Category: Rumors & Gossip (Page 23 of 225)

      Was Coach K out of line?

      September 10, 2010 /

      Adrian Wojnarowski thinks Mike Krzyzewski’s response to Russian coach Mike Blatt’s comments about the ’72 gold medal game was out of line.

      Long story short, Blatt (who holds dual citizenship in Israel and the United States) said that he thought the Russians deserved to win that controversial gold medal game 38 years ago. Coach K said that Blatt was a “Russian” (for coaching the Russian team) and that Blatt’s opinion was something of a “fairy tale.”

      Enter Wojnarowski and his soap box…

      To get past the dogged, undermanned Russians, Krzyzewski riled up that old Russian hate for his players and the public. It sniffed of desperation, but Duke’s coach isn’t taking the chance of becoming the first national coach in history to fail in winning consecutive world championships. Never mind the myth of sportsmanship in international basketball, Krzyzewski used up and spit out a most disposable Blatt.

      Krzyzewski played the patriotism card to his advantage with Team USA, and yet later didn’t want the accountability of its ownership.

      [Kryzewski] would get [the win], but not before sacrificing the good name of Blatt. When it was over, Krzyzewski gushed about Blatt’s genius, but that was easy at the game’s end. He had tagged him as a non-American for coaching those Russians, and labels are hard to shake when they come out of the mouth of a Hall of Fame coach. Yes, we’re friends, Coach K said. Friends, indeed. What a desperate, low-rent stunt.

      Count me among those that find it very odd when national teams are helmed by coaches not from the same country. I just don’t get it. So Blatt’s coaching the Russian team seems strange to me, and when I first heard Coach K’s comments, I didn’t have a problem with them. Of course Blatt is going to say that the Russians deserved to win that gold medal. He knows where his bread is buttered.

      Blatt, of course, says he came to this conclusion independently, after watching a documentary about the game. Fine. But he’s the one that brought the subject up and Krzyzewski responded. It’s still painful subject for USA Basketball and Blatt was the one who started the conversation.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Bulls discussing Noah as part of Carmelo deal?

      September 9, 2010 /

      Earlier today, I discussed the report that the Chicago Bulls were one of two teams that Carmelo Anthony would like to be traded to before the season starts. Now it appears that the Bulls are thinking about using Joakim Noah as a centerpiece in an offer for the Denver swingman, per ESPN Chicago.

      The Chicago Bulls are interested in trading for the Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony and are discussing internally including Joakim Noah as part of the deal, according to a league source.

      According to the source, the Nuggets are hesitant to take back Luol Deng as part of a deal with the Bulls because Denver is leery of taking on long-term contracts with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire on June 30, 2011. Deng is two years into a six-year, $71 million contract.

      Now we’re talking.

      Noah isn’t a superstar or even a star, but he’s a quality center who brings defense, rebounding and energy to the Bulls lineup night in and night out. I would think that the Nuggets would require that he be included in any deal for Melo. If they can come away with Noah, Taj Gibson and a first round draft pick or two, that would be a solid start to their rebuilding effort that will no doubt begin once Anthony departs.

      There’s just one sticking point — without Deng’s bloated salary, the numbers don’t match, so the Bulls would have to get a third team involved to take on Deng’s contract. That, or the Nuggets would have to take Deng as part of the deal.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Carmelo prefers the Knicks or Bulls?

      September 9, 2010 /

      According to an ‘NBA source’ of Marc J. Spears, Carmelo Anthony wants to be traded to the Knicks or the Bulls.

      The Knicks have limited assets to offer the Nuggets, which makes the Bulls a more appealing potential trade partner. The Bulls can offer a replacement small forward in Luol Deng, as well as two young forwards in James Johnson and Taj Gibson. New York officials would like to make a run at signing Anthony next summer if he were to opt to become a free agent.

      The prevailing notion is that the Knicks don’t have much to offer in the way of trade, but I’d rather do a deal for Danilo Gallinari, Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry than trade for Luol Deng and his bloated contract, which is worth $51 million over the next four years. I swear some of these pundits don’t even look at the salaries when they throw around trade scenarios. Deng is a solid player, but at almost $13 million a season, I would take a pass.

