LeBron James on the loss to Houston

Here is LeBron James talking with the media following the Cavs loss to the Rockets. James had just 21 points on 7 of 21 shooting. Ron Artest did a great job on him, but even when he shoots bad James always make a positve contribution. He came into the game averaging over 7 rebounds and 7 assists per game. On Thursday night he had just one rebound, and he did not have a single assist for the first time in his career. He also had a dunk blocked by Yao Ming as seen below.

I asked LeBron how the Rockets were different without McGrady, he wouldn't really answer the question as you will hear, I think he believed I was asking if he thought they were better without McGrady, that was not the case. 

Rockets 93 Cavs 74

After a disastrous loss in Milwaukee the Rockets came home for a 6-game homestand, the last 5 coming after the all star break, and 3 of the last 4 coming against really good teams. On Thursday night they capped a 6-0 homestand with an impressive win over Cleveland. Yao Ming played great, and they got a big game off the bench from Von Wafer. They also played great defense. The Cavs shot just 34% from the field, and scored just 11 points in the first period and 10 points in the third. The Rockets also showed why no team wants to see them in the playoffs: Ron Artest and Shane Battier. They are two elite defenders, and they give great players fits. Tonight Artest had the assignment on LeBron James, and LeBron had one of his worst games. 21 points on 7 of 21 shooting. He was rarely able to get into the paint, and he was forced into a jump shooter. He only attempted 6 free throws. I'll have more on LeBron's night in the next post. Here are some of my thoughts from Thursdays game:

• Aaron Brooks played as passive as I've ever seen him play in the first half. I think Cleveland's defense made him very uncomfortable, and they pressured him more than he's used too, he played great after halftime, and was a big reason why the Rockets were able to extend the lead.
• Speaking of Cleveland's defense, its great. They are as active on  that end as any team in the league. I don't know this for a fact, but I'm willing to bet that they lead the league in deflections, they also block a lot of shots.
• I just talked about Brooks being uncomfortable early, the same can be said about Yao. The Cavs came with the double team early in the game as soon as he put the ball on the floor, something he needs to stop doing, and they were able to force a lot of turnovers. He had 5 on the night, but I'm willing to bet most if not all came in the first half since just 3 of the Rockets turnovers came in the second half. Once Yao shot the ball when he touched it he played great. Cleveland adjusted to that by doubling him as soon as he touched the ball, but he handled it very well.
• The Rockets had 25 assists on 35 made baskets, Brooks and Kyle Lowry had 7 assists apiece and just 1 turnover between the 2 of them.
• The Cavs played a really good 2nd period, and that was because they did a great job getting offensive rebounds. They had 14 for the game, the Rockets had just 5. 

Here is postgame audio from the Rockets:

Rick Adelman

Ron Artest

Ben Wallace breaks leg, keeps playing

Ben Wallace broke his right fibula in the second period of the Cavs loss to the Rockets. He left the game in the second period, then started and played the first half of the third period. This is what Wallace had to say to reporters after the game. He will miss 4-6 weeks, so he will likely be back sometime in April before the playoffs. There were reports on TNT after the game that Wallace would be out 8-10 weeks, those reports came from LeBron James, who said that after the game to reporters, I will have that audio for you soon. Cavs staff went through the media room at Toyota Center and corrected LeBron. 

Manny says no......again

Manny Ramirez has turned down another Dodgers offer, this one was for one year/$25 million with a players option for 2010 for $20 million. Its kind of a strange deal because usually the second year is for more money or at least the same amount, but if I'm the Dodgers why would I offer more? I would only be bidding against myself which is pointless. At this point I can't see anyone else getting involved. Manny has been a free agent since December, It is almost March, and the only team that is still making offers to him is the Dodgers. Nobody else is going to get involved at this point, nobody can afford to. 

Rich Eisen is slow, I used to not be as slow

The NFL Network televises the scouting combine every year. I didn't watch any this year because its not very exciting television, but I have watched in the past. I guess the most exciting part is watching guys run the 40, but even thats hard to watch because its very hard to tell if a guy had a good time or a bad time. Anyways, Rich Eisen ran the 40 last week, and he didn't do so well. His best time was 6.34, what's at the end of the video though is hilarious. They simulcam Eisen with some of the draft prospects. They literally run off the screen they are so much faster.

Reminds me of the last time I ran the 40 seven years ago:

TRUE STORY:

Prior to spring practice my sophomore year at Memorial High School we all ran the 40. I am somewhat proud to say that I ran a 5.86, I mean I've got little legs, I'm at a big disadvantage. The coach who timed it was Coach Ruez. I got to know Coach Ruez well that year because I was on the Sophomore team, and he was one of our 2 coaches. When we practiced with the varsity he was also my position coach. I played fullback, and he was the Running Backs coach. He tried to get me to move to O-Line a few times, but I convinced him to let me stay with the backs- I had/have good hands.

Anyways, before he told me what I ran he said the following in his very high pitched Bruce Weber voice: "Hey Spolane, you got under 6!" Like he was shocked or something.

There were 2 other Ruezisms that I will never forget:

The first was, and remember when you say them to yourself you have to sound like Bruce Weber: "Its not rocket science.....Its football!"

The second was my personal favorite because he always said it to me: "Adam! You have to block the linebacker!!!!"

So you have the voice in your head, here is Bruce Weber:

Nate McMillan on loss to the Rockets, McGrady

Here is Blazers coach Nate McMillan after Tuesday nights 98-94 loss at the Rockets. It runs about 4:30. Pretty good stuff, talked a lot about how the Blazers offense made their defense better. I also talked to him about the difference between the Rockets with and without McGrady, and also if he thought the Rockets were better without McGrady, that part is at the very end. 

