Month: June 2006 (Page 20 of 21)

Breaking the Law: Cincinnati Bengals style

June 4, 2006 / Anthony Stalter

Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver Chris Henry decided that two criminal violations in six months just were not enough. So naturally, he went for a third.

Henry was pulled over by the Ohio State Highway Patrol early Sunday morning while doing 82 mph in a 65 mph zone. Making matters worse, Henry was not only charged with speeding, but he was also charged with operating a vehicle under the influence (of alcohol) after being given a field sobriety test.

“Mr. Henry agreed to the test and he was polite, courteous and cooperative the entire time,” Long said, citing the police report. “He was issued a traffic citation and he [eventually] left with a friend. There was no bail involved and he was issued a court date.”
Henry is scheduled for a Friday appearance in Clermont County Municipal Court. The speeding charge, Long said, is a minor misdemeanor. The OVI charge is a first-degree misdemeanor. Any fines or further sanctions resulting from the incident will be determined by the court.

Back in December, the 2005 third round draft pick was arrested in Covington, Ky., and charged with possession of marijuana. He pled guilty to the charge to avoid jail time, paid a fine of $250 and agreed to spend 28 days in a drug rehabilitation program, a stipulation which he has already completed.

One month later, Henry was charged with possession of a concealed firearm in Florida on Jan .29. The crime, which is a third degree felony in Florida, is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Two other charges from that incident, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and improper exhibition of a weapon, were dropped.

Also on the Bengal law front, rookie A.J. Nicholson was charged Saturday with burglarizing the apartment of a former Florida State teammate.

Couple more felonies and we can start looking at the Bengals as the new Dallas Cowboys of the 20th century.

NFL

Mavs advance to Finals

June 4, 2006 / John Paulsen

Dallas 102, Phoenix 93 (Mavs win series, 4-2)
Things were looking pretty grim for the Mavs when they were trailing by 18 points in the middle of the second quarter. But Dallas showed a lot of heart – a reflection of their coach, Avery Johnson – and outscored the Suns, 76-49, the rest of the way, clinching the series and stamping their ticket to the NBA Finals. The Mavs were once again led by their forwards, Dirk Nowitzki (24 points, 10 rebounds) and Josh Howard (20 points, 15 rebounds), and the duo is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in these playoffs. This year’s Most Improved Player, Boris Diaw, led all scorers with 30 points, while Steve Nash chipped in with 19 points and nine assists. If Phoenix gets a healthy Amare Stoudemire back next season, the Suns will be a scary, scary team.

Meanwhile, the Mavs move on to play the Heat and they’ll have to find a way to deal with Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. Expect Erick Dampier and DaSangana Diop to have much bigger roles in the upcoming series, as the Mavs will need their girth to try to defend O’Neal inside. The good news for Dallas is that they’ll have home court advantage in the series. The Finals start Thursday on ABC.

NBA, NBA Finals

Owens thrilled with new team, coach

June 3, 2006 / John Blake

Terrell Owens had his first workout with his new team and new coach Friday and was happy as can be.

“I’m here with a great coach, a great team, a great owner,” Owens said. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity that I can make to help this team win. That’s why they brought me in here.”

I’ve heard this all before. T.O got run out of San Fran and said the same things his first days with the Eagles. He and Donovan McNabb were supposed to be the dynamic duo Philly had been missing and the combo would lead them to a Super Bowl championship. While they did make it to the big game, the journey was not without controversy and bumps along the road, mostly caused by Owens himself.

He now begins his new journey with Bill Parcells and the Cowboys. It’s still in the honeymoon stage now where everyone is saying the right things. All seems well in Big D. Until, that is, the first moment things go slightly wrong. T.O is putting on a good face now, but what happens if the Cowboys go on a losing streak during the season? Or what if Owens goes a game only catching a few passes? If T.O feels like he’s not getting enough balls thrown his way, you know he’s going to open his mouth and say something. There will be undoubtedly be a point during the season when T.O will be unhappy because that’s the way he is. He’s shown arrogant and selfish behavior everyone he’s been so why think this season will be any different. So the question remains not IF he blows up but WHEN.

NFL

Offseason Blueprint: Golden State Warriors

June 3, 2006 / John Paulsen

Cap Situation

With Mike Dunleavy’s 5-year/$44 M extension last summer, the Warriors owe approximately $64 M in payroll next season. Dunleavy was coming off his best season (13 points, six rebounds, 45% shooting) but still wasn’t worth that kind of money. Last season, his numbers fell across the board and with an EPM of .386, he isn’t worth that kind of money.

Baron Davis is the team’s most expensive player with three years and $48 M remaining on his contract. Complicating matters, he missed 28 games with a sprained ankle. A career 41% shooter (39% last season), Davis was strong in just about every other aspect of the game – 18 points, nine assists, four rebounds – yielding a solid .509 EPM, #61 in the league. But at his price, the Warriors don’t need solid – they need spectacular.

