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Sat Nov 21, 2009 5:59 am EST
Court Report: The Answer is No
The Knicks have shunned AI, Bogut is back on the shelf, and the Curry Line's namesake is back in action. All that and notables from Friday's action in bullet form...
• The Knicks will not make an offer to Allen Iverson, with Mike D'Antoni citing their young roster as the main reason:“With the development of some of our young guys and with Gallo and Wilson and Toney Douglas and Eddy, we just didn't think right now we wanted to have that dominant force on the team."
It will be interesting to see what is next for AI. With neither the Heat nor the Bobcats looking like they are ready to bring him aboard, he's looking at unemployment for at least the near future. Perhaps it will take a major injury to a team's starting guard to eventually move the needle here. Or perhaps Iverson's rant after just one game with the Grizz this season will prove to be to be his ultimate undoing. Those of you that added AI in recent days can think about another player off the wire (Ersan Ilyasova? Jared Dudley?) -- even if he were to sign with Miami or Charlotte, the fantasy potential won't approach what might have been in New York.
• Eddy Curry played all of 12 minutes on Wednesday, but he's already generating enough buzz to have D'Antoni bring his name up with the likes of Gallinari and Chander. So who does Curry take minutes from in the event that he's playing 25 per game? They will most likely come from Jared Jeffries first, Larry Hughes second, and Al Harrington third. I'll stop short of an endorsement -- the Curry Line exists for a reason -- but it'd be unwise to completely ignore a player with offensive talent in the Knicks' system, and the organization would certainly like for him to succeed. Deep-leaguers with a roster spot in play should consider a move here, particularly if they are short on bigs or need help in FG%.
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Sat Nov 21, 2009 2:07 am EST
Friday's Three Stars: Heatley's trick; Florida, Boston win in OT
No. 1 Star: Dany Heatley, San Jose SharksCoach Todd McLellan stacked his best players on the same line against the Philadelphia Flyers: Heatley, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. The result? A 6-3 win over the Flyers and a hat-trick for Heatley. His first goal was on a patient 2-in-1 with Thornton; so was his second goal, set up by Jumbo Joe (4 assists on the night) while shorthanded. He completed the hat trick with a power-play goal in the third. Heatley now has 17 goals on the season, best in the NHL.
No. 2 Star: Owen Nolan, Minnesota Wild
Nolan scored the game-winning goal with just 67 seconds remaining on a quick shot in front of Marty Biron (26 saves) after an Eric Belanger pass. It was his second of the night, having opened the scoring in the first on another feed from Belanger. Good win for the Wild, rallying with two goals in the third for the 3-2 win over the visiting New York Islanders.
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Fri Nov 20, 2009 11:09 pm EST
Weekly Slice: The 2009 men's season ends with a top-spot showdown
First serve
London is gearing up for the final showdown of the ATP season, and all the talk is about the battle for top spot. Even the inclusion of British favorite Andy Murray in the eight-man field for the ATP World Tour Finals can't distract from the fight for the No.1 ranking that will be played out between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.Despite being injured for much of the summer and missing Wimbledon, Nadal still has the opportunity to finish the year ahead of the pack by winning the tournament and hoping Federer slips up. Yet as 2009 draws to a close in men's tennis, it is impossible to shake the sense that this year has merely been the appetizer for what could be a spectacular 2010.
Coming into this season, we all eagerly anticipated that the Federer-Nadal rivalry would heat up further, especially with Federer's mononucleosis condition controlled and overcome. However, Nadal's knee problems prevented them from meeting at the French Open and kept the Spaniard out until his return just before the U.S. Open, when he was still way short of full fitness.
If both the big guns can go into the new campaign at their peak, it will pave the way for a superb year.
Also working his way in the mix is Novak Djokovic, who finally seems to have his motivation levels right and at last is poised to challenge the top two on a regular basis. Murray will look to improve on his disappointing performances at the major championships, and Juan Martin del Potro also has the ability to grow upon his U.S. Open triumph.
If all these stars are fit and healthy, then they will push Federer and Nadal to even greater achievements and allow one of modern sport's most intriguing head-to-head matchups to flourish.
