Kevin Durant Says Kawhi Leonard is a product of the system

League MVP Kevin Durant had some interesting comments on twitter on the NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, labelling the small forward as a product of the Spurs system and that he would pick Paul George over Leonard, a player who himself was drafted by the Pacers and traded for point guard George Hill.

Above is the transcript of Durant's tweets which were later deleted.

But does KD have a point is Leonard a product of the Spurs system, to a large extent you have to agree
with Durant's comments, Paul George is a more productive point scorer in career 15.2 career ppg to 10.9 ppg for Leonard as well as being a slightly better rebounder and assister, whilst Kawhi has slightly got better stats for blocks and steals but these are small.

On a personal awards level is where Durant's comments could be proved to be correct, George is a 2x all star, 2x All NBA third team and a second and first team NBA all-defensive selection, the past 2 years as well as a NBA all rookie second team award in 2011, Kawhi's has not had the personal success that Paul George has had with a second team All-defensive second team selection this year and an NBA all rookie first team award in 2012, but he has a Finals Mvp as well as a championship and another appearance in the Finals which Paul George has not got.

You also have to look at the players around them and their own roles on the team, first looking at Paul George ever since former all-star Danny Granger went down due to injury, Paul George stepped up and took over the role as the team's main offensive threat, looking at the rest of the roster there is not really a reliable scoring option, David West or Lance Stephenson are the two other main offensive threats on the team, but with George Hill's inconsistant play, coupled with Roy Hibbert, who struggled to score any points in several play-off games as well as players like CJ Watson, Evan Turner and Rasual Buttler who were also not the most productive consistant offensive players as well.

Flip the page over to the Spurs roster made up of a lot of different international players, a cultural diverse team led by eccentric coach Gregg Popovich and the big three of Tim Duncan ( a number one overall pick), Tony Parker ( the 28th pick in 2001) and Manu Ginobili ( the 57th pick in 1999) and the team is built around a philosophy of hard work and doing the fundamentals right, looking at the parts they have compared to the Pacers they carry a larger threat especially from 3 point range, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills are all superb 3 point shooters so they have excellent options to spread the floor, Tim Duncan is a dominant post player, Boris Diaw is a great passer for a big man, Tiago Splitter is also a great passer aswell and Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili can both drive into the lane aswell as shoot the 3 and from mid range.

So at the moment, Kevin Durant seems to be right in his comments regarding Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, but it will be interesting to see how Kawhi does when Tim Duncan retires and if/when he signs a longer term/better paid deal whether he will take over and step up his production.








                                               

FA Cup win rejuvenates Arsenal

At 5.15pm on Saturday, the mood amongst Arsenal supporters worldwide was at one of the lowest points of the season at the end of extra time the mood had changed from agony to ecstasy and this came as a result of an amazing 3-2 comeback win against Hull City in the FA Cup Final. 

It has been a season of what if's for the Gunners this season, firstly asking what if Luis Suarez who ended up the league's top scorer and PFA Player of the year had signed for Arsenal or what if Gonzalo Higuain had become an Arsenal player and what could have become if Theo Walcott and more crucially Aaron Ramsey stayed fit all season, Aaron Ramsey ended the campaign with 18 goals from Midfield including the vital winner in extra time at Wembley. 

Now on to the main event the FA Cup Final, a lot of Arsenal fans were very confident going into the final, thinking we had already won the FA Cup in the bag even before the Semi-final against Wigan, whilst other Arsenal fans (like myself) were a lot more cautious going into the game. As the game started, our worst fears came true a couple of set pieces found their way into the back of the net and Hull were 2-0 up within the first 8 minutes.

The game had two key turning points within the first half, Kieron Gibbs clearing Alex Bruce's goal bound header of the line and then Santi Cazorla finding the back of the net with the superb free-kick, the goal seemed to instil belief not only for the Arsenal fans in Wembley but for the 20,000 fans attending a screening at the clubs Emirates Stadium home. 

