Friday, February 26, 2010

Cleveland Cavs: Too Much Talent?

All the different articles on the Cleveland Cavs from yesterday.



Cleveland Dominates Boston in the 4th
www.cbssportsline.com
Unable to stop Rajon Rondo or the Celtics in the first quarter, the Cavaliers turned up the defense in the fourth, limiting the Celtics to 3-of-21 shooting and snapping a nine-game losing streak in Boston, counting playoffs.
"We haven't had much success here," James said. "We've lost nine times coming into this building. So it gets the monkey off our backs. But don't read too much into it."
James kept the Cavaliers in it for three quarters on a night they lost Shaquille O'Neal to a first-half thumb injury, then Williams made four 3-pointers when Cleveland outscored Boston 35-14.
"I think in the second half our level of aggressiveness really stepped up on both ends of the floor," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "There was no panic among our guys. We knew 24 minutes was a lot of time. We just started chipping away from it."
Ray Allen scored 21 points, and Rondo had 19 points and 11 assists for the Celtics, who badly missed injured All-Star Paul Pierce (right thumb) when their offense went stagnant in the final 1½ quarters.
"They were a lot more aggressive in the second half. They made adjustments to stop Rondo's penetration," Celtics forward Kevin Garnett said. "We knew it was a real big test. We can't play one half and relax."
Cleveland improved to 20-10 on the road, tying Boston for the best in the NBA, and avenged a 95-89 home loss on opening night.
That came back when Boston looked like the class of the Eastern Conference while the Cavaliers struggled early. But the Celtics have been unable to stay healthy and Cleveland has left the Celtics and everyone else in the East behind, opening a 5½-game lead over Orlando while dropping Boston 7½ games back in a tie with Atlanta.
This game followed a similar path. Boston was much better early inside a rocking TD Garden, but most of the green-clad fans were gone before the final minutes after the deeper Cavaliers wore them down.
Cleveland outscored Boston 60-32 in the second half, allowing just five baskets in the final 17½ minutes.
"When they were scoring that much, it was deflating. Took our wind away," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "We went from being a team with stops and attacking to the team being attacked."
The Cavaliers trailed for nearly all the first three quarters, then quickly took control in the fourth. Williams' basket gave them the lead for good at 79-78 with 9:13 to play, and he drilled consecutive 3-pointers to extend it to 93-83 with 5½ minutes remaining.
James had the next four points to make it a 14-point game in another big night against the NBA's most storied franchise. He came in averaging 30.2 points against Boston, just shy of Michael Jordan's 30.7 mark for best in NBA history.
He had to do a little extra after O'Neal appeared to be hurt when Celtics forward Glen Davis whacked his hand while trying to block a shot with about 7½ minutes left in the second quarter. O'Neal left for good about 30 seconds later, and the report said he had a "significant" right thumb sprain.
And they are without a backup center for now after trading Zydrunas Ilgauskas to Washington before the trade deadline. The Wizards waived Ilgauskas on Thursday after reaching agreement on a buyout, and he could decide to rejoin his former teammates after waiting the mandatory 30 days.
Cleveland had struggled defensively since the trade, a pattern that continued Thursday. The Celtics made 10 of their first 13 shots, with Rondo making five of the baskets and assisting on the other five. His layup with 33 seconds left gave Boston a 31-21 lead after one quarter.
Newcomer Nate Robinson's 3-pointer extended the lead to 40-27 with 9:46 remaining in the half. The lead was still double digits after Allen nailed two 3s late in the half, and Boston carried a 56-48 lead into the break.
The Cavaliers limited the Celtics to 6-of-20 shooting in the third quarter, trimming the lead to 74-73 after James made a free throw with 0.4 seconds left.





Boston and Cleveland measure themselves against the other, and as the Celtics look up Friday morning LeBron James suddenly appears 11 feet tall.
www.si.com
• The Rivalry.
I will admit approaching the Cavaliers-Celtics game Thursday in Boston with the belief that theirs is the league's most competitive feud. "It's the most compelling, in some ways,'' Boston coach Doc Rivers had agreed. "I think the Lakers-Celtics is the best, you can't beat that. But as far as style of ball and matching, it's really good. I don't think you'll get better basketball.''
Over the previous two years when both teams were whole and in synch -- which neither had been lately coming into this game -- they had been two contenders seeking to dominate each other defensively, like opponents in an NFL championship game from the 1960s.
"It reminds me of how we played,'' Rivers said of his era, "like the New York-Chicago matchup [in the late days of Michael Jordan]. When two teams kind of mirror each other, it makes for a great game. It can be ugly, which means it can be low scoring. But it still can be great.''
Then, all of a sudden, the Cavs overcame a torrid Boston start to destroy the Celtics 60-32 over the second half to conclude a revealing 108-88 victory, their first at Boston in 10 games. They did so after Shaquille O'Neal left in the second quarter with what was termed a "significant'' sprain of his right thumb (he was ruled out of Friday's game at Toronto while awaiting further tests).
"We haven't had much success here,'' James said after producing 36 points and nine assists with two turnovers. And yet he did not behave as if something important had been achieved. "It's not about which teams you beat,'' he went on. "It's about playing well, keeping your momentum up all year, and playing well going into the playoffs.''
Now that is a scary thing when a 25-year-old plays with the wisdom of someone five years older and puts it all in perspective afterward like he's 35. The Celtics, ironically, need to develop that perspective, but the only way to embrace it is to live by it. The NBA does not believe in Cinderella stories, as this league demands and rewards consistency of effort and success over the length of the interminable season.
All season Kevin Garnett has been preaching the need to play all-out, even while recognizing that his injuries have prevented him from fulfilling that goal.
"I know you guys are tired of writing it in your columns, I apologize for all that,'' he said. "At some point there has to be some action, you're right, you're totally right. Doc has a saying, 'You have to run through the whole race,' and we've got to do that. Until we players decide to do that, we're going to be in this predicament.''
But here are three things to remember before you kill off the Celtics. (1) On opening night they were the team that overcame an early 14-point deficit to win at Cleveland for the first time in 12 visits, which at that time set off alarms around the Cavaliers. (2) Paul Pierce was sidelined from this game with a sprained right thumb of his own. (3) Their collapse was altogether predictable because they aren't yet capable of the 48-minute effort. But the Celtics' fluid opening half was a long-awaited sign that they aren't quite dead yet, for while Rajon Rondo was pushing the tempo, there was Garnett running along with him. If Garnett's legs continue to strengthen and they take this embarrassment to heart ...
That's as far as hope for this team goes. No one should be predicting good times to come for the Celtics; this is nothing more than a warning to not bury the patient too early.

• The point guards.
Mo Williams had been struggling to regain his form since returning Feb. 18 from a left shoulder sprain that sidelined him for a month. "It won't take long,'' he told me before the game as LeBron and Shaq lay on training tables across the room receiving treatment. "Maybe I'll have my breakout game tonight.''
He was looking forward to his matchup with Rondo, who had taken over Williams' place as a reserve point guard on the All-Star team. "He dominates the ball, so you've got to be prepared for a lot of pick-and-roll,'' Williams said. "You try to take him out of his comfort zone. Make him make a few jumpers -- and hope he makes a few jumpers, and he'll want to shoot the ball more.''
That optimism backfired on him early as the Celtics ran out -- literally -- to a 21-12 lead with Rondo responsible for all of the points, hitting 5-of-7 shots and assisting on the other five baskets. Williams was so yielding defensively that he was benched in the eighth minute.
The truth is that a team effort was needed to cut off Rondo's lanes to the basket, and a team effort indeed met him and began to turn him away. The Celtics, predictably, slowed and then stopped running altogether as James began to take over at the other end. From an early 20-point deficit, the Cavs pushed themselves out front in the fourth quarter and then pulled away on a trio of threes from Williams, who was inexplicably left uncovered by Boston's hopelessly disorganized transition defense. The flurry was preceded by an airballed three from Rondo, true to Williams' intentions.
"After the game I told him, 'Welcome back. Welcome back, Mo,' '' James said.
Williams (7-of-13 overall in 31 minutes) wound up equaling Rondo's 19 points on six fewer shots and in 14 fewer minutes. Afterward I reminded him of his predictions. "Oh, yeah,'' he said, lighting up. "Write that.'' No kidding.

• The difference-maker.
As much as it has helped Cleveland to trade for Shaq (who has limited Dwight Howard this season) and will help to have recently arrived Antawn Jamison (who had nine points and four turnovers while exploring his newfound role), the biggest improvement in the Cavs this year may come from Anderson Varejao, their backup big man now in his sixth year with the team.
As strong as the 6-foot-11 Garnett looked at times in the first half, he was outplayed at both ends by the 6-11 Brazilian. He outscored Garnett 14-10 while taking three fewer shots. Varejao went 6-for-7 with startling versatility, whether he was canning an open 19-footer, scoring across the lane or tip-slamming a teammate's miss. He has turned into an effective passer, and his defense is more aggravating than ever in ways that no one can appreciate better than Garnett. Varejao blocked three shots, flopped at midcourt to draw a foul and was crucial in shunting Rondo's drives.
If Garnett cannot reclaim his title from Varejao as the most active big man on the floor, then the Celtics have no hope in an eventual playoff rematch, if they should get that far.

• The urgency to win now.
Before this game the teams warmed up to a background of military music that accompanied video highlights of Boston's championship two years ago, including its excruciating seven-game victory over Cleveland. The Cavs did not look up at the video screen to see what they'd lost. It hung over them like a cloud, that which they wanted and which the Celtics already had.
The promise of James' talent and the curse of possibly losing him to free agency this summer have driven Cleveland to pursue an expensive now-or-nothing approach, even though he remains, by his potentially unprecedented standards, an unfinished talent (another fright for his opponents). The complementary acquisitions of Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon, as well as the foundational trades for Shaq and Jamison, have been presented as gifts of devotion to LeBron as well as pieces toward winning a championship, which, in light of the 2010 conjecture, can sometimes appear -- altogether inaccurately -- to be the secondary goal.
The Celtics are under similar pressure, but it isn't nearly as severe throughout their organization as the need to succeed that is driving these Cavaliers. Of course, the Celtics must win now because the air is running thin for Garnett, who at 33 has been limited by knee problems over the last year, and 34-year-old Ray Allen, who becomes a free agent in July with little fiscal opportunity for the Celtics to find a replacement of his standard. And yet it stands to reason that the Celtics cannot be as hungry as Cleveland. These Celtics already have their championship, and they may find out that their ambitions to win again are defined and ultimately limited by their health and age, and that nothing can be done to change their nature.

