Month: May 2011 (Page 9 of 35)

      Thunder vet: Westbrook “thinks he’s better than Kevin Durant.”

      May 23, 2011 /
      Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks (L) provides instruction to key players Kevin Durant (35) and Russell Westbrook (0) during Game 4 of their NBA Western Conference playoff series in Oklahoma City, April 24, 2010. REUTERS/Bill Waugh (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      The NY Daily News has a quote from an unnamed Thunder vet that is bound to stir up some controversy.

      As one Thunder veteran said, privately, “He thinks he’s better than Kevin Durant.”

      Not only that, but Westbrook has the backing of Thunder GM Sam Presti, who made a name for himself with his drafting of Westbrook with the fourth pick in 2008. Presti’s micromanagement behind the scenes has caused some friction between the head of the front office and his coaches, but Brooks didn’t pay any attention to that when he saw that Maynor was his best option to even the series.

      Who is this veteran? And why is he dropping nuggets like this while the Thunder are in the middle of a knock-down, drag-out playoff series with the Mavs? Perhaps it’s a former player, not someone currently on the roster.

      The thing that interests me about this story is the take of CBS writer Royce Young, who had this to say about Westbrook’s belief in his ability.

      But when you’re an All-Star, a second-team All-NBA player that’s as confident in yourself as Westbrook, would you really not think you’re better than Durant. Not us in the general public here. We all know Durant is better. In terms of Westbrook, is it really so bad to think that? In fact, isn’t it probably a good thing?

      No, it’s not a good thing. The best teams usually have players that know their roles. Pau Gasol doesn’t think he’s better than Kobe, and Kevin Garnett doesn’t think he should be shooting the ball instead of Paul Pierce. The last really great team to have a pecking order issue was the Shaq/Kobe-era Lakers, and look what happened to them. When Kobe accepted his role, the duo was able to win three straight titles. As soon as he started to try to take over alpha dog status, they crashed and burned in the Finals against a much more cohesive Detroit Pistons team.

      If Westbrook does in fact think he’s better than Durant, then there’s trouble brewing in OKC. This isn’t the case of a young upstart trying to take the mantle from an established vet. These are two young players that will be playing with each other for a while, and if Westbrook can’t accept his role as second fiddle, then there are going to be problems down the line.

      Scratch that — there might be problems right now.

      External Sports, NBA

      Mets owner slams Wright, Reyes and Beltran

      May 23, 2011 /
      New York Mets chairman and CEO Fred Wilpon talks to reporters at a news conference at Shea Stadium in New York in this October 1, 2002 file image. The owners of the New York Mets turned a blind eye to Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, and should give up roughly $300 million of fictitious profits they made from the now imprisoned swindler, a new lawsuit said. Irving Picard, the court-appointed trustee recovering money for Madoff’s victims, claims the partners at Sterling Equities, including the Mets’ Fred Wilpon, “were simply in too deep — having substantially supported their businesses with Madoff money — to do anything but ignore the gathering clouds. REUTERS/Jeff Christensen/Files (UNITED STATES) – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL BUSINESS CRIME LAW)

      When your ballclub is in financial ruins because you mistakenly invested a significant amount of coin in what turned out to be a Ponzi scheme, naturally the next step is to criticize your own players when speaking to the media.

      That’s exactly what Mets owner Fred Wilbon did when he spoke with The New Yorker’s Jeffery Toobin for a story about the impact of the Bernie Madoff investment scandal. In Wilbon’s crosshairs were Jose Reyes, David Wright and Carlos Beltran.

      Shortstop Jose Reyes and his contractual future:
      “He thinks he’s going to get Carl Crawford ($142 million) money. .. He’s had everything wrong with him physically). He won’t get it.”

      David Wright and his rough start this season:
      “He’s pressing. … A really good kid. A very good player. Not a superstar.”

      Carlos Beltran and the current $119 million contract Wilpon, himself, handed out:
      “We had some schmuck in New York who paid him based on one (postseason) series. … He’s 65 to 75 % of what he was.”

      There will be some Mets and non-Mets fans that will say Wilbon spoke the truth. And maybe he did. Maybe he’s right when he says Reyes is delusional about wanting Carl Crawford-type money, that Wright isn’t a superstar despite being viewed publicly as one of the best at his position, and that Beltran is a shell of his former self.

      But whether or not you agree with what he said, he still shouldn’t have said it. It does him, nor the Mets organization any good to dog the club’s three best players. What will these comments say to future free agents? Hey, come sign with the Mets and you not only can play for a crap team, but maybe one day you’ll get slammed by the owner as well! It’s a riot!

      There was nothing, and I mean nothing, constructive about Wilpon’s comments. If you’re an owner, you just don’t say what he did, regardless of whether or not you’re just “speaking the truth.” He’s running a professional baseball organization for cribs’ sake – it’s never a good time for an owner to slam his players unless he’s trying to motivate them. And even then: Shut your mouth and let your baseball people handle the baseball operations.

