Leap Day!

Not a whole lot going on today...just some bullets...

• NBA Recap: Spurs win a tight one @ home over Dallas.....Still the champs...really all there is to it other than Dallas showed some fight, but I still don't think Kidd gets them any closer to a title.......Lakers win their 10th straight in yawn-like fashion over hapless Miami.....NBA needs to amend the schedule making for TV to allow some switches late in the year (a la the NFL) to avoid Chicago and Miami being on TV all year
• NFL Free agency mania.....Nothing huge to report yet....good to see the Browns went semi-proven over totally unproven in signing Derek Anderson long-term.....I'll take Brady Quinn off your hands!
• Some very entertaining CBB games last night.....Louisville is very good....just waiting for the debilitating David Padgett injury though, it seems to always come.....UCLA utterly lays the wood at Ariz. State by 21....best team in the country still IMO...and Wazzu looks very impressive (by the exact same score as UCLA btw) in dismantling Ryan Anderson and Cal on the road
• Last but not least.....Bill Simmons posted a 15,000 word article about the impending Seattle Sonics move and the fans outrage.....More attention needs to be paid here as this is a storied franchise in a reasonably good basketball town and they shouldn't be allowed (paging David Stern) to kill basketball in Seattle b/c an owner wants to take a team back to his hometown.....and don't believe the "I need a new arena" pitch....if every owned said, "I need a new arena, and if i don't get it, I'm Out" then there would be utter chaos......More later

Guys You Want on Your Team

Okay...So i find myself thinking about stuff like this often (there are witnesses) and I love putting together lists....so here is 1 guy (at least) off of every team that I would like to have on my team....not necessarily the stars, but guys who I like their games, fill a role, etc.....Enjoy

• Atlanta- Josh Childress
• Boston- Leon Powe, Tony Allen
• Charlotte- Jared Dudley
• Chicago- Joakim Noah (yes, i hated him in college, but only because he was portrayed as a star when he is actually a perfect role player), Thabo Sefolosha
• Cleveland- Delonte West (Thank God for that trade, wouldn't have been able to find one)
• Dallas- Brandon Bass
• Denver- This was hard....I guess I'll go with Eduardo Najera
• Detroit- Tayshaun Prince, Jason Maxiell
• Golden State- Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins
• Houston- Shane Battier (the inspiration for this list), Carl Landry
• Indiana- Ike Diogu, Danny Granger
• LA Clippers- Quentin Ross
• LA Lakers- Luke Walton, Ronny Turiaf, Derek Fisher
• Memphis- Kyle Lowry (i'll leave my man-crush on Mike Conley out of this)
• Miami- Udonis Haslem
• Milwaukee- Mo Williams
• Minnesota- Ryan Gomes, Craig Smith
• New Jersey- Desagana Diop
• New Orleans- David West (CP3 obviously counts...but too big of a star for this list)
• New York- David Lee (obv)
• Orlando- Adonal Foyle
• Philly- Not a single guy I was convicted to put on this list...for filler I'll say Louis Williams
• Phoenix- Grant Hill, Raja Bell
• Portland- Steve Blake, The Vanilla Gorilla (Joel Pryzbilla!!)
• Sacto- John Salmons, Spencer Hawes
• SA- Matt Bonner, Fabricio Oberto
• Seattle- Nick Collison
• Toronto- Jose Calderon, Maceo Baston (homer pick)
• Utah- Ronnie Brewer, Paul Millsap
• Washington- Antonio Daniels, Etan Thomas (when healthy, obv)

There are more...but just a little love for guys that usually don't get any (for the most part)...Apparently, I like undersized power forwards....

All basketball....

Nothing but bball today folks...enjoy...

• Lebron gets to 10k points fastest....well, duh....of course he's the fastest....This is a little overrated IMO as he was obviously the youngest due to being drafted #1 youngest, being the #1 option from the jump, etc....still impressive though to be there already BUT all this "watch out, Kareem for the all-time record" stuff is laughable....he's an all-court player and all-court players don't play at a high-level til over 40 like Kareem did
• Phoenix goes down big to NO....This doesn't necessarily shock me at all b/c the Suns have looked....average is the word since the trade...maybe they can right the ship, but I am not confident
• Hawks win! And Bibby looks good doing it (24 and 12)...smiles abound....now they turn to a virtual must-win at home against NY on friday...that's not a game they can afford to lose
• Was underwhelmed by the college action last night...and yes, i know underwhelmed isn't a word (Thanks, Ryan) with the exception of Vivian Stringer getting to 800 wins...yes, she coaches women's ball.....don't let that deter you...800 wins is 800 wins whoever you are coaching...gotta be doing something right...congrats Coach

Michigan Basketball

Okay this is gonna be a bit of a rant.....due to Michigan losing at home to 0-14 in the Big Ten Northwestern....

• Okay, 1st of all, I'm not giving up on John Beilein...let's get that out of the way
• 2nd, the cupboard was left mostly bare by Tommy Amaker who failed immensely in recruiting, and left a bunch of players who do not fit Beilein's offense at all, I.E. lack of shooters
• That said, Beilein has failed to adjust to the type of player he has....big, slow Big men who can't shoot and guards who can create, but aren't great at running a disciplined cutting offense and creating 3's for the shooters (that don't exist).....and as a result of this failure, the team as currently constructed is totally unwatchable to the point where it seems like there isn't a single guy who fits nicely into a role (with the possible exception of Manny Harris)
• I really liked the hire at its outset, and still haven't left the bandwagon so I encourage the administration to give him time to bring in his own players that fit his system....BUT Beilein needs to meet his current guys (mostly freshman and sophomores) in the middle because it's not like they are going anywhere and the 2 leading scorers are freshman guards....Rant over....Go Blue

Tennessee, Sean Salisbury, etc.

• Tennessee goes down 1 day after being anointed #1....I think alot of people saw this coming....it had all the makings: On the road in conference, feisty opponent, crazy home-court advantage (weirdness of layout at vandy not withstanding), letdown game, etc......In case noone knew, Shan Foster is really, really good at Vandy....more love for him please.....For those of you that may know, I'm the total opposite of a Chris Lofton fan, but he played huge for Tennessee, keeping them in the game until the end....not an earth-shattering loss for the Vols who are still in line for a #1 seed if they win the SEC, but news-worthy nonetheless....
• I've read a couple things citing conspiracy theories on Yao being out for the year with the stress fracture....not really believable to me....but they cite the Beijing Olympics, and outside pressures from China as reasons to have him sat down now to be ready for the Olympics, as well as David Stern's possible approval of this b/c of China's importance to the financial model of the league.....it's not totally concocted, but I still don't believe it....either way, get well soon Yao
• NBA Recap: In related news, the Rockets came out swinging and blasted Washington (w/o Butler and Arenas) without Yao last night....nice W...13 straight and counting...Lakers win again..9 straight....Mo Williams explodes for 37...very underrated player....
• Sean Salisbury leaving ESPN.....Most people wouldn't care about this...but I am obviously a supporter of the Worldwide Leader (out of necessity really) and always found Salisbury pretty refreshing b/c he'd just say whatever he wanted to say, period.....Sometimes outlandish with his comments he'd spit the truth as he saw it.....Good luck to him in the future and I hope Cris Carter tears it up as his replacement......Until later.....

