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      Seriously interested or smokescreen? Browns talk to Rams about No. 1 pick.

      April 15, 2010 /

      ESPN.com reports that the Browns have had discussions with the Rams about the No. 1 overall pick.

      “We’ve actually played a little phone tag,” Heckert said. “We’ve talked to them throughout the process and have been at workouts with the Rams people and kind of mentioned stuff to them. Just talks. We’ve talked to all the teams ahead of us and all the teams immediately behind us.”

      Mike Holmgren is a big believer in Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, although he was quick to suggest that the Browns will likely go in another direction.

      “He’s the whole package,” Browns president Mike Holmgren said. “Whoever gets him is going to be a lucky team.”

      “Absolutely we love the player, as do a lot of people, but in the real world we’re probably going to go in a different direction there.”

      Teams rarely (if ever) divulge their draft plans, so it’s interesting that Holmgren would talk up Bradford this much. He must know that there’s no way the Browns will move up to get him, so it’s wise for him to talk Bradford up in order to generate more interest in the No. 7 pick.

      Think about it, if Holmgren makes other teams believe that he’s interested in taking a quarterback that high, he might be able to get a package deal for the seventh pick and move out of the top 10. Jimmy Clausen will presumably be available at No. 7 and if teams are worried about the Browns taking him, then maybe they’ll be willing to part with extra picks in order to jump ahead of the Raiders, Bills and Jaguars – three teams that may be interested in Clausen and that pick directly behind Cleveland.

      Holmgren has been known to deal first round picks in the past, so if he wants to do it again this year, he needs to use Clausen as bait. If he’s able to find a trade partner for the seventh overall pick, then he swap first rounders, pick up a cornerback, safety or offensive tackle later in the first and then still get a quarterback like Colt McCoy in the second. It makes sense – if he can find a trade partner, that is.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Witness claims that woman was dragged to bathroom to have sex with Big Ben

      April 15, 2010 /

      From ESPN.com:

      In 5oo-plus pages of documents released Wednesday, Nicole Biancofiore told investigators from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations that her friend, a student at Georgia College & State University, “was dragged by a bodyguard to the back room in Capital [City, a local nightclub]. She was extremely intoxicated and not aware of what was happening.”

      “He had sex w/me and meanwhile his bodyguards told my friends they couldn’t pass them to get to me,” the accuser wrote in her statement, which was reported in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

      The initial police report said that “One of the suspect’s bodyguards escorted her to a back room/hallway area where the suspect was. Once there, she stated, the suspect asked her for sex. At this time it is unclear to what happened after this point due to the complainant’s recollection being foggy from her intoxication level. However, she did write a statement of what she thought happened.”

      A third friend, Ann Marie Lubatti, told police, that she “approached the other security guard and told him that she [the accuser] was in no shape to be back there with Ben Roethlisberger. He couldn’t look me in the eye, and told me he didn’t know what was going on. My friend went to open the door, and it was locked.”

      It’s hard to sift through all of these reports and get to the facts. Chances are, nobody will know what exactly happened that night, although it sounds like Roethlisberger’s bodyguards have an idea.

      I don’t want to jump to conclusions or cast stones, because I wasn’t there the night the incident happened. But it’s apparent that Roethlisberger doesn’t have the intelligence to stay out of these types of situations. While I don’t bemoan him for wanting to celebrate his birthday, there’s absolutely no reason for him and his cronies to be buying under aged women shots in the back of a bar in the middle of a college town.

      He’s the freaking quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers – you’re telling me he doesn’t have anywhere more upscale to go? And celebrate with people his own age for that matter? Come on.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Phil Jackson says Durant gets too many calls

      April 15, 2010 /

      Phil Jackson’s mind games have begun, and Kevin Durant is none too happy about it.

      Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson told reporters Wednesday that Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant gets preferential treatment from referees.

      “Yeah, by the calls he gets, he really gets to the line a lot, I’ll tell ya,” Jackson said, according to The Oklahoman’s Web site.

      Of course, those of us that have watched Jackson over the years realizes that this is his not-so-subtle attempt at getting into the heads of the officials.

      Still, Durant didn’t take the slight kindly.

      “I don’t disrespect nobody in this league,” Durant said, according to the report. “I respect every coach, every player, everybody. I never say anything bad about anybody else or question why they do this or do that. So for them to say that about me, I don’t even want to use no foul language.”

      “If the refs pay attention to that and change how they call things because of that, that’s terrible,” Durant said, according to the newspaper. “That’s terrible to the game of basketball and to us. If that happens, then [coach] Scotty [Brooks] could talk, too. Or any other coach could talk, too, just so the refs could switch everything up. But I doubt they do that.”