On the game itself, it was a big win for the Rockets, they even the season series, and they have a half game lead on Portland for the 4 seed. Both teams played without impact big guys (Landry and Oden), and they will meet again in Houston in April. Portland was bad offensively in the first half, and that hurt its defense. They only made 38% of their shots, and that allowed the Rockets to run, and with Yao only playing 12 minutes in the first half, that played into what the Rockets wanted to do. In the second half Portland started making shots, that hurt the Rockets offense because it slowed them down a bit, which is what McMillan talked about after the game.  

Running thoughts on Rockets/Blazers second half

• Roy and Aldridge are now a combined 8/26 (31%)
• 2 minutes into the half Yao has picked up foul #3
• The Blazers have cut the lead to 11, and now Yao is going to the locker room, looks like he may need stitches.
• The Rockets have 17 assists on 29 made baskets, Portland has 9 assists on 23 made baskets.
• The Rockets have just 4 turnovers 32 minutes 
• With 2 minutes left in the 3rd the lead is down to 7 as the Rockets have been bad on offense this period. Yao is just 3-11 from the field.
• The Rockets were outscored 26-18 in the 3rd period, so after 3 its 78-69 Houston. Nicolas Batum was 5-5 in the period with 14 points. 
• The Rockets have played a great first 3 1/2 minutes of the 4th period, outscoring Portland 11-6 to up the lead to 14. Kyle Lowry has had a very solid game of the bench. He only has 4 points, but he has taken just 3 shots. He also has 4 assists and 3 rebounds. 
• The Rockets just blew a 4-on-2 fast break. Unfortunately one of the 4 was Yao Ming, who was given the ball by Kyle Lowry. Yao should probably be trailing on that play. Still a 13 point lead with 6:08 left to play.
• Portland is on an 11-2 run in the last 5 minutes to get back to within 5. 
• The Rockets have only scored 31 points in the second half, there is 3:25 left in regulation.
• With Portland going small, Luis Scola is having to guard Travis Outlaw, and he's giving Scola fits. 
• Good swtich by Rick Adelman putting Battier on Outlaw and Scola on Batum.
• Rockets have just 32 points on 33% shooting in the second half
• 22 seconds left Rockets have the ball up 2. They are also out of timeouts. 
• Aaron Brooks hits both free throws to make the score 94-90, timeout Portland, there last timeout. The Rockets need to try and not let Portland score too quickly here.
• 4 seconds is all it took as Ron Artest slipped and Brandon Roy blew past him for the layup. Artest now at the line. He makes both. 
• Brandon Roy misses a 3 at the other end. 96-92 Rockets ball, 9 seconds left. Artest back to the line.
• Rockets win 98-94. They move up to 4th in the West. 

Running thoughts on Rockets/Blazers first half

• Luis Scola picked up a cheap first foul, without Carl Landry its crucial that both Scola and Yao stay out of foul trouble.
• Yao missed 2 dunks in the span of 10 seconds. Just lay it in big fella
• Steve Blake is very underrated. He's quick and got in the lane to assist on 2 baskets, then he forced a jump ball on Aaron Brooks, which he won.
• Joel Przybilla has really been jawing with the officials on the defensive end.
• Speaking of Przybilla, he is one of 2 former Rockets draft picks that Portland started. Nicolas Batum is the other. Both were traded by the Rockets on draft night. 
• Nate McMillan went to his bench early. He sat LaMarcus Aldridge before the 6 minute mark when he picked up his second foul, and Brandon Roy at the 3:25 mark. 
• Yao picked up his 2nd foul with 3 minutes left. Not good especially without Landry. 
• Aldridge's backup Channing Frye has already picked up 3 fouls in 4 minutes, so Shavlik Randolph is in the game. I guess anyone can play in the NBA if you are tall.
• The Rockets are rolling as they have stretched the lead to 10.
• Rudy Fernandez had a breakaway with time running out in the period. He got the ball with about 3 seconds left, and you could tell he was watching the clock and had to rush the layup which he missed. 
• Rockets lead 31-21 after one period. 
• Kyle Lowry and Von Wafer running in the open floor is tough to stop, and it resulted in a Wafer layup and a foul. 
• Both teams are playing real small right now. The Rockets have Lowry, Wafer, Barry, Battier, and Hayes on the floor. 
• Its now 40-25 Rockets after a 3 by Battier. The Rockets are playing great defense right now, and doing a great job at keeping Portland to one shot.
• The Blazers led 15-8 with 6:21 left in the 1st, since then the Rockets have outscored them 32-10.
• Its now 49-31 as Portland has to call timeout. The Rockets bench has been outstanding. Von Wafer has 9 points of 4-5 shooting. There is 5:34 left in the half. Yao left with his second foul with 3:17 left in the first period, and after the timeout he will not be re-entering the game, so it looks like it could be a low minute night for Yao which is good after playing 39 and 37 minutes the last 2 games. 
• Its 54-41 with 2:36 left. Yao is back in, so he sat for nearly 13 game minutes and over 30 actual minutes. 
• At the half Houston leads 60-43. I really don't think they could have played any better. They shot 53% from the field, and held Portland to 38%. Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldrdige combined for 21 points but on just 7/22 shooting. 

Blazers (35-20) at Rockets (35-21)

Real good game at Toyota Center tonight as the Rockets host Portland. Rockets have won 4 straight, the Blazers have won 3 straight. If the season were to end now, these teams would face off in the first round of the playoffs. This game takes on extra importance because these teams are jockeying for playoff position, and both teams are great at home and very average on the road. This is the second of 3 games that these two teams play against each other. Portland won the first back in November in an incredible finish. They will play again in Houston in April, so a Portland win tonight gets them the tiebreaker. Carl Landy will not play for the Rockets, and it looks like Greg Oden will be out for Portland. I will try and do a live blog tonight. Here is how the game between these two teams ended in November:

Bob Knight used to be a psychic

This video is over 15 years old, but I haven't been able to find it for a long time and its hilarious. A reporter asked Bob Knight about Damon Bailey and this was his response:

Bill Simmons with Baron Davis as the trade deadline passed

Bill Simmons was with Baron Davis on Thursday as the NBA trade deadline approached and then passed. Its real interesting and Davis talks a lot about what he has been through this season, and gives his thoughts on Elton Brand, who convinced him to sign with the Clippers only to leave for Philly. 

