Valentine’s In The Northwest

Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Couples have gotten together, broken up, and made commitments.  This got me thinking about some couples in northwest sports. Some couples in sports need to break up, some need to decide to keep things casual, some need to make a commitment, and some just need to get together. I thought for the purposes of this article, I’d focus on three important couples.

Raymond Felton and the Portland Trail Blazers: Keep It Casual

Raymond Felton obviously has talent. That’s clear to anyone that has watched the Blazers play this year. The problem is that he just doesn’t seem to mesh with the Blazers roster and this has caused some turnovers and other boneheaded plays.  Frankly I’d like to see the Blazers break up with Felton but it just doesn’t make much sense. There just isn’t a player on the roster that could do the job better than Felton. Nolan Smith looks like a player who could take over in a couple of seasons but he’s not ready now. Elliot Williams is a shooting guard and should not play the point. Jamal Crawford is too valuable coming off the bench to bring into the starting line-up.  It’s hard to advocate removing a starter when there isn’t a better option currently on the roster. I suggest the Blazers keep their eyes open to look for a better point guard but stay with Felton for now.

Jared Cunningham and the Oregon State Beavers: Stay Together

For those who don’t know, Cunningham is a junior guard on the Oregon State basketball team. He’s very athletic and known for his spectacular dunks and high quantity of steals. He leads the Beavers in scoring and steals. Obviously, the Beavers hope he’ll be back next year. The question is whether or not Cunningham wants to stay. Hopefully for him, he will want to stay. As much talent as he has, he is not polished enough to play in the NBA. Cunningham needs one more year in college to get ready for the Association. Let’s hope he and the Beavers can stay together.

Peyton Manning and the Seattle Seahawks: Get Together

If the Seahawks aren’t one of the landing spots on Peyton’s list, they should be. The Seahawks are a young team with a solid defense, the exact kind of team that could give Peyton a chance at another ring. It’s also been a long time since Peyton has had a running game worth speaking about, and the Seahawks could give him that. Then there are the Seahawks receivers; Guys like Mike Williams and Sidney Rice ought to be attractive options for Peyton.  There’s no chance a coach like Pete Carroll gets his hands on a talent like Manning and doesn’t utilize him. The Seahawks should be an attractive option for Manning, but the question is whether they would even want him. The answer to that question is duh. Peyton can still play and there were times last season when it was clear that consistent quarterback play could have put the Seahawks into the playoffs.