Author: John Paulsen (Page 564 of 937)

      Jim Calhoun dresses down a reporter

      February 23, 2009 /

      Mental note: Don’t question Jim Calhoun about his salary.

      I’ve never been a big Jim Calhoun fan, though there is no doubt that he’s a great coach. My problem with him is the faces that he makes on the sideline. Trivial stuff, I know.

      It’s funny how his demeanor changes as he realizes that the reporter is seriously questioning his salary. He starts off with a joke — “not a penny back” — and then you can literally see him get angry as the reporter continues.

      He has a point. He’s essentially the CEO of the Connecticut basketball program, which has been one of the most successful programs in the country over the years. Yes, the economy is in the crapper and technically he’s a state employee. But to the University of Connecticut, he’s worth every dime.

      This is the United States. We don’t begrudge anyone for making a ton of money if they are good at what they do.

      College Basketball, Humor, Video

      #8 Duke beats #9 Wake Forest

      February 23, 2009 /

      In a battle of two of the top teams in the ACC (and in the nation), the Duke Blue Devils jumped out quickly on the Demon Deacons, building a 22-point lead late in the first half before Wake slowly chipped away at the lead. They got within two points with under eight minutes to play in the second half, but Duke managed its lead and ultimately triumphed, 101-91.

      Before the game, Wake Forest head coach Dino Gaudio talked up his team’s league-leading field goal percentage allowed, and then Duke went out and set the nets on fire. Duke shot 54% from the field, and Wake was even better, shooting 61% in the loss. It’s not often that a team shoots over 60% and still loses the game.

      Gerald Henderson scored a career-high 35 points and was phenomenal the entire night. He was 10 of 11 from two-point range and hit 12 of his 14 free throws. Jon Scheyer chipped in with 30 points, and seems to be adjusting to playing more point guard.

      Coach K moved Scheyer to point and decided to start freshman guard Elliot Williams and he had 11 points and four steals on the night. Williams has seen inconsistent minutes all season, and registered two DNP’s against North Carolina and Boston College. It looks like he’ll see more minutes down the stretch. He gives the Blue Devils more athleticism at the guard position and is a solid defender and slasher.

      Jeff Teague (28 points) and James Johnson (26 points, 11 rebounds) led Wake Forest’s comeback. The Demon Deacons had trouble executing down the stretch because of poor guard play out of Ishmael Smith. He played well for much of the game but had a couple of key turnovers (five on the game) down the stretch that ended Wake’s comeback. It was a big win for the Blue Devils as it was their first win over the top teams in the ACC – North Carolina, Clemson and Wake. More importantly, it keeps them in the hunt for a conference championship and a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

      In other action, #14 Villanova beat #25 Syracuse, 89-86. The Wildcats are one of the hottest teams in the country right now and are getting great play out of the guard position (Scottie Reynolds, Reggie Redding, Corey Fisher). They are going to be a force to be reckoned with come tournament time.

      College Basketball

      #2 Oklahoma, #3 North Carolina fall

      February 22, 2009 /

      It wasn’t a good day to be a top-ranked team as both #2 Oklahoma and #3 North Carolina were upset on the road by unranked teams.

      Texas 73, Oklahoma 68

      The Sooners’ lost POY frontrunner Blake Griffin to a concussion and he missed the entire second half, so we need to keep this loss in perspective. He finished with just two points and three rebounds in 11 minutes, so Oklahoma got next to nothing from him. A.J. Abrams led the way with 23 points, which included 5 of 11 from three-point range. Damion James, who originally committed to Oklahoma before Kelvin Sampson’s abrupt departure almost three years ago, posted 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Longhorns. It was Texas’ 10th straight win at home against ranked opponents.

      Maryland 88, North Carolina 85 (OT)

      In College Park, MD, the Terps came back from a 16-point deficit to upend the Tar Heels in overtime. “General” Greivis Vasquez — I just made that nickname up, by the way — had a triple-double with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to lead Maryland to the win. The Tar Heels got virtually nothing from their bench; Bobby Frasor, Larry Drew, Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller combined for just five points, 13 rebounds and one assist in 52 minutes of playing time. The Terps kept Tyler Hansbrough under control (11 points on 4-12 shooting) and held North Carolina to under 38% from the field for the night. The Terps also had 18 assists to just five for the Tar Heels. Maryland is now in position for a NCAA tournament berth after starting 2-4 in ACC play. They’re now 6-6 in conference and will host Duke and Wake Forest over their final four regular season games.