The second half started as the first half ended with more Arsenal pressure with the nerves of Arsenal fans growing bigger by the minute, with several penalty shouts denied by the referee, who even with a biased opinion had an awful game, the moment finally came when the Gunners got a slice of luck when Yaya Sanogo's back heel was adjudged to have touched a Hull player, from there Sagna flicked on the set-piece and Laurent Koscielny hit a smart finish underneath Allan Mcgregor who slid down Koscielny in the process, tension and troubles turned into serious relief in this moment. 

Arsene Wenger has had his share of criticism over the last 9 years, some justified others completely not neccesary but for me yesterday he got his substitutions spot on, in the first half Olivier Giroud was not able to fully dominate and control Hull's defensive trio, I thought the introduction of Yaya Sanogo and the change to a 4-4-2 formation served to help Arsenal control the front line a lot better, A lot of Arsenal fans (me included) moan about some facets of Sanogo's game but he brings a physical presence that Olivier Giroud does not have and he wore the Hull defence down well which helped Arsenal create more clear cut chances later on in the game. 

Wenger also introduced the midfield duo of Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere at the start of the second period of extra time for Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla, the introduction of the two classy midfielders enhanced the quality and sharpness of Arsenal's passing and that passing finally paid off with one of those goals you will see on those FA Cup montages, the ball was fed into Olivier Giroud who flicked a lovely back heel into the path of Aaron Ramsey who flicked it into the back of the net, the Arsenal fans erupted inside the Emirates and Wembley and when the final whistle sounded 9 years of pain and agony melted away, Arsenal fans had united in passion and pride to celebrate the winning of the FA Cup.

The FA Cup should be a springboard for the club to go on to achieve and it looks as if Arsene Wenger is going to continue his reign as Arsenal manager, for me realistic aims are to challenge for the Premier League title look for progress in the Champions League and further success in domestic cup competitions, Arsene is not the only person who should be needs to use the FA Cup as a springboard, some of the fans and the club around the Emirates Stadium are important for Arsenal's rejuvenation, our away support is always amazing, the fans have energised the players with their vocal support, the Emirates on the other hand has not been such a wall of noise and this is not aimed at passionate Arsenal fans, this is aimed at the people who keep silent for the majority of the game and leave because they do not want to catch traffic, we need the support of every single person in the ground and not just a few sections of passionate fans. The club and especially stewards have to also take responsibility, they are always harassing sections of fans to sit down during games fans who have been getting behind the team should not be discouraged from supporting their club, quite the opposite a singing section should be created to encourage a better atmosphere at the stadium. 

The FA Cup run should serve to show the club that on our day, Arsenal can beat any club in England, the main talking point is the strength in squad depth, a back-up keeper is needed with Fabianski leaving and Viviano's future unclear, Bacary Sagna's contract is up this summer and a move away from the Emirates would leave a big hole at right back, I for one do not think Carl Jenkinson is developed enough to be a Premier League starting right-back, a holding midfielder is another position where I feel a new signing is needed someone who can control the game and stop the oppositions creative forces, I felt that this was missing during big losses to Liverpool and Chelsea, Mikel Arteta's contract is up next summer and one feels this may be his last year at the club as Arsene Wenger will probably look for a younger replacement. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's continued growth in the centre of the midfielder may serve as a catalyst to signing a new winger, Julian Draxler and Mario Gotze are names being discussed as potential transfer targets and what every Arsenal fan is screaming at the computer for me to mention is a world-class striker, Olivier Giroud has had a great season but he lacks that clinical edge and touch of genius that a Thierry Henry or a Dennis Bergkamp had, a world class striker to play alongside or instead of Giroud would make our attack even more formidable and potent.

Final point for football fans of League football over the summer: Don't worry there is the World Cup and for fellow Gooners savour the moment, cherish it and hopefully we will be lifting more trophies in the near future. 

Europa League qualification - The real drama in Italy

With Europa League Semi-Finalists Juventus leading AS Roma by 8 points with 6 games to go, it looks like the title race in Italy is just about run and with Napoli leading Fiorentina by 9 points and Fiorentina 5 points ahead of 5th place Inter it looks like the final Champions League place and the first Europa League place are pretty secured.