• The future.
With this win the Cavaliers have given themselves one more reason to believe, and yet they've suffered too many playoff losses -- against San Antonio, Boston and Orlando over the last three years -- to celebrate these little victories.
Before the game I asked James if it's possible to have too much talent, which is a concern some around the league have raised now that Cleveland has squeezed Jamison into a frontcourt replete with Shaq, Varejao, and J.J. Hickson, with Leon Powe making his homecoming return from knee surgery Thursday (he celebrated his Cavs debut by scoring four points in four minutes against his former team) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas expected to return next month following his contract buyout from the Wizards.
"It's a good problem to have,'' James said in the early evening.
Later that night he picked up that point. "Someone asked if we had too many bigs,'' he recalled, and now it's clear they don't. They are deep, versatile and yet humble enough to play hard around the game's greatest talent. The Celtics may have hopes of catching and overtaking them, but the former champions have been made to realize now that their opponent is no stationary target. The Cavs are rising and rising fast.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Tim Tebow to Change Throwing Motion


Tebow is changing his throwing motion to make him an nfl qb. Will it work? Who knows, but out of all the athletes that have come before, I don't think I will bet against Tebow. No one works as hard as he does and I think he will work even harder to prove everyone wrong. Will he make it? What do you think?
Article from www.espn.com

Tim Tebow is, essentially, painting over the masterpiece he created at the University of Florida.
In an effort to quiet his critics and refine his game, Tebow is changing the way he holds a football, shifting it from his waist to his shoulder. He is concentrating on taking three- and five-step drops instead of working out of the shotgun formation he used at Florida.
He will not unveil Tebow 2.0 at this week's scouting combine in Indianapolis, preferring instead to wait for his pro day at the University of Florida on March 17.
But until then, he will continue working on improving his fundamentals in an effort to improve his draft position and his game.
"I'm not changing who I am or how I approach football," Tebow said Sunday night from Nashville, Tenn., where he has been busy remaking the style that was good enough to win one Heisman Trophy and two national championships at Florida.
"But there are things that I can get a lot better at -- my fundamentals. I've never been asked to shorten or quicken my release and not have a loop in it. The changes I'm making have gone very well and it's becoming more and more natural to me."
Asked if he would have embarked on such an extensive and exhausting process had his performance at the Senior Bowl not been so roundly criticized, Tebow said: "Probably, just because of the quarterback coaches I've been working with. I want to get better. I want to be around people who will push me. I will do anything to get better. Without hearing the criticism, I would have done it.
"It's made me more confident, more accurate. And that's not to say I haven't had this type of coaching in the past. I just have had different coaching than this NFL style."
Tebow has been tutored in a pro-style way by working with a coaching team that includes former NFL offensive coordinator Zeke Bratkowski, Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman, Arizona State's new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone and former NFL head coach Sam Wyche.
Bratkowski has concentrated on getting Tebow to raise the football to where it now does not dip lower than his shoulder. The delivery that allowed Tebow to complete over 67 percent of his passes at Florida but the one that also was roundly questioned during and after the Senior Bowl has begun to be made over at the pre-draft workouts in Nashville.
Much of the work has started with Tebow's feet, which were accustomed to working out of a shotgun offense. Bratkowski and others have drilled Tebow on the requisite footwork that he will need to become a successful NFL quarterback.
“You're not looking at the same quarterback. To say we're there 100 percent where we want to be, no. But we'll be more improved come pro day.” - Former NFL offensive coordinator Zeke Bratkowski, part of the coaching team tutoring Tim Tebow
Anyone who has seen Tebow has noticed the difference -- already.
"You're not looking at the same quarterback," said Bratkowski, who has worked with quarterbacks such as San Diego's Philip Rivers, Philadelphia's Michael Vick and Boomer Esiason. "To say we're there 100 percent where we want to be, no. But we'll be more improved come pro day than we are at this point in time now."
Tebow still will attend this week's combine, go through his medical tests, meet with coaches, and do everything but throw. Then he will return to Gainesville to further work on upgrading his fundamentals with Bratkowski and others so that Tebow will not revert back to his old ways during his upcoming workouts.
"That's the reason we're trying to rep it and rep it and rep it," Bratkowski said. Those who have seen Tebow's new delivery believe it is noticeably quicker.
"The ball is coming out a lot faster now," Trestman said. Yet what most impressed Trestman about Tebow was not the quarterback's adaptability but his mental capacity.
"His intelligence level is as high as any quarterback I've encountered coming out of college," Trestman said. "His intelligence is off the charts. After spending time with Tim, it was evident that he learned a lot of football in his four years at Florida -- a lot.
"As a result he has been able to quickly adapt and make corrections in his throwing motion and footwork that will allow him to get the ball out faster and improve his accuracy. He has more than enough arm strength and shown he can make all the throws at the next level. He has only been at it for a few weeks so I can only anticipate he will continue to improve."
Bratkowski said the coaches learn more from Tebow than he learns from them. His intelligence has enabled him to grasp what the coaches are trying to teach.
Many, including ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, questioned how Tebow's delivery would translate at the NFL level.
Other quarterbacks have tried a similar approach, achieving mixed results. From the time he left Tennessee and arrived in Indianapolis, quarterback Peyton Manning changed and perfected his delivery. Former No. 1 overall pick David Carr once changed his, but never managed to make it consistently work.
Other high-profile athletes in other sports have changed their game, as well. Through the years, Tiger Woods has changed his golf swing on multiple occasions. Now Tebow is waging a similar battle, trying to upgrade his fundamentals in time for his NFL pro day, so teams can be impressed enough with him to draft him higher than they currently have him slotted.
"Things like this are challenges for him," Bratkowski said. "He doesn't have rabbit ears, but he knows what people are saying and he hears it -- and that motivates him. He is working hard to make sure what he is doing now is something he can showcase later."
Tebow does not plan to wait long.
"I've done this several thousand times," Tebow said. "With continued work, I will have this down pat by minicamp. It will be like second nature. It's not like it feels awkward to me now. I'm excited about the changes I've made."

Monday, February 22, 2010

Cleveland Cavs: Are they still the best in the east?

All the different articles on the Cavs and the Magic




Carter, Magic Handle Struggling Cavs
By John Hollinger
ESPN.com
ORLANDO, Fla. -- It's amazing how much perception can change in half a week.
Coming out of the trading deadline, the Eastern Conference playoffs shaped up as the Cleveland Invitational. With the Cavaliers' acquisition of Antawn Jamison, it seemed nobody could hope to topple a Cleveland team that was already running away from the rest of the East.
But after the Cavs' 101-95 loss on Sunday to their rivals from Orlando -- and make no mistake, this has become one of basketball's biggest and baddest rivalries -- all those assumptions must be called into question. The loss was the third straight for Cleveland since acquiring Jamison -- their longest streak in two years -- even though the newest Cavalier played very well (19 points, eight boards, and a game-altering stretch to start the second half in which he scored on four straight possessions).
The Magic, meanwhile, are rounding into shape after a choppy start. The win was their 12th in 16 games, and they've moved up to third in my Power Rankings -- a spot ahead of Cleveland, for those who are keeping score. The Cavs, who entered the All-Star break with an imposing seven-game lead in the Eastern Conference, have lost some of their luster of invincibility by dropping all three games since the trade.
In the case of Sunday's game, everything about it was old school -- from the beatdown physicality in the post, to the Magic's reasserting their advantage over Cleveland, to the plays Vince Carter ran and executed to win it down the stretch.
Let's start with Carter, since he's been the bellwether for Orlando's progress this season. The shooting guard spent much of the season passively settling for forced 20-footers, and the first three quarters Sunday followed a similar pattern.
But in the fourth, Carter exploded. He broke out a retro dunk over Anderson Varejao from his "Half-Man, Half Amazing" days to jump-start a 17-5 Orlando run in the middle of the fourth, and the Magic never looked back.
"I kind of surprised myself," said Carter, who has had trouble finishing at the basket this season.
He didn't finish there. Running a series of screen-and-roll plays with Jameer Nelson that ended with Carter on the block, he hit a tough post-up over Anthony Parker and a driving layup. Nelson, meanwhile, took advantage of the renewed attention on Carter to hit two 3-pointers and a long 2.
The play, as it turns out, was one that coach Stan Van Gundy put in Saturday because it had worked for Carter in New Jersey. Carter's stellar numbers this month -- 21.4 points on 51.2 percent shooting -- after a miserable January undoubtedly gave Van Gundy some added encouragement to run more offense for Carter.
"We put him in the post a little bit and I think that got him going," Van Gundy said. "It's a pretty simple play, hardly genius stuff. We're looking for ways to get him into some of the stuff that has been more comfortable for him."
"From my old days from New Jersey," said Carter. "When he called it, I was like, 'Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.'"
Carter kept attacking down the stretch, most notably in the final minute. Carter helped deliver the knockout blow with the Magic leading 97-93 with 30 seconds left. He came off a high pick-and-roll against Shaquille O'Neal, and instead of pulling up, Carter kept penetrating to the baseline. He went under the basket, found Rashard Lewis wide open in the corner on the other side, and delivered a pass that Lewis converted into a dagger 3-pointer that effectively ended the game.
"He had his struggles in January, but he's been much more in attack mode," said Van Gundy. "I didn't really give him a chance to get into that game a whole lot until the fourth."
That play was the capper on a game that felt like the good old days of last season for Orlando. The Magic lost their first two meetings with Cleveland this season after dominating the matchup last season -- seven victories in 10 games, including a six-game win in the Eastern Conference finals.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, it was the same old story on their end, too. Much like last year's playoffs, the Cavs got a huge game from LeBron James (33 points, nine rebounds, six assists), but little or nothing from the backcourt.
Mo Williams, who dominated in Cleveland's win here in November, provided a harrowing reminder of his Eastern Conference finals performance, scoring only four points on 1-of-9 shooting; overall, Cleveland's four guards combined to shoot just 4-of-23. That won't get it done, and it wasted huge games from O'Neal (9-of-10, 20 points) and Jamison.
And as with last season, James eventually ran out of gas and the Cavs' attack petered out. When James mustered just one point in the final quarter until a meaningless layup with 15 seconds left, Orlando made its run.
The game itself was reminiscent of last year's playoffs, too, both in terms of fan interest and physicality. Orlando's crowd was jacked up from the start, with the combined impact of the Cavs and now-hated former Magic center O'Neal riling up the locals.
"A [heck] of a game" said Van Gundy. "Physical, tough competitive … [and] the best players were all really good."
Meanwhile, the contest on the floor was as physical as any NBA game I've seen this regular season. O'Neal and Howard -- the league's two most imposing physical specimens -- slammed bodies in the post at each end, starting with Shaq's follow-up dunk on the first possession, and hard fouls at the basket were the norm when anyone got free.
"They let us play on both sides," said O'Neal.
Orlando's J.J. Redick bore the brunt of it, taking an especially hard -- but clean -- hit from O'Neal in the third quarter that left him sprawled on the floor. "I wanted him to make a decision," said Redick, "and he decided to hammer me." He added that it was the hardest he'd ever been fouled.
We can look forward to six or seven more such contests in late May and early June between these two if the present standings hold up and the postseason holds to form. While nobody will dismiss Cleveland as the result of one bad game, or even one bad week in February, Sunday's result at least brings some doubt as to the eventual conference champion.
Meanwhile, Cleveland will try to rebuild and regroup from the first whiff of adversity to hit the team since it lost two games to open the season. Jamison started the second half after coming off the bench at the beginning, portending a likely role in the starting five for the rest of the season at the expense of J.J. Hickson; Jamison could be an even greater factor in the next meeting between these two clubs on April 11.
"We are just going through a little transition period right now trying to figure out lineups and figuring out certain sets," said James.
The Cavs almost certainly will figure it out and play better. But after Sunday's display, the same can't be said for observers of the East. Orlando provided enough cause for optimism, and Cleveland presented enough of a case for pessimism, that we can again engage in a healthy debate as to the eventual identity of this year's Eastern Conference champ.


• LeBron James managed just three points on 1-for-5 shooting in the fourth quarter as the Magic handed the Cavaliers their third straight loss.

• The Cavs are now 0-3 since entering the All-Star break on a 13-game win streak.

• Dwight Howard led the Magic with 22 points and 16 rebounds, his 20th straight double-double.

• The Magic have won nine of their last 11 home games.

