Category: External Sports (Page 268 of 821)

Finally, the first positive signs from the CBA discussions

February 18, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

After months of failed bargaining negotiations, the owners and union are bringing in the big guns to help resolve the CBA deal.

George H. Cohen, also known as the lockout whisperer, has been called upon by both sides to help mediate the discussions. Mediation is not binding, so whether Cohen can help remains to be seen but at least this is a step in a positive direction (the first we’ve heard when it comes to these discussions).

Last year, Cohen was involved in Major League Soccer talks with its players’ union and a work stoppage was avoided. He’s also worked with the players’ associations for MLB, helping end the 1994-95 strike as a consulting attorney and has been a consultant for the NBA and NHL as well.

But while he’s had success with other leagues, he certainly has his work cut out for him with this new CBA deal for the NFL. When you sift past the proposed topics like an 18-game schedule and the restructuring of rookie salaries, what these discussions ultimately come down to is money. As John Paulsen recently pointed out, if the numbers are correct, the union is currently getting 60% of revenues right now, or around $4.8 million (after the owners get a $1 billion credit). The owners are getting $4.2 billion and seemingly want more of a 50/50 split when it comes to revenue sharing.

The union knows that it has to take a paycut in order for a new deal to be signed. But it’s looking for a trim while the owners want to take out their clippers. Hopefully that’s where Cohen comes in to strike a compromise for both sides.

What a compromise looks like, I don’t know. Maybe the players will have to agree to an 18-game schedule (which they vehemently oppose) to allow the math to work for them to not to take too big a financial hit under the new CBA. Maybe the NFL will have to modify its salary cap structure so that the floor of the cap (which was $108 million in 2009) would be raised to help offset the lowering of the cap ceiling.

Whatever and wherever the comprise comes from, I couldn’t care less. I just want football next year, so let’s hope Cohen can work his magic.

External Sports, NFL

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Bynum’s knees, historically speaking

February 18, 2011 / John Paulsen

In his annual trade value column, Bill Simmons discusses how Andrew Bynum’s first six seasons rank amongst his historical peers.

38. Andrew Bynum
A list of the most memorable centers and power forwards of the past 35 years organized by their first six regular seasons for “games played,” “games missed” and “number of seasons in which they played 90 percent of the games.”
Dwight Howard: 489 — 3 — 6
Karl Malone: 489 — 3 — 6
Tim Duncan: 451 — 9 — 5
David Robinson: 475 — 17 — 5
Kevin McHale: 475 — 17 — 5
Charles Barkley: 472 — 20 — 6
Dikembe Mutombo: 471 –21 — 5
Robert Parish: 469 — 23 — 5
Hakeem Olajuwon: 468 — 24 — 5
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 467 — 25 — 5
Dirk Nowitzki: 444 — 48 — 5
Kevin Garnett: 442 — 50 — 5
Patrick Ewing: 438 — 54 — 4
Moses Malone: 428 — 66 — 4
Alonzo Mourning: 409 — 83 — 2
Shaquille O’Neal: 408 — 84 — 2
Yao Ming: 404 — 88 — 3
Ralph Sampson: 395 — 97 — 3
Chris Webber: 329 — 131 — 1
Andrew Bynum: 309 — 169 — 1
Bill Walton: 223 — 269 — 0
Sam Bowie: 207 — 285 — 1
Greg Oden: 82 — 266 — 0
What jumps out? First, the durable guys remained durable throughout their careers, with just one exception: McHale, who ruined the second half of his career by bravely (and some would say foolishly) playing on a broken foot in the 1987 playoffs. Second, anyone who missed more than 80 games and couldn’t play in 90 percent of the games in at least four of their first six seasons went on to have injury-plagued careers. (That includes Shaq, who played more than 68 games in a season just six times and missed an average of 18 games per season.) And third, if you can’t stay on the court at your youngest/healthiest/freshest/most energetic, it’s a pretty safe bet that things won’t change as you get older. It’s straight DNA: Some dudes are structurally built for 82-game NBA seasons, others aren’t. So if you make the argument “If Bynum can stay healthy, he’s a franchise center,” just make sure you also mention that we have 35 years of evidence that there’s a tipping point when “If he can stay healthy …” becomes “… he’s not going to stay healthy.” We’re there with Andrew Bynum. He’s not going to stay healthy. If I were the Lakers, I would trade him right now.
(Actually, what am I saying? They should definitely keep him! The guy is built like solid oak!)

I still don’t know why the Lakers are so intent on holding onto Bynum in this scenario unless they are simply convinced that Carmelo wouldn’t fit in with the 2011 Lakers or are going all in, hoping that Bynum’s knees will hold up until the end of June so that Kobe can get his sixth ring.

