Wednesday, December 5, 2012

12/5: College Coaching Carousel, etc.

Greetings! Full slate today...
  • The wheels are turning in full force on the College Football Coaching Carousel! First, Bret Bielema shocked a ton of people (myself included) by leaving Wisconsin for Arkansas. I'm sure that the $3.2 million per year that was reported yesterday is a huge raise for Bielema, who went 68-24 at Wisconsin, but is Arkansas really a better job than coaching in Madison? Next, Gus Malzahn is taking his talents to Auburn. This one didn't surprise me at all as he was the OC on the title team with Cam Newton before being exiled to Arkansas State. His innovative offense is a nice fit at a school like Auburn who will always be competing with Alabama for players, and I like the move. Now? The focus shifts to Tennessee, who is reportedly courting Charlie Strong. Stay tuned.
  • NBA Check! - Washington pulled the biggest upset of the young season by beating the Heat 105-101 in Washington. The biggest surprise was that they did this in spite of LBJ posting a crazy triple-double (26/13/11) and without any crazy shooting numbers. Weird. Elsewhere, Oklahoma City got 32 points from Kevin Durant in a 117-111 road win over Brooklyn that extended their win streak to six games, Indiana was led by Paul George and his 34 points in their 80-76 win in Chicago, and Houston overcame 39 points from Kobe Bryant to knock off LA by a 107-105 margin. 
  • The New Orleans Hornets are reportedly changing their name to the "Pelicans". I don't even have a joke here, just know that I think this is absurd.
  • MLB Hot Stove - Shane Victorino joins Mike Napoli in Boston, having inked the exact same contract. 3 years and $39 million would've been a fine commitment to Victorino 2-3 years ago, but he's now 32 years old and coming off of a season where he was worth less than 3 wins and he's a guy who relies on his legs for value. Godspeed! Dan Haren inked a 1-year, $13 million deal with Washington, and I hated this move... for the Braves. I'm always a Haren guy and while there are injury concerns, if he's healthy he's worth significantly more than this contract. Blast. And finally, former Braves Yunel Escobar got traded again, this time heading to Tampa after being flipped by the Marlins. At least he's a great clubhouse guy!
What to watch for on Wednesday (in chronological order)...
  • 7:00 - NCAAB - #6 Florida @ Florida State (ESPNU) - Really a quality game and an in-state rivalry. Florida is the SEC favorite and FSU is defending home-court with their normally tenacious defense.
  • 8:00 - NBA - Nuggets @ Hawks (ESPN) - A quality Western conference team comes to Philips Arena, and this should be a very interesting and entertaining match-up.
  • 10:30 - NBA - Mavs @ Clippers (ESPN) - If Derek Fisher starts for Dallas again, I'll begin to openly question Rick Carlisle's sanity, and that says a lot because he's normally a fantastic coach.
  • 11:00 - NCAAB - #10 Gonzaga @ Washington State (ESPNU) - An awesome late-night battle. Gonzaga is a legitimate top-10 team, and in a true road game, they can prove it here. 
Enjoy!

2 comments:

JDH said...

-Be on the lookout for that blowout of Florida State by UF. Marquette coach made the comment that the Gators could run the dance this year. Between that and FSU losing their 2 lead scorers from last years contest, this could turn into a runaway.
-Any predictions on Louisville's offer and how hard they will try tpo keep Strong. I know they do not have SEC resources but how far do you think they'd be willing to go?
-After hearing mixed reviews, what is your take on Kentucky this year in NCAAB? Is youth and experience their main issues? Any hope of them making a presence in March?

Brad said...

Good call on the Florida blowout... they are really impressive.

Looks like Strong is staying at Louisville, and honestly, I'm not sure that isn't a better job than Tennessee at this point. Obviously more funds at Tennessee (you'd think), but Louisville has sick facilities and a better roster.

Kentucky is just crazy young and the expectations are too high because of the work Calipari's been able to do with Wall, Davis, and company recently. They still may have the most NBA 1st-rounders in the country on their roster, but I can't see them making too deep of a run. These guys aren't "ready" like the freshman he's been getting lately.