Vermont eliminates baseball and softball

This past week the University of Vermont announced that they were eliminating their baseball and softball programs because of budget cuts. The athletic department had a $1.1 million dollar gap, so they could either cut across the board, which would hurt every program, or they would just eliminate programs, so that the other sports wouldn't be affected. You have to wonder with the economy continuing to be awful if more schools are going to be faced with this problem. Should schools cut like 10% from each teams budget, making it very hard to be competitive or do they just eliminate programs? I think they should cut across the board. I hate it when schools have to elimiate teams, because what are the people who play for that team supposed to do? In most cases they went to that school to play a sport, so they are forced to either not play or find a school to transfer to. Vermont will play baseball and softball this season. The budget cuts are for the 2009-10 school year. 

Jim Calhoun is not giving back a dime

The state of Connecticut is running a $2 billion deficit, and the governor has asked the state-employee unions for concessions. Jim Calhoun's salary is $1.6 million dollars, and with UConn being a public state university he is one of the highest paid state employees. After UConn's win over South Flordia yesterday reporter Ken Krayeske of the, who is a freelance writer, asked Calhoun if he should give back some of his salary, and this exchange followed:

I think the reporter is out of line talking bringing this up in an open press conference like that, he could have easily done this privately with Calhoun. Postgame press conferences are supposed to be about the game. I also don't think that Calhoun should have to give a dime back. Its not his fault the state is running a deficit, he is one of the few state employees thats worth what they pay him. I love how Krayeske calls out the other reporters in the room, their reaction to that is great. 

Rockets will have an interesting offseason

The Rockets will have important decisions to make regarding their three marquee players this offseason. One is an easy decision, the other 2 won't be:

1. Sign Yao Ming to a contract extension- He can opt out after next season, and I think the Rockets would feel much better if they have him signed for the long term. I don't think Yao would leave, he's very comfortable in Houston, and money is no factor, but why risk it.

2. Do they re-sign Ron Artest?- I honestly have no clue what they should do with Artest. He has been on his best behavior since joining the Rockets, but will they want to invest a big contract in him? He will turn 30 in November. I think they should try to keep him, but I would not give him a contract for more than 3 years, and I wouldn't give him much more money that he is making now. With the economy the way it is, I think they could get away with that.

3. Do they trade McGrady?- He will count $23 million against the cap, and he is in the last year of his contract, so the Rockets could get a really good player from a team looking to dump a contract, and my guess is that there will be a lot of teams in that situation. If they hold onto him they save some money. Remember the Rockets can get some cap relief if its decided he won't play next season, they would get an exemption for half of what he counts against the cap. I think they should trade him, I think they will revisit the Vince Carter talks in the offseason espeically if they decide to let Ron Artest go.

 

A new era

As great as Yao Ming has been during his career the Rockets have never been considered "his team" There was always a guard, whether Steve Francis or Tracy McGrady who took top billing. More recently the thinking has always been that the Rockets will only go as far as Tracy McGrady takes them. Remember the Rockets were terrible when McGrady didn't play. That changed this season. As now the Rockets are 14-6 when McGrady doesn't play, but still people around the league have always said that McGrady is the key. 

That changed Friday night, for good. This is now Yao Ming's team. This is his 7th season in the league. He has appeared in the playoffs 3 times. He has lost in the first round 3 times. If the Rockets are to make the playoffs, which I think they will, it will be on the back of Yao Ming. He's the star, he's the leader. The Rockets will go as far as Yao takes them. 

Rockets 93 Mavericks 86

The Rockets and Mavs played a great game Friday night with a great atmosphere at Toyota Center. It was the first game for the Rockets since the trade of Rafer Alston and since Tracy McGrady pronounced himself out for the season. Dallas played a great first half and found themselves up 16 at one point. Houston would cut the lead to 7 by halftime. The key to the first half was that the Rockets had 12 turnovers, and Dallas only had 3. The rest of the stats were basically even. The game turned in the 3rd quarter as the Rockets outscored the Mavs 30-13. Dallas was able to comeback in the 4th quarter as the Rockets again had trouble taking care of the ball, but they never gave up the lead, even though Dallas got as close as 2 points. Aaron Brooks hit 2 threes in the last 2 minutes to seal the win. Both teams were tied in the loss column coming into the night, and with the Hornets losing to the Lakers, the Rockets are now the 5 seed.

Some thoughts from the game:

• The Rockets tied a season high with 22 turnovers, I think that is the biggest negative about trading Rafer Alston, he did a great job of taking care of the ball. In his first game with Orlando he had 8 assists and just 1 turnover. He also shot just 1 of 9.
• Dirk had just 9 points and shot 4-18. I think thats the worst I have seen him play in a non playoff game.
• Erick Dampier: 20 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound, 4 fouls
• With McGrady out, I think you will see Luis Scola finish games, he was outstanding, especially in the 4th quarter. I think the Rockets are better with him playing late in games.
• Yao played 39 minutes. That is the most minutes he has played in a game since the double OT game against Utah on Dec. 27. He played 46 that night. He is averaging 32 minutes. You wonder if Rick Adelman is going to make a habit of extending his minutes.
• The Rockets bench was badly outplayed. Carl Landy didn't play, and Brooks is now in the starting lineup, but you still have to be a little concerned about the bench being a bit of a problem.
• On Sunday the Rockets host Charlotte, on Tuesday they host Portland, and on Thursday they host Cleveland. We will have an idea if this team is for real after this stretch.

