The NBA playoffs are rapidly approaching and for most of the teams that means jockeying for the top eight in the conference. Unfortunately, the Warriors are pursuing a different goal of getting into the bottom seven in the league in order to keep their first round draft pick. As of now the Nets have a conditional first round pick that originally belonged to the Warriors. If the Warriors end the season with one of the bottom seven win percentages in the league they get to keep their first round pick. Now the Warriors would never openly admit that they are pursuing this, but they are taking all the necessary measures to make sure they have the best chance of losing. They shut down David Lee, their leading scorer since the Monta trade, and are resting Steph Curry for the remainder of the season due to a recurring ankle injury. The good news is that rookies Klay Thompson, Charles Jenkins, and Jeremy Tyler are gaining experience game by game and Klay has developed into a solid provider. And so continues the common thought that means the conclusion of another Warrior season "There's always next year."
On a lighter note springtime means the beginning of a new baseball season. In the off season the revamped Miami Marlins landed Mark Buehrle, Heath Bell, and Jose Reyes while Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder opted for a change of scenery. So far the Rangers are looking like the early favorite given their pitching depth and explosive line-up. The Tigers also sport an offensively charged line-up and have a 20-wins or more pitcher in Justin Verlander. The Giants are looking solid again this year thanks to new additions Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan. Posey is back to his usual self as is Sandoval and Matt Cain has already thrown a couple pitching gems in his first starts of the year. The only major question marks are whether Tim Lincecum can regain former glory and who will step up in the absence of Brian Wilson. Wilson recently underwent Tommy John surgery for an injured elbow which effectively ends his season. Sergio Romo certainly has the beard to replace Wilson, but it is yet to be seen if he has the closer mindset that is so crucial to a closer's success. The A's have also come into this season with some life behind the efforts of Jemile Weeks and Yoenis Cespedes. While I don't expect the A's to have much success this year it will be fun to see Cespedes grow as a player. He has shown glimpses of being a five tool player including the 462 foot home-run he launched on a cold night in Oakland. There is still a long way to go in the season and there is nothing better than baseball in the spring so I'm excited to see how this season plays out.
