Category: External Sports (Page 459 of 821)

      2010 NBA Preview: A dozen players ready to break out

      October 26, 2010 /
      Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love backs into New York Knicks forward Ronny Turiaf during their NBA preseason game in Paris on October 6, 2010. The Timberwolves won the contest, part of the annual NBA Europe Live tour, by the score of 106-100. UPI/David Silpa Photo via Newscom

      The 2010-11 NBA season starts tonight (Miami and Boston tip things off tonight at 7:30 ET on TNT) and while most eyes will be on one-name superstars like LeBron, Wade, Kobe and Melo, it’s fun to try to predict who this season’s breakout players will be.

      It takes more than just talent to succeed in the NBA. It takes opportunity as well, and each of the 12 players I’ve listed before figure to play a more prominent role than they did last season. I didn’t include any rookies (or Blake Griffin, who qualifies as a rookie) because in order to break out, you have to have a baseline season to start from.

      1. Kevin Love, Timberwolves
      After spending most of last season coming off the bench, Love has started all eight preseason games and has averaged 18-11 while shooting 14-of-24 from long range. Neither Michael Beasley nor Darko Milicic are aggressive rebounders, so Love has a chance to lead the league in boards this season. I suspect Love will be in consideration for the All-Star team in January.

      2. Darren Collison, Pacers
      Indiana’s best move this offseason was to acquire Collison from the Hornets. He had a very nice rookie year, but the starting gig is his now and he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder wondering what’s going on with Chris Paul. He averaged 13-3-4 in the preseason, but I’d expect those numbers to rise with bigger minutes. He should be good for 16-4-6 this season.

      3. Jrue Holiday, Sixers
      Doug Collins is really high on Holiday, predicting that he’ll be a Top 5 point guard in the league sooner rather than later. He averaged 13-4-6 in March of last season and posted 12-6-5 in the preseason.

      4. Roy Hibbert, Pacers
      Hibbert averaged 12-6 in 25 minutes per game last season, but in seven preseason games, he has increased those averages to 17-9, though he’s shooting just 43% from the field, which is a little worrisome. Still, with Troy Murphy gone, there are a lot of minutes available on the front line, and Hibbert should get his fair share.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Did Yankee fans cost their club Cliff Lee?

      October 26, 2010 /
      Texas Rangers' Cliff Lee (R) celebrates with fans after defeating the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball's ALCS playoff series in Arlington, Texas, October 22, 2010. REUTERS/Hans Deryk (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      When Rangers’ ace Cliff Lee becomes a free agent this winter, several teams will be bidding on his services.

      One of those teams will be the New York Yankees, although if Lee’s wife Kristen has anything to say on the matter, her husband won’t be heading to the Bronx in 2011.

      From the USA Today:

      Perhaps the Rangers’ greatest sales pitch simply was having Kristen sit in the visiting family section at Yankee Stadium during the playoffs. She says there were ugly taunts. Obscenities. Cups of beer thrown. Even fans spitting from the section above.

      “The fans did not do good things in my heart,” Kristen says.

      “When people are staring at you, and saying horrible things, it’s hard not to take it personal.”

      It won’t be long before someone in the comments section mentions money when it comes to Lee’s decision about the Yankees. “We’ll see if his wife cares about the cups of beer and obscenities when there’s $200 million on the table,” they’ll say. But these types of things stay with people and money isn’t everything to everyone. (It’s not as if the Lee’s don’t have money either.)

      As I’ve written before on this site, there are idiot fans everywhere. There are idiots in New York, idiots in Boston, idiots in Chicago and idiots in Philadelphia. Some people toss dignity, respect and humility out the window as soon as they enter a ballpark, which is rather sad.

      With that in mind, it would be rather humorous if Lee decided to stay with the Rangers or spurn the Yankees’ advances because of the way his wife was treated in New York. One would have thought that the fans in the Bronx would have rolled out the red carpet for Lee and his family, but an idiot is an idiot. People don’t think how their actions will affect their lives at a future date. (Maybe those fans didn’t know it was Lee’s wife, although to that I say: Why not act like a human being regardless?)

      First things first though – Lee and his Rangers have to worry about the task at hand, which is the San Francisco Giants. Free agency can wait – it’s certainly not going anywhere. People’s minds change, too.

      External Sports, MLB

      2010 NFL Week 8 Power Rankings

      October 26, 2010 /
      New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning talks to his offense in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at New Meadowlands Stadium in week 4 of the NFL in East Rutherford, New Jersey on October 3, 2010. The Giants defeated the Bears 17-3. UPI /John Angelillo Photo via Newscom

      Thanks to a controversial finish in Miami, the Steelers retain their spot at the top for one week. After that, however, it’s pure, unadulterated chaos, as usual.

      Let’s get nasty, Ricky.