Drop shot
Andre Agassi has received confirmation that he will not be censured for his admitted use of crystal meth during his playing career. ATP president Adam Helfant revealed that his organization is powerless to punish Agassi retroactively as he is no longer playing. Instead, he is free to make extra money from the revelations in his autobiography "Open," effectively being rewarded for the lies he told to cover up his drug use in the late 1990s.Clean winner
The USTA's annual participation survey showed surprisingly buoyant results, revealing more than 30 million active players now in the United States. The figures were up 12 percent from 2008 and also showed increased numbers across all minority groups.Use your frequent flyer miles
It is a good time of year to be in London. Christmas songs are already blaring from every radio station, and Oxford Street is a great place to snap up some festive gifts. Then there is the small matter of the ATP World Tour Finals, where Federer and Nadal slug it out for the top ranking while Andy Murray tries to please his home crowd.This week's predictions
ATP World Tour Finals (singles): Roger Federer
ATP World Tour Finals (doubles): Daniel Nestor/Nenad Zimonjic -
Fri Nov 20, 2009 8:02 pm EST
Pro skateboarder Mike V cited in Niedermayer stick brawl
Mike Vallely is a pro skater and a celebrity fan for the Anaheim Ducks, who had done some blogging for them in the past (screen cap here). That relationship has been severed by the team, according to the OC Register, which reported that police said 'Mike V.' was arrested and cited for fighting in public for his part in the wild fan brawl over Scott Niedermayer's(notes) stick. Video of the fight was posted here on Friday morning.
We were tipped off earlier today that the "little girl" Niedermayer referred to in his awkward postgame interview on Fox Sports was in fact Vallely's daughter, and that Vallely became physically involved when another fan attempted to snatch the stick after Niedermayer tossed it to her over the glass.
Curtis Zupke of Ducks blog confirmed those details and that Vallely, 39, had been arrested, though police said "none of the parties involved wished to press charges."
Zupke writes that the Ducks were doing a bit of damage control today:
A link to Vallely's blog had been on the Ducks' official Web site. The link was taken down by Friday afternoon. Ducks spokesman Alex Gilchrist said that Vallely was not an official employee of the organization, but that the Ducks have terminated their relationship with him.
The Ducks are evaluating the practice of players handing their sticks to fans in the stands, Gilchrist said. The tradition began this season.
Puck Buddy Bredan emailed us about Mike V participating in the fight, telling us that he's obviously cut his hair (and we imagine had a shave since this George Parros(notes) photo in 2007) and that the Web is littered with clips of him involved in other fights.
The Ducks incident is already up on Mike V's Wikipedia page, whose references to Powell Peralta in 1987 have made us feel about as old as watching John Carlson(notes) (D.O.B.: Jan 10, 1990) skate for the Capitals tonight. Sigh.
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Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:23 pm EST
Puck Previews: Sharks load up vs. Flyers; Sabres seek rebound
Here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.
Preview: Philadelphia Flyers at San Jose Sharks, 10 p.m. EST. The big news here, according to the Sharks, is Coach Todd McLellan putting together the mega-line of Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley. McLellan told Working The Corners: "Things may be going great for (the Thornton line), but if it's not going good for the other three lines, we can't leave them out in the dark and have a one line game." Aw, who cares about those other nine guys; play these dudes for 60.
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Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:15 pm EST
Will Tito Ortiz bring out his UFC 84 t-shirt for today's weigh-in?
It's still hard to believe an accord was reached between the warring factions from UFC 84. Tito Ortiz is back making money from and for the UFC and president Dana White. He's in the main event of UFC 106 tomorrow night against Forrest Griffin.
Eighteen months ago he showed up at the weigh-in for his fight against Lyoto Machida wearing a t-shirt that said "Dana is my bitch." After the fight he was nearly removed from the MGM Grand by Las Vegas Metro Police when he and his wife Jenna Jameson pushed past MGM security into the postfight press conference. Ortiz fielded questions as the UFC P.R. staff repeatedly asked him to leave, and for the media to stop asking questions. Jameson barked about freedom of speech just a few feet away from the stage. And now White, Ortiz, Jameson and the UFC are one big, happy family. It was a wise move for all involved but you have to wonder if there's still some underlying animosity.
If Tito wears another t-shirt to the weigh-in, what will it say this afternoon? You can watch the UFC 106 weigh-in from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 7 p.m. at UFC.com.
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Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:09 pm EST
Pac-10 rubber match has Oregon and Arizona both eyeing 'next level'
Saturday's Pac-10 showdown in Tucson is ostensibly about Oregon finishing off its conference title run in the same place where a near-identical steamroller of an offense was abruptly stopped in its tracks two years ago. The parallels between these Ducks and the edition that came up short in 2007 are obvious and a little eerie: Like the '07 team, Oregon goes into Arizona as a solid favorite with one conference loss, a home win over USC that announced the Ducks' arrival as the new league heavyweight, a versatile quarterback at the helm of the league's highest-scoring offense and a clear shot to the Rose Bowl.
