Yay For Mania? (Not Really. Takeover's Still Better. Predictions & Such.)

Today is Opening Day for MLB.  The Mets see the World Champion Royals and as a Mets fan, I can't remember a time when I was more jacked about a season than this one.  Tonight is also the season finale of The Walking Dead, one that I can honestly say I'm both looking forward to and dreading because of who's coming into the mix and what it likely means for one unfortunate soul.

Oh and today is Wrestlemania.  In Dallas, Texas at AT&T Stadium aka Jerryworld, home of the Dallas Cowboys.  Since 1997, they've been the epitomy of mediocrity in the NFL.  Unless I'm mistaken, it's easily the biggest pro football stadium in the country.  I wish I could say I was as excited about this year's Mania, but alas I am not.  The top end, which is generally what you use to pull in the masses is really off for reasons I'll get into later.  So this year, as I take in various Manias on the Network, I may as well type out some predictions.  Note, I don't have a ton of high expectations for this Mania.  Yes, XXX and X31 were outstanding.  We're due for a really bad one and this will probably be it.

United States Championship
Kalisto v. Ryback
- It's crazy to think that just three years ago, Ryback was on the cusp of being a major player on the main event scene.  He had a real Goldberg like following and he probably should've won the 2013 Royal Rumble.  Alas, he did not.  Alas, bad booking followed.  Alas, he's opening Mania against maybe the most meh United States Champion in recorded ever.  Other than his one super insane spot at TLC last December, I can't think of one recognizable thing about Kalisto.  It feels like Ryback will win and if not, well, whatever.
Who Should Win: I generally don't care.
Who Will Win: I probably won't care and neither will you.  (See, my prediction column is already starting off better than tonight's Mania.)

Styles/Jericho IV
- If they really do open Mania with the above, then they'll need something to wake people up or get them back to their seats from their concession runs (cause that's really the only match on this card that you can legitimately bookmark as 'I can miss this for...').  This would've worked so much better if they didn't throw away one of these matches on regular TV.  This should be the rubber match, but when bad booking has overrun a company...this is what you get.  There's no feasible way that Styles loses here.  Problem is AJ has the 2-1 advantage and another win isn't really moving the meter so to speak.  Still, it'll be a good match and I guess that's really all we can ask for because we sure as hell aren't getting any really good storylines out of this deal.
Who Should Win: Styles
Who Will Win: Styles.  I can see him becoming a top contender for either the IC (maybe) or US (not what most want, but that title needs some luster put back on it after all it has lost since Cena dropped it last year) for the Spring.

New Day/The League Of Maroons
- The Roman Initiative has been an abject failure.  I'm not talking small, as in it has only caught the one guy involved.  It has totally crushed the four guys who technically have the man advantage in this match.  But well, because of how completely idiotic that Roman Reigns made them look shortly after forming...yeah.  They haven't gotten any serious traction since and with how badly New Day has owned them on YouTube over the last month and change...good grief.

Oh and this is what happens when you totally dry up your tag division, kids.  Mundane handicap deals like this where yeah.
Who Should Win:  New Day.  If only we had a good tag division around them...
Who Will Win:  New Day.  Small riot may break out if they do something outrageous like actually have The League Of Half Wits win.

Divas Championship
Charlotte w/Ric Flair v. Sasha Banks v. Becky Lynch
- Apparently, this is the swan song for maybe the worst designed belt sans those penny belts the New Day have.  That aside, what started horribly last July with easily the worst booked set of trios in recorded ever has led us here.  Charlotte dethroned Nikki Bella to become Divas Champion last September and maybe weeks after Paige insulted her dead brother, went heel and it kinda went downhill from there for her.  I'm a huge Flair fan, if not for her pops I might not be into wrestling at all.  But they've done a piss poor job of establishing her as anything more than a really bad knock off of her dad and it's BAD.  I don't remember her being this bad in NXT to be honest.  I read somewhere this morning that she felt insulted when they had her dad walking with her to the ring and to be honest, I kinda agree with her.