Yao out for the year....

Yao Ming has a broken foot and will miss the rest of the year....crushing blow for Houston (who happens to be playing some of the best ball in the league right now)....They are only 3 games up on the 9th place Denver Nuggets and I would definitely predict this injury COULD end up costing them a playoff spot....Seemingly, this will clear up the battle for the 8th spot a bit because Houston really use no stopgap for missing Yao (aka the best center in the league not named Howard), and this team firmly falls on the back of T-Mac again....take a minute while I yawn at the prospects of Yao-less Houston.....k, we're back......After looking at the rockets' remaining schedule, I still give them a chance (tho less than 50%) of making the playoffs but they need to finish at least 11-15 (i'd say 12-14) to get to 48 wins to have a shot....In conclusion, this absolutely kills Houston's theoretical shot at getting deep in the playoffs and maybe bounces them from the top 8 altogether...bad luck

Cassell Buyout, Beasley, etc.

Just some random stuff today

• Sam Cassell finally asks for a buyout from LAC...about a month too late IMO but hey...better late than never....Paging Danny Ainge...
• My blog idol, Dan Shanoff, wrote what I think to be some foolishness this morning concerning Texas being the "new Florida" and predicting a final 4 run....let me be the first to say, I have been championing Texas all year, even saying they were better than last year's Durant-led edition....That said, I don't foresee a final 4 run by any means, and I think it's a knee-jerk reaction to a decent win over K-State last night...but K-State really isn't very good outside of Beasley and Walker, so you can pretty much just led Beasley go for 40 and still win
• NBA Recap: Washington wins @NO behind Deshawn Stephenson's season-high 33.....Spurs come back from scoring a franchise-low FIVE first quarter points and still beat the hapless Hawks by 15....Is Detroit officially the east front-runner yet? They win again @ Denver in the 2nd of very good back-to-back road wins against the West; Boston better wake up soon or they'll be on the road more than they'd like to be in the playoffs
• Red Sox sign Bartolo Colon to a minor league deal....didn't strike me how far he has fallen due to injury/being out-of-shape...but hey, if he can become anywhere near his peak form, this is an absolute steal for the Red Sox, and it's definitely low-risk/high-reward
• Reggie Bush Update: In the story noone talks about still....Bush decided to just not show up to give a deposition yesterday....umm, ballsy? He has no chance to keep the heisman IMO, so USC better start working on keeping that national title (plus the split title)

Combine Rant...

As usual, 40-times and measurements rule the NFL talk this time of year....sidebar...do we really need NFL live daily when nowhere near football season? I say no....okay, back....I don't understand the fan fascination with the combine, Fans have no clue what GM's are looking for in terms of the combine...they just hear what is reported by media outlets and blindly make assumptions about the value of potential picks and their draft "stock" while having no idea.....yes, Mario Manningham's 4.6 40 will bring him down the board...but what do we really know about what effect his 40-time has on his on-field game? None...thats right...none.....I have no problem with draft coverage in general...but this combine stuff has to stop

Weekend Festivities

Long weekend...didn't have time to get anything significant up...but we're back...

• Tennessee with an excellent win @ Memphis Saturday night....watched it wire-to-wire and was impressed with their intensity (Lofton aside...) in defending and matching up physically to Memphis who had been deemed a top 2 most talented/athletic team in the country (with Kansas)....The Smith's are all very solid defenders and they took advantage of Memphis's willingness to keep firing 3's even when they aren't falling (and they very streaky)....Impressed by the coaching job by Bruce Pearl....that said, still don't believe they are the best team in the country or anything...prove me wrong please
• Kansas goes down....Not overly shocked (conference loss on the road) but still....not a good loss....couple real nice Pac-10 games over the weekend...and for the record, I'm still on the UCLA bandwagon...
• Tiger Woods is pretty good....all I need to say here
• Real nice smattering of NBA games over the weekend.....Spurs pull out a big win over NO...my beloved Hawks split a road back-to-back (stole one in GS) and The Rockets have won 12 in a row...and noone's saying anything about it....

Got class...more later

Report: IU & Sampson

Reportedly, Indiana and Kelvin Sampson are talking buyout to remove him as head coach....what took so long? I have no idea...couldn't have been any worse today than before they played multiple games after it all came out...vintage college administration

Trade Deadline Recap, CBB Weekend Preview, etc.

• Crazy Trade deadline season (all the way back to Gasol)...but yesterday was reasonably eventful....Props to Cleveland and New Orleans for getting significantly better IMO....I also love what Seattle has done to give itself flexibility (and I can't get over how good they COULD be in 3 years), the Spurs picking up Kurt Thomas, and I don't mind the Bobby Jackson add for Houston....Chicago is bleh to me....That pretty much sums it up....now it's time to see what these deals actually do as far as performance, should be fun
• Huge CBB Game tomorrow night...I probably won't blog tomorrow (at least not a long entry) so I'll preview it here....First, I'll pick Memphis because I think Tennessee is vastly overrated (but still very good)....but let me preface by saying I don't think either one of these teams is top 2 in the country....Very intrigued by the matchup...if only Memphis could shoot FTs.....
• NBA Recap: Manu goes crazy with 44 in a tight win @ Minny....Houston looks good again downing another one of those undermanned East squads....Only 3 games last night so there you have it
• Apparently Daniel Gibson being out 6 weeks is a lead ESPN.com story...my question is Why? He's not even a starter for Cleveland right now IMO and is a niche player with one discernable NBA skill as of now....yes, I know he's young....but really? lead story?
• Far be it for me to disagree with Scott Pioli...but My god, they had better sign Randy Moss or the non-use of the franchise tag is utterly ridiculous to me....ESPECIALLY when they didn't use it on Asante Samuel either
• Congrats to Candace Parker on her decision to leave early and go to the WNBA....This should open the door for other Women like her to do so....Maya Moore and that HS junior from Texas are on their way....
• Some administrative clown from Indiana says Kelvin Sampson's fate "has been determined"...ummmm word? What is it then?

Crazy 11-player deal....