• Antawn Jamison bounced back from his disappointing Cavs debut with 19 points and eight rebounds



Magic too Much for New Look Cavs
www.si.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Dwight Howard sat on a chair in front of his locker and plopped his son, Braylon, onto his lap. The 2-year-old was wearing a blue shirt with the Superman emblem stamped on the chest.
Statement? Hardly. The big man did that on the court.
Howard had 22 points and 16 rebounds in a bruising battle with Shaquille O'Neal, and the Orlando Magic beat Cleveland 101-95 on Sunday for the Cavaliers' first three-game losing streak in two years.
''He's a big load,'' Howard said of O'Neal, who had taken offense recently to Howard being called Superman. ''You just got to get in there and fight him. You got to get out there and wrestle with him. You got to make him work.''
They both did plenty of that.
Howard was 8-for-13 shooting and added four blocks, and Vince Carter had eight of his 11 points in the fourth quarter to help the Magic beat Cleveland for the first time this season.
O'Neal made his first eight shots and finished with 20 points, and LeBron James had 33 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers, who were eliminated by Orlando in last year's Eastern Conference finals.
''Dwight is one of the only true big men left. I'm sure he doesn't mind a little bit of physicality,'' said O'Neal, who avoided any verbal jabs at Howard after this one. ''I darn sure don't mind it. Two big, strong guys. Old ball, young ball going at it. Fun game to watch.''
Stayed tuned. Might be plenty more matchups this season.
Although the Cavaliers' losing skid - all since acquiring Antawn Jamison from Washington - comes on the heels of a 13-game winning streak, they still lead Orlando by five games. And with the Magic starting to play their best basketball, a conference finals rematch might be in store.
''We play the way we're playing, they play the way they're playing, we'll eventually meet,'' Howard said.
The hoopla surrounding the Howard-Shaq squabble over the Superman nickname finally lived up to the billing, and for a February game it sure felt like June.
Carter made a two-handed dunk over heavy traffic, and followed that with a layup over Jamison, pumping his fist to the crowd in celebration. Jameer Nelson came back with a 3-pointer to put the Magic ahead 96-88 with about 2 minutes left.
O'Neal tipped in a missed shot, and Anthony Parker made a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to three. But after James missed a 3-pointer on Cleveland's next possession, Rashard Lewis made a 3 - from the same spot where he sent the Game 6 clincher into overtime last year - with 20.1 seconds remaining to seal the Magic's win.
Jamison, acquired from Washington earlier this week, had 19 points - after starting his Cleveland career 0 for 12 - but still doesn't know what it feels like to win with his new team.
''I think Antawn is really going to benefit us, we are just going through a little transition period right now trying to figure out lineups and figuring out certain sets,'' James said.
Until the last few minutes, though, it was Superman vs. Superman.
O'Neal has been known as the comic book superhero for most of his 17-year NBA career, and he had taken exception with Howard getting the same nickname. It didn't help that Howard has erased much of O'Neal's shadow in Orlando - where he spent four years in the mid-90s - and has restored the Magic to prominence.
''I am not concerned with that,'' said O'Neal, who has called Howard an ''impostor'' among other things. ''When I am done playing, I will have four, five or six (titles). I am not concerned with useless titles.''
He'll also be remembered for putting on quite a show.
O'Neal grabbed a rebound and caught Howard under the basket, hammering a powerful one-handed dunk over the young center in the opening quarter. Shaq added a put-back dunk, an alley-oop tip and a three-point play over Howard all before the half.
At the other end of the floor, Howard used his youth and agility to wiggle around O'Neal almost at will, slicing through the paint for layups and hook shots and making the elder center sprint down the court. Howard also banked a jumpshot from the wing and his defensive presence helped Orlando go ahead 46-35 late in the second quarter.
''I don't think he smiled tonight so that should make everybody happy,'' said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, referring to how some perceive Howard as a happy-go-luck center. ''He's playing as well as anybody in the league.''
And suddenly, so are the Magic.
''Sometimes people do forget that we're the defending Eastern Conference champions,'' Lewis said. ''That's OK. We just got to keep playing hard, because we know we might see them again.''

Thursday, February 18, 2010

The Cavs add Jamison and lose Z. Why?

All the different articles on the Cavs trade. I don't understand why they did this, but who am I to question them. I thought the chemistry was great and they have the best record, so why chance that and get rid of your cornerstone to do it. Jamison is in the building, but physicals have to be passed first in oder for him to play tonight vs the Nuggets.



The Cleveland Cavaliers have become title favorites Wednesday after acquiring two-time All-Star Antawn Jamison for -- potentially -- very little.
www.si.com
The three-team deal sends Jamison and Sebastian Telfair to the Cavaliers, Drew Gooden to the Clippers, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Al Thornton, Brian Skinner and Cleveland's first-round pick to Washington. The Wizards also get the rights to Slovenian forward Emir Preldzic from Cleveland. Note that the Cavs didn't have to surrender young forward J.J. Hickson in the deal.
Now watch for news of an expected buyout by Washington of Ilgauskas, which would enable the 7-foot-3 center to return to Cleveland after 30 days to come off the bench and match up with the Lakers in the NBA Finals.
Jamison was warming up with his Wizards teammates Wednesday before their game in Washington against the Timberwolves when he was pulled off the court and informed of the trade.
Two things stand out about this trade. First was that Cleveland was in the driver's seat -- the Cavs and the Mavericks being the only contenders willing to take on longterm contracts -- and that general manager Danny Ferry executed the turns perfectly. He was able to leverage interest in Phoenix's Amar'e Stoudemire in order to drive down the price on Jamison, who was viewed by many rivals as the best possible fit for Cleveland.
Second is that this trade, more than anything, is proof that the current collective bargaining agreement is broken and badly in need of overhaul. If the team with the best record can acquire a no-nonsense star like Jamison and then retrieve an asset like Ilgauskas, something is seriously wrong with the system. No one can say there is anything dirty about an Ilgauskas buyout either, because it is in the best interests of the Wizards to pursue such an agreement to limbo themselves under the luxury tax, and Ilgauskas may well decide it is his ambition to return home to Cleveland in order to avoid disrupting his young family. The current CBA has essentially leveraged this deal, with Ferry knowing how to manipulate it in his team's favor.
So now LeBron James can look around at a frontcourt of Shaquille O'Neal, who was an All-Star last year, and Jamison, an All-Star two years ago who is putting up 20.8 points and 8.8 rebounds this season and whose three-point range will space the floor for Shaq and LeBron and whose maturity will only enhance the Cavs' lockerroom. In the backcourt is point guard Mo Williams, an All-Star last year, and coming off the bench may yet be Ilgauskas, a two-time All-Star himself.
No one can say any longer there isn't star power around LeBron. Perhaps this confluence of talent will help influence his decision as a free agent in July?
As for the Wizards, this deal isn't a bad move for them in this oppressive market. They wind up receiving the first-round pick of the Cavs and Al Thornton as a promising young player from the Clippers -- comparable to what Phoenix was proposed by Cleveland for Stoudemire, when the Cavs were said to be offering their No. 1 and Hickson. After they unloaded Caron Butler last week to Dallas, the Wizards were on the path of no return and the departure of the large salary of Jamison, a 33 year old who is owed $28.5 million over the next two full seasons, puts Washington on the fast-track to rebuild their roster for likely new owner Ted Leonsis.
The Clippers gain the expiring $4.5 million salary of Gooden, who -- if he isn't bought out to return to Dallas -- will serve as a short-term frontcourt replacement for the departed Marcus Camby following his trade to Portland.




Cavs Get Jamison, but lose Z
www.espn.com
WHY!!!!!!!
Cleveland, Washington and the Los Angeles Clippers pulled off a three-team deal on Wednesday that sends Antawn Jamison to the Cavaliers as LeBron James' new sidekick, instead of Amare Stoudemire.
Cleveland sends Zydrunas Ilgauskas and his expiring $11.5 million contract to Washington. Washington also gets a 2010 first-round draft pick from Cleveland along with the rights to Emir Preldzic, who was selected in the second round of last year's draft.
ESPN NBA analyst Jalen Rose explains why Cavs fans should be ecstatic about the acquisition of Antawn Jamison instead of Amare Stoudemire right now. In the short term, Jamison is a better fit but Stoudemire would have been better for the long term.
"Antawn is a great pro. We are very excited to have an experienced all-star player of Antawn's caliber and character join us," Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry said in a statement announcing the trade. "He has the ability to add a special, unique dimension to our team with a strong inside presence and the ability to stretch teams defensively, while impacting the entire court. We think he matches the culture we have built, and continue to build, and will fit well with our group on the court and off."
Jamison left the arena shortly before the Wizards game on Wednesday. As he entered his car, all he had to say to reporters was: "Not now."
He did have a message for Wizards' fans. "You know I love them more than they love me."
"Antawn Jamison has been the embodiment of leadership on and off the court for this franchise for five-and-a-half seasons and we thank him for all he has done for the Wizards and the city of Washington," said Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld. "Unfortunately, our on-court results have not met our expectations and we felt it was necessary to make changes to improve our future and our financial flexibility. This trade accomplished both of those objectives."
After long-running trade talks with Washington and Phoenix, Cleveland opted for the Jamison deal, leaving the Miami Heat as the only known suitor for Stoudemire in advance of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET trading deadline.
The Cavs have been chasing Jamison since last season and ultimately preferred this trade in part because they did not have to surrender blossoming young forward J.J. Hickson. The Suns were demanding Hickson along with Ilgauskas' expiring salary for Stoudemire.
Washington relented on its insistence for Hickson because the trade brings more deck-clearing payroll and luxury-tax relief after last week's deal with Dallas that sent Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson to Dallas.
Jamison should immediately step in at power forward for Cleveland and supply James with another legitimate scoring option as the Cavaliers' seek their first championship. Jamison is still owed $28 million over the next two seasons.
Jamison was extremely popular not only with fans, but also with his teammates and the late owner Abe Pollin. After Gilbert Arenas was suspended indefinitely early last month, Jamison was the one who was chosen to speak to the crowd before the Jan. 8 game. He apologized for a skit that pantomimed shooting guns, calling it: "very embarrassing."
"He's one of the most professional guys I've ever been around," Saunders said.
Gooden was reportedly seeking a buyout. Unlike his three former Mavericks teammates, he did not practice with the Wizards on Tuesday, but was at shootaround Wednesday morning. He was listed as inactive.
"Basically, we started looking at opportunities to clear cap space for this summer and in the meantime acquire assets that we also liked," Clippers general manager Mike Dunleavy said. "In the last two days, we were able to do that. And it gives us the flexibility to pretty much go in a lot of different directions."
Jamison was an All-Star in both 2005 and 2008, and averaged 20.5 points in 41 games. He missed the first nine games of this season with a sprained right shoulder.
The 33-year-old played his first five seasons with Golden State and after playing the 2003-04 season with Dallas, was traded to Washington. Jamison has a career average of 19.9 points.
Ilgauskas, who is 34, has played his entire 12-year NBA career with the Cavaliers. He was supplanted as the starting center by Shaquille O'Neal this season. He's averaging 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds this season. His career averages are 13.9 points and 7.7 rebounds.
"Z has been a cornerstone part of this franchise and his jersey will hang in the rafters here some day, not only because of his play, but because of the tremendous person he is and what he has meant to the franchise and the community," Ferry said. "He has represented the Cavaliers, Cleveland and the NBA at a consistently high level for many years. We wish Z and his family the best."
Ilgauskas' agent, Herb Rudoy, told the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer that he would work quickly to get a buyout from Washington. That would free up Ilgauskas to sign with another team -- including re-signing with the Cavaliers, although he'd have to wait 30 days to return to Cleveland.
"I've already heard from a few teams -- good teams -- that are really interested in wanting to talk about Z going to play for them," Rudoy told the paper.
A source told ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon on Wednesday that one of those teams is the Dallas Mavericks, who lost Erick Dampier to a finger injury.
James can become a free agent this summer, leaving this as Cleveland's final shot at a championship before he decides to stay or go. The Cavaliers also had the league's best record last season, when they failed to reach the NBA finals.
Maybe Jamison can help them take that next step.
The 6-foot-7 Thornton has averaged 13.7 in his three-year career with the Clippers.
Telfair, who's 24, will be playing for his fourth team. The former first-round pick has averaged 7.9 points in his career.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is Back, is he?????


