Five fearless predictions
The NBA is approaching the midway point of its season. Here are five semi-guarantees for the remainder of the year:
5. The Grizzlies will finish above .500 and miss the playoffs by four games, marking the most significant development in Memphis since Elvis discovered quaaludes.
4. The Celtics will finish with the best record in the East, narrowly beating out the Cavs. Doc Rivers’ reaction? “I don’t have one. I mean, have you seen how lousy the East is? The ’86 Celtics could have won this thing, and half of them have plastic knees.”
3. The Nuggets will finish with the second-best record in the West.* (*Assuming J.R. Smith quits shooting like Mark Macon.)
2. Chris Bosh, below, will join the Lakers, and the Nuggets’ second-place finish will get them nowhere.
1. Oklahoma City will make the playoffs, but its postseason opener will be played before a half-empty arena. How’s that? The Sooners’ spring game, bubba.
High voltage
The Front Range’s presence figures to be felt Sunday in San Diego.
If Our State’s Own Vincent Jackson doesn’t beat the Jets, former U of Wyoming star Malcom Floyd could.
Jackson has had your basic career year, catching 68 balls for 1,167 yards and nine touchdowns in the Chargers’ big-play offense. Not that he has taken his career to the next level, but Jackson has increased his catch and yardage totals every season since his rookie year of 2005.
His season-by-season catches: 3-27-41-59-68. His receiving yardage: 59-453-623-1,098-1,167.
But then, the Bolts figured Jackson would become a player. They drafted him in the second round. Floyd? He went undrafted in 2004. Like Jackson, he had a breakout year in 2009, establishing career highs in catches (45) and yardage (776).
And according to Charlie Joiner, a Hall of Famer who doubles as the Chargers’ receivers coach, Floyd’s best years could lie ahead.
“He’s the real deal,” said former Broncos safety John Lynch, now a Fox analyst. “I talked to Charlie down on the field and he said, ‘John, he may have the highest ceiling of all our guys.’ ” AP photo