This will easily be, given time which it likely will get, the greatest women's match in Mania history.  (Until maybe next year when we may get Banks/Bayley on this platform and they crush it out the yard.)  Under normal circumstances, given all that has unfolded since January, this is where Becky would break through.  She was hosed at the Rumble.  She has been hosed the last two times she has gone after the title.  Sasha interjected herself into this mix after Becky's second try at the Rumble and her case is a simple one.  She hasn't lost since coming up from NXT and is sick of waiting for her shot.  Becky SHOULD win.  Sasha WILL win.
Who Should Win: Becky Lynch.  Months of coming up short normally pay off at the biggest stage...but not likely this year.
Who Will Win: Sasha Banks.  Cause it pays to have a famous cousin who just got inducted into the Hall Of Fuckery last night.  She's winning.

No Holds Barred Street Fight
Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman v. Dean Ambrose
- This started as a result of how the main event of Fast Lane ended.  Apparently, Brock Lesnar felt a certain kind of way about having a steel chair bounced off of him repeatedly by Dean Ambrose.  He assaulted Dean the night after on Raw in the parking lot and Dean challenged him to a No Holds Barred Street Fight for Mania because the only things that will survive a nuclear holocaust are cockroaches, Twinkies and Dean Ambrose.  So yeah, this is how we got here.  It's Dean Ambrose against an indiscriminate weapon of mass destruction in Brock Lesnar.  Normally, the rule book is the only thing that keeps Brock's opponents from being completely left for dead.  Dean has removed that from the equation.  This will be brutal.  It will be fun.  I'm reasonably certain win or lose, Dean will come out of this similar to Austin in Wrestlemania XIII after his loss to Bret.  Fans will still love him and he SHOULD have the inside track to headlining next year's Mania.  (Why he's not headliing this year's Mania...never mind.)

Who Should Win: Dean Ambrose.  Brock technically picked this fight with Dean by assaulting him in the parking lot.  Dean SHOULD win this.
Who Will Win: Brock, I think.  This is one of those rare instances where I'm not sure this is as clear cut as it looks on paper.  It's kind of a given that the Wyatts will factor into this, given their interaction with both over the last few weeks.  It's worth noting that the last Street Fight that Brock was involved in at Mania, came against Triple H three years ago.

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
Kevin Owens v. Sami Zayn v. Dolph Ziggler v. The Miz & Other Dudes Who Have No Business In This Match At All
- This makes zero sense.  A Fatal Four Way made more sense than this.  Zayn/Owens made the most sense, but given what's at the very top of the card, we can't have anyone taking away from that by stealing the show like Savage/Steamboat 29 years earlier.  Apparently, it has been 15 years since the IC Champion has walked in and walked out of Mania the champion.  That was Chris Jericho at X-7 aka The Greatest Mania Ever.  There's only one other person I could make a case for winning this thing and that's Zayn, but under this set of circumstances...it's not really a big blow against Owens directly if he beats five other guys up a ladder to snatch a belt.  With the history between these two, Owens and Zayn needs to be mano y mano and Zayn needs to beat Owens directly.  To exact revenge for turning on him, for taking the NXT Championship and nearly ending his career last year.
Who Should Win: KO.
Who Will Win:  Zayn, cause it probably makes too much sense to do what I just laid out and they'd rather not let these two build this bad boy up.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H v. Roman Reigns
- In the 30 years of Wrestlemania, I don't think you'll ever find a scenario like this.  EVER.  This is generally where the big time babyface is all but coronated as months of his struggle against the heel champion finally pay off.  But what happens when nobody wants to see that?  What happens when at seemingly every turn, that guy is all but booed out of the building?  Happened at last year's Mania as the masses cheered Brock nearly killing this poor guy with about 10 Suplexes and 3 F5s.  This year, we get something we haven't seen in 11 years.  Triple H going into Wrestlemania as World Champion.  If they handled this better, then yes, Trips could and probably would succeed in getting Roman over with the masses.  But for two straight years, they have tried unsuccessfully to get Roman over and it has FAILED.  There was a glimmer of hope in late December when he snapped and absolutely went psychotic on Triple H.  If they kept the belt off of him, left it on Sheamus a little while longer, I don't think it would be as bad as it is now.

It's worth noting that Triple H has been at his absolute best on the stick.  Even going back to the zenith of his heel powers which ran from 2000-2005 or so.  His promo on Monday was serious heel gold and seemingly the only time you could get the crowd to boo was when one of two things happened...

