Friday, October 30, 2009

NCAA College Basketball Top 25, Bob Knight Refuses Invite Back to IU



NCAA College Basketball Top 25
www.espn.com
1. Kansas (27) 0-0 770 10
Tournament Results: Def. North Dakota State 84-74 (3/20), Def. Dayton 60-43 (3/22), Lost to Michigan State 67-62 (3/27)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
2. Michigan State (3) 0-0 732 2
Tournament Results: Def. No. 3 Connecticut 82-73 (4/4), Def. Robert Morris 77-62 (3/20), Def. USC 74-69 (3/22), Def. Kansas 67-62 (3/27), Def. Louisville 64-52 (3/29), Lost to North Carolina 89-72 (4/6)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
3. Texas 0-0 676 23
Tournament Results: Def. Minnesota 76-62 (3/19), Lost to No. 5 Duke 74-69 (3/21)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
4. North Carolina (1) 0-0 653 1
Tournament Results: Def. Radford 101-58 (3/19), Def. No. 20 LSU 84-70 (3/21), Def. Gonzaga 98-77 (3/27), Def. Oklahoma 72-60 (3/29), Def. No. 4 Villanova 83-69 (4/4), Def. Michigan State 89-72 (4/6)
This Week: 11/9 vs. Florida International, 11/11 vs. North Carolina Central Tickets
5. Kentucky 0-0 635 NR
Tournament Results: Def. UNLV 70-60 (3/17), Def. Creighton 65-63 (3/23), Lost to Notre Dame 77-67 (3/25)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
6. Villanova 0-0 620 4
Tournament Results: Def. American University 80-67 (3/19), Def. No. 17 UCLA 89-69 (3/21), Def. Duke 77-54 (3/26), Def. Pittsburgh 78-76 (3/28), Lost to No. 1 North Carolina 83-69 (4/4)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
7. Purdue 0-0 586 14
Tournament Results: Def. Northern Iowa 61-56 (3/19), Def. No. 14 Washington 76-74 (3/21), Lost to Connecticut 72-60 (3/26)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
8. Duke 0-0 528 11
Tournament Results: Def. Binghamton 86-62 (3/19), Def. Texas 74-69 (3/21), Lost to Villanova 77-54 (3/26)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
9. West Virginia 0-0 501 NR
Tournament Results: Lost to Dayton 68-60 (3/20)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
10. Butler 0-0 408 25
Tournament Results: Lost to No. 20 LSU 75-71 (3/19)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
11. Tennessee 0-0 406 NR
Tournament Results: Lost to Oklahoma State 77-75 (3/20)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
12. California 0-0 370 NR
Tournament Results: Lost to Maryland 84-71 (3/19)
This Week: 11/9 vs. Murray State, 11/11 vs. Detroit Tickets
13. Washington 0-0 364 16
Tournament Results: Def. Mississippi State 71-58 (3/19), Lost to No. 18 Purdue 76-74 (3/21)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
14. Connecticut 0-0 361 3
Tournament Results: Def. Chattanooga 103-47 (3/19), Def. Texas A&M 92-66 (3/21), Def. Purdue 72-60 (3/26), Def. Missouri 82-75 (3/28), Lost to No. 2 Michigan State 82-73 (4/4)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
15. Michigan 0-0 279 NR
Tournament Results: Def. No. 21 Clemson 62-59 (3/19), Lost to No. 8 Oklahoma 73-63 (3/21)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
16. Oklahoma 0-0 244 7
Tournament Results: Def. Morgan State 82-54 (3/19), Def. Michigan 73-63 (3/21), Def. Syracuse 84-71 (3/27), Lost to North Carolina 72-60 (3/29)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
17. Ohio State 0-0 241 NR
Tournament Results: Lost to Siena 74-72 (3/20)
This Week: 11/9 vs. Alcorn State, 11/12 vs. James Madison Tickets

18. Minnesota 0-0 151 NR
Tournament Results: Lost to Texas 76-62 (3/19)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
19. Mississippi State 0-0 149 NR
Tournament Results: Lost to No. 14 Washington 71-58 (3/19)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
20. Georgia Tech 0-0 136 NR
Tournament Results: No Games Played
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
21. Georgetown 0-0 134 NR
Tournament Results: Lost to Baylor 74-72 (3/18)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
22. Dayton 0-0 130 NR
Tournament Results: Def. West Virginia 68-60 (3/20), Lost to No. 13 Kansas 60-43 (3/22)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
23. Louisville 0-0 123 5
Tournament Results: Def. Morehead State 74-54 (3/20), Def. Siena 79-72 (3/22), Def. Arizona 103-64 (3/27), Lost to Michigan State 64-52 (3/29)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
24. Clemson 0-0 114 NR
Tournament Results: Lost to Michigan 62-59 (3/19)
This Week: No Games Scheduled Tickets
25. Syracuse 0-0 111 12
Tournament Results: Def. Stephen F. Austin 59-44 (3/20), Def. No. 19 Arizona State 78-67 (3/22), Lost to Oklahoma 84-71 (3/27)
This Week: 11/9 vs. Albany, 11/12 vs. Robert Morris Tickets

Knight: Interest would create distraction
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Former Indiana coach Bob Knight will not attend next week's induction into the athletic department's hall of fame.
Athletic director Fred Glass said Thursday that Knight contacted him directly to decline the invitation. Glass said Knight was concerned that the interest in him would be a distraction from the other six inductees.
All living members of the 2009 Hall of Fame class, except Knight, are expected to attend in person.
Nicknamed "The General," Knight won a school-record 662 games and three national championships at Indiana before being fired by then university president Myles Brand in September 2000.
Knight retired in 2008 with the most wins (902) of any coach in Division I men's basketball.


Knight will not attend IU ceremony
www.si.com
On Thursday, the former Hoosiers coach notified athletic director Fred Glass that he will not be attending the school's Hall of Fame induction ceremony next week in Bloomington -- the second time in three days that The General has rejected an overture from the school.
On Tuesday, Knight said he would not accept a $75,000 offer to settle a lingering lawsuit because the money came from alumni donors.
The reason for this rejection: Knight doesn't want to detract from the other six honorees.
"I absolutely respect his feelings on that and very much appreciate his response, which in no way suggested he opposed being inducted," Glass said in a statement released by the athletic department.
Glass had written twice to Knight to find out if he would attend.
His exclusion from the school's Hall of Fame had been a contentious subject for years. In nearly three decades at Indiana, Knight won 662 games, three national championships, 11 Big Ten crowns and the hearts of Hoosiers fans.
But in September 2000, Knight's tenure came to a sudden, surprising end.
Four months after then-university President Myles Brand put the fiery coach on a zero-tolerance policy, a freshman student alleged Knight grabbed him by the arm and berated him. Two days after the accusation, Brand fired Knight, a decision that split the school's fan base.
Loyalists contended the punishment was too harsh. Others suggested the program was bigger than one man and promised to continue following the Hoosiers.
Knight eventually wound up at Texas Tech, coaching there from 2001 until his abrupt retirement in February 2008. It was in Lubbock, Texas, that Knight finally broke the Division I men's basketball record for victories (902) -- again setting off the questions about why he was not yet in Indiana's Hall of Fame.
The school will finally rectify that omission next week -- without Knight. All other living inductees are expected to attend the ceremony. Knight will be represented at the ceremony by former Bloomington sports writer Bob Hammel, a 2008 inductee, who will likely reiterate the gratitude Knight had for his fans.
"Coach Knight expressed his tremendous appreciation for the support his teams were given by the IU student body and fans all over the state of Indiana and the contribution that support made to the success of his teams," Glass said. "Coach Knight also noted that there is no one he appreciates more than his players who he said were the most responsible for the success the program had during his tenure."

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Week 9 College Football TV Schedule and Kipers Big Board


2009 College Football TV Schedule: Week 9

Thursday, Oct. 29 Network Time (EST)
North Carolina at Virginia Tech ESPN 7:45 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 30 Network Time (EST)
West Virginia at South Florida ESPN2 8 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31 Network Time (ET)
Indiana at Iowa ESPN Noon
Purdue at Wisconsin ESPN2 Noon
Cincinnati at Syracuse ESPN U Noon
New Mexico State at Ohio State Big Ten Noon
Mississippi at Auburn SEC 12:21 p.m.
Nebraska at Baylor Versus 12:30 p.m.
Missouri at Colorado FSN 1:30 p.m.
Miami (Fla.) at Wake Forest ABC 3:30 p.m.
Michigan at Illinois ABC 3:30 p.m.
Kansas at Texas Tech ABC 3:30 p.m.
California at Arizona State ABC 3:30 p.m.
Florida vs. Georgia CBS 3:30 p.m.
Central Michigan at Boston College ESPN U 3:30 p.m.
Temple at Navy CBS CS 3:30 p.m.
UNLV at TCU Versus 4 p.m.
Air Force at Colorado State MTN 4 p.m.
Penn State at Northwestern ESPN 4:30 p.m.
Kansas State at Oklahoma FSN 7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan at Arkansas ESPN U 7 p.m.
Notre Dane vs. Washington State NBC 7:30 p.m.
New Mexico at San Diego State CBS CS 7:30 p.m.
South Carolina at Tennessee ESPN 7:45 p.m.
Texas at Oklahoma State ABC 8 p.m.
USC at Oregon ABC 8 p.m.
Michigan State at Minnesota Big Ten 8 p.m.
Wyoming at Utah MTN 8 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 1 Network Time (EST)
Marshall at UCF ESPN 8:15 p.m.


Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/ncaa/09/02/tv-schedule-2009/index.html#ixzz0VKJNpx3Y
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Mel Kiper's Big Board as of 10-29-09
ESPN.com
Archive I'm going to talk about it at length in Behind the Big Board, but I'll state it here, as well: Dez Bryant is still going to be a top pick in the upcoming NFL draft, based on everything we know. Personnel people at the NFL level aren't going to see the heavy-handed punishment of the NCAA as a detriment. For that reason, he remains among my top 10.
Elsewhere, I added Joe Haden of Florida and Rolando McClain of Alabama to the Board this week. As I've said in the past, I like to wait for a junior to get high enough on the Board that I'd assume there is a greater chance he will stay in the draft before I add him. Both of these guys project as safely within the first round. Earlier, I wouldn't add juniors until they were safely in the top 15, but I'm adjusting that to include the the top 20 this week, which keeps Jahvid Best in the mix.


