CBS)

 

That’s it for me today. Enjoy all of the college basketball action this week. It should be a great warm-up for tournament season. I’ll be back tomorrow with a wrap-up of the NHL trade deadline. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Happy Monday! Hopefully you have all recovered from last night’s crazy snafu at The Oscars, poor Warren Beatty. While that most likely dominated the water cooler talk at your office today, there was still a good amount of action this weekend in the across the sports world. It’s time for another edition of the “Weekend Recap.”

Gonzaga’s Undefeated Run Comes to a Screeching Halt

The big headline in sports this weekend came late Saturday night when #1 Gonzaga fell at home against BYU. Gonzaga held a comfortable double-digit lead for most of the game, but BYU had a monster run left in them. The Cougars locked down the Bulldogs in the final ten minutes, including two forced turnovers in the final minute of the game to seal an eight-point upset of the top ranked team in the nation.

With the NCAA tournament just a couple of weeks away this loss for Gonzaga likely will cost them a number one seed. That opens the door for one of the three Pac-12 teams to rise up and seize the opportunity to be the top seed in the West Region. I think Oregon benefitted most from the events of the weekend despite squeaking out a win against Stanford. In addition to the Gonzaga loss, #4 Arizona lost to #5 UCLA. That puts Oregon in sole possession of the Pac-12 lead with one game left before the conference tournament. The Ducks will likely take home the regular season title and go into the Pac-12 tournament as the top seed, leaving UCLA and Arizona on a collision course in the semifinals.

Rickie Fowler Wins the Honda Classic

Over on the PGA Tour, Rickie Fowler rode the momentum from an impressive third round on Saturday to an easy victory at the Honda Classic. Fowler didn’t necessarily play as well on Sunday but he was able to right the ship after going +2 on his front nine. This marks the first time in Fowler’s career where he won a tournament after holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead.

Fowler’s scrambling game was the key to his victory this weekend and is something that he can feed off of during the majors. He currently ranks as the best scrambler on the PGA Tour this season. During Fowler’s incredible 65 on Saturday he hit eleven greens in regulation, and was able to get up-and-down on the other seven holes. While I think Jordan Spieth is looking at redemption at the Masters, Fowler’s short game could make him one of the favorites in the U.S. Open this June at Erin Hills.

Kelsey Plum Becomes the All-Time Leading Scorer in NCAA Women’s Basketball

My favorite story of the weekend came from women’s basketball, and it has nothing to do with the UConn women either. Washington senior guard Kelsey Plum’s quest to become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball came to fruition on Saturday night. Plum came into the game needing 54 points to surpass Jackie Stiles for the all-time mark. In front of a packed house on senior night, she put on an absolute show. Plum, in the best performance of her college career, put up 57 points to rewrite the record book. Not only did she set a new record, but also those 57 points were good for the fifth-best game in Division-1 Women’s history. It will go down as one of the best record-breaking performances in recent memory, so congratulations are definitely due here.

Kurt Busch Wins a Crash-Filled Daytona 500

Boogety, boogety, they were racing on Sunday. NASCAR debuted a new three-stage format for restrictor-plate races at this year’s Daytona 500 leading to a chaotic day at the track. Kurt Busch took the checkered flag to win his first career Daytona 500 after Chase Elliot and Kyle Larson ran out of gas on the final lap.

The new format certainly made for a lot of excitement, and more chances for “the big one” to happen. NASCAR broke up the Great American Race into three stages. The first two stages were 60 laps and awarded bonus points to the winner plus the other top-ten finishers in the stage. That led into the final stage of 80 laps to determine the final winner.

What the new format led to though was a heightened sense of urgency during the final laps in the first two stages. Naturally with so many drivers jockeying for position, crashes were likely to ensue, and boy did they. Four crashes wiped out half of the field during the race, which included big names like Jimmy Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kyle Busch.

This is what eventually led to a wide-open final stage where a first time 500 winner was almost guaranteed. Kurt Busch is no stranger to the winner’s circle, but the rest of the field only had a combined three career wins on the Monster Energy Cup Series.

Los Angeles Kings Make a Splash Before the NHL Trade Deadline

In NHL news, the trade deadline is only a couple of days away, but a few teams weren’t waiting until the eleventh hour to get a deal done. Potentially the biggest deal came in the form of the Los Angeles Kings acquiring goaltender Ben Bishop from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a package of two players and two picks.

