Giants Find Some Sleepers In The Draft
Despite the ongoing issues with the lockout and whether there will be a season in 2011, the NFL draft went as scheduled last weekend, and even though the New York Jets take most of the attention because of their fanbase, the Giants were the ones who emerged as the Big Apple winners, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
The Giants really bolstered their secondary when cornerback Prince Amukamara was available with the No.19 pick, and they’re going to work him into the team as a number of their defensive backs are getting up there in age, such as Deon Grant (32) and Corey Webster (29). Those making NFL football picks found BetUs know that the league is turning into a quarterback-driven league with rules to make passing games more powerful, so you can never have enough good defensive backs. Then in the second round, the Giants picked North Carolina defensive tackle Marvin Austin, who dropped because of a suspension that caused him to miss all of last season. There is no doubting Austin’s talent as he was named to the Freshman All-American team in 2007, but the suspension threw up some red flags.
The later rounds were also good to the Giants as they took Michigan State linebacker Greg Jones in the sixth round with the 185th pick, and then 13 picks later, they went back to the Big Ten to select defensive back Tyler Sash from Iowa. Jones was All-Big Ten three years in a row and a Freshman All-American at one point, while Sash is a ballhawk who had 13 picks in three years. Both are extremely good value picks and it shows that the Giants were definitely doing their homework.
It also shows that the Giants have been paying attention to the way the game has gone. Look at their division in the NFC East, where they have to face Dallas (Tony Romo) and Philadelphia (Michael Vick), and then you have the defending Super Bowl champs from Green Bay (Aaron Rodgers) and the previous winners from New Orleans (Drew Brees), among others. Look for the New York defense to continue to be one of the best in the NFL for years to come.
Bynum, Gasol Need To Be the Stars In The Lake Show
The Los Angeles Lakers are still the favorite to win the title according to the experts who do the NBA basketball predictions found at BetUs, and even though the two-time defending champions haven’t played their best over the last week or so, we think that it’s just a blip and that the Lakers are just getting ready for the most important part of the season. While they’re still led by Kobe Bryant, the key to the Lakers’ three-peat hopes lie with their big men.
Andrew Bynum has shown why, when he’s healthy, he may be the best center in the game being Orlando’s Dwight Howard, although that also says something about the state of centers in the league. Bynum is rarely healthy, but he looks to be in fine form heading into the postseason, and he’s even developed an attitude, earning a suspension for a flagrant foul on Minnesota’s Michael Beasley, and he’s defended teammate Pau Gasol in a war of words with New York’s Amare Stoudemire, who called Gasol “soft”. It’s good to see that Bynum has some fight in him, and Bryant certainly respects that he is getting fired up.
Gasol needs to feed off that intensity because he’s the best low-post scoring option that the Lakers have, and he may be the best low-post scorer in the game overall. And for those who say that Gasol is soft, he’s still snagging over 10 boards per game, and it doesn’t have to be all about brute force, which has never been his game. Gasol’s game is based on skill and positioning, although when he gets mad, he is as good as any forward in the game. He was the difference in the Lakers’ win two years ago, and paired with Bynum, he gives the Lakers the ability to get high-percentage shots in the post, which is necessary in the playoffs.