NASCAR Power Rankings: No Dale Jr.www.cbssportsline.com
The post-Daytona 500 Power Rankings are always somewhat tricky.
Run at one of only two restrictor-plate tracks on the schedule, the race is rarely a great indicator of future performance. Last year, none of the top five and only two of the top 10 finishers went on to secure a spot in the Chase.
Four-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson won the 2006 Daytona 500 en route to his first series title, but his past three championship seasons started with finishes of 39th, 27th and 31st at Daytona. Sunday, he walked away 35th because of a broken axle.
"It's a long season and we came out of here last year with a crashed race car and still came back," Johnson said. "We have a little work ahead of us."
As the 2010 Daytona 500 champion, recent history doesn't bode well for Jamie McMurray. Two of the past three Daytona 500 champions have failed win another points race after their victory (Kevin Harvick 2007 and Ryan Newman 2008), while Newman and Matt Kenseth, the 2009 winner, failed to make the Chase that year.
Even the final results don't tell the whole story of who ran well and who didn't.
Take Dale Earnhardt Jr., for instance. Though Earnhardt started on the front row alongside Hendrick Motorsports teammate and pole winner Mark Martin, he actually spent much of the race outside the top 10. A furious rally on fresh right-side tires allowed him to rally from 10th to second over the course of the final two laps.
David Reutimann snagged fifth, but like Earnhardt, he wasn't a factor most of the day, with an average running position of 15th.
Defending champion Kenseth was missing in action throughout, spending just 15 laps running in the top 15, yet when the smoke cleared, he wound up eighth.
On the other end of the spectrum was Kevin Harvick. He led a race-high 41 laps and was the leader for the final green-white-checkered restart, but he "zigged when [he] should have zagged" and was shuffled back to seventh as he finished.
Typically in years past, I'd wait until after California to make significant changes to the Power Rankings, but this time around I'm going to let Daytona play a little bit more of a factor. The new rankings won't be based purely on the 500 final results but instead factor in all of a driver's Speedweeks performance, while also taking into account driver and team historical tendencies and results.
It'll take a few more weeks before we can really separate the haves from the have-nots.

Power Rankings after Daytona:
2010 NASCAR Feb. POWER RANKINGS

Current Driver Previous
1 Jimmie Johnson 1
As noted, he has tanked at Daytona the past three seasons and still went on to claim the championship, so there is no concern about the 48 team's ability to recover. He did win a Gatorade Duel and was competitive at times during the 500 until he was done in by a broken axle. In the past three years at California following the Daytona 500, he has finishes of third, second and ninth.
2 Kevin Harvick NR
Perhaps no driver was more impressive over the course of Speedweeks than Harvick, who was ever so close to sweeping the Bud Shootout (won), Duel (nipped at the line, finished second) and Daytona 500 (led race-high 41 laps, leader with two to go, finished seventh). But can Harvick and the team carry the performance to the intermediate tracks?
3 Kurt Busch 3
Looked to be one of the drivers to beat in the 500, leading 33 laps, but the pot-hole delays hurt him -- he said his car was set up for a race that would end under the sun. A late race call for tires also didn't help him like it did for others.
4 Clint Bowyer 5
A solid performer throughout Speedweeks with fourth-place finishes in his Duel as well as the Daytona 500, where he led 37 laps.
5 Tony Stewart 4
He was expected to be a contender in the Daytona 500 after finishing second in his Duel, but he was never close to being a factor Sunday.
6 Greg Biffle 11
The final results don't reflect how well he ran throughout Speedweeks. He led laps in the Bud Shootout but wrecked in the final laps to finish 15th. In his Duel, he led 16 laps, but finished 11th, choosing to play it safe rather take any risky actions. So come the 500, many were surprised to see him out front, but they probably shouldn't have been.
7 Jeff Gordon 2
He didn't have a great Speedweeks, but it wasn't as awful as his 26th-place finish in the Daytona 500 would indicate. He picked up finishes of sixth in the Bud Shootout and 10th in his Gatorade Duel and was in and around the top 10 during the 500 until a last-lap melee.
8 Jamie McMurray NR
His No. 1 Chevrolet was always up among the leaders in prelims to the 500 (Bud Shootout and Gatorade Duel), which I why I had pegged him as my sleeper pick for the Daytona 500. He led just four laps (two in the Bud Shootout and two in the 500) but left Daytona with finishes of third, sixth and, of course, first. Juan Pablo Montoya proved last year that Earnhardt-Ganassi can be a formidable team. McMurray may just surprise.
9 Carl Edwards 8
It was an up-and-down Speedweeks for Edwards, but with a baby on the way as soon as this week, he'll gladly leave Daytona with a ninth-place finish, his first top 10 in six Daytona 500 starts.
10 Kasey Kahne 14
With finishes of second in the Bud Shootout and first in his Gatorade Duel, I don't know that I had ever heard or seen him so happy entering the Daytona 500. Even though he paced the Daytona 500 field for just four laps, during the race he sounded confident that his car could get to the front. But then came the delay, and he didn't show as much muscle late before a late-race wreck relegated him to 30th.



NASCAR: Dale Jr. is Back! Is He??www.si.com
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s charge to second place in the last two laps of the Daytona 500 was so frantic that even he couldn't quite remember how he pulled it off.
Earnhardt came out of nowhere to nearly steal a surprise victory at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, somehow surging from 10th to second in a hard-driving finish during NASCAR's version of overtime. He couldn't quite run down Jamie McMurray as they raced to the finish line.
"It was all a blur," Earnhardt said. "I was just going wherever they weren't. I really don't enjoy being that aggressive. But if there was enough room for the radiator to fit, you just kind of held the gas down and prayed for the best."
Earnhardt, who hasn't won since June 2008 and missed the Chase last season, said the runner-up finish was awesome and frustrating, coming that close to another Daytona victory. The great run at the storied track isn't necessarily an indication that he'll be good at other NASCAR stops, either.
But it was a healthy shot of momentum for a driver facing intense pressure to perform for Hendrick Motorsports this season.
"I was happy," Earnhardt said. "I'm happy for the finish and it validates the changes they made and the hard work they've done over the offseason to get better."
Earnhardt won the Daytona 500 in 2004 and the July Daytona race in 2001, but had finished 27th or worse in four of his last six Sprint Cup races at the track where an accident claimed his father's life in 2001.
Earnhardt said he might have driven too conservatively at Daytona in recent years, and decided to let it all hang out this time around.
"I figured, 'What do I have to do to finish one of these things and finish it good?"' Earnhardt said. "I might have been a little too careful, you know?"
Earnhardt's dramatic charge came during NASCAR's second attempt at a "green-white-checker" finish, an overtime-like provision intended to make it less likely that races will end under caution. The rule was tweaked during Speedweeks to allow for up to three attempts at a green-flag finish -- instead of just one.
Earnhardt said he was in 22nd going into the final laps of regulation, but cautions caused NASCAR to add extra laps to the race and gave him the chance to charge forward.
Earnhardt praised NASCAR's new hands-off approach to governing driver behavior, saying it made him more comfortable making aggressive moves without fear of punishment.
"They made a lot of good choices on what to do to sort of put the racing back into the drivers' hands," Earnhardt said. "There was a ton of bumping out there. I never once felt like anybody was looking over my shoulder, you know. I mean, everybody took care of everybody as far as I know."
Still, Earnhardt said Sunday's strong finish didn't exactly dull the financial pain from Saturday's Nationwide race. Earnhardt flipped and completely tore up his car in a wreck, and teammate Danica Patrick heavily damaged her car when she got caught up in a crash. The Nationwide race was a rough day for JR Motorsports, the family race team that Earnhardt co-owns.
Earnhardt said Saturday the bill to replace his Nationwide car and repair Patrick's could total approximately $200,000. The total bill for bringing a pair of Nationwide cars to Daytona was even more.
"No, no, nothing will dull that -- unless someone has a $600,000 check they want to give me," Earnhardt said.
Sunday's third-place finisher, Greg Biffle, was sitting next to Earnhardt in the postrace news conference and apologized for hitting him in Saturday's accident. Earnhardt apparently hadn't realized who hit him.
"I was looking at your feet," Biffle joked.
Answered Earnhardt: "That was a mess."

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

2010 NBA Trade Rumors: Cleveland Cavs




Trade Deadline is Coming
www.si.com
As All-Star weekend clears out of Dallas and NBA teams look ahead Thursday's trade deadline, the ball is now firmly in Cleveland's court. The Cavaliers are the most ambitious team available to take on salary, and they must decide whether to continue pursuing Amar'e Stoudemire or to renew potential trades for Antawn Jamison or Troy Murphy.
Apart from the Cavs' plottings, this is shaping up to be a relatively quiet trade week. Of course, there will be a few minor deals, as well as a potential shifting of enormous expiring contracts. But let's not allow the rumor-mongering to be confused with moves of real importance: The only team positioned this week to make a deal that affects the championship race is Cleveland.
The market is bloated more than ever with teams seeking to give away salaries, but those sellers are finding very few buyers. Here's a look at what may be in store over the next several days.

The Buyers
• Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks are off the board after acquiring Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood from the Wizards in a seven-player exchange Saturday that sent three expiring contracts to Washington, including the $10.9 million salary of Josh Howard.

• Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers are going to do something big, and this weekend they appeared to zero in on Stoudemire as their target. Not only would the Suns' forward give Cleveland an intimidating front line of Shaquille O'Neal, Stoudemire and LeBron James with 23 All-Star selections between them, but the Cavaliers would also potentially be taking one of the top free agents off the board this summer. This could be crucial in the upcoming race to sign LeBron.
"Everybody is trying to clear cap room for a second guy so they can sign one of the top free agents along with a No. 2 guy like Amar'e," a rival general manager said. "The truth is that no one can clear enough room to get that second guy. So if Cleveland does this trade for Amar'e, then they've succeeded in doing what the other teams hoped to do: Basically, they've paired LeBron with a big free agent."
A deal with Phoenix makes even more sense if Zydrunas Ilgauskas is acquired and then waived by the Suns, which could help position them under the luxury tax while freeing the 7-foot-3 center to return to Cleveland to create matchup problems off the bench in an NBA Finals against the Lakers.


• Miami Heat
The Heat could also offer expiring money in exchange for Stoudemire. But Stoudemire's history of injuries -- dominated by 2005 microfracture surgery on his knee -- increase the risks associated with acquiring him. "You won't be able to get insurance on his knee," a rival team executive said.

• Boston Celtics
The Celtics head the group of potential buyers who are ambivalent about taking on long-term salary commitments. The Celtics have been investigating potential trades for Ray Allen, but the market is so lousy with bad basketball trades that Allen's expiring $18.8 million salary probably cannot net a younger star at shooting guard to replace him for the long term. The franchises that are offering expiring deals are being offered little talent in return, but the Celtics have high standards: They can't afford to surrender Allen without receiving a younger star to help keep them in contention. Good luck with that.

• Houston Rockets
The Rockets are trying to cash out on Tracy McGrady's expiring $22.5 million in hope of adding talent for the long term, as well to help push for the playoffs this year. While the Knicks are interested in renting McGrady for the last two months of the season to fill their overwhelming needs at point guard, they have little to offer Houston -- which is why one or more teams need to be found to introduce some actual talent to this deal.

• Washington Wizards
The Wizards could emerge as yet another buyer in this market. Now that they've reduced their obligations for next season by $13.7 million, the Wizards potentially can afford to take on extended commitments for young talent in exchange for expiring contracts belonging to Mike Miller ($9.8 million) or Mike James ($6.5 million).

• Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets are looking for a backup big man to provide frontcourt length in a potential series against the Lakers, but a trade is unlikely. The Bobcats and Trail Blazers are also said to be interested in frontcourt help.

• Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers may or may not be offering center Marcus Camby's expiring $9.2 million salary, but rivals say it's hard to know who is running that team since Mike Dunleavy gave up his job as coach. So a trade appears unlikely.