Last time, the Ducks fell apart in this spot when Heisman frontrunner Dennis Dixon suddenly went down with a torn ACL, sending the team into a funk that cost it that game against Arizona and its last two in the regular season, a whimper of an ending for an outfit that seemed to be roaring toward a national title shot. Those heights are out of reach for this team, but another sudden collapse -- for whatever reason -- would feel just as deflating with the Pac-10's first non-Trojan championship in eight years so clearly in reach.
Just as interesting, though, is Arizona's trajectory to this point, not in its path from preseason also-ran to legitimate conference contender -- the Wildcats will win the Pac-10 and go to the Rose Bowl for the first time in school history if they win their last three, beginning with Oregon -- but also in the long run of Mike Stoops' six-year tenure. 'Zona progressively improved from one season to the next in each of Stoops' first five seasons, a logical climb as the defense gradually improved and quarterback Willie Tuitama progressed along with a surrounding cast that grew up together as multiyear starters. This year, minus Tuitama as well as record-breaking receiver Mike Thomas, All-American left tackle/second-round pick Eben Britton and injured tight end Rob Gronkowski, who hasn't played a down of his junior season, this year should have been the first great regression under Stoops' watch.
Instead, so far, the upward track has kept right on rolling with a largely new cast:
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Fri Nov 20, 2009 5:50 pm EST
Game to pay attention to: Magic vs. Celtics
It could be a three-game night, or it might be a 10-game night. Doesn't matter. Actually, it is a 10-game night. Has no bearing on this. The Magic and Celtics are playing, and you need to watch.
You don't have to do it in real time. It's a Friday night, and someone might want to shower your foyer with rose pedals before feeding you stroganoff. Doesn't matter, tape the darn thing. Watch it tomorrow. Understand that it might go a long way toward giving you an understanding of what goes on in May. These two could go seven next spring, and you're going to want to know why.
You're also going to want to watch it because Orlando and Boston are two highly entertaining teams, squads that shoot well, play D, run the floor when appropriate, while slamming it home or working the baseline reverse scoop while inappropriate.
What else are you going to do? Mess with the head of some wrong number that keeps texting you? Not that this is wrong or anything, but leave the kid alone. They're scared.
10 games tonight. The Blazers are in Oakland to take on the Warriors, Houston and Atlanta will be a killer, Cleveland and Indiana will remind of glorious autumn evenings in the Midwest, Miami and Toronto makes no sense (weren't the Raptors just in Denver?), and Washington and the Oklahoma City Thunder feels like a spring training game between an American and National League team that would never meet in the World Series.
Comment away, down below. Have a lovely weekend.
Boston Celtics: 9-3, 90.9 possessions per game (25th-most in the NBA), 109.3 points scored per 100 possessions (fifth), 97.7 points allowed per 100 possessions (first).
Orlando Magic: 9-3, 92.2 possessions per game (18th), 108.9 points scored per 100 possessions (eighth), 102.8 points allowed per 100 possessions (11th).
All statistics courtesy basketball-reference.com.
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Fri Nov 20, 2009 5:20 pm EST
Forrest Griffin: UFC's cussing, anti-role model
Tito Ortiz may be a better trash-talker but Forrest Griffin is a better quote. The quotes are rarely about his fighting or career, but they're still classics. This discussion on why he curses so often is dynamite. "I don't know why I cuss so much. I'm around gyms all the time. Damn, dirty apes," Griffin told the gathered media at UFC 106 workout day.
He told the scribes that his bad language gave him an idea for his next book:
"The preface of my new book is 'My mother told me when I was a kid that cussing is a sign of low intelligence and low vocabulary. Well, [expletive] her.' I don't care. Maybe I have low intelligence and low vocabulary."
The discussion turned to whether you can be a role model with a filthy mouth. Could Phil Baroni fill that role:
Griffin laughed and said, "I don't want to be like Phil Baroni. Would you want your kids to be like Phil Baroni? Maybe I should quit cussing."
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Fri Nov 20, 2009 4:38 pm EST
Timmy is so wicked: Lincecum's hair grows with his legend
Is San Francisco Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum(notes) on a haircut strike until he's no longer the reigning Cy Young? I hope his mane, which appears to be as long as the line of guys headed back to the dugout after strike three, goes down to his belt by July.
The downside is, there can be consequences for how you wear your hair, or what it's alleged you have in your car. For one, people think it gives them the right to make fun of you. The nerve!
This link, for example — which is not safe for work and contains adult language, my little pretties.
Hat tip: Walkoff Walk.
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