I mean....11 player deals are ridiculous in themselves....I'll try and break it down here

• Cleveland Side: Theoretically dealing Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Cedric Simmons, Shannon Brown, Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall FOR Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, Joe Smith, and a future #2.....Wow....alot of players......Okay, Let's break it down.....First, I think West helps immensely at point guard....they don't really have another option...2nd, Wally gives them a veteran scorer they definitely needed......They also rid themselves of Larry Hughes' Deal, Donyell Marshall's deal and the pu pu platter....that's where the positives end for me....I don't understand the need for Wallace on a team that already has Big Z and Varajao....What does Ben do that Varajeo doesn't do for half the price? I'm figuring that someone has to get buried on that front line and my guess is Joe Smith (because they just paid varajao).....In addition to Ben and Varajao doing the same thing....Ben has 2 more massively paid years on his deal and Varajao just signed a new one.......I don't hate the deal and I think this makes them slightly better on paper....but the logjam in the frontcourt kind of baffles me, and they traded one terrible contract (Hughes) for a BIGGER terrible contract in Wallace....No winners here...Interested to see if West plays alot (he should IMO) and if Wally becomes the 3rd option Lebron needs
• Chicago Side: Theoretically trading Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, and Adrian Griffin for Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Ced Simmons and Shannon Brown.....Kudos for getting rid of Ben's contract when Joakim Noah does everything he can for 1/10th the price.....BUT they took back that ridiculous Hughes contract when he plays the same position as their #1 scorer (Gordon) and a young guy they really like (Sefolosha) so that doesn't really make sense to me....but Gooden should help them right away as a decent low-post scoring threat.....Honestly, I wouldn't let Hughes see the floor much after Deng comes back...but that's just me....Rest of the deal is a wash really.....Not in love with it for the Bulls at all...but I think they're better with trading the main parts for each other (Wallace for Gooden)
• Seattle Side: Theoretically trading Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West for Ira Newble, Adrian Griffin, and Donyell Marshall....This is pretty much a straight salary dump for Seattle...They aren't playing West much anyway and this takes Wally's contract off their hands and lets them build around Durant/Green theoretically through free agency, etc. once the expiring deals (Newble and Griffin) come off this summer and Marshall's after next year...Like the Move for Them especially coupled with the expiring deals they just got from the Spurs (Barry and Elson)...they should have alot of cap room and they're gonna need it

Overall, Very interesting deal to me....Caveats and fixes for Chicago and Cleveland...I don't think this puts Cleveland ahead of Boston and Detroit by any stretch so it's kind of a wash for me....I've been picking Chicago for the playoffs lately and I'm sticking with that...but they're gonna need alot from Gooden and Deng (upon return) as well as consistency from Noah and Ty Thomas with Wallace being gone.....

Suns/Lakers, Duke, CP3, etc.

• Lakers beat the Suns pretty soundly last night....Ashamed to say I didn't catch any of it because I was on the road, but looks like Kobe and the boys (Bynum-less mind you) took it to Phoenix.....Rumor has it Shaq looked good though...for what it's worth
• Um, Duke loses in Miami? Saw this last night and Jaw dropped....then I thought about it....A team like Duke that plays small-ball can easily lose even when they put up 95 like last night because they get killed on the glass (by almost everyone), and have trouble defending because they're tallest rotation guy is 6'8 SF Kyle Singler....Still, a mild shock to me but I think they'll right the ship
• Okay...here it is...Listen closely....Chris Paul is the best PG in the Association...now...today....Let it sink in
• A very underrated move with New Orleans picking up Bonzi Wells and Mike James....not so much the Mike James part (I'd play jannero pargo) but Bonzi gives them a swingman who can score off the bench (thats where I'd use him) and provides some depth they didn't have before
• NBA Roundup: Hawks lose...again...in Sacto...Looking like a nice 0-5 road trip to start the Bibby Era (and possibly end the Mike Woodson era....rumblings abound); Nice pickup for the Spurs...still need another shooter I think....still the team to beat til otherwise noted though.....Baron Davis with the killer to beat Boston...ice cold
• Basketball only today....I love it...More later

Lakers/Suns, Bibby's Debut, Some ramblings....

• Big game tonight with Lakers/Suns...The shaq vs Kobe angle is overplayed as always but I really think this should be a good indicator of why the Suns brought Shaq in (to deal with multiple bigs more effectively, etc.).....I'll catch the 2nd half hopefully as I'll be hauling it back from Atlanta
• Was really excited for Bibby's debut last night....somebody forgot to tell the rest of the Hawks they were playing last night....Bibby was okay, showed some flashes of what he can add.....Not a good indicator of overall impact...I mean, he got off the plane and got handed the keys, lol
• Umm...are they gonna fire/suspend Kelvin Sampson or what? I just need a decision....chilling on it only shows that they have no idea
• Throughout the first half last night (later confirmed by an incoming text) I was thinking...wow, the Hawks are terrible with Acie Law at the point...he shows me nothing on a consistent basis...another swing-and-miss for Billy Knight, yay!
• I never thought Beno Udrih would be a legit NBA Point Guard....I was wrong
• Denver does NOT need Zach Randolph...aka another guy who can score and not defend a lick
• Charlotte shoots....28% FG for the entire game last night @ SA....I know the Spurs can D up but wow....any time they can win with Duncan scoring 7 points and Parker not playing by 20! points....wow
• After all that talk about Acie Law running the point bringing the Hawks down....He DOES have the ability to score if that's all he is looking to do....had a big 2nd half when he was gunning last night....Shame we have no place for that (Yes, I know Bibby is a scorer too but he's also been playing exclusively PG for years and has been a reasonable distributor to deep playoff runs)
• I don't remember the last time I saw a big man shoot 3-17 from the floor....Yao threw that up last night...in a road WIN over an East contender....insert laughter for the East
• I know Portland was overachieving but wow...they are totally tanking here...I'm about to have to take back my "10 teams better in the West than anyone but BOS/DET in the east" to "9 teams better etc.".....Nonetheless, I root for them in most circumstances, and they're gonna be scary good if Oden is anything like I think he'll be....Oh yea....Can I get an amnesty clause for Darius Miles while we're at it? At least they should be able to move Raef next year as an expiring deal (finally)

NBA Mini 2nd Half Preview

• First off....not getting into playoff predictions til the end....That said....
• Projected East Finish: 1) Boston, 2) Detroit, 3) Cleveland, 4) Toronto, 5) Orlando, 6) Washington, 7) Atlanta, 8) Chicago
• Projected West Finish (This was impossible): 1) San Antonio, 2) Phoenix, 3) LAL, 4) Utah 5) NO, 6) Dallas, 7) Houston, 8) GS....Sorry Denver and Portland...no justice
• MVP (Should be): Kobe Bryant
• MVP (Will be): Lebron James
• Just some East thoughts...I've been on the Chicago "bandwagon" as I haven't seen anyone else put them in the playoffs....just think they are slightly better than their competition for the 8th spot....I almost put the Hawks 6th over Washington...depends on Butler's return date....Orlando started hot but will continue to fade...that said, it'll be hard for them to drop below 6th
• West Thoughts: Wow, I have no idea who comes out of this thing seeding wise....so many questions from Phoenix and Dallas alone...then throw in New Orleans never being there before and LA with Bynum's injury, Gasol's arrival and Kobe's pinky...I mean wow...total tossup to me regular season wise....
• Looks to be a great time for the league...Intrigue abounds....go watch some games

Steroids (shocker), CBB, NBA stuff....

