Welcome to Starting 5 – a weekly column by Operation Sports!
Each week, Managing Editor Shawn Drotar and Senior Game Editor Clay Shaver will tackle the world of sports and sports gaming in a rapid-fire discussion.

Is there a question on your mind? Find out below how to submit your question for next week’s column!

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Starting 5 – Five hot-button topics in the world of Sports and Sports Gaming

1) The NBA season is in full gear with a ton of hype surrounding a promising rookie class. While all the hype seems to fall squarely on LeBron, Carmelo, and Darko, experts agree that this may be one of the most solid crops of young talent in recent history. Will the Rookie of the Year come out of “The Big Three” or will someone else steal the spotlight?

Shawn: No. This trophy goes to LeBron James unless he completely goes into the tank. James has all the talent in the world, and once he improves his jumper and starts drawing some fouls, he’ll be one of the most dangerous players in the league. He’s as good as advertised – and that’s no small feat. Carmelo Anthony’s the only other contender here, but the only way he wins the award is if he leads Denver to the playoffs this spring – and despite their surprisingly strong start – that’s simply not going to happen.

Clay: Agreed. And, I’ll be honest; I was one of the people that kind of wanted to see “King” James fall flat on his face. He’s that good, though. I expected him to look scared and overwhelmed at times, but I sure haven’t seen it. Like you said, a little more consistency with the “J” and this kid is all-world. Any other year and “Melo” would be a lock, but the “Air Apparent” (version 6.0 – Grant Hill, Harold Minor, etc…) is born.

2) One of the most anticipated sports gaming releases of the month is Microsoft’s Top Spin. Can a tennis game compete in the video game world?

Clay: No. Next question.

Seriously though, a tennis game can compete among the “Sports Gamer’s” elite, but it won’t sell a million units. That is, until EA Big gets a hold of it.

Shawn: I suppose it depends on what you consider “competing”. “Top Spin” is an excellent game, but for reasons unbeknownst to me, it hasn’t had the “buzz” of “Virtua Tennis”. I’m biased, as I’m a huge tennis fan, but I do think that “Top Spin” will capture a certain segment of gamers – enough of them to be considered a success for Microsoft Game Studios. It’s not “Madden” – but then again – it’s not trying to be…

Clay: “WTA Street”! I think that has legs! Could you imagine what the EA Big guys could do to Anna Kournikova’s…ummmmm…serve?

Shawn: Easy, big guy – we’re only on question two…

3) The Kansas City Chiefs are 9-0 after yet another impressive win. The question is inevitable: can they challenge the ’72 Dolphins’ undefeated season?

Clay: Sure, they can challenge them - but they won’t go undefeated. There’s too much parity (and at times parody) in the NFL every year for an undefeated season. They will lose a game to a really bad team like the Lions and go 15-1 or 14-2. But, bottom line, this is THE team to beat. They’re averaging over 31 points per game! They’re not just beating people…they’re beating people up.

Shawn: Absolutely. The Chiefs have clearly established themselves as the best team in the NFL, and nobody but the Tennessee Titans are particularly close. Kansas City can do it, but from here on out, they’ll get every opponent’s best effort. If they manage to pull it off, it’d be the greatest achievement in NFL regular-season history - and meaningless if they didn’t go on to win the Super Bowl.

4) We’re deep in the heart of the basketball release season in the video game world. What’s missing from today’s basketball titles that developers should be working on in the coming years?

Clay: Illegitimate children. Drug possession charges. Groupies. NBA Action…it’s FANtastic!

Actually, I love what the new games are doing with the move to a more sim-based style of play (some of the titles that is), but I would still like to see a little bit more realism on the offensive end. There are still too many drives, lay-ups, and dunks. I want to see offenses rewarded for making the extra pass by knocking down the uncontested 16-foot jumper. I want to see shooting guards coming off the high screen and pulling up for the “deuce”. If I want “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Rim Rattlin’”, I think I still have my “NBA Jam” on Genesis. NBA Basketball is amazing to watch when it’s played well.

