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      D-Wade’s “free agent summit” good for the Knicks?

      May 28, 2010 /

      Marc Berman of the New York Post thinks Dwyane Wade’s upcoming meeting with LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson is a good thing for the Knicks.

      The Knicks’ only shot at James is if he can convince Bosh — or Wade or Johnson — to come along for the ride. The Knicks are the only club that has cap room to sign two maximum contracts — with $34M in space.

      Even if James stays in Cleveland or heads to Chicago, the Knicks would take any pair — Wade and Bosh, Johnson and Bosh, even Johnson and Wade.

      I tend to agree. The only way the Knicks land two big-name free agents is if there is communication amongst the group and two players commit at the same time. The more communication, the better the chances of this happening.

      That said, the Knicks are not the only team in position to sign two big-name free agents. If they can dump Michael Beasley’s salary, the Heat will have room to sign two big names and re-sign Dwyane Wade. It wouldn’t be as easy, but if the Bulls can use Luol Deng or Kirk Hinrich in a sign-and-trade for a max free agent, they could add two big names as well.

      In other words, if a treaty agreement is reached at the summit, and two or more players agree to go to a certain team, then they can probably make it happen. For example, the Bulls could sign LeBron outright and work out a sign-and-trade with Toronto for Bosh. Why would the Raptors agree to this? Well, if Bosh decides that’s who he wants to sign with, then the Raptors are in a tough spot — either work out a trade with the Bulls and get something in return, or Bosh walks (to another team) via free agency.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Media overreaction or serious problem? Tim Lincecum is struggling.

      May 28, 2010 /

      When your run-of-the-mill starting pitcher suffers back-to-back poor outings, the media assumes he’s in a funk and usually nothing more is made out of it. But when the defending two-time Cy Young award winner suffers back-to-back poor outings, the media goes into a Mountain Dew-mixed-with-cocaine-like frenzy and poses questions such as: What’s wrong with Tim Lincecum? What’s wrong with Tim Lincecum! What’s wrong with Tiqiowehgoiwgh….

      After giving up six runs in 4 2/3 innings on Wednesday night in a loss to the Nationals, all the talk in San Francisco yesterday was about Lincecum’s struggles. He also pitched poorly in a no-decision against the Diamondbacks in the start prior to his outing on Wednesday and has now walked five batters in each of his last three games after walking just 10 in his first seven starts combined. He has routinely fallen behind hitters early in counts and his main issue has been control.

      But before this becomes national news, remember that Lincecum held the Astros to one run over eight innings on May 15 and also struck out 13 Marlins while walking just one on May 4. It’s not like he’s been in a season-long funk and the Giants have this huge crisis on their hands; he just needs to figure out what has ailed him over these last two games.

      I’m not Dave Righetti, but it appears as though Lincecum’s struggles are mental. Early in the game Wednesday night against the Nationals, he allowed a runner a free 90 feet when he couldn’t handle the throw back from first baseman Aubrey Huff following a pickoff attempt. Those things happen when a player isn’t focused and it seems as though Lincecum’s struggles are getting inside his head and he’s pressing. The more an athlete fights his struggles, the more his struggles consume him and in my non-professional opinion, I think that’s what’s happening to Lincecum. Maybe he also has a small mechanical issue that Righetti can iron out, but it seems as if he’s suffering from lack of confidence more than anything else. (Not that he doesn’t have confidence, but maybe the seed of doubt has been planted in his head.)

      Another underlining issue is the fact that the Giants paid him this past offseason (two years, $23 million), so now he has to deal with the pressures of trying to live up to a contract. If there’s one person that knows about that it’s Lincecum’s teammate and good friend, Barry Zito, who signed a $126 million contract with the Giants in 2007. Zito is living proof that the pressures of a contract can eat away at a player.

      When things start to go badly for an athlete, he never feels like he’ll find success again. But Lincecum is an elite pitcher and it’s because he’s so good that people have already started hitting the panic button after two bad outings. During a 162-game season, the media has to talk about something and it has latched onto Lincecum after Wednesday night.

      But he’ll be fine – everyone goes through these rough patches. Even two-time Cy Young winners.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Big Ben can return to Steelers next week

      May 28, 2010 /

      Roger Goodell has seen enough in the early stages of Ben Roethlisberger’s behavioral evaluation to grant the quarterback permission to re-join the Steelers next week. However, Goodell still hasn’t decided whether or not to reduce Big Ben’s suspension from six to four games.