Ndamukong Suh DT 6-4 300 Analysis: Explosive, relentless and consistent. Last week: No. 1

Eric Berry DB 5-11 203 Analysis: Ultimate playmaker, in the Ed Reed mold. Last week: No. 2

Gerald McCoy DT 6-4 297 Analysis: Disruptive force. Productive NFL career ahead. Last week: No. 3

Taylor Mays S 6-3 235 Analysis: Linebacker size and cornerback speed. Last week: No. 4

Sam Bradford QB 6-4 223 Analysis: Has underrated arm, great feel for position; super-accurate. Last week: No. 5

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

NBA Opening Night Wrap-Up




CLEVELAND -- The NBA's best rivalry needed this. The home team had won the last 16 meetings before the visiting Celtics broke that spell Tuesday with an opening night 95-89 win over the Cavaliers (RECAP | BOX SCORE). After two years spent bear-hugging each other like wrestlers, a new dynamic has momentarily separated them.
At issue is Cleveland's recast style, based not only on the arrival of Shaquille O'Neal and two other newcomers but also the absence of troubled Delonte West, who was on the sideline while Ray Allen (16 points) was beating his defenders off the dribble or downcourt for threes in transition. The Celtics came into this game with the advantage of having fewer new parts to integrate, with Rasheed Wallace (12 points) and Marquis Daniels (7 points and 2 assists) fitting in as snugly off the bench as anticipated.
It would be a mistake to make too much of one result; but it would also be wrong to ignore the advantage the Celtics have seized toward a potential tiebreaker in April. "It's great psychologically to go in here and get a win,'' said Paul Pierce, who led the Celtics with 23.
The acquisitions of Rasheed and Shaq promise to elevate a rivalry that has no peer in the NBA. As much as everyone refers nostalgically to the age-old meetings of the Celtics and the Lakers, their disagreements come along twice a year apart from the occasional NBA Finals; and while Lakers-vs.-Spurs is often important it tends to fall short of creating the necessary emotional tension. That leaves the Celtics and Cavs to create a feud important enough to crowd both lockerrooms with reporters here Tuesday in the pregame hour, like a playoff game in May.
Pierce recognized the impact O'Neal had made. "You know how excited y'all get when Shaq comes to town,'' he said, sitting at his locker near the door of the visitors dressing room as the press wandered in and out.
"It's true,'' I admitted. "We just can't help ourselves.''
Across the room Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo was pulling on his jersey. "I don't think I've ever won in Cleveland my whole career,'' he said.
True enough: The Celtics had lost 11 straight here. I mentioned that some of them had been close losses.
"And some blowouts too,'' he answered quickly, as if he needed to put more pressure on himself.
The short of it is that this was more important than an opening night in Memphis or Philadelphia. The Cavs began the game playing like the younger and livelier team while hitting six of their first seven shots on their way to a 21-7 lead. But they have too many loose parts to tighten so early in the season, and by the second quarter the Celtics bench was ratcheting the defense to help set up a 51-45 Celtics lead by halftime.
LeBron James was typically spectacular with 38 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists to go with four blocks, including two that snuffed out Celtic breakaways (in the opening quarter he cleanly pinned a Rondo dunk against the glass as if upon a ladder putting up decorations). But too often the offense degraded into James needing to go one-on-one to beat the shot clock. "They took us out of a lot of our sets,'' he said of the Celtics.
There were several noticeable differences since last year. Both Rondo and Anderson Varejao looked much smoother shooting the ball, a sign of how hard both worked over the summer. More obvious was the presence of Shaq, who in the opening minute came out to set a high pick and obliviously shouldered Kevin Garnett (13 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks in 33 minutes) almost off his feet. Later when KG went up with the ball high he was met again by Shaq, who wrapped both arms around the ball and incidentally Garnett's head, before he slid hard onto his back. But from that and all other predicaments Garnett recovered instantly, a promising sign that he has recovered from his knee injury that cost Boston a chance at defending its championship last year. "Physically I'm OK,'' said Garnett. "I'd like to be better, and during the course of the season I'm sure I will be.''
Midway through the third the Celtics were up 62-47 and shooting 55.3 percent. Their efficiency dwindled to 44.4 percent overall by game's end, and so did the lead. James had brought the struggling Cavs within 87-83 when Garnett set an extremely high pick enabling Pierce to weave around LeBron and Shaq on his way to a layup with 1:03 remaining. Moments later Pierce canned a fallaway jumper over Varejao to rebuild the Celtics lead to 8.
The Cavs have some work to do. Shaq and Zydrunas Ilgauskas did not look good on the floor together, and their bench was outscored 26-10. Most important, perhaps, is that they'll miss the versatility of West's aggressiveness at both ends of the floor as well as his playmaking. But they are the younger team, and as the year wears on they'll certainly grow better while the Celtics may look older.
Or, more likely, the Celtics will also improve from this night as Garnett grows more comfortable -- he missed an uncontested dunk, apparently because he wasn't quite as high off the floor as he will be later in the year -- and Glen (Big Baby) Davis recovers from thumb surgery and the vise of their defense tightens. "I told them we have to be better than we played today,'' said Doc Rivers.
The Celtics coach was late coming out of his lockerroom after the win. "We were in there watching the ring ceremony,'' he said of TNT's coverage of the Lakers' opening-night championship celebration in Los Angeles. But his players didn't want to end a good night on such a bad memory. "They told me to turn it off,'' said Rivers. "No one wanted to watch it.''



Shaq, Cavs need time to create chemistry Wallace, Celtics already have
CBSSports.com
CLEVELAND -- It was early in the third quarter when Kevin Garnett tried to dunk on Shaquille O'Neal, which by Shaq's count would've been only about the third time someone's done that to him in 17 years. O'Neal contested the shot, and Garnett bounced off his body and landed with a thud.
Paul Pierce didn't flinch, because what he saw next was exactly what he expected.
"I just saw Kevin bounce back up and pound his chest, like typical Kevin," Pierce said. "I've seen him take those type of shots before. We know Kevin is gonna get back up. If he stays down, then I'll worry."
Nothing to worry about on this night for the Celtics, who used the occasion of Shaq's anticipated debut as LeBron James' teammate to record the first win for a road team in this rivalry in 17 games.
It was the most anticipated NBA regular-season game in years, and it had all the trappings -- if not the quality -- of a playoff game in May or June. Shaq & LeBron, the reunited Big Three, the debut of Rasheed Wallace and his Afro. Five certain Hall of Famers on the same court. A measuring-stick game on opening night.
The Celtics' 95-89 victory against the Cavaliers on Tuesday night ultimately will have very little to do with what happens seven months from now in the playoffs. But it taught us a few things. The most important one is this: The Celtics added Wallace, whose smooth shooting and scrappiness fit them perfectly. The Cavs added O'Neal, whose plodding style and fading impact clearly doesn't.
Not yet, anyway. Not even LeBron could deny they have a long way to go.
"If you're not on the same page offensively," James was saying at his locker afterward, "it can be difficult to score at times, no matter who's on the floor."
It's early, but you had to remind yourself as you watched these heavyweights open the season that Cleveland had the best record last year and Boston limped through the playoffs without Garnett. The Cavs, living in abject fear of LeBron's impending free-agent experience, swung for the fences and added Shaq, who needed a season-and-a-half to become effective in Phoenix. The Cavs have time to get this right, but not that kind of time.
"There's some things that we still need to work out," Cavs coach Mike Brown said, "and it starts with me. We're not where we want to be. I felt it before the game, but I still felt we're good enough if we defend and do some of the little things."
With Delonte West held out by what Brown called "the support staff" and GM Danny Ferry to deal with his personal issues, Brown's options were limited. He held O'Neal to 28 pedestrian minutes -- he had 10 points and 10 rebounds and made it clear that he could've played more -- and reverted to his most effective coaching technique when the game was on the line in the second half. Brown played James for the final 24 minutes, explaining afterward, "I wanted to see if the young fella could carry us."
He also wanted to see if Shaq and Zydrunas Ilgauskas could play together -- which they could, but not as long as Brown let them.
Despite 38 points, eight assists and four blocks -- two of them highlight-makers in transition -- LeBron could not carry Cleveland on this night. The Cavs are expected to sign Antonio Daniels, fresh off his buyout from Minnesota, to fortify the backcourt in West's absence. But until all of these "little things" Brown spoke of get resolved, James better get used to nights like this.
"It's really a transition period for us," James said.
It's a transition period for Boston, too -- back to 2007-08. With Wallace (12 points, 3 for 6 on 3-point attempts) and Marquis Daniels (seven points and plus-11 when he was on the floor), the Celtics' bench could be better than it was when they won the title two seasons ago. Garnett doesn't have his lift yet after knee surgery, but his defensive presence helped the Celtics hold Cleveland to .414 shooting from the field. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo looked awfully familiar, too. Pierce had 23 points and took over in the fourth. Rondo had eight points, 10 assists and three steels
"Any time you get a chance to play Cleveland, Orlando, L.A. [Lakers] -- it's definitely a measuring stick," Pierce said. "You want to play the best if you want to be the best. It gives a team confidence to know you can play with anybody in the league."
So on opening night, Garnett took Shaq's best shot and bounced back up. The Celtics cleared an important psychological barrier by finally winning a game on the King's home court. Through one game of 82, the Celtics' addition of Wallace trumps the Cavs' addition of Shaq.
"He just fits the mold of this ballclub," Pierce said. "He's a defensive presence, talks on defense, he's loud, he's scrappy, he can knock down shots. You talk about Celtic basketball, you talk about a defensive squad, a grind-it-out type of team, he fits the description."
Watching Wallace spread the floor with his jump shooting, giving Pierce another option out of pick-and-rolls, reminded me of something Doc Rivers said as the Celtics wrapped up training camp in Newport, R.I., a few weeks ago.
"We didn't upset our culture," Rivers said that day. "We kind of just added to what we had with our core."
This is why the Cavs' addition of Shaq was such a risk -- and a necessary one, all affected parties agreed, if Cleveland was going to get past Boston and Orlando to the Finals. It will take weeks, maybe months, to determine if the move upset the Cavs' culture.
For now, O'Neal wasted no time letting Brown known he was upset about his 28 minutes. When asked if he wanted to play more, Shaq said, "Yeah, I'd rather stay in and look over and tell him I need a rest. But we're still learning each other. He's the coach. You know, whatever the coach says, we always just have to deal with it."
That quote was Shaq's best work of the night. His debut as the man who would bring Cleveland its championship -- the man who would keep LeBron here -- left plenty to be desired.
"We'll be fine," Shaq said. "I've been at it 17 years -- 0-1, 0-5, 5-0, 10-0. Nothing matters unless you win the whole thing."
That part, he understands perfectly.






1 Celtics Show Cavaliers They Aren't On Their Level
www.espn.com
CLEVELAND -- By the hundreds -- no, make that by the thousands -- grimaces, glum looks and blank stares adorned the faces of the Cavaliers' faithful as they streamed through the exit doors of the Q Arena, all of them having borne witness to an inalienable truth.
Their team was clearly and decidedly the second-best on this floor on this first night of the 2009-10 NBA season, and that dream of a championship parade -- a dream that has gone unfulfilled in this Rust Belt city since 1964 -- will end up being no more than a pipe dream if this is how the Cavs are going to measure up against the Celtics this season.
Quite frankly, they don't measure up. Boston was deeper, Boston was more fluid, Boston was more confident. Practically any way you looked at it, Boston was just plain better.
And those were just the cold, hard facts on a night when the winter chill that lasts on the shores of Lake Erie from November and into May hadn't even made it to town yet, a night when folks were struggling to recall when -- or if -- a challenger had made a team coming off a 66-win season look quite so secondary.
Led by Rasheed Wallace, whose first basket as a Celtic was a 3-pointer over the outstretched, lunging arm of 7-foot-3 Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Boston's reserves outscored Cleveland's 26-10 as both coaches used only four reserves apiece.
Wallace (12 points and three 3-pointers) and Marquis Daniels (seven points and two assists) were the catalysts in the second quarter when Boston erased a 14-point deficit, and the Celtics were able to play from ahead throughout the third and fourth quarters led by Pierce (23 points, 11 rebounds), Garnett (13 points, 10 rebounds), Ray Allen (16 points) and Rajon Rondo (eight points, 10 assists, three steals).
And when it got to crunch time in the fourth, the Cavs' defenders were unable to efficiently contain the high picks Boston kept setting, luring Shaquille O'Neal out of the paint and letting Pierce use him as a screen to give himself enough room to create something on offense.
Yes, many of those possessions ended in misses. But with Boston playing the same stifling defense that was its trademark two seasons ago when banner No. 17 was won, the Cavs could never make a sustained finishing push.
Truth be told, the energy to make that push probably got sucked out of them when Boston, trailing 13-2 just 3:06 into the game, got an earful from Rivers during a timeout.
"I told them in that timeout that we wanted the lead back by halftime," Rivers said.
That was exactly what they did, Boston looked like a different team from that point forward, and the life got sucked out of the building before intermission even arrived.
The Celtics' lead grew as high as 15, and reality was staring Cavs' fans in the face.
Their team was not the equal of the visitors who came into their home and acted like they owned it, and with a few exceptions, all those Ohioans left the building feeling a whole lot worse about the chances of winning a title in the waning months before James can become a free agent and bolt town -- a move that could very well usher in another 45 years of misery.