• First, I keep debating whether to even mention this HGH talk (like the new Eric Gagne stuff, etc.) and I keep refraining simply because....It doesn't matter to me.....I watch it because its "sports" but thats all...moving on
• Texas pounds A&M last night...Turned this on in the 2nd half and was mildly shocked by the lopsidedness....A&M is hit or miss though...thats for sure....and I still like Texas's floor balance and think Augustin is the best COLLEGE (not pro prospect) PG in the country
• Looks like the J-Kidd deal will still go down in a mildly different form (insert the retired Keith Van horn...and laughter).....Still doesn't make the Mavs better because it kills whatever front court depth they have....I'd hope for their sake they have a plan in place to get a backup to the already pedestrian Erick Dampier
• Other NBA Rumor I heard....Ron Artest to San Antonio? Wow...that would be ballsy.....But hey, they made it work with the almost as crazy Stephen Jackson...and he does everything Bruce Bowen used to do (before he got old really fast)...but way better
• Mildly excited for the #1 vs #2 matchup Saturday with Memphis and Tennessee BUT Tennessee isn't the 2nd best team in the country....so a little misleading
• Real nice NBA article up on espn.com written by Bill Simmons about New Orleans....A read for anyone (not just Simmons fans like me)
• FOOTBALL ALERT (for those of you...cough cough...Ryan...that refuse to acknowledge it until August)....Ryan Perriloux (LSU's dual-threat QB and presumptive starter) suspended indefinitely....Can I get a ruling on "indefinitely" as a term? It can mean out 2 weeks or 2 years....I need more specifics
• Last thing....More people need to watch the West Coast Conference last night basketball games...another good one last night....Keep money in Stephen Bardo's pocket please...
  

Big-time Sunday

• Just some bullets....Duke goes down to Wake Forest in a bit of a shocker...I chalk this one up to conference play and it's not like Duke was running the table in the ACC (noone ever does) so not TOO shocked but the way Wake did it was crazy....they ran on a team that runs and beat them pretty soundly....
• ASG Recap: Pretty entertaining actually....Lebron and Ray Allen team up to beat the West....Lebron is the most ridiculous athlete I think I've ever seen on a basketball court just simply because of the high-flying ability coupled with the rock-solid physique that makes him unstoppable going to the rim...crazy....Ray Allen shot the lights out (shocker, obv) as a late replacement...big ups Ray...Chris Paul was outstanding for the West in his backyard
• Bibby deal looks like a Go....I'm not sure this deal shouldn't matter more than the Kidd deal because I dont think Dallas gets any better in the loaded West and I think the Hawks jump 3 or 4 spots in the empty East (whatever that means)....
• Probably some more later today....

Bibby to the Hawks?!?!?!?!?

Just caught the ticker saying Mike Bibby to the Hawks for Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Lorenzen Wright, and Shelden Williams....First of all let me say I love this deal for the Hawks some ....Bibby immediately makes the Hawks significantly better IMO and will be a nice tutor for Acie Law (Bibby prolly won't be around long).....I think this move puts Atlanta firmly in the playoff race because PG is/has been the most pressing need for a period of years for Atlanta and this definitely sures that up...Also, THE HAWKS ACTUALLY USED THEIR EXPIRING DEALS!! Sorry for the yelling....but Billy Knight showing he has a pulse shocks me....Bibby isn't exactly a bargain at over 13 million/year BUT it doesn't hurt the cap too much because the deal is short, and this is definitely worth it IMO......On Sacto's behalf, this is a simple salary dump for cap space...fine with that....but I love the move (my God, this is weird) for the Hawks because it shows a willingness to...I dont know....play to win now? Weird.....I'll let it sink in a little more and report later

Knight to Indiana? pass.....

There's a popular theory now that Bob Knight would be a good candidate to replace the soon-to-be-fired Kelvin Sampson at Indiana....Seriously? Who thinks this is a good idea? More than a few reasons why this wouldn't work.......Namely ummmm...they fired him before, He can't recruit the talent of today even when he is slated to be there for an extended period, he just looks like a stopgap, and nobody wants to go to a place where there isn't coaching stability...and the big one....He's Bob Knight...Indiana doesn't want the controversy of a recruiting scandal, so the bring in the ultimate controversy guy....Be serious...

Kobe, ASG Weekend, Ramblings....

• Kobe's got a busted pinky.....Boooooooo haha.....I think it affects him slightly but he'll still be Kobe...He better sit out the ASG though...No reason to waste time on that
• If J-Kidd gets traded pre ASG, Who the heck does he play for? I agree with Dan Shanoff....he should play 1st half for the east, 2nd half for the west
• Dunk Contest Pick: Gerald Green slightly over Rudy Gay (But I bet Dwight Howard impresses me most
• 3-Pt Pick: Jason Kapono.....no doubt
• Pretty decent upset in the Pac-10 last night....Arizona State upends Stanford in a significant little upset since Stanford was crazy hot.....Pac-10 is soooo deep....scary

Short one...more later....

KIdd Trade and NBA Thoughts....

• Kidd, Malik Allen, and Antoine Wright for Devin Harris, Diop, Stackhouse, Maurice Ager, Devean George, 2 1st rounders, 2nd rounder.....I mean wow.....First of all the Mavs gave all their depth away (frontcourt depth I mean) with the letting go of Diop....and I'm still pretty sure they're at best the 4th best team in the West while mortgaging the future at PG(Harris) for a 2-year (approx.) rental of an aging J-Kidd who is shooting his worst FG% ever......Love the deal for NJ though...allows them to rebuild IF they can get somebody to take Vince away and build around a younger nucleus.....I hope Diop can get off the bench though....

Some NBA ramblings....

• Tuesday night...I have on NBA coast-to-coast and see Travis Diener receiving the opening tip....yes....he's a starting PG in the league right now with Tinsley out....shouldn't ever happen
• Same night I finally realize how tantalizing Rasheed Wallace must be to Pistons Fans....one of the most talented Bigs in the league and proves to be utterly unstoppable when he has the right mindset...but yet averages under 13 a game....would drive me insane
• Here's to Leon Powe who should NOT get buried when KG returns (but still might)....he's a legit player....
• I want to know who these people are that think Josh Smith is a max-contract player....the same people that think Rashard Lewis is I guess....