      I don’t follow the Mets 24/7 so if I’m wrong with what I’m about to say, someone please tell me. But as far as I can tell, Wright, Reyes and Beltran have been nothing but professional when it comes to the Mets and the media. They would never say anything about their owner like what Wilpon said about them. And to Wright’s credit, he e-mailed Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal saying: “Fred is a good man and is obviously going through some difficult times. There is nothing more productive that I can say at this time.”

      The key word there is “productive.” There was nothing productive about Wilpon’s comments and it’s nice to see that in the wake of being dumped on by his owner, Wright stayed classy.

      External Sports, MLB

      Bears’ Garrett Wolfe the latest NFL player to be arrested

      May 23, 2011 /

      When you’re slated to become a free agent and are searching for a new contract, there’s really no better time than to get arrested and tarnish your name. Just ask Bears running back Garrett Wolfe, who was arrested early Sunday morning in Miami on charges of retail theft, disorderly conduct, assault of a police officer and resisting arrest with violence.

      Nice photo, champ.

      The Chicago Sun-Times has more details:

      ‘‘He became aggressive while being ejected by bouncers, and two off-duty officers were summoned,’’ Sanchez said. ‘‘They gave him the opportunity to settle his bill, and he refused. He attacked one of the officers. Both officers suffered minor
      injuries.’’

      It’s not a reach to say that Wolfe is in some serious trouble here. This isn’t like he got caught speeding without a driver’s license and no vehicle registration, which is embarrassing enough. The courts don’t look too kindly on you when you get aggressive with officers of the law.

      Assuming the Bears don’t re-sign him once the lockout lifts, Wolfe was a waste of a third round pick by GM Jerry Angelo in the 2007 draft. He was a reach at No. 93 and hasn’t amounted to much outside of contributing on special teams. In 41 games, he’s racked up a mind-blowing 274 yards on 68 carries with one touchdown. He nearly has half as many tackles on special teams than he does carries on offense.

      I’ve now lost track of how many players have been arrested since the league locked its doors back in mid-March. Pretty sad.

      External Sports, NFL

      Phillies to activate Chase Utley on Monday

      May 22, 2011 /
      Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley walks across the field after taking batting practice before a spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida, March 8, 2011. REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Phillies beat writer Todd Zolecki tweets that the Phillies will activate second baseman Chase Utley (knee) from the disabled list before Monday’s game against the Reds.

      Here’s the tweet:

      Orr optioned. Utley activated tomorrow. Blanton on DL tomorrow. Worley will be activated.

      Utley batted .281 with one home run in 36 plate appearances for High-A Clearwater during his minor league rehab stint. More importantly than the numbers was the fact that his knee has felt good.

      It’s an understatement that the Phillies need this guy back in their lineup. They’re 23rd in runs scored, 22nd in on base percentage and 18th in batting average. In their last nine games, they’ve averaged less than two runs per outing (17 total). Over 107 at bats this season, Wilson Valdez is hitting just .231 with nine RBI and has an OBP of .259 filling in for Utley at second base. Simply put, that’s not going to get it done.

      Utley may not come off the disabled list scorching, but as long as he stays healthy he’ll get his swing back. He’s going to need 50-plus at bats against major league pitching to kind of figure things out, but he’s the consummate professional. This is the shot in the arm that the Phillies’ offense has needed.

      External Sports, MLB

      Russell Westbrook’s late-game woes continue

      May 21, 2011 /
      Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook pauses during Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Final basketball playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, May 21, 2011. REUTERS/Bill Waugh (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      For the first half of the fourth quarter, Russell Wesbrook was playing well. He went 2-for-3 from the field, hit a pair of free throws, and had one assist. His play helped the Thunder cut the Mavs’ lead from 12 points to eight, giving OKC a shot to win the game going down the stretch.

      But starting at the six-minute mark, Westbrook was pretty dreadful. He went 1-for-5 from the field, 1-for-2 from the free throw line and turned the ball over twice. That’s just four points on those eight possessions.

      Is it fair to focus solely on Westbrook? No, there’s enough blame to go around for the Thunder. OKC shot 36% from the field. Kevin Durant was 7-of-22 from the field and 0-for-8 from long range. In fact, if it wasn’t for Westbrook’s made three in the final moments, the Thunder would have set a record for most three pointers attempted without a make. (They finished 1-for-17 from long range.) Westbrook was the Thunder’s most effective player — he finished with 30 points and four assists, but he also had seven turnovers.

      Dirk Nowitzki struggled for most of the game, but came on down the stretch. He had 10 points in the final 7:22 and dealt with the physical play of Nick Collison pretty well. These Mavs continue to show great resiliency.

      External Sports, NBA

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