49ers Franchise DaShon Goldson

In a move that surprised very little of those close to the organization, the 49ers used their franchise tag on All-Pro safety DaShon Goldson (just look at the 2011 season production, into the playoffs), Friday, ensuring the Pro-bowler another year in San Francisco and maybe more.
Both sides have discussed the possibility of a long-term deal, and after watching how Goldson and Whitner played together this past season, I think the 49ers aren't going to want to break that bunch of any time soon. Now, if the Niners don't land an extension with Goldson before training camp, his 2012 figure would be taken from the average of the top-5 paid players at his position. In his case, I think the figure comes out to $6-7 million. He made just $3M in 2011, but his play was worth 3 times that amount so I have no problem at all giving him, say, a 5 year, $35M contract, and have your safety position set for the next half decade (Whitner is also under a multi-year deal). Both are young players in their mid-20's and have plenty of good football left. They still haven't even hit their peak yet. Wait until they're about 29-30 and really know the game and their opponent, look out NFC West! In other 49ers news, there was some more talk of the draft going on, as there was throughout the week, but in this case, it was about the 49ers drafting a possible power running back to compliment Gore and Hunter in the backfield. There's been some question brought into play about the durability of Gore after so many full-work loaded seasons with no real backup. You could really tell it bit him late in this last season and in the playoffs as he averaged around 12 carries per game for those last 5-6 ballgames (playoffs included).

There is also word out that the 49ers number one target in terms of wideouts is, of course, Vincent Jackson, who's probably number one on a lot of teams lists. Most 49ers insiders including Matt Barrows expect the 49ers to push for top-tierre talent at the WR position, but ultimately settle on a 2nd-tiere guy like Brandon Lloyd or Mario Manningham. My top choices would be Bowe, Jackson, and then Colston, in that order, but Bowe is likely to remain in San Diego and the 49ers aren't about to get into a bidding war for Jackson, just as they didn't get into one for Asomugha last summer, and look how well that worked out. As far as 2nd-tiere guys, I guess Manningham makes some sense, cause he's got a little speed and a little size to him, kind of a poor mans Colston. Though, Colston too is an interesting name, seeing that New Orleans has some guy named Brees to work a deal out with first, but I don't think he leaves NO. DeSean Jackson just got franchised, so that's not happening either. Another name though that continues to be an option, so long as he and the Bills remain apart on a deal, is going after Stevie Johnson, the San Francisco native, a guy we mentioned here a few weeks back. He's been borderline dominant up in Buffalo and by far that teams best wideout for 2 consecutive seasons. He's exactly the type of young, 25 yea-old athlete to build the receiving corps around. A hometown kid who can take the pressure off of Crabtree and Davis and really open up the playbook!

On another note, March Madness is starting to heat up, with the Tourny just under 2 weeks away. Luckily, the Bay Area has a team in the tourney in 42nd ranked Cal, as there was a chance a few weeks back that the Pac-12 may enter the tourney with no teams! And if your planning on throwing any money down on the Bears in the tourney, check here for NCAA Basketball betting odds or my personal favorite to win it all, Kentucky, the spot for all here's your spot for! Now, there's still some time left, so some things still could change, but the field of 68 looks pretty set!

Warriors Grab Klay Thompson With Pick 11

At first, I cringed at the pick, but the more I've looked at it up and down, the more I'm starting to see some logic in the selection of Thompson. I would have liked more of a power guard like Burks or a power big-man like one of the Morris', but Thompson should provide a key component for the Warriors; a sharp-shooter who can put up 20 ppg with ease.

As for the draft as a whole, I thought it started out great for the Warriors chances with all the European guard/forward hybrids going so highly, while players like Brandon Knight (the guy I really wanted to see the W's move for) and Kemba Walker waited and waited to hear their names called. In fact Walker didn't go until one pick ahead of Golden State at #1, and I can only imagine the dilemma that Larry Riley and Mark Jackson wound have faced had Walker fallen to them at 11? I think it would have been a draft Walker/trade Ellis scenario if that were the case, but it wasn't. Instead, the Warriors went with Thomoson, the Jr. out of Washington State which, again, kind of left me a little curious at the moment. Immediately after Thompson went, the guys I was hoping for, SG Alec Burks or one of the Morris brothers, Marcus or Markieff, were taken off the board in succession, so that had me thinking again; did the W's make the right move, or is Jerry West stuck in the 70's. Burks is more of that in your face, take it to the rim, true 2 guard who really reminds me a little bit of JRich and Stephen Jackson. As much as I like watching Ellis and Curry play together, I think this team needs a big 2 guard, one who can defend the likes of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durrant and one who can get to the line 10 times per night. But one thing neither will likely do as well as Thompson, especially in their rookie year, is score the basketball!

