Dallas, we have a problem (and how to fix it)

Well, the WWE has done it again. Roman Reigns is being pushed as top face headed into Wrestlemania. PPV fans reacted as expected, prompting attempts to explain the dilemma, sometimes. using video game analogies.Reigns will face WWE World Heavyweight Champion of the World Champion, HHH, in Dallas.



In other words, we're stuck with a main event whose finish is already decided by the audience. As someone at work said "well, it IS scripted, right?". Sure. But I don't know what's going to happen on The Walking Dead, even though it's scripted. I mean (SPOILERS), Jesus in the bedroom?  Who saw that coming? Just because it's fake, doesn't mean it has to be predictable.

But surely, anything can happen on the grandest stage of them all, right? Well, sure. But fans know that HHH has a full-time gig as COO of the WWE. He's not going around making appearances as champ, because he's already got a bigger title than champ. Further, better than half of fans at live shows feel like Reigns is getting a push by WWE management (part of whom happens to be that same HHH). So there's a better than 90% chance that the boss leaves Dallas with the title around his new guy. The other 10% is worse - that HHH will just delay the payoff to the storyline until next Monday's RAW, or the next PPV. Hint to the WWE: for the money folks are paying for WM tickets, they should get a payoff in the story that night.

How can we fix this problem? For starters, HHH needs to start putting roadblocks in Roman's way. If I was facing Reigns, I'd want him to wrestle without the riot gear he currently wears to the ring. HHH OWNS THE COMPANY, so he can easily make that happen. And he could even do a nice segment mocking Reigns for wearing all that gear. Great heel behavior often involves honesty, and this would be a logical step. Hunter has been involved in actively stripping Reigns of the armor before, but c'mon. He's The Game, so he should get this done with his brain.

Next, our supposed hero needs to overcome some odds. HHH doesn't seem suited to doing run-ins, I mean, why would the COO hide under the ring, or run down and interfere in matches? But Roman's life has to be made more difficult. One option would be a blatant use of power - HHH could just order officials to DQ Reigns. A quick 5-count in the corner later, Reigns is headed to the showers as a loser. Wait, is that a CLOSED FIST? Sorry, ring the bell.

Maybe HHH could hire some muscle to rough Reigns up. Unfortunately, we've seen that already. And it wastes talent that's needed elsewhere on the WM card. The Wyatts, for example, can't be picking fights with Roman if they're going to be facing the Titans, or the Brothers of Destruction, or whoever. Maybe he could use Titus O'Neil. Oh, wait, nevermind.

Lastly, we need Reigns to actually take his opponent seriously. He's facing THE GAME. Umpteen-time champion.  If you want to give this a main event feel, Roman needs to prepare to face a master tactician. And you know who would be PERFECT for that? Daniel Bryan. I've already written about that a bit here. It could work the way HBK worked with Hunter vs. the Undertaker at WM XXVII. IN the runup to that, Sean Michaels came out and lectured HHH, letting him know the enormity of the task facing him, and at the same time asking what made HHH feel like he could beat the streak when Michaels could not?  Daniel has a similar back story to play upon. He's climbed that mountain, and he can also claim bitterness at the ease with which Reigns has reached this level. The weight he could bring to the matchup would be a huge plus.

Finally, address the other side of the match. HHH is COO. It doesn't make sense for him to be champ, does it? Maybe you could show HHH enjoying being a regular wrestler again. But that would take a lot of his time away from running the WWE. Or he could start altering rules to make it easier for him to remain champion, like removing the (mostly ignored) ideas of required title defenses. A better option might be planning a post-Wrestlemania tournament for the title. Hunter could announce plans to retire as champion after Wrestlemania, and start running promos for the tournament. Suddenly, a Reigns win seems to upset established storylines, instead of fulfilling them.

Here's hoping the WWE follows at least some of these tips, so we're still interested in the outcome of their main event.

The Hornets and the ability of availability

Trent Dilfer coined the term: "The best ability is availability." He often says this in reference to NFL QBs. What good is having "special arm talent" if you're on the bench?  The Charlotte Hornets need to pay more attention to that ability. 

Let's consider a potential starting 5:
Derrick Rose
Paul George
Kevin Durant
Blake Griffin
Dwight Howard

Let's get fitted for rings, right? Wrong. In 2014-15, those players combined to miss 214 games, and none of their teams made it to the NBA finals. Injuries derail championship aspirations. And in Charlotte's case, it keeps them from taking the next step forward.

This week, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist re-injured his right shoulder. It's the same shoulder that was hurt in the pre-season. So far MKG has played in 7 (seven) (VII) (siete) games this season. And for that, I blame Michael Jordan. Wait, WHAT?  Bear with me.

The Hornets have lost 118 games to injury this season. That's seventh (7th) most in the NBA this year. Who's been hurt? MKG, Batum, Al Jefferson,  Jeremy Lin, P.J. Hairston, Cody Zeller, Spencer Hawes. It's hard to win when 3 of your starting 5 are missing. And it's hard to have continuity when players are coming and going from the lineup.But hey, sometimes the injury bug bites. It's not like this happened last season....

... or is it? Charlotte had a full healthy roster for 8 games in the 2014-15 season. That's less than 10% of the season. Six players missed 10 or more games. The year before, they made the playoffs, but lost to Lebron and the Heat, due at least in part to injuries to Al and MKG. Hard to be a championship-level team when 2 of your starting 5 are out or injured. 

Here's why I assign blame to the front office. Jordan can't control the effort his players give. He can't control how the ping-pong balls fall in the draft, or what plays the coaches draw up out of a time out. What he CAN control is the facilities, training staff, and player research. If you have the best training staff in the NBA, and you allow them to provide input on personnel decisions, you'll end up with your best players playing. And that's how you win titles, or at least compete for the best talent. 

MJ himself had a remarkably injury-free career. He missed most of his second season with a broken foot, but after that remained free of major injuries until his final season with the Wizards. But he knows what happens to teams that don't pay attention to injuries. One of the teams that passed on Michael Jordan is a textbook example of missing a chance because of player injuries. Sam Bowie had an injury history in college, and Portland was never able to put a plan in place to keep him on the court. They put their training staff in a tough spot, and it cost them.

The Phoenix Suns are widely praised for their training staff. Did you know there's a trainer of the year award? Aaron Nelson  of the Suns has won that award. For years, Phoenix has had a reputation for helping older players prolong their careers, and for helping players avoid injury. That's a draw in free agency. Smart players realize that injuries hurt their earnings potential in the endorsement market, and they'll look for teams that can promise them the best chance to stay on the court. Grant Hill extended his career in Phoenix. So did Shaquille o'Neal. Not only did those experienced players sign with the Suns, but THEY PLAYED. More than once, the Suns have lead the league in fewest games missed to injury, though this year has seen some major injuries crush their chances. Phoenix isn't in that position every. Single. Year. Charlotte is. And it's avoidable. 

Charlotte can definitely compete to have the best training staff in the NBA. So why not do it? Compared to player salaries, training staff salaries are a minor expense. More importantly, the money you invest in training staff translates directly into ticket sales. Ticket sales are built around stars. If 3 of your starters are hurt, and you're signing guys to 10-day contracts, you've lost star power, and you'll lose ticket sales. Further, since healthier teams make the playoffs, trainers are also helping to generate revenue from those extra playoff games.  Lastly, trainers protect the investment in your players. They can analyze a player's medical records and let you know which FA is likely to miss major time in the future. They get players back to the court more quickly. And a good training program emphasizes prevention as well as rehab, and helps reduce the severity of injuries.

So please, Mr. Jordan. Invest in a top-flight, world-class, game-changing training staff.