The move came only a day after the Kings got former Conn Smythe winning goalie Jonathan Quick back from injury. Los Angeles is in the hunt for a playoff spot in the hotly contested Western Conference, but is a move that is important for two reasons.

First, this could spark a couple of big trades before the deadline, essentially stirring the pot and putting other potential “buyers” on the hot seat. The other reason this is an important deal is because now the Kings could have one of the best tandems of goalies in the NHL with Quick and Bishop.

While Quick has seen better days since the Kings last hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup, he is still a capable goaltender. Bishop has been the franchise goaltender in Tampa Bay and led them to a Stanley Cup appearance two seasons ago so this move definitely comes as a shock. It should lead to an interesting couple of days in the NHL.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a college-edition of “Heat Check” breaking down the latest top-25 and bracketology news. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Well that was anticlimactic. The NBA trade deadline has come and gone with nothing of true substance actually happening. Turns out it was just a lot of hearsay as none of the top names were dealt elsewhere. Paul George is still a Pacer, Jimmy Butler is still a Bull, and hell, even Jahlil Okafor is still a Sixer. Even the Celtics, who had the most to offer and gain from a blockbuster trade, stood pat even in the final hours.

There were some deals that eventually got done by the 3 p.m. deadline, but most could be described as marginal. As it turns out, most of the trade deadline fireworks already happened over the last week or so. Regardless, let’s get into some of the winners and losers from the NBA trade deadline.

Winner: Toronto Raptors

Not exactly who I thought I would be leading this column with when I woke up this morning, but the Raptors made a couple of nice deals to bolster its roster for the postseason. They bring in Serge Ibaka from Orlando to finally give Toronto a stretch-4 and rim protector. Moments before the deadline, Toronto also acquired P.J. Tucker from Pheonix, who is a nice perimeter defender and can shoot in spurts. Bringing two defensive minded veterans into the fold is a great way to get ready for a playoff run with potential matchups against Boston and Cleveland.

Toronto also didn’t have to completely sell the farm either to make these moves. They sent Terrance Ross and a 2017 first round pick to Orlando to get Ibaka. In the Tucker deal, the Raptors shipped off Jared Sullinger and two second round picks (2017 and 2018). Ross had been slipping down the rotation due to his streak shooting while Sullinger has never been more than just a big body down on the block. You can certainly make the argument that Toronto upgraded in those areas. While it would have been nice to have a first rounder in the loaded 2017 draft, it’s a pill that the Raptors could swallow.

Loser: Sacramento Kings

 

See my “Weekend Recap” from Monday. Seriously, the DeMarcus Cousins deal was that bad for the long-term success of the franchise. The Kings were easily the big loser of this year’s trade deadline.

Winner: Houston Rockets

You have got to love the savvy move that Daryl Morey made to get the sharpshooting Lou Williams from the Lakers. Williams gives the Rockets another solid player off an already deep bench. It basically ensures that Houston will have the Sixth Man of the Year on its roster between Williams and Eric Gordon. It’s a move that signals to the rest of the league that Houston could have the firepower to go toe-to-toe with Golden State in the postseason.

The Rockets weren’t done dealing either. Morey shipped K.J. McDaniels to Brooklyn to clear cap space and gain a trade exception. It’s a move that makes you wonder what Houston has up its sleeve down the line.

Loser: Philadelphia 76ers

Coming into the trade deadline, just about everyone around the league knew that Philadelphia would be selling a center. The problem is that Bryan Colangelo may have sold the wrong one. Philadelphia dealt Nerlens Noel to Dallas for Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut, and a top-18 protected first round pick.There are a few issues with this trade.

The first is that the Sixers will likely never see that first round pick. Due to the top-18 protection, Philadelphia will need Dallas to somehow sneak into the playoffs with a better record than a couple teams in the East. If that doesn’t happen, that first round pick reverts into second round picks in 2017 and 2018. Yikes.

Second, Andrew Bogut is likely going to be bought out, so he was essentially a salary dump. Then you add the relatively unknown Justin Anderson into the mix and you end up wondering what Philly was doing. Anderson could turn out to be a decent piece as a defensive minded guard, but he is not the same type of talent that Noel is and will become down the line.