2 O'Neal Gives Garnett A Welcome Back Tap

CLEVELAND -- With one thunderous bump from Shaquille O'Neal, Celtics forward Kevin Garnett spilled to the floor during Tuesday night's season opener in Cleveland.
Not that Garnett enjoys the bumps and bruises that come with crossing paths with O'Neal, but that collision was just another step in his recovery from offseason knee surgery.
Shaq's own little way of saying, "Welcome back, KG."
"That's the Diesel," Garnett said to reporters after the game. "I'm sure if any one of y'all ran up against the Diesel, the same thing would happen."
After missing 25 games last season, Garnett returned to regular-season action with a quiet 13 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocked shots over 33 minutes.
Not eye-popping numbers, for sure, but combined with the emotional lift of having No. 5 back on the court, it was enough to help the Celtics emerge with a 95-89 win over the Cavaliers, another Eastern Conference superpower.
Garnett admitted after the game he's not where he wants to be physically, but -- don't start fretting about the knee -- it's more about getting in game shape.




3 Agent Zero Returns As A Low-Key Hero

DALLAS -- He drove fearlessly to the bucket. He drained a few clutch contested jumpers. He even talked to the media.
It would be a stretch to say that Gilbert Arenas dazzled Tuesday night in the Wizards' season-opening road win over the Mavericks, but he certainly turned in a complete game.
After all those knee problems that allowed him to play in only 15 games over the past two seasons, Arenas announced his return to prominence by ringing up 29 points and nine assists without a lot of highlight-reel material, capitalizing on vulnerabilities he sensed in Dallas' pick-and-roll defense with a steady performance that looks gaudier in the box score than it did in person.
Not that the Wizards mind steady.
"He did his talking on the floor," Wiz coach Flip Saunders said. "Gil showed glimpses of ... that unbelievable burst of speed and his ability to weave through people and score at the rim. I thought he ran our offense great as far as getting the ball to people.
"I think that anyone that had questions about where he's at ... he's just going to continue to get better and better."
Arenas didn't want to say much after Washington's impressive 102-91 triumph over the retooled Mavs -- keeping with his well-chronicled determination this season avoiding the media -- but eventually conceded that this return to prominence "feels great."
"Coach told me to be myself," Arenas said. "Don't let the outside world dictate how I play."
And he didn't.
Logging 38 minutes, Arenas instead managed to control the tempo throughout, with Dallas forced to scramble from behind for much of the evening after the Wizards rung up 35 points in the second quarter. The only displays of his old showmanship were nods in approval after a couple jumpers and teasingly leaving his shooting hand in the air after one late dagger from the perimeter.
In crunch time, Arenas' driving layup and that dagger snuffed out any hopes of a Dallas escape.
As for Arenas' newfound desire to keep his name out of the media game, Saunders said: "He talks to me. That's all that matters ... I think he's gotten to the point that no matter what he says, it doesn't matter, because everybody is going to judge him by what he does on the floor. I think at this point he says, 'I'm going to play and how I play is going to be first line of defense of what's going to be said about me."

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

2009-2010 NBA Preview, Predictions and Pictures of the New Uniforms














Notice anything unusual in this NBA preseason photo? What about this one? Or this one?
Duh, it's so obvious: The rim design has been updated for this season. Look, it's like night and day!
OK, so the rim update is actually pretty subtle, but that should give you an idea of how comprehensive Uni Watch is being with this year's NBA season-preview column. New uniforms, new compression undergarments, new warm-up gear, new throwbacks, new court designs, the new rim -- it's all covered here.
So let's get to it. With the regular season due to tip off on Tuesday evening, here's what you can expect to see on the court:
• Unfortunate downgrade for the Bobcats, who have a new pinstriped uni set (here's the rear view). When will the NBA learn that pinstripes don't make sense on players who are already 37 feet tall? Even worse, Charlotte's NASCAR alternates now feature checkerboards and pinstripes, which is really pushing it. Meanwhile, the road uni is now blue instead of orange -- probably an improvement when viewed in a vacuum, but does the league really need another team wearing blue on the road?
• The Cavs have an anniversary patch, plus they'll periodically be wearing a late-'80s throwback, which will make its on-court debut on Dec. 2. In addition, they're featuring another "Cav Fanatic" mix-and-match throwback, just like last season. This time around it's the late-'80s design in 1970s colors -- weird but kinda cool -- which is slated to be worn on Jan. 10 and 21.
• If you can get all worked up one way or the other over the Grizzlies' new alternates, then you're way ahead of Uni Watch. And really, enough already with the shimmer fabric. On-court debut: Oct. 28.
• The trend toward abbreviations and nicknames continues, as the Hawks are adding an "ATL" road alternate uni, which will make its game debut on Nov. 26. Unfortunately, they can add all the alternates they want, but nothing can hide the fact that this uni set is utterly characterless.
• The Heat have made three small changes to their shorts, so pay attention. First, the old format of having the NBA logo on the left leg and the team logo on the right leg has been reversed (that's so the shorts match up with the jersey, where the NBA logo appears on the right-chest area). Second, the team logo on the red alternate shorts has been changed from the flaming ball to the flaming "MH." And third, team logos have been added to the waistband on all three shorts designs.
• Remember back around 1981, when the Jazz wore green road uniforms? Right, neither does anyone else, but you'll get a memory jog when when the team breaks out these awesome green throwbacks on Dec. 4.
• The Kings are wearing a 25th-anniversary patch. Here's a really nice close-up of it.
• Fabric change for the Knicks, who are changing from an open-hole mesh to a flat-back mesh, although you won't be able to tell unless you have a courtside seat. Who makes that kind of decision anyway? "In this case it was the equipment manager," says NBA apparel director Christopher Arena. "He felt the color wasn't holding up well enough in the laundry with the open-hole mesh."
• As per recent custom, the defending champions -- in this case, the Lakers -- will wear a special patch for their home opener, when their championship banner will be raised. They'll also have commemorative warm-up outfits and other gear for that game, which will be on Oct. 27.
• Mid-'90s pinstriped throwback set for the Magic. Yes, we've all seen that throwback before, but there's no denying that it looks better than their current road uni. On-court debut: Dec. 2.
• The Mavericks have a new blue alternate uni. It's basically the same as the team's P. Diddy alternate, but with a different color scheme, plus the uni numbers are now in the team's standard number font. Here's the rear view, and there's a video of the unveiling here. On-court debut: Oct. 30.
• The Nets have scrapped their blue "New Jersey" road uni and have promoted their garish red "Nets" uni from alternate to road status -- a bad move aesthetically and, as it turns out, politically.
• Last year the Nuggets wore green jerseys as an environmental-awareness thing. That initiative has been retired for this season, although a broader uni-based environmental program may be put in place for 2010-11.
• The Pacers are adding a memorial patch for longtime co-owner Mel Simon, although they haven't worn it during the preseason.
• Two uniform memorials for the Pistons: They're wearing a jersey patch for Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly, and they've added "Mr. D" to their rear collar for Hall of Fame owner Bill Davidson. The Daly patch is just for this season, but the Davidson memorial is a permanent addition to the uniform -- the first permanent memorial in NBA uni history.
• Clever move by the Raptors, who are honoring Toronto's hoops heritage with 1946-47 Toronto Huskies throwbacks (for more on the Huskies, look here and here). Yes, the design is pretty plain, but hey, a Toronto throwback could've been much worse. Now let's hope they make use of the Huskies' old logo, too. On-court debut: Dec. 8.
• New alternate uni for the Rockets -- not bad, right? Additional photos here and here, and there's a really good article about how the design was developed here. On-court debut is slated for Nov. 6.
• Good news in Philly, where the Sixers have switched to a really nice retro-ish uni set. They've also resurrected their old ball-shaped logo, which will appear on the new shorts. Meanwhile, the team's alternate road uni has been mothballed. Further details here and here.
• Uni Watch knows this is hard to believe, but there was once a time when the numbers and letters on the Timberwolves' jerseys were actually legible. And they're proving it by adding this throwback design, which will make its on-court debut on Dec. 5.
• Has an announcer's signature phrase ever been the basis of a uni design before? That's the situation in Portland, where the Trail Blazers have introduced a "Rip City" alternate design that looks pretty sweet. (Don't know what "Rip City" means? Look here, and then check out the jersey's special tagging.) The plan is for the team to wear it only a couple of times -- once on Nov. 6 and again much later in the season -- but Uni Watch has a feeling we may see more of this one due to popular demand. Also: The Blazers will have a 1975 throwback in this season's rotation. On-court debut for that one is scheduled for Dec. 5.
• The Warriors have a great uni history that presents all sorts of intriguing throwback possibilities, but here's one you probably didn't see coming. Simple but cool, and dig the little arrow on the shorts logo patch! On-court debut: Dec. 3. (Looking ahead, a small item buried within this interview with team president Robert Rowell and GM Larry Riley indicates that the team will get a design makeover next season. Uni Watch has seen the preliminary mock-ups and can say with a fair degree of certainty that you will not be disappointed.)
• You won't have the Wizards' two-tone alternate uni to kick around anymore -- they've scrapped it.
• Several teams will once again be wearing green for St. Patrick's Day: the Bulls, Raptors and Celtics (who always wear green, natch, but the gold accenting is special for the holiday).
• The Knicks aren't on the St. Paddy's list this year, because they don't have a game scheduled for March 17. But they're playing at home against the Heat on Christmas Day, so they'll wear their green set and Miami will wear their red alternates, creating a Yuletide tableaux on the court. And for the second consecutive year, all teams playing on Christmas will wear snowflake patches.
• Next March, the league once again will be running its Noche Latina promotion, which will feature seven teams wearing "El" and "Los" jerseys.
• Heritage Week will be Feb. 21-28, 2010. Expect to see lots of number retirements and anniversary celebrations during this period, and five teams -- the Celtics, Knicks, Lakers, Pistons and Rockets -- will be wearing special warm-up gear celebrating their championships. Mock-ups of all five designs are shown here.
• The replacement refs who worked the preseason wore the same officiating uniforms from last year. But now that the lockout has been settled, the refs will get new black-trimmed jerseys (they may look a bit goofy from the back, at least judging by this video game shot) and black slacks (the old ones were navy but were so dark that they basically looked black anyway, so the change is mostly moot).
• Personally, Uni Watch can't work up much enthusiasm over shooting shirts, but the league is very excited about these. Each team will unveil them around Christmastime, after which they'll be worn at least for weekend home games, and maybe more often than that. They'll all be white with team-color trim. OK, so we all know what this is about, so let's just roll our eyes all at once and move on.
• Many players will be wearing a new line of adidas compression tanks, shorts and calf sleeves. Adidas has an exclusive on the tanks and shorts -- players can wear other brands of calf or arm sleeves, but only the adidas gear can carry a manufacturer's logo or show the underlying "ribbing" technology.
• Plus, adidas is getting into padded compression layers for the first time. Players have been wearing this type of gear under their uniforms for years, but this is adidas' first foray into this product category.
• What's that tape strip on Kevin Garnett's leg and J.R. Giddens' knee? It's called kinesio tape, and the Celtics are apparently in love with it. So expect to see more of it in Boston, and don't be surprised to see it spreading throughout the league.
• You may have noticed some players wearing undersleeves during the Sun-Warriors preseason game on Oct. 10. That's because the game was played outdoors, so the players had special permission from the league to wear sleeves. Could this eventually lead to sleeves being allowed for regular-season games? Something to keep an eye on.
• Are you one of those people who like to keep track of court designs? You can see all 30 of this season's floor layouts here.
• And just to bring things full circle, here's something else about that new rim: The new version has breakaway functionality on the sides, instead of just on the front. Watch for it on dunks coming from the sides of the basket.
That should be enough to keep you busy for now. And there are some additional uni details still coming this season, including one absolute bombshell, but Uni Watch isn't at liberty to discuss any of that yet. Stay tuned.