I just got a new recorder, and I'm still learning how to use it, so the postgame audio isn't great, there is a lot of background noise on the Rockets files, but its still pretty good stuff. Josh Howard didn't want to talk to me. 

Rick Carlisle

Josh Howard

Aaron Brooks

Shane Battier

Rafer skips to Orlando

I'm at Toyota Center for Rockets/Mavs, and as we speak the Rockets new starting point guard Aaron Brooks in on the court shooting around. The Rockets made yesterday's biggest trade sending Rafer Alston to Orlando in a 3-team trade, and getting back Kyle Lowry and Brian Cook. I think it is a great trade for Orlando, it gives them a legit starting point guard again, but I don't think the Magic will just pick up from where it left off because Alston and Jameer Nelson are very different point guards.

For the Rockets, I thought it was a very strange trade. First of all, when I heard about it I figured they had another trade in the works, then I thought it must be a salary dump. I was wrong on both counts. Both Lowry and Cook are under contract for next season, even though Cook has a $3.5 player option. I think the Rockets save a little money, but nothing big. It sounds like this was a basketball move. The Rockets think that Aaron Brooks is better than Rafer Alston, and think that they have a better chance of winning with him getting most of the minutes. They also really like Kyle Lowry. The Rockets think they are better now than they were Tuesday night against New Jersey. I'm not sure if I agree, but GM Darryl Morey seems to always be right. 

SI Players NBA Poll: Which NBA player thinks he's a lot better than he really is?

Kendrick Perkins, Celtics C.....8%
DeShawn Stevenson, Wizards G.....8%
Rashad McCants, T-Wolves G.....5%
Dahntay Jones, Nuggets G......5%
Damon Jones, Bucks G.....5%

190 NBA players were surveyed by Sports Illustrated

Better late than never

Carlos Lee arrived at Astros camp Thursday, 2 days too late, after getting confused about the Astros report date. Lance Berkman gave Lee his full support as he met with reporters. El Caballo also did his best Allen Iverson impression. 

Random note

I heard an interview with Oliver Luck, who is the president of the Houston Dynamo, and he said something that I thought was very interesting about the USA/Mexico World Cup qualifier from last week. About 1.25 million people watched the match on ESPN2. Over 10 million people watched the match on Univision. If the MLS can do a better job of tapping into that market, it could be a very successful league. 

A trade that should be made

According to the Trade Machine on espn.com this trade works:

Cleveland gets:

Antawn Jamison

Darius Songalia

Etan Thomas

Washington gets:

Wally Szczerbiak

Eric Snow

J.J. Hickson

Draft Picks

This would be a complete salary dump by Washington aside from the rookie Hickson. Snow and Szczerbiak's contracts expire after this season. This trade would save the Wizards a ton of money. Jamison is owed around $30 million over the next 3 years, Songalia has two more years at over $4 million a year, and Thomas has one more year left on his contract worth close to $7 million, so this trade saves Washington around $45 million.

DeJuan Blair is stronger than you

Pitt has been really good for this entire decade, whether they were coached by Ben Howland or Jamie Dixon, but they haven't been able to get past the sweet 16. This could be the year for the Panthers. After Monday nights win in Connecticut, Pitt has asserted itself as the best team in the Big East, and if you didn't think they could make a Final Four before, you should now. They have always been physical, and after DeJuan Blair threw Hasheem Thabeet over his shoulder, its obvious that they haven't lost any of that, but now they are pretty good offensively. They have an efficient point guard in LeVance Fields, and Sam Young is a great scorer, and don't forget about Blair, who is now in the running for Big East Player of the Year after his ownage of Thabeet. 

Tim Floyd wants Obama's help

I was watching USC/Arizona State last night , and late in the game with his team down 6, USC coach Tim Floyd got a little angry after a charge call that wiped out a possible 3-point play.


I also thought it was a real bad call. Here is Floyd after the game talking with the media. At the end he hopes that President Obama will bring about change to the way coaches can argue with the officials.

More good news for the Suns

It just keeps getting worse in Phoenix. Now Jason Richardson, Steve Kerr's big acquisition, was arrested in Scottsdale for reckless driving with his 3-year old son in the car. The guard was first doing 67 MPH in a 40 MPH zone, thats when the cop started following him. Then the cop clocked Richardson going 90 MPH in a 35 MPH zone. That's when he was pulled over, and here's the best part: Richardson's 3-year old son was not in a car seat. 

One more thing: On December 21, less than 2 weeks after being traded to Phoenix, he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. 

All Star intros are very entertaining

I turned on the All Star Game right before the players were introduced. I couldn't have had better timing. First of all Shaq was hilarious. I will post the video of it as soon as I find it. 3 other things struck me:

1. Yao was taller than the guys standing on the risers behind him.

2. Allen Iverson looks miserable, he didn't even crack a smile when he was introduced.

3. Amare Stoudemire was the first West starter introduced, shouldn't the home town guy be last?

The Sun has set in Phoenix

There are a lot of reports out there this weekend that say Suns coach Terry Porter will be fired on Monday. The Suns are 28-23, in 9th place in the West, but they are tied with 8th place Utah in the loss column. They are just 3 games back of Portland for the 4 seed, but they are playing poorly, and they all seem to hate each other, so the team that was seemingly responsible for the resurgence of entertainment in the NBA will likely be finished less than 5 years after their run started. Here are some of the reasons for the Suns demise:

1. The owner has lost a lot of money over the last few years, and because of this, Phoenix has not been able to keep guys like Joe Johnson, and they have had to sell off draft picks.

2. Lack of chemistry- Thats one reason why Shawn Marion was traded, and will be one of many reasons why Amare Stoudemire will be traded before Friday.

I think the biggest reason the Suns are finished is Steve Kerr. Here is my problem with Kerr, I don't think he has a plan. He came in last season taking over a team that went to the Western Conference Finals in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 they lost in the West Semis to San Antonio, a series that was for all intents and purposes the Western Conference Finals. Remember they won game 4 in San Antonio to even the series at 2-2, but were screwed after Robert Horry checked Steve Nash into the scorers table, and Amare couldn't stay on the bench. 