My final issue with this deal is that it basically forces the Sixers to keep Jahlil Okafor. Most experts would agree that the frontcourt combination of Joel Embiid and Okafor just doesn’t work. You also have gaping holes in Okafor’s game. Yes, he can be an elite scorer, but he plays little defensive and is not a solid rebounder. Any reasonable metric will tell you that.

This deal likely came down to money. Reports surfaced after the trade that Dallas saw Noel as its top free agent target this summer and were likely going to offer him a deal that the Sixers would not match. With Joel Embiid’s contract coming up in a couple of years, Philadelphia would be wise to have cap space ready to pay him handsomely.

Now, the Sixers are still in a great position for the future with Embiid, Ben Simmons, and solid draft picks in the next three drafts. They were able to flip journeyman Ersan Ilyasova into Thigo Splitter and two second round picks. Regardless, Philadelphia whiffed on the Noel deal, which makes them one of the losers at the deadline this year.

Winner: Cleveland Cavaliers

Wait, but they didn’t make a deal. How could Cleveland be a winner? Well, its because Boston didn’t make a deal either. I wrote yesterday about the Boston’s nuclear arsenal of assets and how they could easily turn that into a player like Paul George or Jimmy Butler. As the clock ticked down towards the trade deadline though, Boston wouldn’t pull the trigger on a blockbuster deal.

Simply put, the Celtics are fine playing the long game to eventually take over as the top team in the NBA. That means Cleveland will still be the favorites to win the Eastern Conference for at least one more season.

Loser: Boston Celtics

Danny Ainge punted at the trade deadline, which for this season makes Boston a loser. Long-term though, well, you already know what the Celtics have in its arsenal. However, it puts increasing pressure on Boston to hit big with the Brooklyn pick this season. Clearly the Celtics are opting to play the long con in order to beat LeBron, who is on the back nine of his career. Boston could have gone for the throat this year and gotten a star player to win right now. We’ll see what the plan is, but reportedly the Celtics badly wanted to use the Brooklyn pick in this year’s draft keeping them further from acquiring a game-changing star than most of us thought.

Winner: Los Angeles Lakers

The Magic Johnson era is off and running, but not quite in the direction you would expect this storied franchise to go. The Lakers are now in a definitive tank after trading away Lou Williams for Corey Brewer and a 2017 first round pick from Houston. It all but ensures that Los Angeles will have the best possible chance of keeping its own 2017 first round pick, which is protected in the top-three picks.

Possibly the biggest reason why the Lakers come out of the deadline as a winner, was the news surrounding Paul George. Indiana did not deal its star player at the deadline, which could set up a possible homecoming for George during the summer of 2018. Part of the trepidation for teams inquiring about the four-time All Star was his reluctance to sign a long-term extension if traded. Reportedly, the only two teams that George would sign a long-term deal with were the Pacers and the Lakers.

Get worse in the short-term? Check. Keep all of the valuable assets in the fold? Check. Set yourself up to sign one of the league’s top-10 players down the line? Check.

Loser: New York Knicks

You have to wonder what Phil Jackson is doing sometimes. Well, most of the time actually. At a certain point you have to hit the reset button because this latest attempt to win with Carmelo Anthony just isn’t working. Obviously, the no-trade clause was a big roadblock to selling off Anthony, but they couldn’t get a deal done to trade a guy like Derrick Rose? The Knicks are going nowhere right now and time is running out to get any kind of return to help build this franchise around Kristaps Porzingis.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a look ahead to a big weekend of basketball. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Well isn’t this fun. The week leading up to the trade deadline is ripe with all sorts of rumors for about half of the teams in the NBA. This time around feels like it has a little more juice, mostly due to the names involved. We are still reeling from the shocking DeMarcus Cousins trade on Sunday night, but that looks to have stirred the pot across the league. By 3 p.m. eastern time tomorrow we’ll know who’s on the move and which teams stood pat. Outside of the top three teams in the league, seemingly everyone is in buy or sell mode right now. Less than 24 hours away from tomorrow’s trade deadline, let’s dive into some news, notes, and rumors from around the Association.

