Here is why you can have 2014 back

Last year, I wrote a column about my 12 favorite sports moments in 2013. This year, I just want 2014, as a sports fan, to be over.

Now. And why? Here is why, in no particular order.

1. Boston trades Rajon Rondo to Dallas
Now don't get me entirely wrong, as a Rondo fan, this is the best thing for him. Danny Ainge is clearly delusional in Boston and was never going to rebuild correctly around Rondo like he did Paul Pierce. There isn't another banner going up anytime soon, so if Rondo wants to sniff out another crown, somewhere else is best and LA or Houston wouldn't have been the place. But as a Boston fan, this signals the end of the 2008 team and the end of Boston's hope for a while. With Rondo, Pierce, Garnett (and OK, sure Ray Allen) gone, looks like more obscurity is coming Boston's way.

2. Michael Bisping gets trucked...twice
Again, let us look at the positive: he demolished Cung Le and his face. But in two more big matchups that could have gotten Mike into title contendership, he wilted. Tim Kennedy took him down with ease and Luke Rockhold decided to turn it up and then demolished 'The Count.' It was just sad to watch.

3. Duke loses to Mercer
Enough said. It was bad. Like Jabari Parker freshman year bad.

4. Jabari Parker tears ACL
OK, so I wasn't fond of his play most of the time in a Duke uniform, but he is still a Duke guy. Seeing him lose his rookie season to a debilitating knee injury sucks.

5. Red Sox go from first to worst
I don't even know. Putting in the most effort in the league every OTHER year, that just isn't good enough. It is like Boston rested on their laurels for the season then put in effort in the offseason to get better for 2015. But what about 2014?

Favorite NBA player, favorite NBA team, favorite college/team at all, favorite fighter. It just wasn't a year I liked even a little bit in the sports world.

But like the Red Sox, I'm just going to forget about 2014, it wasn't even worth the trouble.

Redrafting the 2006 NBA Draft

I am pretty sure that then-NBA commissioner David Stern traded his mother at some point during this draft. It really was like one big game of “Let’s make a Deal.” 19 trades that happened anytime before this draft ended up affecting this draft. On draft night alone, there were 14 trades (6 of which were with lottery picks). Just look at how things may have been with no redraft but with no trades. Lamarcus Aldridge a Bull? Rudy Gay a Rocket? Rajon Rondo a Sun?

And at the forefront of those trades were the Portland Trail Blazers. Going strictly by odds, they should have landed the top choice in this draft. They didn’t and instead scrambled to make the best deals they could. Had the draft choices stayed their course, Portland would have ended up with an overrated (again, often referred to as busy) Italian named Andrea Bargnani. Instead, they had to make some other moves and ended up with organizational foundation Lamarcus Aldridge and longtime team leader Brandon Roy. Not too shabby for a team who felt like the world was against them weeks earlier when the ping pong balls fell Toronto’s way for the first time in franchise history.

No Portland didn’t get their Jordan this time. But they also didn’t up with another Sam Bowie.

Pick 1: Toronto Raptors

Who they took: Andrea Bargnani

Who they should have took: Rudy Gay (8^th pick)

Why: Joining Andrew Bogut from a year earlier, Bargnani was not so much a bust as he is often described, just not a sure fire player or a top pick. That is why I would instead choose to take Rudy Gay if I was Toronto today. And that isn’t to say there aren’t several other valid options for this pick. But Gay brings acumen for getting to the basket and a shooting IQ that combined is unrivaled in this draft class. Toronto was looking for a killer to replace what they had lost with McGrady and Vince Carter in recent years and Gay knew how to do that from the word go. The team won the Atlantic Division following this draft, but not because of their pick. Needless to say that Gay’s 10.8 ppg as a rookie (and career best 20.1 ppg as a 2^nd year player) would have netted the Raptors more of a punch with Chris Bosh than Andrea did.

Pick 2: Chicago Bulls

Who they took: Lamarcus Aldridge (traded to Blazers)

Who they should have took: Lamarcus Aldridge (and kept the pick)

Why: The Chicago Bulls post player carousel had made a full rotation the team had ran out of options outside an aging Ben Wallace, a past his prime PJ Brown and a never very good Andres Nocioni. They decided (via trade) that Tyrus Thomas would be the answer. He wasn’t. Aldridge had a NBA ready body and the Bulls let the Blazers steal him right out from under them. His rookie year numbers of 9 ppg and 5 rpg are the lowest of his career and he’s never averaged fewer than 17.8 or 7.5 again. He is one of the most talented, athletic and high motor forwards in the game today and has been a huge centerpiece for a Blazers team currently experiencing somewhat of a revival. If the Bulls could have kept him long term like Portland did, he’d currently be teamed up inside with Joakim Noah. Imagine that.