More later....

Sampson

• Wow...I mean Kelvin Sampson's gotta be kidding....Youre already on probation and still commit violations? Fireable offense IMO....especially at the school that basically created its own moral high ground with the Bob Knight firing (even though Myles Brand isn't there anymore).....Just stunning lack of sense from Sampson though...
• I'm gonna need more scrutiny of this....especially for guy's with previous offenses....AND I'd be very interested to hear if any of this involved Eric Gordon who Sampson famously poached from Illinois and Bruce Weber...interesting...

Lots of BBall...little else

Getting the other stuff out of the way first....

• Why is Roger Goodell meeting with a member of Congress about Spygate? I don't see one single reason why this is an issue for Congress but maybe thats just me...
• No Clemens talk here....too much for me, no interest
• Apparently Reggie Bush's bodyguard flashed a gun at the guy (Lloyd Lake) that is speaking out to damage him with claims....ballsy....

To the bball...watched a ton last night this is what I got....

• First off, I made a point not to watch Kentucky/Vandy but I turned the channel and Kentucky is down....40? word? Embarrassing performance by a team many people keep saying was coming back into the Tourney picture
• Purdue is better than anyone (including me) thought....very solid home win last night over Michigan State in another ugly Big 10 Game
• UNC squeaks by Virginia.....Watched the 2nd half of this game..UNC is totally different without Lawson....He better get healthy...
• NBA Roundup: Only one game accessible for me to watch last night (DET/ATL)...decent game...Chauncey takes over late and Mike Woodson makes me want to hang myself.....enough said really.....Oh yea...Every time I see Chris Paul play I get this feeling in my stomach....Regret I believe....I keep hearing the Hawks SHOULD get in the Jason Kidd extravaganza and I completely agree because the Hawks have the pieces to get him (Childress and expiring deals...maybe Shelden too)......But I'd be more than shocked if they ever pulled that deal off...Atlanta Spirit, LLC is pretty widely regarded as the most dysfunctional ownership situation in all of pro sports, and not exactly willing to open the checkbook
• The Heat are significantly better with Marion than Shaq....Allows them to play a game more catered to their personnel (Wright, Williams, Davis, etc.) and makes me wonder why that personnel was brought together to run the half-court game they were running previously....paging Pat Riley.....

At some point I'll fire up a baseball preview (with Pitchers/Catchers reporting later this week) but I can't get in the mindset quite yet....or ever maybe.....Cheers to basketball season

CBB, Reggie Bush, etc.

• Let me start by saying Dan Shanoff is one of my 2 blog idols (along with Brian Cook of MGoBlog) but I mean we're just stealing my Texas is better without Durant movement?...Just kidding Dan but Yes, I have witnesses that will vouch for me championing this cause well before now (as Texas beats Kansas last night at home)....just stating
• NBA Recap: Larry Hughes with....40? Hmm...nice in a Cavs W.....Stephen Jackson with 41 in a game that everyone watched but me (no NBA-TV...ugh)....Lakers win again (Pau with 26)
• Reggie Bush going to be deposed.....here we go....I'm really interested in how the NCAA (and the courts) handle this situation....namely the heisman and the national title(s).....If he took money, hand the Heisman to Vince and take away the title I say.....
• Oh yea...John Rocker's an assclown...anything he says isn't news...I also happened to catch the interview everyone is talking about live (it was on atlanta sports radio) and he just sounds like a hillbilly trying to make news.....get outta here
• Stan Van Gundy slams Dwight Howard's focus....wow....I didn't see the game but I assume he's gotta have a reason? If not...ballsy....
• Couldn't be less interested in both the Big 10 and the SEC in basketball this year...don't know why...but it sure doesn't excite me that Tuesday (my night off) is relegated to an early Big 10 game and a late SEC game...Thanks guys
• ADDED: Forgot to mention this....Absolutely ludicrous foul call at the end of the Georgetown game...can't/won't defend the ref here....All i got on it

More later..

Games I'll be watching this week....

Stealing a page from Ryan here but Our games sometimes differ significantly...here's my list:

NCAA-B

Monday:
Kansas @ Texas 9:00 ESPN
St. Mary's @ Santa Clara 11:00 ESPN2

Thursday:
Michigan @ Iowa 9:00 ESPN (obvious reasons)

Friday:
Pitt @ Marquette 9:00 ESPN

Saturday:
Georgetown @ Syracuse Noon ESPN
(insert sabbatical here b/c I won't be home)
Wazzu @ Oregon late night FSN


EDIT: Updated


NBA:

Thursday:
Mavs@ Suns 10:30 TNT

Friday/Sat/Sun
All-Star Weekend Festivities TNT

CBB Weekend, NBA Sunday, etc.

• Washington over UCLA by 10 in a big-time upset....Granted it was in Seattle, but this one is surprising to me...surprising not shocking though....Washington has a pretty talented roster and UCLA shot 1-16 from 3....that'll do it, haha.......Still picking UCLA to go to the final 4 so doesn't sway my opinion, the Pac-10 is very deep...
• UNC beats Clemson in 2OT.....Had to go to work before the end of this one...but I'm very surprised UNC was able to come back (sans Lawson no less) and win this one....Ballsy comeback from a team without their floor leader
• Real deep NBA day on TV....4 national games back-to-back is just filthy....Best game clearly SA/Boston without KG even....Boston impressed me (mostly rondo and davis) and Leon Powe is officially a decent rotation guy....learn his name....That was the only game I watched in full but I did see most of....
• LA over Miami- Miami is significantly better with Marion over Shaq.....they're gonna run now and that's the only way they can compete because it's all dorell wright and Jason Williams can do...That said, Earl Barron gets minutes....pass.....
• Denver lays the wood to Cleveland....Denver literally owns Cleveland...ever since LBJ/Melo came in the league it's been all Melo head-to-head....granted Denver has a better cast (especially now with Iverson) but it's been a solid beating over the years...nothing different here (Nuggets by 30)..uneventful game

Okay Other sports....

• I've read on 2 different blogs this morning about "indications" through use of the PRO BOWL that Adrian Peterson is the 2nd coming....while this very well might be true....for the love of all things holy, PLEASE do not use the Pro Bowl for anything of reason...thank you
• I gotta mention this...if you haven't seen it youtube "Richard Zednik" and check out this nasty skate/throat incident...stuff like this kills me about hockey....totally ridiculous that this could even happen in a sport but I'm surprised it doesn't happen more
• Decent sports weekend....still waiting for CBB to really heat up....Cheers to March being on the way

Zorn, CBB, etc.