The Sellers• Phoenix Suns
The Suns are seeking to unload Stoudemire in order to gain something for him before he becomes a free agent this summer and walks away without compensation for Phoenix. There has been speculation that Stoudemire won't exercise his option in order to receive his guaranteed $17.7 million next season, but that course of action makes little sense: He would then become a free agent in 2011, leaving him without a contract during the anticipated lockout and then facing a negotiation under the new collective bargaining agreement, which is expected to render smaller salaries and shorter deals for the players.

• Washington Wizards
While the Wizards may be willing to take on salary in exchange for the expiring monies of Miller and James, they also remain in the market to sell off the 33-year-old Jamison (who is owed $28.5 million over the next two full seasons) in exchange for salary relief and other considerations. In this convoluted market, the Wizards clearly are multitaskers.

• Indiana Pacers
The Pacers have been offering Murphy, a rebounder and long-distance shooter at power forward who is owed $12.0 million in the final year of his deal next season. But he appears to be a back-burner alternative for Cleveland.

• Chicago Bulls
The Bulls would like to clear more space to recruit free agents this summer. While there may not be a partner willing to take on Kirk Hinrich's money, which runs to $17 million over the next two full seasons (2010-12), the Bulls appear to be on the verge of unloading Tyrus Thomas, with the Timberwolves emerging as a potential partner.

• Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers would like to move Samuel Dalembert's onerous contract (worth $12.9 million next season, the final year of his deal), and they've been named as a candidate to acquire Stoudemire, but it would be a big surprise to see Stoudemire going to Philadelphia.
This list could go on and on, as there isn't a team in the league that wouldn't love to dump a bad contract at the deadline. But we have to stop somewhere, and this seems as good a place as any.


Can Shaq and Amare Co-Exist
www.espn.com
ESPN 's Chris Broussard reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns had seriously discussed a trade that would send Amare Stoudemire to Cleveland for J.J. Hickson (and the expiring contract of Zydrunas Ilgauskas). As Broussard reported, the Cavs had made the offer and the ball was n Phoenix's court. In the meantime, I've spoken to sources connected to the Cavs, the Suns and other teams around the league, and while they confirm that the Stoudemire trade discussions betwthe Suns, the Stoudemire-Hickson trade would be something of a last resort. The Suns have been hoping to land more than just Hickson and financial relief for Stoudemire. for Stoudemire. In particular, the Suns are still holding out hope that Philadelphia will come to the table and agree to a deal sending Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert to the table and agree to a deal sending Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert to Phoenix. The Suns have sweetened their offer to the 76ers by including Leandro Barbosa in a package with Stoudemire. Also possible is a three-way trade that would send Hickson and Barbosa (along with Ilgauskas) to Philly, Stoudemire to Cleveland and Iguodala and Dalembert to Phoenix. Cleveland and Iguodala and Dalembert to Phoenix. Expect the Suns to turn up the heat significantly on the Sixers on Monday. The Miami Heat remain very interested in Stoudemire and are trying to find a third team to help improve their offer to Phoenix. Though Amare is amenable to going to Cleveland, Miami is his first choice.
Meanwhile, Cleveland remain interested in obtaining either Antawn Jamison of the Washington Wizards or Troy Murphy. f the Indiana Pacers. According to an official from one of those two teams, the Cavs said on Sunday that a Stoudemire trade was not a done deal and the team was still evaluating its options. Even if the Cavs get Stoudmire, they might attempt do a secondary trade to obtain Jamison or Murphy to fill the need for a 4 who could stretch the floor with his shooting. Given that the Cavs have concerns about well Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Nea would fit together, the team would consider moving Shaq if it acquired Amare. For instance, the Cavs could swap O'Neal and their first-round pick to Washington for Jamison and Mike Miller. They could send the same package tMore NBA Coverageo Indiana in a deal for Murphy and Mike Dunleavy. One surprising note: According to a source, Amare's agent has yet to be contacted. Since Stoudemire has an early termination clause in his contract, it's possible that Cleveland is willing to acquire Stoudemire without assurances that he will stay with the Cavs beyond this season. Still, one should expect the Cavs to gather some sort of intel on Stoudemire's wishes. As has been speculated, if the Suns do acquire Ilgauskas, they would likely waive him, which would open the door for him to return to Cleveland after a 30-day window.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Buckeye Wednesday


www.theozone.net
Ohio State Head Coach Thad Matta said Tuesday that the Big Ten has become a “pick-and-roll” league.
Teams like Iowa, Northwestern and Penn State look to hold the ball and limit possessions in an attempt to level the playing field (or court) with more talented teams like OSU, Michigan State and Illinois.
Even Wisconsin likes to slow things down to a pace that results in outcomes like their 54-48 win over Michigan earlier this season, but not everyone in the Big Ten is content with low scoring basketball games.
Although they are just 9-13 on the season with a 3-7 record in conference play, Indiana will look to push the tempo Wednesday night as they welcome the 13th-ranked Buckeyes to Assembly Hall in Bloomington (6:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network).
“They’re a team that tries to get the ball out in transition, which we like to do as well. It will be a little bit opposite of what we’ve played against the last couple games,” Matta said.
“Trying to get our guys ready for transition has been fun for them.”
The Buckeyes (18-6, 8-3 Big Ten) are coming off a 68-58 win over Iowa Sunday in Columbus but are only two games removed from hanging an in-conference season-high 85 points on Minnesota in a 22-point victory over the Gophers.
They are second in the conference in scoring defense at 60.8 points allowed this season, but captain David Lighty said the Buckeyes would prefer to get out and run on offense.
“I don’t know about Dallas (Lauderdale), but I do,” Lighty said in reference to his larger, less mobile teammate who was positioned to his right during interviews Tuesday.
“I like to get up and down. He might get a little tired, but we like to get up and down. We like to run, that’s what we do.”
Because of that, Matta said he expects to use more of Jeremie Simmons and P.J. Hill off the bench Wednesday in a game that will feature more possessions and more running than many of the team’s recent contests.
The Buckeyes racked up 79 points on the Hoosiers in their last meeting back on Jan. 6. It was Evan Turner’s first game back from injury, but it was Jon Diebler (21) and William Buford (16) who did the bulk of the scoring for Ohio State in their 25-point win in Columbus.
Although they won that game easily despite only eight points from Turner in 20 minutes, Matta warned his team to expect a different Indiana team when they face Tom Crean’s group the second time around.
“Indiana is a team that is obviously playing great basketball at home. They’ve got certain guys that in their wins at home have made significant threes,” Matta said of a team that beat Minnesota 81-78 in overtime in Bloomington back on Jan. 17.
“As the season goes on every team gets better. They’re not the team you played the first time so you have to watch the film and listen to what coach tells you. Be ready to attack them and not let them attack you,” Lighty added.
Despite being ninth place in the conference standings, Indiana is sixth in the Big Ten in scoring at 69.4 points per game this season. That number would be even higher if the Hoosiers weren’t ninth in field goal percentage (.425) and last in assist-to-turnover ratio. They are shooting nearly 35 percent from behind the arc as a team this season, the sixth best percentage in the Big Ten, and they gave the Buckeyes a battle last year in Bloomington.
“I expect them to come out ready and attack us. Last year it was a shootout. I wish I got to play that game,” said Lighty, who missed the entire Big Ten season with a broken foot.
“It was high-pace, a lot of possessions, a lot of points being scored. They play pretty well at home, so I expect them to come out with a lot of energy so we’ve got to be ready.”
Ohio State won that game a year ago 93-81 thanks to 29 points from Turner, 24 from Buford and 21 from Diebler, but they trailed 39-37 at the half before outscoring the Hoosiers 56-42 in the second half.
Asked if playing in an arena with as a rich a history as Assembly Hall would have any effect on the Buckeyes, Lighty called it “just another gym” and Lauderdale said, “Maybe my freshman year I was in awe, but I’m going in there like I’ve got a job to get done and that’s what I’m going to do.”
As for Matta, he had a different perspective on those championship banners hanging in the rafters.
“I don’t honestly look around when the game gets going, but I think the great thing you have there is the banners hanging in there, an Ohio State graduate put them in there,” he said in reference to former Indiana coach Bob Knight, who played for the Buckeyes on their 1960 national championship team.



Tide, Buckeyes, Broncos set for '10 run
www.espn.com
College football's underclassmen have declared for the NFL draft. Incoming prospects have signed their national letters of intent.
There's no better time to update the Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2010.
Say hello to North Carolina and BYU, which weren't included in the original top 25 released on Jan. 8, the day after Alabama defeated Texas 37-21 in the BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl.
Say goodbye to Stanford and Navy, which could very well return to the top 25 when we revise it again before the start of the 2010 season in September.
Georgia Tech, which lost four of its best juniors to the NFL draft, moved down the poll. Florida State, which signed one of the country's best recruiting classes under new coach Jimbo Fisher, moved up.
Here's a revised look at the best teams in the country for the upcoming season:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide Alabama, the defending BCS national champion, will have plenty of holes to fill before it kicks off the 2010 season against San Jose State at home on Sept. 4. But Tide coach Nick Saban has stockpiled talent the past three seasons and signed a third straight top-three recruiting class this year. Most of the Tide's offensive firepower is coming back, including quarterback Greg McElroy, receiver Julio Jones and Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. Two starting offensive linemen will have to be replaced, but left tackle James Carpenter might be a future NFL star.
The defense will have to be rebuilt, but there might not be a better defensive architect than Saban. He was able to persuade defensive coordinator Kirby Smart not to leave for Georgia, his alma mater, and that will help in the rebuilding process. The entire defensive line will have to be replaced, along with two linebackers and three defensive backs. Cornerback Kareem Jackson and All-American linebacker Rolando McClain left for the NFL draft. Incoming freshman cornerbacks DeMarcus Milliner and John Fulton and defensive ends Adrian Hubbard and Alfy Hill might have to contribute right away. Linebacker Dont'a Hightower's return from a knee injury will help.

2.Ohio State Buckeyes Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel can only hope quarterback Terrelle Pryor turned the corner with his performance in a 26-17 victory over Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Entering his third season, Pryor is still trying to live up to the hype that made him the country's top high school QB prospect. The good news: Four starters will be back on the offensive line. The Buckeyes will have to replace left tackle Jim Cordle, and junior Mike Adams will be the top candidate to protect Pryor's blind side entering spring practice. Three tailbacks will compete for the starting job, including heralded freshman Jaamal Berry, who missed all of last season because of a hamstring injury.
Six starters, including five seniors, are returning on defense. Junior end Thaddeus Gibson entered the NFL draft, but getting Cameron Heyward to come back to school was a major coup. Incoming freshman Christian Bryant might be able to help in the secondary right away
.

3. Boise State Broncos The Broncos beat TCU 17-10 in the Fiesta Bowl to finish the 2009 season unbeaten, but their biggest victory might have been keeping coach Chris Petersen around for another season. And if Petersen hasn't left for a bigger school by now, he just might retire at Boise State.
The Broncos will bring back 21 of 22 starters on offense and defense in 2010, but they'll have to replace defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox, who left for the same position at Tennessee. Petersen promoted defensive-line coach Pete Kwiatkowski to replace Wilcox. Quarterback Kellen Moore will enter the season as a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate after throwing for 3,536 yards with 39 touchdowns and only three interceptions last season.
The only starter leaving on defense is Kyle Wilson, one of the best cornerbacks in the country. All five starters are back on the offensive line, which allowed the fewest sacks in the country last season.
Boise State's schedule gets much tougher in 2010, as it opens the season against Virginia Tech on Labor Day night at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., and hosts Oregon State on the blue turf on Sept. 25.

4. Oregon Ducks With Pete Carroll leaving USC to coach the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, Oregon might be in position to become king of the Pac-10. The Ducks' loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl momentarily put the brakes on coach Chip Kelly's early momentum, but it picked up again after he signed what was being called the best recruiting class in school history.
Oregon returns all but three starters from last season, including quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and tailback LaMichael James. Kelly signed three running backs from Texas to help James carry the load, with senior LeGarrette Blount departing. Starting defensive linemen Will Tukuafu and Blake Ferras departed, but the Ducks signed junior college transfer Isaac Remington and freshman Ricky Heimuli to help replace them.
Oregon's schedule isn't especially difficult, with nonconference games against New Mexico (home), Tennessee (road) and Football Championship Subdivision opponent Portland State (home). The Pac-10 schedule includes road games at Arizona State, USC, Cal and Oregon State.