The real chase is the pack behind, with two more Europa League spots up for grabs ( one due to Fiorentina facing Napoli in the Coppa Italia Final) 5 points separate 7 teams with only 6 games left, the intensity of the Italian league will be intensified in the final weeks with several match-ups between the teams involved in the chase, below I will use analyse the run in that these teams have and use a strength of schedule formula developed in order to show the average position of their opposition.

Inter Milan (5th Place) 50 points: Inter start off their run-in with two trips firstly to Genoa to face Sampdoria and then to the Tardini to face 6th place Parma in what could be the most pivotal game in the race for Europa League places, Inter then welcome the Partenopei (Napoli) to the San Siro before a crucial Milan derby the week later, on top of this they welcome 7th place Lazio to the San Siro and conclude the season in Verona to take on relegation threatened Chievo.

Parma (6th Place) 50 points: Parma have had a great season, a team who have through character and determination had a remarkable 17 game unbeaten streak which set a team record for games without defeat. For Parma's run-in they start off with the Emilian Derby away against Bologna in the early Sunday kick off, they then go to the San Siro to face Inter and then go to Sardinia to face Cagliari. Parma then have 2 out of 3 at home to finish their season starting with Samp at the Tardini, they then go to Turin to face 10th place Torino before ending the season at home to relegation threatened Livorno.

Lazio (7th Place) 48 Points: Lazio will be looking for Europa League redemption next season after their surprise defeat at the hands of Ludogorets of Bulgaria in the Round of 32, but last seasons Coppa Italia winners will need to work hard if they are to qualify for the tournament next year, Lazio's run-in starts with on paper their hardest fixture at the San Paolo away to Napoli, they then face 10th place Torino at home before visiting lowly Livorno, they then face 9th and 5th place Verona and Inter, home and away respectively before ending the season at home to Bologna

Atalanta (8th Place) 46 Points: Atalanta have been fuelled by the tank German Denis and his goals have helped Atalanta in to this situation with a chance to secure European football for the first time in 24 years, Atalanta's push for Europe starts off with a tough trip to face Roma and then back to back home games against fellow Europa League contenders Verona and Genoa which are key games as they then face champions elect Juve in Turin before a local derby at home to AC Milan and finishing the season at bottom place Catania.

Verona (9th Place) 46 Points: Verona will consider themselves to be the surprise package of this season, widely tipped to go straight back down to Serie B, Andrea Mandorlini's outfit have surprised everyone with their level of play this season and with their great home support ( when compared to city rivals Chievo's home turnout) they have been in the race for European football for most of the season, the main players behind Verona's surprise run have been Brazilian midfielders Romulo and Juan Iturbe as well as former Italy international Luca Toni who has hit 16 league goals (3rd in goals ranking) and 7 assists (5th in assist ranking),Verona's drop off may be contributed to the departure of talented midfielder Jorginho to Napoli as well as fatigue.

Verona though still have 6 games to make sure this is a season to remember, they face Fiorentina this weekend at home before facing the team they are level on points with away to Atalanta, they then face basement boys Catania at home before facing 7th place Lazio in Rome, Verona then conclude the season facing Udinese at home and conclude in Naples against Napoli.

Torino (10th Place) 45 Points: Torino have been carried to a 10th place position in Serie A this year by the brilliant scoring exploits of Ciro Immobile who is joint top of the Serie A goalscorers chart with 18 goals and by the wing magic of Italy International Alessio Cerci, Immobile and Cerci combined have contributed 30 of Torino's 47 league goals this season, therefore it will be interesting if they can retain them for next season and a European run would certainly help.

Torino start off their run-in facing Genoa at home, then face 7th place Lazio in Rome, they then go on to entertain Udine and go to Verona to face a struggling Chievo side and then conclude their season at home to fellow Europa League hopefuls Parma and end the season in Florence to face Fiorentina.

AC Milan (11th Place) 45 points: It has been a season of despair for AC Milan this year with little to cheer for the Rossoneri this year and with defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, a slim chance for Europa League qualification is the only way AC will see European football next season.

AC start off this weekend facing bottom club Catania at the San Siro before facing another relegation threatened team in Livorno, their run gets a bit harder as they travel to Rome to face Roma, they then host the Milan derby against Inter before going to Bergamo for another derby against Atalanta before facing relegation threatened Sassuolo on the final day.

