Commonwealth Times

As the NFL Draft approaches (April 26-27), I can't help but think how amusing it will be for the Miami Dolphins. Let me rephrase that-how amusing it will be watching the Miami Dolphins during the draft.

Even though the Dolphins are my favorite team (it's a curse - my family's from Miami), I'm not above making fun of them here. You see, the Dolphins managed to take the last two years to build up to this moment. The team is so thin in so many positions on the depth chart that whoever is lucky (or truly unlucky) enough to be taken by Miami with the first overall pick will be only a part of a multi-year rebuilding plan.

So, I'll go ahead and congratulate Chris Long, defensive end from Virginia, or Jake Long, offensive tackle from Michigan- whichever the Dolphins settle on. Chris would fill a serious need on the defensive line while Jake would do the same on the offensive line. It's unfortunate that the Dolphins can't have both-that way the healing process could take less than a decade.

What's more humorous (or depressing) is that whichever Long is drafted will probably be only one of two guys to contribute immediately from the draft class. Draft picks from the second and third round are reliable and usually are ready to contribute, but - after that - it's usually a gamble. The day the Dolphins are looking at a superstar, one or two potential contributors and a handful of projects to help shore up a 1-15 season. Good night and good luck.

Moving to the NBA, the Miami Heat will face a similar situation in three months when the league's draft comes around. The Heat front office did just as bad a job of keeping the roster healthy and youthful as its NFL counterparts and are also paying the price. What makes the Heat worse is that just three years ago, Shaq and Dwayne Wade were hoisting the championship trophy. Now, Miami is in a situation where it needs to find a legitimate center, an athletic forward in case Shawn Marion leaves, a scoring wing or forward and a point guard who isn't out of his prime. That's just the starting lineup. The Heat also needs a bench.

Miami isn't going to get better through the draft. Barring disaster, the Heat will get the first pick and probably will take Kansas State big man Michael Beasley or Memphis guard Derrick Rose. Both players are great on the college level and will make outstanding pros. However, neither will fill all the needs of the Heat, and Pat Riley has yet to show that he can put a full team together. The draft pick will need some help to drag the Heat out of the cellar. Once again-good night and good luck.

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As the NFL Draft approaches (April 26-27), I can't help but think how amusing it will be for the Miami Dolphins. Let me rephrase that-how amusing it will be watching the Miami Dolphins during the draft.

Even though the Dolphins are my favorite team (it's a curse - my family's from Miami), I'm not above making fun of them here. You see, the Dolphins managed to take the last two years to build up to this moment. The team is so thin in so many positions on the depth chart that whoever is lucky (or truly unlucky) enough to be taken by Miami with the first overall pick will be only a part of a multi-year rebuilding plan.

So, I'll go ahead and congratulate Chris Long, defensive end from Virginia, or Jake Long, offensive tackle from Michigan- whichever the Dolphins settle on. Chris would fill a serious need on the defensive line while Jake would do the same on the offensive line. It's unfortunate that the Dolphins can't have both-that way the healing process could take less than a decade.

What's more humorous (or depressing) is that whichever Long is drafted will probably be only one of two guys to contribute immediately from the draft class. Draft picks from the second and third round are reliable and usually are ready to contribute, but - after that - it's usually a gamble. The day the Dolphins are looking at a superstar, one or two potential contributors and a handful of projects to help shore up a 1-15 season. Good night and good luck.

Moving to the NBA, the Miami Heat will face a similar situation in three months when the league's draft comes around. The Heat front office did just as bad a job of keeping the roster healthy and youthful as its NFL counterparts and are also paying the price. What makes the Heat worse is that just three years ago, Shaq and Dwayne Wade were hoisting the championship trophy. Now, Miami is in a situation where it needs to find a legitimate center, an athletic forward in case Shawn Marion leaves, a scoring wing or forward and a point guard who isn't out of his prime. That's just the starting lineup. The Heat also needs a bench.

Miami isn't going to get better through the draft. Barring disaster, the Heat will get the first pick and probably will take Kansas State big man Michael Beasley or Memphis guard Derrick Rose. Both players are great on the college level and will make outstanding pros. However, neither will fill all the needs of the Heat, and Pat Riley has yet to show that he can put a full team together. The draft pick will need some help to drag the Heat out of the cellar. Once again-good night and good luck.

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