However I am not sure that is the answer

This is an eagerly awaited clash, and Spurs may nick it by a goal or two on current form. However, Villa will be intent on knocking them off their pedestal and so we should be in for a tight clash.Aston Villa v TottenhamPrediction : Villa 1 - Spurs 3 Get the BEST Odds and free betting tips for the match at the Aston Villa - Tottenham Betting Odds page at Sports Betting Review now!Plus, check out our Portsmouth vs Manchester United Betting Preview too.. When Carter arrived at UNC his game was based on athleticism and not much else.Under the tutelage of Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge, Carter learned to harness his athleticism to become a great defensive player, and it was there that he developed his perimeter game.Upon entering the NBA, Carter took the league by storm, earning the moniker of "Half Man-Half-Amazing" due to his aerial artistry and antics that took place above the rim.It was clear that Carter had learned a lot from his time at UNC, and you could go so far to say that his ability had even been a little underestimated, as he quickly became one of the league's brightest young stars.But just as soon as his star began to brighten it seemed that his developmental arc leveled out, and Carter became stuck in a holding pattern, with his game seeing no more advancement.Some of this is due to the various knee and ankle problems that Carter has suffered throughout his career that robbed him of some of his former explosiveness. But much of it is the result of an agonizing complacency.He simply seems comfortable with his current station in life and seems to possess neither the will nor desire to force his game to greater heights.He can do all of the things on a basketball court to suggest superstardom defense, ball-handling skills, post up ability in the paint, and he can shoot from distance but he does none of these things in a consistent manner.Carter seems content to spend most of his time launching shots from the perimeter when he has so much more to offer to his team.Lewis and Carter may be at the point in their careers when it is too late to make fundamental changes in their games, but that iscertainly not the case with center Dwight Howard.Before the Magic's recent game with the Atlanta Hawks, TNT analyst Charles Barkley was commenting on how Howard's game has not seen improvement on the offensive end since he entered the league.I would go further and say that Howard's game has not seen any significant improvement on either end of the floor since he made his NBA debut.He is in essence the definition of a player that gets by due to sheer force and physical dominance, overwhelming opponents because of his natural gifts, but seemingly incapable of advancing his game.Howard's 6'11" frame, uncanny quickness, and brute strength give him an advantage in most matchups, but he has no real post game and his defense is limited to jaw-dropping blocks and not much else.Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum is the young player most often compared to Howard, and based on their fundamental skills, there is no real comparison at all.Sure, Howard wins in the physical specimen category, but his game has shown none of the growth that Bynum's has in a similar time frame.Howard could learn some things from Bynum, especially how to be an offensive threat in the paint with his back to the basket, because Howard's game is totally devoid of that skill.If you don't believe me, take the time to watch Howard when the ball enters the post. He has no drop-step move, no low post foot-work, and is much more comfortable when he's able to face the basket.The defensive end of the floor is not much different as Howard has displayed some of the poorest one-on-one skills for a center with his size and agility.He is a great shot-blocker, but his defense is limited to that aspect.

