Month: June 2008 (Page 8 of 40)

      Blogging the NBA Draft

      June 26, 2008 /

      I’ll be blogging the NBA Draft, which starts in less than an hour. Be sure to stop by and let me know what you think of the night’s events.

      As a Bucks fan, the biggest storyline of the night (now that the team has acquired Richard Jefferson) is can Milwaukee come out of this draft with Kevin Love? I’d love (sorry for the pun) to see a lineup of Mo Williams, Michael Redd, Jefferson, Love and Andrew Bogut. If Scott Skiles can get them to play a little bit of defense, they’ll be playoff-bound in the East. It looks like they will have to move up to get Love, and it might cost them Charlie Villanueva, but I don’t think he’s going to fit with Skiles, so he’s expendable. David Lee is also (reportedly) available. He’d be a great fit with that lineup as well, though the Bucks would have to be sure he’d be willing to re-sign once his deal ends. If the team ends up drafting Anthony Randolph, I think I’m going to have a heart attack out of frustration.

      Shifting loyalties, I’m guessing that Cavs fans are sweating a little bit more now that the Nets look like they have enough cap flexibility to snatch LeBron away in the summer of 2010.

      Anyway, check back after the draft starts to see my reaction to the Bulls’ pick. In the meantime, you can peruse my way-too-long draft preview from earlier in the week.

      NBA, NBA Draft, NBA Finals

      Justice and Injustice

      June 26, 2008 /

      Indiana Atheltic Director Rick Greenspan will resign at the end of the calendar year. The NCAA has basically said he didn’t do his job in administering the athletic department he oversaw. I’m glad to see that Kelvin Sampson won’t be the only fall guy in this case.

      In my opinion the NCAA has wasted its time going after some extra phone calls. How about all of the money that changes hands? How about the Final Four ticket scam that the NCAA takes part in? Time to move on and start from scratch.

      Groce Hired at Ohio U
      Ohio State Asst. John Groce was announced as the new head coach at Ohio University. Let me start off by saying that I am sure John Groce is a good coach and a good guy, at least from my experience.

      But new Athletic Director Jim Schaus made a huge mistake in his first official decision at Ohio. He had the best candidate sitting two doors down. Associate Head Coach John Rhodes was the perfect fit for the job, but for some inexplicable reason, Schaus thought that Groce was the better fit. Neither has head coaching experience, but let me give you a little of Rhodes background and let you make your own decision.

      Rhodes was ranked as one of the top assistant coaches in the country by Fox Sports and Hoop Scoop. He recruited last year’s conference player of the year and this year’s preseason player of the year. He has served for nine years under two different head coaches. During that time he went to the NCAA tournament twice (once with each head coach).

      Rhodes is an alum who had the total support of the Bobcat community. He played on an NCAA tourney team at Ohio and is one of their most beloved players. To throw in a little more ammunition, he served on the St. Bonaventure staff that went to the NCAA tournament the last time the Bonnies were there.

      If there is any assistant who deserved a chance at a job at his alma mater, it is John Rhodes. Unfortunately, Jim Schaus who spent the last decade at Wichita State, failed to understand that he had the right man under his nose. Too often, ADs try to win the press conference. At least that is the only way that I can explain why they would take an Ohio State assistant. Little does he realize that most people at OU don’t want to hear about the Buckeyes. Finally, I don’t think this hire is going to help Schaus on the fund raising trail when he tries to explain why he didn’t hire one of their own. Especially one of their own that has tasted such success.

      I will make a prediction right now… Schaus’ stay at Ohio U will be short lived and this decision will come back to haunt him.

      College Basketball

      Nets and Bucks agree on Richard Jefferson/Yi Jianlian swap

      June 26, 2008 /

      CNN-SI is reporting that the Bucks and Nets have agreed in principle to a trade that would send Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons.

      This appears to be a good trade for both parties. The Nets get out from under Jefferson’s considerable contract (three years, $42 M), freeing up cap space to make a run at LeBron James if he chooses to opt out of the final year of his contract in the summer of 2010. They also get a nice, young prospect in Yi, who played pretty well (9.6 points, 5.7 rebounds before the All-Star break) prior to a few nagging injuries late in the season.

      The Bucks fill a huge hole at small forward and get out from under Bobby Simmons’ big contract (two years, $21 M). Yi might still turn into a player, but had the Bucks kept him, there would have been a good chance that he would have bolted when he was a free agent, since he and his camp want him to play in a big market. In acquiring Jefferson, Milwaukee gets an experienced, athletic small forward, who averaged 22.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season.

