It’s too early to fully decide for now, but I think it’s safe to say that Richard Jefferson in San Antonio isn’t working as well it seemed like it would. He has seen the same basic amount of playing time that he has in the past, but his production has dropped by seven points from last year, and is his lowest since he was a rookie in 2001. Three of the last four years he has averaged about 20 points or more per game. This year he has only topped 20 points three times. The Spurs have limped out of the gate at just 10-9 after a win last night, and they have been mostly lousy on the road and against good competition. It doesn’t really matter how he does now as long as the team makes the playoffs, but clearly the chemistry isn’t working yet.
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Andrew Bogut perplexes me. He has the look at times of what he is – a number one overall pick. Other times, though, he can look like the most common, uninspiring player on the planet. The reason I thought of this today was I caught part of Milwaukee’s game against the Celtics. Boston won fairly easily to drop Milwaukee for the eighth time in their last nine game.Bogut, though, was prett y special. He had 25 points and 14 boards, and he shot the lights out. In short, he played pretty much entirely up to his potential. He did that the othernight , too – on November 30the against the Bulls he had 22 and 15. The problem, though, is that sandwiched between those two all-star caliber performances were three absolutely stinky duds. He had a total of just 23 points and 20 rebounds combined in those three games, and he shot .323 from the field. I could understand this kind of maddening inconsistency if the guy was a rookie or even a sophomore, but given that he’s in his fifth year it’s frustrating, and it’s one of several reasons why the Bucks are a hard team to handicap these days.
Continue reading “Two NBA Notes, and One From College Football”
I’m a big Pudge Rodriguez guy – he’s my favorite non-pitcher of all time, I think. That being said, I was really surprised by the news that he will be joining the Nationals. He has reportedly signed a two year, $6 million contract. I’m surprised that at this time in his career he’d be interested in playing in such a hopeless situation. Or at least that’s what I thought until I considered it more and came up with one big consideration in their favor – Stephen Strasburg. Pudge gets to spend likely his last two years in the league catching for the most exciting prospect in baseball in a long, long time. The Nats get to be sure that their prize star is well-handled, and they get to benefit from the veteran leadership and instant credibility he brings to the table.
I decided to write about this today because I was very pleased to see that Kansas reportedly interviewed Turner Gill from Buffalo yesterday. Gill was a celebrated player at Nebraska, so he is very familiar with the Big 12 and respectful of the history and tradition. Gill is a guy on the rise, and he definitely appears ready for the big time, so I think he would be a very good fit. His offense at Buffalo also looks like it wouldn’t be out of place in the Big 12, so it would be very fun to see what he could do with access to better talent. I also think Gill deserves the chance because he took a risk last year that I wish more coaches would take. He was very hot last year after winning the MAC unexpectedly, but instead of jumping at a job, including potentially hisalma mater, he chose to stay loyal for another year at Buffalo. That risk didn’t pay off for him because Buffalo fell out of contention and out of the public eye, but it’s not like he forgot how to coach so he shouldn’t be punished for an inevitable element of college football. Maybe him getting a prime job this year would encourage more rising coaches to exercise patience and show more loyalty to their stepping stone programs.
Continue reading “College Football Coaching Changes – My Two Cents”
1. I don’t think that we should read too much into how the Saints won today. It wasn’t pretty, and it probably shouldn’t have happened, but there was a lot to take from that. First, Washington was the best passing defense in the league coming into the game but the Saints managed 419 passing yards against them, and they made the winning TD look as easy as it can possibly look. Next, the Redskins were at home and were fired up by trying to save their season and all that so it made sense that they were stout. Finally, the Saints were missing three cornerbacks , so I’m not concerned by their ability to stop Jason Campbell. The Saints almost lost to a bad team, but they found a way to get the win in the end, and that’s all that matters.
I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall at Florida State the last couple of days. Word is that Bobby Bowden is going to retire tomorrow. I have absolutely no doubt that he is doing the right thing – he has no business coaching anymore. That being said, I wasn’t expecting him to go easily. It will be very interesting to see what happens with this team next year. We have heard for a long time about how good Jimbo Fisher is, but now he has no safety net and no one to blame. I don’t like anything about the Seminoles, but the sport is unquestionably better when they are an elite squad.
