Garnett Gone?

I'm out of town for work and between meetings but just heard that it is basically a done deal that Garnett is heading to the Celtics. I'm hoping it's the deal I heard which is Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Gerald Green, Sebastien Telfair, Ryan Gomes, and 2 1st round picks(one of which used to be the Wolves).

That would be pretty sweet.

UPDATE: This is about as official as you can get without actually being official. I have lots to say but it's late, and I'm drunk in New Jersey and have to get up for a stupid meeting tomorrow.

The Sports Guy likes it for the Celts.

I honestly like it a lot for the Wolves. It was pretty clear KG needed to be traded, and they got a potential franchise type player in Jefferson, two first rounders (I think the second one from the Celts will be pretty worthless), and some other stuff that will be helpful. Maybe Gerald Green will be good, I don't know, I don't watch the NBA.

But I am very, very sad to see KG go. Basically the face of Minnesota sports for the last however many years. One of the ten best players in the NBA, maybe five best, and an absolutely outstanding citizen. We were lucky to have him, and it's a shame it couldn't work out. Nothing would make me happier than to see the Celts and the Big Ticket win a title next year. Probably not, but that would be sweet.

And for the Wolves, Foye, Brewer, Jefferson, and what ever other crap we have is not a bad starting place for a rebuilding situation.

Especially since Brewer will be the best player out of this draft other than Durant and Oden.

Gophers tied for 52nd Best Football Team

According to ESPN.com, the Gophers are tied for the 52nd best football team with Pitt and Washington over the past 10 years (1997-2006).

I don't know. They seemed crappier than that. I guess getting to mid-low tier bowl games every year is something. Barely.

They're ranked higher than Air Force, which always seemed to win a lot of games. Or maybe that was a long time ago. I don't remember.

And Pitt had Larry Fitzgerald, that alone should make them rank higher than the Gophers. Although the Gophers did have Billy Cockerham, which is pretty awesome too.

Tubby Makes Another Offer

I missed this as well, but Paging Jim Shikenjanski found that Tubby has made an offer to JUCO Forward, Paul Carter.

There's not a whole lot of info out about this dude, but there's some free info here.

He's ranked as a one-star player, and has academic issues. He is also currently being recruited by Oregon, Wyoming, Charlotte, Arkansas-Little Rock, and Arkansas State.

What? We're competing with Charlotte, Wyoming, and those two Arkansas schools for a guy with academic issues and a low ranking? Well, I'm considerably nervous. This sounds like a Monson move, but I'll give Tubby the benefit of the doubt for now, he seems smarter than Monson - difficult to do, I know.

I can't find any freshman stats for this guy, but he's 6-8, 195 lbs., and his Juco coach says he's a talented player, so he must be. Coaches never lie.

Sergio

So anyway, I kept meaning to write something about the British Open, but I kept not doing it, and then my stupid friend Theory from Holy Crap Does that Piss me Off went ahead and beat me to it.

So go here to read him type up the exact thing I said to him at the bar the other night.

Stealer.

Make Some Money

Today I'll take a look at the odds to win the 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, as given at sportsbook.com, and talk about who I think is the best value. Again, best value, not the favorite.

Tennessee Volunteers, 30-1: This shouldnt' be a surprise, as I've talked about how good I think Tennessee will be on here before. With three quality, experienced guards, two very good post players, and some quality people off the bench, they are going to be a very, very good team.

Syracuse Orange, 40-1: I expect them to struggle a bit early with such a young team, although Boeheim usually has a pretty cake schedule early, but after getting used to each other they could be very dangerous. With Devendorf and Paul Harris returning, and being joined by a top recruiting class including two McD's All-Americans, the Cuse should make a nice run this season.

Louisville Cardinals, 12-1: Odds are not very much with them at 12-1, but I think they are the favorite this year, and the odds don't reflect that, so I see value. Basically the same team as last season, which I think was a Final Four caliber team, but just ran into a better Texas A & M team too early. I also have a man-crush on Rick Pitino.

Indiana Hoosiers, 25-1: DJ White is awesome,and he's back for his senior year and looking to dominate. Eric Gordon might be the best freshman in all of college basketball. Indiana also picked up a four-star center and four-star power forward to put down low with White. Gordon, AJ Ratliff, JC Signee Jamarcus Ellis, and freshman Jordan Crawford will be able to pick up the slack from graduated Earl Calloway and Roderick Wilmont. Kelvin Sampson is a very good coach. I like this Hoosier team this year.