Stephanie spoke or Roman Reigns was even uttered aloud.  That last part this close to Mania is NOT GOOD AT ALL.

This time around, there's no Money In The Bank to save them like last year.  This time, they have to go one way (Trips retaining) or the other (Roman regaining the title).  It's one thing if your face is booed at any other event or venue.  It simply CANNOT HAPPEN AT MANIA.  Every eye in the world is on it, especially now that they're in bed with ESPN who has set up shop there.  They cannot afford to have their chosen champion booed out of the arena by 100 thousand plus when he's technically supposed to be cheered by that many.  It shouldn't have gone this way, but push something far enough and eventually...this is the end result.

Who Should Win: Roman Reigns.  Well, if they hadn't been so damn unrelenting in their desire to get him over...yeah.  He SHOULD WIN.  But unless he wins, then goes heel immediately after on whatever poor soul comes out to try and share his spotlight...see below.
Who Will Win: Triple H.  It's difficult to outdo the title farce that was Wrestlemania IX, but if anything could, this most certainly would be it.  This will be a No DQ match, something they probably should've announced way sooner than they did.  It's not like X-7 with Austin/Rock where that sudden change made the match that much better.  All that aside, Triple H should win and furthermore, he should remain champion until his protege returns sometime this Spring (or later this Summer) to get what's his back.

Heck In A Cage
The Undertaker v. Shane McMahon
Shane wins, he gets control of Monday Night Raw & Taker can no longer compete at Mania
- So apparently, Shane McMahon has stuff in a lockbox that his pops doesn't want leaked.  The contents of which are so damaging, Vince has agreed to Shane's demands IF he can win tonight at Mania against his most loyal disciple.  (Reference November 2001 after Survivor Series if you really want the backstory on the Vince/Taker dynamic.  Would've been really helpful if they fleshed this out way more than they did.  Actually, would've been helpful if they did something more than make the match and then have these two hurling insults at each other.)  When Shane returned a month ago, most everyone lost their mind.  He hasn't been seen in ten years.  He was missed by everyone who has had their fill of every other McMahon and at this point, I guess Shane in place of Vince and Stephanie works out just fine.  I think the WWE has more or less ridden this nostalgia wave to a poorly booked match where it wasn't well thought out and the execution of it could be even worse.  (At least Boss Man/Taker had a little bit of rhyme or reason behind it back at WM XV.)

If The Undertaker wins, well, what then?  Does Shane go away?  Do we find out what Shane had in that box which Vince didn't want to see the light of day?  (This kinda reminds me of Inside Man in a way...only not as coherent in the plot department.)  Shane's last fight was ten years ago alongside his pops.  His last Heck In A Cage match, ten years ago against DX.  Shane's last Mania match came against his pops at The Greatest Mania Ever.  Thing is, I'm not with Taker being used in this fashion when he has maybe one or two more Manias left counting this one.  It's difficult to envision a scenario where Taker loses in Texas.  Whoever helps makes this happen, will be booed to no end.  Trust and believe that.  That's the other part to this which makes no sense to me.  You're putting the fans in a near impossible position where to get the change they really want (no more Authority on Raw, meaningless if it stays at three hours but whatever) they have to root against their homestate guy.

Who Should Win: Taker.  Taker about killed Shane on an episode of Smackdown in 2000 shortly after his return as the American Bad Ass and that took less than five minutes.  He has beaten bigger and badder on this stage.  No way should he lose in his return to his homestate to Vince's kid.  Never mind the whole 'Shane can't throw a believable punch despite all this extensive training he's undergoing' thing.
Who Will Win:  Everything about this screams "shenanigans".  This feels like a lot of brawling, weapons and everything we're likely to get with Dean & Brock minus the suplexes.  With there being the distinct chance that The Authority are off Raw.  This becomes moot when you realize they can simply slide over to Smackdown and doubly moot if Hunter remains champion coming out of Mania. I'm still thinking there was a better way to go about doing this with Taker (best way would've been to have Bray/Taker 2, this time Bray wins).

My guess is Shane will win as someone returns who has enough motivation to see The Authority removed from Raw.  There was something Shane mentioned about folks who haven't gotten enough shots that kinda felt like a zing, but was meant to be something we kept in our minds for later down the line.  Shane running Raw with Triple H remaining the WWE WHC, feels like how Mania will end tonight.