Here’s the best of a relatively light day of college football:
Oklahoma State (+8) at Oklahoma – It amazes me that the Cowboys are still getting as little respect as this line indicates given the seasons the two teams have had. This one really matters for the Cowboys, and only counts for pride for Oklahoma.
New Mexico (+44.5) at TCU – Boise State did their job yesterday. Now TCU needs to avoid a humiliating upset to secure a BCS bid. This is a chance for style points for the Horned Frogs.
There was a lot of good sports action yesterday. Here’s a look at the biggest stories to come out of the day:
1. Detroit has a long, long, long way to go. There were a couple of good things going on in their game against Green Bay, but not many. Matthew Stafford looks like a deer in the headlights, and I can’t imagine that getting chased around the field before throwing yet another interception is helping him become a better quarterback. I’m not writing the guy off yet, but this isn’t positive.
I am not looking forward to this day of college football. as a major Michigan fan this is normally my favorite day – the brilliant rivalry that is Michigan-Ohio State. This year I just face it with frustration and dread, though. Our team is lousy, we’re not bowl eligible, and we are more than likely going to lose badly. Again. Painfully frustrating. I may or may not be able to watch the whole game. Either way, I will be paying more attention to other games than I normally do on this day. These ones are the most interesting to me:
North Carolina (+3.5) at Boston College – I like the progress that North Carolina is making and would like to see them wind up raked. They are just clinging to the last spot in the polls, though, so they really can’t afford to lose this one. Boston College would be close to climbing into the polls themselves with a win here.
Minnesota (+11) at Iowa – The Hawkeyes stand a good chance of making the BCS if they win here, and the bigger the win the better. If that’s not motivation for a big showing – by both teams – then nothing will be.
Oklahoma (-6.5) at Texas Tech – This team doesn’t mean a thing for either team in a real sense, but it still should be fun as both sides try to salvage some pride.
TCU (-30.5) at Wyoming – TCU needs to keep winning to maintain their chances of glory. Wyoming is outclassed, but they can be a tough, feisty team at home – just ask Texas. Wyoming won the last time these teams met in Laramie.
UConn (+6) at Notre Dame – The Charlie Weis death watch continues. I’m not at all convinced that he can do anything to save himself, but a loss here would be fatal.
LSU (+4.5) at Ole Miss – LSU is at number 10 and could play themselves higher in the rankings with a win here. They aren’t going to make the BCS barring a miracle because there are already two SEC teams ahead of them, but the motivation will still be high here for pride. Mississippi has a better record than their play should warrant, and could earn a nice bowl with a win here, too.
Virginia (+21) at Clemson – C.J. Spiller is a beast and Virginia can’t stop the run. This one could be a big factor in the Heisman race.
Penn State (-3) at Michigan State – If Iowa loses then Penn State would be playing for a BCS bid here. That isn’t likely, but it would make for a classic. Either way, this one should be a good one.
Cal (+7) at Stanford – The Cardinal have been amazing the last couple of weeks, but can they maintain the momentum when they play a slightly lesser opponent? This one is always a war anyway because of the rivalry, but this time around it should be fascinating.
Kansas (+27.5) at Texas – The Longhorns have their fate in their hands – stay on track and they are headed to the BCS championship game. This one won’t be close if Texas is focused because Kansas is self-destructing.
Oregon (-6) at Arizona – The Pac-10 is offering by far the most drama in the country right now, and this is yet another game that will help to determine the conference champion and the bowl rankings. Arizona needs a big win.
It’s another big weekend of college football action. Here are the storylines that are the most intriguing:
Tennessee (+6) at Mississippi – The large majority of the bets have been on the Vols, but the line is on an elevator up – from 3.5 where it opened to six now. That isn’t what you would expect, and that means that some smart money is hitting Mississippi fairly hard. It will be interesting to see if Mississippi can back up the faith.
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