I devised a table below in order to show which teams have the easiest and which teams have the hardest run-in on paper, this is done by adding the oppositions league position and dividing it by games left, having a smaller number indicates a stronger schedule, highlighted blocks are games against Europa League rivals.

Looking at the strength of schedule rankings it's clear to see that no team is at a real advantage with their schedule, Parma have the weakest schedule with their opponents averaging a position of 13th, while Milan have an average of 12th place but do have an advantage of having 4 home games and 2 away games compared to everyone else who have 3 and 3, the other 5 teams all average either 9 or 10 showing that no teams have an amazingly difficult schedule but will be made to work for every point this season.

 In the comments below, comment who you think will be playing in the Europa League next season.

Arsene Wenger - Time to go?

Arsene Wenger - Time to go?

In 1996 Arsene Wenger came in to Arsenal Football Club and changed the landscape of how football was played in the Premier League, he bought a style of attacking flair that was not only attractive but also effective, Wenger challenged the dominance of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United during the 90’s and early 00’s and during the period between 1998 and 2005 won 11 major trophies including 3 Premier Leagues and 4 FA Cups and led the famous 2003-2004 “Invincibles” team.

So where did it go wrong?

The first reason is the emergence of Chelsea and Manchester City, in 2003 and 2008 respectively these two teams were purchased by Roman Abramovich and Sheik Mansour, two of the richest individuals in the world, these teams successes relied on teams bankrolled by high transfer fees and wages, these two clubs have also increased there stature during the time without worrying about financial problems.

Secondly during his time at Arsenal, Arsene has overseen the opening of a new training ground in Shenley and the opening of the Emirates Stadium in 2006 led to Wenger having to frugal for several years and being smart with how much to spend on transfers with the club paying off debts, but now that is not a problem anymore and It annoys Arsenal fans like me why this money is not being spent in if it is readily available.

A point that is less constructively talked about is Arsene Wenger’s tactical ability defensively and his ability to develop young defenders, When Arsene Wenger entered Highbury he inherited an already stalwart defence, which was assembled by George Graham containing Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, Steve Bould, Nigel Winterburn and Martin Keown, this defensive unit contributed to a run of eight consecutive clean sheets in the double winning season of 1997-1998. Even during the Invincibles season in which Keown was only sparingly used, Arsenal used their attacking prowess with Pires, Ljungberg, Vieira, Bergkamp and Henry to blow teams away in the Premier League but the defence even containing Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole could not lead arguably Arsenal’s greatest ever team to Champions League glory.

“Defence wins Championships” Is a quote that’s used very commonly in Basketball and it can be applied to football as well, there has been many a time where Arsenal have failed to close out a game be it a 4-4 at home to Spurs, a 2-2 draw against Birmingham which was a game that was a pivotal turning point in the 2007-2008 League season. I for one feel that Arsene Wenger has got to take a hard look at his tactics and philosophies and figure out what is the problem behind the recent series of thrashings an 8-2 vs United, 6-3 against City, 5-1 against Liverpool , 6-0 against Chelsea and even a 3-0 loss against Everton was seen as embarrassing, I really feel it is a valid point to question what Wenger has actually done defensively over the years at Arsenal, what world class defender has he brought through the youth system minus Ashley Cole, has Arsene Wenger  failed to evolve to a changing landscape?

So to conclude, if we do have this reported £100 million to spend on new players, do you think that Wenger is the guy who should be trusted to spend it? If not, who will be the guy to take the hot seat at the Emirates? Simeone, Klopp, Van Gaal and Conte are all options  to take over so there is a nice set of quality managers, people I feel are worried by change and there is some risks, take David Moyes for example but people fail to understand he has inherited an ageing squad and was not backed adequately in the transfer market in August, as seen with the acquisition of Juan Mata, Manchester United’s form has improved, Moyes real test will come next year when United look to buy to replace some of their older players. At the end of the day, change is inevitable, it is a part of life and some people need to get used to Arsene Wenger not being at Arsenal anymore, I feel that people feel  they have their rose tinted glasses on and have to understand at the end of the day it is Arsenal FC not Arsene FC.