BONUS TIME

Who dies tonight at the end of The Walking Dead???
- Short answer, nobody...YET.  Long answer, this show will let us all stew on this for the next six months.  I think they're going to do something really clever, like shift the camera to where we see it from their perspective and it will fade when the bat connects.  The easy answer is Darryl.  Especially after he got the Benny Blanco treatment from ole Dwight Slapnut last week.  Even if that wasn't a killshot, with no doctor on hand, how long can he go with a gunshot wound?

We haven't had a really great villain since The Governor and I've heard that Negan is the baddest of them all.  So I'm super excited to see what's next, but kinda sad at what this is likely going to mean for things moving forward.

Candid Cam, Warriors V. The World (Not Really), & A Requiem For Daniel Bryan/Why Dean Ambrose Should Win Next Sunday Night (But Likely Won't Cause...)

So, I got a few things that I feel like blogging poetic about here on this Valentine’s Day Weekend.  First and foremost…

Candid Cam
- So the Super Bowl was this past Sunday and short of anyone outside of Denver, you came out of that with enough egg on your face to make an omelet.   In a battle of the league’s best defenses, Denver’s rose to the occasion hitting Cam about as often as they hit Ben and Brady before him.  Carolina’s offense finally stalled out when their receivers apparently remembered who they were and couldn’t catch a cold in the middle of flu season.  So Team Dab got flat out drubbed and afterwards, Cam didn’t take too kindly to it.  He was short during the post game presser and after a handful of idiotic questions, he just took off.  Now, while most everyone felt the need to crush this dude in the Court of Public Opinion, I did not mostly because the vast majority of it made no sense.  However, his play on the field…yeesh.  Did he ever pick a worst time to play his worst game of the year. 

Cam had a golden chance to if not outright silence his critics, at least pipe em’ down for the next few months with a solid showing and a win.  Instead, he gave em tons of ammo to just pepper him with for a good long time to come.  He didn’t hustle after the second fumble late, which as it turns out, proved to set up the backbreaking and title clinching win for the Broncos.  Cam lost two fumbles, threw a pick and was largely ineffective.  Whatever passes weren’t dropped by his receivers were being air mailed over their heads when during the season, they were spot on.  For a team that collectively dabbed for their team picture before the game, it’s clear that they didn’t take Denver as seriously as they should have.  So now, Carolina gets to sit through the Winter and Spring thinking about what might have been.  Yes, they went an impressive 17-2.  But returning to this point is NOT GUARANTEED.  Ask Dan Marino about his return trip.  The NFC next season will be a bit stiffer and their schedule sure as hell won’t be as easy as it was this year.  Not only are they the reigning NFC Champions, they’re loud and have made themselves a big target most if not all are licking their chops to take down a few pegs.  Still, Cam is honest and admitted to the press a few days ago what we already knew.  That he is a sore loser and quoted Vince Lombardi who infamously said…

“Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.”

He’s not wrong.  However, going forward, he needs to understand for the fun that he looks to have out there…he better be ready for the shit storm that comes with it when he loses.  Because after this, they’re out for his blood in a major way.

Warriors v. The World (NOT.  REALLY.)
- So it’s the All-Star Break and for the first time in 20 years, two teams are pushing for 70 wins.  Golden State and San Antonio.  San Antonio are seemingly doing their basketball equivalent to the San Francisco Giants in baseball this decade where every other year after a title, they make a serious push.  Golden State on the other hand, what they’re doing is sorta unexpected coming off of a title win.  They’re coming out with a fury that very few expected.  Not only do they look every bit the part of the defending champion, but their best player is making it clear he’s the Best In The World not later…not a few years from now…but RIGHT NOW.  Golden State has been so dominant, the playoffs for the first time in a very long time feels like a formality.  Seriously.  The field has thinned itself out so much, there’s literally no real point in making a case for anyone else competing with San Antonio or Golden State.  The Western Conference Finals if it goes according to the script, will be our De Facto Finals.  Nobody that comes out of the East will need to bother showing up for anything more than appearances.  Yes LeBron, you got David Blatt run out of his job to have Tyronn Lue lead you into a second straight Finals series that may be even bloodier than last year’s.  If it’s Golden State, forget about it.  Seriously.  What they did to the Cavaliers last month was a STATEMENT.  Emphatically making it clear, the Cavs aren’t on their level.  Not now, not in June. 

