Alex Smith Heads To Washington

Quarterback Alex Smith has finally moved on from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Last night, the Washington Redskins decided to give up on their quarterback Kirk Cousins and trade for Alex Smith. They gave the Chiefs a third-round pick, as well as cornerback Kendall Fuller. Fuller is entering his third season in the NFL and is coming off a great year for the Redskins. It's clear, though, that the Redskins wanted a quarterback they can commit to long term. It was clear that Cousins was not that answer.

The reason why the Redskins made this deal, as well as why they didn't sign Cousins, is because they felt that keeping him around long-term would've hampered other opportunities to keep important pieces of their team or finding other parts that they could pay at a lower price. Hey, Cousins does fetch a lot of money and the Redskins can't really afford to pay him what other teams could.

As for Alex Smith, it's a very bold move by Washington and one where they may be able to figure out all their issues for a quarterback position and get back to the playoffs. The last time they did this was back in 2010 for quarterback Donovan McNabb. It was a terrible move and it resulted in them trading up to get RGIII. It worked out for a year, then became a disaster. Cousins was not those guys and was playing well, but they weren't able to come to an agreement on a contract. As a result, they get Smith and Cousins will spend the rest of his career in another uniform.

So what does Smith bring that Cousins apparently couldn't? Well, he brings experience, especially playoff experience, which is needed these days. He has more athleticism and is able to do bootlegs and rollouts in a way that Cousins never could. He was able to scramble at the last minute and find open receivers. He is able to keep the play alive. Kirk Cousins couldn't bring all that. He couldn't even trust his receivers, something head coach Jay Gruden tried to get him to do.

Look, it may turn out to be a good move for the Redskins and they're going to have to work with Smith anyway, after signing him to a four-year contract extension. But it's clear he has more upside and something that the Redskins clearly want in their quarterback. Jay Gruden may be able to work with him a lot better than Cousins ever did. I think Washington could have a brighter future if this works out.

As for Kirk Cousins, he didn't do enough. He asked for too much money and ultimately the Redskins decided to go a different direction. Wherever he goes, he's going to ask for a lot and that lot may not work out. He has to understand what Gruden wanted of him and the situation that led him to becoming a free agent. I think he can wind up somewhere else. There's going to be a lot of takers, and I think at the end of the day he'll get a good deal and make that team great.

Blazers and Clippers Face Off In LA

I hope that the Portland Trail Blazers had a good three days off, because they're back in action tonight against the LA Clippers at STAPLES Center, who have made news for the last 24 hours in trading away Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons for players and picks. Tipoff tonight is scheduled for 7:30 PM Pacific Time.

Right now, it is unknown for the Clippers who will be starting tonight. It seems unlikely that the new players the Clippers got, Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, and Boban Marjanovic, will be suited up and ready to go tonight. Not only that, but many of the Clippers are out due to injuries, which had been plaguing this team most of the season and it's why they're sitting near the bottom of the playoff picture of the Western Conference.

Despite all that, the Clippers have been able to manage a few wins while being down a couple men. They got big back-to-back wins against the Grizzlies and the Pelicans, respectively, on their latest road trip. Right now, they're hovering around .500 but with the trade of Griffin, it's widely expected that the Clippers will drop a few games below .500 and fall out of the playoff picture for good.

As for this game, the Blazers are hoping to get revenge after a close loss to the Clippers back on October 26 in Portland. Not only that, but the Blazers are playing back-to-back, as they'll be home tomorrow night against the Bulls, in a game I will be attending. But for right now, the mindset for this Blazers team is to get through LA unscathed.

Currently, the Blazers have won five of their last six games and currently have won two straight going into tonight. Their most recent win was a 107-93 win over the Mavericks in Dallas on Friday night. They spent the weekend most likely in LA getting prepared for this matchup. The Blazers' leader Damian Lillard scored 29 points in the win over the Mavericks while Ed Davis put up a season-high 15 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.

This is a game that the Blazers, despite what has happened with the Clippers lately, have to take like they are still a serious threat in the West. The Blazers have had a good streak of wins, but they're still sitting near the bottom of the playoff picture and could fall out of win with a couple of bad games, and there's no doubt that the Clippers are viewing the latest news as a wake-up call.

I expect Damian Lillard to be what he always is in this game: A leader and a difference-maker. I expect CJ McCollum to put in a nice effort tonight, and I expect the bench to produce like they did in this current hot streak that they're having.

For the Clippers, winning two straight on the road doesn't matter at this point and now that Blake Griffin is out of the picture, both DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams are going to have to step up and step up big. I believe they can do that, but against a tough team like Portland, it's going to be very hard.

It's hard to see who wins this game, but for Portland, they're the ones riding the hotter hand, and if they go into LA and get good production from their starters and their bench, I see that they pull off the win. Therefore, I believe they'll go into LA and take a game away from the Clippers tonight.

