Published: April 30, 2007
Op-Ed Contributor
A Sad Sports Day for South Florida
David Snyder
And with the ninth pick in the 2007 draft the Miami Dolphins pick...
As the name "Ted Ginn Jr." roared out over the load speakers at the Dolphins draft party it was first met by silence and then fought with boos.
Dolphins' fans sat in excited expectation as they watched Brady Quinn fall past teams such as Cleveland and Minnesota. The air inside the practice "bubble" in Davie, Florida was electric, as fans began to hold the hope of their team drafting the next Marino. Pick after pick Quinn slid, and most of the teal and orange clad attendees were feeling that it was meant to be.
So you can see how they felt cheated when Roger Goodell read Ginn's name. Like someone had stolen their lottery ticket. The commissioner himself had to check the paper twice. Ginn and Quinn rhyme, they both end in double "n", is this a mistake?
I am not of the same belief as other dolfans that the loss of Quinn will forever mar Cam Cameron's tenure, but I do question the choice of Ginn with the ninth overall selection.
First of all he is injured. An ankle injury that he has been battling for months and that will have him missing mini-camp.
Secondly, he is an unpolished and under sized receiver in a draft full of talent at the position.
I do believe the team tried to trade down from the ninth spot, but if they knew Ginn was their man how come they didn't look to trade the pick before draft day. The next wide receiver was not taken until pick 23 by the Kansas City Chiefs. It seems unlikely that the presence of Ginn Jr. would have caused a team to draft the Ohio State receiver.
The organization made up for the botched first round with a relatively strong draft. They spent all of their first round picks on offense, which was an obvious necessity, and they chose the third best quarterback on most boards with the 40th pick.
Hopefully for Cameron, Quinn doesn't turn into what so many believe he will, and Ginn Jr. will turn out to be more than he already is.
The white hot Heat are swept
The Heat finished up the least impressive season one could imagine from an NBA Champion by being swept out of the first round of the playoffs.
The Heat accomplished two things this season. One to shed doubt on the legitamcy of last year's championship, and two to get older.
They now look down the barrel of an off-season where they will try to jam Jason Kapono, James Posey, Earl Barron, Mike Doleac, and Chris Quinn into an already bulging salary cap.
And so this season and perhaps next could be the cost of a championship. It took signing on a load of veterans and compromising the future of the team, but at last Riley has the ring he has been searching for since his time in Los Angeles.
The Heat will still be competitive despite the suspect decision making. They have the best center in a league weak at the position and perhaps the best player in the NBA in Dwayne Wade. The real time table is set around Shaq, and if the team is unable to build a quality roster this off-season it does not seem possible that the team will be taking any more victory parades down Biscayne Boulevard in the coming years.
David Snyder's blog can be found at bigdaveonsports.com. He encourages comments and criticisms at dave@bigdaveonsports.com.
* The views of Opinion writers do not necessarily reflect the views of NewsBlaze
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