Bynum doesn’t even finish games, so the Lakers are theoretically passing on a multiple All-NBA forward for a guy who always rides the pine in crunch time. It’s truly ponderous — I don’t care what Jon Barry says.

External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, Humor, NBA

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Kellen Winslow Jr. chats with The Scores Report

February 17, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Quick, name the leading receiver on the Bucs last year. Nope, it wasn’t impressive rookie Mike Williams and for those who said Joey Galloway, you’ve just embarrassed yourself.

It was none other than tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., who was one of the many players that helped transform the Bucs from a 3-13 team in 2009 to a 10-6 playoff contender in 2010. Due to the tough of the Super Bowl champion Packers the final two weeks, Tampa Bay missed the postseason but there’s no doubt the Bucs are a team to be reckoned with in the NFC.

Even though he’s concentrating on becoming a father any day now, Kellen took the time to chat with us recently about the Bucs’ resurgence, what he thought the key was to Josh Freeman’s development this past year and what his take is on the lack of progress in the CBA discussions. He also talked about his role in the Bucs’ offense and what he thinks the team needs to get over the hump. As we expected, he didn’t disappoint with his answers.

For more on Kellen, check out his official website, which has a bio, photos and more.

The Scores Report: Hey Kellen, how are you?

Kellen Winslow: Hey, how’s it going, man?

External Sports, Interviews, NFL

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2011 NFL Draft Needs: NFC East

February 17, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

2011 NFL Draft Needs: AFC East | AFC North | NFC East | NFC North

No. 9 Dallas Cowboys
Top Needs: S, OT, CB
The Cowboys’ biggest priority heading into the offseason appears to be safety. Alan Ball’s lackluster play at free safety was one of the main reasons the Cowboys were torched through the air last season. If he returns, it’ll likely be as a backup in a nickel or dime package. Gerald Sensabaugh is a free agent and even if he does come back, the ‘Boys are likely to add another body to push him for the starting job. Seeing as how Mike Jenkins and Terrence Newman also contributed to the team’s problems in pass defense, the Cowboys will probably look to add more pieces at cornerback as well. Offensively, there’s talk that right tackle Marc Colombo could be released over concerns about his durability and declining production. Alex Barron resembled a turnstile when he played, so chances are the tackle position will be a priority for Dallas this offseason as well. You may even see them draft a tackle in the first round.
First Round Possibilities: Anthony Castonzo (Boston College), Nate Solder (Colorado), Gabe Carimi (Wisconsin), Derek Sherrod (Mississippi State), Stefan Wisniewski (Penn State), Tyron Smith (USC), Prince Amukamara (Nebraska), Jimmy Smith (Colorado), Patrick Peterson (LSU).

No. 10 Washington Redskins
Top Needs: QB, WR, LB, RB, OT, CB, DT
What don’t the Redskins need? It’s highly unlikely that they’ll pay Donovan McNabb when it’s clear that Mike Shanahan doesn’t have a ton of trust in him to run his offense. So then what? Do they go with Rex Grossman as the starter? Do they draft a signal caller in the first round? The entire offense is lacking playmakers, especially at the wide receiver position. Santana Moss is their top playmaker but he’s a free agent and Malcolm Kelly has been a major disappointment. So if Washington doesn’t draft a QB in the first round, they could certainly target a wideout like Alabama’s Julio Jones. Defensively, Andre Carter is a bad fit for the 3-4 and Rocky McIntosh is a free agent that probably won’t be back because Shanahan was none too pleased that he skipped all of 2010 offseason workouts. London Fletcher and Brian Orakpo remain fixtures at linebacker, but the Skins need to add another pass-rusher opposite Orakpo on the outside. At cornerback, DeAngelo Hall and Carlos Rogers are both free agents, but the Skins can’t allow both of them to walk with so few draft picks. Once Albert Haynesworth is dumped, the defensive tackle position becomes a need as well. Simply put, the Skins have too many holes to fill in just one offseason. It’s going to take Shanahan and Bruce Allen time to rebuild this roster.
First Round Possibilities: A.J. Green (Georgia), Julio Jones (Alabama), Robert Quinn (North Carolina), Derek Sherrod (Mississippi State), Mike Pouncey (Florida), Anthony Castonzo (Boston College), Gabe Carimi (Wisconsin), Cam Newton (Auburn), Ryan Mallett (Arkansas), Marcell Dareus (Alabama), J.J. Watt (Wisconsin), Von Miller (Mississippi State), Akeen Ayers (UCLA).

External Sports, NFL

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