• Redskins hire...Jim Zorn? ummm, wait, isn't he the new O-C? Oh yea...same guy....They really must not have wanted to hire Jim Fassel because they sure did everything to not hire the guy they interviewed like 20 times, GL to Jim Zorn (and Daniel Snyder really)
• CBB: Louisville knocks off Georgetown...really good game....especially considering Louisville trailed by 8 at half and ended up winning by 8...thats a sound beating in the 2nd half....
• CBB Cont.- Purdue beats Wisconsin in Madison...wow...didn't see that coming....Didn't see any of this but I saw Purdue play Michigan (a dreadful team) earlier in the year and didn't think they had what it takes to beat a good team on the road...proved me wrong I'd say

Pretty uneventful Saturday considering...but a nice slate of CBB games nonetheless.....Looking forward to Celtics/Spurs and a full day of NBA action today.....Enjoy it

Bedard, Bball, etc.

• Bedard trade finally goes down.....That Seattle rotation is looking reallllllyyyy good now if Felix is healthy; monstrous even...I defer to Ryan here and he likes the deal (an M's fan)
• LSU Fires John Brady.....What have you done for me lately i guess? Final 4 2 years ago I believe...quick trigger I think (especially considering Glen Davis and Ty Thomas left early)
• NBA: Carmelo was absolutely unstoppable last night..watched the majority and nobody on the floor could hold him....not a rarity but over the top last night...Kobe and Gasol combine for 66 in a "wow" victory
• Not a huge sports day....so I'll leave it here...cheers to College bball today....Enjoy

Basketball mostly....

Not a huge sports day outside of bball but I don't mind that in the slightest....caught some games...

• UCLA beats Wazzu @ Wazzu...Great game...saw every minute....not the most "appealing to the eye" type of game and not really representative of most west-coast games...but I really enjoyed it. Wazzu "took away" Kevin Love (only 16 points) but that plan didn't work and I've yet to see one that does. Wazzu is killing me...I pick them to go to the final 4 and they promptly lose 3 in a row...no shame in this loss though....Will be interesting to see how they respond b/c I tend to favor teams with seniors (especially at guards) and they have them...
• WV/Pitt- Pitt beats WV at the buzzer (didn't see any of it) but I laughed that they put the wrong guy on the FT line for WV...he makes both.....then they go back and take the points off.....wow....good officiating Big East
• Indiana over Illinois in 2OT....Only saw the overtimes of this one but enjoyed them...Big 10 basketball can be borderline unwatchable at times but this was entertaining enough...Eric Gordon's special...wish he was like 6'6 instead of 6'4 (maybe)
• Bulls over Golden State- Watched a decent amount of this...Webber gets the start for some reason but only plays 12 minutes in a HOME LOSS??? to the Bulls....wow....I really like Chris Duhon....Can't put my finger on why (no...its not b/c he went to Duke although that helps i'm sure)
• Shaq says he "will adjust to the suns, they don't have to adjust to me"....word? If he can pull this off, I'll give him all sorts of props...but I can't see him molding his game around them without a little adjustment from the style of D'Antoni...just sayin
• Houston lays the wood to Cleveland- Wish I was surprised by this....but I've said before, I honestly think there are 10 teams in the west better than anyone in the East except Detroit and Boston (yes, including Cleveland)....and I'm sticking by it for now.....Prove me wrong someone in the East...Please....

Only non-basketball related thing today....

• Steve Spagnuolo turns down the skins.....didn't see that coming...Washington is a good job in comparison to most....BUT I tend to side with him here...I wouldn't want any part of Daniel Snyder as my owner.....only caveat being that NFL jobs don't grow on trees...they better have a good defensive year next year or his "hot coach" status will go away

Hurray....

Bball Recaps and Clemens

• For the love of God, stop barraging me with Roger Clemens coverage....I'm done
• Couple great basketball games last night...didn't catch any live ball but heard/followed a couple games
• Duke/UNC intrigues me...UNC is a totally different team without Lawson so I take the results with a grain of salt but I was real interested that Duke managed to put up 89 points on the road against UNC with what most people think (me included) is a better defender than Lawson at the point in Quentin Thomas. 89 points on the road even when you shoot the lights out is a ton and this is always the problem with UNC as they are a very up-and-down defensive team. That said, Duke still can't rebound, but they managed to let Hansborough get his and simply take away alot of other things last night
• New Orleans and Phoenix go 2OT.....Saw extensive highlights of this instant classic...Chris Paul's pretty good.....Nash put up some great numbers by 10+ TO's is pretty much unacceptable no matter how many assists you have. Really interested to see how Phoenix fairs without Marion since they have extremely rarely gone without him because he's been so durable.....I, for one, hope D'Antoni doesn't give too many minutes to Grant Hill; not because he can't play because he can...but they need to make sure they have him for the playoffs because Hill and Diaw's impact is now magnified 5x because Shaq's not playing more than 30 minutes per.......My Final Word on Shaq Deal is: Wait and see really, I don't hate the deal as much as some but it's definitely a gamble I wouldn't have made if I'm Steve Kerr but only because I think he could've gotten more for Marion while even cutting some cap space; Advantage Heat for sure but the heat are still really bad (but better) and the Suns are still in the mix
• The Jazz are verryyyy hot (winning 10 straight) and they really intrigue me now that Korver is on board...he's not a great player but he fits them perfectly as they what they really lacked was a shooter.....Very dangerous team and the West is more wide open than usual with the Spurs taking a little step back (so far).....Realistically I think the Suns, Spurs, Lakers, Jazz, Mavs, and even Hornets can all win the title...crazy
• CFB Signing Day- I don't care alot about this....more than some, less than others...whatever....It's definitely overblown but there is some significance...I follow Michigan closely (obviously) and we got a nice little class that's ranked in the top 10 by some "experts" and will definitely go higher if we get our hands on Pryor

The Suns are doing what!?!? and more....