So Kerr makes the Marion for Shaq trade. Now the Suns are a completely different team, and they now have no chance at winning a championship, and now they are old. Kerr said he didn't think that the run 'n gun Suns style could translate into a championship. He was probably right, but making them older and slower won't either. Under Mike D'Antoni's style, the Suns had made it past the first round 3 straight seasons, the slower version of the Suns lost in the first round in 5 games. So a team that had averaged around 8 playoff wins the 3 previous years was only able to win 1 in 2008.

Then Kerr fires D'Antoni, and he hires Porter, who went 71-93 in 2 years as the Bucks head coach. That's the best he could do? It obviously hasn't worked as Porter will likely be fired before finishing his first season. 

Here's what I was talking about Kerr not having vision: Phoenix still sits at 28-23. Not great, but a lot of teams would be thrilled with that record. In December they traded Boris Diaw and Raja Bell for Jason Richardson, so it looks like the Suns are going to make a run at it. Now, 2 months later they are going to trade Amare Stoudemire, and not get much back in return. So first they take on a big contract in Richardson, and now they are going to dump a big contract in Stoudemire, who is also the team's biggest and best building block for the future. 

Here is a thank you note from Suns fan Cindy Patnode that was written in the Arionza Republic.

Lions name Culpepper starting QB?

Former Lions receiver Mike Furrey told Sirius NFL Radio that the quarterbacks who remain on the Lions roster have been told by the team that Dante Culpepper will be the teams starting quarterback. Culpepper was signed by the Lions halfway into the season and he played in 5 games. He did not have a QB rating over 62 in any game until his last game when he had a 102.8 rating in the Lions heart-breaking week 14 loss to Minnesota. He got hurt in that game and did not play the rest of the season. As you would expect, his numbers overall were not very good. He completed just 52.2% of his passes and threw just 4 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

The question is does this mean anything? Are the Lions planning on going into camp with Daunte Culpepper as their starting QB, or are they saying that of the guys on the roster they rate him best? Does that mean they aren't going to draft a quarterback with the first pick? The Dolphins didn't and things worked out OK for them. The last time the Lions used a high first rounder on a quarterback (Joey Harrington) it was a complete disaster, I'm sure fans there still remember that. Could they draft a QB with the first pick and have him sit year one? I really have no clue what the Lions want to do or what they plan to do. Personally, I think its hard not to look at what the Dolphins did, go O-Line with the first pick, then draft a QB in the second round, and not do that, but then again, Atlanta used the third pick on Matt Ryan, and that worked out pretty good as well. My best advice- take the QB only if you are 100% sure he can play in the NFL.

Lance Armstrong does not like Euro reporters

I guess nobody does though, but this particular reporter decided to call Lance a cancer. Lance confronted the reporter.



Don't mess with Texas baby!

NBA coaching trend

Yesterday, I examined the trend of NFL teams hiring first time head coaches. In 1999 ,17 of the 31 head coaches were on their first team. On opening day 2009, that number will grow to 25. I am now going to list all the NBA coaches that started the season. Those coaches that are in bold are on their first teams, those that aren't I will list their prior teams.

Atlanta: Mike Woodson

Boston: Doc Rivers (Orlando)

Charlotte: Larry Brown (San Antonio, LA Clippers, Indiana, Philadelphia, Detroit, New York)

Chicago: Vinny Del Negro

Cleveland: Mike Brown

Dallas: Rick Carlisle (Detroit, Indiana)

Denver: George Karl (Cleveland, Golden State, Seattle, Milwaukee)

Detroit: Michael Curry

Golden State: Don Nelson (Milwaukee, Prior Warriors stint, New York, Dallas)

Houston: Rick Adelman (Portland, Golden State, Sacramento

Indiana: Jim O'Brien (Boston, Philadelphia)

LA Clippers: Mike Dunleavy (LA Lakers, Milwaukee, Portland)

LA Lakers: Phil Jackson (Chicago, Prior Lakers stint)

Memphis: Marc Ivaroni 

Miami: Erik Spoelstra

Milwaukee: Scott Skiles (Phoenix, Chicago)

Minnesota: Randy Wittman (Cleveland)

New Jersey: Lawrence Frank 

New Orleans: Byron Scott (New Jersey)

New York: Mike D'Antoni (Denver, Phoenix)

Oklahoma City: P.J. Carlesimo (Portland, Golden State)

Orlando: Stan Van Gundy (Miami)

Philadelphia: Maurice Cheeks (Portland)

Phoenix: Terry Porter (Milwaukee)

Portland: Nate McMillan (Seattle)

Sacramento: Reggie Theus

San Antonio: Gregg Popovich

Toronto: Sam Mitchell

Utah: Jerry Sloan

Washington: Reggie Jordan

First team: 12

Second team: 7

Third team: 6

Fourth or more: 5

Its pretty amazing how NBA coaches get recycled, but I guess one reason why this happens is that unlike in the NFL, NBA assistants are pretty anonymous, so GM's are hesitant to hire someone that the fans have never heard of. 

In the next couple of days I will post something about how many coaching changes these teams have made in the last decade. 