5. Virginia Tech Hokies Much like Ohio State, Virginia Tech's fortunes in 2010 might depend on the development of its quarterback. Like Pryor, Tyrod Taylor has repeatedly hurt opponents with his feet, but he also has struggled at times with his passing accuracy. Entering his senior season, Taylor should have a much better grasp of Tech's offense. He'll have plenty of help in the backfield with two 1,000-yard runners returning. Sophomore Ryan Williams ran for a school-record 1,655 yards last season; sophomore Darren Evans ran for 1,265 yards as a freshman in 2008. Evans missed all of last season with a knee injury.
Tech will have to rebuild its defense after losing seven starters, but coordinator Bud Foster has never had problems filling holes. End Jason Worilds, who entered the NFL draft as a junior, will have to be replaced, as will linebacker Cody Grimm and safety Kam Chancellor. Incoming freshman Nick Dew and Theron Norman might be asked to help immediately.
Tech opens the season against Boise State and then plays a very difficult three-game stretch in November: Georgia Tech at home, followed by road games at North Carolina and Miami.

6. Texas Longhorns The Longhorns will have to replace a lot of firepower in 2010, including record-setting quarterback Colt McCoy and receiver Jordan Shipley. But as long as coach Mack Brown keeps recruiting top-five classes, Texas should have little trouble filling holes.

Sophomore quarterback Garrett Gilbert gave Texas fans reason to hope for big thingsin 2010 with his performance in the Longhorns' loss to Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game. Forced into action after McCoy injured his throwing shoulder, Gilbert played surprisingly well after getting only spot duty during the regular season. Offensive coordinator Greg Davis will have to find a running game to keep pressure off Gilbert this coming season, and incoming freshman receivers Mike Davis and Darius White might be able to play right away.
Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who is Brown's coach-in-waiting, will have seven starters back. Safety Earl Thomas turned pro, and end Sergio Kindle and tackle Lamarr Houston also departed. Texas' No. 2-ranked recruiting class includes highly regarded end Jackson Jeffcoat, linebacker Jordan Hicks and tackles Taylor Bible and Ashton Dorsey.

7. Nebraska Cornhuskers Do you think Nebraska fans are excited about the direction of the program under coach Bo Pelini? More than 50,000 tickets already have been sold for the April 17 spring game. Big Red has good reason to be jacked for 2010. Don't be surprised if you see a Texas-Nebraska rematch in the Big 12 Championship Game in early December.
The Cornhuskers will have to replace defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who was probably the best player in the country last season, along with four other starters on defense. But Pelini has Nebraska playing "Blackshirt" defense again. Ten starters are expected back on offense, but the Cornhuskers have to improve after finishing 101st in the country in passing (175.7 yards per game) and 99th in total offense (322.7 yards) last season. Quarterback Zac Lee played better in Nebraska's 33-0 rout of Arizona in the Holiday Bowl, but he was inconsistent throughout the 2009 season.
Nebraska's nonconference schedule is really soft except for a Sept. 18 road game at Washington. In Big 12 play, the Cornhuskers will face Texas at home on Oct. 16 and make road trips to Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.

8. TCU Horned Frogs Fresh off a 12-1 season, with the only loss coming against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, TCU should be armed for another run at a BCS bowl game in 2010. The Horned Frogs will bring back nine starters on offense, including quarterback Andy Dalton. Left tackle Marshall Newhouse and tailback Joseph Turner will have to be replaced, and coach Gary Patterson signed a couple of heralded tailback prospects to help fill the void.
TCU lost only four starters on defense, but all of them were significant departures. Pass-rushing end Jerry Hughes, linebacker Daryl Washington and cornerbacks Nick Sanders and Rafael Priest were the heart and soul of one of the country's stingiest defenses. The Horned Frogs signed six defensive backs in their recruiting class.

9. Wisconsin Badgers The Badgers seemed to turn the corner under coach Bret Bielema last season, and he was rewarded with a one-year extension that would take him through the 2015 season. The Badgers finished 10-3 in 2009 and beat Miami 20-14 in the Champs Sports Bowl.
Wisconsin should be good enough to challenge Ohio State in the Big Ten this coming season, especially with quarterback Scott Tolzien playing so well down the stretch. If the Badgers have lacked anything during Bielema's tenure, it was consistent quarterback play. It won't hurt Tolzien that tailback John Clay and eight other starters on offense are returning to the team, too. Five starters are leaving the defense, including linebacker Jaevery McFadden and safety Chris Maragos. The heaviest losses were on the interior defensive line, so Bielema signed three defensive tackles in his recruiting class.
The Badgers get a break in the Big Ten schedule, as they won't play Penn State this season. They'll face Ohio State at home on Oct. 16 and play road games at Michigan State and Iowa.

10. Florida Gators So what if half the Gators are leaving for the NFL draft and coach Urban Meyer is on a self-imposed leave of absence? With the country's No. 1 recruiting class on board, the Gators should again be the favorites in the SEC East.
Florida looks to be equipped to handle the heavy personnel losses, which included five juniors (defensive end Carlos Dunlap, cornerback Joe Haden, tight end Aaron Hernandez, center Maurkice Pouncey and safety Major Wright) leaving for the NFL draft. Throw in the losses of all-everything quarterback Tim Tebow and star linebacker Brandon Spikes, and it's no wonder Meyer needed a break. But quarterback John Brantley is a more polished passer than Tebow and might make the Gators more explosive.
Florida's coaches were really excited about freshman receiver Andre Debose this past fall until he tore his hamstring during preseason camp. Incoming freshman Mack Brown might be the tailback the Gators have sorely lacked during Meyer's tenure.
The Gators are still searching for a defensive coordinator, after Charlie Strong was hired as Louisville's coach. Meyer hired NFL assistant George Edwards, but he left shortly after he was hired to become defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills.



Best and Worst of College Basketball Towns according to Pat FordeBIG TEN
Best Town: Madison (17).
Comment: "As cosmopolitan as any Midwestern town could hope to be. Mad City, by reputation and reality. And the people take on the personality of coach Bo Ryan -- with a smirk and a half-smile as if you say, 'What, you doubt us?'"
Also receiving votes: Minneapolis, State College, Ann Arbor, Indianapolis (for the Big Ten tourney).
Worst Town: Champaign (18).
Comment: "Champaign has never done anything for me. It's flat and has no natural selling point -- no river or hills or lake or, well, anything."
Also receiving votes: West Lafayette, Bloomington, Columbus, State College.
Best Basketball Town: Bloomington (19).
Comment: "No one else in the league is as year-round hoops-centric -- yeah, thanks in part to the lack of football presence. Game-day atmosphere is great everywhere -- in town, on campus, in the arena. Assembly Hall has its flaws, but the banners bring home the tradition."
Also receiving votes: East Lansing.
Worst Basketball Town: State College (20).
Comment: "No one cares unless they're good ... and they're never good."
Also receiving votes: Iowa City.


Projected Brackets according to www.si.com
MIDWEST - Saint Louis

Oklahoma City

1 Kansas
16 Arkansas State (Sun Belt)


8 Xavier
9 Maryland


Spokane

5 Vanderbilt
12 Old Dominion


4 New Mexico (Mountain West)
13 Oakland (Summit)


New Orleans

6 Georgia Tech
11 Dayton


3 Wisconsin
14 Pacific (Big West)


Jacksonville

7 Missouri
10 UTEP (Conference USA)


2 West Virginia
15 Sam Houston State (Southland)
SOUTH - Houston

Milwaukee

1 Kentucky
16 Robert Morris (Northeast)


8 Richmond
9 Illinois


San Jose

5 Texas A&M
12 Siena (MAAC)


4 Wake Forest
13 Kent State (MAC)


New Orleans

6 UNLV
11 UAB


3 Ohio State
14 Weber State (Big Sky)



Providence

7 Butler (Horizon)
10 Florida State


2 Georgetown
15 Jacksonville (Atlantic Sun)
EAST - Syracuse

Providence

1 Villanova
16 Stony Brook (America East)


8 California (Pac-10)
9 Cornell (Ivy)


Spokane

5 Temple
12 Oklahoma State


4 Tennessee
13 Northeastern (Colonial)


Buffalo

6 Pittsburgh
11 Clemson


3 Michigan State
14 College of Charleston (SoCon)


Oklahoma City

7 Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley)
10 Saint Mary's


2 Kansas State
15 Morgan State (MEAC)
WEST - Salt Lake City

Buffalo

1 Syracuse
16 Jackson State (SWAC)/Lehigh (Patriot)


8 Rhode Island
9 Florida


San Jose

5 BYU
12 Virginia Tech


4 Texas
13 Utah State (WAC)


Jacksonville

6 Gonzaga (West Coast)
11 Mississippi


3 Duke
14 Murray State (Ohio Valley)


Milwaukee

7 Baylor
10 Charlotte


2 Purdue
15 Coastal Carolina (Big South)

Clarett files motion asking for release
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Former Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett is again seeking early release from prison.
Clarett, who scored the winning touchdown for the Buckeyes in the 2002 national championship game, has filed a motion asking a judge to release him. No court date has been set.
Clarett withdrew a similar request filed with the Ohio Parole Board last year. He's hoping to pursue a professional football career.
Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien said Tuesday he'll wait for a prison report on Clarett's conduct before deciding whether to support or oppose early release.
Clarett pleaded guilty in September 2006 to having a hidden gun in his SUV and holding up two people outside a Columbus bar in a separate case. He was sentenced to 7½ years in prison, with possible release in 3½ years

Big Ten
Team Conference Overall Home Away
W L Pct. W L Pct. Streak W L W L
Michigan St. 9 3 .750 19 6 .760 Lost 3 13 1 6 5
Illinois 9 3 .750 17 8 .680 Won 5 12 1 5 7
Purdue 8 3 .727 20 3 .870 Won 6 12 1 8 2
Ohio St. 8 3 .727 18 6 .750 Won 4 15 0 3 6
Wisconsin 8 4 .667 18 6 .750 Lost 1 13 1 5 5
Minnesota 5 5 .500 14 8 .636 Won 1 11 1 3 7
Northwestern 5 6 .455 16 7 .696 Won 2 12 3 4 4
Michigan 4 7 .364 11 12 .478 Lost 2 9 4 2 8
Indiana 3 7 .300 9 13 .409 Lost 4 7 6 2 7
Iowa 2 9 .182 8 16 .333 Lost 4 7 8 1 8
Penn St. 0 11 .000 8 15 .348 Lost 11 6 6 2 9

Thursday, February 4, 2010

College Football Signing Day Winners and Losers


Different Articles about Signing Day
Signing Day Winners and Losers
www.si.com
Flash forward to Jan. 7, 2013, to the BCS National Championship Game at that sure-to-be-renamed-yet-again stadium in Miami.