• So obviously the shocker of the day is the Suns sending Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to the Heat for Shaq....this came out of nowhere for me......I don't see Shaq helping them much, and they got rid of the guy who fits their system perfectly for a guy who doesn't fit it at all....crazy move....I'll defer to Ryan on a full write-up about this at some point
• Terrelle Pryor Watch: Supposedly he isn't signing today...I don't care when....just say "Go Big Blue"
• Jim Mora gets the nod with Seattle: Ummm why? Thats all I got...didn't show me anything in Atlanta worthy of being tabbed early for a job
• I'm upset that I have to miss Duke/UNC tonight (Church) but not nearly as upset as I would've been had Dickie V actually been able to be seen by southern markets in his return...can we please get rid of this Jefferson Pilot/Lincoln Financial foolishness? Put the ESPN cameras (HD no less) on TV and get rid of the high school graphics, etc.
• NBA Recap: Pau looked real good in that Lakers Uniform last night.....Spurs wake up a bit and throttle the Pacers in Indy (Damon Stoudamire looked good also)....and Lebron manages to take out KG-Less Boston at home by 1...yawn
• NCAA- Real good game between Butler and Valpo that I caught most of.....nice mid-major battle and I like Butler alot....Tennessee drives me insane but they do have alot of nice pieces (too bad Lofton isn't one of them) and they took out a young Florida team with ease....Michigan led throughout before wilting late and losing by 10...shocker!
• Last thing...Ryan Mallett asking to play immediately at Arkansas (aka not sitting out a year)...ummm what?....What possible reason could he think he has? He transferred because he didn't like the coach....happens all the time but never has been a reason to be granted a waiver to play right away...he's a baby anyway (i.e. him openly yelling at Lloyd Carr AND Chad henne at the same time on the sidelines this year)......Sit out your year, and then have your coach leave...AGAIN (Petrino)

Bob Knight, etc.

• Bob Knight resigns/retires yesterday....Definitely a huge range of opinions on what he meant to the sport, what kind of guy he is, etc.....While I obviously don't know him personally I've always felt he was a absolutely great basketball coach (like top 5 all-time good), and while he's clearly a little insane; He has my respect as a coach if nothing else
• Please stop with David Tyree catch being the greatest catch of all-time, the best play of all-time, etc......great play in a big spot.....didn't win the game (they had to convert a 3rd-and-11 right after that....breathe people
• NBA Recap: Good to see TJ Ford back......Josh Smith with 19, 6, 9 and 9 blocks in a Hawks VICTORY (yay!)....my goodness.....Deron Williams beasts CP3 last night....Williams is the worst matchup in the league for Paul without a doubt in my mind....too much size...
• Signing Day for CFB is tomorrow.....Come on Terrelle Pryor...You know what to do....say the words "Go Big Blue"
• At least the entire NFL is skipping the Pro Bowl...why do they even play?
• Vick gets to keep most of his bonus money....not shocked here...never thought the Falcons had a leg to stand on here...He played the seasons...just because you screwed up doesn't mean you deserve the money back....that said, if they could've proved he used the money to DIRECTLY finance the dog-fighting....maybe a diff. story
• The #1 game on my agenda tonight (even if noone else cares) is clearly Michigan @ Ohio State at 7 on ESPN.....Michigan is outright terrible this year too..but they'll be up for this one....Tenn. and Florida follow in a game that might actually matter a little

Probably be another post later today....

St. Mary's/Gonzaga....

Aight... So Ryan openly challenged me to do a running diary of the WCC Game of the year tonight....here's what went down

• 11:05- Getting ready for tip....damn....Bob Knight resigns outta the blue...crazy.....St. Mary's gym is crazy small....love the atmosphere though, almost high school like..my kind of thing
• 11:08- Randomly I love this announcing team....Stephen Bardo is really good actually (yes, i notice these things)......Just tipped and Pat Mills and Pargo just went dagger to dagger....that should be a good matchup
• 11:11- Pace is fierce right now...advantage Zags...better athletes, better shooters....Man, Pendergraft is so goofy...Brian scalabrine parallels are shocking
• 11:13- Where is Austin Daye? Paging Mark Few.....Really like St. Mary's offensive sets so far....seems like a very disciplined team to me; probably extremely well-coached....9-7 St. Mary's about 3 minutes in
• 11:15- Austin Daye right out of the break....thanks Mark....Man, the Zags are deep (Stephen Grey knocks down the triple)....its crazy how many athletes they have compared to the rest of the conference, almost not fair.....
• 11:17- Honestly this lighting is crazy....Bardo just mentioned it but you can literally see the light banks reflecting on the floor at certain spots...and they seem really low and uneven....old school gym ball I love it
• 11:20- Nice coast to coast drive by Smith of St. mary's...impressed (even though it was to break a 10-0 Zags Run).....funniest moment so far was Austin Daye literally yelling at his defender that "YOU CAN'T STOP ME" after hitting his first jumper....laughed aloud....Zags up 15-11 with 13 min left
• 11:23- I always forget about Micah Downs because he doesn't start.....For anyone that cares, Downs was a McD's all-american that went to Kansas....and now doesn't start at Gonzaga...my how times have changed....I like him though but eat a cheeseburger
• 11:29- Couple defensive lapses for Gonzaga.....seems like they shouldn't have as hard of a time as they do most nights with defense considering their athletic advantage....a bit soft for me
• 11:33- St. Mary's is certainly battling here....I can't believe Heytvelt is scoreless....he's gotta assert himself more or they're going to get run outta games they shouldnt get run ouf of
• 11:36- Gonzaga 25- STM 23....Jeremy Pargo is utterly huge in the upper body...good luck to anybody in that conference guarding him...Just witnessed him monster a bigger guard in the post....my goodness
• 11:40- 3 straight trips where the entire offense was a point guard postup.....riveting?
• 11:44- My god...Pargo just went coast to coast and threw it down in a set.....He's the point guard....for the record....emphatic....followed shortly by a Heytvelt appearance off a Pargo Dropoff...Zags 33-30
• 11:53- Half winding down....gonna be a photo finish it seems...I'm putting off an exam preparation for this....flawless victory
• 11:55- Airball to end the half....STM up 2 at the half.....break time...

Okay....Time for half #2.....Lets get it poppin.....(Go Zags)