NFL coaching trend

Here are your NFL head coaches going into the 2009 season. The coaches who are in bold are in their first NFL head coaching job:

Buffalo: Dick Jauron

Miami: Tony Sparano

New England: Bill Belichick

NY Jets: Rex Ryan

Pittsburgh: Mike Tomlin

Baltimore: John Harbaugh

Cincinnati: Marvin Lewis

Cleveland: Eric Mangini

Indianapolis: Jim Caldwell

Jacksonville: Jack Del Rio

Houston: Gary Kubiak

Tennessee: Jeff Fisher

Denver: Josh McDaniel

Kansas City: Todd Haley

Oakland: Tom Cable

San Diego: Norv Turner

Dallas: Wade Phillips

NY Giants: Tom Coughlin

Philadelphia: Andy Reid

Washington: Jim Zorn

Chicago: Lovie Smith

Detroit: Jim Schwartz

Green Bay: Mike McCarthy

Minnesota: Brad Childress

Tampa Bay: Raheem Morris

New Orleans: Sean Payton

Carolina: John Fox

Atlanta: Mike Smith

St. Louis: Steve Spagnolo

Arizona: Ken Whisenhunt

Seattle: Jim Mora Jr.

San Francisco: Mike Singletary

So thats 25 of 32 head coaches that were hired as first time head coaches. Lets go back 10 years, and see how many were in their first head coaching jobs. Remember there were 31 teams at the time.

Buffalo: Wade Phillips

Miami: Jimmy Johnson

Indianapolis: Jim Mora

New England: Pete Carroll

NY Jets: Bill Parcells

Pittsburgh: Bill Cowher

Tennessee: Jeff Fisher

Jacksonville: Tom Coughlin

Cleveland: Chris Palmer

Cincinnati: Bruce Coslet

Baltimore: Brian Billick

San Diego: Mike Riley

Oakland: John Gruden

Kansas City: Gunther Cunningham

Seattle: Mike Holmgrem

Denver: Mike Shannahan

Dallas: Chan Gailey

NY Giants: Jim Fassell

Arizona: Vince Tobin

Philadelphia: Andy Reid

Washington: Norv Turner

Chicago: Dick Jauron

Detroit: Bobby Ross

Minnesota: Dennis Green

Tampa Bay: Tony Dungy

Green Bay: Ray Rhodes

San Francisco: Steve Mariucci

St. Louis: Dick Vermeil

Atlanta: Dan Reeves

Carolina: George Seifert

New Orleans: Mike Ditka

So 10 years ago 17 of 31 were in their first head coaching jobs, so obviously teams recycled head coaches more 10 years ago than they do now. In both cases there were only 2 coaches on their third team (Parcells and Reeves in '99, Turner and Phillips in '09).

One more note- in 1999 Bill Cowher and Dennis Green were the longest tenured coaches. They both made their debuts in 1992. 

First NBA trade domino falls

1 week before the NBA Trade Deadline, and we have our first trade. Miami sends Shawn Marion to Toronto for Jermaine O'Neal. Marion is a free agent after this season, and O'Neal is a free agent after next season. Neither player has been as productive as they had been. O'Neal is only playing 30 minutes a game, Marion is playing 36 minutes a game, but averaging just 12 points. Both players needed a change of scenery, and Marion is reunited with Bryan Colangelo, O'Neal gives the Heat a post presence. Sounds like the next week could be very eventful. 

Rockets better off without McGrady?

If you recall earlier in the season I said that Tracy McGrady would be fine, I am afraid I was wrong. I think it might be time to call this season a lost cause for the player formerly known as TMac. He has shown flashes of his old self, but those flashes are few and far between. Most of the time he looks old, forces bad jump shots, and is getting lit up on defense. Interesting blog post from Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle earlier in the week on McGrady: 

Is there a Doctor in the house?

I jokingly asked Shane Battier if the Rockets needed to schedule a psychiatrist visit. He quickly whipped that forget Dr. Phil, a trip to Oprah Winfrey's couch, where they could "shed a few tears," might be called for.

After talking to Tracy McGrady, it is my professional opinion that a mental health professional is indeed a need.

McGrady says the missed breakaway layup against Milwaukee - the one which he couldn't get the lift to clear the rim - was the most embarrassing play of his career.

"I had all my boys calling me about that one," McGrady said. "That was pretty bad."

"I was trying to get my steps right ..." he started to say.

Apparently the incredulous look on my face threw him off, so he stopped the interview and asked me why I was making faces.

Why?

Because a few seasons ago, I showed a tape of a play to a coach as we discussed how the fundamentals of the game had changed because of exceptional athletes like McGrady.

It was a play where he got a steal near midcourt, to create a 3-on-1 fast break. Basketball fundamentals dictate the ball should go to the middle so that the offense can work the 3-on-1 properly.

The fundamentals, as written, didn't account for a player like McGrady being capable of taking one dribble from midcourt and dunking the basketball.

Anyway, McGrady is now looking for old school fundamentals, because he isn't close to being the player he was even a year ago, let alone the guy who a few years back was a single dribble from the rim at midcourt.

McGrady explained that his problem the other night was that was going to be the first time he would go full-bore on the run to jump off the surgically-repaired left leg.

We all saw the result.

"When I got the ball, I was already nervous," McGrady said. "I was like, 'Damn, I hope somebody catches up with me so I can pass the ball.'

"I saw the guy out of the corner of my eye, so I went to change up my shot ... no elevation."

McGrady said he is still dealing with mental issues, coming off the first surgery of his life.

He needs to get his head in the game.

Say what you want about McGrady, he deserves the criticism for a host of failings, but no critic has ever said he couldn't finish a one-on-none break.

If you're on a one-man break, praying for help to make a play, you're no longer a basketball player, you are a basket case.

McGrady pulled did not play Wednesday night against Sacramento. He spoke to reporters at halftime and said that nothing has changed with his knee. It isn't getting worse, but McGrady doesn't think its been geting better. Will it ever?

The four #1's

I think they are pretty obvious, but here they are:

UConn 

Oklahoma

North Carolina

Pittsburgh

UConn is the overall #1

#2 seeds

Louisville

Clemson

Memphis

Michigan State

I don't think Memphis is going to lose before Selection Sunday, so if things fall their way, I wouldn't be shocked if they got a #1 seed.

UPDATE: I will make Duke the 4th #2 seed and drop Louisville down.