Pick 3: Charlotte Bobcats

Who they took: Adam Morrison

Who they should have took: Rajon Rondo (21^st pick)

Why: Charlotte had a lot of self destructive behavior in their early days. Adam Morrison was the worst of it. Morrison was the 2000’s version of that highly hyped, white, strong college athlete that just never stood a chance until the pros. Jimmer Fredette is today’s version. Instead, they could have had a small kid from Kentucky who has turned into one of the league’s most prolific playmakers. For any knocks (size, temperament) anyone has on Rondo, he’s got a play to shut you up. He’s twice led the league in assists and also led it in steals as a 4-time All-Star and former All-NBA performer. Easily a top five point guard in the league today, scoring Rondo to help build your franchise around would have been a major coup for a Bobcats team that used Morrison’s ability as their 4^th best player (what does that say about their other players?!?) to a 33-49 record.

Pick 4: Portland Trail Blazers

Who they took: Tyrus Thomas (traded to Bulls)

Who they should have took: Brandon Roy (6^th pick and kept the pick)

Why: In reality, they ended up getting Roy in a couple picks via trade, but with no trade here to land Aldridge, you take the next best playmaker (if not all around player). Before his degenerative knee situation took full effect, Roy was the one that looked like he could lead the Blazers back into contention. He immediately went for broke, averaging 16.8 ppg as a rookie and peaked in his third year with 22.6 ppg. He only had four good years in the league, but they were very good and if you are Portland, you still build on that foundation. Had his knees not gone so, so bad and he was still in the league today performing at the level he was capable of, he easily tops this list.

Pick 5: Atlanta Hawks

Who they took: Shelden Williams

Who they should have took: Paul Millsap (47^th pick)

Why: 46 times, someone passed on future all-star Paul Millsap. That was a hurter when he has that All-Star year just this last season. What’s worse is that he was still a 2^nd team rookie performer right after they all passed. He has always been nimble on his feet and it’s shocking that teams didn’t take a chance on him earlier. He played in all 82 games three of his first four years in the league and has made steady progress every year. Atlanta, still desperate for one more piece inside, really could have used that growth earlier, though they are happy they have Millsap now during his All-Star year and those that are still to come.

Pick 6: Minnesota Timberwolves

Who they took: Brandon Roy (traded to Blazers)

Who they should have took: Kyle Lowry (24^th pick and kept the pick)

Why: Lowry is probably not one you take for the initial appeal but rather for what he blossoms into. And considering the Timberwolves (still reeling from years without a pick due to the Joe Smith debacle) traded away one of the best players in this draft, you have to keep the pick here and hope Lowry pans out long term while still in Minnesota where you can pair him with Kevin Garnett briefly and later with Kevin Love. His numbers have grown every year and he has been an outstanding leader for Toronto. So if Minnesota could wait (which they may as well have by ending up with Randy Foye), then Lowry would have been a gem.

Pick 7: Boston Celtics

Who they took: Randy Foye (traded to Timberwolves)

Who they should have took: Randy Foye (and kept the pick)

Why: Knock Foye with one pick and take him in the next. Yup. Boston should have taken Foye to sweeten the Kevin Garnett deal the following year. He ends up a T-Wolve anyway that way. It would have allowed Boston to keep another young piece, preferably Ryan Gomes or Gerald Green while giving up Foye.

Pick 8: Houston Rockets

Who they took: Rudy Gay (traded to Memphis)

Who they should have took: J.J. Redick (11^th pick and traded to Memphis)

Why: It is not as good of a move as Rudy Gay and Houston made a mistake by trading him specifically. But with Gay off the board, I think you take Redick and actually still trade the pick to Memphis. If you are Houston, you still get Shane Battier, a player you covet and if you are Memphis, you another piece to be a true shooter until he develops. He fills Battier’s shoes adequately and opens up Mike Miller to be a scoring point.

Pick 9: Golden State Warriors

Who they took: Patrick O’Bryant

Who they should have took: Andrea Bargnani (1^st pick)

Why: I reiterate Bargnani is not a bust. He never scored less than 10 ppg in a season; he just simply didn’t become Dirk 2.0 as the Raptors wanted. He is still a solid pick at 9, more so than most people are with the ninth pick and clearly better than O’Bryant, who washed out quicker than you can say his name. His shooting hasn’t been exceptional, but he scored 21.4 ppg midway through his current career stretch and would have filled some of the scoring needed in Golden State while having the chance to be a bigger part of the rebounding game than the Raptors ever needed him to be.