The teams: Florida and USC.
The buildup for this clash has been tremendous. The schools have been dominating both on the field and in recruiting since the mid-2000s, but are meeting on the field for the first time in 30 years. On one sideline stands Lane Kiffin, back for a third stint with the Trojans after briefly bolting to the Detroit Lions for one season. On the other, Urban Meyer, who returned from his fourth leave of absence in the last three years just in time for the SEC Championship Game.
Each has paid his conference $40,000 in fines since this matchup was announced.
USC enters the contest averaging a staggering 55 points per game on offense. Heisman quarterback Matt Barkley (who, for the convenient purposes of this hypothetical, didn't turn pro early) is joined by 1,500-yard rusher Dillon Baxter and a trio of 1,000-yard receivers, Kyle Prater, Robert Woods and Markeith Ambles. Outland Trophy winner Seantrel Henderson anchors the offensive line.
On the other side, Florida's record-setting defense has allowed fewer than seven points per game. Behind a dominant defensive front led by All-Americas Ronald Powell, Sharif Floyd, Leon Orr and Dominique Easley, the Gators lead the nation in sacks and rushing defense.
It is the ultimate clash of offense vs. defense. And it's the first-ever, long-overdue SEC vs. Pac-10 BCS Championship matchup.
Now, flash sideways to this alternate reality: Jan. 7, 2014 in Pasadena. Once upon a time, UCLA and Tennessee played an ugly Labor Day evening game here that marked a low point for both programs; now, five years later, they're meeting in a national championship matchup serving as the coronation of these two fallen powers' return to national prominence.
It wasn't easy getting here, but both coaches -- the Bruins' Rick Neuheisel and the Vols' Derek Dooley -- can point to a single turning point: Signing Day, Feb. 3, 2010, when they showed they weren't going to let their rivals run away with things anymore. Some of the fruits of their labor that winter are on the field tonight.
There is UCLA's All-America safety Dietrich Riley, one of several UCLA signees who figured to be a shoe-in for USC before its then-legendary coach, Pete Carroll, bolted for the NFL. He'll have the challenge of defending Tennessee's Biletnikoff receiver, Da'Rick Rogers, who, ironically, may never have become a Vol if Kiffin hadn't left for USC.
On which path will the Class of 2010 lead us? Are we boarding another familiar flight with the same, tried-and-true characters? Or will the sport soon come to know a whole other set of leaders?
In this year's annual recruiting derby, Florida and USC finished with the nation's two best classes, according to Rivals.com. We've seen this show before. Over the past five years, these same two schools hold the highest cumulative rankings
The interesting twist, however, was the absurd collection of talent each power assembled on opposite sides of the ball.
Florida's defensive haul included Rivals.com's No. 1 (Powell), No. 3 (Floyd) and No. 7 (Easley) overall prospects, as well as five-star defensive back Matt Elam and eight other four-star defenders. Longtime recruiting analyst Tom Lemming called it "the best defensive group I've seen put together" in the New York Times.
USC, meanwhile, brought in three of the nation's four highest-rated receivers (Prater, Woods and Ambles), the top offensive lineman (Henderson) and the No. 1 all-purpose back (Baxter). "You would be hard-pressed to ever find a greater collection of athletes at the skills positions," said SuperPrep's Allen Wallace. "It's the best wide receiver class ever assembled by a single school."
You'll have to excuse the recruiting analysts for being prone to hyperbole and/or lacking in long-term memory -- because it sure seems like we've seen this before. In 2003, USC recruited a similar collection of offensive talent -- running backs Reggie Bush and LenDale White, receiver Steve Smith and tackle Sam Baker (not to mention five-star washout Whitney Lewis) -- that would form the core of the 2004 and 2005 Trojans teams that reached the BCS Championship Game.
And Florida's latest binge of defensive superstars serves mainly to replenish a similar one from 2007, which brought lineman Carlos Dunlap, defensive backs Ahmad Black, Joe Haden and Major Wright (and their own five-star washout, Torrey Davis) and helped deliver 22 straight wins the past two years.
If history is any indication, we'll be seeing one or the other -- and maybe, finally, both -- back on the big stage in the very near future.
"I give it up to Florida for their recruiting class," the monstrous Henderson (6-foot-8, 300 pounds) told SI.com following his nationally televised announcement Wednesday, "but I think it's going to be Florida-USC for the next three national title games."

Don't go pushing buttons just yet, Seantrel. There will be plenty of others who have a say in that --- including the Gators' and Trojans' chief rivals.
Meyer and Kiffin certainly deserve proper due for their spoils (especially considering one semi-resigned in the middle of it and the other got a late start), but they already had more to sell than most. Tennessee and UCLA, though, were two of Wednesday's more surprising victors.
Dooley arrived in Knoxville on Jan. 16 in the wake of fans rioting in the streets following Kiffin's abrupt departure and a group of jilted early enrollees being pulled in two directions. Two-and-a-half weeks later, he landed a top 10 class.
"What he accomplished is pretty darn extraordinary," said Rivals.com analyst Jamie Newberg. "They filled needs, got big time players, kept early enrollees there. It's one of the most impressive things this entire recruiting season."
Dooley not only retained all eight committed players already on campus when he arrived, he added a slew of players previously thought to be headed elsewhere -- five-star receiver Rogers (a longstanding Georgia commit) and quarterback Nash Nance (Vanderbilt), high school teammates from Calhoun, Ga., joined the fold, as did four-star receiver Justin Hunter, four-star DB Eddrick Loften and four-star guard James Stone, who spurned national champion Alabama.
If Dooley can pull that off in less than three weeks, what might he accomplish over the next three years?
"It was an easy sell," said the former Louisiana Tech coach. "All I had to do was make them feel confident about the direction of the program."
UCLA's Neuheisel has been on the job two years longer, during which time the Bruins have gone just 11-14 -- but you'd never know it by the deluge of youngsters donning UCLA caps Wednesday. Within the span of about two hours, the Bruins landed Portland, Ore. defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa, Rivals' No. 8 overall prospect (who many expected to sign with Nebraska); four-star receiver Anthony Jefferson; four-star linebacker Josh Shirley and four-star safety Riley.
It was arguably the strongest finish of any team in the country, lifting UCLA to a top 10 class and putting the Bruins in better position to "end the football monopoly" in L.A., as Neuheisel famously pledged upon his arrival.
"The USC and UCLA programs as they exist now are not very friendly [toward each other]," said Wallace. "UCLA is doing a very good job of taking USC head on. They're taking recruits away from USC for the first time in a while."
Even then, it's no certainty that we're even talking about the strongest programs going forward within their own conferences.
As always, the SEC dominated the recruiting rankings, landing four of Rivals.com's top six classes. Auburn added to what was already one of the most remarkable classes of the season by staving off Miami and Alabama to retain five-star tackle Shon Coleman while adding four-star defensive back Corey Lemonier. LSU closed in typical LSU fashion, stealing four-star defensive end J.C. Copeland from Tennessee, beating Miami and others for four-star defensive tackle Ego Ferguson and adding four-star Florida receiver Kadron Boone.
But we've come to expect late pushes from the SEC's recruiting juggernauts. What we don't necessarily expect is to see four Pac-10 teams (USC, UCLA, Cal and Oregon) in Rivals' top 15, with Scout.com listing Washington just outside the top 10.
Jeff Tedford's Cal team pulled an 11th hour stunner by luring Rivals.com's No. 5 overall prospect, defensive back Keenan Allen, a former Alabama commit. Allen wanted to join his brother, quarterback Zach Maynard, a transfer from Buffalo. And along with them came Allen's Greensboro teammate, four-star LB Chris McCain; and former North Carolina buddy and four-star defensive end Gabe King, since relocated to Eugene, Ore.
Cal had previously landed five-star defensive end Chris Martin from Aurora, Colo. Not bad for a Poinsettia Bowl team.
"[Allen] is a huge get for Tedford," said Newberg. "You could make a case for him as the top prospect in the country. He's an Eric Berry type."
While USC landed its customary star-studded class, its ascension back to the top of the Pac-10 no longer seems as certain as it did under Carroll. Kiffin is walking into a much tougher conference than the one he left in 2006, just as Meyer's SEC competition isn't getting any easier.
So which will it be? Is the continued dominance of Florida and USC predetermined? Or can suddenly renewed figures like Auburn and Tennessee, Cal or UCLA, change the coming course of history?

Check back in three or four years to find out.

Signing Day superlatives
• Strongest finish (not previously mentioned): Florida State. Just how Bobby Bowden used to do it in his prime, Jimbo Fisher saved some of his biggest fish for last -- four-star receiver Christian Green, four-star linebacker Christian Jones -- to slip into the top 10.
Fisher truly began closing the class upon his official ascension in late November, when he immediately landed commitments from five-star cornerback Lamarcus Joyner and similarly heralded linebacker Jeff Luc. "We may look back on Luc and Joyner and say they started the whole thing," said Fisher. "They understand the importance of what they did."

• Biggest disappointments: Georgia and Miami. For whatever reasons -- last year's down season; a defensive staff overhaul; the buzz at rivals Tennessee and Auburn -- prospects seemed to be running away from Athens. Tennessee defector Rogers, four-star linebacker Telvin Smith (Florida State), four-star DB Nickell Robey (USC) and several others either decommitted or spurned the Bulldogs' 11th-hour overtures. Mark Richt's team finished outside Rivals.com's top 10 for the first time since 2001 and toward the middle of the SEC pack.
The 'Canes, meanwhile, "have got to be the biggest story nobody's talking about," said Newberg. "We had 28 players ranked four stars or higher in Dade or Broward Counties. How many [signed] with Miami? Two. It's a head-scratcher." Fourth-year coach Randy Shannon seemed to be reclaiming the school's backyard in recent years but took a major step backward, barely finishing among Rivals' Top 25 classes.

• Mr. Consistency: Mack Brown. Every year, Brown lands a top five class (this one checks in no lower than No. 3), and every year, he leaves little to talk about because Texas' recruiting is so ridiculously suspense-free. Case in point: According to Brown, Texas offered 30 scholarships, had 25 official visits ... and signed all 25 players.
"Of our 13 classes at Texas, this group addresses every position more so than any other class we've had," said Brown, who clearly gets more time to golf than his counterparts. "We were fortunate enough to sign a talented young player at every position."

• Disappearing act: The Big Ten. Did they have a Signing Day in the Midwest this year? Just one conference team, Penn State, finished among Rivals' top 15, and just one top 40 recruit, defensive end William Gholston (No. 21), signed with a Big Ten school (Michigan State). Usual behemoth Ohio State struck out on its top two remaining targets, Henderson and Cincinnati linebacker Jordan Hicks. (Cleveland safety Latwan Anderson, previously committed to West Virginia, could still defect to the Buckeyes.)
Part of the league's poor showing was unavoidable -- Ohio State and Iowa had fewer scholarships to give this year -- but there's no avoiding the fact that most schools whiffed on their top targets. Most notably, the top players in the states of Illinois (USC's Prater), Indiana (North Carolina OL James Hurst) Minnesota (USC's Henderson), Pennsylvania (Florida's Floyd) and possibly Ohio (Anderson) are headed to other leagues.

• Under the radar surprise: Louisville. New coach Charlie Strong immediately put to use the same recruiting prowess he showed at Florida, landing four-star Miami receiver Michaelee Harris (so that's where the Miami kids went), stealing away linebacker Deon Rogers and defensive end B.J Butler from Georgia and four-star athlete Dominique Brown from Cincinnati
"We want to get back to the top in the Big East," said Strong, "and with the players we have assembled we feel like we can make that run."

• Even more under the radar surprise: Marshall. The school hired former West Virginia assistant Doc Holiday in the hopes he could tap into his South Florida pipeline, and he immediately delivered, landing Boca Raton quarterback Eddie Sullivan (previously committed to Wake Forest) and Pahokee receiver Fred Pickett Jr. (previously West Virginia) among 21 players who committed after his hiring.

• Most intriguing class: Notre Dame. These are not your Charlie Weis-era Irish anymore -- at least based on the recruiting rankings. New coach Brian Kelly didn't snag a Jimmy Clausen or Michael Floyd in this class. His highest-ranked signee on Rivals, defensive tackle Louis Nix, checks in at No. 85. But he did go out and find several under-the-radar types who closely fit the profile of his Cincinnati standouts, like Florida defensive end Bruce Heggie, who had literally no scholarship offers prior to Kelly's late-January discovery.
"At this point in time, you have to give Brian Kelly the benefit of the doubt," said Wallace. "All of us who've watched his career can tell he knows how to evaluate talent. He's doing things his way. I admire it."

