Month: July 2010 (Page 15 of 62)

      Why Chris Paul wants to be traded, and how the Hornets can avoid it

      July 23, 2010 /

      The Times-Picayune spoke with a source close to Chris Paul about why the superstar point guard is disgruntled.

      “No one from our camp has said that Chris demanded a trade,’’ a Paul confidante said Thursday. ”But they (Hornets) have not put themselves in position to win this season. We have the same team as last year, basically. The only thing that matters to Chris is winning.’’

      The source close to Paul said as a result of the Hornets’ dormancy in the offseason, there are no remaining viable free agents who can help the team win this season. The source said Paul was promised by the Hornets’ brass at the end of last season that the team would be active in free agency, but now Paul feels misled and is stunned the team didn’t even pursue second-tier free agents.

      The source close to Paul said he is befuddled by the team’s lack of interest in free agents Matt Barnes, who is leaning toward signing with the Los Angeles Lakers; Mike Miller, who signed with the Heat, and Shaquille O’Neal, who remains unsigned.

      “Are they even calling guys and trying to get them to play?’’ the source said. ”We would have loved to hear that Mike had narrowed his choices down to the Hornets and Heat. But we’re never in the running for players.“

      How did the Hornets go from up-and-coming contender to a non-playoff team in two years? Let’s take a look at GM Jeff Bower’s major moves since the summer of 2006:

      Draft 2006: Selected forwards Hilton Armstrong (12th overall pick), Cedric Simmons (15th overall pick) and Marcus Vinicius (43rd overall pick).
      None of these players panned out. For Armstrong, the Hornets passed on defensive specialist Thabo Sefolosha, rotation swingman Ronnie Brewer. Rajon Rondo went #21 and Kyle Lowry went #24. They also missed on Paul Millsap (#47) in the second round. Passing on Rondo and Lowry were somewhat understandable since the Hornets were drafting for need.

      July 12 2006: Traded the draft rights to center Andrew Betts and cash to the Indiana Pacers for forward Predrag Stojakovic
      This is the move that put the Hornets into financial trouble. Peja averaged 20-6 and shot 40% from 3PT for the Pacers that season, but he started having trouble with his knees and back which hurt his already suspect mobility. Stojakovic played pretty well through the 2007-08 season (when the Hornets made their run to the West Semis), but since then his production and shooting has fallen off a cliff. What’s worse is that he’s grossly overpaid — he’s set to make $14.3 million this season, the last year of his contract — so the Hornets have not had any financial flexibility.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      The effort in Baltimore is poor on all fronts these days

      July 23, 2010 /

      Can we get a little more hustle out in Baltimore? Geesh. The Orioles aren’t exerting much effort and neither are the security guards at Camden Yards apparently:

      This is quite a stark difference from the kid that got the Taser treatment in Philadelphia earlier this year. These guys just waited until the young man tired himself out before apprehending him.

      Hey, both tactics worked……….I guess.

      External Sports, Humor, MLB, Video

      Brett Favre and Brad Childress heart drama

      July 23, 2010 /

      There are only five things I truly hate in life: Grilled cheese sandwiches, broccoli, grape juice, the Los Angeles Dodgers and drama.

      Before I continue, yes, I hate grilled cheese sandwiches. And no, I don’t know why. Maybe because the bread is soaked in butter and there’s enough cheese on the damn thing to clog my arteries for two lifetimes. Throw some damn meat on there and then maybe we can talk.

      Outside of maybe the Dodgers (regular readers know I’m a Giants fan), nothing in my group of hates annoys me more than drama. Whether it comes from movies or real life, drama is like pop-up ads when you’re trying to look at content that is not suitable for work.

      That is why around this time of year, Brett Favre and Brad Childress really fry my eggs. Listen to what Childress had to say yesterday to the media in relation to Favre’s return in 2010:

      “I don’t know if he’s going to play [this] year and I don’t know if he knows if he’s going to play [this] year,” Vikings coach Brad Childress said Thursday during an appearance on the team’s radio home, KFAN (1130-AM). “… I’ve said this and I really believe it even more right now. It would not surprise me either way.”