      Check out Week 7’s Power Rankings

      1. Pittsburgh Steelers
      Previous Ranking: 1
      The NFL says that the officials in the Pittsburgh-Miami game got the call right on Big Ben’s fumble at the goal line. I think that’s crap, but it doesn’t change my opinion that this is currently the best team in the league. That may change with a loss to the Saints this Sunday though.

      2. Indianapolis Colts
      Previous Week: 2
      We’ll see how the Dallas Clark and Austin Collie injuries play out before moving the Colts from this spot. With the Texans coming to town on Monday night, we’re about to learn a lot about this Indy team.

      3. New York Jets
      Previous Week: 2
      The Jets are fortunate to get a banged up Packers team at home while coming off a bye this Sunday. Now they have to take advantage of it and keep pushing forward.

      4. New England Patriots
      Previous Week: 4
      Not a very dominating performance out in San Diego last week, but wins are the only thing that matter. Good teams take advantage of the gifts that opponents give them, which is exactly what the Pats did last Sunday. That said, they’re fortunate not to have blown a double-digit fourth quarter lead.

      5. New York Giants
      Previous Week: 7
      There’s no doubt the Giants need to cut down on the turnovers (they’re averaging about 34 a game right now), but they’re dominating teams right now. Romo or no Romo, after the two early interceptions on Monday night, the Giants were in complete control. This is your favorite in the NFC East from here on out.

      6. Baltimore Ravens
      Previous Week: 5
      It looked like the Ravens had already gone into their bye last week against the Bills. There’s no excuse to give up 34 points to Buffalo at home, but John Harbaugh and Co. will get things straightened out this week.

      7. Tennessee Titans
      Previous Week: 11
      If Kenny Britt can stay out of Jeff Fisher’s doghouse long enough to stay on the field, then he gives the Titans what they’ve been desperately searching for in terms of a deep threat. This team is starting to play with a little more consistency from week to week and is now an under-the-radar contender in the AFC.

      8. Philadelphia Eagles
      Previous Week: 8
      It’ll be interesting to see how Michael Vick performs coming off his injury. Kevin Kolb did his job to keep the Eagles afloat while Vick was out, but now it’s time to turn it up a notch because the Giants are rolling. I didn’t move the Eagles down this week after a bad second half in Tennessee because this is still the same team that absolutely dominated the Falcons two weeks ago.

      9. Atlanta Falcons
      Previous Week: 9
      Although they let the Bengals back into the game after building a 24-3 lead, it was impressive to watch the Falcons reinsert their foot on Cincinnati’s throat in the fourth quarter. Their offense also found the vertical passing game for one of the first times all year and Michael Turner bounced back after a poor outing in Philadelphia two weeks ago. The bye week comes at a great time for this team, as injuries are starting to mount.

      10. Green Bay Packers
      Previous Week: 10
      The Packers hold onto their top-10 ranking after beating the Vikings, although they have another tough outing this week in East Rutherford. The Jets will be coming off their bye and it’s scary to think about what Rex Ryan will drum up in terms of a pass rush while game planning to face Aaron Rodgers.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      Fantasy Football Q&A: Week 8

      October 26, 2010 /

      Wondering who to add/drop or whether or not a trade is fair?

      I’m here to help.

      After checking out our Waiver Wire Watch, you can post your questions here, and unless you say differently, I’m assuming your league has a standard (non-PPR) scoring system.

      If you are wondering who to start in a standard scoring league, please wait until later this week (usually Wednesday or Thursday) when I’ll release my official Week 8 rankings.

      And if you’re a regular visitor, please take a moment to rate my advice at Fantasy Pros (under Member Rating). I’d appreciate it.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      49ers owner John York commits to Mike Singletary for rest of season

      October 26, 2010 /
      CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 24: Head coach Mike Singletary of the San Francisco 49ers watches on against the Carolina Panthers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on October 24, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

      Fans that were hoping Mike Singletary would get the boot during the season won’t have their prayers (for lack of a better word) answered anytime soon.

      49ers owner John York says that he’s committed to Singletary through the duration of the season despite the team’s 1-6 start. The Niners were the preseason favorites to win the NFC West but despite all their talent they can’t get it together on Sundays.

      Barring a miracle second half, Singletary is likely out at the end of the year. His rah-rah style was great when the Niners showed steady improvements but it has obviously started to wear on players. And if the players don’t want to fight for their head coach in good or bad times, then there’s no sense keeping him employed.

      What’s really interesting is the idea that Singletary may not get another head coaching job after bombing so badly in San Francisco. That might be premature of me to write, but he’s shown an inability to make in-game adjustments and is turning into a P.R. nightmare. This isn’t a movie – you can’t give the “halftime speech” every week and then get your ass handed to you on the field. Winning is the only thing that matters in the NFL.

      Even if he’s fired by the 49ers, Singletary needs to use these last nine games as an audition for other teams. Because unless he wants to go back to being a linebackers coach, he needs to prove that he can outmatch other coaches in the league.

      External Sports, NFL

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