2009-10 NBA Power Rankings: Week 1
www.espn.com
RANK
1 (1) Lakers 65-17 Good line from Professor Hollinger: Only team in the West that can beat L.A. is L.A. But that's why we keep bringing up Ariza, because the likelihood of Hollinger's scenario goes way up with Artest in Ariza's spot.
2 (3) Celtics 62-20 Let's assume that everything goes right and the Celts manage to stay healthy. Then what? As one trusted scout recently told the committee (of one): "They are big, long, athletic and very hard to guard."
3 (2) Magic 59-23 There's never a good time for a 10-game suspension, obviously, but the Magic -- with no fewer than a dozen guys vying for legit PT -- should handle Lewis' absence as well as any team in the league could.
4 (4) Cavaliers 66-16 The way last season ended combined with the stress ball this season will be -- given that the Cavs can't prove anything until the playoffs, plus all the LeBron uncertainty -- is why they start out of the top three.
5 (5) Spurs 54-28 The Spurs, for what it's worth now, are the clear-cut biggest winners of the offseason. How do we know? Because they wouldn't even be in the top five/championship conversation without their summer moves.
6 (7) Mavericks 50-32 Dallas is deeper than it was when it went to the 2006 Finals. The problem: San Antonio can say the same about its current team and the 2007 title team. The competition at the top is so much deeper now, too.
7 (8) Trail Blazers 54-28 If preseason Greg Oden is the new Greg Oden, maybe it won't matter whether Miller starts or comes off the bench. Maybe we'll end up wishing we had touted Portland as the class of the Northwest Division. Maybe.
8 (6) Nuggets 54-28 Unlike Orlando, Denver doesn't have the depth or the reasonable early schedule to downplay J.R. Smith's seven-game suspension to start the season. Game No. 4 at Indiana starts a six-game Eastern swing.
9 (9) Hawks 47-35 One of my eds liked this line, so we're recycling: It's not something you print up on T-shirts, but the Hawks are indeed the clear-cut fourth best team in the East after adding Crawford and Joe Smith and losing little.
10 (12) Jazz 48-34 The cynic in me wonders whether the best thing we'll wind up saying about Utah's season is that it has the Knicks' lottery pick. Korver's injury is already sending a here-we-go-again vibe reminiscent of last season.
11 (13) Bulls 41-41 Maybe we expect too much to peg Deng for a seamless return from injury to replace Ben Gordon, but there's enough here regardless for modest improvement leading into the pivotal summer of 2010. More than enough.
12 (10) Suns 46-36 Judging by our staff picks, it appears I still like this team better than most. Guess it doesn't come as a huge surprise that this committee will pretty much be last off the ship when it comes to the SS Nash.
13 (11) Hornets 49-33 Okafor missed most of his first month in N.O., and doubts persist about CP3 and D-West getting sufficient scoring help from the wings. So brace yourself for the old line about how nothing's easy in the Big Easy for Paul.
14 (17) 76ers 41-41 The optimistic view for a team on the playoff bubble and on a tight budget: If Philly could go 41-41 amid all of last season's chaos, Eddie Jordan's arrival should steady the Sixers right into the 45-win range.
15 (14) Raptors 33-49 If the Raps can overcome their shortcomings on D to get off to a good start, that should hush at least a fraction of the incessant chatter about Bosh's future. If they don't, though, you can probably do the math.
16 (16) Heat 43-39 If we were ranking the teams in order of which ones will endure the longest regular season, Miami would be a top-five lock with Cleveland, New York and Sacramento. 2010 must feel forever away for D-Wade.
17 (15) Wizards 19-63 Jamison's shoulder injury means they're still waiting in the nation's capital to see a healthy Arenas/Butler/Jamison trio in a regular-season game again. They've been waiting since -- no joke -- April 1, 2007.
18 (18) Pistons 39-43 What will keep me tuned in to a Pistons team overloaded with scoring guards but desperately lacking bigs and a setup man? The sense that they'll make a trade sooner rather than later to address the imbalances.
19 (20) Clippers 19-63 Every time I want to believe my Clippers-versus-Lakers playoff fantasy has a shot -- like after hearing so much about how good Baron Davis looks -- I find myself reading about a new Blake Griffin injury.
20 (22) Rockets 53-29 Can the gutty little Rockets hang around No. 8 long enough for T-Mac to come back and drag them into the playoffs? Probably not ... but they won't fall as far in the West as teams like OKC and Memphis are hoping.
21 (21) Thunder 23-59 Leave it to Mark Heisler of the L.A. Times to neatly sum up our view that too much is expected from the young Thunder this season. "If this were a 25-and-under league," Heis writes, "you'd really like their chances."
22 (19) Bobcats 35-47 The team that should have signed Allen Iverson? The Bobcats have a glaring lack of scoring punch along with the coach, Larry Brown, who understands AI best, as well as a Grizz-like need for a box-office draw.
23 (24) Pacers 36-46 The good news: Indy has exceeded my downbeat expectations two seasons in a row. The bad news: "Exceeding" expectations meant ninth place in the East both times, which is realistically Indy's ceiling again.
24 (23) Warriors 29-53 Sad but true: Until Stephen Jackson is traded, pretty much all you're going to hear out of the Bay Area are Jack stories, no matter how much promise we see from A-Randolph, Steph Curry and Morrow.
25 (25) Nets 34-48 We repeat: If Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov gets approved as the Nets' new owner, you could argue that nothing else in Jersey matters much this season. Or would you rather talk about L-Frank's status?
26 (26) Knicks 32-50 You know who probably doesn't mind baseball season stretching into November? Can't see the Knicks complaining about being overshadowed for a couple more weeks given how l-o-n-g their season is bound to be.
27 (29) Bucks 34-48 Thought of one more reason to tune in besides Brandon Jennings' flamboyance and the Redd/Bogut comebacks. With Redd unlikely to opt out of next season's $18.3 million, Milwaukee is bound to shop him.
28 (28) Grizzlies 24-58 Just to clarify: For all our fascination with the Grizz gambling on AI and Zach, we ask the question as much as you do: Why give Pau away, then trade for Randolph to pay him virtually the same money?
29 (27) Timberwolves 24-58 First Kevin Love stops tweeting to appease his bosses, then he goes down with a hand injury. Not the sort of start Minnesota was counting on in its hope that we'd all stop obsessing about Rubio's absence.
30 (30) Kings 17-65 One of our fave scouts says the Kings -- with a hotshot rookie (Tyreke Evans) and our fave rook (Omri Casspi) -- will be better than folks think. Last in the West, though, remains their probable destiny.


NBA Preview and Predictions
www.cbssportsline.com
It was an unmistakable case of the rich getting richer in the NBA this past offseason. League powers Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, San Antonio and of course the defending champion Lakers made bold moves to fortify themselves for a title run.
It's the perfect time, really, for the flaws in the NBA's attempts at achieving parity to come to the forefront. This season will be dominated by a handful of powerful, high-revenue teams while the weaklings can only hope for some concessions in a new collective bargaining agreement. Those negotiations will serve as a backdrop to the ho-hum coronation of a new champion culled from the same old list of suspects.
You don't need me to tell you that the Celtics, Cavaliers and Magic are the overwhelming favorites in the Eastern Conference. In the West, things are a little more open once you get past the Lakers, who will dominate the regular season once again. Things won't get treacherous for L.A. until the conference semifinals; that's where the likes of the Spurs, Nuggets, Trail Blazers and Mavericks will have realistic chances of slowing down the Lakers' bid for a repeat.
With a healthy Kevin Garnett and the addition of Rasheed Wallace, the Celtics are the strongest team in the East. I'm amazed by how easily folks are dismissing the Magic, who are a much better, deeper and more potent team than the group that lost to the Lakers in the Finals. The irony is that Orlando -- with Vince Carter replacing Hedo Turkoglu -- will be easier for Cleveland to defend this time in the likely event they meet again in the postseason. Shaquille O'Neal will take some of the burden off LeBron James, but I think the Celtics and Magic improved more.
So what are my predictions? I have a lot of them, as you'll see below. As for the most important ones -- who plays in the Finals and wins the 2010 NBA title -- it'll be the Celtics over the Spurs. I love the size and scoring punch San Antonio added with Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff -- not to mention the added benefit those players afford coach Gregg Popovich. Pop can now monitor and limit minutes for Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili to his heart's content, without worrying about a significant drop-off in production. Plus, that added size -- and fresh legs under Duncan -- will be a tipping point in the Western Conference finals against the Lakers.
Whether the Celtics face the Cavs or Magic in the Eastern Conference finals is immaterial; as long as Garnett is healthy, Rajon Rondo is focused and Wallace is under Doc Rivers' spell, Boston is better than both of them. However it plays out, it's going to be a thrilling finish. Unless you happen to own one of the 22 or so other teams that don't have a chance.

MVP: LeBron James, Cavaliers. It will once again be a duel between good pals LeBron and Dwyane Wade, with some Kobe Bryant thrown in and a legitimate push by Dwight Howard. But with regard to 1 and 1(a), the debate will be the same: Does Wade deserve more credit than LeBron because he has less talent around him? In the end, LeBron's otherworldly numbers across the board, combined with a team that will be in the hunt for a 70-win season, will tip the scales in his favor. What about Bryant, who finished second to LeBron in 2008-09? It's time for Kobe to let off the pedal a bit in the regular season to preserve his body for another title push. Winning that championship without Shaq reminded Bryant how much more important a ring is.

Rookie of the Year: Tyreke Evans, Kings. Even my original pick, the Clippers’ Blake Griffin, came with the caveat that Evans would present a formidable challenge. The broken left knee cap that will keep Griffin out for at least the first six weeks (20 games) of the season tilts the race in Evans’ favor. Not even Griffin, the No. 1 overall pick who is expected to lead the Clippers’ resurgence, can overcome losing 25 percent of his rookie season. Evans’ aggressive approach and plethora of opportunities to shine for a last-place team would’ve pushed a healthy Griffin. With this setback, Evans is now the favorite.

