…but it’s sure fun to watch. Danica Patrick and Milka Duno fight in the pits after a race.
We should have more debates in other sports. How about filming a quarterback as he enters the opposing team’s locker room to yell at a defensive lineman about a late hit? Or how about, after a game, watching a NBA player as he confronts the guy who committed a flagrant foul on him earlier that night? We’re missing out on the real drama, people!
I thought for a moment that this was going to be a spoof of the whole Brett Favre saga (since he’s on the cover), but this is the real deal. It’s a trailer for Madden ’09, and it looks scary fun.
So far, Marcus Williams has been a bust. The former first-round pick (#22 overall) clearly hasn’t panned out, as he’s averaging just 6.4 points and 3.0 assists and shooting 38.9% from the field in his brief career. That didn’t stop Golden State from trading a future first round pick for him.
The trade will be announced later today.
The pick is lottery protected for 2011, so the Nets get it if the Warriors are in the playoffs. If it goes to 2012, the pick is protected 1-11. It’s protected 1-10 for 2013.
If it is not conveyed by 2013, the Nets get second-round picks in 2013 and 2015.
When he came into the league, Williams was supposed to be a pass-first point guard, but he now has a rep for firing up a lot of bad shots. It will be interesting to see if Don Nelson and his staff can turn him into a legitimate NBA point guard. The pick is lottery protected, so there’s limited downside for the Warriors.
As for the Nets, with the acquisition of Keyon Dooling and last year’s trade for Devin Harris, the writing was on the wall for Williams. Sometimes a player just needs a change of scenery.
In what would be a stunning move, Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Childress might be taking his game overseas.
Atlanta Hawks free-agent forward Josh Childress is strongly considering a three-year, $20 million offer from Greek powerhouse Olympiakos, several league sources said Sunday night.
Childress flew to Greece late Sunday and is scheduled to meet with Olympiakos officials on Monday. Childress, 25, is so flustered with the Hawks’ refusal to make a sign-and-trade deal to another team, one source familiar with his thinking believes there’s “better than a 50-50 chance” he’ll sign with Olympiakos. The team also will cover the Greek taxes for Childress, making the offer even more lucrative.
Childress is a restricted free agent, but the Hawks would have no matching rights with a FIBA contract. Olympiakos’ offer also would allow Childress the opportunity to return to the NBA over the next two summers. The Hawks would maintain his restricted free-agent rights provided they make him a qualifying offer.
Childress’ talks with the Hawks have yet to gain traction because Atlanta officials have made it clear their first priority is to resolve negotiations with forward Josh Smith, their other restricted free agent. Privately, Childress has expressed little enthusiasm in returning to play for the organization, sources said.
This news comes as a huge surprise, but it shouldn’t. As the U.S. Dollar continues to fall against the Euro, playing in Europe becomes more and more attractive for U.S. players. This, coupled with the Hawks’ reluctance to negotiate an extension, has Childress looking overseas for a place to play. If he were an unrestricted free agent, he would no doubt have a few mid-level deals (starting at $5.6 million per season) to sort through, but teams are reluctant to sign him to an offer sheet because they think the Hawks would match (and they probably would). It will be interesting to see if this prompts Atlanta to start serious negotiations with the talented forward.
Childress is a highly efficient player, posting a PER of 17.84, which is the ninth-best amongst all qualified small forwards in the league. He has come off the bench for much of his career, but in the Hawks’ playoff series against the Celtics, he was on the court in crunch time.
It would be a blow to the league if he decided to play in Greece.
More and more, teams are utilizing a Running Back By Committee (RBBC) approach. Some teams are trying to keep their main back fresh, some want to keep the defense off balance, while others simply do not have a back on the roster capable of carrying a full workload.
Typically, it’s wise for fantasy owners to stay away from these situations on draft day, as it’s difficult to predict who will emerge as the main back in a RBBC (if one emerges at all). With that in mind, here are five running games to avoid like the plague during the draft.
Houston Texans
Ahman Green, Chris Brown, Steve Slaton, Darius Walker, Chris Taylor
Given his long injury history, the Texans raised more than a few eyebrows when they signed Green to a four-year, $23 million deal last summer. Green is a talented back when healthy, but he has trouble staying on the field. He appeared in only six games last season before being placed on IR. As insurance, the team acquired Chris Brown, another talented rusher who has his own history of injury. Complicating matters, the Texans drafted Steve Slaton, a 5’9” rookie out of West Virginia. Finally, there’s Darius Walker, who somehow finished the season as the team’s second leading rusher. This is an ugly list of players and at 3.8 yards per carry (ypc) in 2007, it’s not like the Texans’ running game is worth the trouble.
Carolina Panthers
DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, LaBrandon Toefield, Alex Haynes
Fans of DeAngelo Williams had reason to be excited after the Panthers elected to cut DeShaun Foster. Finally, Williams would have the opportunity to carry the load, and with a career 4.6 ypc, he would be an interesting option in the fourth or fifth round. Not so fast. The Panthers drafted a physical back, Jonathan Stewart, in the first round to complement Williams’ style. Uh-oh, this looks like another Carolina RBBC.
Seattle Seahawks
Julius Jones, Maurice Morris, T.J. Duckett, Justin Forsett, Alvin Pearman
This used to be the Shaun Alexander show, but he hit the wall (hard) and is no longer playing for the team. The Seahawks signed Juilus Jones to give their running game some punch. Jones was supposed to be the feature back in Dallas, but relinquished those duties to Marion Barber. Jones’ career 3.9 ypc isn’t great, and the team has implied that it plans to use both Jones and Maurice Morris extensively. Throw in newcomer T.J. Duckett to vulture some goal line carries and the Seahawks have one giant mess in the backfield.
New England Patriots
Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris, BenJarvus Green-Ellis
Laurence Maroney has the skill of a feature back, but there are two things standing in his way: durability and Bill Belichick. Maroney missed three games early in the season and when he did play, Belichick favored Sammy Morris at the goal line. Maroney finished with six rushing touchdowns, but didn’t get his first until Morris’ season ended in Week 6. It’s probably worth it to roll the dice on Maroney in the fourth or fifth round, but at his current Average Draft Position (3.06) there is just too much risk, especially considering how much the Patriots like to throw the ball.
Tennessee Titans
LenDale White, Chris Henry, Chris Johnson, Rafael Little, Omar Cuff
LenDale White actually finished 2007 with pretty good numbers: 1224 total yards and seven TD. But the Titans drafted another RB (Chris Johnson), and along with last summer’s pick, Chris Henry, the Titans have three backs that are 23 or younger. The Henry and Johnson picks show a lack of confidence in White, who has seemingly taken up residence in Jeff Fisher’s doghouse. Johnson appears to be the “lightning” to White’s “thunder,” so if the duo start splitting carries, White’s stock is going to drop.
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