By Lucas Camacho
This has been an interesting weekend in sports. We’ve seen tremendous highs…and some pretty shocking lows. Let’s quickly go through the main highlights from another busy weekend in the wide world of sports.
NFL DRAFT DELIVERS BIG SURPRISES
As I mentioned in my last article, the NFL Draft was this weekend. As I expected, Cam Ward was picked with the No. 1 pick by the Tennessee Titans. There were two big surprises in this year’s draft. The first was the blockbuster trade that saw the Cleveland Browns give the No. 2 pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars (what didn’t surprise me was that the No. 2 pick was used on Travis Hunter…a guy who is gonna do his best Shohei Ohtani impression). The other shock was watching highly touted prospect Shedeur Sanders drop all the way to Round 5. Now, we know some people were put off by his confidence, but there’s no reason a kid like him should have dropped this low in a quarterback needy market. What baffles me wasn’t just that, it was who picked him: the Browns.
Why I’m confused about the Browns’ logic is this: they ALREADY drafted a quarterback in Round 3 of the draft. Dillon Gabriel from the Oregon Ducks was picked by the Browns with the No. 94 pick. So why did they get Sanders? That brings their total number of quarterbacks to FIVE! To be fair…let’s look at the other three quarterbacks who Gabriel and Sanders are competing against: Deshaun Watson…who tore his Achilles again after already tearing it months earlier (and putting his playing this upcoming season into serious doubt), Joe Flacco…who just turned 40 years old (and probably should be working more on his golf swing than being quarterback on yet another team), and Kenny Pickett…I’m trying to think of something nice to say about the guy, but I got nothing (mostly because he washed out with the Pittsburg Steelers). So, it may not be too much of a wonder as to why the Browns took TWO quarterbacks, and it fits the pattern. Since returning to Cleveland, the Browns have used around or close to 40 different starting quarterbacks…at some point, this carrousel of madness has to stop.
As for the local teams, I like who the Chargers picked. Omarion Hampton from the North Carolina Tarheels is probably the second best running back of this draft class. This should give them an effective rushing attack alongside newly signed Najee Harris and take some pressure off of star quarterback Justin Herbert. As for the Rams, I’m not happy that they ignored my advice and traded out of the first round. On the bright side, they got a good deal out of it; getting a first round pick from the Atlanta Falcons in next year’s draft may pay dividends (especially since the Falcons are in the middle of a rebuild…and therefore probably won’t compete for a playoff spot anytime soon). The Rams still made the most of their picks, getting tight end Terrance Ferguson from the Oregon Ducks. Now if they can just improve their situation at cornerback, the Rams could end up winning the division again and prove last year wasn’t a fluke. It’s certainly going to be an interesting season for the LA teams.
WNBA TRAINING CAMPS BEGIN
As the NBA season winds down, the WNBA is nearly ready to begin. The local Sparks are hoping that this is the year things start turning around, especially with the arrival of veteran guard Kelsey Plum. It will be interesting to see the Sparks and if they can truly return to glory, and when they can expect Cameron Brink to return after a devastating injury cut her impressive rookie campaign short. One thing is for sure, Rickea Jackson showed remarkable improvement down the stretch, and it’ll be something to watch to see if she can replicate her success.
One name that won’t be around when camps open is Dominique Malonga, who the Seattle Storm picked with the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft. No one knows what the hold up is, and the Storm have no timetable for her arrival. Malonga has been playing in her native France for ASVEL, whose season ended after an early exit in the playoffs.
TIME TO PANIC?
After a sizzling start to the season, the reigning World Series Champion Dodgers have been slumping as of late. Is it time to panic? Of course not. It’s only April. There’s a lot of season to go, and last I checked…no one won the championship in April. And, if you remember, the Dodgers had a miserable start to the season last year as well (and look at how that ended).
Now the Lakers do have a reason to panic. Down 3 games to 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The lack of protection of the rim is finally catching up to the Lakers. This is where having Anthony Davis would have helped. Now, this isn’t on LeBron James or on Luka Doncic in my opinion; there’s only so much two men can do. I do think that the lack of experience for coach JJ Redick is beginning to show. I wasn’t really in favor of him when people floated his name for the coaching job before the season, and this unfortunately reinforces my opinion on the matter. However, if this is the end of the Lakers’ season, I can tell you what they need to prioritize this offseason: get a center.
It’s not just Laker fans that need to be worried; the Clippers’ hopes are now in jeopardy after a heartbreaking loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday tied the series at 2 games apiece. Then there’s the Kings, who are trying to exorcise their playoff demons and beat the team that’s eliminated them for three straight years: the Edmonton Oilers. Game 4 had to go into overtime after the Oilers tied it up in the third period. In the end, the Kings blew the game, and the series lead. So, while the Dodgers have plenty of time to correct their mistakes…the Lakers, the Clippers, and the Kings are running out of mistakes and time.
