JaMarcus Russel should be the top pick…Fact!

NBA Commissioner David Stern made the right decision to suspend referee Joey Crawford… NBA Commissioner David Stern made the right decision to suspend referee Joey Crawford indefinitely following his incident with Tim Duncan over the weekend.

Geoff Dutelle: Fact. Stern knows he has a lot of work to do when it comes to the league’s image, and it starts at the top. Well, maybe a few steps down from the top here. The referees cannot be asking the players if they want to, as reported, fight right there. Even if it isn’t true, the fact that the reports have lived this long is a testament to how deranged the NBA image is. This is like Kevin Arnold trying to start up with older brother Wayne – he isn’t going to win, so what is the point in starting it up? Ridiculous. Crawford should be booted from the league for this.

Dave Thomas: Fact. It is often said that the best referees are the ones who can do a game and never be seen. That means that they were so good that you didn’t even notice their calls positively or negatively affecting your team’s game. Referees should know that going into that kind of career, and that should be their goal for every game – to go unnoticed. Crawford did exactly the opposite with this incident with Duncan. He put himself in the spotlight, and now he has to pay the price. Stern definitely made the right decision because he knows his league doesn’t profit from the refs, it profits from superstars like Timmy.

Former LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell should be the No. 1 overall pick in next week’s NFL Draft.

GD: Fact, and I feel bad for the guy. I wouldn’t wish going to Oakland upon anyone, but the Raiders are in dire need of a quarterback, and this kid has a bright future in front of him. Brady Quinn might be ready now, but teams seem to love Russell and his dynamic playmaking ability. Oakland is a vertical passing team, at least so it claims, and Russell has a better arm for that type of system. I don’t think this means, though, that he has a better NFL career than Quinn. We’ll have to see on that one.

DT: Fact. And I just think the Raiders’ overwhelming need at the QB position takes precedent over anything else when it comes to their draft day decision. And while I understand that every team drafts upon needs, I always feel that the best possible talent available should be taken first. For example, the Texans had a shot at Reggie Bush purely based upon his talents but instead took D-end Mario Williams to fill a need. While I don’t think it was the right decision, need ultimately becomes the priority. Based solely on talent, this year’s Reggie Bush is Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Johnson should be the top pick, but with Randy Moss and Jerry Porter already in black and silver, it just seems that Russell will be the Raiders’ pick.

The Dallas Mavericks, who have had the best record in the NBA all season and have clinched home court advantage throughout the playoffs, will win the NBA title.

GD: Fact. This team is in elite company and isn’t about to let a disappointing finish in last year’s playoffs get in the way of this year’s title run. The Mavs are balanced and deadly from all spots on the court. They have struggled against the Phoenix Suns this season, but I think we’ll see a case where the Suns and Spurs, who are destined to lock up in the Western Conference semifinals, take a lot out of each other in a touch series. The winner will have a tough time running with a rested Dallas team in the next round. Dirk and the boys get it done this time around.

DT: Fiction. As crazy as it sounds, I think the champion will once again hail from the Eastern Conference. I know that the West has been superior all season long, and that Dallas, Phoenix and San Antonio are probably better than any team in the East, I just think that those teams have beaten up on each other too much all year long. While Dallas definitely has the edge coming out of the West because the Suns and Spurs will meet in the second round, I still feel that the Western Conference finals will be a more grueling series than the NBA Finals. I could very easily see whoever is left standing from the West going down to a red-hot team from the East, most likely Miami or Detroit.

Rumored to be EA’s choice, Vince Young should grace the cover of Madden 2008.

GD: Fiction. Look, I know it has to be stupid to turn down any endorsement deal, but the Madden Curse is bigger than any marketing superstition in sports history. It will plague Young’s season for certain, and that’s something the second-year quarterback just can’t risk. If EA didn’t believe it to be true, then why haven’t we seen Peyton Manning or Tom Brady on the cover? Why not LT? Let’s face it, this curse is real. They should just put John Madden himself on the cover again – what is the worst that can happen? It couldn’t be any more painful than what he does now.

DT: Fact. Somebody’s got to be able to break that curse. And why not the seemingly in-VINCE-able Vince Young? He was able to take down one of the greatest dynasties of college football when he put Texas on his back to upset USC in the Rose Bowl. And then in his rookie season he was actually able to make Tennessee not laughable. Young has proven to be a pretty tough cookie, and if he can take down the Madden Curse, the sky is the limit.

Senior staff writer Dave Thomas will be the most missed staff member of The Pitt News after this week.

GD: That’s a resounding fact. I remember the pilot Fact or Fiction DT did with the great Matt Sortino, and its quality has been unwavering. He will be missed. I am lucky enough to be in the same master’s program as the big guy next year, though, so I’ll be getting my fix. Fact, buddy.

DT: Well as flattering as that is, and as much as the T.O. and Barry Bonds in me would like to say “fact,” I’m going to have to go with “fiction.” The truth is, with a busy senior year of a full-time job and a full class load, all I’ve really been able to do this year is give the readers of The Pitt News (and for this particular column, mainly just my fiancee, family and roommates) my uneducated opinion on facts and fictions in the wide world of Pitt sports. I will definitely miss it more than I will be missed. For the past three years, it has been great to get behind the scenes of Pitt athletics and at the same time have other students on campus approach me and say “fact” or ask me random sports questions like I was some kind of celebrity. So, to all of you who have read “Fact or Fiction” or other stuff I wrote, thanks for reading and keep reading this great student newspaper.