Did The Clippers Make The Right Move?

The LA Clippers are making noise in the Western Conference, but it may not be in a good way for this team, at least in terms of their chances of making the playoffs this season.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported news of a trade on Monday night that saw Clippers All-Star and staple Blake Griffin being shipped to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for guard Avery Bradley, forward Tobias Harris, center Boban Marjanovic, and a future first-round draft pick. Big man Willie Reed and forward Brice Johnson were also part of the trade to Detroit. It leaves us with one feeling about this team: They're building for the future and not for this season.

New reports out on Tuesday from NBA.com's David Aldridge cites that owner Steve Ballmer emphasized Blake Griffin's health and injuries as a result of this trade going forward. Earlier this season, Griffin missed a significant period of time with a sprained left MCL. The fear from Ballmer was that he would've reinjured it again and then the Clippers would've lost more games and be out of the playoffs entirely. With this trade, the signal from this was that they wanted to cut their losses, get rid of people who were constantly getting injured, and try to build for the future.

David Aldridge has described Ballmer as being a "huge Griffin fan." Ballmer used a bunch of tributes and T-shirts to convince Griffin to sign the big five-year deal over the summer. It came on the heels of Chris Paul being traded to the Rockets this offseason. Now, it looks like that deal was for nothing, and for Steve Ballmer, it signaled a change of heart about Griffin and his future on the team.

Also according to Aldridge, the Clippers apparently became convinced that "they not only weren't a real contender this season, but wouldn't be next season as well with the current roster."

This suggestion leads many to believe that both DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams will most likely be out of Los Angeles sooner rather than later. If I know one thing about Ballmer, it's this: He's always thinking about the future and about how to deal with success in the long-term. He's done well in business because of that thinking and for right now, he believes the long-term success of the Clippers can't revolve around Blake Griffin.

I tend to agree not because I think Ballmer is very smart of this, but because Blake Griffin can no longer be counted on to get this team far in the playoffs. He's been out with injuries the last few playoff seasons and they haven't been able to get out of the first round since they beat the Warriors in a seven-game series a few years ago, and since then, the Warriors have won two championship. So it's become clear that Griffin is no longer the answer.

I feel bad for Clippers fans and for Blake Griffin, because I thought he would be with this team for the rest of his career, much like Kobe Bryant was for the Lakers. Going up to yesterday's trade, Griffin is second on the team's all-time scoring list and has become well-known for his dunks and a dominant scorer. He was a big reason the Clippers got out from under the shadow of the Lakers and became a powerhouse team to contend with.

But now things have changed, and the Clippers are going to have to start over. Many analysts and experts had predicted this for months, and this trade signifies they're not going after the playoffs this season. They want to start over, they want to get younger, and they want to get people who they believe will help them gain success in the long run. That could be Tobias Harris or Avery Bradley or anybody else who's young and up-and-coming on that team. Either way, it ain't Blake Griffin, who is now a Piston and will try to get this team in a spot for the playoffs.

In terms of the long-term, this is a good deal for the Clippers, because I don't think they're worried about this season. They know they can't be the Warriors or even contend for the playoffs. Maybe it'll serve as a wake-up call for the rest of the team to play better and win some games. Either way, it's a long-term investment for Steve Ballmer and that's why he is so good at what he does. He evaluates the team, figures out how they can be built for success in the long run, and he invests wisely. He's very smart and I think that he did Clippers fans a favor by allowing them to get players that could help them out in the future.

The time had come for Blake Griffin. Despite a five-year deal, the rumors swirling that he was going to get traded signaled a change for the Clippers. They're not the team they once were and injuries to both Griffin and Chris Paul doomed this team in the playoffs. They need a change, they need to start over, and they realized it was time for other players to step up to the plate. It's a good direction that the Clippers are going and I hope it helps build for the future of this team.

Time For Michigan State To Change Coaches?

Michigan State is now under fire at all levels, from the top to the athletic department, all because of former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.

Nassar was sentenced to jail for the next 175 years last week, but the statements by the many women during that trail signals to many of us that this is just the beginning of what will be many people losing their jobs and resigning at Michigan State.

Accountability will be the next thing we hold Michigan State to, and according to Magic Johnson on his Twitter this morning, he believes those that were aware of the sexual assault happening to women on that campus should be fired. Here is a copy of his Tweet below:

If anyone was aware of the sexual assault happening to women on the MSU campus from the office of the President, Board of Trustees, athletic department, faculty & campus police, and didn’t say or do anything about it, they should be fired.

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 29, 2018

Magic Johnson also says in a series of tweets that he stands in support of victims and their families as they go on a road towards recovery and also said he hopes new people in those roles will help create new policies and procedures so that it never happens again.