Now, they had their chance to do that with Burks, or even re-make their front line with a Morris, but hopefully by passing on them, Larry Riley has something up his sleeve, cause the team is a little deep with guards now who will want minutes. You can't forget about 2nd round pick Charles Jenkins, who many projected as a 1st rounder. Riley, West and Jackson have to figure out the guard situation where Thompson, Wright, Curry, Ellis etc... will all be in the mix, or he's gotta deal Ellis. In reality, they could use a 3-man rotation at the guard spot with Thompson learning behind Monta, then if Thompson asserts himself, Monta could become a big trade chip come February, but then you run the risk of damaging chemistry. Unless they have a plan to keep everyone happy and playing, it may have been wiser for Golden State to have taken that big man who could play 25-30 minutes per night right off the bat and allow their guard situation to gel as is, if that's what they want. Now Thompson makes you wonder a bit. The Warriors didn't need another scorer, certainly not a perimeter scorer. Now if they can deal one of these guards for a true big man, say an Al Jefferson from Utah, then I'd absolutely have an improved view on this pick. As of now though, I can't give them anything higher than a C+/B- for adding a guy who'd be lucky to be another Dorrell Wright-type.

The Dubs did get a big man though, sneaking in a late first rounder in a deal with Charlotte, but Jeremy Tyler is hardly the guy Warrior fans had in mind coming into this draft as the post factor they needed.

WRD Grade for Warriors Draft: C+

More NBA Draft Coverage to Come!

Around the World of Sports with BASJ

Like we try to do at least once a month here at the Bay Area Sports Journal, we wanted to take a look around the sports world, beyond what's happening just here in the Bay Area. With MLB baseball underway, the NCAA tournament just finished and the NFL draft and NBA playoffs just around the corner, their is certainly no shortage of topics to discuss.

MLB: We'll start in the MLB, where the season is barely a week old, and a few surprises have stuck out early. A few of the teams that are off to the hottest starts, are the teams that a lot of people had finishing in the cellar of their division. Perhaps the most impressive of all have been the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays. Both are stocked with young talent, but neither looked to have much of a shot in the tough AL East, but they are off to terrific starts. In the AL Central, the Royals are atop early with a 5-1 record as they're finally getting some production from Alex Gordon and the rest of that young roster. The AL West holds Baseball's only undefeated team in the reigning AL Champion Texas Rangers, also a team that not a lot of people were expecting to strive like they have, even after their World Series appearance last fall. Over in the NL, things are a little more to script, with the Phills on top in East, Cinci in the Central and the Rockies taking the early lead in a struggling NL West. Much like in 2010, it looks 2011 could have some playoff teams that surprise you.

NCAA Basketball: We'll move onto NCAA hoops, where I'll admit, I didn't get into as much as I have in years past. I was so focused on spring training and the leading up the 2011 MLB season to put much stock into the tourney, but I did watch some of that National Championship game, in which Connecticut dominated with defense. UConn was the clear-cut favorites, but Butler hung in there in the first half. But in the 2nd half, the Huskies pulled away, getting good performances out of their star, Kemba Walker (16 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists) and sophomore forward Alex Oriakhi (11 pts, 11 boards) and ended Butler's Cinderella story.

NBA: Like with the NCAA Tourney, I haven't been nearly as focused on the NBA as I have with baseball and football, but it's almost playoff time, and that's going to change. The Spurs and the Bulls are the top teams from their respective conferences, record-wise at least, but I don't think those two will necessarily be representing the East and West in the Finals. The Spurs aren't the league's youngest team, and they are dealing with some health issues. Tim Duncan is battling nagging injuries that have tremendously cut into his production this season, and I just don't know if they'll beat the Lakers in a best of 7. If LA gets knocked out before the Spurs would have to face them, then I think they can pull it off, but LA is the one team that can stop them, I believe. In the East, the Bulls have the record, the Heat have the talent and Boston has the experience. So they have 3 teams with a legit shot. If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on a 2010 repeat or Boston vs. LA.

NFL: We'll finish up with the NFL today, where there just hasn't been much to talk about, unless you really like discussing Lockout terms and news, which I can't stand and won't do. With this lockout keeping teams from doing anything with current NFL players and free agents, the draft is about the only thing we get to focus on right now, and it's approaching quickly (April 28th). This is one of the oddest drafts in recent years, not only because of the lockout, but because there is such uncertainty surrounding the #1 pick. In years past, it's been pretty clear leading up to the draft, who would go #1, but right now, it really could be 1 of 6 or 7 players. The Panthers are a team with a lot of needs, but they just drafted Jimmy Clausen last year and I don't think they're ready to just cast him aside. I'm thinking they'll go defense or possibly grab star receiver A.J. Green. They could even trade down a few slots with a team who wants to ensure they get their pick of the litter at quarterback, like Arizona, Buffalo, Tennessee or Washington. If your into the NFL draft, then this is a site you'll want to be frequenting, because between now and April 28th, I'd say the NFL draft will get about 75% of our focus.