The Spurs, the team everyone just wants to go away already, are the only thing standing between the Warriors and absolute domination.  Seriously.  The Spurs are quietly reloading for life after Duncan/Ginobili/Parker and are loaded with Kawhi & LaMarcus, with Big Boban as feasibly the stand in for Duncan when the time comes.  The Association changed its rules to ensure that offense reigns and well, this is what it has led to.  Golden State is probably the proverbial wet dream that the Association was hoping for when it legislated any and all defense out of the game to ensure we got scoring in bunches.  The Spurs are within four games of the Warriors and neither team to this point has lost at home, making home court advantage more important than ever before heading into the playoffs.  The stage is set for a potentially epic clash between the Dubs & Spurs.  Old School v. New School.  Teacher Pop v. Pupil Kerr.  I so can’t wait for this.

A Requiem For Daniel Bryan & Why Dean Ambrose Needs To Win Next Sunday In Cleveland…
- Monday night, Daniel Bryan retired from the WWE.  I haven’t seen his retirement speech nor do I have any intention to do so now or anytime in the future.  He was one of my favorites and I feel terrible that his body simply would not permit him to resume his in-ring career.  He retired out of self-preservation and the company kept him out not to protect its own initiative as I previously suspected…but for his own good.  I can respect and applaud that.  Daniel Bryan is most notable for starting the Yes Movement.  A little thing that helped spur his rise in 2014 to the main event of Wrestlemania XXX and a victory that got him his one and only run as WWE World Heavyweight Champion.  Daniel Bryan is a Grand Slam Winner, or winner of every major title that company has to offer.  Former WWE Champion, World Heavyweight Champion, United States Champion, Intercontinental Champion (the last title he held before he hung it up last year by the by) and former Tag Team Champion.  Didn’t win the Rumble as mostly everyone wanted in 2014 and definitely didn’t do it last year to the dismay of EVERYONE.  His last significant in ring action was putting Roman Reigns over last February at Fast Lane, because the company forced Roman on the public and it went over terribly.  (Big shock, close to a full calendar year after this…HE’S STILL NOT OVER WITH THE PUBLIC THE WAY A TOP FACE SHOULD BE.)  Still, in a company that has lived and died by its giants…Daniel Bryan smashed through the ceiling that was made to keep people like him as a B+ Player. 

Worth pointing out, only two people in the last ten years have made the WWE socially relevant.  CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.  One retired and the other walked away because he couldn’t stomach their nonsense anymore.  This brings me to the here and now, specifically nine days from now in Cleveland at WWE Fast Lane.  The main event will be a Triple Threat match pitting Intercontinental Champion and home state boy Dean Ambrose against Roman Reigns against Brock Lesnar.  The winner will headline Wrestlemania against Triple H and wrestle for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.  On the surface if you’ve been following this since November, this is yet another attempt to get Roman over.  Problem is, Roman winning effectively incinerates what has been the driving narrative since Survivor Series.  See, The Authority has gone out of their way to ensure that Roman Reigns is kept as far away from the championship as possible.  Sheamus cashed in on him to cost him the title at Survivor Series, then his League of Nation cohorts helped keep him from retrieving it at TLC which caused Roman to out and out snap afterwards.  He viciously assaulted Sheamus with a chair and turned his rage towards COO Triple H, leading to him being put through the announce table and being speared into oblivion.  Until the Royal Rumble last month and aside from NXT Takeover London, Triple H hadn’t been seen or heard from yet his father in law vowed that his vengeful son in law would return when Roman least suspected.  After Sheamus was unsuccessful in regaining the title on January 4^th, Vince McMahon elected to go for the jugular.  He turned the Royal Rumble into a full on One Versus All, Roman’s signature motto and t-shirt selling thingy making it a title match for just the second time in company history.  First time ever a champion would have to defend his title in such a setting.  Even worse, he would enter #1, meaning he would have to last over an hour or so if he hoped to keep the title. 