      This loss has to be worrisome for North Carolina fans. This is supposed to be a deep, talented team, but its bench produced next to nothing. In the end, both of these teams are still likely to be top seeds come tournament time, but I’d feel a lot better about penciling in the Sooners to make the Final Four than I would the Tar Heels.

      College Basketball, News

      Why didn’t the Cavs make a deal?

      February 20, 2009 /

      On last night’s TNT coverage, Charles Barkley and David Aldridge talked a little bit about Cleveland’s attempts to swing a trade. First up is Aldridge:

      “(The Cavaliers) tried (to make a trade), they really did try. They were all over the place. They tried to get Antawn Jamison from Washington, they tried to get Amar’e Stoudemire, they tried to get Richard Jefferson, they tried to get Shaq. I can tell you this, they were more interested in Shaquille O’Neal than they were in Amar’e Stoudemire. That’s a fact. They wanted Shaq badly and they really tried to get him.”

      Then there’s Barkley:

      “The Cavaliers made a mistake (by not making a trade)…They should have said, ‘We’re going to keep LeBron (James), we’re going to keep Mo Williams, you can have anybody else we got.’ If they would have done anything to get a big body they would have been better off.”

      Rookie J.J. Hickson is just 20 years-old and has shown great potential. He’s 6’9″ (which is the optimum size for a power forward), athletic and has a few polished moves down low. I would have thought that a deal that included Hickson, Wally Szczerbiak’s expiring contract and maybe a first round pick might have netted a player like Amare Stoudemire, but a similar offer from the Bulls that included Tyrus Thomas didn’t get the Suns to bite. Take away the first round pick and maybe a Hickson/Szczerbiak package might garner Richard Jefferson or Vince Carter. I don’t know if Hickson was on the table — his name really didn’t come up in trade conversation, other than on The Scores Report — but if I’m a team looking to cut salary and rebuild, a Hickson/Szczerbiak combo would be very enticing.

      Szczerbiak’s contract will expire this summer, so it’s not worth anything anymore. Wally has played better in recent weeks. He shot 58% from long range in January and is averaging 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in seven games so far in February. He can contribute to the Cavs playoff run if he’s shooting well. If he’s not, he’s pretty useless because he isn’t a good passer and can’t guard anybody on the ball.

      I find it strange to hear Aldridge say that the team was more interested in Shaq than Amare — I think if they were able to score Stoudemire, they wouldn’t have to worry about LeBron leaving next year.

      Alas, unless the Cavs acquire Amare this summer, we’ll never know for sure.

      NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Stoudemire out for regular season after eye surgery

      February 20, 2009 /

      Clearly, this is not how the Suns wanted to start the second half of the season.

      The beleaguered Suns announced Friday that Amare Stoudemire was forced to undergo eye surgery to repair a partially detached retina suffered in a Wednesday night rout of the Los Angeles Clippers. It is Stoudemire’s second eye injury since October and the All-Star forward could miss the rest of the regular season.

      Stoudemire’s return to physical activity has been estimated at eight weeks by the Suns. He underwent surgery Friday morning, although the club said in a statement that “recovery varies on a case-by-case basis.”

      The Suns were just starting to feel a sense of optimism about salvaging something from this painful season after replacing coach Terry Porter with Alvin Gentry on Monday, ringing up 280 points in back-to-back victories over the Clippers and getting the go-ahead Thursday from owner Robert Sarver to keep hold of Stoudemire and Shaquille O’Neal after shopping both this month in an attempt to significantly reduce Sarver’s payroll.

      But the injury suffered by Stoudemire when he was poked in the eye during his 42-point game against the Clippers means the Suns will have to try to make the playoffs without him, which was not going to be easy even with a healthy Stoudemire. The Suns awoke Friday as the West’s No. 9 team in an eight-team race with a record of 30-23, one game short of the eighth spot.

      This is obviously a huge blow for the Suns, who made the decision to move forward with Stoudemire after trade discussions with a number of teams. It’s going to be tough for Phoenix to make the playoffs without their power forward, and even if he can return in two months, what kind of shape will he be in?

      NBA, Rumors & Gossip

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