• Definitive proof why Illinois stinks now: When Ron Zook's offense imploded last season en route to a 3-9 debacle, many pinned it on offensive coordinator/ace recruiter Mike Locksley's departure to New Mexico. On Wednesday, four-star defensive tackle Calvin Smith from Hialeah, Fla., went on national television and announced his commitment to ... New Mexico. The ESPNU host interviewing him nearly choked on the air.
But hey, give credit where credit is due. Smith, who chose the Lobos over Florida State, credited his close relationship with Locksley. And for his part, Locksley landed one more four-star prospect than Illinois, which, two years after landing consecutive top 20 classes with Locksley on staff, finished ... 69th.









The Day After, Who's #1
www.rivals.com
If there's one lesson to be learned about this year's recruiting process, it has to be you can't count out Lane Kiffin.
Late developments Wednesday led to USC passing Florida for the nation's No. 1 recruiting class - for now.
Seantrel Henderson announced his commitment to the Trojans but may wait to sign.
At a Wednesday afternoon news conference, USC announced 18 signings. Later in the day, though, the Trojans added commitments from the nation's No. 1 fullback, four-star prospect Soma Vainuku of Eureka, Calif., and from four-star junior college defensive end Marquis Jackson of Santa Clarita (Calif.) College of the Canyons.
Neither has signed a letter-of-intent, but each is expected to sign in the next 24 hours; the point values from their commitments were enough to give USC the Rivals.com recruiting national championship.
Still, uneasy rests the crown. Reports late Wednesday surfaced that offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson, the nation's No. 2 prospect, had not signed with the Trojans. He had announced on national TV earlier in the day that he had decided on USC, but the New York Times - which had a reporter spend a week with Henderson recently - reported that Henderson was having second thoughts because of possible NCAA sanctions against the Trojans.
Henderson reportedly will not sign until after USC appears before the NCAA infractions committee Feb. 19-21. While no NCAA decision is expected to be announced at that time, Henderson's father told the Times that the hearing would provide the family with some sort of idea of what could happen.
If Henderson does not sign with USC, Florida would have the No. 1 class.
Earlier Wednesday, Rivals.com had announced Florida as the No. 1 team in the nation. But as was proven in the past six weeks, things in college football can - and did - change quickly. Behind USC and Florida are Texas, Auburn and Alabama. The rest of the top 10: LSU at No. 6, Oklahoma at No. 7, UCLA at No. 8, Tennessee at No. 9 and Florida State at No. 10.

THE TOP 10
The nation's top 10 recruiting classes for 2010:
1. USC
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. Auburn
5. Alabama
6. LSU
7. Oklahoma
8. UCLA
9. Tennessee
10. Florida State


"Obviously, it was a great day for the Trojan family," said Kiffin, who was hired as USC's coach less than a month ago. "I'm extremely proud of the work done by our staff and everyone involved. To be here for just a couple weeks and to be able to sign so many of the top-ranked high school players in the country speaks volumes about the past and the future of the USC football program.
"Our goal is not to sign a lot of players just to fill spots on the roster. Our goal is to sign players who can compete at the highest level. ? We feel the quality of the players we signed is of the highest level."
Kiffin's formula was two-fold. First, he had to keep on board a number of blue-chip recruits who had been a part of Pete Carroll's class. This included five-star prospects Kyle Prater, Robert Woods and Dillon Baxter. Kiffin and his staff were able to keep 11 of the 14 players who had pledged to the Trojans at the time of Carroll's departure.
The new staff then went to work on some other prospects. That included Henderson and five-star wide receiver Markeith Ambles, a former Tennessee commitment. Ambles has sent his LOI to USC.
USC also reeled in four-star prospects Giovanni Di Poalo, Hayes Pullard, Nickell Robey, Glen Stanley and Christian Thomas on Wednesday, completing a sprint to the finish that allowed USC to edge out every other team in the nation. At least for the moment.

Meyer's magical class
Though Florida slipped to the No. 2 spot, it doesn't take anything away from what the Gators accomplished in this recruiting class.
When Urban Meyer announced he was leaving Florida because of health concerns Dec. 26, it sent shockwaves through college football and into the living rooms of a number of the nation's top recruits. The Gators already had assembled one of the nation's best recruiting classes, but many prospects feared what a future without Meyer would bring in Gainesville.
Urban Meyer hasn't taken a break from recruiting in 2010.
Meyer is known for pouring his heart and soul into the relationships with his players and recruits. Consequently, he quickly changed his mind and decided he would not retire. Instead, Meyer said he would take a short leave of absence - which he said would begin today and end before the start of spring practice.
Meyer's change of heart reassured recruits enough to catapult the Gators to the second-best class.
Florida already was in position to have the nation's top class before Meyer's situation developed. The Gators had the No. 3 class after early commitments from Rivals100 prospects Gerald Christian, Jaylen Watkins, Leon Orr and Ian Silberman - all before April 20, 2009. Throw in additional pledges from Rivals250 stars Jordan Haden and Jonathan Dowling, and the foundation for an elite class was set.
Then, something special happened Jan. 9. On that day, the Gators landed three-five star commitments on national TV at the U.S Army All-American Bowl.
It started with five-star safety Matt Elam.
Elam originally pledged to the Gators early, then dumped his commitment to Florida on New Year's Eve for Florida State. That FSU pledge was short-lived, and Elam announced his final decision for UF at the Army Bowl.
"I'm happy it's over," Elam said at the time. "I made a commitment my junior year. I committed to Florida and Urban Meyer. I'm going to put my faith and trust in him, and hopefully he stays."
Later in the game, the Gators landed five-star defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and the nation's No. 1 player - Ronald Powell. Floyd, the No. 4 player and top defensive tackle, picked UF over Ohio State and a host of others. Powell, a defensive end, selected Florida over USC.
Floyd and Powell said Meyer's personal relationship with them weighed heavily in their decisions.
"Urban Meyer has been nothing but loyal to me," Powell said when he committed. "The fan support, the city, the players, everything is great. The class coming in with Sharrif Floyd and Matt Elam, we're going to do this thing. We're going to win a title. We're going to come in as freshmen, play as true freshmen and get a chance at that SEC championship. After we win that, you know where we're going."

Big movers on Signing Day
Owamagbe Odighizuwa's announcement was one of the Signing Day highlights for UCLA.
L.A. was ground zero for the day's biggest movers, as both USC and UCLA pushed their way into the top 10 in the team recruiting rankings. While most of the attention ended up across town at Heritage Hall, the Bruins signed a special group, too.
UCLA's move up the charts was highlighted by the addition of five-star defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa. He picked the Bruins over Nebraska, Oregon State and a host of other national programs. Throw in National Signing Day decisions from four-stars Anthony Jefferson, Jordan Zumwalt, Dietrich Riley and Josh Shirley, and it was a day that people in Westwood will remember for a long time.
"I really think UCLA has what it takes to turn the program around, and I'm looking forward to being a part of it," Jefferson said. "I like Coach [Rick] Neuheisel a lot, and he was the one personally recruiting me throughout the entire process. I love this recruiting class, and I'm really proud to be a part of it. We're building something special, and today was a day that we'll talk about years later as the first big step for us."

Rebels surge
Last year, Ole Miss was in a similar position - outside of the top 25 but in great position to land quality kids down the stretch. And again on this National Signing Day, the Rebels scored commitment after commitment and burst into the top 25.
Ole Miss landed Will Denny, Cordell Giles, Tony Grimes, Delvin Jones, Quadarias Mireles, Vincent Sanders, Cedric Smith and Ralph Williams all in the final 24 hours, helping push the Rebels to the No. 17 spot.
A big reason for the push? Ole Miss assistant Chris Vaughn cleaned up at the 11th hour.


Dodd's article on Signing Day
www.cbssports.com
Before we begin, the recruiting “get” of the day goes to CBSSports.com’s J. Darin Darst. He was able to find Alabama’s “fax cam.”
If you didn’t believe it before, recruiting is officially out of control.

Winners

Tennessee: Never mind Derek Dooley’s closing job. The recruiting class just became that much better. A Boise television station reported Tuesday night and ESPN said Wednesday that Boise defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox is headed to Tennessee.

Wilcox is one of the young up and comers. He was a short timer at Boise after his unit shut down Oregon and TCU on national television. The 33-year-old has coordinated the Broncos D for the last four seasons. Boise led the WAC in scoring defense and total defense in each of those four seasons.

The Oregon grad also worked at Cal before for three years as linebackers coach before coming to Boise for the second time in 2006.

Urban Meyer: A life-changing health problem. Rival recruiters running him into the ground. A revamped coaching staff. It is amazing that Florida has still been able to assemble the nation’s No. 1 class.

Auburn: Formal apologies to Gene Chizik who was largely derided in this space after his hiring from Iowa State. Chizik won eight in his first season, almost beat Alabama, and then actually beat the Crimson Tide – in recruiting. Auburn was listed above Bama in the top five midway through Wednesday. Chizik and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn are fired up about national juco player of the year and former Gator quarterback Cameron Newton.

Texas: Let’s stow any speculation that Mack Brown is retiring anytime soon. This class showed that he still has the hunger to chase championships. Texas finished with what was largely considered to be the nation’s No. 2 class. Most notable – West Chester, Ohio linebacker Jordan Hicks and Plano, Texas defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat.

Missouri: Finished with what is believed to be its highest ranked class ever (top 20). Gary Pinkel continues to aggressively recruit Texas and lock up the best players in Missouri. The Tigers aren’t going away as an annual bowl team and factor in the Big 12 North. The Big Ten has to be happy.

Notre Dame: A respectable top 15 class that’s a good sign for Brian Kelly in 2011 when he has a whole year to recruit. Kelly completed revamped the coaching staff and didn’t get blown out of the water.

Cal: Jeff Tedford continues to solidify his spot as second-best coach in Bear’s history. (Hard to argue with Pappy Waldorf.) Tedford recruited aggressively landing a top 15 class with prospects from seven states. Typical of the far flung recruiting philosophy was getting five-star defensive back Keenan Allen to drop Alabama and come all the way from Greensboro, NC

Non-winners (Can’t bring myself to say ‘losers’ when no one knows how these kids will turn out):

Miami: The locals are grumbling about the lack of five-star recruits (none) and abundance of two and three-star prospects (19). Howard Schnellenberger might not approve. Nine players came from outside the “State of Miami”, including prospects from Buffalo, NY; New Berlin, NY and Evanston, Ill.

Kansas: Turner Gill got a late start, completely changed the coaching staff and had a hard time luring top recruits. Potosi, Mo. running back Brandon Bourbon should ease the pain.

Indiana: Rivals.com’s lowest ranked BCS conference school (No. 90). Let’s hope rankings mean little. Bill Lynch (7-17 the past two seasons) still deserves a chance to get the Hoosiers turned around.

Arkansas: The Razorbacks are one of the “it” teams in the SEC for 2010. Maybe. A class ranked in the 50s might have impressed in Fayetteville but not elsewhere.

Ed Orgeron: Coach O’s reported poaching of Tennessee recruits on his way out the door to USC didn’t get the proper attention. “It’s been done before,” Tom Lemming said. “It’s not illegal, it’s unethical.” Maybe it should be illegal.


Best names:
MarKeith Ambles, USC. Scoured from Twitter: Keith Ambles didn’t want to name his son after himself, so naturally he added a “Mar”

Emmanuel Beavers, San Diego State. How did he get away from Oregon State?

Furious Bradley, Southern Miss. Let’s hope he’s fast too.

Shaban Dika, Iowa State

Steele Divitto, Boston College

Pep Konokalafi, Hawaii

Munchie Legaux, Cincinnati. Please, God, make this be a nickname. Can’t imagine a parent who would name their child “Munchie.”

Shaquille Richardson, UCLA. And you thought there was only one.