Coach of the Year: Rick Carlisle, Mavericks. The Celtics' anticipated dominance of the East and the egos that go along with it will create plenty of buzz for Rivers, who will certainly be a deserving candidate if he can control Wallace and make him happy in a reserve role. As everyone is well aware, Rondo isn't the easiest point guard in the league to coach, and as everyone should be aware by now, Garnett isn't the easiest superstar to coach -- largely because he thinks he's the coach. But I'm betting that the Mavs will make a dramatic improvement with the addition of Shawn Marion and re-emergence of Josh Howard, asserting themselves as a worthy challenger to the Lakers, Spurs and Nuggets in the West. A coach who guides a team to an unexpectedly long playoff run typically collects a lot of votes along the way.

Executive of the Year: Kevin Pritchard, Trail Blazers. Several worthy candidates have made excellent cases for themselves, starting with R.C. Buford in San Antonio, who will deserve all the praise he gets for stealing Jefferson from the Bucks, drafting rebounding machine DeJuan Blair and grabbing big men McDyess and Ratliff, who can let Duncan rest his weary knees during the regular season. Oklahoma City's Sam Presti -- a Buford disciple -- will get some attention, too, and deservedly so. But while the Thunder will show great improvement, the award will go to the executive whose team is ready to join the elite in the West now -- not the exec whose team will join those ranks in another year. Pritchard didn't do much this summer besides sign point guard Andre Miller and get jilted by free agent Turkoglu. His creative offer sheet for Utah's Paul Millsap didn't work, either. But he'll get the honor for his body of work -- thanks to dramatic improvement by 2007 No. 1 pick Greg Oden and the coming-out party for a versatile roster that has been assembled patiently. Yes, it was assembled with billionaire Paul Allen's money, too. But money doesn't always buy happiness, much less a championship-caliber NBA team. Just ask the Knicks.

Defensive Player of the Year: Rajon Rondo, Celtics. This will be wide open for a few reasons that I'll explain. I would give the nod to Garnett, except I'm not convinced his knee is 100 percent yet, meaning that Rivers will dial back his minutes along the way. Dwight Howard won it last year, so voters will exercise human nature and look for reasons to vote for someone else. Shane Battier remains one of the top perimeter defenders in the game, but he'll find out that defense is a team sport and won't get the same credit without Yao Ming defending the basket. LeBron certainly will be deserving, but how many awards can one guy win? So I'm betting that Rondo, on a mission to prove his doubters wrong, will use the enormous chip on his shoulder to lead the league in steals and dominate opposing point guards in marquee matchups with Orlando and Cleveland. Sorry, Danny Ainge; Rondo just became that much more difficult to retain as a restricted free agent, assuming you're not signing him to an extension by Oct. 31.


Sixth Man of the Year: Rasheed Wallace, Celtics. This is by far the most interesting race, with mainstays Ginobili, Jason Terry and Lamar Odom in the mix. Jamal Crawford, envisioned as a Terry clone off the bench in Atlanta, will get noticed, as will Ben Gordon in Detroit. But I have a feeling Terry will wind up starting a good bit when the Mavs decide to play to their strength with a smaller lineup and I'm not convinced Gordon will come off the bench all year with the Pistons. Odom rarely gets recognized for his impact and is often lumped in with the Lakers' starters when discussing what makes them great. So I'm going with Wallace, whose value to the Celtics as a stretch forward and post defender will be overwhelmingly obvious from Day 1.

Most Improved Player: Greg Oden, Trail Blazers. There is no shortage of outstanding candidates here, starting with Golden State's Anthony Randolph, the Lakers' Andrew Bynum and the Raptors' Andrea Bargnani. I'm going with Oden because he will deserve it after all the criticism he has endured during a rookie season lost to injury and an underwhelming 2008-09. If he can put the health concerns to rest, Oden will establish himself as a consistent threat on both ends and become a big part of Portland's success.

First to be traded: Stephen Jackson, Warriors. It's with some hesitation that I grant this dubious honor to Jackson over Utah's Carlos Boozer. Here's why: The Jazz need to trade Boozer only to get luxury tax relief, and those payments aren't locked in until the trade deadline. So GM Kevin O'Connor can be patient and wait for the best deal. The Warriors clearly need to offload Jackson as quickly as possible to have any chance of restoring some semblance of sanity. Jax wants out, Don Nelson wants him out, so what usually happens in such cases is that the player gets his wish.

First expiring contract to be dumped: Tracy McGrady, Rockets. Houston GM Daryl Morey probably would prefer to let this play out and benefit from McGrady's $23 million deal falling off the cap next June. Frankly, I don't think the Rockets are going to be as hopeless without Yao as most people do, but McGrady hasn't contributed much to their recent success anyway. And there will be several teams jockeying for 2010 cap space who will entertain taking on McGrady as a ploy to sell some tickets in the meantime. Primarily, I'm referring to the Knicks, who could pawn McGrady off on the fan base as an "All-Star" and help the 2010 plan at the same time. The problem is the Knicks need to subtract Eddy Curry and/or Jared Jeffries to have enough space to sign two max free agents. Can't imagine Houston taking either one.

First coach to be fired: Lawrence Frank, Nets. As a lame duck in the last year of his contract, Frank has lost his trump card. He survived the league-wide coaching purge last November and December because the cash-strapped Nets didn't want to hire a new coach in 2009-10 and pay Frank $4.5 million. The one thing working in Frank's favor is that his most logical interim replacement, Brian Hill, bolted for the Pistons when the Nets announced plans to reduce their coaching staff. But with the Nets' Brooklyn plans still up in the air and their roster not going anywhere until they see what the 2010 free-agent class yields, there's no harm in turning things over to longtime assistant Tom Barrise until all those issues are resolved.

Monday, October 26, 2009

College Football Monday Wrap-UP


All About The Journey
www.espn.com
The college football played Saturday embodied the wisdom found in self-help books and coaching manuals. You know, the one about the journey being more important than the destination. When the day concluded, only one of the top 15 teams had lost. Ho, meet hum. Seven teams began the day undefeated. They ended it that way, too. In the end, nothing much changed.
Try telling that to fans in Tuscaloosa and Iowa City. No. 2 Alabama and No. 6 Iowa did not win until each team made a play with the clock on :00. Try selling that analysis to No. 1 Florida and No. 7 USC, which got pushed to the end by conference opponents who seemed to know just how to probe their vulnerabilities.
In the end, only No. 10 Miami lost, 40-37 in overtime, to Clemson. That seemed unlikely on a Saturday when eight of the top 13 teams in the BCS standings played on the road. No. 8 TCU asserted itself with a 38-7 crushing of No. 16 BYU. The Horned Frogs' victory would have stood out on its own merits.
But given the way that other top teams struggled, TCU's dominance of a ranked team indicates that No. 4 Boise State may have trouble holding on to its status as the top wannabe among the non-automatic-bid teams.
Crimson Tide defensive tackle Terrence Cody blocked his second field goal attempt of the fourth quarter on the final play of the game, saving a 12-10 defeat of longtime rival Tennessee. Cody's block arrested what had been a stunning reversal over the last three minutes of the game for the 8-0 Crimson Tide.
Tennessee forced Heisman candidate Mark Ingram to lose a fumble for the first time in his college career, scored a touchdown, recovered the onside kick and nearly escaped with a game that Alabama had dominated. Instead, Cody made another play, and the Tide escaped. If any team ever needed an off week, it's this one.
Iowa's 15-13, last-play defeat of Michigan State smelled nothing like escape. Ricky Stanzi's fourth-down, 7-yard touchdown pass became an instant legend. If Dr. Seuss ever had written a sports book, he would have named the hero Marvin McNutt. The Hawkeyes receiver made a great move at the line and got open on an inside slant.
Every championship team has one game that it wins almost in spite of itself -- Tennessee's hand-of-God fumble recovery against Arkansas in 1998; Nebraska's foot-of-God reception against Missouri in 1997. If you're an optimist, Alabama and Iowa had their moments Saturday. If you're a pessimist, both teams have offensive problems too great to think that a crystal football awaits them.



Mountain Man

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The noise thundering through the stadium had changed. The confident roar heard all afternoon had morphed into a different sound.
Still deafening. But now unmistakably desperate.
Alabama led 12-10 but was on the verge of losing everything -- a game it had controlled, a season it had dominated, a national championship it coveted. Hated rival and major underdog Tennessee had risen from the dead in the final 3½ minutes and, after a stunning sequence of events, was a 44-yard field goal away from inflicting one of the most painful losses in Crimson Tide history.
Anxiety was rampant in the stands at Bryant-Denny Stadium. On the front row, a family of four suffered together. The gray-haired father in the crimson pullover hugged his arms to his body, almost folding into himself. His wife sat down, face set in stone. On her right, their two houndstooth-clad daughters nervously shook their crimson pompons.
They were a single swing of Daniel Lincoln's right leg from devastation.
"That's how fragile a season can be," Alabama coach Nick Saban said.
And that's when Mount Cody put himself on Alabama's Mount Rushmore of heroic defensive performances.


Tebow Left Speechless

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- There were a couple of firsts for Florida quarterback Tim Tebow on Saturday night at Scott Field, neither one the kind we've grown accustomed to from the Gators' record-setting quarterback.
He threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns by Mississippi State freshman Johnathan Banks, the first one putting the Bulldogs right back in the game when it looked like the Gators were about to take command at the end of the first half.
The second pick was even more inexplicable. Tebow was trying to throw out of his own end zone with less than four minutes to play and the game already in hand when he was hit by Mississippi State's Pernell McPhee, and the ball fluttered right to Banks.
And then after the game, which No. 1 Florida hung on and won 29-19 despite repeated woes in the red zone and a determined effort by Dan Mullen's Bulldogs, Tebow declined to talk to the media for the first time in his career.
At least, the first time when he was healthy enough to talk to the media after a game.
Several Florida officials were asked about Tebow's availability, but they said he opted not to come down and speak with reporters and was already on the bus.
So all the way around, it wasn't one of Tebow's better performances, especially for a guy who's been showered with positive publicity throughout his career.


All Clear Now?

As long as Miami, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech kept winning, the ACC Coastal Division was headed for nightmare tiebreaking scenarios. As coach Lee Corso would say on "GameDay," "Not so fast, my friends." Clemson's OT win in Miami over the 10th-ranked Hurricanes cleared up the picture in not only the Coastal Division, but the Tigers' own Atlantic Division as well.

Coastal Division: With Miami's (2-2) loss, Georgia Tech (5-1), Virginia Tech (3-1), Virginia (2-1) and Duke (yes, Duke at 2-1) all have one conference loss. The Yellow Jackets have already beaten Virginia Tech and Virginia and have Duke and Wake Forest left to play. Wins in those final two conference games would send Georgia Tech packing for Tampa and its first berth in the ACC title game.

Atlantic Division: Clemson put itself in position for its first trip to the ACC title game. The Tigers (3-2) are tied with Boston College (3-2) and a half-game ahead of Wake Forest (2-2). The Tigers have already beaten both teams, so wins over FSU, NC State and Virginia will give Clemson the ACC Atlantic Division title. Not bad for a team that started the season with losses in three of its first five games.