A-Rod admits using steroids, doesn't know which ones

Alex Rodriguez has just admitted to Peter Gammons that he used steroids during his years with the Rangers in an interview that will air in its entirety on Sportscenter at 5:00 central. He said that he started using them after signing the 10 year $252 million contract because he felt the pressure to prove he was worth money. In the small portion that has been shown by ESPN Rodriguez claims not to know which substances he used. 

Give A-Rod credit for at least admitting it, although you would think that a professional athlete of that caliber would take something without actually knowing what it was or what it did. Here are some questions that I would have for him, and hopefully Gammons asked some of these questions during the interview:

1. Why did you stop using them?

2. You say that you used them because of the pressure you felt from your contract, but didn't you feel pressure after being traded to New York?

3. Do you deserve to be in the hall of fame?

4. Why are you admitting it, and do you recommend that other players like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds just admit it?

5. Are you angry with the union for not destroying the test?

6. Should the rest of the list from 2003 be released?

In Jose Canseco's book Vindicated Canseco claims that introduced A-Rod to a steriods dealer, A-Rod says that those claims are false.

They have compared A-Rod's average seasons in Texas and the rest of his career. The slugging numbers are a little higher with the Rangers, and he averaged over 10 more homers a year in those 3 seasons, but lets factor in that Arlington is a better hitters park than anywhere else he has played. Here are his homerun totals with games played in parenthesis.

1994: 0 (17)

1995: 5 (48)

1996: 36 (146)

1997: 23 (141)

1998: 42 (161)

1999: 42 (129)

2000: 41 (148)

2001: 52 (162)

2002: 57 (162)

2003: 47 (161)

2004: 36 (155)

2005: 48 (162)

2006: 35 (154)

2007: 54 (158)

2008: 35 (138)

Peter Gammons was just on Sportscenter and said that Rodriguez was very emotional throughout the interview, and he also said that Rodriguez doesn't hold any hard feelings against the players association. More on this later.

An AAAAAAAA-Bomb dropped on AAAAAAA-Rod

A-Rod did steroids? Seriously, A-Rod? One morning we are going to wake up to the news that David Eckstein was juicing too. I'll bet Obama was on steroids during the campaign. How else can you explain why he was so much more energetic than Hillary and McCain? Plus the guy works out almost everyday, thats inhuman. I for one do not take steroids, and someone who doesn't take steroids should really only be able to work out 2-3 times a month if you ask me.

Anyways A-Rod's rep is ruined forever, and his people should probably start drafting a press release saying that he and Madonna are engaged, that might be able to change the subject. Here is my question: Do we take into consideration that he has not tested positive since 2003? He won the MVP in 2003 the year he tested positive, but he also won the AL MVP in 2005 and 2007, so how much of his success over the years can we actually attribute to steroids?

Can Federer be the best ever?

That is the question I have been asking myself since Federer dropped to 6-13 all-time against Rafael Nadal. Can we actually consider a guy to be the best ever when he has been dominated by his biggest rival? Federer has won 13 grand slams, spent 4 years at #1, and has not missed a semifinal at a grand slam since the French Open in 2004, but Nadal has owned him- flat out. It used to just be a clay thing, but now Nadal is winning on grass and hard courts. They have played in 7 grand slam finals, Nadal is 5-2 with Feds only wins coming on the lawns of Wimledon. By the way, the 5 slam final losses to Nadal are the only losses that Federer has in grand slam finals. 

Lets say that Federer ties Pete Sampras for most grand slam titles (14), but doesn't win anymore, and lets say that the 14th isn't the French Open. Does Federer's lack of success against the #2 player of the era keep Sampras as the best player of all-time? Pete dominated everyone, that is, as long as they didn't play on clay. Federer has dominated everyone everywhere except for one guy, but can he be the best all-time when he couldn't beat his chief rival? 

Lets forget about Sampras right now. What if Nadal keeps winning slams, keeps beating Federer, wins the US Open to complete the career slam, at what point does Nadal's career surpass Federer's? He has won 6 slams, and in every single one he beat Federer along the way, 5 in the finals, once in the semis. He has only lost 2 slam matches to Roger. He won the French and Wimbledon in the same summer for the first time in almost 30 years. He has never lost a match at Roland Garros. If you ask me Nadal is well on his way to being the greatest tennis player ever. 

Father/Son coaching combos

This was posted on one of the ESPN blogs after the Jets hired Rex Ryan during Super Bowl week. I wanted to hold off on posting it until the game was played, so here are the father/son NFL coaching combos.

Father-son NFL head coaches Father Record Son Record Don Shula 328-156-6 (.678) David Shula 19-52-0 (.268) Bum Phillips 82-77-0 (.516) Wade Phillips 70-49-0 (.588) Jim E. Mora 125-106-0 (.541) Jim L. Mora 26-22-0 (.542) Dick Nolan 69-82-5 (.457) Mike Nolan 18-37-0 (.327) Buddy Ryan 55-55-1 (.500) Rex Ryan ??-??-? (.???)

Its interesting to note that Dave Shula was the first of this group to get an NFL head coaching job, he is now managing restaurants. Don Shula is the only coach in this group to get to a Super Bowl. Wade Phillips and Jim Mora Sr have each made multiple playoff appearances, but have not notched a playoff win. Bum Phillips and Jim Mora Jr. have both made conference Championship Games.

SEC owns signing day

I have zero interest in recruiting. I think its one of those things that has spiraled out of control. I don't know what's worse: kids committing to schools where they are 14 years old, or kids committing to schools on national television by throwing hats on the floor. The whole thing has become a circus, so I don't really pay attention to it, but last night I got bored and started looking through the rankings according to rivals.com. I noticed that just three 5-star recruits signed with Big 10 schools. That seemed very low, so I decided to go through every conference, and this is what I found:

ACC: 5

Big 10: 3

Big 12: 5

Pac 10: 5 (4 to USC)

SEC: 15

Big East: 0

MWC: 1 (Utah)

Notre Dame: 1

Thats right 15 five-star recruits to the SEC. 20 to everyone else. LSU signed 5, Bama 4, Florida 3. Not good that the Big East was shutout.

