Can Billups Be A Good Fit In Atlanta?

The Atlanta Hawks are in need for a new GM and it looks like they may have their eye on one particular person currently working for ESPN right now.

The Hawks are scheduled to interview former NBA player and current ESPN analyst Chauncey Billups for their GM position. This is according to some league sources.

This interview is expected to occur on Tuesday in LA, where Billups is currently, analyzing the playoffs for ESPN. The Hawks are believed to not drag out the hiring process, so they are hoping to get this interview over and done with before possibly moving on to other candidates, if they decide Billups isn't the right fit.

According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Hawks have also reached out to Wizards vice president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard and Warriors assistant general manager Travis Schlenk, though it reamins to be seen whether or not they'll take the interview.

Mike Budenholzer, the current head coach of the Hawks, was stripped of his responsibility as president of baksetball operations and Wes Wilcox, the former GM, was resassigned to become the special advisor to ownership. The fact that Budenholzer was stripped of his president job means that the Hawks ownership didn't want Budenholzer handling both roles.

This new GM search is troubling for the Hawks, considering that their star player Paul Millsap is entering free agency and if he doesn't get a contract that he likes, he could walk. It's possible that the Hawks are hoping that Billups, if he comes aboard, can convince Millsap to take less money and try to be the leader of this team.

The one thing I do like about Chuancey Billups is that he is able to communicate the game and get people to follow him. I thought originally he was going to be a head coach first, then possibly get into management at one point, if he decides to leave his current job, but maybe the GM could be the right path for him.

The thing is, Atlanta is not an attractive job and I doubt they could get a lot out of the draft, plus free agents, to really make it matter. They have Dwight Howard, who is not what he used to be, and one guy in Paul Millsap, who could possibly be leaving. I don't know if Billups is willing to take on a role that might see him possibly rebuilding the team.

Look, if Billups wants to take this job, then I give him all the luck in the world. But to me, Atlanta is not attractive, plus there's a lot of questions surrounding the rest of this team going into the offseason. In my personal opinion, he should wait for a better job to come around, or maybe a head coaching job. I don't know. But if Billups takes it and wants to build this team, then I say good luck in the world to him.

Angels Beat Rays in Tampa

The LA Angels did not have a great weekend against the New York Mets. Although they won one, it wasn't exactly anything positive to bring away. That's why a new week and an opponent like the Tampa Bay Rays could've eased their pain, and on Monday, it worked.

Eight walks, plus a couple of wild pitches by the Rays pitchers, allowed the Angels to post their 11th one-run win of the season, including a go-ahead run by Jefry Marte to allow the Angels to win 3-2 over the Rays. This also marks their sixth win in eight games.

Cameron Maybin homered in the fifth inning to tie the game for the Angels, and in the seventh, was responsible for one of those walks, allowing him to reach base for the fourth game in that game.

Maybin said after the game, "I had some good at-bats tonight...When I do that I put this team in good situations to score some runs and put pressure on the defense."

Rays pitchers Diaz and Stanek issued five of the Rays' eight walks in two innings, which is not exactly pleasing numbers for the Rays manager Kevin Cash.

Although the Rays got two home runs from both Corey Dickerson and Logan Morrison, it wasn't enough, thanks in part to that awful Rays pitching, and the Angels capitalized on it.

Also, getting his first MLB start for the Angels was Nolan Fontana, who was called up from Salt Lake to get the start at first base. He didn't have a good start, going 0-for-3 in his MLB debut, although it's only one game and maybe it was just the nerves getting to him.

The Angels got a good win, and a much-needed win after what I called a bad weekend in New York. The Rays are an awful team and based on last night's pitching, it was an awful pitching performance that the Angels took advantage of.

Two more games against the Rays shouldn't be a big of a problem for the Angels, not if they can get the game on Tuesday night. Matt Shoemaker is going for them, and he had a good outing last time, so we'll see if that can carry over against the Rays.

Will Cody Bellinger Be The Next Star Rookie?

Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers has certainly gotten a lot of peoples' attention lately, not just

because he's been a stellar star so far for them, but because the Dodgers have been very good at getting rookies who have done well for them, at least in their first couple of years.

In his first 25 games with the Dodgers, Bellinger so far has nine home runs. That's right. Nine! Most rookies don't get to nine until they have at least played 50 games or so. Bellinger right now is hitting .295/.362/.653 in his first month in the majors, and could be the second Dodgers Rookie of the Year in consecutive years, following Corey Seager last year. This isn't new for them, though. They've won five in a row Rookie of the Years from 1992 to 1996.

Bellinger is the son of Yankees infielder Clay Bellinger and was a star at his high school in suburban Pheonix. He was a gifted first baseman with potential, but some scouts were skeptical about his star power once he got to the leagues. It's possible Cody is silencing them a little bit more.

Because of his skepticism early on, he wasn't drafted til the fourth round, and many, including Net Colletti, the GM, thought that he would not become a power hitter, and that his time could be short-lived with a couple of clubs. Not now and certainly won't be anytime soon.

I'll tell you what, though, GM Ned Colletti deserves a lot of praise, not only for Bellinger, but for drafting Seager as well. He's done very well in his time with the Dodgers so far, and could be transforming this team into a power club that looks to be around for quite some time, and could possibly win the World Series within the next few years or so.

Right now, Bellinger can hit. He's been the muscle that the Dodgers needed, now that Toles is gone for some time. He could be the next big star of the Dodgers, maybe next to Puig, Seager, and Kershaw, and could possibly bring this team into a World Series title soon. But, right now, I'm sure Bellinger is enjoying the moment and enjoying the chance to play with the Dodgers. Big things are ahead for this man, and I'm ready to see him take the next big step to becoming a star in Los Angeles.