FACT or FICTION

It would actually benefit Pitt to not make a deep run into the Big East Tournament so they… It would actually benefit Pitt to not make a deep run into the Big East Tournament so they can prepare for the NCAA Tournament.

Joe Balestrino: Fiction. Though an early exit would allow the Panthers to get healthy in preparation for their NCAA tournament run, I don’t believe that it would benefit the team overall. In fact, I believe the Panthers would benefit from a deep Big East run because it will enable the team to work out a lot of its weaknesses which teams have been exposing quite frequently as of late. The Panthers need to work on playing more aggressive team defense, beating a full-court press and rebounding on both sides of the court. The team’s shooting percentage is also down. All of these things can be improved with more practice against quality Big East opponents, making them better prepared to face the best of the best in the NCAA Tournament.

Dave Thomas: Fact. I would never suggest losing is good for a team or for a team to play to lose, but the Panthers seem tired. Their late-game collapse at Georgetown on Saturday proved that. Not only did they make physical mistakes, they also made mental mistakes. If that doesn’t show fatigue, I don’t know what does. If Pitt loses at Madison Square Garden, I don’t think they’ll be upset at all. Aaron Gray needs to rest to get healthy and everyone else needs to re-energize if this team is to make any noise at the Big Dance. As weird as it sounds, Pitt fans should hope for an early exit from New York City.

The NBA all star festivities should not have been in Las Vegas.

JB: Fiction. What happened off the court is ridiculous, but in no way was it a result of the fact that the game took place in Vegas. Athletes like Pacman Jones don’t need Sin City to misbehave – their criminal records prove that they are quite capable of messing up all over the country. Actually, I think it was a great idea to have the All-Star game in Las Vegas because of the amount of interest it generated. It also acted as a “test-run” for the NBA to see if the city is ready to have a professional sports franchise. If anything, the Las Vegas trial was beneficial to the sport, not harmful.

DT: Fiction. While it’s a shame what happened with Pacman Jones and some other reported incidents that went down while all the celebrities were in Vegas for the event, when do we start holding these people accountable for their actions? Why should the NBA have to pick a location for this event that will keep rich knuckleheads out of trouble? The people involved need to be accountable for their actions instead of using the fact that they were in Vegas as an excuse to cause trouble. When it comes down to it, trouble seems to find these people, so they should have to pay the price, not everyone else. People like Jones ruin these types of events for everyone involved.

The NFL should implement a three-strikes-and-you’re-out policy for a player code of conduct.

JB: Fact. I am all for a zero-tolerance policy in all professional sports leagues. Each sport has had its share of scars in the absence of such a policy. The NBA has the infamous Pacer and Carmelo fights, the MLB has its ongoing struggle with steroids and the NFL has its troublesome players as well, like the Cincinnati Bengals and their nine felons, for example. Players’ unions will make the passage of such a policy difficult to achieve, but it is a good idea nonetheless. The NFL has done a decent job overall with regard to its delinquent players – at least much better than the NBA and MLB have done with theirs – but if they hope to maintain that reputation, the implementation of such a policy would be a good idea.

DT: Fact. The fact of the matter is a lot of NFL players are getting into way too much trouble. This policy was suggested by some players who seem to be sick of a minority of players ruining the image of the majority. So if they are supporting this, it seems like it would be a good thing for the owners, players and fans. However, it might be difficult to implement because there is already a substance abuse policy, and would this now supersede that? And what would constitute a “strike?” Once the NFL can figure out some of these wrinkles, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see something like this to help the NFL protect the image it has worked so hard to attain. The Penguins’ trade for Gary Roberts is the missing piece the Penguins need to make a deep playoff run.

JB: Fiction. I do like the Penguins’ acquisition of Gary Roberts, because it came only at the expense of career-underachieving defenseman Noah Welch. Roberts is a good choice because he has played at a consistently high level throughout his career. Although his numbers are down this season, Roberts’ experience will help a young Penguins team throughout its playoff run. Having said that, I do not believe he is the “missing piece” that the team needed to make a deep playoff run. The Penguins need more consistent goaltending and defensive play in order to be a serious contender. I felt that the team would have been better off trying to make a deal for a defensive stud than an aging offensive veteran. Still, even though the trade for Roberts may not have provided that missing piece, it didn’t hurt the team either.

DT: Fiction. Not that I don’t think acquiring Roberts is a bad move, I just don’t think it’s exactly what the Pens needed. In my opinion, they need a winger who can put the puck in the net to put alongside playmaker Sidney Crosby and to give them two solid scoring lines. That would take some of the pressure off of the third and fourth lines who have done a great job recently. I don’t see Roberts as a big time goal scorer; he has put up some solid career numbers, but he is 40 and has only 13 goals in 50 games so far this season. That said, general manager Ray Shero has made some great moves in his first year as general manager, so we’ll see how this one plays out, and hopefully for the Pens, it does result in a deep playoff push.