Phelps is his own worst enemy

I think the more America has gotten to know Michael Phelps since he won 8 gold medals at the Olympics, the more America has grown not to like him, and now with the picture of Phelps and the bong being released things have gone from bad to worse. Since Phelps got back from China he has been everywhere: Michigan games, Ravens games, Sacramento Kings games, everywhere. He has been really really boring on every TV and radio show. I mean the guy has no charisma.

The biggest problem with Phelps since the summer has been his partying. He has had issues before, remember he got picked up for a DUI after the Athens Olympics, but now the spotlight is centered on him, and he's one of the biggest sports stars in the country. There's nothing wrong with going out and having a good time, but he's not smart about it. He is about the same age as Lebron James. Lebron has been in the spotlight since he was 16 years old, he has never put himself in a bad situation. Does Lebron stay in every night and read a book? My guess would be no, but he is smart about where he goes and who he's with, something that Phelps should look into. Every time Phelps is pictured at a strip club or partying in South Carolina, its only going to hurt his reputation even more, and before you know it he's been banned from swimming and has no money. Have fun, but be smart. You can't go to some apartment in South Carolina, do stupid things and expect to get away with them, not how it works, not as long as we have camera phones, and tabloids. 

The greatest Super Bowl according to me

I only go back to Super Bowl XXVI (Bills/Redskins), so I am leaving out the first 25, but here is how I rank the Super Bowls that I saw live:

1. XXXII Broncos 31 Packers 24

I love this game. First of all the quarterbacks: Favre going for his second straight, and Elway trying to get his first. Both teams were really really good. The Packers won the Super Bowl the year before, and lost in the NFC Championship Game the year before that. Denver was in the middle of a 3 year run that saw them win 2 Super Bowls have a record of 46-10 record including the playoffs. The game itself was outstanding. Favre played really well, and you had a legendary performance by Terrell Davis who ran 157 yards despite sitting out the 2nd quarter with a migraine. Denver broke a 24-24 tie with a Davis touchdown with 1:45 left, so you had Brett Favre trying to lead his team down the field to get a game tying touchdown. It doesn't get anymore exciting than that.

2. XLII Giants 17 Patriots 14

This game is a few notches below #1, but I put it at #2 because of the Patriots going for the perfect season, and it was a well played game. Only 1 turnover for each team, and there were very few turnovers. It falls into that 4th quarter trap though, 31 total points scored in the game, 21 of them were in the last 15 minutes, so only 10 points the first 45, that is a little boring.

3. XLIII Steelers 27 Cardinals 23

Similar finish to the Giants/Pats game, but it didn't have the great storylines.

4. XXXIV Rams 23 Titans 16

An incredible 4th quarter helped make up for a really boring game, and it ended on one of the most dramatic plays in the history of the sport which capped off an incredible drive by Steve McNair. St. Louis led 16-0, but Tennessee battled back to tie it, only to see the Rams take the lead the first play they got the ball back.

5. XXXVIII Patriots 32 Panthers 29

This was a strange game. First of all it was very high scoring, but all the points came in 19 minutes of play. The game was scoreless with less than 4 minutes to go in the first half. The halftime score was 14-10 Pats. The score remained 14-10 going into the 4th quarter and both teams combined for 37 points. The final 3 came on game-winning field goal by Adam Vinatieri.

6. XXXVI Patriots 20 Rams 17

7. XXXIX Patriots 24 Eagles 21

8. XXX Cowboys 27 Steelers 17

9. XXXI Packers 35 Patriots 21

10. XL Steelers 21 Seahawks 10

11. XXVIII Cowboys 30 Bills 13

12. XLI Colts 29 Bears 17

13. XXXVII Bucs 48 Raiders 21

14. XXVI Redskins 37 Bills 24

15. XXVII Cowboys 52 Bills 17

16. XXIX 49ers 49 Chargers 26

17. XXXV Ravens 34 Giants 7

A great finish does not always equal a great game

I'm with Colin Cowherd on this one. Just because you get an amazing finish doesn't mean you get an amazing game, and if you look at the all 4 quarters of Super Bowl XLIII you realize it wasn't a great game, it was really good, but not great. 

Things that disqualify a game from being considered great according to me:

Sloppiness- penalties and unforced turnovers

Yesterday's game had a lot of both especially stupid personal foul penalties that extended drives. 3 turnovers isn't terrible, but 18 total penalties is.

Refs- It can't be considered a great game if people are talking about bad calls the next day. People have been talking a lot about the Terry McAulay's crew. Thats not the fault of the players, but to me it takes away from the game. Thats why I will never consider that Ohio St/Miami game a classic. Whenever you think of that game you think of the pass interference call that kept Ohio St alive.

Also lets not forget that Super Bowl XLIII was rather boring and one-sided until the 4th quarter A great 4th quarter, but not a great game.

Super Bowl Pick

Before I start this post let the record reflect that since Super Bowl XXXV I have picked every Super Bowl against the spread correctly except for Super Bowl XXXVII, so here we g0:

Pittsburgh -6.5 vs Arizona

I'm going with defense in this one. I don't see the Cards running the ball on Pittsburgh, and I think they will be forced to be one-dimensional, and it is so difficult to beat the Steelers when they are dropping back to throw 50 times. The Cardinals have done a very good job taking care of the ball during the post season, but I think the Steelers will force turnovers, and that will lead to cheap points. The Cardinals have forced 12 turnovers in the postseason, but Baltimore forced more turnovers than anyone in football, but they could only force 1 turnover last week in the AFC Championship Game. I think the game will be relatively low scoring, but Pittsburgh wins 24-16.