Month: January 2009 (Page 21 of 61)

      Cowboys upset with Romo’s practice habits

      January 21, 2009 /

      The soap opera that is the Dallas Cowboys has a new episode today. Apparently the team is less than thrilled with quarterback Tony Romo’s practice habits and feel that his in-game struggles are an indication that he needs to focus more Monday through Friday at Valley Ranch.

      Tony RomoAccording to five sources, several offensive players lost respect for Garrett for his failure to corral quarterback Tony Romo in practice. Romo, sources said, often forced throws in practice and often did not treat practice work consistently.

      Sources said Owens was upset that Romo directed more passes at tight end and close friend Jason Witten as opposed to the other receivers who he deemed open. Owens has declined to discuss that issue.

      The relationship between Garrett and his offensive players will be an important issue for the unit to work out. Garrett was unsuccessful in his bid to land recent head coaching jobs in Denver, Detroit and St. Louis.

      Specifically, the relationship between the mercurial Owens and Garrett is in question. Other receivers respect Owens and often share his sentiments.

      When asked about his relationship with Owens, Garrett said Monday, “I have a lot of respect for him, certainly as a player, we’ll just leave it at that, OK?”

      Does anyone else feel like the Cowboys are the replica of the Raiders, only without all of the losses and lack of talent?

      I started to write how Dallas needs a strong figure head at head coach to corral all of the egos and personalities in the locker room, but then what was Bill Parcells? If the Tuna couldn’t control that group, who can?

      Keyshawn Johnson recently threw out Cardinals’ offensive coordinator (and former Dallas OC) Todd Haley’s name, but I highly doubt he would take the job knowing he would have to work with T.O. again. Still, he might be a good fit to grab hold of Romo and get him to realize that quarterbacks have to go that extra mile everyday if they want to win a Super Bowl.

      NFL

      Marion trade rumors heating up

      January 21, 2009 /

      No pun intended. Seriously. That title just happened organically.

      Anyway, the Heat are considering an offer that would send Shawn Marion to the Raptors for Jermaine O’Neal, or so says the Miami Herald.

      The Heat considers center its No. 1 need and O’Neal as the best center available but remains concerned about his sore right knee (which has sidelined him 11 games this season) and the $23 million he’s due in 2009-10, the last year of his contract. It’s 50-50 whether Miami will accept Toronto’s offer of O’Neal for Marion and Marcus Banks, the official said. The O’Neal camp is optimistic it will happen.

      Taking on O’Neal’s contract for the 2009-10 season is a bit of a departure for the Heat, who were thought to have been interested in signing Carlos Boozer this summer.

      The Heat is receptive to trading Marion for a productive player whose contract runs through 2009-10 because: 1) Carlos Boozer, the top impending free agent, is no longer viewed as the ideal fit here, with Udonis Haslem and Michael Beasley at power forward. 2) Even if Miami kept Marion and didn’t re-sign him, it would have less than $10 million in cap space this summer, not enough for Boozer anyway.

      The plan remains big cap space in 2010, with Miami expected to pursue Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudamire to pair with Dwyane Wade, who can also be a free agent that summer.

      Aside from the injury, O’Neal’s PER (16.27) indicates that he can still play. The question is the knee. If he’s almost back then this looks like a pretty good move for the Heat because it gives them a short-term option at center while still freeing up plenty of cap space in the summer of 2010 to re-sign Wade and pursue another big like Bosh or Stoudemire.

      It’s interesting that Boozer is no longer considered a fit because he plays the same position as Beasley. I thought Beasley would end up as a small forward in the NBA, but the Heat view him as a power forward because he has a tough time defending opposing small forwards. This will be something for Bosh or Stoudemire to consider, whether or not they want to play center for the Heat.

      On the flip side, Marion would give the Raptors an athletic forward. Right now, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon and Jason Kapono are splitting the wing duties, so Marion would serve as an upgrade. He can also play power forward. Interestingly, the Raptors are #18 in the league in total pace, so they are not pushing the ball as much as people might think. The addition of Marion would likely change that.

      Assuming O’Neal’s knee is ready and he can help the Heat, this looks like one of those trades that is good for both teams.

      The article mentions a few other teams that are interested in Marion. It’s a good read.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Ryan Howard asks for $18 mil in arbitration

      January 21, 2009 /

      Phillies’ first basemen Ryan Howard asked for $18 million in arbitration on Tuesday, while the club offered him $14 mil.

      From Rotoworld.com:

      Ryan Howard
      The $18 million request is the second-highest ever for an arbitration-eligible player, falling just short of the $18.5 million Derek Jeter asked for in 2001. Howard will, of course, overtake that mark next year unless a long-term deal is worked out. He made a record $10 million in his first season of arbitration.

      Considering Howard is coming off another MVP-caliber season, it’s not unfathomable that he would come close to hitting his $18 million request. He’s eligible for arbitration until 2011, so the Phillies are in a tough spot. Do they continue to pay him top dollar for one year at a time until his arbitration ends and then decide whether or not they’ll re-up long term? By then, he’ll be in his early 30s, so maybe Philly parts ways at that point and lets another club roll the dice on giving a 30-plus year old slugger who doesn’t play defense a long-term contract.

