Adrian Peterson rushed for an NFL-record 296 yards on Sunday against the league's seventh-ranked rush defense. While it is much too early to compare him to the all-time greats, it is certainly not too early to say the truth: Adrian Peterson is already the best back in the league. Don't believe me? Look at the stats.
But I'm not going to write another column worshipping the former Sooner, even though his historic performance undoubtedly deserves it.
We are now in the second week of the NBA season - the season that gets me through the winter.
My favorite NBA squad will attempt to play in an absurdly talented Western conference. And the Phoenix Suns are my pick to represent the West in the finals.
Steve Nash should've won the MVP last year, but for some reason the voters seemed unwilling to give him the award three years in a row, even though he deserved it more last season than the previous one. He's still the finest passer I've ever seen and his shooting is legendary.
Shawn Marion isn't a power forward, but until he stops getting eight boards a game, he'll continue playing a position he dislikes. Amare Stoudemire is an absolute force. Leandro Barbosa is the NBA's version of Michael Turner, Raja Bell and Boris Diaw are very serviceable and Grant Hill was a tremendous offseason pickup. Add on the fact that this very well might be the last chance for this team to win it all, and you get the 2008 NBA champs. Plus, the era of Marcus Banks is coming soon. Get ready.
The Suns' principal opposition will come from two Texas teams: the Spurs and Mavericks. The Spurs need no explanation. Combine a great coach with a great organization, along with the triple threat of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, and an emphasis on defense - and you get the NBA's model franchise.
The Mavs have more psychological baggage than Larry Craig. And why shouldn't they? Their loss to the Warriors last year was an utter collapse. They vastly overpaid Devin Harris, who will wear down in the grind of an 82-game season. Dirk Nowitzki is an offensive diamond, but is still as soft as ever in the paint.
Simply, if the Mavs are to come close to their victory total of last season, they will need Josh Howard to play even better than he did in 2006-07. He'll need to be his first-quarter self throughout every game.
Sorry, Mr. Cuban, but Eddie Jones, Juwan Howard and Trenton Hassell aren't the answers. Maybe Nick Fazekas will surprise some people.
The second tier will consist of the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets. Mark my words: Carlos Boozer will have an MVP-type season, Deron Williams will be the second-best point guard in the league, and Andrei Kirilenko will return to form as one of the premier defenders in the NBA.
The Nuggets have two of the best scorers in the league in Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, and if Kenyon Martin can come back to fill the lane with his fierce interior defense, watch out. We could be looking at a 55-plus win team.
My beloved Timberwolves, however, will not be in the mix. Here's what the Wolves need to get to 25 wins. Big Al Jefferson needs to average 35 and 17; Rashad McCants needs to score 25 a game; Randy Foye needs to decide what position to play; Corey Brewer needs to not only learn how to shoot, but also needs to shut down every offensive-minded player on every opposing team; and Theo Ratliff will need to play like Dikembe Mutombo circa 1995.
Impossible?
Kevin McHale certainly doesn't think so.
Ross Marrinson is a senior majoring in international relations. He can be reached at ross.marrinson@tufts.edu.
