The State of The NBA

On the day after the 25th anniversary of the greatest NBA draft in history, we are left wondering how a league that was the class of professional sports has fallen so far in such a short amount of time. Here is a list of some of the names that graced that epic draft in 1984:

1. Hakeen Olajuwon- Hall of Fame
2. Sam Bowie
3. Michael Jordan- Greatest player that will ever lace up
4. Sam Perkins
5. Charles Barkley- Hall of Fame
6. Alvin Robertson- All-Star
7. Otis Thorpe- All-Star
8. Kevin Willis- All-Star
9. John Stockton- All-Star

2009 Draft:

1. Blake Griffin

This is the tale of the tape to what this league has become... a joke. The regular season these days has turned into a mere formality. You have about 6 teams that consistantly make the playoffs, while the remaining teams pretty much draw straws for the remaining spots. There is no competitiveness whatsoever in the first 2 rounds of the playoffs. I can't count how many times this year that people shot uncontested, wide open shots. This isn't a result of good offensive strategy, it is a result of flat out laziness by the defense. As opposed to having good team chemistry, these days it is pretty much get the ball to one player and get out of the way. The depth of talent is a joke, and the competitiveness is a joke. So my question to everyone is why watch this garbage? Sure, the kids born after 1984 don't know any better. That is just bad parenting. Show these kids how the game is supposed to be played, watch ESPN Classics for God's sake... I tend to compare the fall off in basketball to the fall off of boxing. Which would you rather see, Ali/Frazier or Klitshchko/(hell, I can't even name another heavyweight these days). Point proven!

AGM-65 Maverick

The AGM-65 Maverick is defined as a tactical, air-to-surface guided missile designed for close air support. It provides stand-off capability and high probability of strike against a wide range of tactical targets. I relate this weapon to highly touted TE Orson Charles.

Charles doesn't necessarily have the measurables of a prototypical TE. Standing at 6' 3", you would like to add a few more inches to that number. He does weigh a stout 230 lbs, which is a nice number. Because of his size, look for Charles to be moved all over the field as kind of a hybrid TE/WR, or line up in the TE Flex position. Charles is going to allow Bobo to be extremely creative in designing plays for him, that is for sure.

Coming out of Plant HS in Tampa, Charles was Aaron Murray's (The Pilot) favorite target. The pair put together ridiculous numbers in their 2 seasons together, especially in the games they played together last year. Hopefully this relationship will transfer to Athens, where the lack of a go-to TE option has been evident over the last couple of seasons.

We have already discussed Orson's size, but lets dig a little deeper. For a kid his size, he does have good speed running a 4.55 40 yd dash, and can go up and get the ball with his 35 in. vertical. His numbers, are sickening. His senior season at Plant, Charles caught 75 passes for 1421 yds and 21 td's; averaging a little under 19 yds per catch. Ending the year with a 6 catch 135 yd, 2 td day in the state championship game.

Even with just a presence like Charles on the field, it will allow the Dawgs to provide mismatches not only on LBs but against DBs as well. This will also open the middle of the field for the air attack in AJ Green and Marlon Brown. It will also provide Murray with a security blanket when he takes the reins.

Guided Bomb Unit 24 (gbu-24) Paveway III

The gbu-24 is a low level laser guided bomb, that is equipped with what is known as a "Hard-Target Smart Fuse". What this allows is for the bomb to penetrate and detonate at specified depths to ensure maximum lethality. Today, I will be drawing the comparison between this weapon and the upcoming freshman RB in Athens, Washaun Ealey.

Ealey is no burner. He runs a 4.55 40 yd dash. What Ealey is, is a TD machine. The target for this gbu-24, is the endzone. The structure that needs to be flattened to reach this target, opposing defenses.

Ealey attended Emmanuel County Institute, located in southeast Georgia. It is a class A school, which raises some questions about the competition he has faced. I normally would go along with such questions, but knowing the type of fanatics there are in Georgia (especially south Georgia) about high school football, this really isn't a concern of mine in this case. What Ealey has done at ECI the past 2 years is pretty much shatter every Georgia statistic for a RB. Many of them held by the great Herschel Walker.

Ealey's junior stats are absolutely ridiculous. 2982 yds, averaging 198.8 per game, and 58 td's. Ealey's record breaking performance not only won him the AJC Player of the Year award (first time awarded to a Junior), but it also won his team the Class A State Championship. HIs senior stats are ridiculous, but not quite as ridiculous. 2825 yds, averaging 188.3 per game, and 41 td's.

What is special about Ealey is his running style. It is very similar to Knowshon, but I would say that the traits involved would be reciprocated. Knowshon is a little bit more shifty than he is physical, Ealey is a little more physical than he is shifty. He is the type of back that will crawl over you to get a couple of extra yards. Neither of the two have elite speed, but Ealey's coach put it the best when asked about his RB's speed. He said "Washaun is as fast as the guy that is chasing him". Sometimes that all you need.

Hopefully in the upcoming season, this will be on display. This bomb leveling opposing defenses. He will have some work to do though. With the likes of Caleb King, Richard Samuel, Carlton Thomas, and Dontavious Jackson already on campus; it is going to be tough to get some carries. It is my opinion though, that Ealey will be the catalyst for the UGA offense in 2010 much of the same way Knowshon was when he first came up.