      So unless the Bulls are able to add a couple of first round draft picks, the Knicks’ (potential) offer of Gallinari and Randolph would be better for the Nuggets. Thus far, it appears that the Knicks have been unwilling to include Randolph in the deal, which is a little mind-boggling. This is Carmelo Freaking Anthony we’re talking about — the Knicks should be pulling out all the stops to acquire him now, especially since the Spears article also states that he wants to be traded before the season starts. If he lands elsewhere, the chances that he’ll sign with the Knicks next summer decrease dramatically.

      Sure, he could get traded to the Clippers or the Rockets and become a free agent next summer, but will those teams really pony up the best offer without some assurance that Carmelo is going to re-sign? The Nuggets will get the best deal from a team that knows Anthony is a long-term acquisition.

      One other item from the Spears piece — Carmelo has yet to meet face-to-face with Masai Ujiri since he was hired as Denver’s new GM. That’s not a good sign for those holding out hope that he’ll be with the Nuggets long term.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Carroll: Justin Forsett will start

      September 7, 2010 /
      Sep 2, 2010; Oakland, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Justin Forsett (20) tries to elude Oakland Raiders linebacker Ricky Brown (57) during the preseason game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Seahawks 27-24. Photo by Image of Sport Photo via Newscom

      Per Danny O’Neil of the Seattle Times:

      Justin Forsett will start at running back for the Seahawks.

      Forsett was quite productive last season in limited duty. He got 10+ touches in eight games and here’s how he fared:

      W2, @SF: 11 touches, 92 yards
      W10, @ARI: 22 touches, 149 yards, TD
      W11, @MIN: 16 touches, 89 yards, TD
      W12, @STL: 22 carries, 130 yards, 2 TD
      W14, @HOU: 13 touches, 73 yards
      W15, TB: 11 touches, 69 yards
      W16, @GB: 15 touches, 74 yards
      W17, TEN: 12 touches, 88 yards

      That’s 764 yards on 122 touches or 6.3 yards per touch. Forsett isn’t a traditional every-down back, but working in tandem with Leon Washington, he should be able to handle 230-240 touches, which at his 2009 rate would equate to 1,400+ yards. If he gets that kind of workload, he’ll be a solid RB2 in PPR leagues.

      The real question is — are the Seahawks committed to getting him 14+ touches a game?

      If they’re not, they should be.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, News, NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      Report: Chargers willing to trade V-Jax by Saturday

      September 3, 2010 /
      SAN DIEGO - JANUARY 17: Wide receiver Vincent Jackson #83 of the San Diego Chargers is tackled at the one-yard line by Bart Scott #57 of the New York Jets during AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Qualcomm Stadium on January 17, 2010 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

      Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that the Chargers have suddenly become willing to trade Vincent Jackson by Saturday, which is a key date for all parties concerned…

      Both the Chargers and, presumably, Jackson’s agents would like to have a deal done by 3 p.m. Saturday. After that, Jackson will essentially be suspended for six games. Jackson is suspended the first three games of the season due to his two DUI arrests and cannot report to a team during that suspension. He is also on the Roster Exempt List, which means he has to sit out three games after reporting.

      In other words, if the Chargers trade him by Saturday, Jackson will only serve a three-game suspension since he can serve both suspensions concurrently. If they trade him after Sep. 4, he’ll have to serve a six-game suspension.

      One wonders why the Chargers waited so long to get the ball rolling on a trade. They have reportedly only let the Seahawks speak to Jackson’s camp about a deal. His trade value will drop after Saturday, so why not trade him before then and get maximum value?

      For fantasy owners, this is a fluid situation. Jackson has been going in the 8th, but he’s still around in the later rounds in some drafts. If the Chargers truly have changed their stance, a deal might get done quickly, because it sounds like Jackson’s camp has also lowered its asking price in terms of financial compensation.

      He’s a better player than Santonio Holmes, who will miss the first four games due to suspension, but Holmes has had all of training camp to get used to the Jets’ offense and to develop a rapport with Mark Sanchez. At this point, if Jackson joins a new team, he’ll essentially be starting from square one. If he lands with a team like the Vikings, I like his chances of producing once his suspension is up due to the presence of Brett Favre, who will throw the ball up and let Jackson make a play.

      Jackson is worth a flier, assuming your team is relatively strong in all areas. If you’re hurting in one area or another, don’t expect Jackson to save you.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, News, NFL, Rumors & Gossip

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