With a little time and effort he could be one of the greatest defensive centers of all time.I sometimes wonder about Howard's capacity to soak up knowledge because he does have Patrick Ewing as a mentor, but has shown none of the qualities that helped make Ewing great.Does that speak more to Howard's ability to learn or Ewing's ability to teach himFor Magic fans the prospects must be tantalizing because as a team they sit on the precipice of greatness, but Orlando is only going to go as far as its young center is willing to carry them.Orlando sits atop the Eastern Conference at 11-4, and is a great team by any measure. But if the Magic could somehow tap into their unrealized potential, they could be head and shoulder above the rest of the teams in their conference.. I have been watching in extreme frustration over the last 7 seasons as the Raiders have become the laughing stock of the NFL. This once proud and feared franchise has become almost an automatic win for teams. What needs to change The QB, the WR's, the O-Line, a run stuffing front 7, the Coach, the Owner. All of these will help, but we have changed all of these over the last several seasons (except the owner) and it doesn't seem to be helping.The easy answer is Al Davis. However, I am not sure that is the answer. In all his idiocy, I fail to see that he is doing any of it to purposely hurt his beloved Oakland Raiders. I feel in his mind he thinks he is helping.I don't think a new coach is the answer. Coach Cable made our O Line a better blocking line, especially in the run game. Maybe we could get someone else to call plays,but that is a minor issue.It would be nice to have a QB that is more consistent and works harder in practice (although Gradkowski seems to be working hard). But how many teams have QB's that have bad streaks Most of them do.So that leads us to WR. All of them have potential and they all are young and are going to get better, so I don't think that is the issue either.So the front 7 on D could be better at tackling, but they get into the backfield and they show signs of brilliance. More consistency would be great, but I think we are looking good, plus we have a great player and leader in Richard Seymour.So what's the issue. I think we need a member of the Raider Nation to be a motivational coach. Maybe that sounds stupid, but hold on a second. As members of the Raider Nation, we have our hearts and souls in this team. It is a part of our lives not just a team we support. The Team needs the same feeling about themselves, that we have about them. The losses would be so hard for them to take that they would INSIST on winning. There would be no other choice.OK, maybe it wouldn't work, but nothing else is. I think it would benefit our team if they felt as strongly about themselves as we do about them.And I am sure hiring a GM (John Madden) wouldn't hurt either.. The Syracuse Orange are yet to be tested so far this season. Even if they are only three weeks into the season, nothing has given them much of a concern.One little obstacle looked to be a problem early, and that was the face of reigning National champions North Carolina Tar Heels.

The Heels led at the half, but Wes Johnson led the Orange to a commanding win that may have just made the statement that they're for real.Wesley Johnson and Brandon Triche have led the way for Orange: Johnson averaging 16.8 points and eight rebounds per game, and Triche scoring 12 points a game with three assists. With the two of them producing well, Syracuse is tough to stop.Their easy-going schedule has been a walk in the park so far, but their schedule, you might say, gets a little tougher starting conference play. Pittsburgh, Memphis, and West Virginia are three of their first five games in January. Other teams like Notre Dame, Villanova, Marquette, Cincinnati, and Connecticut follow to end the regular season.The Syracuse Orange have overpowered their opponents, but there is much more to come. Are the Orange for real Yes, they are, and they are looking for more.. Hey, the Denver Broncos finally ended their run of futility, and all the reports focus on only one thing.The win snapping Denver's four-game slide No. Brian Dawkins' inspired play Nope, that's not it either.Instead, a swear word uttered by coach Josh McDaniels that was accidentally broadcast by the NFL Network during the game Thursday night took center stage.It had been 38 days since the Broncos had won a game, yet all the talk is about McDaniels' penchant for the F-word.Meanwhile, there was a football game played last night, a 26-6 victory over the Giants, who are in the midst of a serious slide of their own.Elvis Dumervil had two more sacks, raising his NFL-leading total to 14, the second one leading to a fumble.

But both teams share one common theme: They have stalled since starting out undefeated.Denver won its first six games before losing four in a row, and the Giants have lost five of six since starting the season 5-0. But he certainly doesn't need to apologize to me, and I suspect most football fans could care less about swearing.This is football, after all, a tough game played by tough men, and things get said in the heat of battle. Isn't the game what it's all about anywaySo McDaniels swore last night Tough expletive, I say, come to think of it.. Every week, the Top Seven column will be enhanced by the newest addition to the JoeSportsFan Radio Network, Seven Minutes with Jason Major, where our Top Seven guru rants on the current topic, touches on previous lists and also vehemently defends his Cardinals bias...all in around seven minutes. This week was a historic week for the Major League Baseball awards. It was not historic because two of the greatest players of our time Joe Mauer and Albert Pujols won the MVP. It was historic because just one voter decided not to get cute and/or attempt to gain attention by voting for someone else who wasn’t the obvious MVP of the league. This year, Miguel Cabrera was the lone first-place vote who was not Pujols or Mauer, which is an absolute abomination. Believe it or not, there are worse ones from this decade. One wonders if the Internet is the reason why there were less horrible votes this year than any other year voters now know that they are going to get annihilated online if they vote the wrong way. This week’s Top Seven looks at the worst first place votes given out for MVPs this decade.7.