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      From inappropriate to plain stupid, NFL pre-draft questions getting absurd

      May 10, 2010 /

      A few weeks ago, Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland made headlines when it was revealed that he asked Cowboys’ first round pick Dez Bryant during a pre-draft interview if his mother was ever a prostitute. It was an insulting and unnecessary question, but it’s obvious that Ireland isn’t the only one asking prospects stupid inquiries around draft time.

      From the Buffalo News:

      Bills rookie linebacker Arthur Moats recalled an unexpected query at the NFL Scouting Combine.

      “It was a guy from the Redskins,” Moats said. “He asked me, “Should we draft you and you’re sitting around in a room and Brian Orakpo comes to you and says, “You’re in my seat.’ Are you going to get up and move or are you going to fight him for the chair?’

      “I’m like, “It’s a chair. I’m just going to slide over,’ and he said, “So you’re a punk.’ I’m thinking, “What? I’m going to fight over a chair? And if I move I’m a punk?’ The guy was serious, too.”

      Added Moats: “I answered, “How is [Orakpo] addressing me? Is he yelling or something?’ I guess it depends on how he asked. That was crazy. I didn’t know they asked questions like that.”

      If teams only have 15 minutes to get to know a prospect at the scouting combine, how is this question going to help them figure out whether or not they should draft a player? One would think that a team of NFL scouts, general managers and coaches would have more probing questions than these.

      Too bad Moats didn’t answer back with, “I’m not sure what I’d do, but ask another dumb question and I’m going to take my chair and stick it directly up your ass.”


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      LeBron wants to guard Rondo

      May 10, 2010 /

      On the heels of Rajon Rondo’s 29-point, 18-rebound, 13-assist effort in Game 4, LeBron James has made it clear that he wants to cover Rondo in Game 5.

      In fact, according to one courtside observer, James and Cleveland coach Mike Brown got into a heated discussion about whether James should cover Rondo at the critical moments of the fourth quarter. Brown ultimately decided against it, but that could change moving forward.

      “I would love to,” James said after Rondo had eviscerated the Cavs with 29 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists. “It’s something we maybe should explore because Rondo is definitely dominating this series at the point guard position. For me, I don’t have a problem taking Rondo or guarding Rondo throughout the course of the game. If the coaching staff or the guys want me to do it, I will.”

      The issue here is Mo Williams. He is not a good defender, and he can’t hang with Rondo. So the Cavs have Anthony Parker on the Celtics’ point guard and Williams on Ray Allen. If Mike Brown elects to put LeBron on Rondo, then he’ll have to put Parker on Paul Pierce, who has been very quiet in this series. Pierce is averaging just 12-3-3 on 32% shooting, likely due to the fact that LeBron has been up to the task defensively.

      Pierce (6-7) has about an inch on Parker (6-6), but he probably has 20 lbs on him as well, which means he could get his game going in the post. The C’s need to be ready to use Pierce on the block if the Cavs elect to put LeBron on Rondo.

      What’s amazing about Rondo is how productive he is despite his inaccuracy from 16+ feet. Of the 40 point guards who averaged 25+ minutes, Rondo has the fourth-lowest FG% from 16-23 feet. (By the way, the third-lowest clip belongs to Tyreke Evans, so it’s not unheard of to dominate play with a poor jumper.) Only Andre Miller and T.J. Ford are worse from 3PT range than Rondo.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      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

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