Month: October 2008 (Page 4 of 88)

      Singletary dropped trough to prove a point to Niners

      October 30, 2008 /

      During halftime of the 49ers’ loss to the Seahawks last Sunday, interim head coach Mike Singletary dropped his pants to make a point to his team of embarrassed he was of his team’s play.

      Mike Singletary“He was just dramatizing how embarrassing it was,” 49ers director of public relations Aaron Salkin said.
      The halftime talk went something along the lines of “We’re getting our tails whipped out there, now let’s get back out there,” according to Salkin.

      Singletary is not available to the media until Monday, but he did issue this statement: “I used my pants to illustrate that we were getting our tails whipped on Sunday and how humiliating that should feel for all of us. I needed to do something to dramatize my point; there were other ways I could have done it but I think this got the message across. I am excited about having the team back at practice on Monday so we can get back to work.”

      When asked if Singletary is embarrassed by the incident, Salkin said, “There are other ways he could’ve done it. He knows that.”

      Singletary was wearing boxers.

      And the animated halftime talk didn’t seem to work so well. The 49ers trailed 20-3 at halftime, and lost 34-13.

      Well, I guess that’s one way to make a point.

      NFL

      Gregg Popovich clearly has a sense of humor

      October 30, 2008 /

      Suns’ center Shaquille O’Neal spent some of the offseason complaining about the way the Spurs still use the “Hack-a-Shaq” method on him when the two teams play.

      So in Wednesday night’s Suns-Spurs game, San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich responded by hacking Shaq…within the first five seconds of the game.

      That’s pretty funny but Pop’s goofy expression and double-thumbs up was kind of weird.

      NBA

      Is Tim Hightower taking over in Arizona?

      October 30, 2008 /

      There has been some talk recently of Edgerrin James having his workload reduced by the Cardinals, with Tim Hightower getting the extra work. Paola Boivin of AZCentral.com dug into the story.

      Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt never said Hightower was supplanting James. He simply said Monday, when asked, that he is open to the possibility.

      “I think we’ve shown we’re going to play with the players that we feel give us the best chance to win,” he said. “We’ve done that with the quarterbacks, we’ve done that with linebacker, with the offensive line.

      “At a point we feel Tim gives us the best chance to win, then absolutely. Just don’t think we’ll judge it based on just yesterday’s game. It’s a process.”

      After averaging 20 carries in the Cardinals’ first three games, James has carried nine and seven times, respectively, in the past two.

      Hightower carried seven and six in those games but has six touchdowns overall to James’ three.

      The scenario is complicated by a recent offensive shift to a pass-heavy attack. Against Carolina, the Cardinals had 14 carries to 51 pass attempts in part because the Panthers frequently had seven or eight players in the box, creating situations such as one of the touchdown passes to Boldin, when he was covered by only a linebacker.

      On the season, James has 118 touches (108 carries, 10 receptions) while Hightower has 65 (49 carries, 16 receptions), which represents a 65/35 split. However, over the last two games, James has 16 touches to Hightower’s 19, a 45/55 split. Lately, it certainly seems like the Cardinals are intent on giving Hightower more work. But as long as James is on the roster and able to play, I don’t think we’re going to see him get 6-7 touches to Hightower’s 20.

      This looks like a RBBC for now, and Hightower has more fantasy value because of his receptions (in PPR leagues) and goal line work.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Bynum-Lakers reportedly agree on four-year deal

      October 30, 2008 /

      It was starting to look like Andrew Bynum and the Lakers wouldn’t be able to agree on a contract extension, but the L.A. Times is reporting that a deal is being finalized.

      The Lakers and Andrew Bynum have agreed in principle on a four-year contract extension worth about $58 million, keeping their center of the future in the fold through the 2012-13 season, according to sources familiar with the negotiations who would not speak publicly.

      Bynum, who will make $2.8 million this season, will earn close to $42 million over the first three years of his contract extension. The fourth year will be a team option for about $16 million.

      At $14 million per season (for three years) and a team option for a fourth year at the tune of $16 million, Bynum is definitely getting paid on potential rather than his current skill set. Last season, he averaged 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 35 games. Those aren’t $14 million per year numbers, but considering that Bynum is a 21 year-old seven-footer, the contract is more “reasonable.” It’s not a bad deal for either party, as the Lakers get the option to get out of the contract after three years (if Bynum gets injured again or is a bust) while Bynum will become a free agent again at the age of 25, when he’ll be in line for a max deal.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Six NBA players who are about to break out

      October 30, 2008 /

      The NBA season is underway, and every year there are a few players that raise the level of their games. This might stem from maturity, improvement or increased opportunity. These players aren’t household names, but they could be by season’s end.

