Author: John Paulsen (Page 877 of 937)

      McRoberts will return to Duke

      April 27, 2006 /

      Freshman phenom John McRoberts will play another year at Duke, according to the school’s athletic department website.

      “I am very excited about my decision to return to Duke to continue my academic and athletic career,” said McRoberts. “I love the atmosphere at Duke and the support the university receives from the community. There is no place better to play college basketball. I am looking forward to working with the coaching staff to further develop my skills as a player. The relationships that I have in place here played a major role in my decision. I am anxious to see my bond with Coach K, the rest of the staff and my teammates grow even stronger. Additionally, I am eager to continue to build on several relationships that I have developed in the community through working with our outreach programs.”

      NBADraft.net has McRoberts going with the tenth pick in their mock draft. The power forward was projected to go as high as fourth when the NCAA tournament began, but it’s unclear whether or not this projected slide has anything to do with his decision to return.

      With Shelden Williams gone, McRoberts will be asked to take on more of a scoring load and should be the team’s main inside option. He’s already a pretty good shooter, and I’m not exactly sure why Tyrus Thomas and LaMarcus Aldridge are considered better long-term prospects at the power forward position. I suppose both of those players had more opportunity to shine during the season and in the tournament, but McRoberts play in the second half of the season was spectacular, if a bit inconsistent. What do you expect from a freshman in an elite program?

      College Basketball, NBA

      Nash to win MVP?

      April 27, 2006 /

      ESPN has picked up reports that Steve Nash will win his second consecutive MVP award.

      The announcement may not come for two weeks, according to the Arizona Republic. But the paper, and others, report that the voting shows Nash edging LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Chauncey Billups and Kobe Bryant for the MVP.

      The Phoenix Suns playmaker would become the 10th player to win the award in consecutive seasons.

      If he does in fact win the award, Nash certainly benefited from being on an elite team. MVPs almost always come from teams with 50+ wins, which probably hurt Kobe Bryant’s chances (and the chances of LeBron James) to a certain extent. It’s hard to argue with the decision after the year Nash had, considering that the team lost Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Kurt Thomas and Quentin Richardson to trades or injuries.

      But, of course, the NBA declined to comment on the report. If the voting is complete, I’m not sure why the league doesn’t announce it themselves. What’s the benefit of waiting? Certainly, the announcement has less of an impact when the news has already been filtered through a few Arizona newspapers.

      NBA

      Playoff Update 4/27

      April 27, 2006 /

      The Nets/Pacers, Heat/Bulls and Clippers/Nuggets play tonight, with the last two games on TNT. Here’s what happened last night:

      Detroit 109, Milwaukee 98 (Detroit leads the series, 2-0)
      In Game 1, it was the Pistons’ defense that beat the Bucks. In Game 2, it was their offense, with six Pistons scoring double digits in the victory. Detroit played with the Bucks, who were never able to get closer than 11 in the second half. Milwaukee has a lot of talent on the roster, but they’re young and they need to grow up quickly if they want to make this a series.

      Dallas 94, Memphis 79 (Dallas, 2-0)
      Dirk Nowitzki shrugged off early foul trouble (and the news that he would not win the MVP) to score 31 points on 9 of 19 shooting. The Mavericks also got 17/6 from Josh Howard, who has emerged this season to become the team’s second best all-around player. Jason Terry tallied 16 points, nine assists and six boards. But the key to the game was the team’s ability to limit the Grizzlies’ best player, Pau Gasol. The big Spaniard did score 16, but Dallas forced him into tough shots all night, which limited his effectiveness. Memphis turned the ball over 20 times, a stat that won’t win you many games.

      LA Lakers 99, Phoenix 93 (series tied, 1-1)
      After a good effort in Game 1, the Lakers played brilliantly in Game 2, and were able to wrestle home court advantage away from the Suns. The difference in the game was three-point shooting. The Lakers shot 9 of 16 (56%) from behind the arc, while the Suns had to take 27 threes to make 9 (33%). Lamar Odom played particularly well, scoring 21, while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out five assists. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 29 points and 10 rebounds, shooting a solid 12 of 24 from the field. Five Suns scored in double figures, but the team shot a mediocre 42% from the field, getting next to nothing from their bench. Shawn Marion really had an off game, going 5 of 15 from the field for only 13 points. It looks like this series might go six or seven games.

      NBA

      Green Bay signs Woodson

      April 26, 2006 /

      The last big-name free agent on the market has reached an agreement with the Green Bay Packers.

      The contract is a seven-year deal worth $52 million, ESPN.com’s Michael Smith reports. Woodson will make $10.5 million in the first year of the deal and $18 million over the first three years. Woodson will also receive a $3 million bonus if he is selected to the Pro Bowl in two of the first three years of the contract.

      It looks as if the Packers plan to play Woodson at cornerback, while Tampa Bay, the only other team to express major interest, planned to use him as a safety. He will most likely start opposite Al Harris, replacing Ahmad Carroll, who hasn’t improved as expected after being drafted in the first round of the 2004 draft. Woodson should help to bolster the Packer defense, which was suspect in 2005.

      NFL

      Favre will play another year

      April 26, 2006 /

      I remember seeing a recent ESPN SportsNation poll in which Wisconsin was the only state that a majority of voters thought that Brett Favre should return for another year. That makes sense, because Packer fans understand that Favre gives them the best chance to win games, and if he wants to play another year, the Green Bay faithful want him on the field.

      After an offseason of wavering back and forth, the quarterback told the team yesterday that he wants to play another year. He said all along that he wanted the Packers to make a splash in free agency, and when the team failed to make any big signings, many thought that Favre was on the way out.

      The Packers’ two most high-profile free-agent signings have been former St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Ryan Pickett and former Seattle Seahawks safety Marquand Manuel. The team has also re-signed fullback William Henderson and wide receiver Rod Gardener.

      The Pickett and Manuel signings will bolster a defense that was horrible against the run but great against the pass in 2005. The article failed to mention the re-signing of Aaron Kampman, one of the league’s hardest working defensive ends. Throw in the #5 pick (probably LB A.J. Hawk, but possibly DE Mario Williams) and the Green Bay defense should be markedly better this season.

      The offense is a bigger question. Once the strength of the team, the unit took a hit last season with the loss of their two starting guards, Mike Wahle and Marco Rivera, which made running room hard to find for most of the year. Still, fifth-string RB Samkon Gado averaged 104 yards in the five games where he was given 20+ carries, so the offensive line started to show some life in the second half of the season. The team re-signed Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport, so they have some depth in the backfield. The bigger question at the moment is the status of WR Javon Walker, who has said he will retire before playing another game in a Packer uniform. If he stays true to his word and the team is unable to get a good WR to line up with the ever-consistent Donald Driver, moving the ball is going to be tough. Walker is coming off a knee injury that has diminished his trade value. He’d be smart to prove himself healthy by playing this year in Green Bay and then try to make a splash on the free agent market after the season.

      NFL

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