Pick 10: Seattle Supersonics

Who they took: Mouhamed Sene

Who they should have took: Ronnie Brewer (14^th pick)

Why: Brewer has bounced around a lot after spending his first 4 years in Utah mostly because of his significant tumble in production. This is a pick Seattle makes for immediate relief in the time leading to and of early Kevin Durant. Brewer helped the Jazz to three straight playoff appearances in his first three years, the hallmark of which being his 2^nd and 3^rd years where he averaged 12 and 13.7 ppg while starting all 156 games of the regular season and 17 playoff games that he played in. After he left Utah, not so much and I don’t expect him to be in the league next year after averaging 0.9, 0.3 and 0.0 ppg in the last three years over 38 total games. But if Seattle could get 4 years out of him like Utah did, it is a good deal.

Pick 11: Orlando Magic

Who they took: J.J. Redick

Who they should have took: Shannon Brown (25^th pick)

Why: Orlando brings Brown in to be a clutch shooter, plain and simple. It’s the same role they initially brought Redick in for, so this is not a bad move, though not exactly lateral either. Brown does almost everything in an “OK” way and that is alright for what service he would have provided in Orlando and ultimately did provide with the Lakers.

Pick 12: New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets

Who they took: Hilton Armstrong

Who they should have took: JJ Barea (undrafted)

Why: Did you even know that JJ Barea was on the Mavericks roster before their championship run in 2010-2011? No. He slid under the radar and was a valuable commodity without anyone really knowing it. He averaged 7.8 ppg for two years in Dallas, missing just 7 total games before people started paying attention. He would have been a motor guy to backup Chris Paul with the Hornets and one that could have helped where the Hornets lacked (depth).

Pick 13: Philadelphia 76ers

Who they took: Thabo Sefolosha (traded to Bulls)

Who they should have took: Thabo Sefolosha (and kept the pick)

Why: Sefolosha is a minute man. Give me 20-25 minutes a night, shoot the ball at a pretty respectable clip and get hustle points (loose balls, pass deflections, etc.). And Philly needed someone like him in the worst way. Iguodala had no interest in hustling, Kyle Korver could only do so much, Allen Iverson fell asleep while he was still there. Thabo would get you Kevin Ollie numbers, but would still put in more work and effort than anyone on this club.

Pick 14: Utah Jazz

Who they took: Ronnie Brewer

Who they should have took: Jordan Farmar (26^th pick)

Why: A suitable backup for Derek Fisher, which is what Brewer was. Farmar was never the player that he was at UCLA, but he still shot the ball well and gave Kobe and Smush Parker some breaks with the Lakers. He could have done so with a bigger chance to make an impact in Utah.

Pick 15: New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets

Who they took: Cedric Simmons

Who they should have took: Leon Powe (49^th pick)

Why: Powe was an enforcer every year he was in the league. His career wasn’t long but he was one of the critical elements on a deep Celtics team in just his second year that won the NBA title. And again, the Hornets needed depth, depth and more depth.

Top 12 Sports moments that were crucial to me in 2013

The Top 12 Sports Moments of 2013 that were crucial to me. Let's face facts that there were tons of great moments all over sports in 2013, but this list is just selfish. The top 12 things in sports (or the seedy underbelly of kinda-sports) that made my year. Maybe they made it bad, maybe they made it good...but at least they made it.

12. A abrupt halt of the Anderson Silva express

I have never been a fan of Anderson Silva's. I had no expectation however that he was going to get beat, ever. That all changed when Chris Weidman shocked the world by punching right into Anderson's playtime hour in July. When you see arguably the greatest ever look human, it is shocking. When you see what happened to end the year, it is heart wrenching. I have never been a fan of Anderson Silva, but when he snapped his leg at UFC 168 in the Weidman rematch, it was hard to stomach. Not just the gruesome nature of the injury, but to see this great quite possible end his career that way, not of his own accord. The Silva express sputtered out in 2013. I was happy to see him lose a fight, I was sad to see him quite possibly lose it all

11. Big Papi says 'F' the FCC

In the wake of the Boston Marathon devastation, the city of Boston needed a voice, someone to wake them up. That was David Ortiz. In the pregame speech before the Red Sox first post-attack game, Papi declared “this is our fucking city” and with it, a new meaning to 'Boston Strong' was born and the unity of the city would carry the team forward for the rest of 2013.

10. Super Bowl Power Outage

Who forgot to pay the electric bill? That was what we all thought when the Super Bowl shutdown while the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers started the calendar year with an epic clash. It was a great game, which helped, but the oddness of banks and banks of lights going off without reason made this a night to remember. Conspiracy theories lit up and people ran their mouths about the NFL trying to help the Niners. Whatever it was, whoever's fault it was, it was fun as a spectator and made the game that much more memorable.

9. Battier cashes in...again

Because of there are “big three” groups, why not use it to your advantage. As an anti-Lebron James kind of guy, I try to take good things out of Miami Heat titles. I like Dwayne Wade and Mario Chalmers, even Chris Anderson...but the best thing is that Duke's Shane Battier gets rings too. He is the first Duke player to ever win multiple NBA Titles and has cashed in on the Heat big three's decision to play together. Even better, Battier has been a catalyst in those NBA Finals appearances, including this year going 6-for-8 from three point range in the decisive game 7. You are welcome Miami.

