Flip of a Coin...

Its time for the NFL to adopt a draft lottery. The current system rewards teams for poor performance, and punishes teams who try hard but still struggle.

Lets look at what transpired today as an example. The NFL had a problem on its hands with three teams tied for the #3 selection in the upcoming draft. The Falcons, Raiders, and Chiefs each finished at 4-12 and their opponents had an identical record, the first tiebreaker.

The NFL has a policy of handling this situation via a coinflip. The Falcons won, and will receive the #3 pick, the Raiders will get selection #4, and the Chiefs will get #5. While its easy to argue that this system treats teams with identical records equally, it hardly seems fair to me.

The Falcons were clearly the worst team of the bunch. There is no debating that fact. The team needs players at every major position, and they simply do not show any signs of improving much next season. I have on complaints about giving them the third pick in the draft. The team tried its best to compete this season, they just lacked the talent.

The Raiders hardly deserve the #4 spot. Yes, they suck. But its not because of lack of talent. The Raiders suck right now because they CHOOSE to play poorly. Lack of dedication, lack of commitment, lack of effort, and lack of support from coaches and management are what led to another dismal season in Oakland. They should not be rewarded with the #4 pick in the draft.

The Chiefs are a much better team than the Raiders right now, they just got a few bad breaks during the season. They could have easily won a couple more games, which would have lowered their draft position to about where it is now. But at least they tried to win. They never gave up, which is what football is all about. They should not be punished for trying and failing, just as the Raiders should not be rewarded for failing to try.

A draft lottery would solve this problem. Yeah, every year some team might get unlucky and end up with a lower draft slot than they deserve. But at least we would not be guaranteeing a victory via failure. The Miami Dolphins could have simply forfeited all of its road games and they still would have the same draft position right now. A lottery would have compelled them to try a bit harder after week 8.

The NBA has had a draft lottery for a while and its worked out pretty well. True, the team with the worst record rarely gets the #1 pick in the NBA draft, but that seems fair to me. A high draft pick is needed to rebuild a team and make them competitive again, but an automatic #1 pick is an incentive to lose.

The NBA has a draft lottery. The NHL used it after the lockout. Even the WWE has a draft lottery (yeah, I know its not legit... but I am making a point here.) Its time for the NFL to protect the competitive nature of the league and ensure 100% performance from its teams and players at all times.

Buzzer Beater

The NBA has done it again. This year's trade deadline has produced another big-time deal that could have come from the pages of a Hollywood script. The biggest deal of year was announced just moments before the deadline passed, and the balance of power in the NBA has shifted once again.

The Lakers started it all when they grabbed Pau Gasol. The arms race started for real when the Phoenix Suns made the trade for Shaq. In terms of big names and marketing, thats about as big as they come. Then came the Jason Kidd Deal to the Mavericks, which took several attempts and dominated the sports-talk shows for a couple weeks before it was all finally completed. Most people agreed that the teams in the southwestern part of the country held all the power.

Then came today's last minute trade. The Cleveland Cavaliers have made a move that is certain to put a smile on the face of Lebron James. In response to thier inability to win during the NBA finals last season, and in an effort to silence the complaints from the leagues brightest star, Cleveland aquired two big-time players who can make a serious impact: Wally Szczerbiak and Ben Wallace.

The Cavaliers sent guard Larry Hughes, forwards Drew Gooden and Cedric Simmons, and guard Shannon Brown to Chicago for Wallace, one of the game's top inside enforcers, and forward Joe Smith. In other words, they gave up the majority of thier starting lineup. But they get a much better talent pool in exchange, and they will almost certainly improve thier playoff position by a slot or two. Right now the team sits in 4th place behind Boston, Detroit, and Orlando. This trade gives them a solid shot at moving up into the #3 or even the #2 spot before the season ends.

Chemistry is the big question now. Many wonder if a sharpshooter like Szczerbiak, a powerhouse like Wallace, and a susperstar like Lebron can mesh well enough to reach the NBA finals. Talented players find ways to win, and all three are proven winners. A talented team with little chemistry will always beat a team with chemistry and without talent. And Cleveland now has a ton of talent.

The scales have shifted. The power now lies in the East. Boston was the frontrunner all season, but they now have some serious competition. And the West needs to be very concerned, because there is no guarentee that they championship will land with one of thier teams this year.