The school itself has been accused in covering up these series of sexual assault claims involving the athletic department. So far, University president Lou Anna Simon and athletic director Mark Hollis has stepped down from their roles.

Coming off from the Nassar sentencing, ESPN's Outside The Lines released a report that detailed the school's handling of these numerous sexual assaults and domestic violence accusations against Michigan State football and basketball players.

So far, men's basketball coach Tom Izzo and football coach Mark Dantonio have not resigned from their positions, though the chorus could get loud enough to kick them out. And whether or not they knew, it's always the same thing: You have to take accountability for what happens under your watch.

We knew that an investigation is already happening, as we speak, and I'm glad to see many people, including the board of directors, are stepping down to allow new people to take charge of the university. But there's still plenty of people there that do need to get fired and that might include these two coaches. Look, I can understand if they didn't know anything about it or weren't aware of what's going on, but these are big positions at a school that's already under fire. They may have to go. I mean, look at Rick Pitino. He had to resign as a result of the basketball corruption scandal that was happening at Louisville. I'm not saying these two are on that level, but when you see that there's been accusations at both football and basketball at your school, you need to understand the hot seat you're sitting on. I'm not sure that Izzo and Dantonio understand that.

Izzo and Dantonio are going to continue to face increased pressures to step down from their roles as basketball and football coach, respectively. But I will say this: Accusations in this day-in-age are good enough reasons to fire someone, and the new athletic director, whoever they bring in, may just doom both of them. They may be respected coaches and they may have been unaware of what was going on at Michigan State, but if Magic Johnson is calling out the people who are accountable for this to be fired, you can bet that both of these coaches will be gone before you know it. I can expect that for the next school year, we're going to be seeing some changes at that position and may be the better for Michigan State. Time to start a new chapter and one where it can be a chapter of recovery.

Cavs Drama Continues

The Cavaliers' mid-season drama is continuing to swirl, and today's there's a new report surrounding Kyrie Irving when he was still with the Celtics.

Bleacher Report and Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon is reporting that Irving threatened to sit out training camp and then undergo surgery that would've kept him out all season if the Cavs did not trade him before the beginning of the season.

The reason the surgery aspect of this comes up is because back in the 2015 NBA Finals, Irving suffered a broken kneecap and that doctors had said Irving would need a clean-up procedure on his right knee before he would return to active duty. From the basis of this report, Irving will most likely get that procedure done this coming offseason.

But the fact that he so desired to leave Cleveland this past offseason that it greatly led him to these kind of tactics to threaten the front office of the Cavaliers to trade him.

What a mess it has become in Cleveland, after the latest report of a Cavaliers' team meeting where many players and teammates called out Kevin Love for leaving the Cavs game last Sunday due to an illness, and now the report that owner Dan Gilbert is likely to sell the team if LeBron didn't commit long-term.

So as I said before, the Cavs drama is just building up to a point where a lot of pieces may be traded out and a lot of people may either leave by choice or get kicked out. Although LeBron has a no-trade clause and is most likely going to use it to stay in Cleveland through the rest of the season, it now becomes a point where perhaps trading LeBron may be their only solution, and a possible clean break for both parties.

I have said before that the Cavaliers usually get this stuff figured out either by February or March and that is enough time for them to get caught up in the East and make it far enough in the Playoffs. The last few years, they've had this kind of drama but they've still made the NBA Finals, and until I see otherwise, I see the same thing happening here.

Look, this year is different than most, mostly because of the changes that has happened in the offseason, like changing David Griffin for Koby Altman, or getting both Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade through free agency. Many have speculated that the Wade-LeBron friendship has become poisonous for the rest of the team. They're clearly not the same dynamic duo that we have seen for so many years in Miami.

The fact that Kevin Love is being called out by his teammates worries me, not just because what Love did was suspicious, but because when you get publicly called out my teammates or even coaches on this matter, it does lead to divisions within a locker room, and I believe it's the team against Kevin Love at this point. In fact, it may even lead to Kevin Love leading Cleveland and that may be the best thing for him.

However, it's not good in Cleveland and this year is different than most winters that we've seen out of the Cavaliers. Maybe they get in together in time to make another run in the playoffs, but like we've seen out of this Cavaliers team, it's going to require a bunch of trades and a bunch of movements, whether it be coach, players, or management, and LeBron has always done this every year and usually the Cavaliers have listened. So I won't be surprised if the same thing happens here.

The drama is real in Cleveland and perhaps movements is the only way to solve things. It did the last few years and they've landed in the NBA Finals as a result. Hey, LeBron controls a lot of the operations for the Cavaliers, a lot of things indirectly. That's why I see changes coming and I believe the Cavaliers can get better as a result. The question is: When will those moves be made? And can it fix the drama that we're seeing in Cleveland this time around?