Long way to go, but the ACC is currently looking at Georgia Tech versus Clemson in Tampa, Fla., for the ACC title. Back in September, Georgia Tech won a thriller between the teams on a field goal with 57 seconds left.




College football remains without a dominant team.
www.rivals.com
Alabama, Florida and Texas seem to be a cut above everyone else. Cincinnati, Iowa and USC also remain in the hunt. Boise State? Not so much. Look for the Broncos to sink in the rankings as they notch unimpressive win after unimpressive win. And LSU (against Alabama) and Oregon (USC) could move into contention with big wins in coming weeks.
There is another theme among the teams in contention to play in the BCS title game: great defense.
Entering Saturday's games, Alabama's defense ranked No. 1 in the nation. Florida was No. 2, Texas was No. 6, USC was No. 9, Oregon was No. 15, Iowa was No. 22, LSU was No. 35 and Cincinnati was No. 36.
Knowing that, maybe we should focus on the top defenders on these teams as Heisman candidates, guys such as Rolando McClain of Alabama. Joe Haden of Florida and Earl Thomas of Texas. A defender won't win the Heisman, but we can expect a mad scramble to the BCS title game.

Top 5 Contenders

1. Alabama. In the past two weeks, the Crimson Tide have had to survive fourth-quarter scares to secure home wins over South Carolina and Tennessee. Alabama is getting by on suffocating defense. And this week, it needed two blocked field goals to hold on. How much longer can this last? Maybe all the way to the BCS title game, as the Crimson Tide should cruise past its last tough foe (LSU) and into the SEC title game against Florida.

2. Florida. The Gators march on in lackluster style. Like Alabama, Florida is built on defense. But the Gators' offense seems even more limited since quarterback Tim Tebow came back from a concussion suffered in a win at Kentucky. Since then, Florida has beaten LSU (13-3), Arkansas (23-20) and Mississippi State (29-19). And Tebow hasn't been Tebow, completing 39 of 63 passes for 518 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions and rushing 66 times for 195 yards with one touchdown over the past three games. The Gators need to be wary of a game at South Carolina on Nov. 14.

3. Texas. Sure, the Longhorns have a middling offense, but the defense is dynamite. Of all the elite unbeaten teams, the Longhorns have the best chance to finish perfect. If Texas wins at Oklahoma State next week, the Longhorns should cruise with remaining games against UCF, Baylor, Kansas and Texas A&M.

4. Iowa. Some wanted to pick the Hawkeyes to win the Big Ten but were scared by a schedule that included games on the road against Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State. Well, Iowa has won at three of those venues; the game with Ohio State is on Nov. 14.

5. Cincinnati. The Bearcats showed their resilience Saturday by winning with quarterback Tony Pike out. That's nothing new for Cincinnati, which had to start four quarterbacks last season because of injury and still won the Big East. There still is a visit from West Virginia and a season-ending game at Pittsburgh.

6. USC. The Trojans are beginning to come to life on offense behind true freshman quarterback Matt Barkley. In a win at Notre Dame last week, Barkley threw for 380 yards. And the Trojans kept rolling Saturday, outlasting Oregon State 42-36. Maybe USC was looking ahead to its game at Oregon next week, the Trojans' toughest remaining game.

Miami wakes up from BCS dreams
When the initial BCS standings were released last Sunday, Miami was the top-ranked ACC team with a No. 10 ranking.
Randy Shannon's job may be safe but his BCS dreams may be over for this season.
It was time to start dreaming big.
Miami was 5-1 overall, and 2-1 in the ACC. Beat Clemson, and many felt the Hurricanes could finish 11-1 and earn a BCS bowl berth either as ACC champ or as an at-large entrant.
It made sense. Miami already had survived the toughest four-game start of any team in the nation, posting a 3-1 record with wins over Florida State, Georgia Tech and Oklahoma and a loss at Virginia Tech.
What was left after the visit from Clemson? Wake Forest, Virginia, North Carolina, Duke and USF.
But Saturday's 40-37 overtime loss to Clemson has changed all of that. Miami's loss likely will cost it a shot at winning the ACC Atlantic Division. In fact, Miami likely will end up third in the division, behind Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.
And the defeat delays what looked like a breakthrough season under third-year coach Randy Shannon.
The Hurricanes' offense rolled up 434 yards against a Clemson defense that had been among the best in the ACC in a back-and-forth game that had nine lead changes in the final three quarters. But Hurricanes quarterback Jacory Harris was undone by three interceptions and three sacks. One of Harris' picks was returned for a touchdown, and Miami also allowed Clemson to run back a kickoff for a touchdown.
The Hurricanes had a 34-31 lead before Clemson kicked a late field goal to tie the game and force overtime. After Miami kicked a field goal in its first possession, Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker tossed a 26-yard scoring strike to Jacoby Ford on third-and-11 for the 40-37 win.
Miami has made great strides in its third season under Shannon. And that's good, because many felt he entered this season under pressure. Over his first two seasons, Miami was 12-13, including a 6-10 mark in ACC play, with one bowl appearance.
Unhappy with his offense, Shannon fired coordinator Patrick Nix and hired Mark Whipple. It has proven to be a key hire that likely has saved Shannon's job.
Shannon wanted a pro-style attack, and Whipple has been just the guy to do it. He arrived after stints in the NFL as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles, where he worked with quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Donovan McNabb.
Miami entered the Clemson game with the No. 6 offense in the ACC (385.7 ypg). But more than anything, Whipple has played a big role in the development of Harris, who was 17 of 27 passing for 259 yards with two touchdowns against Clemson.
Miami's loss makes the ACC race more muddled. Clemson looks to be in good shape to win the Atlantic Division thanks to a victory over Boston College, while Georgia Tech looks primed to win the Coastal. Those two teams already have played this season, with Georgia Tech taking a 30-27 decision in Atlanta on Sept. 10.


WINNERS

Houston Nutt: For the second year in a row, Nutt beat his former employer as Ole Miss topped Arkansas 30-17. The Rebels' offense finally came to life, with quarterback Jevan Snead completing 22 of 33 passes for a career-high 332 yards.
Houston Nutt defeated Arkansas for the sesond time since leaving the Razorbacks.
Duke: The 17-13 win over Maryland was the Blue Devils' second in a row over an ACC foe after they toppled North Carolina State last week. The last time Duke posted consecutive ACC wins was 1994, which also happens to be the last time the Blue Devils played in a bowl.

Clemson: By winning 40-37 in overtime at Miami, the Tigers look to be in the driver's seat in the ACC Coastal Division.

Colt McCoy: Finally, a Heisman-like effort for the Texas quarterback, who was 26 of 31 passing for 268 yards with three touchdowns in a 41-7 rout at Missouri.

Tennessee: Yes, the Vols lost 12-10 at Alabama, but program is making strides under rookie coach Lane Kiffin. Tennessee outgained Alabama 318-233 and held the Tide without an offensive touchdown for the first time since 2007. At 3-4, the Vols have legit bowl hopes.

TCU: An emphatic 38-7 win at BYU makes it loud and clear -- the Horned Frogs are the nation's best non-Big Six school. Anyone who ranks Boise State ahead of TCU should be ashamed of themselves.

Texas A&M: The Aggies' 52 points were the most they ever scored against Texas Tech, and A&M showed it still has life after getting drubbed by Kansas State.

Ball State: Finally! The Cardinals ended a nine-game losing streak that stretched to last season with a come-from-behind victory over winless Eastern Michigan. It was coach Stan Parrish's first win in 23 years -- a winless streak that covered 35 games in a row. He last won as a head coach when he was at Kansas State, which he led past Kansas on Oct. 18, 1986.

Iowa State: The Cyclones' 9-7 win at Nebraska was the school's first in Lincoln since 1977. And Iowa State did it with backups at quarterback and tailback. The victory was first-year Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads' fifth as Cyclone coach, matching the two-year total of Gene Chizik, who left Iowa State to take the Auburn job after going 2-10 last season.

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets scored their first win at Virginia since 1990, when Tech won a share of the national title. The Jackets used 362 rushing yards to score a 34-9 win puts them in the drivers' seat in the ACC Coastal Division.

Kansas State: Don't look now, but the Wildcats sit atop the Big 12 North with a 3-1 record after a solid 20-6 win over Colorado. It's K-State's first 3-1 Big 12 start since 2000. How did this team lose to Louisiana-Lafayette and get beat 66-14 by Texas Tech?


The Heisman 5
1. QB Tim Tebow, Florida
2. RB Mark Ingram, Alabama
3. QB Case Keenum, Houston
4. QB Christian Ponder, Florida State
5. QB Colt McCoy, Texas


Northwestern: The Wildcats avoided a mega-embarrassment in rallying from a 25-point hole to kick a game-winning 19-yard field goal with 21 seconds left to beat Indiana, 29-28.

Pittsburgh: Dave Wannstedt finally is having that breakout season. A 41-14 rout of USF makes the Panthers 7-1 for the first time since 1982, when Dan Marino quarterbacked Pitt to its last No. 1 ranking.

Terrelle Pryor: Was this the same guy who was sacked five times and committed four turnovers in a 26-18 loss at Purdue last week? Pryor was 13 of 25 passing for 239 yards with two TDs and one interception and ran 15 times for 104 yards in an impressive 38-7 win over Minnesota. Pryor is back -- at least this week.

Oklahoma State: A dominating 34-7 win over Baylor was Oklahoma State's fifth in a row and gives it momentum heading into a huge visit from Texas next Saturday. Even more impressive about the Cowboys' streak: The past four wins have come without RB Kendall Hunter (hurt) and WR Dez Bryant (suspension).

Oregon: Many felt the Ducks would get clipped at Washington, but Oregon kept rolling with an impressive 43-19 victory to remain unbeaten in the Pac-10. Oregon was sparked by the return of quarterback Jeremiah Masoli from an injury. The Ducks have won a school-record six in a row over Washington, all by more than 20 points. Up next: A visit from USC.


LOSERS

Auburn: The Tigers have lost three in a row after a 31-10 defeat at LSU. That once-dynamic Gus Malzahn offense is sputtering, with just 47 points over the past three games after averaging 41.1 over the first five games. The bleeding doesn't figure to stop with games remaining against Ole Miss, Georgia and Alabama.

BYU quarterback Max Hall had a rough night against TCU.
BYU: TCU was too fast and just too good for the Cougars, who managed only 298 yards in a 38-7 loss at home. And BYU quarterback Max Hall (162 yards, with one touchdown and one interception) was outplayed by counterpart Andy Dalton (242 yards, three TDs).

Big 12 North: Who is going to win this pathetic division? Saturday, Kansas got trounced by Oklahoma, Nebraska got dumped by Iowa State and Missouri got whipped by Texas. Kansas State sits atop the division after beating Colorado.

North Carolina: UNC blew a 24-6 lead early in the third quarter in losing 30-27 at home to Florida State. The Tar Heels are 0-3 in the ACC.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders endured an epic meltdown in a 52-30 home loss to Texas A&M. The Aggies hadn't won in Lubbock since 1993. All of that momentum the Red Raiders had coming off big wins over Kansas State and Nebraska is gone.

Illinois: A 24-14 loss at Purdue was the Fighting Illini's fifth in a row and dropped them to 1-6.

Kansas: Where did that 5-0 start go? Kansas' entered its game against visiting Oklahoma with the second-best offense in the nation. But OU limited the Jayhawks to two field goals before Kansas scored a meaningless late touchdown in 35-13 Sooners rout. KU has lost two in a row and is slipping fast.