Jeanie Buss Cleans Out Lakers Front Office, Magic Johnson Now In Power

In a move rarely seen this time of year, Jeanie Buss took control of the Lakers from her brother Jim and wasted no time moving on to the next chapter of the franchise. Heads rolled like a scene straight out of Game of Thrones, which led to Laker legend Magic Johnson moving from an advisory role to the president of basketball operations. Long time general manager Mitch Kupchak couldn’t avoid the ax either, and Buss even fired the PR director.

This move was long overdue in Los Angeles, as the Lakers have suffered the three worst seasons in franchise history. The reputation of the franchise under Jim Buss had been tarnished to the point where Kevin Durant wouldn’t even meet with the team last summer. Far cry from the time where all you needed to hear was that the Lakers were interested in a player and you knew it was only a matter of time before he signed on the dotted line with Los Angeles.

It does make me wonder if the Lakers failed negotiations with Sacramento for DeMarcus Cousins was the straw the broke the camel’s back in the ongoing power struggle between the Buss siblings. Reports indicated that the Lakers could have outbid New Orleans had they just included Brandon Ingram in the deal. Kupchak balked at that offer, and Sacramento went with the offer from the Pelicans.

Magic didn’t wait very long to get on the job, trading Sixth Man of the Year contender Lou Williams to Houston for Corey Brewer and a 2017 first round pick. The Lakers are now in a full on tank in an effort to keep its top-three protected 2017 first rounder away from Philadelphia. Clearly this rebuild will take some time, but the Williams trade is a signal of revamped thinking in the LA front office. Keep an eye on the Lakers in the next 24 hours. They may not be done dealing just yet.

Indiana Pacers Assessing the Market for Paul George

The big news today in the league was the Pacers reportedly looking to shop All Star forward Paul George. Indiana is currently the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, but could be in danger of losing the four-time All Star down the road. George has a $20 million player option for 2018, and there has been no indication that he would return to Indiana.

Obviously, Pacers president Larry Bird has to do his due diligence to figure out what the market would be for his star player. While there is some sentiment out there that the obvious move is to build around George, Indiana could get quite a return if they decide to trade him.

The most recent development is that the Lakers are making a push to acquire George. Los Angeles has some pieces to make a move, but the looming threat of losing its first round pick to Philadelphia this year or next year could stop those negotiations in its tracks. The Lakers do have three young building blocks in Brandon Ingram, DeAngelo Russell, and Julius Randle, but the draft picks are the issue.

While this is the first legitimate news we’ve heard so far on this front, this will be the top trade situation to watch over the next few hours. George could be a game-changer for any franchise that can swing a deal to acquire him.

Will Boston Go All-In?

Quite possibly the biggest question over the next 20 or so hours will be what will Boston do with its abundance of trade chips? The Celtics have potentially eight first round picks (two from Brooklyn) over the next three seasons, two 2016 first round picks playing overseas, and two solid players with very friendly contracts (Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder). Isaiah Thomas is already a MVP candidate and Al Horford is a solid second option, so could Boston make a move to vault ahead of Cleveland in the Eastern Conference?

Boston didn’t make a play for DeMarcus Cousins, and we have yet to hear if they will make a move on Paul George or try to pry Jimmy Butler away from Chicago. The Celtics have the ammunition to acquire just about any player in the league, but it’s all about making the right deal.

The Brooklyn picks alone could net them George or Butler considering they are likely going to be top-three picks. From what we’ve seen from this latest incarnation of the Celtics is that they are perfectly willing to bide their time and strike a deal at the perfect moment. If the Celtics do decide to go all-in with its trade chips, it would have a seismic effect on the landscape of the NBA.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a full recap of the NBA trade deadline. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Happy President’s Day everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the final day of the holiday weekend. It’s still Monday, so I’m on the hook for another edition of the “Weekend Recap.” I’ll be talking about NBA All Star weekend and the new number one golfer in the world a little later, but lets get right into the story that stole the weekend.

DeMarcus Cousins Traded To New Orleans After the All Star Game

You read that right folks. Mere moments after the Western Conference polished off a 192-182 victory over the Eastern Conference, Adrian Wojnarowski fired off one of the best #WojBombs in recent memory. Sacramento had agreed to send DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans for Buddy Hield (the sixth pick in the 2016 NBA Draft), Tyreek Evans, Langston Galloway, a top-three protected 2017 first round pick, and a 2017 second round pick (via Philadelphia).

