Wednesday Musings

A few years ago Joe Dumars' reputation was pretty high. He had engineered trades that resulted assembling a championship team without superstars...nearly an impossible feat in the NBA. However this offseason I can't think of any GM that seems more overwhelmed and frankly struggling. Signing two players two huge contracts that don't seem to augment any of the current parts on the team. In addition he had a last minute firing of an inexperienced coach. Or at least that was the stated reason. Detroit needed a more veteran hand at the wheel. So to rectify this yesterday hired an inexperienced coach (Jim Kuester). Really? Not only was this bald face turn around from last week's demand for experiece but it's pretty obvious they didn't hire Avery Johnson over money. While the move hurts the Cavs as Kuester was a key cog in improving the offense, its becoming abudently clear that between the ownership and the management the Pistons seem intent on running aground.

Celtics Gain Rasheed: I'm not entirely sure what to make out of the Rasheed signing. Its probably an upgrade over Glen Davis at least for the short term. Jump shooting big men can quickly go down and its unclear how much Rasheed has left in the tank but Davis was an over-rated player to begin with. Are the Celtics better than last year? I'd venture a yes but their championship hopes rest on KG's gimpy knee (and surprise surprise news about KG recovery is quiet)

USC Factory Once again USC gets the all-american blessing as 8 of its players were on the preseason watch list including Aaron Corp, who still isn't entirely secure in his starting job. The hype and dominance of USC unfortunately seems to continue as their ability to win the Pac 10/Rose Bowl goes on and on as does their petutance for crapping the bed once a year. Will this be year they finally get to face the SEC in the mythical BCS championship or would that result in Herbstreit's heart exploding with joy?

It's Unclear what will be the best strategy to handle the Bristol Red coverage of Favre's inevitable return. Not turning on the news? Wearing specially designed goggles that keep favre out of your optical reciptors? Drinking binge?