      Even though it’ll be more expensive now, paying him what he wins in arbitration might be the defending champ’s best move in the long run.

      MLB

      Cardinal fans torch McNabb’s lawn, then leave evidence

      January 21, 2009 /

      Two Cardinals fans burned messages into Donovan McNabb’s lawn before the NFC Championship Game last week and then were bright enough to leave evidence behind, which linked them to the crime.

      Donovan McNabbThe Cardinals fans who left diesel fuel messages in the lawn of Donovan McNabb’s Chandler home also left something else – a box with a postage sticker that listed the suspect’s name and address.

      The two men, Rex Perkin, 37, and Ryan Hanlon, 28, were arrested Saturday around 6 p.m., for using the fuel to kill the grass in the Philadelphia quarterback’s lawn and leave the messages., “Go Cards,” “Go Kurt,” and “I (heart) AZ.”

      But the story actually started two days before, when McNabb came home to his house in the Ocotillo neighborhood on the Thursday to find a Cardinals flag hanging from a tree in his yard. The quarterback found the prank amusing and left the flag hanging in the tree, Favazzo said.

      When McNabb came home late the next night, he saw the cardboard box that the vandals made into a makeshift sign – “Go Cards” was written on one side and “Beat Philly” on the other. Again McNabb brushed it off, but when he woke up early the next morning on the day of the game, he smelled diesel fuel and called police.

      “Police did a very, very quick investigation,” said Sgt. Joe Favazzo, a Chandler police spokesman. Officers quickly spotted the postage sticker on the box with Perkin’s name and address. They went Perkin’s home, where police arrested him at about 6 p.m. when he admitted to the prank and outted his co-worker, Hanlon. Perkins wore a Cardinals cap in his booking photo.

      Go easy on the Cardinal fans – this is the first time they’ve ever had the opportunity to do something like this. They’ll learn.

      NFL, Super Bowl

      The Top 10 NBA Rookies by PER

      January 20, 2009 /

      John Hollinger’s Player Efficiency Rating is a nice way to compare players without having to account for the number of minutes each guy gets. It’s an efficiency statistic, so just about everything is included. A PER of 15.00 is average for the position.

      Let’s take a look at the top rookies. I’m only going to list guys that are getting more than 20 minutes per game…

      1. Kevin Love, T-Wolves
      PER: 16.39
      Surprised? I am…a little. I really liked Love coming out of college, but he got off to a slow start and the trade Minnesota made (sending O.J. Mayo) to Memphis wasn’t looking too good early on. He’s not shooting the ball well (41%), but he’s rebounding like a champ (8.4 rpg in 22.7 mpg).

      2. Greg Oden, Blazers
      PER: 16.35
      Technically, Oden is still a rookie since he missed all of last season due to injury. After Love, he has the second best rebound rate of all first-year players.

      3. Brook Lopez, Nets
      PER: 16.26
      Rebounding is the stat that most easily translates from college to the pros, so it’s no surprise that three good rebounders top this list. In 29.5 minutes, Lopez is averaging 11.4 points and 8.2 rebounds, and he has more blocks per minute than Oden.

      4. Rudy Fernandez, Blazers
      PER: 16.25
      Rudy has had no problem adjusting to the NBA game. His three-point shooting 39% is outstanding and he’s averaging 11.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 26.5 minutes per game. Plus, he was even voted into the Slam Dunk Contest as well.

      5. Marc Gasol, Grizzlies
      PER: 15.40
      The other Gasol is getting starters minutes (30.6) in Memphis and is averaging 11.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

      6. Russell Westbrook, Thunder
      PER: 15.74
      In January, Westbrook is averaging 15.7 points, 6.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds in 34.9 minutes of action. He got off to a slow start, but seems to be figuring things out now.

      7. O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies
      PER: 15.66
      Of all the guys on this list, Mayo might be the guy that asked to do the most. He got off to a blistering start, but defenses are adjusting and his numbers are falling.

      8. Derrick Rose, Bulls
      PER: 15.45
      He and Mayo play more than 37 minutes per game, which is by far tops on this list. It’s hard to argue with the 16.9 points and 6.4 assists that Rose produces every night. Point guard is arguably the toughest position in the NBA to learn as a rookie, and this guy sure looks like a keeper.

      9. Michael Beasley, Heat
      PER: 15.23
      Beasley is getting better as the season wears on. He’s averaging 14.9 points (on 50% shooting) and 6.0 rebounds in January. He’s also as good as expected from long range (39%).

      10. D.J. Augustin, Bobcats
      PER: 13.75
      It’s not easy being a point guard under Larry Brown, but Augustin is getting big minutes (28.4) and is producing 12.1 points and 4.1 assists per contest. His shooting (40%) is pretty suspect, though he’s very solid from long range (39%).

      Notes:

      – Marreese Speights leads all rookies in PER (20.44) but only plays 15.9 minutes per game.

      – Anthony Morrow and George Hill just missed the minutes per game cutoff. Otherwise, they would have been on the list.

      – Given how tough it is to play point guard in the NBA, Derrick Rose still gets my vote for Rookie of the Year. The Bulls are asking him to play huge minutes, which is going to take its toll over the course of the season.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Draft

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