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      Nuggets outmuscle Lakers to even series

      May 26, 2009 /

      Typically, an NBA team can expect to score one point per possession (or thereabouts) over a course of a game. So when one team outrebounds another on the offensive glass by a margin of 20-9, it’s really 11 extra possessions and 11 extra opportunities to score. That’s why the Nuggets were able to bounce back tonight from a tough loss in Game 3; they dominated the glass by a margin of 58-40, and went on to win 120-101.

      The win is even more impressive considering the struggles of Carmelo Anthony, who went 3 of 16 from the field. Chauncey Billups picked up the slack, and had key back-to-back buckets when the Nuggets were nursing a nine-point lead early in the fourth quarter. He drove to the hole and got the “and one,” and then on the Nuggets’ next possession, he brought the ball up and drained a three. Billups was one of seven Nuggets to score in double figures; J.R. Smith deserves mention for his 24 points and four assists off the bench.

      Kobe Bryant posted 34 points on 10 of 26 shooting (39%). Pau Gasol added 21 points and 10 boards, and Andrew Bynum had 14 points and five boards, but Phil Jackson isn’t getting much production from the rest of the roster. Two vets that the Lakers are counting on — Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher — combined to shoot 3 of 15 for 10 points.

      The series moves back to L.A. for Game 5 and if the Nuggets can avoid the mental errors in crunch time, they have a good shot to win this series. The Lakers are inconsistent and out of synch, and they really need that supporting cast to raise its game.

      NBA, NBA Finals

      Top five landing spots for Jake Peavy

      May 25, 2009 /

      The White Sox thought they had added an ace last week when they worked out a deal with the Padres that would have sent (among others) their top two pitching prospects – Clayton Richard and Aaron Poreda – to San Diego in exchange for starting pitcher Jake Peavy. But with his desire to stay in the National League at the forefront of his decision, Peavy exercised his no-trade option and nixed the deal before it was completed.

      Now that that deal has been squashed, where will Peavy wind up when the curtain closes on the 2009 baseball season? Or will he even be traded at all?

      I’ve ranked the top 5 landing spots for Peavy and why each club will and won’t land the San Diego ace.

      1. Milwaukee Brewers
      Why they’ll land Peavy: If the Cubs’ offense continues to struggle, then Chicago will more than likely trade for a bat instead of adding another arm to its starting rotation. With the Cubs seemingly focused on their offense, a path could clear for the Brewers to make the Padres an offer for Peavy. Don’t forget that the Brewers surprised a lot of baseball pundits who believed they would never trade top prospect Matt LaPorta for ace CC Sabathia last season, but Milwaukee did just that. So while the Brewers don’t have the young pitching prospects that San Diego might covet, they certainly have a ton of young position talent that they could offer to pull off a deal. Plus, even though they lost Sabathia to free agency in 2009, Peavy would be under contract through the 2013 season, so at least the Brewers wouldn’t have to worry about giving up more top prospects for a pitcher that’ll walk again at the end of the year.
      Why they won’t: After almost acquiring the White Sox’s top two pitching prospects, indications are that San Diego is looking for young arms in exchange for Peavy – which Milwaukee simply doesn’t have. The Brewers have a slew of young position talent, but outside of Jeremy Jeffress they don’t have many top arms in their farm system. If the Padres have their heart set on acquiring starting pitching, they’ll have to look elsewhere, because the Brewers just don’t have enough to make a worthwhile offer. Plus, a small market team like Milwaukee might eventually be scared away by the $63 million ($11 million is still owed to him in 2009) that remains on Peavy’s contract.

      Continue reading »

      MLB

      Crabtree not a lock to start Week 1?

      May 25, 2009 /

      A lot of pundits believe that 49ers’ first round pick Michael Crabtree will make the biggest impact this season among offensive rookies. But as Sacramento Bee beat writer Matt Barrows points out in a recent Q&A, Crabtree might not be a lock to start Week 1 as he continues to rehab a foot injury he suffered the week of the NFL scouting combine.

      …Just a few years ago, the team’s top three wide receivers were Cedrick Wilson, Brandon Lloyd and Curtis Conway. As for the current situation … while Morgan and Crabtree currently are slated to play the “X” position this season, all the 49ers receivers are taught to play multiple positions. For example, Morgan lined up and both “X” and “Z” during the recent OTAs. Which is to say, if those two end up being the team’s top two receivers, the 49ers will find a way to get them on the field at the same time.
      Having said that … Keep in mind that Crabtree (foot) won’t be able to practice with the team until training camp. So he’s not only a rookie learning how to play against big, physical cornerbacks, he’s also getting a late start on the learning process. In other words, there’s no guarantee he’ll be a starter in Week One.