This wasn’t the king’s ransom that most thought that Sacramento should have gotten for a player of Cousins’ caliber. Not even close actually. In truth this is a move that only Sacramento could have done. I like to make fun of Brooklyn for the horrible trades they made with Boston, but this was a pretty horrendous deal for a few reasons.

First, clearly the sum doesn’t equal the parts. Cousins is a top-ten talent in the NBA with top-five potential. Hield was a great college player, but he wasn’t thought of as a franchise cornerstone coming into the league last summer. Evans was a former top-five pick in the draft, but his career has been hampered by injuries that have led to three knee surgeries in the last 18 months. Galloway has been a decent bench player in his first two and a half seasons. All told, these three players definitely don’t even come close to recouping the on-court value.

Second, they are screwed in the draft now. Sacramento only got one first round pick in this transaction, and boy are they going to regret that. After breaking the news Wojnarowski tweeted that  a factor that played into this deal for the Kings was the growing risk of losing its first round pick to Chicago (a top-ten protected pick). Kings GM Vlade Divac is going to have to get very creative in the draft and can’t miss in the first round now.

Something that is often forgotten outside of Philadelphia is even if Sacramento keeps its first round pick in 2017, the Sixers have the right to swap picks with the Kings this season. For example, if the Kings somehow get the number one pick in the lottery, Philadelphia jumps right up to the top, no questions asked. That’s if the pick is in the top-ten because otherwise Chicago gets the pick.

So assuming that Sacramento loses its first round pick, they still have the first round pick from New Orleans this year. Although that is likely to be somewhere in the 15-20 range since the Pelicans will almost assuredly make the playoffs with its Cousins-Anthony Davis pairing. It’s a deep draft, but missing out of the cream of the crop always hurts.

Sacramento does have its first round pick in 2018, so they’ll have the opportunity to snag a top talent there. However, they won’t be as fortunate in 2019 because the Kings sent an unprotected first round pick to Philadelphia last year in a salary dump.

The final reason this was a horrendous move for Sacramento was the execution of the move. Sacramento bungled this deal so badly on so many fronts but how they made this move will likely be what haunts this franchise. A couple of weeks ago, Divac announced to the media that he would not trade Cousins. He even went so far as to have a meeting with Cousins and his agents to convey that sentiment to him.

So already the Kings front office isn’t looking to hot since they, you know, traded Cousins. Then they let Cousins head into his postgame media availability without telling him about the trade.

If you are the Kings, how are you going to possibly hope to sign any top-notch free agent with the way you just treated the best player this franchise had seen since Chris Webber? Yes, the Kings got out of paying Cousins a $200 million contract extension, but that cap space is going to go unused for a while.

Obviously the big winner of this deal is New Orleans since they now have one of the preeminent frontcourt pairings in the NBA with Cousins and Davis. The Pelicans are now on the fast track to the top of the league within the next few years, and didn’t have to mortgage the future of the franchise either.

It really does say something when the other winner in the deal, Philadelphia, had nothing to do with said deal. The Sixers now just get to sit back and reap the benefits of the NBA’s latest tanking franchise. Once again the Kings show why this is a franchise that is going nowhere fast, and is now without an All-NBA level player.

Lukewarm All Star Weekend Ends With Highest Scoring ASG Ever

The Boogie Cousins trade overshadowed an otherwise uneventful All Star weekend in New Orleans. Saturday night was a travesty, including another terrible dunk contest. The competitions on Saturday night just lack the flash of previous seasons, and it might be time for the NBA to go back to the drawing board there for a fresh idea.

Don’t even get me started on Friday night. Seriously, there was a mannequin challenge in the third quarter of the celebrity game. Ugh…

As for the actual All Star Game itself, it was a defense-optional game as both sides set a new record for the highest total score ever. Anthony Davis set a new record for the most points scored in an All Star Game (52), while taking home MVP honors. There was even an alley-oop olive branch of sorts between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in their 81 seconds of the court together.