On the surface, even if you’re not fully into wrestling as I am, this is tailor made for the champion to lose.  Only two men have ever entered first and won it in the history of the match.  Well, fans knew the fix was in and they booed Roman almost immediately.  Sensing this could get really hairy if he stayed out there, they had Roman attacked by the League Of Nations to effectively keep the crowd from turning this into a repeat of last year’s Rumble (where they pretty much shat all over the thing once they knew Roman was going to win no matter what).  In the end, Roman came back out and that REALLY didn’t help so go figure that entrant #30 was a returning Triple H.  He returned to a hero’s welcome, which wasn’t totally surprising given the event took place in Orlando, Florida only a rock’s throw away from where NXT does its weekly thing as The Best Show On Earth that he oversees.  The final four came down to Sheamus (former WWE WHC), Roman (the current champion next to nobody wants to stay champion, or face at this point), Triple H (the end result of reducing your roster’s credibility to absolute rubble and then some) and Dean Ambrose (I’ll get to this in depth momentarily).  Now, Triple H eliminated Roman and that was obvious the second Trips came out in his wrestling gear.  The story being that Roman had a receipt for the meltdown at TLC that Trips caught the full on brunt of and he did that. 

Now, sometimes a story needs a title to really emphasize how important it is for both men.  This, is not one of those cases.  This thing going all the way back to mid November when the title was vacated after Seth’s injury and Roman refused Triple H’s offer to be his handpicked champion, was about Roman not being champion.  Given how most fans feel about Roman or let me be clear, the company’s decision to peg Roman as ‘The Next Great Hero’ ala Hogan, Austin, The Rock & Cena…the title needs to be as far away from this beef as possible.  HOWEVER, because we’re in a time when they have absolutely zero faith in the roster as a whole despite it being as deep as it ever has been…Triple H is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion in 2016.  So now, we have a Triple Threat match set to determine who the first challenger will be for the throne that is occupied by the self professed King Of Kings.  Most everything I have read and what most of us are already dreading is that we’re getting Roman Reigns v. Triple H at Wrestlemania for the title.  Unless the goal is to get Roman booed out of Texas Stadium by a crowd that has no desire to see him win his third title in as many months…this needs to be changed.  Roman for the most part is a pretty good dude.  Most of the angst that fans have sent his way is mostly at the company for forcing him on us rather than willingly accepting him, as they have Dean Ambrose. 

Dean Ambrose is an Ohio native who out of the three man Shield trio which consisted of himself, Roman and Seth…he was the proverbial odd man out.  Creative found things almost immediately for Seth (went heel two Summers ago and split the group up) and Roman (whom they pegged to be The Heir To Cena’s Top Face throne).  Dean was left to his own devices and as it turned out, this was the best possible thing that could’ve happened to him.  He got over on his own and despite some of the most nonsensical booking this side of who knows what…fans hasn’t stopped cheering for him.  It’s arguable on some level that right now, he, not Roman is the top face in the company.  Short of massive mind control, I wouldn’t have to guess that next weekend when the WWE holds its main event, the only person who will get a better reaction than Dean will be Brock.  The last few weeks have been spent driving the narrative that Dean is completely unafraid and unfazed by the hype surrounding Brock, who is the term ‘ass kicker’ in human form.  Dean has taken beatings from Brock the last two weeks and come back asking for more, stating that Brock may put him down but doesn’t have what it takes to KEEP HIM DOWN.  This, actually makes him a popular choice even outside of the state of Ohio to actually WIN next Sunday.  It’s likely that Brock will not win as the Wyatt Family went out of their way to eliminate him at the Rumble.  With their recent war cry against all of the company’s “titans”, they really don’t get much bigger than him all told.  (I won’t even begin to mention how Brock beating Bray at Mania, which feels almost certain, all but kills any hopes of Bray as a main eventer having lost at Mania these last three years to Cena, Taker & now Brock in near rapid fire succession.)  Dean, while he will be hands down not just the sentimental pick but the home state guy…this company can’t feasibly think Roman pinning his best friend will be warmly received on ANY LEVEL by an Ohio crowd that booed his return from injury two years ago. 

If they expect Roman to get over as a main eventer, it will have to be as a heel.  The only way that he has worked as a face to this point, has been as someone who kicks ass and says very little.  He simply cannot cut an effective promo at this point in time.  As a heel, I think he can let his natural charisma flow and as it was with his cousin about 18 years earlier, the fans can change their tune willingly as opposed to forcibly.  Right now, on the heels of Bryan retiring, the time is now for Dean to become the next big face they usher into a severely depleted main event scene. 

