Birthday Sports Talk

Welcome to the Truda Report everybody. Today is my birthday, so I'm going to indulge myself by writing about my favorite teams - the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bulls. To request a certain type of article or topic follow my Instagram @thrtrudareport, and then from there you can request it by leaving a comment. 

Miami Dolphins:
Now that the NFL Draft is over, football is officially dead for the next couple of months. That means I have time to evaluate the teams roster and give a thorough prediction of their record before the season starts. Before I do that, here are my first impressions:

The Fins are that they are a much better team than they were last year. They didn't make any big splashes in free agency, and they didn't draft any definite starters, but that's not what they needed. Only 6 starters played the whole season last year, with everyone else missing significant time due to injury. Their depth was atrocious, so it was incredible that they made the playoffs. This off-season though, they inked Lawrence Timmons (immediate starter and versatile player who can fill in at multiple positions), T.J. McDonald (suspended 8 games but is only 26 and has been great when on the field, also can play both safety positions), traded for William Hayes (great rotational player and run defender), and Julius Thomas (immediate impact as a red zone threat). Through the draft they spent all of their first three picks on defensive players, each with the talent to fight for a starting job, or be a good rotational player. The theme of their off-season is obviously defense, but also depth and versatility. Every player acquired may not be an immediate starter, but when injuries hit, the backups will be able to fill in and provide great production.

Also, a little bit more on the draft, the Dolphins first two picks have been way underrated. Charles Harris (DE Missouri) was widely projected to be a top 15 pick, possible top 10, and the 
Dolphins got him at 22. He has the athletic ability to be the next Cameron Wake, and getting to learn from the man himself for 2 years will definitely help him develop into that mold. People keep saying that the Fins didn't need another defensive end, but Wake is 34 years old and won't be playing much longer. I think it was a smart pick.

Raekwon McMillan (LB Ohio State), the Fins second round pick, is in my opinion, either the best or second best run stopping linebackers in this draft. While playing for the Buckeyes he was their defensive leader and play caller, showing great knowledge for the game. His entire career their he locked down the middle of the field. A criticism of him is that he doesn't fit in the Dolphins system, because they already have Lawrence Timmons at middle linebacker. I think that they should test both players at middle and strong side linebacker, and whichever is better in the middle gets the job. He would be a great fit in either spot in my opinion.

Chicago Bulls:
Just today a report came out that the Bulls plan on keeping Fred Hoiberg as their head coach, and are likely to pick up Rajon Rondo's option. If they keep Rondo and Hoiberg, I think it would be better if Dwayne Wade left. I love the man and everything he has done but his cap hit is over $20 million. The Bulls need to go get some shooters and give Hoiberg the pieces he needs to run a pace and space offense. If Jimmy Butler stays the centerpiece and we have Rondo running the point, I think getting a good 3 point shooting shooting guard would make the team infinitely better. Then, getting a stretch 4 would be huge for the team as well. I'll write more about this as the draft approaches, but for now, that's my quick opinion on the Bulls.