Maryland: The Terps seemingly reach new depths each week. This week's downer: a 17-13 loss at Duke. It was Maryland's third loss in a row and fifth in its past six games.

Michigan: That's three Big Ten losses in a row for the Wolverines following a 35-10 drubbing by visiting Penn State. Games with Wisconsin and Ohio State loom.

Nebraska: That win at Missouri on a rainy Thursday night seems like it happened years ago. Texas Tech administered a 31-10 dubbing at Nebraska last week. Now, this: a mind-numbing 9-7 home loss to Iowa State that saw the Cornhuskers commit eight turnovers, with four coming inside Iowa State's 5.

USF: The Bulls moved into the Top 25 two weeks ago. In its two games since, USF has been outscored 75-31 in consecutive defeats to Cincinnati and Pitt.

Virginia: The Cavaliers entered the day as the only unbeaten team in ACC play. No more, thanks to a 34-9 drubbing by Georgia Tech that ended a three-game winning streak. And Al Groh's faint hopes of remaining as Cavs coach also may have gone out the window.

HOT SEAT
Rick Neuheisel, UCLA. The Bruins started 3-0. UCLA has lost four in a row after Saturday's 27-13 setback at Arizona. Outside of Washington State, this is the Pac-10's worst team.


TOP STORY LINES FOR NEXT WEEK

THE COCKTAIL PARTY: The bad blood between Georgia's Mark Richt and Florida's Urban Meyer has gone from a simmer to a boil. In 2007, Richt irked Meyer with his "Gator Stomp," a premeditated group touchdown celebration after Georgia's first score in a 42-30 win. Last season, Meyer hung a 49-10 rout on Richt, the worst loss of Richt's Georgia tenure, and called some fourth-quarter timeouts.

PAC-10 SHOWDOWN: Oregon is the lone unbeaten team in Pac-10 play. But here comes USC, which has won or shared the past seven conference titles. The last time USC visited Eugene, it lost 24-17. Still, since 2002, the Trojans have ruled this series, winning four of five meetings -- and two of those triumphs have come in Eugene.

BIG 12 SOUTH TITLE GAME? Texas' Mack Brown never has lost to Oklahoma State, as the Longhorns have won 11 in a row over the Cowboys dating to a 42-16 loss in Stillwater in 1997 when John Mackovic was coach. Since then, the Longhorns have won five in a row at Oklahoma State, with many in dramatic fashion. The last time Texas visited Stillwater, the Longhorns staged the largest fourth-quarter comeback in school history by scoring 24 points en route to a 38-35 win.

FLORIDA STATE IS ALIVE: It's hard to believe, but the 3-4 Seminoles control their own destiny in the awful ACC Atlantic Division. It starts with a visit from struggling N.C. State.

3 Observations from the weekend:
Tebow 1. The more I see of Tim Tebow this season, the more I think the emperor isn't wearing his entire uniform. Hey, I'd love to have him on my team, and without him at quarterback I don't know where Florida would be. But whether it's the recovery from the concussion, the lack of downfield threats or just misfortune -- who gets two tipped passes returned for touchdowns? -- Tebow isn't meeting the standard he set for himself the last two seasons.

2. Stanford may be 5-3, but with its 33-14 victory over Arizona State on Saturday night, the Cardinal have four victories by at least 19 points. That's more than No. 1 Florida, No. 6 Iowa or No. 7 USC. All four of those Cardinal wins came at home. However, Stanford has a lot to do to qualify for its first bowl since 2001. The remaining opponents are the Trojans, No. 11 Oregon, archrival California and Notre Dame. The good news is, only the USC game is on the road.

3. If Michigan State (4-4) can pull itself together, watch out. The Spartans have three losses by a total of seven points, all of them heartbreakers. Michigan State gave up two scores to Central Michigan in the final 32 seconds to lose 29-27 and turned the ball over at the Notre Dame 4-yard line in the final minute to lose 33-30. No. 13 Penn State's scariest game isn't the visit from No. 19 Ohio State on Nov. 7. It's that season-ending trip to East Lansing two weeks later.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Top NFL Draft Prospects and Week 7 NFL TV Schedule




2010 NFL Draft: Top 10 prospects
www.si.com
1) Ndamukong Suh/DT/Nebraska: Suh is not only dominant but also plays a smart brand of football with a non-stop motor. He's the type of player opponents must game plan around weekly.

2) Eric Berry*/S/Tennessee: The Volunteers top player lacks the size of a classic safety yet is a complete defensive back in every way.

3) Gerald McCoy*/DL/Oklahoma: McCoy has been dominant since stepping on the field as a freshman. He offers potential at a variety of defensive line spots in a number of different schemes.

4) Russell Okung/T/Oklahoma State: Okung is a complete offensive tackle with a large upside. The left tackle stands out in pass protection while also dominating as a run blocker.

5) Taylor Mays/S/USC: The Trojans senior would've been a top 15 pick in last April's draft and now moves towards 2010 with a top ten ranking.

6) Dez Bryant*/WR/Oklahoma State: Bryant is big, dominant and flashes the ability to break games open. He's disappeared against top competition in the past. It's important for him to return to the field if the NCAA lifts his suspension.

7) Anthony Davis*/T/Rutgers: The Rutgers junior is rated by many as the best pass-protecting left tackle in the nation. Davis is a terrific athlete who'll improve as he physically matures. He is expected to enter the draft.

8) Sam Bradford*/QB/Oklahoma: Bradford's recent injury woes are a setback but he's still a quality signal caller with the ability to lead a franchise at the next level.

9) Jonathan Dwyer*/RB/Georgia Tech: Dwyer offers a tremendous combination of size, speed and strength. The junior has the necessary skill set to be a franchise back in the NFL.

10) Greg Hardy/DE/Mississippi: Hardy ranks with any player in this draft but has been unable to stay healthy the past two seasons. He offers tremendous upside, which will be met should he stay away from the injury bug.

11) Damian Williams*/WR/USC: The Trojans wideout offers home-run hitting speed, breaking games open as a receiver and return specialist. He's developing a complete game and is a special talent.

12) Jerry Hughes/OLB-DE/TCU: Hughes, highly rated entering the season, has elevated his game as a senior. He moves towards April ranked as one of the top 3-4 outside linebackers on the draft board.

13) Arthur Jones/DT/Syracuse: Jones has been the bright spot in what has been a dreary chapter in Syracuse football. He's another prospect with a great motor and the versatility to be used at several defensive line spots.

14) Brandon Spikes/LB/Florida: Florida's defensive leader is one of the fiercest linebackers available in next April's draft. Spikes dominates as a run defender and also terrorizes quarterbacks on the blitz.

15) Jahvid Best*/RB/California: Best is one of the most complete backs in the nation and a ball carrier who creates his own yardage while also being a legitimate receiving threat out of the backfield.

Mel Kipers Top 5
www.espn.com

Ndamukong Suh
DT 6-4300Analysis: Explosive, relentless and consistent. Last week: No. 2

Eric Berry
DB 5-11203Analysis: Ultimate playmaker, in the Ed Reed mold. Last week: No. 3

Gerald McCoy
DT 6-4297Analysis: Disruptive force. Productive NFL career ahead. Last week: No. 4

Taylor Mays
S 6-3235Analysis: Linebacker size and cornerback speed. Last week: No. 5

Sam Bradford
QB 6-4223Analysis: Has underrated arm, great feel for position; super-accurate. Last week: No. 1



WEEK 7 NFL TV Schedule
Sunday, Oct. 25
1:00: New England at Tampa Bay Wembley Stadium, CBS (704)
1:00: San Francisco at Houston, Fox (709)
1:00: San Diego at Kansas City, CBS (706)
1:00: Indianapolis at St. Louis, CBS (707)
1:00: Minnesota at Pittsburgh, Fox-23 (710)
1:00: Green Bay at Cleveland, Fox (708)
4:05: Buffalo at Carolina, CBS (711)
4:05: N.Y. Jets at Oakland, CBS-6 (712)
4:15: Chicago at Cincinnati, Fox (705)
4:15: New Orleans at Miami, Fox (714)
4:15: Atlanta at Dallas, Fox-23 (713)
8:20: Arizona at N.Y. Giants, NBC-13
Monday, Oct. 26
8:30: Philadelphia at Washington, ESPN (206)
Byes: Ravens, Broncos, Lions, Jaguars, Seahawks, Titans
Synopsis: If Jets get off to a bad start, CBS-6 could shift toward Bills if they’re playing well. The Fox-23 early game should get tood ratings.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor, Week 8 College Football TV Schedule, Lebron James


Can the relationship between Ohio State, Terrelle Pryor be salvaged?
www.si.com
The marriage between Ohio State and Terrelle Pryor began with such promise. The nation's most gifted high school quarterback joining forces with the reigning powerhouse of the Big Ten? What could possibly go wrong?

It turns out, just about everything.

It's been a rough week for the Buckeyes' presumed savior. Ohio State fans are apoplectic following the sophomore's nightmarish four-turnover performance in a 26-18 loss at 1-5 Purdue last weekend. Many are ready to throw in the towel and declare the former all-everything recruit a bust. Some want him moved to receiver. Others are directing their venom toward Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel and his staff for failing to properly utilize and develop such an elite athlete.

Adding to the fury came two particularly damning news stories this week. In attempting to defend his embattled teammate from critics, receiver DeVier Posey let slip a highly unflattering assessment. "He's going to get better," said Posey. "He really can't do much worse."

Meanwhile, Pryor's former high school coach, Ray Reitz, vented to an ESPN reporter what many of us already believed: That Tressel's old-school offensive schemes aren't doing the dual-threat QB any favors. "They need Terrelle to run more," said Reitz. "... When I watch Terrelle play right now, I see a robot."

Adding perhaps the ultimate insult to any self-respecting Buckeye fan, Reitz said, "There is no question that Rich Rodriguez's [Michigan] offense, for example, would be more apt to suit Terrelle's skills."

Pryor is hardly the first ballyhooed quarterback recruit to come under public fire. Just ask Chris Simms. Or Chris Rix. Or Chris Leak.

However, the level of angst over Pryor is unlike any I've previously seen, particularly at such an early stage in the player's career. Posey is pleading for critics to be "patient," but patience is no longer part of the college football lexicon. Not when Ohio State fans have already watched this year's quarterback phenom, USC freshman Matt Barkley, beat their team in its own stadium. Not when Barkley went to Notre Dame last week and threw for 380 yards in just his fifth career start.

But not all quarterback situations are created equal. Barkley and USC happen to go together like Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly. The SoCal native is a classic pro-style drop-back passer at a program that churns out pro-caliber passers. His cheery disposition and confident, borderline-brash personality almost eerily mirror that of his coach, Pete Carroll. And Barkley was handed the keys to an offense already brimming with veteran linemen, running backs and receivers.

The coupling of Pryor and Tressel, on the other hand, feels more forced with each passing week.

Tressel seems intent on running an offense built more for someone like Barkley than Pryor. The zone-read apparently isn't part of his playbook. Meanwhile, part of Ohio State fans' frustration is the appearance that Pryor (who's completing just 56 percent of his passes, with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions) has regressed from his freshman season, when he actually performed fairly well (60.6 percent completions, 12 TDs, four INTs). But remember, last season Pryor had future first-rounder Beanie Wells in his backfield and two other current NFLers, Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline, as his primary receivers. Pryor is now the undisputed focal point of OSU's offense and, by most accounts, he hasn't handled the pressure particularly well.