      Here are six players that have a great shot to break out. These guys aren’t rookies; but they’re all relatively young and for whatever reason, they just haven’t reached their potential. I’ve ranked them in the order of just how certain I am that they’ll break out this season.

      1. Jose Calderon, Raptors
      Calderon was the #4 PG last season in terms of PER, but he posted great numbers while T.J. Ford was out, which prompted the Raptors to trade Ford to the Pacers for Jermaine O’Neal. In 56 games as the starter, Calderon averaged 13.0 points, 9.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals. He’ll probably see 35-38 minutes per game this year, so those numbers are probably a baseline. On the season, he shot 52% from the field, 43% from 3PT and 91% from the charity stripe, making him one of the most efficient shooters in the league. Moreover, he’s just 27 years old and the Raptors wisely locked him up with a five-year deal worth $43 million, which might seem like a bargain in a year or two. Since he’s Spanish and plays for the Raptors, he’ll probably still be ignored. What a shame.

      2. Devin Harris, Nets
      Before his trade to the Nets, Harris already had something of a breakout season with the Mavs, averaging 14.4 points and 5.3 assists per game. In 25 games with the Nets, he averaged 15.4 points and 6.5 assists. After the trade, his shooting percentage dipped, so if he can get that back up to his career 47% mark, a 17/7 season is not out of the question. Harris is lightning quick – especially for someone that’s 6’3” – and he has an improving jumper. (He shot the ball well while at Wisconsin, but seemed to lose that touch a bit once he hit the NBA.) His numbers could jump even more if the team is able to trade Vince Carter. Do you think the Mark Cuban will regret the trade after he pays Jason Kidd $21.3 million to shoot 39% from the field resulting in a first-round playoff exit for the Mavs? Me too. Harris is one of the young pieces that the Nets will use to try to lure LeBron James to Brooklyn in the summer of 2010, and the Mavs never should have traded him away.

      3. David Lee, Knicks
      Last season, Lee finished ahead of bigger names like Emeka Okafor, Lamar Odom and Rashard Lewis in terms of PER, and now that Mike D’Antoni is in town, I fully expect Lee’s minutes to increase from the 29.1 he got last season (Isiah, what were you thinking?) to something in the 35- to 37-minute range. He averaged 10.8 points and 8.9 rebounds on the season, but in 27 games as a starting forward, he averaged 12.9 points and 10.0 rebounds in 33.1 minutes per game. (I’ll ask again – Isiah, what were you thinking?) His hard-nosed, energetic play fits D’Antoni’s style, and while he’s due for an extension next season, the Knicks have so many bad contracts that they might have to include Lee just to get a fresh start. The key will be for the Knicks to find a taker for Zach Randolph and the $33 million he coming to him over the next two seasons. Eddy Curry’s contract isn’t quite as bad, so if the Knicks can get out from under Randolph’s, they may be able to hold onto Lee.

      4. Thaddeus Young, 76ers
      In terms of PER, Young was the #18 small forward in his rookie season, finishing just behind Danny Granger and ahead of Tayshaun Prince. That is impressive company, especially for a first-year player. He averaged just 8.2 points and 4.2 rebounds on the season, but in 22 games as a starter, he posted 10.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in 29.1 minutes. But what was most impressive was his 55% shooting as a starter. Elton Brand’s arrival should free Young up to make more plays. Expect Young to average 12-15 points and 5-7 rebounds per game.

      5. Randy Foye, Timberwolves
      Foye isn’t a pure point guard, but he can play the position. In 31 games as a starter, he averaged 14.3 points and 4.8 assists even though he was coming off of a “stress reaction” injury in his kneecap. Now that he’s had an offseason to recover, he should get off to a fast start this season. He’s very solid from long-range (41%) and the free throw line (82%) and doesn’t seem to have any major holes in his game. Along with Mike Miller, the duo will make for a sharp-shooting backcourt that will keep opposing guards from double-teaming Al Jefferson. GM Kevin McHale hasn’t done a whole lot right over the past few years, but Foye was a pretty good get.

      6. Mike Conley, Grizzlies
      He had trouble shooting the ball (43%) in his rookie season, but he missed time due to shoulder and rib injuries, so we should probably cut him some slack. The Grizzlies drafted him to be the point guard of the future, so he should get lots of opportunity to prove he’s the guy this season. The Grizzlies want to run, and with O.J. Mayo on one wing and Rudy Gay on the other, they could be an exciting team to watch with the super-quick Conley running the show.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

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