Author: John Paulsen (Page 771 of 937)

      Lions plan to put KJ on PUP?

      August 30, 2007 /

      There has been speculation about this for the last few weeks and it appears that the Lions are moving closer to making a decision.

      According to a source close to the situation, the surgeon who performed the Lisfranc surgery on the left foot of running back Kevin Jones has agreed with Lions trainers that Jones should start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Dr. Richard Anderson re-examined Jones this afternoon and then discussed the situation with Lions officials.

      Because the Lions have a bye week in the sixth week of the season, Jones will only miss five games. Jones will be eligible to return on Oct. 21 in the home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

      The medical report on Jones is that his foot is almost completely recovered, but team officials want to err on the side of caution and make sure he’s in the best possible football condition before he returns to the field. Again, according to a source close to the situation, Jones is expected to return without losing any of his original speed or running ability.

      If true, this news is an obvious bump to Tatum Bell’s stock. OC Mike Martz has praised Bell throughout the preseason and it appears that he will be the starter for the first five games (at least). I’m still leery of drafting Bell as anything more than a RB3 because this situation could easily devolve into a RBBC when Jones comes back. One strategy would be to draft a RB in the first round and then load up on WRs before taking Bell in the fifth as a RB2. It is imperative that you also grab KJ once you hit the ninth or tenth round. Martz has traditionally featured one back, but there’s no guarantee he goes that route. A Bell/KJ combo is especially valuable in PPR leagues since Martz loves to throw so much.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Greeny drinks the Kool-Aid

      August 29, 2007 /

      For the uninitiated, ESPN Radio has a show called Mike & Mike in the Morning, which features ex-NFL’er Mike Golic and ESPN personality Mike Greenberg (a.k.a. “Greeny”) discussing all kinds of sports topics. In a recent issue of ESPN The Magazine, they debated the merits of a playoff in college football and Greeny had this to say.

      “I know it’s an unpopluar view, but a playoff would make college football a January sport the way college basketball has become a March sport – and that’s not a good thing. Plus, having a playoff would diminish the one thing that makes college football unique: that every game is essentially a playoff game. I don’t know if the BCS is perfect, but creating a tournament makes the regular season as meaningless as the college basketball, NBA and NHL regular seasons have become.”

      Two things: (1) He makes the same point twice and passes it off as two different points and (2) he’s being overly dramatic.

      I’ve heard Kirk Herbstreit make the same argument and, simply stated, it’s just not that black and white. Sure, if the NCAA implements a 64-team football tournament, the regular season wouldn’t matter. But could the same be said for a four-team tournament? If the playoff is small and exclusive, there’s still going to be as much pressure to win during the regular season, only we’ll have acceptable closure (not to mention twice the excitement) at the end of each season.

      Under the current system, if a team loses an early game, the players, coaches and fans know that it’s a long road back to contention with only a slim chance of getting a shot to play in the title game. In a four-team playoff, those chances are doubled, which would only serve to generate more interest in the regular season. Imagine the intensity surrounding those last few weeks of the regular season when eight or more teams are vying for those four playoff spots. Currently, a number of one-loss teams know they’re not playing in the title game and the best case is a spot in a BCS bowl. Big deal.

      Those that argue against a college football playoff need to understand that there are varying degrees of a playoff. Sure, a big playoff – I’m talking eight or more teams – would probably reduce the meaning of the regular season. But a small playoff would take the sport to the next level.

      College Football

      Yi Jianlian signs with the Bucks

      August 29, 2007 /

      After a long, drawn out saga (which I outlined in a recent column), Yi Jianlian finally agreed to terms with the Milwaukee Bucks.

      [Team owner, Senator Herb] Kohl, Bucks general manager Larry Harris and team vice president Ron Walter met with Yi, Chinese Basketball Association officials and Guangdong Tigers owner Chen Haitao on Wednesday in Hong Kong.

      “We all anticipate Yi’s arrival and welcome him and his family to Milwaukee,” Kohl said. “We look forward to a successful relationship for many years to come.”

      Yi and his representatives initially had balked at signing with the Bucks and requested a trade to another NBA team, preferably one in a major market or with a large Asian American population. Prior to the draft, agent Dan Fegan had warned the Bucks not to select Yi and had not allowed Bucks officials to conduct a private workout of the Chinese player at his Los Angeles training base.

      But the Bucks insisted throughout the summer that they did not intend to trade Yi, and their hand was strengthened when they were able to sign their own free agent point guard, Mo Williams, to a six-year, $52 million contract.

      Mum was the word for almost the entire month of August. Frankly, I’m embarrassed at the lack of coverage that my hometown newspaper, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, has given to the standoff. The last bit of news that the newspaper provided was on the first of the month.

      Regardless, it will be interesting to see how Yi’s career plays out. Considering the drama around the signing, what is the likelihood that he’s going to re-sign once his rookie contract is up? The Bucks’ brass obviously feels that once Yi joins the community, he’ll be happy in Milwaukee, but I have my doubts. It’s difficult enough to make the transition from living in China to living in the U.S., and it’s even more difficult to move to a city with a very small Chinese population. Yao Ming made a smooth transition to Houston, but he seems like a more thoughtful and disciplined person than Yi.

      On the court, Jianlian should have ample opportunity to improve his game. The Bucks have a hole at power forward and they drafted Yi to fill it. Charlie Villanueva is also in the picture, but he’s more of a small forward, so it’s conceivable that the Bucks could start a front line of 6’11” Villanueva, 7-foot Jianlian, and 7-foot Andrew Bogut. It may take time, however, for Yi to adjust to the NBA game, as the level of competition in China simply doesn’t compare.

      Still, it’s nice to see this deal get done.

      NBA, NBA Draft

      Team USA cruises to 4-0 record

      August 27, 2007 /

      Team USA beat Brazil, 113-76, and is in the midst of a 4-0 run in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Las Vegas. Brazil was considered to be the toughest test thus far for the U.S., as they had three NBA-caliber players in Leandro Barbosa, Nene and Tiago Splitter. Kobe Bryant was responsible for shutting down the lightning quick Barbosa, who was limited to just four points on 1 of 7 shooting.

      Splitter, who was drafted in the first round by the Spurs, led the Brazilians with 13 points and looked like a legitimate NBA player. Since his current buyout is so high, San Antonio is planning to leave him in Spain for another season, but it looks like he’d be an immediate upgrade over Fabricio Oberto and Francisco Elson, and should be a nice frontcourt mate for Tim Duncan.

      In recent years, Team USA has been plagued by the ol’ back-it-down offense while everyone else stands around, but for the most part they played good, unselfish offense and tough, aggressive defense. It’s clear that Coach K is getting through to these guys.

      LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony led Team USA with 21 points each, while Bryant chipped in with 20.

      The next real test comes on Thursday, when they face Argentina.

      General Sports, NBA

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