As flashy as some of these spurts of action were, ultimately this game just lacked any sort of excitement. The only thing keeping me in this game was hoping to see one side break 200 points, but alas it wasn’t to be. The Western Conference had a shot, but let up in the final minute of the game, opting to try to throw down a few more ridiculous dunks. Oh well, maybe next year. When you see stuff like this though, you kind of understand what type of game this was.

Dustin Johnson Wins At Riviera, Takes #1 Ranking in the World

So it looks like the experts nailed this one. Dustin Johnson ran away with the Genesis Open this weekend winning the tournament by five strokes. A dominant performance by Johnson not only gave him his first win at Riviera, but also put him at the top of the world golf rankings for the first time in his career.

Rough weather conditions affected the early rounds of this tournament, leading to second round play getting suspended until Saturday. This left more than half the field to face the elements on Thursday and Friday, but that’s golf for you. Sometimes it’s all in the luck of your draw.

That being said, Johnson was clearly the best player in the field this week. His first win of 2017 comes at a great time on the road to Augusta. We’ll see how this momentum for Johnson carries into next week at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardéns, Florida.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a new installment of “Heat Check” to look at the latest trade rumors ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

As winter winds down, it’s only natural to start thinking about spring. On the PGA Tour, winter means playing in Pebble Beach, or somewhere in Florida and California. Must be nice. Envious thoughts aside, this weekend the PGA Tour heads to Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California for the Genesis Open. What a better time for the first edition of “Tour Talk” than for the potentially field so far in 2017.

Tiger Woods may have withdrew from this tournament due to his ongoing back issues, but that doesn’t mean much as to the quality of play we should expect over the next four days. Everyone is tuning up for The Masters in April and this is one of the first major-quality fields of the young season. In order to properly size up the field for a tournament like this, we’ll have to look at the previous few tournaments and expert picks for this tournament before I get into my picks for the weekend.

Easily the story of the 2017 season, aside from the annual Tiger comeback attempt, has been the dominance of the younger players on tour. The past seven tournaments have been won by a player in his 20’s, which should signal that the PGA Tour is undergoing a talent renaissance of sorts. This has been a bit of a changing of the guard as these former amateur stars are finding their footing on the big stage.

Obviously we know about the incredible success of guys like Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlory (who is out with a rib injury), but that is just the top of the group of young bucks running wild over the PGA. Justin Thomas has already nabbing two tournament wins, Jon Rahm and Hideki Matsuyama have each won a title of their own. The question around the tour is can this streak continue at Riviera?

Well if you ask the experts, the answer is a resounding no, but all of their eggs seem to be in one basket. The smart money is on Dustin Johnson this weekend. Johnson has played incredible at this course over the years despite not having a tournament win. He has five top-five finishes at Riviera since 2010 and is coming off a third place finish last week at Pebble Beach. In addition to having a great chance of winning this tournament for the first time in his career, Johnson could also overtake Jason Day for the top spot in the world rankings. So you can see why the experts are seeing the Genesis open trending towards a Johnson win this weekend.

Another pick that’s a little less popular among the experts is Adam Scott. He is a former champion at Riviera, winning in 2005, and also finished second in this tournament last year. I have some doubts though considering that this is Scott’s first appearance on tour this year.

I definitely give some credence to the experts being on Johnson this week, but let’s take a quick look at how Las Vegas views the field. Johnson has the second-best odds at 8-1, while future tour kingpin Jordan Speith is the overwhelming favorite at 15-2. Scott is a little further down the list as a 22-1 shot to win this weekend. Other notable players favored in this tournament are world #1 Jason Day (14-1), Hideki Matsuyama (10-1), and defending champion Bubba Watson (33-1).

Now that we’ve seen where the experts and Vegas see the field, lets get to my picks for this weekend. For my money, I like Matsuyama this weekend. He won the Waste Management Open in Phoenix two weeks ago, and also has a chance to take over as the top ranked golfer in the world after this tournament. That is just be the start for what could be a potentially star-making 2017 for the 24-year old hailing from the land of the rising sun. Matsuyama’s putter failed him in an otherwise impressive T-4 finish at the PGA Championship last August. If he can add another win at Riviera this weekend, I would expect Matsuyama to be right there with Spieth as one of the favorites to win The Masters in a few weeks.

Don’t sleep on Spieth either, he looked locked in at Pebble Beach last weekend cruising to his first win of 2017. He is by far the best player on the green in the PGA, and when he is on its going to be tough to beat him, let alone catch him, on Sunday.

