Baylor’s Brittney Giner punches Texas Tech’s Jordan Barncastle right in the kisser.
Page 1095 of 2956
Let’s not go off the deep end here. Duke junior Kyle Singler is still having a good year. He’s averaging 17-7-2 and is shooting 38% from long range. Those numbers are virtually identical to his sophomore season. The difference is in his overall FG%, which dropped from 44.1% last season to 40.7% this year.
Having watched at least half of Duke’s games this season — including last night’s 79-72 loss to Maryland — I think Singler is struggling with his accuracy because he is now playing a ton of minutes at small forward. Over his first two seasons, he played mostly power forward and even some center, and while he was at a disadvantage on Duke’s defensive glass, he had a big advantage on the offensive end.
Singler is a classic face-up forward. He has a very nice perimeter game in that he is accurate from long range and can take it to the basket when he gets his defender out of position. And over his first two seasons, he faced a lot of opposing 4s and 5s that weren’t comfortable covering someone on the perimeter. This season, in addition to Lance Thomas, Duke is giving big minutes to Brian Zoubek, Miles Plumlee and Mason Plumlee, which means that Singler is playing more small forward than ever. This allows the defense to cover him with their own small forward, who is generally quicker and far more comfortable defending on the perimeter.
As a result, Singler is getting far fewer good looks on penetration than he has in years past. During his first two seasons, it was relatively easy to get a bigger defender out of position on the wing and drive past him for a layup or short jumper. Now, his defenders are sticking with him on those drives and forcing tougher shots. Hence, the reduction in field goal percentage.
Duke certainly has more size this season, and that’s helping on the glass, but it’s hurting Singler’s efficiency on the other end of the court. It’s a trade-off that Coach K is apparently willing to live with, but I’m guessing that if Singler shoots 41% or less in the NCAA tournament, the Blue Devils won’t be making a Final Four appearance this season.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns have been in discussions with multiple teams in regards to trading for a quarterback.
According to a league source with knowledge of the situation, the Browns are discussing quarterbacks “on different levels.” It appears the Browns have concluded they are more apt to upgrade the quarterback position through trade rather than free agency.
Since President Mike Holmgren and General Manager Tom Heckert joined forces to take over Browns operations, they have talked of improving the offense in general and the quarterback position in particular. They naturally have been linked to passers on their former teams — Matt Hasselbeck of Seattle, and Donovan McNabb or Kevin Kolb of Philadelphia.
The Browns are expected to soon part ways with Derek Anderson, who is owed a $2 million roster bonus on March 19. There is also the possibility that Brady Quinn could garner some interest in a trade.
Given Holmgren’s history with the West Coast Offense and Heckert’s relationship with Philadelphia, the Eagles are a logical trading partner for the Browns. But it’s unlikely that the Eagles would part with Kolb and it’s even more unlikely that Holmgren would trade the No. 7 overall pick for McNabb. So are the Eagles and Browns actually a fit in the end? That’s debatable.
If the Browns do wind up making a move for a veteran QB, it would be surprising if Quinn weren’t involved in the deal. Holmgren won’t part with his top pick unless he can get a first rounder in return, thus it makes more sense that Quinn would be one of his biggest bargaining chips.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
The asking price for Anquan Boldin has apparently been set, as the NFL Network’s Mike Lombardi reports that the Cardinals are seeking a third-round pick in exchange for the veteran receiver.
If that indeed is the asking price, then the Cardinals should have no shortage of trade partners. The Ravens are desperate for a receiver and I would have to believe that GM Ozzie Newsome would be more than willing to part with a third round pick in order to give Joe Flacco a target such as Boldin.
Outside of the Ravens, the Lions, Patriots, Bucs, Jaguars, Panthers, Dolphins, Chiefs, Jets and Bengals could all be potential trade partners with the Cardinals as well. Many people will throw the Bears into this mix, but considering they don’t have a draft pick in either of the first two rounds, it stands to reason that Jerry Angelo will hang onto his third round selection.
Even if Lombardi’s report is accurate, the Cardinals may not trade Boldin until the draft. It makes more sense for Arizona to wait until teams start to panic about their receiver position before parting with Q.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
The title of Marc Berman’s New York Post piece — “LeBron-to-Knicks hope fading” — says it all.
With each passing day, as the Knicks disgrace themselves and the Cavaliers march to their potential first NBA championship, the Knicks’ chances of free-agent glory in landing LeBron James this summer gets more remote.
A bit dramatic, don’t you think? What if the Cavs lose in the Eastern Semifinals — wouldn’t all this talk just start back up again?
James clung to his mid-November policy of not talking about his free-agent options, but he has left enough hints to New York fans that the Knicks’ bid is a longshot.
In his lone appearance at the Garden, Nov. 6, James said in strong terms the only factor is whether he can win at his new destination. At All-Star weekend, he reiterated, “It’s all about winning.”
Well, it’s not all about winning, is it? I thought LeBron’s #1 goal was to become a “global icon.” But there’s a strong argument that says that to truly become a global icon, LeBron needs an NBA championship.
As bad as the Knicks may be, if LeBron sees a scenario where he and, say, Chris Bosh can play in New York (or even the LeBron-Wade-Bosh trio) then it’s hard not to think that the Knicks would be vastly improved in just one season. Throw in a few savvy vets willing to play for the minimum for a shot at the ring and suddenly the Knicks are an Eastern Conference power.
Team sources indicated D’Antoni would be very pleased to add overshadowed free agent Joe Johnson as a fallback. D’Antoni thinks Johnson is a great piece to build around.
But Johnson, the potential re-signing of David Lee and another mid-level free agent, does not put the Knicks in position to compete for a championship.
No, it doesn’t. I like Joe Johnson, but he’s turning 29 this June and Basketball Prospectus predicts Johnson’s three-year value to be the least amongst this summer’s big-name free agents.
It sounds like the Knicks are already doing some damage control in case the Cavs win a title this summer and LeBron stays put. In that case, I suspect Chris Bosh would join Dwyane Wade in Miami and the Knicks would be looking at the likes of Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, David Lee and Rudy Gay. Two of those players would probably get the Knicks to the playoffs, but they aren’t going to win a title anytime soon.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
FOLLOW US!
CATEGORIES
© 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