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      2008 NBA Preview: #23 Indiana Pacers

      October 16, 2008 /

      Offseason Movement: The team traded Jermaine O’Neal to the Raptors for T.J. Ford (pictured). The team (supposedly) wants to run, and Ford is a lightning quick floor general who can make it happen. I thought the Knicks missed out on an opportunity to acquire Ford, but the Raptors probably weren’t interested in anything the Knicks had to offer. The team also unloaded Shawne Williams, who had taken up residence in Larry Bird’s doghouse after being arrested for possession of marijuana.
      Keep Your Eye On: Brandon Rush, GF
      The Pacers acquired Rush by sending draft pick Jerryd Bayless to Portland. He is a silky smooth wing who can shoot the ball and take it to the rack. He’s seasoned and is ready to contribute immediately. The Pacers are lacking athleticism, so he gives them some punch off the bench.
      The Big Question: Is this a case of addition by subtraction?
      On the surface, an O’Neal for Ford deal seems like a win for the Raptors, but the Pacers were able to rid themselves of O’Neal’s salary and at the same time replace Jamaal Tinsley, who has fallen out of favor with GM Larry Bird. The team’s talent level may have taken a hit, but its chemistry should be better.
      Outlook: With Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy and Jeff Foster slated to start, the Pacers might have one of the most unathletic lineups in the league. Dunleavy is all right, but Murphy and Foster? Luckly, Ford and up-and-coming swingman Danny Granger give the starting lineup some punch, while Rush provides some juice off the bench. Drafting Roy Hibbert conflicts with the Pacers stated “run first” mentality. The ship is starting to turn around, but it’s probably going to get worse before it gets better, unless the chemistry is immediate and substantial.

      Check out our NBA Preview page for a look at every team. We’ll be posting three previews per business day, which will take us up to the start of the season on Tuesday, October 28th.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Best and Worst of College Football’s First Half

      October 16, 2008 /

      Rivals.com put together its best and worst moments from the first half of college football.

      Colt McCoy5 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS WE’VE LEARNED
      1. THE BIG 12 IS THE NATION’S BEST CONFERENCE. Yeah, yeah, defense wins championships. But the offenses in this conference would cause a video game to short-circuit. Never before has one conference had so much firepower. As we turn the corner on the halfway mark, the Big 12 has four teams –Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State – ranked in the top 10. And Missouri and Kansas are in the top 20.

      5 THINGS WE’RE STILL WAITING TO LEARN
      2. IS NOTRE DAME BACK? The Irish are 4-2. But, honestly, who have they beaten? Even if the Fighting Irish march on to finish 9-3, we won’t know how good this program is until next fall.

      5 BEST MOVES
      3. OHIO STATE HANDS ITS OFFENSE TO TERRELLE PRYOR. It took some guts to hand the starting quarterback job to a true freshman, particularly since incumbent starter Todd Boeckman had directed the Buckeyes to a BCS Championship Game appearance. But Ohio State has looked like an entirely different team with Pryor at the helm.

      5 WORST MOVES
      1. AUBURN SWITCHING TO THE SPREAD OFFENSE. Auburn has the type of championship-caliber defense that could have made the Tigers a top-10 team as long as their offense was merely competent. Switching to the spread when you don’t have players suited to that offense assured Auburn would waste all the talent it had assembled on the other side of the ball.

      5 HOTTEST SEATS
      2. TYRONE WILLINGHAM, WASHINGTON. It’s not if but when he will be asked to turn in his keys. When he leaves, Willingham can know he has left the place better than he found it.

      Do yourself and click on the link to check out the entire article because it’s great.

      And speaking of the disaster that is Willingham and Washington, the Huskies are 42-point underdogs at home this Saturday against USC. Forty-two point underdogs…at home…and the Trojans are probably a lock to cover…seriously.

      College Football

      Polamalu: NFL becoming “pansy” game

      October 16, 2008 /

      Pittsburgh Steelers’ safety Troy Polamalu is fed up with the NFL fining players for what he deems are hard hits and says the league is making football a “pansy” game.

      Troy Polamalu“It loses so much of its essence, and it really becomes like a pansy game,” the Steelers’ Pro Bowl strong safety said.

      “I think regarding the evolution of football, it’s becoming more and more flag football, two-hand touch. We’ve really lost the essence of what real American football is about. I think it’s probably all about money. They’re not really concerned about safety.”

      “You have to figure out how to tackle people a new way,” he said. “There’s such a fine line. I guess, hitting quarterbacks late and whether they’re going to slide or come forward — it’s too much.
      “If you look at any sport, maybe besides mixed martial arts, it’s a real gladiator sport. We go out there at a high speed, killing each other.”

      “You see guys like Dick Butkus and those types of really raw, old-school, pound-it-out football players; they could never survive in a game like this today.

      “The Ronnie Lotts, the Jack Tatums — these guys who really went after people. They were that way because the game was physical. They couldn’t survive in this type of game. They wouldn’t have enough money because they’d be paying fines, and then they’d be suspended for a year after they did it two games in a row.”

      I agree with Polamalu to a certain extent. He’s right that the game was bred on tough athletes that played the game hard and who were flat out trying to kill each other. But most of those guys can’t even walk now and I think the league is trying to take care of its current players more than it did in the past. I also think that the NFL is money-hungry and wants to line its pockets too, so I guess you could go either way on this issue.

      It’s hard to argue with Polamalu’s overall stance, though.

      NFL

      Kitna: Lions used injury to make change at quarterback

      October 16, 2008 /

      Jon Kitna is claiming that the Lions used his back injury in order to make a change at the quarterback position. Kitna was placed on IR on Tuesday.

      Jon Kitna“Was there reasonable cause to put me on IR? Yeah, because they said there’s a bulging disk. But the reality is, most guys have bulging disks,” Kitna said in the interview.

      “I really feel like I could have played last Sunday at probably above 90 percent health-wise,” he said in the interview. “I played the last two years most of the time probably 75 to 80 percent health-wise with different type of things.”

      It’s hard to argue with the Lions for wanting to make a change, especially after they fired GM Matt Millen. They’re trying to figure out what they have on their roster and if either Dan Orlovsky or Drew Stanton can develop at quarterback. It sounds like Kitna understands that, but due to his competitive nature he understandably wants to play.

      One had to imagine that Kitna would struggle this year without Mike Martz, which he has. His interceptions in the fourth quarter cost Detroit a chance to make a remarkable comeback against the Packers and that wasn’t the first time he has made terrible mistakes late in games. But he gave that team a true leader and made a lot of the players accountable for their actions. Eventually that’s what the Lions need in a quarterback, but unfortunately for Kitna it looks like his time in Detroit is over.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Housekeepers gank David Beckham and High Maintenance Spice’s stuff

      October 16, 2008 /

      It doesn’t matter how well you think you know someone, always keep an eye on your sh*t.


      David & Victoria Beckham      British newspapers are reporting that two people who worked for David Beckham and his wife were arrested after some of the couple’s possessions were spotted on an Internet auction site.

      Both the tabloid Sun and the Daily Mirror say in Tuesday’s editions that two housekeepers at the Beckham’s mansion northeast of London were arrested and questioned by police last week.

      The newspapers say some of Beckham’s soccer memorabilia had been placed on eBay. Dresses belonging to former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham were also reportedly for sale.

      No one has been charged. Hertfordshire Police said only that they are investigating a theft. Representatives of the Beckhams declined to comment.

      The final count isn’t in yet, but last time I checked the numbers show that Posh Spice’s underwear was getting almost 10-times the Ebay bids than David’s old soccer memorabilia.

      General Sports, Soccer

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