      Durant shot 10.2 free throws per game this season, compared to Kobe Bryant’s 7.4, but in Kobe’s heyday — when he would relentlessly attack the rim — he shot 10.1, 10.2 and 10.0 from 2004 to 2007. I wonder if Jackson thought that the Laker superstar got too many calls during that stretch.

      Good scorers who are aggressive get to the line. Durant and LeBron James led the league with 10.2 attempts per game, and Dwight Howard was third with 10.0.

      Durant is a really tough cover — that’s why he gets to the line.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Your quick and dirty NBA Playoffs preview

      April 15, 2010 /

      The matchups are set and the first round starts this weekend. In the East, the top four teams — Cleveland, Orlando, Boston and Atlanta — seem like good bets to advance, while in the West, I wouldn’t be shocked if the bottom four seeds — Utah, Portland, San Antonio and Oklahoma City — were to make the second round. Here’s a quick look at each series:

      EASTERN CONFERENCE

      Cavaliers vs. Bulls
      It’s not often that a team that had a 10-game losing streak end in mid-February recovers and makes the postseason, but that’s exactly what the Bulls have done, winning 10 of their last 14 to capture the final playoff spot in the East. Chicago has the tools to make this a series, and with Shaquille O’Neal coming back from a long break, there’s a chance this could go to six or seven games. But in the end, Cleveland should have plenty of firepower to put the Bulls away.

      Celtics vs. Heat
      If there’s going to be an upset in the East, this will probably be it. The C’s have limped into the playoffs, losing eight of their last 13 games. Meanwhile, the Heat went 18-4 in February and March, but were just 4-3 against teams with winning records. Boston swept the season series despite Dwyane Wade’s terrific numbers (34-5-9, 50% shooting), so if anyone else steps up, the streaking Heat have a good shot at stealing the first or second game and gaining control of the series.

      Hawks vs. Bucks
      If Andrew Bogut were healthy, I’d pick Milwaukee, but the Bucks are going to have a tough time winning a seven-game series against a pretty good Atlanta team that has won 13 of its last 19 games. The Bucks’ defense could keep the games (and the series) close, but the Hawks should have enough to move on.

      Magic vs. Bobcats
      Orlando is peaking at the right time, going 19-3 in February and March. However, one of those losses was at home against Charlotte. The Bobcats are playing well too — they’re 16-7 over their last 23 games. Both teams are excellent defesively; they’re tied for first in defensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions), so expect a few tight games. But Orlando just has too much talent.

      Continue reading »

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Finals

      Steelers reportedly open to trading Big Ben

      April 15, 2010 /

      NFL.com reports that the Steelers have held internal discussions and are willing to listen to trade offers for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

      According to the source, Steelers ownership remains dismayed and embarrassed by Roethlisberger’s actions in a Georgia college town this offseason and finds his string of off-the-field incidents troubling. The team has been closely monitoring the public backlash against Roethlisberger.

      “The Rooneys are livid,” the source said.

      The Steelers’ front office has talked internally about possible trade scenarios that could be feasible and what makes sense for the team. According to a source, if other teams called about Roethlisberger, the Steelers would intently listen.

      The Steelers could envision several trade scenarios, but they’re skeptical about other teams taking on Roethlisberger, given his baggage. However, they also realize his contract is tradeable in an uncapped year, with the bonuses already paid and Roethlisberger signed for six more years at a manageable salary for a franchise quarterback ($8.05 million in 2010, $11.6 million per year from 2011 to 2014, and $12.1 million in 2015).

      The article goes on to say that the Steelers are “enamored” with Sam Bradford, but unless the Rams are willing to trade them the top overall pick then Pittsburgh won’t have the opportunity to draft the Oklahoma product.

      It’ll be interesting to see whether or not the Steelers are actually willing to trade Big Ben or if they’re just trying to put a scare into him. It’s not like teams can walk into the supermarket and shop for franchise quarterbacks down aisle 10, so Pittsburgh knows the risk it’s taking if it does part with Roethlisberger. It could be a move that essentially changes the dynamics of their franchise and considering he’s only 28, I doubt the Steelers are ready to go down that road right now.

      That said, there’s no question that the organization is peeved about this situation. They traded Santonio Holmes for a roll of toilet paper, so clearly they’re not opposed to make bold moves to send a message. While they won’t give up Big Ben for peanuts, if they’re offered fair (or even slightly less than fair) value I think it’s a very real possibility that Roethlisberger’s days in Pittsburgh are numbered.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

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