      This isn’t earth-shattering news to hear that a rookie has a long way to go before he’s considered a starter. But it’s a reminder that even though Crabtree has a ton of expectations being thrust upon him already, he still has to put in the work this summer in order to climb the depth chart and become a full-time starter. It’ll be interesting to watch his development throughout mini and training camps over the next couple months.

      NFL

      Will the Brewers pull off a trade for Peavy?

      May 25, 2009 /

      Last season, the Brewers pulled off the biggest trade of the year in sending top prospect Matt LaPorta to the Indians in exchange for ace CC Sabathia. The trade catapulted Milwaukee into the postseason, even though it eventually led to them being bounced by the Phillies in the NLDS.

      Fast forward to this season where the Brewers are currently in a first place tie with the Cardinals and at least one Milwaukee columnist thinks that the Brew Crew could once again swing a deal for a stud pitcher to lead them back into the postseason.

      Whether the Brewers could come up with the players it would take to do such a deal is debatable. General manager Doug Melvin has said he has no inclination to trade his top two prospects, third baseman Mat Gamel and shortstop Alcides Escobar.

      But keep in mind this regime has shown it will think out of the box. The Brewers did so when they traded top prospect Matt LaPorta and others for Sabathia, shocking the rest of the baseball world.
      This is a team that fired manager Ned Yost with 12 games to go last season over fears he was making the team too tight and a team that offered Sabathia $100 million to stay before the Yankees blew that offer out of the water.

      After watching the bench struggle for more than a month this season, a series of moves was made, signing veteran Frank Catalanotto to a minor-league deal, summoning Gamel to the majors and trading for San Diego outfielder Jody Gerut. More proactive moves from a proactive regime.

      Rest assured that internal discussions about Peavy already have been held in the Brewers’ offices. You can bet closer Trevor Hoffman has told his former teammate about the close-knit clubhouse. Word has it that Ryan Braun and Peavy even exchange e-mails.

      Perhaps the Brewers’ biggest competition for Peavy (presuming of course that Milwaukee is seriously interested in the San Diego starter) will be the Cubs, who were hot after Peavy this offseason before eventually walking away from negotiations. Rich Harden was just placed on the disabled list with back problems and ace Carlos Zambrano has already paid a visit to the DL once this year.

      But the problem with assuming the Cubs are still interested in Peavy is that they desperately need a bat more than another arm. This is a club marred in a seven game losing streak in which they’ve averaged less than 1.5 runs per game in that span. Plus, truth be told, the Cubs’ pitching staff has been pretty good as is, getting quality outings from Ted Lilly (who has been their most reliable starter so far), Ryan Dempster and even Randy Wells, who has been solid filling in for injured starters. Would the Cubs be more inclined to deal for another pitcher rather than a much-needed bat? It’s possible, but unlikely.

      That said, the Brewers could have a clear path to Peavy if they could put a decent trade package together on their end. With their lineup, Peavy could possibly give Milwaukee a significant edge over the Cards and Cubs in the NL Central.

      MLB

      T.O. blaming Garrett, Romo for running him out of Dallas

      May 25, 2009 /

      Now that Terrell Owens is in Buffalo, he’s putting what happened in Dallas behind him and moving on.

      Just kidding – he’s making sure that everyone knows he wasn’t to blame for his release in the Big D.

      Via Rotoworld:

      Terrell Owens is blaming Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and quarterback Tony Romo for running him out of Dallas.

      Answering a fan who said he was unhappy that T.O. left Dallas, Owens tweeted: “Neither ws i, blame the OC & romo!! but i’m happy 2 b where i am but i miss the other guys tht were & r true teammates!!”

      That’s pretty impressive that T.O. managed to blame both Jason Garrett (the “OC” Owens’ is referring to in his tweet) and Tony Romo in the characters allotted to send a tweet. And might I add, I think it’s great that we’ve become a nation that has found a way to shrink the written word down to only letters to convey a message. Only in today’s society can we look at “ws i” and know that the person writing the message meant “was I.” Awesome.

      Getting back on topic, I wouldn’t be totally surprised if both Garrett and Romo did play a part in T.O.’s demise in Dallas. But Owens didn’t help himself by constantly trying to disrupt the chemistry in the locker room and bitching at Garrett that he wasn’t getting the ball enough. In the end, there were many factors that led to Owens getting the boot. But what’s great (and when I say great, I mean infuriating) about T.O. is that he never points the finger at himself. It’s always someone else’s fault.

      NFL

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