Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players and executive.  As such, it is news to us that Dallas Stars have announced that they will be retiring the number #56 of Sergei Zubov next season.

This announcement follows Zubov’s Hockey Hall of Fame selection this summer.  

The Defenseman would join the Stars after being traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins before the 1996-97 Season, and he would stay there until he left the NHL after the 2007-08 campaign.  With Dallas, Zubov would go to three All-Star Games, and would be chosen as a Second Team All-Star in 2005-06.  The Russian blueliner would finish in the top ten in Assists three times and he would lead the NHL in Defensive Point Shares in 2000-01.  He was a vital member of Dallas’ Stanley Cup win in 1999.

As a Star, he would play in 839 Games with 549 Points and a Plus/Minus of +109.

This makes Zubov the second former Dallas Star player to have his number retired.  He joins Neal Broten (#7), Bill Goldsworthy (#8), Mike Modano (#9), Bill Masterton (#19) and Jere Lehtinen (#26).

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Sergei Zubov for earning this honor.

Golden State Warriors or Boston Celtics: Who Has a Better Chance

The Golden State Warriors were outshined by the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason. Both in the media and on the NBA odds boards. With Kyrie gone –and a handful of others–  the Celtics got ignored as well.

Let’s compare the two teams and have a look at their odds to win the NBA title as well as the Eastern and Western Conference Championships and determine if they are getting too much love or too much shade. And of course, who is more worthy of the probability and odds given – remember to check this Intertops review before getting into the futures action.

Recent History

As of Monday, the Celtics are sitting just outside of the top-10 with regards to their offense. Boston is putting up 113.13 points per game and has managed to regain its status as one of the league’s elite defensive units. Currently, the Celtics are No. 5 in the league in points allowed at just 103.75 and are also No. 5 in the league in field goal percentage at 41.77. They are also in the top 10 – No. 8–  in free throw percentage. 

After losing their opening matchup loss against the Philadelphia 76ers, they have gone on a tear, smashing their way through the Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, NY Knicks twice, the Charlotte Hornets, and San Antonio Spurs for seven straight wins.  

On Monday they host the Dallas Mavericks and are coming in as -3.5 point favorites. So if you are to believe the odds, they will increase their run to an 8-game winning streak before Tuesday. 

Even with Klay Thompson out for the foreseeable future, the Golden State Warriors started the season with decent odds to win the NBA title, albeit, behind the LA Clippers and LA Lakers. But the injury to Steph Curry has recently made the Golden State Warriors odds drop like a little kid holding a hot potato. Prior to the injury, the Warriors were around +1200 to win the Championship. However, now they have fallen to +5000 or 50 to 1. This is a huge drop. 

Faith in the Warriors has fallen so hard that they are coming into their Monday matchup against the Utah Jazz as double-digit underdogs. This is a complete role reversal for the Dubs. Their season start is almost the exact opposite of the Celtics. GSW has only won two games so far this season and is on a three-game losing streak. Even without the brothers splash … the Warriors offense isn’t terrible. They rank No. 14 for scoring in the NBA and are the best free-throw shooting team in the league. But they have no defensive identity at the moment. The Warriors rank No. 29th overall on defense, mostly due to their horrible road performances. At home they only marginally improve, allowing 120 per game for the 26th worst home defense in the league. So, it’s clear that Curry and Thompson provide more than just offensive fire-power. They give the Dubs leadership and fantastic perimeter defense.

Odds vs. Power Rankings

The Boston Celtics have taken the No. 6 spot on TeamRankings predictive power rankings. On the Las Vegas odds boards, they are No. 8 in line behind the Nuggets, Jazz, Rockets, Rockets, Sixers, Bucks, and both LAs. 

The Warriors are in 12th place on the NBA odds boards but the predictive algorithms have the Warriors way back at 21st. This makes sense given the fact that their overall defense scoring statistic is No. 29 in the league. So, how do we reconcile the fact that they have the 12th best odds on the board? Well, they are Golden State and Curry will be back, perhaps in time for a run at the playoffs. If they get into the post-season, who knows what happens. Still, I feel they are massively overvalued at the moment. Meanwhile, the Celtics are right about where they should be. Perhaps a tad bit undervalued given the fact that they keep winning. That said, there is a lot of season left, and both of these teams have lot to prove over the next few months.

One of the core lists for us on Notinhalloffame.com is our Football section, which ranked over 100 former players who are worthy of Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration.  In honor of the NFL’s 100^thAnniversary, and announcement that there will be a special committee that will add fifteen senior candidates, we have decreed that our section needed an update.

In looking at our list, we were guilty of not taking a proper look at the pre-Super Bowl era candidates, feeling that they received a proper look by the varying committees who voted for candidates since 1963.  In retrospect, that was wrong.

Before, we continue, a special thank you to Vinny Lospinuso, who has been doing many podcasts with us, in regards to Pro Football Hall of Fame snubs.  Much of his input is reflected in this revision.

We have expanded this list to 300, which is the number we intend to keep it for the unforeseeable future.  You can find the new list here:  http://www.notinhalloffame.com/football?start=0

We here at Notinhalloffame.com thank you all for your support, and we ask you to take a look, and cast your votes and offer your opinions.  Future lists are altered based on your feedback, and we encourage your assistance.

In an interview today with the NFL Network, former Jacksonville Jaguars Running Back, Fred Taylor, decreed that he belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  He specifically had this to say:

“Obviously I think I belong.  It’s not in my hands. I think the voters, after doing a deep dive, they’ll understand that I belong there too. I really believe I had a solid career, and hopefully the writers will understand that one day.”

Taylor, who has been eligible for Canton since 2016, has yet to make the Semi-Finalist cut.  He likely never will.

Taylor was a very good player, who would accumulate 11,695 Rushing Yards, placing him 17^thall-time as of this writing.  In terms of Yards from Scrimmage, he is 35^thall-time with 14,079.  While these are more than respectable numbers, at no point was Taylor ever considered to be the best Running Back at his position.  Generally, he was never in the discussion.  Taylor made it to the Pro Bowl only once (2007) and his highest finish in Rushing Yards was sixth, which he did twice (2000 & 2003).

This is not to say that he was not good and at times great player, as he certainly was, but to be considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, you need to be elite, or at least have been in that debate.  If you are not, you need to have the longevity that has few equals.  13 years is very good, but in his case, not good enough.  

We are in the process of expanding our list to 300.  Taylor was considered, but did not make the cut.  When we get to the all-time Jacksonville Jaguars, he will have a high rank, likely in the top three.