      From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

      “Based on the reports and recommendations of our medical experts, commissioner Goodell advised the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger [Thursday] that he is cleared to return to team activities beginning next week,” The NFL said in a statement. “The commissioner will continue to monitor Roethlisberger’s progress as he begins the next phase of his recommended plan and will meet with Roethlisberger again at the appropriate time.

      “There has been no decision on any modification to the length of Roethlisberger’s suspension. In his April 21 disciplinary decision, commissioner Goodell announced that Roethlisberger is suspended without pay for the first six games of the regular season. The commissioner said he would review Roethlisberger’s progress prior to the start of the regular season and consider whether to reduce the suspension to four games. Failure to cooperate and follow his plan could result in a longer suspension,” the statement concluded.

      It’ll be interesting to see what the reaction of Roethlisberger’s teammates will be when he returns next week. Usually teammates are very accepting of someone after they’ve gone through an ordeal or a suspension. But players like Hines Ward have been vocal about how Big Ben has let the team down, so I’m curious to see whether or not it’ll be business as usual in Pittsburgh next week.

      Of course, even if his teammates are displeased with Roethlisberger and his actions over the past two years, he’s still their quarterback. He helps them win games and usually, players can separate what a guy does off the field from what he does on it. So chances are that his teammates will say all the right things to the media and try to not let his issues become a bigger distraction than it already is.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      How a simple box out can win a game

      May 28, 2010 /

      By now, you’ve probably heard about Ron Artest’s game-winner last night in pivotal Game 5 against the Suns, but what you might not know is exactly how it happened.

      In the video below, you’ll see Kobe catch the ball on the sideline and chuck up a horrible shot. But what you need to pay attention to is Ron Artest and Jason Richardson on the other side of the court. Watch as Richardson turns, stands and watches Kobe’s shot. He’s supposed to be boxing out Artest, but instead, he’s about as useless as you or I am sitting at home.

      Did this play look familiar? Watch Pau Gasol’s easy route to the bucket to score his game-winner against the Thunder in the first round.

      This happens time and time again. It even happened to Hakeem Olajuwon in the 1983 NCAA title game when Lorenzo Charles snuck in behind “The Dream” and dunked home the game-winner…

      Once a last-second shot goes up, the tendency is for players to stop and watch, especially when they think the game is over. But with 3.5 seconds to play, there is plenty of time for a shot to go up and for a tip in on the miss. That’s what Jason Richardson, Jeff Green and Hakeem Olajuwon failed to realize in these clips.

      It does no good to stop and watch. After Kobe’s desperation shot attempt, the only way the game doesn’t go to overtime is if Richardson or one of his teammates fails to box out his man. In that situation, he should be seeing both Artest and Kobe (in his peripheral vision), and when the shot goes up, he needs to make contact with Artest and do whatever it takes to keep him away from the rim. If he had even slowed Artest by a half second, the game would have gone into overtime.

      And that’s how a simple box out can win a game.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Video

      Along with WEC, AMP Energy launches “Hometown Takedown” competition

      May 28, 2010 /

      If you’ve always wanted to have share input on where a WEC fight will take place (like, maybe your own hometown?), AMP Energy is giving you your chance by sponsoring its “Hometown Takedown” competition.

      Here are the details from Bullz-Eye.com:

      AMP Energy proudly sponsors the best WEC fighters, including Urijah Faber, Chad Mendes and Joseph Benavidez. With more than 30 eligible areas across the country, it should be easy to find a kickass location to see your favorite fighter in your hometown. Just in case there’s nothing close, or in case your city doesn’t win, they’ve got you covered. AMP Energy has partnered with the WEC to offer an all-expense-paid trip to see the Hometown Takedown.

      Today we’re premiering the new spot above featuring Faber, Mendes and Benavidez. Urijah Faber is thrilled to be a part of it. “I’ve always said I’ll fight anyone, anywhere – and now I’ll get a chance to with the help of MMA fans nationwide. My partners at AMP Energy created the ‘Hometown Takedown’ contest which gives MMA fans in 30 cities across the county an opportunity to bring a fight to their hometown this December. No question, we’re giving fans unprecedented access to the sport and athletes while raising the awareness of the WEC on a national scale. MMA fans just need to get involved and vote often for their area.”

      For more on the event, click here and watch the video below.

      Mixed Martial Arts, WEC

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