Extra Points

Houston, We Got Some Problems…
- The Rockets are self-destructing right before our very eyes.  Kevin McHale was fired just 11 games into this season and not even a full season removed from leading the Rockets back from a 3-1 hole against the Clippers in the Western Conference Semifinals last season.  Houston sits near the bottom of the conference right now and the in-fighting has been pretty bad all told.  James Harden is a bearded primadonna who shoots first, second and third.  Dwight Howard is coming to grips with the notion that he and Harden probably work better in a video game than in real life.  So now with the NBA on its break and Howard in a contract year of sorts where he can opt out for free agency this Summer, the Rockets have a decision.  Do they trust that time can heal these wounds and they can make a playoff run out West (don’t bank on it) or do they simply acknowledge that it’s not working and Howard won’t stay, so deal him and get what you can?  Well, if they go with the second course of action, there’s a small hitch to this.  What they want and what they end up with, won’t be close to the same thing.  Howard’s body is breaking down and I can’t see anyone giving up a ton for someone whose name isn’t nearly close to what it was, never mind his actual on court production.  He is a rim protector, something that the right team can use on defense and offensively he can definitely get you buckets.  (That whole free throw shooting thing will be a problem, especially late in games.) 

Houston lucked up in a way when they were given Harden by OKC and Howard chose them a few summers ago in free agency over the Lakers.  Now, it’s looking more and more like OKC simply dumped dead weight in Harden (they’re pushing 40+ wins without him and this is with a rookie coach who’s new to the pro game after spending the last 20 years in Gainesville).  You will not win if Harden or Howard are your best players.  Is Harden a good scorer?  Yes.  Is he a player capable of leading your team to the promised land when it matters most?  Absolutely NOT.  For GM Daryl Morey who has up to this point, mastered the art of staying competitive without full on rebuilding the way most teams have…this has been a failure of sorts.  The chemistry is off in a major way and it’s probably not going to improve any time soon.  Golden State has this thing on lock and all told, short of injury to either Curry, Thompson or Green…it’s safe to say anyone who crosses their paths in the first two rounds will NOT have a good time.  Which begs the two part question…or three so to speak…

Who Should Go, Who Will Go And Where’s The Best Fit For Howard (Since Harden Likely Won’t Be Moved)?
- Harden SHOULD go, but it’s incredibly and increasingly likely if anyone does go, it’ll be Howard.  For all that’s said about Howard being a care free soul and the like, he doesn’t strike me as the diva that Harden is.  Mind you, Howard did get Stan Van Gundy run out of Orlando despite being its best coach in franchise history, Harden just seems to be on another level entirely.  One that’s clearly making it difficult to contend despite being one of the better assembled units in the Association.  I can’t see Howard staying out West, virtually every team I can think of doesn’t need him or adding him wouldn’t move the meter by much.  So where would the best fit for him be?  Only a handful of teams come to mind, all of them are back East…

Boston has the most assets and picks of any team out there, thanks to Brooklyn foolishly handing them every pick from now until the end of the decade for a couple of near the end of their prime veterans.  It makes sense that Boston WOULD go after Howard, but well, does adding him really do much in the grand scheme?  He wouldn’t be their best player, which falls on Thomas.  However, for a team that would be in dire need of low post scoring, he would definitely fit the bill.  I do think Howard could be a viable second option for a team, especially out East where upward mobility isn’t as limited as it is out West.  Toronto would be another possible destination, but they are likely to stick with what they have and rightly so.  That unit is very young and very promising, only way I see a move being made is if and only IF they’re absolutely certain that they can take the East NOW and not later. 

Miami is the only other place I can think of, but this seems super unlikely unless they’ve hit the point of no return with their current young big Hassan Whiteside.  I’m against going young for old, as there’s just no real upside to it.  Short of Pat Riley thinking they can make a run this year and can maximize Howard in their offense as opposed to Hassan, no way do they make a move. 

So in the end, I think Houston hangs on to Howard, gets their clocks cleaned in the first round and Howard bounces out in the Summer. 

Peace.