• 12:13- Matt Bouldin is non-existent today and they are still in this game on the road.....and he's their best player by the way....let it sink in
• 12:17- St. Mary's should never play man-to-man against this team....can't handle Pargo at all, he's absolutely going ballistic...paging Matt Bouldin...once again
• 12:22- Great high-post entry and kick out for St. Mary's....I'm echoing Stephen Bardo here but they can't keep leaving Todd Golden up...he's just jacking....and wide open....I dont see why they have to help in the post (low or high) because they have the size advantage? weird...
• 12:25- Bouldin continues to be alarmingly off....Zags are slashing to the rim strong though in his absense....St. Mary's shooting the lights out to keep a 4 point lead at this point....Between the shooting of St. Mary's and the absense of Heytvelt and Bouldin, Pargo is the only real reason the Zags are even in this game
• 12:28- A vet move from Austin Daye...goodness how smooth is he....Could be an absolutely dynamic scorer in the near future....eat something son....
• 12:30- Commercial break....Zags are gonna need a 2nd scorer to help out Pargo whether it be Daye, Bouldin or Heytvelt here or they won't win this game....St. Mary's is a disciplined squad, they won't outright blow this so Zags have to go take it...
• 12:33- Austin Daye's just showing off now....stepping out and draining a 3...and wow...Bardo pulls out a Danny Manning comparison...strong praise
• 12:35- My god...Heytvelt just threw up an absolute brick off glass....He looks very out of it....Looks as bad as I've seen him since his return...killing me...STM up 5 with 9:30 to go
• 12:37- For the life of me I can't figure out why St. Mary's is good...like outside of being disciplined having a guy knock down 5-5 threes....I can't pinpoint their strengths....Not necessarily a bad sign...means they are well balanced...good size for a conference like this too
• 12:41- Don't often see a game where the biggest lead either way is 6 at this point...very competitive obviously....crazy stat though i thought
• 12:43- Bardo keeps taking the words out of my mouth....why did Gonzaga stop running? Seems like they have gone away from the gameplan lately.....STM up 7 under 6 to go....trouble for the Zags
• 12:47- My goodness...Pargo is putting on a show off the dribble...still a lil inconsistent...but a couple spectacular moves including an and-1 just now to cut the lead to 4....so strong...
• 12:49- Big 3 by the freshman Grey....STM lead cut to 2..under 4 to play...could easily be seeing a game to the buzzer here....Hurray!
• 12:51- Mills overtakes what I thought was a phenomenal team defensive possession for Gonzaga with a crazy scoop shot....followed by Pargo answering right away...back and forth we go
• 12:55- My GOODNESS Austin Daye....absolutely effortless three in the face of a defender to cut it to 1 ....2 min to go
• 12:58- Bouldin rises from the dead with a 3 point play to take the lead....Had to find some help for Pargo and Bouldin/Daye have stepped up....Heytvelt is relegated to the bench, no idea whats up with him
• 1:01- Kuso misses a layup...still tie game...thought he mighta got hacked a little bit..but No problem letting them play this late...gotta finish that
• 1:04- Dreadful possession by Zags out of a timeout with under a minute....Daye turns it over and Patrick Mills goes coast to coast for the 3point play....STM up 3 with 23 seconds....
• 1:06- Pargo takes a quick layup....foul with under 20 to go: STM up 1 with Mills at line......Misses 1st, makes 2nd and here we go....
• 1:07- Pargo with a great find to Kuso for the dunk with 5 sec to go...OT Baby! Its awesome with a capital A
• 1:11- OT begins....Pargo immediately picks up his 4th....gonna have to roll people toward him cuz he can't be physical...the one guy they cant lose
• 1:12- Wow, Kuso fouls out and is replaced by....Pendergraft? Did Heytvelt die? Pendergraft immediately fumbles a pass out of bounds....good timing
• 1:14- Daye fouls out on a loose ball...coulda gone either way...Heytvelt returns now as a last resort....That one hurts....STM has missed 3 straight FTs to offset the Zags foul outs....up 3 with 3:30 to go
• 1:15- Pargo is coming up ballsy....big 3 to tie it....Heytvelt gets worked on the glass and STM gets a put back....and Pargo hits an absolute bomb to take the lead....
• 1:17- STM gets a 4 pronged possession with 2 ORebs in a row followed by a blocked shot out of bounds....killing the clock here as we are under 90 seconds....wow...Big 3 by Golden to go to 6-6 from 3...hence the reason you can't give extra possessions....STM up 4 with 1 to go
• 1:22- Pargo threads a needle for a dime to Pendergraft to cut it to 2....Interesting time to change defenses for Zaga as they go to man for the next STM possession and Pendergraft fouls out...don't mind the change of pace, but woulda stayed in the zone myself....STM leads by 4 with under 40 seconds....Pargo gets fouled? Why in God's name are you fouling anyone here I'll never know...
• 1:25- After Pargo makes 1 of 2....Golden gets bailed out for no apparent reason on the sideline (atrocious call) and makes 1 of 2....STM by 4.....Pargo goes hard to the rim again and makes both.....gonna need a steal or something eventually or a big 3 asap...
• 1:28- Only 1 of 2 for STM but Downs misses a 3 and that'll pretty much do it for the Zags....signing off.....

Great game throughout...very well-matched and decently officiated until the end with a couple of questionable (and one atrocious) bailouts but I loved every minute of it...WCC basketball is FANNNNTASTIC! I love this Game!!! hahaha...Until later...

Giant Shocker and more

• Ummm...wow? all I really had to say after the Giants win last night....Save the "greatest upset in the history of the world" overstatements please...big upset? yes....biggest ever? not close......Ballsy drive by Eli Manning...I'll give him a little props while being still skeptical of him, but hey...he did it. The story for me was the "best offensive line in football" getting absolutely manhandled (especially All-pro Matt Light who stuck out cuz hes supposed to be ummm...an all-pro). Brady never had any time and while he didn't play well anyway, it was magnified by all sorts of OL breakdowns. All that said....Let the overreaction/over-coverage begin....


• Pau Gasol deal sinking in a bit...I don't think Memphis got as fleeced as I once did because really, they get 3 first round picks if you factor in Marc Gasol, alot of cap room, and a really promising guard in Crittendon. That said, I still don't see the need to get another infant PG but I'm thinking this means Lowry is out soon...(I'll take him!). Seems like a firesale move...but I don't mind it at all unless they can't find somebody to spend the money on.....Paging Josh Smith to Memphis (for my sake)
• Missed all/most of both NBA and CBB this weekend....Wazzu's lost 2 in a row...directly following my final 4 prediction, thanks fellas.....Michigan state losing to Penn State is a semi-shocker....the Pac-10 is really good......I hate tyler hansborough......I can't wait to see the Lakers with Bynum, Pau, Odom, Bryant all playing together.....All I got for now....
• Wait for it...wait for it.....About 2 more days of NFL nonsense...then a large-scale basketball increase in media coverage...Yay! I can't hold back my excitement here.....The madness is coming....
• Be Prepared for a full Super Bowl media coverage writeup if it gets too outta control....see the link on my blog to "Awful Announcing" for up-to-date coverage of the outright idiocy that is sure to be streaming through the media....

More later...

Wow...Pau to LA?

Yahoo reporting Pau Gasol to the lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittendon and 1st rounders in 08 and '10.....If this is true, the Lakers may become the frontrunner in the west (once Bynum is back).....my question is why the hell would memphis want crittendon (who's clearly the main piece here) when they have conley and lowry? Smells funny... UPDATE!: ESPN now has this.... The Memphis Grizzlies will send Pau Gasol and a future second-round pick to the Lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, the unofficially retired Aaron McKie , the draft rights to Pau Gasol's brother Marc and future first-round picks in 2008 and 2010, NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com's Marc Stein....................makes a little more sense now that they include Marc Gasol and cap relief from mckie

Busy weekend...

I'm gonna go ahead and apologize for lack of posting this weekend.....I'm in a wedding....won't be watching sports really until sunday (not that anyone actually reads this).....Until later....