Shawn: I’d like to see better defense and off-the-ball play. Most games cheat on defense by increasing blocked shots or artificially decreasing field goal percentages, but that makes the player feel robbed. There’s nothing more frustrating then beating the defense off the dribble, driving the lane, and missing a wide-open layup – multiple times a game. Defenses should adapt to the game situation. It’s difficult to do, of course, but I think it can be done, and it would take basketball games to the next level of realism. It should be noted, however, that this year’s crop of games has done better in this regard than previous seasons. Let’s hope they continue to improve. As far as off-the-ball play goes, however – the game companies all need to improve dramatically. All cynicism aside, professional basketball doesn’t consist solely of isolation plays. Players need to perform more intelligently without the ball. Cutting to the hoop, setting up in the paint, and boxing out are big parts of the game; and need to happen much more often than they do in most console renditions. This works in conjunction with the defensive issues – basketball is a 5-on-5 game for a reason – and I’d like to see more of it in next year’s games.

5) The Florida Marlins outlasted the histories of the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Red Sox to capture their second World Series championship in their short existence. Is this good for baseball?

Shawn: Yes and no. In this case, the Marlins didn’t buy their championship like they did in 1997. They made shrewd trades, and did a great job drafting and building through the farm system. In that regard, they’re a model franchise, and their win is great for baseball. On the other hand, the Marlins’ victory (and the Angels’ the year before) may delude fans into thinking that you don’t need high payrolls to build a consistent winner. The recent history of baseball suggests otherwise. A few successful teams each year will undoubtedly come out of the lower-payroll teams, but one can’t help but notice that a much higher percentage of winning teams come from the highest-spending franchises. There is inequity in baseball’s current system, but the Marlins’ victory helps to obscure it – and guarantees that you’ll hear Bud Selig touting it next spring.

Clay: Tigers owner Mike Illitch was likely kissing his giant, gold-plated TV when the Marlins took home the gold. Along the lines of what you said, a lot of owners are going to try to pass off this “low payrolls can win” shtick to their fans and, at least I can say for sure here in Detroit, it is going to get ugly. The Marlins have a low payroll because their talent is young and opportunistic. That window closes very quickly on most franchises. I loved to see these young kids who seemed to really love playing baseball take home the prize, but I fear the repercussions could get ugly.

Shawn: It happens every year. We’ll see how happy the Fish fans are when Josh Beckett and Dontrelle Willis eventually become free agents and sign with the Yankees…

6th Man – A little help off the bench

6) While it was thought that Roger Clemens had thrown his final pitch during the World Series, he filed for free agency last week. If this is indeed the end of his career, where does “The Rocket” rank amongst the greatest ever?

Clay: I look at this question from this perspective: If I was the manager for one game, who would I give the ball to? I can’t think of anyone else, year in and year out, that I would have rather given it to then Roger Clemens. He dominated. He intimidated. He was a winner everywhere he went. You would have to say he was the greatest pitcher of his era or at worst, number two. I might put Greg Maddux ahead of “The Rocket” because few pitchers have played the position as well as Maddux has on the whole (pitching, fielding, and hitting). Without a doubt, Roger Clemens is one of the greatest pitchers and players that I will see in my lifetime.

Shawn: Amongst the greatest. If it’s difficult to compare hitters of different eras, it’s essentially impossible to compare pitchers. However, his statistics, compiled in one of the greatest hitters’ eras in baseball history, stand out among even the greatest Hall-of-Famers. Clemens may actually be a bit underrated, given the fact that he pitched during the time of DH’s and bandbox ballparks. Regardless, he can book his ticket to Cooperstown now. He’ll be there, accepting his plaque in five years… unless he chooses to play one more season, of course…

24 Second Clock – Get one more off in 24 words or less

Clay: 129-9 was the combined score for Oklahoma against the two teams that beat them last year. Lesson…DON’T upset Bob Stoops!