How Yasiel Puig In 2013 Reminds Me Of Miguel Cabrera In 2003

Yasiel Puig has provided an instant boost to the morale of the Dodgers since he set foot inside the Dodger clubhouse. They were struggling at the beginning of June at 24-32 with the season slowly but surely going down the tubes- enter Yasiel Puig and fast forward about a month and a half later and the Dodgers now sit atop the NL West division at 53-47 a lot of the Dodgers turnaround could be attributed to the energy that Puig has brought to the line up. It has made players around him start playing better and the Dodgers look like the team people expected before the season started. Now I have seen this same type of energy and impact before and it happened to come in the form of Miguel Cabrera 10 years ago back in 2003 for the world champion Florida Marlins.

Although Puig now and Cabrera then are 2 different kind of players the energy and impact both of them brought to their respective ball clubs is vastly similar. Puig on June 3^rd made his major league debut vs the San Diego Padres for a struggling Dodgers team at 24-32 lingering towards the bottom of the NL West. Puig went 2-4 and had an outfield assists to end the game on a double play resulting in a Dodgers win. Miguel Cabrera on June 20^th 2003 got his 1^st start in the big leagues although the production of that game isn't as great as Puig's what he did produce matches Yasiel. Cabrera went 1-5 in that game but that 1 hit which was his 1^st in what is now a great major league career was a walk off home run in the 11^th inning off of Al Levine which gave the Marlins a 3-1 win over the Devil Rays. From that point forward the Marlins looked like an entirely different ball club. They played a lot looser and with a lot more energy and after May 23^rd 2003 the Marlins compiled a 72-42 record which was best in baseball and led them to a 91-71 finish and a wild card berth which ultimately led them to a World Series championship over the New York Yankees. Cabrera had a lot to do with the Marlins great production after May 23^rd. Puig Like Cabrera in 03 has been a huge reason that the Dodgers since his arrival on June 3^rd are 30-15 up to this point.

Puig and Cabrera like I said earlier are much different players and Puig right now at 22 is 2 years older than Cabrera in 2003 he was 20. The energy they both brought to the teams they played for are very alike in my eyes. The only question now is if the Dodgers make the playoffs will the Impact that Puig has had here in 2013 wind up in resulting in the same way as Cabrera in 2003 when the Marlins won the world series?? I guess only time will tell.

Atlanta Hawks Have A Steal In Dennis Schroeder

Over the last 10+ days I've been watching a lot of NBA summer league and have seen many of the leagues new fresh young talent. Few of them though have caught my eye as much as the 17^th overall in this years NBA draft Dennis Schroeder. The young German Point guard has displayed tremendous poise and at 19 years old already knows how to run an offense. His priority is defense first and when he is defending whoever he uses that 6'7 wingspan and doesn’t give his opponents that much space to get comfortable. With Jeff Teague potentially going to the Milwaukee Bucks it is possible that the 19 year old out of Germany might be the starting point guard for the Atlanta Hawks. If you aren't familiar with the German born point guard then let me get you familiar with him before the word gets out.

Schroeder played 2 years of pro basketball in Germany and also had some stints with the German U-18 and U-20. He caught the attention of many scouts at the annual Nike hoop summit held in Portland where the best high school talent in the world competes against each other. In a sea of top tier talent like Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker,Julius Randle and Aaron Gordon Schroeder managed to shine among them with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 112-98 win for the World team over the USA.

I kept hearing good things about him among basketball fans I follow on Twitter so when I finally had the chance to watch him play I liked what I saw from immediately. Patience, poise and Intensity are a few words I would use to describe his game. All game long against the Kings he was matched up with Ray Mcallum and made his life a living hell giving very little room to maneuver. He gets low in that stance and uses all 6'7 of his wingspan to get his hands on the ball and force the opponent to make a bad decision with the ball. On offense he plays with a tremendous amount of patience for some one his age. In the pick&roll he makes quick decisions and takes what the defense gives him. If they go under the screen he shots the jumper or if they pack the paint then he just swings the ball and gets his team into the offensive set immediately.

I think the Hawks got a steal at #17 with Dennis Schroeder any young point guard who can run an offense patiently and makes defense his top priority makes any team better. Might be one of the top value picks in the 2013 Draft. If you are unfamiliar with Schroeder and his game check out the video below.

Video Blog: NBA Finals 2013

The 2013 NBA Finals starts tonight a 9:00 as Lebron James and the defending champion Miami Heat take on Tim Duncan and San Antonio Spurs for the chance to wear the Crown in basketball world as champions of the NBA. For the Heat its just a step closer to achieving dynasty status. For the Spurs this could be the last run in what has been the best run of basketball this generation has seen. Get my thoughts on the 2013 NBA Finals by clicking the video below.