Spectacular is what they got from Jason Richardson. J-Rich has five years and $61 M remaining on his contract, but he continues to improve and with an EPM of .502, he is a good value. He averaged 23 points, six rebounds and three assists a game, while shooting 45% from the field. He needs to improve his free throw percentage, but otherwise he’s on his way to stardom.

Troy Murphy, with 5-years/$50 M remaining on his deal, averaged a double-double for the second consecutive season en route to a team-high .518 EPM, which makes him the #18 power forward in that category. He needs to improve his shooting – 43% for a power forward just doesn’t cut it.

Aside from the Dunleavy signing, the Warriors have one other bad contract. Adonal Foyle is set to earn $27 M over the next three years. This is a guy who has averaged five points and six rebounds the last two seasons, making the team wish they had kept Erick Dampier. Without these two contracts, the Warriors would have about $4 M in cap space heading into the summer.

Rookie Ike Diogu has the team’s third highest EPM (.502) and will continue to improve with more minutes. He has three years left on his rookie contract that will pay him just $7.4 M. Another rookie, Monta Ellis, averaged 12 points, four assists and four rebounds in the month of April, which was the only month where he got more than 18 minutes of playing time. His EPM (.336) isn’t good, but his play during the final month was encouraging.

Offseason Blueprint

The team needs to build around Jason Richardson and Ike Diogu – everyone else is expendable. Unfortunately, I doubt that the team will be able to unload Foyle or Dunleavy anytime soon. The good news is – if Davis stays healthy – a lineup of Davis, Richardson, Dunleavy, Diogu and Murphy isn’t bad, especially with the likes of the always solid Derrick Fisher (EPM=.406), center Andris Biedrins (.486), and guards Mickael Pietrus and Ellis coming off the bench.

Murphy isn’t really a center, and since he and Diogu play basically the same position, he’s probably the team’s most valuable trade asset. A Murphy for Jamal Magloire swap would make sense for both Golden State and Milwaukee, but neither guy is particularly fleet of foot, which is becoming more and more important in today’s NBA.

The team has the #9 pick this year and NBADraft.net projects them to select Rodney Carney. Carney would give the team the athleticism at small forward that Dunleavy lacks, but I wonder if the team would select another small forward after recently committing so much money to the position. Brandon Roy or Marcus Williams could run the point if the team is intent on moving Davis, who would be trade-able (maybe for a first round pick and an expiring contract?) once he proves he’s healthy. Patrick O’Bryant is a prospect at center and might not be a bad fit with Diogu up front.

The team could go any number of directions depending on which players they are going to try to move in the next several months. Golden State tied with Houston and Charlotte as the worst shooting teams in the league, so whoever they draft should be able to shoot the ball.

Notes:

Golden State’s EPM by player (league average = .445)

Player EPM League Rank
Troy Murphy 0.518 # 57
Baron Davis 0.509 # 61
Ike Diogu 0.502 # 69
Jason Richardson 0.502 # 70
Andris Biedrins 0.486 # 83
Derek Fisher 0.409 # 170
Adonal Foyle 0.392 # 195
Mike Dunleavy 0.386 # 206
Monta Ellis 0.336 # 278
Mickael Pietrus 0.295 # 308
Calbert Cheaney 0.231 # 345

Diogu’s EPM is very encouraging for such a young player. Biedrins is another young player who deserves more minutes. The team just needs to make a decision on Baron Davis and go from there.

NBA

Heat advance to first Finals

June 3, 2006 / John Paulsen

Miami 96, Detroit 78 (Heat clinch series, 4-2)
Maybe Jason Williams deserves a shot at a ring after all. With Dwayne Wade still suffering from the effects of the flu, the Heat needed someone to step up, and “White Chocolate” delivered, scoring 21 points on 10-12 shooting, while also serving up six assists. Shaquille O’Neal had a monster game, posting 28 points (12-14 from the field) along with 16 rebounds and five blocked shots. It was obvious that Wade wasn’t feeling well, but he looked pretty good during a third quarter run where he hit four consecutive shots to give his team a healthy lead going into the fourth quarter. Wade finished with 14 points and 10 dimes. Collectively, the Heat shot a phenomenal 56% from the field and while holding the Pistons to a miserable 33% shooting. In fact, it wasn’t so much the Heat’s defense – Detroit just missed a ton of open shots. For the next few months, the Pistons will have the opportunity to chew on the air of invincibility and condescension that they’ve carried throughout these playoffs. Talk about eating crow.

Meanwhile, the Heat move on to the first Finals in franchise history. The only downside I can see is that we’ve got to endure at least two games at American Airlines Arena, where there is this constant, ear-splitting, high-pitched rattling. Does anyone know what that is?