Once a Buckeye

I wanted to highlight a couple articles that have piqued my interested lately.

The first is a little bit old, but it was ESPN’s first mock draft for the NBA that had the Cavaliers somehow ending up with Kosta Koufos (h/t The Sports Diva Magazine). I think Kosta will eventually become a solid NBA performer but he needs to get mean first. He needs to get to the free throw line a little more frequently for a big man. But the Cavs have a need to start developing the next Zydrunas and he could fit that bill nicely. Another part of the article mentioned the possibility of the Bucks wanting to trade Michael Redd away in their efforts to rebuild. I know it’s a long shot and pipe dream, but I would love to see Redd in the Wine and Gold.

One can dream.

The other is about a MotSaG hero, our favorite #10, Troy Smith (h/t The Silver Bullet):

With a big arm and even bigger chip on his shoulder, Smith has outplayed the other quarterbacks during this spring’s minicamps, backing up his claim there is “no doubt” he can go from a fifth-round pick to a starting quarterback in one season.

Everyone in Buckeye Nation wants to see Troy prove all the non-believers wrong. Even if he is a Raven, we are all rooting for him to take over his team and succeed.

The coaching staff, though, has been just as impressed with Smith off the field as on it. He has perfect attendance in the weight room and the classroom.

This is what four years under Jim Tressel will do. When Smith was a freshman, a quote like this would have surprised me. Four years later, not so much.

He proved himself to the team when he showed poise despite being pushed into starting the final two games last season. It seems veterans respond to Smith more than the other quarterbacks.

Looks like the Ravens are starting to see what Buckeye fans saw at the end of the 2004 season and the beginning of 2005. The Buckeyes just played better when Troy came in. It was a noticeable difference in the way the other players responded when he came into the huddle. It was his team and everyone played that way.

So good luck, Troy. Just not when you play the Browns.