Rich Eisen ran the 40 at the NFL combine and this is what happened…
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The New York Post is reporting that Larry Brown has received permission from Bobcats owner Michael Jordan to take over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Coincidentally squared, Next Town Brown, I’m informed, has received approval from Bobcats owner Michael Jordan to return home, home on the range — Philadelphia — where his wife, school-age children and the antelopes still play, to re-take control of the 76ers from top to bottom.
Larry Brown in a dual coach/GM role? This ought to be good.
I think it’s safe to say that the Sixers are a mess. They won’t have any significant cap room until the summer of 2011, and the Elton Brand signing hasn’t exactly worked out.
Still, there is some talent here — Jrue Holiday, Marreese Speights and Thaddeus Young are nice prospects and Andre Iguodala is a good all-around player. Brown has a history of raising the level of bad franchises, but he doesn’t have a long-term outlook and typically burns out pretty quickly. How does that work when he’s the general manager?
Like I said, this ought to be interesting.
Update: Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the Clippers are another possibility.
According to a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel report, the Green Bay Packers are interested in Brian Westbrook.
Though it’s unclear whether the Packers are serious enough to sign the 30-year-old veteran, two sources said Monday that the club definitely has shown interest. Westbrook became a free agent when the Eagles released him Feb. 23.
If healthy, Westbrook could provide [head coach Mike] McCarthy with the effective third-down back he has lacked in recent years. Brandon Jackson was an outstanding blocker on third downs last year, but he was not a factor as a receiver or runner. Starter Ryan Grant has expressed an interest in playing more on third downs, but Westbrook would handle a large share of that if signed.
If the Packers signed Westbrook, they probably would want it to be a short-term deal with incentives that would pump up the value if he has a good year. Westbrook, however, made $5.85 million last year and was scheduled to make more than $7 million this year before the Eagles cut him. He may be willing to sit out until he gets the deal he wants.
An incentive-laden deal would make a lot of sense. Westbrook is a great fit for the West Coast Offense in that he’s a terrific receiver out of the backfield. Ryan Grant is good between the tackles, but has trouble turning his hips and heading upfield after catching the ball. Westy doesn’t have that problem.
Fantasy-wise, Westbrook’s arrival would certainly limit Grant’s upside, but he wasn’t playing much on third downs anyway. He’d still get most of the first- and second-down carries and all of the goal line work. Westbrook’s presence would boost Aaron Rodgers’ value even more, because when he’s healthy, he’s arguably the most explosive pass-catching RB in the game and is bound to take a few short dump offs to the house.
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ESPN.com reports that West Virginia University’s football program is under investigation because of former head coach Rich Rodriguez, who may have violated NCAA rules.
West Virginia officials wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the allegations, but a source close to the situation said the allegations center on former Mountaineers coach and current Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez.
Michigan is currently under investigation for alleged NCAA rules violations concerning the amount of time players spend on football-related activities.
“The NCAA has met with individuals involved with the West Virginia football program to identify any potential rules violations,” school officials said in a statement, released on Tuesday. “The university has fully cooperated with the NCAA during this process. West Virginia University and its department of intercollegiate athletics is committed to operating its athletics department in conformance with the legislation and policies of the NCAA and the Big East Conference.”
I implore anyone to tell me one good thing that has happened to Rodriguez since he left West Virginia high and dry in December of 2007. Since then, he’s produced two awful seasons in Ann Arbor, has had players transfer because of the way he and his staff treated them, and is the target of NCAA investigators for possibly violating rules.
It’s save to say that karma hunted this guy down and has been delivering hay-makers to his face ever since.
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And we’re not talking Marc Gasol. When FanHouse asked Zach Randoph about an extension, this is what he had to say…
“Me and Pau Gasol got signed to the same deal when he was in Memphis and I was in Portland,” said Randolph, whose contract actually is slightly less, with Randolph making $16 million this season and $17.33 million next season and the Lakers star earning $16.45 million and $17.82 million in those seasons. “We got the same contract, and it got extended. … I hope (to get the extension done this summer). I’d definitely like to get it done.”
So is Randolph worth $57 million over three years?
Not in my book.
While Randolph’s numbers this season — 21-12, 49% shooting — compare favorably to Gasol’s (18-11, 53%), the former plays on a mediocre team that was eliminated from the playoff race a while ago. The latter plays on the world champion Lakers and takes 3.5 fewer shots per game. Gasol is a seven-footer who can play both power forward and center, while Randolph is too small to play center full time. True centers are a rare breed and teams have to pay a premium. Power forwards are a lot easier to find.
Want to go deeper? Randolph’s net impact on the Grizzlies eFG% and eFG% allowed is -0.8%, while Gasol’s is -0.3%. Gasol’s PER (22.71) is better than Randolph’s (21.25).
And then there’s the dependability factor. Randolph is on his fourth team and was traded away three times because he wasn’t wanted. Gasol was traded because the Grizzlies weren’t going anywhere and wanted to cut salary. While it seems like Randolph has matured in his stint with Memphis, his reputation still lingers.
This kind of extension talk is a perfect example. If Randolph really wanted to get an deal done, he’d do it quietly. Instead, on the heels of yet another playoff whiff, he’s giving interviews telling people how he’s worth as much as Pau Gasol, which forces the Grizzlies’ owner, Michael Heisley, to field questions about it.
In short, just because a guy is (probably) the best player that a franchise has, it does not make him a “franchise” player.
Given all the factors, if I were in Heisley’s shoes, I’d pay him $12 million per season, max. And I’d wait until the very last minute to do so. It’s not like his stock is going to get any higher, and besides, players always perform better when they’re hungry.
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