      As regular readers know, I’m a Bucks fan, and I’m thrilled with this trade. I don’t think Yi would have re-signed anyway, and getting a proven player like Jefferson adds a lot to the Bucks lineup. Moving Simmons’ contract is the icing on the cake. (And helping the Nets increase their chances to get LeBron out of the Central Division doesn’t hurt either.)

      Looking ahead to the draft, Joe Alexander no longer seems like a no-brainer at #8. He could play some power forward, but I’d like to see the Bucks come out of the draft with Kevin Love, even if that requires the team to move Charlie Villanueva to move up. I think this trade makes it less likely that the Bucks will draft Anthony Randolph. Both Jefferson and Michael Redd are 28, so there’s not a lot of time to mess around with upside guys that have a 10% chance of turning into a player.

      This seems like one of those trades that really worked out for both teams. The Nets get a prospect and a shot at LeBron, and the Bucks get an All-Star caliber player that has a skill set that complements Redd and Andrew Bogut.

      John Hammond gets a thumbs up so far… but it’s early.

      AP Photo by Morry Gash.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Draft, NBA Finals, Rumors & Gossip

      Golf tips from hottie Natalie Gulbis

      June 26, 2008 /

      Golf game in need of improvement? Oh don’t lie, yes it does. Men’s Fitness.com recently asked LPGA pro Natalie Gulbis to share some pointers for when you’re out on the links.

      DRIVING
      “The proper driver position is right off your left foot,” says Gulbis. “That’ll help you hit it a little more solidly.” Don’t grip too hard, and keep your lower body still while your upper body rotates through the ball. To hit your shot from right to left, move the ball back in your stance, closer to your right foot, and swing inside out. To hit it left to right, move it up in your stance, and swing from the outside in.

      BUNKER PLAY
      Playing a bunker the right way can shave strokes off your score. Have the ball in the middle of your slightly open stance with a slightly open club head. Don’t be fancy, just get the ball out of the bunker. “The key is to make sure you take your shot two inches behind the ball,” says Gulbis. “The sand will help carry the ball out and spin it a little better.”

      PUTTING
      You can putt a million different ways, but the key is to repeat your stroke. “If you cut across it, if you hit it hard, if you hit it soft, whatever it is, just be able to work from there,” says Gulbis. Get used to hitting the ball the same way every time. “Draw a line on your golf ball and line it up with your target,” she says. “Then, you can just roll it along that line.”

      MENTAL GAME
      Golf can be one of the most frustrating hobbies in the world, if you let it get to you. “You’ve got to get in a positive frame of mind, or else you’re going straight downhill.”

      And if these pointers don’t help – drink more.

      General Sports, Golf

      Steven Jackson takes aim at Rams’ future, fans

      June 26, 2008 /

      Running back Steven Jackson had some interesting things to say in a recent article written by YAHOO! Sports columnist Michael Silver about the direction of the Rams and their fans.

      “It’s a one-year bid for everybody,” Jackson says. “It could be Scott’s last year, and my last year, and even the franchise is in jeopardy – the team could get sold and leave St. Louis. There’s a lot riding on this year, and we all know that. Just as much as the Rams need me, I need them.”

      “I predicted a number based off of a perfect season,” Jackson says. “I learned something – things will come up. Two things killed me: My offensive line was just decimated, and our receivers didn’t block. You look at Adrian Peterson, LaDainian Tomlinson or anyone who has a ton of yards, and those guys on the perimeter block. For me, I wasn’t only looking at eight in the box, but if I happened to get through the line and out to the perimeter, the defenders were all over me.”

      When Jackson flashes back to a pair of dismal defeats to Green Bay and Pittsburgh last December at the Edward Jones Dome, he doesn’t hold back, saying, “You’ve got to love those Rams fans who showed their loyalty by selling their tickets to Packers and Steelers fans, so half the people in the stadium were rooting against us. It was like playing road games. We ran out of the tunnel and got booed. It was ridiculous. I was livid. In St. Louis, it’s one of two things. They either love me or they (expletive) hate me. I’m not a diva, but if I’m pissed, (the Rams’ PR staff) won’t let me talk, ’cause they’re scared of what might come out of my mouth.”

      Hmm. It’s good when athletes are honest and speak their minds – it’s rather refreshing. But nothing good ever comes out of calling out your teammates. Jackson might have hit the nail on the head when he said, “the franchise is in jeopardy” but it’s better to keep things in house.

      And I’m all for team loyalty, but I don’t blame Rams fans for selling their tickets after the team started off 0-8 – especially when families have to take out a second mortgage on their house just to go to the games nowadays.

      NFL

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