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      Will this be Lewis’ last year in Cincinnati?

      May 10, 2010 /

      Chick Ludwig of the Cincinnati Enquirer wrote an interesting piece today about head coach Marvin Lewis’ future with the Bengals. With Lewis’ contract expiring at the end of the year, Ludwig predicts that the head coach will be gone after the 2010 season.

      But Ludwig’s reasoning is perplexing. He writes that since Pro Football Hall of Fame legend Paul Brown only coached the Bengals for eight seasons, that his son (and owner) Mike Brown won’t allow Lewis to coach behind that time span. (Lewis is heading into his eighth year with the Bengals.)

      If that’s true, then the Bengals are more screwed up organizationally than I originally thought. The idea makes sense on the surface, but allowing a good coach’s contract to expire because you don’t want to see his tenure go longer than your dad’s is ridiculous. I realize Lewis has yet to win a playoff game in Cincinnati, but considering the situations that the front office puts him in sometimes in regards to personnel, I think he’s done a decent job. He will likely have suitors ready and willing to hire him if he isn’t re-signed by the Bengals, which is a testament to him as a coach.

      I just don’t understand the thought process of not re-signing a coach other than he simply couldn’t get the job done on the field. If they decide not to retain him because they don’t like the direction that the team is heading in or feel as though things are getting stagnant that’s fine, but don’t let him walk because of the number of years he has been there.

      Of course, these are the Bengals that we’re talking about here. Everyone likes to bash Al Davis for making stupid decisions, but Mike Brown is right behind him in that category. So I guess it shouldn’t surprise anyone if the Bengals do allow Lewis to walk for reasons outside of his win/loss record.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      What to do with Jeff Green?

      May 10, 2010 /

      Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman says that while Kevin Durant is a no-brainer max-contract player, Jeff Green is another matter.

      By holding off on an extension this summer and allowing Green to become a restricted free agent next summer, the Thunder would set into motion two significant elements that could ultimately make the move a smart play. OKC would retain the right to match any offer sheet Green receives from another team next summer. And the Thunder would allow the market to establish Green’s value, rather than potentially overpaying or even low-balling one of its core players.

      It’s become the NBA’s latest trend, triggered by the combination of fewer top-flight, first-round talents in recent years and a downtrodden economy.

      It’s safe to say Green’s deal should fall somewhere between $45 million and $55 million. What remains unknown is whether it’ll be the Thunder that opens the bidding this summer or another franchise that sets the bar next summer.

      Green averaged 15.1 points and 6.0 rebounds this season. Using Basketball Reference’s nifty player season finder, in the last 15 years, only five forwards averaged between 14.5 and 15.5 ppg and between 5.5 and 6.5 rpg at the age of 23: Rasheed Wallace, Andrei Kirilenko, Luol Deng, Andray Blatche and Green.

      Blatche and Green did it this season. Wallace, Kirilenko and Deng are nice players, but they didn’t develop into superstars, so the Thunder should be careful when signing Green to a new deal. Wallace appeared in four All-Star Games and Kirilenko appeared in one. Deng has yet to make the All-Star Game.

      Widen the net a little bit (5.0 to 7.0 rpg) and Shane Battier, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, Andrea Bargnani. Again, these are nice players, but there aren’t any bona fide stars on that list.

      I assume Mayberry is talking about a five-year deal, so he pegs Green’s value at $9 million to $11 million per season. I’d put Green’s value at the bottom of that range. Green is a good starter, and teams that can sign good starters for under $10 million a season are ahead of the curve.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Woods suffering from neck pain, withdraws from TPC

      May 10, 2010 /

      For the first time since 2006, Tiger Woods withdrew from a tournament when he bowed out of The Players Championship over the weekend due to back pain.

      From ESPN.com:

      “I’ve been playing through it,” Woods said of pain he first felt before the Masters. “I can’t play through it anymore.”

      Woods said he did not know what caused the injury, only that “playing doesn’t help it.” He took 10 questions before going into a physical therapy trailer for 37 minutes and leaving the TPC Sawgrass.

      Woods said he plans to have an MRI this week. He said he was having a hard time with the pain, and that there was a tingling sensation on his right side down to his fingers. As he was driven from the golf course, Woods continually squeezed his right hand and released his fingers.

      “I might have a bulging disk,” he said.

      I’d have a bulging disk too if I slammed my SUV into a tree because my angry wife was chasing me with a golf club. (Kidding! I’m just kidding…but seriously.)


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, Golf

      Suns finish sweep of Spurs

      May 9, 2010 /

      Well, I’ll be honest — I didn’t see this one coming. I thought the Spurs would win this series in six or seven games. I knew the Suns were good, but I had no idea that they were this good.

      Amare Stoudemire had 29-5, Steve Nash posted 20-5-9 and Jared Dudley added 16-6-4 off the bench to lead the Suns over the Spurs in Game 4, 107-101. It was tight down the stretch, but Stoudemire hit a couple of long jumpers off of Phoenix’s screen-and-roll to keep the Spurs at bay. The Suns almost let the Spurs climb back into it with a Dudley turnover (leading to a bucket) and a Stoudemire foul on a George Hill three-pointer, but Phoenix played a clean final minute and closed out the series in style.

      I figured after winning Game 3, the Suns would relax (not unlike the Cavs in Game 4) and the Spurs’ pride would be enough to avoid the sweep at home, but this win in San Antonio shows what these Suns are made of. They have great chemistry, two stars (Nash and Stoudemire) and a number of talented role players (Jason Richardson, Grant Hill, Channing Frye, Goran Dragic, Jared Dudley and Leandro Barbosa), who all made news at one point or another in this series. They should also be getting Robin Lopez back for the Conference Finals, which should help the Suns match up with the Lakers’ long and lean front line.

      Who would have thought a few months ago, with Stoudemire very much on the trade block, that the Suns would be the first team to clinch a spot in the Conference Finals?


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Dallas Braden pitches perfect game against Rays

      May 9, 2010 /

      Forget what I said about this being a slow news day in baseball — Dallas Braden just pitched a friggin’ perfect game against the Rays, seemingly out of nowhere. This is just 19th perfect game in the history of professional baseball.

      It’s only been a couple of weeks since Braden threw a (somewhat justifiable) hissy fit over Alex Rodriguez walking over his mound. A-Rod responded by citing Braden’s handful of big league victories in front the fawning media. Well, now the Yankee better stay off Braden’s territory as he’s vaunted himself into an elite category of pitchers.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

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