      Let’s cut the crap, shall we? Favre is coming back. He knows it, Childress knows it, and the Vikings know it. Childress wouldn’t be so calm about the approaching season if he knew Tarvaris Jackson was going to be his starting quarterback. In fact, the Vikings wouldn’t have acquired Sage Rosengels from the Texans last year if they were completely sold on Jackson as the starter – I don’t care what “Chilly” says about Tarvaris’ development.

      Although hey, none of this is surprising, is it? Childress could have come out and said that the Vikings are prepared to go into the season with Jeff George as their starter and it still wouldn’t be surprising. Favre does drama – and apparently so does Childress now too.

      It’s infuriating, but at least I can take solace in the fact that grilled cheese won’t be on the menu today at lunch.

      External Sports, NFL

      Is Frank Gore telling the truth about his May 15 party?

      July 23, 2010 /
      GLENDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 13: Running back Frank Gore #21 of the San Francisco 49ers stands on the sidelines during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the Universtity of Phoenix Stadium on September 13, 2009 in Glendale, Arizona. The 49ers defeated the Cardinals 20-16. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

      Frank Gore says he doesn’t know if any of the attendees at his May 15 party at his home in South Florida were college football players. But the NCAA isn’t about to take Gore at his word.

      According to a report by ESPN.com, the NCAA is investigating two separate parties that players had attended in May. One of them was at Club Liv in the Fontainebleau hotel at the end of the month, while the other was held by Gore on May 15.

      If NCAA players were at his party, Gore says he wouldn’t have known. But even if they were, he wants it made public that he paid for the party himself.

      “I don’t even know those guys. There were a lot of people there; it was crazy,” Gore said, according to the Sports Business Journal.

      “I paid for my own party,” Gore said, adding that no agent or financial adviser contributed.

      Call me a cynic, but it seems farfetched that Gore wouldn’t know there were college athletes at his party. I could understand if he didn’t know if I were there, because I’m a nobody (ouch…self-inflicted). But word would have traveled fast if there were college players in attendance and something tells me Gore isn’t telling the whole truth.

      But that doesn’t mean that he or any of the players did anything wrong. As long as nobody paid for the players to attend the party, then everyone is in the clear. If runners or agents paid for the athletes to attend, then NCAA rules were broken and the players could have their eligibility stripped. (Or worse, the NCAA could go USC on another program.)

      Of course, how is the NCAA going to prove whether or not the players paid their own way? If there’s a paper trail of purchases that leads back to a runner or an agent, then the NCAA can nail someone for breaking rules. But other than finding receipts, it’s going to be hard for them to prove that a player was given cash at the party unless the player admits to it. And considering their playing careers are on the line, I highly doubt any of them will admit to any wrongdoing.

      College Football, External Sports, NFL

      Tito Ortiz to take on Matt Hamill at UFC 121

      July 23, 2010 /
      LAS VEGAS - NOVEMBER 21: Tito Ortiz (R) battles Forrest Griffin (L) during their Light Heavyweight Fight at the UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center on November 21, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

      The guys at Heavy.com are reporting that Tito Ortiz will battle Matt Hamill at UFC 121.

      Tito Ortiz will face protege Matt Hamill at UFC 121 in Anaheim, Ca.

      MMAFighting.com was the first to report the possibility of the bout on Thursday, and Heavy.com confirmed the bout with sources close to the event on Thursday afternoon.

      Ortiz last entered the Octagon against Forrest Griffin last November, where he lost via decision. He has not won a fight since Oct. 2006. The former light heavyweight champion was scheduled to face Chuck Liddell at the end of the 11th season of The Ultimate Fighter, but a neck injury forced him to withdraw from the bout and undergo surgery.

      Hamill faced Keith Jardine in June, earning a majority decision. Ortiz is something of a mentor to Hamill, having coached him on The Ultimate Fighter. The pair remained close after the show concluded.

      UFC 121 is headlined by a heavyweight title clash between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez.

      For more MMA news, including future fight matchups and interviews with fighters, check out Heavy.com.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

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