8. Mention on the Tommy Toe Hold show

One thing I have certainly become a fan of in 2013 is the Tommy Toe Hold show, a (sometimes) weekly MMA based cartoon comedy. In July, for the 50th edition of “Tommy's Sack,” Tommy let the fans decide what would be on the show. I jumped on the chance and what came out was Vitor Belfort on an octopus and Michael Bisping on raptor....jousting. Yes, jousting. As Tommy said, “Dan Vance trumped all.” and “...yep, that just happened.”

7. Bringing back In All Directions

I started In All Directions in March of 2008 with a blog about Brett Favre. Nobody read it. Literally, nobody. I looked yesterday, it has zero reads. After getting away from it for a long stretch, I decided to bring it back this year mostly so I could ramble some about sports. And while some articles have done better than others (471 reads of my top 5 songs to pump you up), it is nice that people actually take the time to read my half random, half consistent blog. It has been great to have it back.

6. The Return of Da Spyder

In the great landscape of mixed martial arts, Kendall Grove may not be as relevant as I would like him to be. The winner of The Ultimate Fighter season 3 had an up and down UFC career, then an up and down independent promotion career before signing with Bellator. For me as a MMA fan, nothing is better than watching Michael Bisping, Kendall Grove or War Machine fight. So when Kendall signed with Bellator, I was hyped. When Kendall appeared on my television screen on Spike TV once more and declared “guess who's back motherfuckers,” I was hooked again. He delivered that night, taking out Joe Vedepo and leaving me hoping that Da Spyder has one last strong run in him, perhaps toward a Bellator Middleweight title or a UFC return some day.

5. Rajon Rondo tears ACL

We all knew the end of an era was looming in Boston. Ray Allen bolted for Miami because he's a douche and then Doc Rivers was clearly headed out. The only hope Celtics fans held onto was that maybe, just maybe we could have one last run at a title before the ship sank. That all ended when Rajon Rondo tore his ACL and the top youthful talent and by far the best point guard in the organization went out with an injury he has yet to return from. This was a memorable moment but for all of the wrong reasons and it pointed to the end of Boston's return to contender glory.

4. UFC turns 20

I remember being in middle school and watching VHS tapes of UFC in my friend Alex Schultz' basement. That was my introduction to the UFC: Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn. This year, they celebrated a milestone by turning 20. It was cool to watch all of the videos and documentary style stuff reliving those year as I vaguely remember the early years and have been a big fan ever since The Ultimate Fighter (the original) lured me in. The celebration finished with another arguably greatest fighter of all time, Georges St. Pierre, retaining his welterweight title in what may very well be his last fight in the Octagon.

3. Boston trades Pierce and Garnett

When Rondo went down, the pieces started to fall. But on Draft night, I felt sick to my stomach as the NBA experts discussed a trade talk that would send Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn. Forget that we would be getting back crap like Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries (who recently almost shot at his own basket like this is rec. league) and also giving up Jason Terry....the thought of seeing either Garnett, or especially Pierce, in any other jersey, was sickening. The trade killed not only the Boston contender era, it was one of those times when you have to ask if anything is sacred anymore. Paul Pierce was the Boston Celtics. For his entire career, he was the centerpiece. It would be like Larry Bird not wearing Boston green. It was like those times that Karl Malone played for the Lakers or Patrick Ewing was a Seattle Supersonic. And it was sickening.

2. Duke signs Okafor and Jones

Duke should win one or two of the next three national titles. I know this to be fact. Will they? Who knows. Should they? Clearly. The signing of Jahlil Okafor (he just dropped 40 in a game) and Tyus Jones made next year's freshman class probably the best ever signed by Duke. Knowing that the two of them, along with Grayson Allen and Justise Winslow replace middle of the road Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton, never-to-be the same again Andre Dawkins and a former walk on who's name has too many consonants, it huge. Bring in four guys who can start right away to replace your bench? Yes please. The signing of this pair may go down as the most significant thing in the history of Duke basketball. Which is great, as long as you are a Duke fan.

1. Boston Red Sox win the World Series

Through all of the struggles in Boston after the marathon bombings and after the tribulations Boston had gone through in prior seasons, the return to glory was a great one. Dominance was key and pulling out big win after big win against Detroit in the ALCS and then the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. It was a perfect exclamation point on an era that saw them end the biggest drought in the history of ever with 3 titles in 10 years. And it was an even better exclamation for the city of Boston after 2013. It also was sadly a poignant end for the Boston strong trio of Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury with free agency pending and Ellsbury ultimately deciding he wanted to be a communist. But Yankee sucktasm aside, it was a big and fitting ending for the beard squad and a huge part of what made 2013 so memorable to me in sports.