"It doesn't look to me like he's relaxed," said Reitz. "It doesn't look like he has rhythm. It doesn't look like he's comfortable."

In any troubled relationship, each party bears part of the burden. In Pryor's case, his primary issue appears to be maturity.

There were warning signs as far back as the recruiting process, when the Jeannette, Pa., native delayed his final decision for a full six weeks after Signing Day. Recruiting followers were quick to dub Pryor a prima donna; however, those closest to him insisted he was simply overwhelmed by the hoopla.

Perhaps in hindsight the episode should have raised red flags about Pryor's ability to deal with the intense scrutiny that comes with being a star college quarterback. He certainly didn't help his cause with those bizarre comments last month regarding his adoration of Michael Vick. ("Everyone kills people, murders people, steals from you, steals from me, whatever.") Tressel has continually shielded Pryor from the media, not exactly a sign of confidence in his quarterback's ability to handle the bright lights.

Tressel, for his part, is facing his biggest public backlash since the days of Maurice Clarett. Fans, bloggers, television pundits, beat reporters -- all, like Reitz, are questioning his offensive strategy. The coach has chosen instead to place the blame primarily on Pryor's turnovers. "There's debate all the time, should we be doing what Georgia Tech's doing, should we be doing what Florida's doing ... There's no right answer to that," he said. "There a right answer to whether or not you should be turning it over, regardless of what kind of system you're using."

Tressel is an accomplished, national-championship coach who presumably knows more about offensive football than anyone writing articles about him. One would assume he has a plan in mind for how to bring along Pryor's development. The problem is, it's not working. He's unlikely to reinvent his entire offense in the middle of the season, but fans would at least like some sort of acknowledgement of the need for change. Will he simplify the passing game? Add more designed runs for Pryor? Or is he going to just keep trucking along in the same, frustrating direction.

The player Pryor was most often compared to as a recruit was Texas' Vince Young. Both are big, fast runners who arrived at college with raw passing skills. To some extent, their career paths have been similar. Both were the top-rated quarterbacks in their class. Though Young, unlike Pryor, took a redshirt year, he, like Pryor, struggled through much of his first season-and-a-half as starter. Young's low-point even came around this same time -- the sixth game of his sophomore season, against Missouri, in which the QB completed just 3-of-9 passes with two interceptions before coach Mack Brown benched him.

Over the 14 months that followed, as Young blossomed into a dominating player who eventually led his team to a national championship, countless stories talked about the week following that Missouri debacle as the turning point in Young's Texas career. According to the book Longhorn Football: An Illustrated History, "Brown and [football operations director] Cleve Bryant pulled Young aside and told him 'The guy who played against Oklahoma and Missouri is not the guy we recruited. You're not having enough fun. You're not being you.'"

The next week against Texas Tech, Young racked up 300 yards of total offense in a 51-21 rout and continued upward from there.

You'd like to think that sometime this week, if he hasn't already, Tressel will sit down and hold a similar heart-to-heart with Pryor. At the same time, it's tough to envision Dr. Sweater Vest smiling and telling his player to "go out and have fun." Nor would it be very Tressel-esque to give his quarterback the freedom to freelance the way Brown did Young in allowing "you to be you."

Can the Ohio State-Pryor marriage be saved? There's certainly plenty of time. The Buckeyes have him for at least another season-and-a-half. At 3-1 in the Big Ten standings, with first-place Iowa coming to town in mid-November, the Rose Bowl remains very much in play for Ohio State. Even if that doesn't happen, fans will at least be encouraged if Pryor starts making tangible progress, knowing both he and the entire offense will be more experienced in 2010.

But for this relationship to work, both parties will have to make changes.

Pryor, quite bluntly, needs to grow up. It may seem like a harsh thing to say about a college athlete, but Pryor is no baby. He's been in the spotlight since high school. Assuming he has eyes on the NFL, he might as well go ahead and start treating his current job like a pro. If need be, he ought to ask one of his predecessors, Troy Smith, for advice. The 2006 Heisman winner had to do a whole lot of growing up during his time in Columbus.

Tressel, meanwhile, needs to stop and consider that several hundred thousand critics can't all be wrong. The spread-option is a staple of countless college playbooks -- and it's not even all that difficult. Perhaps he already tried installing it and his players didn't catch on. If that's the case, he's got much deeper problems than just an underdeveloped quarterback.

When not accidentally throwing his teammate under the bus this week, Posey, the Buckeyes' receiver, actually made several fair points. "From his first pass, [people said] 'He's really not that good.' But I really feel that's kind of hard for a guy like that, you know what I mean? There's only one Tim Tebow in this world and I don't really know what people want from [Pryor]."

He doesn't have to be Tebow. In fact, he can't be Tebow. That would require transferring to Florida.

The question is, when will Pyror become Pyror? And is it even possible at Ohio State?

Week 8 TV Schedule
Thursday, Oct. 22 Network Time (EST)
Florida State at North Carolina ESPN 8 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 23 Network Time (EST)
Rutgers at Army ESPN2 8 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 24 Network Time (ET)
Minnesota at Ohio State ESPN or ESPN2 Noon
Illinois at Purdue ESPN or ESPN2 Noon
Connecticut at West Virginia ESPN U Noon
Indiana at Northwestern Big Ten Noon
Arkansas at Mississippi SEC 12:21 p.m.
Iowa State at Nebraska FSN 12:30 p.m.
Oklahoma State at Baylor Versus 12:30 p.m.
Clemson at Miami (Fla.) ABC 3:30 p.m.
Oklahoma at Kansas ABC 3:30 p.m.
Penn State at Michigan ABC 3:30 p.m.
Oregon at Washington ABC 3:30 p.m.
Tennessee at Alabama CBS 3:30 p.m.
Boston College at Notre Dame NBC 3:30 p.m.
Louisville at Cincinnati ESPN U 3:30 p.m.
Wake Forest at Navy CBS CS 3:30 p.m.
Air Force at Utah Versus 4 p.m.
San Diego State at Colorado State MTN 4 p.m.
Vanderbilt at South Carolina ESPN U 7 p.m.
Iowa at Michigan State Big Ten 7 p.m.
Florida at Mississippi State ESPN or ESPN2 7:30 p.m.
Auburn at LSU ESPN or ESPN2 7:30 p.m.
TCU at BYU Versus 7:30 p.m.
SMU at Houston CBS CS 7:30 p.m.
Oregon State at USC ABC 8 p.m.
Texas at Missouri ABC 8 p.m.
UNLV at New Mexico MTN 8 p.m.
Arizona State at Stanford FSN 10:15 p.m.
Fresno State at New Mexico State ESPN U 10:30 p.m.


Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/ncaa/09/02/tv-schedule-2009/index.html#ixzz0UgAKlQ4g
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LeBron mentors Buckeyes' Pryor on life in spotlight

CBSSports.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- LeBron James is helping Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor learn how to handle everything that comes with being a celebrity athlete.
"[I'm] trying to mentor him and get him through 'life in the spotlight,' which I've been through," James said after a preseason game in Columbus on Wednesday night.
James said he has been speaking to Pryor on the phone in recent weeks to try to help him deal with celebrity at a young age. James knows something about that, since he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated under the headline "The Chosen One" while he was still in high school in Akron, Ohio.
"Being that No. 1 guy, how do you adjust to it and how do you get through it and still perform at a high level?" James said. "Sometimes it can be very difficult on [a young athlete]. I'm trying to be that guy who can really help him get through a lot of situations which he's never seen before but now he's seeing and understanding."
Pryor has been under fire from Ohio State fans after throwing two interceptions and losing two fumbles in the then-No. 7 ranked Buckeyes' stunning 26-18 loss at Purdue last week. They tumbled to No. 18 this week, and meet Minnesota on Saturday.
Adding to the pressure surrounding Pryor, his high school coach in Jeannette, Pa., said this week that Ohio State's offense is not maximizing Pryor's abilities. In a story which first appeared on ESPN.com, Ray Reitz said his former charge looks like "a robot" in Ohio State's offense.
Reitz even said Rich Rodriguez's spread offense at rival Michigan would have been a much better fit for Pryor, who chose the Buckeyes over the Wolverines.
Pryor made a surprise appearance before reporters on Wednesday night and appeared more relaxed than he had in interviews previously. He readily answered questions and spoke with conviction about the problems he has encountered.
"I came here to be a quarterback, and for the rest of the season, we're going to be pretty darn good," the 20-year-old said. "I don't know why [Reitz] would say something like that. I wouldn't trade where I'm at right now."
Another Cavaliers star, center Shaquille O'Neal, also had words of encouragement for Pryor after Cleveland lost to the Boston Celtics in an exhibition game on Wednesday night.
Talking about his first visit to Columbus, O'Neal said, "It's a very energetic crowd. I'm familiar with Ohio State football, of course. I know they're always up there [in the rankings]. I just want to tell the quarterback to keep his head up. I saw that they're getting on him the last two games. Keep your head up, young man, and try to get this football team back on track."
The Buckeyes (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) have had difficulty moving the ball most of the season. That problem has been particularly evident in the last two games. Ohio State had only one sustained drive two weeks ago, but was saved in a 31-13 victory over Wisconsin because the defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns and the Buckeyes also benefited from a kickoff return for a score.
Last week against Purdue, Ohio State scored early on a Pryor run but then could not move the ball for most of the rest of the game. The Boilermakers, two-touchdown underdogs who came in having won just one of their first six games, built a big lead and held on for the upset.
Pryor has 11 turnovers so far this year -- eight interceptions and three fumbles -- almost double the number he had a year ago when he was handed the starting job by head coach Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes went on to win eight of the next 10 games with Pryor playing most of the time, but even then Pryor and the offense played in fits and starts.
Pryor said the bad game at Purdue had helped open his eyes.
"That opened me up to the world and opened me up to myself and who I am as a person," Pryor said. "I think maybe that was the best thing to happen to us last week. Maybe we'll learn from it. We're having real good practices, and we're just trying to get the fans back on our side."
James said someone asked him to speak with Pryor.
"Well, I've known him for a few years, but our relationship started maybe a few months ago, when I was contacted on if it was possible for me to reach out to the kid," James said. "It was a no-brainer, of course. Our relationship has grown within the last couple of months. I try to keep up on him on game days. I wish him luck and throughout the week."
Now 24, James is in his seventh season in the NBA. He was one of the most acclaimed high school athletes of all time, then became an icon through both his abilities on the court and his marketing acumen. James has made few missteps in his professional and business careers.
He said that when he speaks to Pryor, he speaks from experience.
"At the end of the day, there's a lot more than just football and basketball," he said. "Because I know. I've seen it all. From a prep kid, I was very high [in terms of celebrity], and then I was a professional. So I've seen it all."
Reitz said the Buckeyes coaching staff -- Tressel oversees the offense -- is restricting Pryor too much. He also said that Ohio State had assured Pryor he would be taught how to run a pro-style offense but instead has been handed an offense that doesn't fit his abilities.
Pryor said he has been affected by all the attention he has gotten.
"Let's be real. If any of us were the quarterback at Ohio State, and you've got all these people around you, you're sort of like a superstar," he said. "And you start maybe thinking too much maybe of yourself and losing your head a little bit and losing focus."