Here are the pairings and tee times for the Genesis Open. Enjoy this one folks, its shaping up to be a fantastic tournament.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with another edition of “Heat Check.” Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

What a lovely day for a new edition of “Heat Check.” Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone, I hope you are all sharing it with your loved ones in some way, shape, or form. Since it’s already Valentine’s Day that must mean the All-Star break is just around the corner in the NBA. Teams are finishing up their last couple of games before the break begins on Friday. Before we get to this weekend’s festivities in New Orleans, which I will talk about later this week. For now though, it’s time to unveil my latest power rankings.

(1) Golden State Warriors (46-9)

Yep, big shocker here, right? The Golden State Warriors aren’t quite head and shoulders above the rest of the league just yet, but they are close. I still feel like we are just scratching the surface of what this team is capable of, and that is a scary thought for the rest of the league. They got rocked last night by an interesting Denver team, who seemed to flip the Golden State gameplan against them. It is just a small bump in the road though because the goal is still to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the season. The Warriors might be done with Cleveland for now, but they still have games against Boston, San Antonio (twice), Houston (twice), and Washington after the All Star break. All of these games will give us a much better sense of how ready the new-look Warriors will be for the postseason.

(2) San Antonio Spurs (42-13)

Enter a captionGolden State draws all of the headlines, and that’s exactly the way San Antonio likes it. The Spurs quietly have the second-best record in the NBA and I still believe that this is the team that has the best chance of knocking off the Warriors in the Western Conference. San Antonio’s defensive brand of basketball and patient offense could be kryptonite for Golden State. I’m salivating at the thought of these teams playing two games down the stretch that could go a long way to determining home court advantage. By the way, the fact that Kawhi Leonard is the only All-Star from this team is a crime.

(3) Cleveland Cavaliers (37-16)

Okay, this one comes with a bit of a caveat considering news broke today that Kevin Love will at least six weeks following knee surgery. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving have certainly carried the load before in Cleveland but the ground might be shrinking beneath the defending champs. Home court advantage in the East isn’t a non-starter for Cleveland, but if they start to fall past the third seed this could present some issues in the postseason. Truth be told, the Love injury comes at a good time because the All Star Break will give James and Irving time to rest up for the next month or so without their third amigo.

(4) Boston Celtics (36-19)

Don’t look now because the Celtics are on fire right now. A 9-1 record in their last ten games has Boston just two games behind Cleveland for the top seed in the East. We are also witnessing greatness in the form of Isaiah Thomas. As the saying goes, big things come in small packages, and Thomas is delivering in the clutch. He is currently on pace to break the record for the highest fourth quarter scoring average. Boston was my biggest disappointment a few months ago, but thanks to this MVP-level surge from its smallest player, the Celtics are within striking distance of the defending champs.

(5) Houston Rockets (40-17)

How can I not have the team with my pick for MVP on this top-five list? All you have to do is watch one Rockets game to understand why James Harden is in the driver seat for his first MVP award. A lot of people are slobbering over Russell Westbrook’s stats and rightly so. Harden is certainly delivering some ridiculous stats of his own though. He is currently averaging a double-double (29.1 PPG and a league-leading 11.3 assists per game), with a ridiculous 17.6 estimated wins added. Add into the mix that Houston also has a strong contender for Sixth Man of the Year in Eric Gordon, who is having a career-reviving season this year, and the Rockets have some interesting pieces to make a run in the West.

Team to Watch After the Break: Washington Wizards (33-21)

Everyone already knows about John Wall and Bradley Beal, but did you know that Otto Porter Jr. currently has the highest offensive rating in the NBA right now? His sudden offensive surge has finally given the Wizards are true third scoring threat. Plus the bench, which struggled earlier in the year, has finally found its rhythm. These factors have added up to Washington winning nine of its last ten and 16 of its last 20. Oh by the way, good luck winning in the District of Columbia because the Wizards boast one of the best home records in the NBA at 24-7 this year. Keep a watchful eye on this team as we come out of the All Star Break.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with my first edition of “Tour Talk” to preview a fantastic field at Riviera for the Genesis Open. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney, like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook, and subscribe to the blog on WordPress