Good Times

Since I have nothing to write about, instead trying playing Pinch Hitter 2.

Very fun.

UPDATE: I suck. I can't get past level 2.

UPDATED UPDATE: I'm awesome.

Two Quick Updates

Both from St. Paul Pioneer Press's Charley Walters:

The first, is that Marquette recruit and Minnesota boy Trevor Mbakwe is now all set academically to enroll and play at Marquette next season. It had been reported, and I mentioned it here that he may have been in a bit of academic trouble. It appears everything is good to go now, however.

The second update is that according to Walters, Bryce Webster is very likely to leave the team to concentrate on academics, although nothing is official. Wait and see.

Brewster Did the Right Thing

According to Theory's comments two posts down from this one as well as what I heard on the radio, Tim Brewster has done the right thing and kicked the Gopher football players who essentially raped that girl off the team. Thank you. That needed to happen.

I'm too hungover to write more or find a link.

Simpson Likes Gophers

Over at GopherHole, poster BleedGopher posts some Stan Simpson news from Hoosier Nation.

According to the article, Simpson, the 6-9, 200 lb. three-star center from Chicago states that his favorites right now are Indiana, Minnesota, Arkansas, and Kansas State, although he says he is a long way from making a college decision.

It'll be tough going against Kelvin Sampson of Indiana to get Simpson's services, but hopefully Tubby can pull him away.

This is Very Ugly

The details are out about the Gopher rape scandal, and it's not at all good.

I won't get into all the details, but according to the complaint, former Gopher Robert McFields, who is already in trouble for two armed robberies he committed in St. Louis, challenged the woman to a drinking contest, where she did eight shots of vodka, while Gopher players Keith Massey, EJ Jones, and Alex Daniels did not drink at all.

Sometime later in the evening, the three players took turns with the woman, who eventually passed out on a couch. After she passed out with a BAC level of .30, which is ridiculous, Daniels then called Dominic Jones, who came over and did some stuff to her while she was unconscious, which Daniels recorded on his cell phone.

These guys need to be kicked off the team, and they need to be kicked off now. I know the whole Duke Lacrosse thing might have people a little gun shy about jumping to conclusions, but there is videotape evidence in this case.

At the very least, D. Jones and Daniels need to not only kicked off the team, but in jail (Jones has already been picked up and will be charged today.) Even Massey and EJ Jones, although there is no proof she was unconscious or unwilling when they were involved, need to be booted and possibly charged. There is no way you can tell me that when they aren't drinking, and they are feeding this woman 8 shots, that there wasn't an ulterior motive from the beginning. This wasn't two drunk college kids doing something against their better judgement (which happens), but a girl who, at best, was inebriated beyond reason, and a group of sober guys, who at the very least knew exactly what they were doing.

This is horrible. Brewster needs to do the right thing. Nobody holds this against him right now, because these aren't guys he recruited, they are Mason's guys. If he gets them off the team, he'll keep all the good will he's built up since being hired. If he keeps even one of them on the team, it will make a black mark against the program even worse.

I Know I'm an Idiot

But I accidentally saw some of a Timberwolves summer league game, and the lineup made me all excited:

C Craig Smith
PF Chris Richard
SF Corey Brewer
SG Rashad McCants
PG Randy Foye

It's like a freakin' college all-star team from two years ago. I love it. And they even won 102 - 91. We should trade Garnett for Chris Paul and call it a day. And whatever happened to J.R. Reid?

Gopher Offeree Doing Well

Rob Matera of Scouts, Inc. reports on RBK U for ESPN.com and has good things to say about Verdell Jones, a point guard the Gophers have an offer out to.

Jones plays for Team Shaun Livingston at the camp for top high school prospects, and Matera reports:

"6-4 rising senior combo guard Verdell Jones (Champaign, Ill.) did a credible impersonation of his team's namesake, dropping in 13 points and dishing 6 assists in the upset."

Sounds good. Now sign him Tubby. Make it happen.

Additionally, since it's Friday the 13th, here's a little something to enjoy:

I am Now Convinced I am Right

Sid Hartman disagrees with me and says the Twins need to have Hunter back for 2008.

This makes me certain that the correct move is to trade him before the deadline.

Still Gives me Chills

Iverson. Colt Iverson.

According to both the Pioneer Press and Scout.com, the Gophers have plans to tender an offer to 2008 recruit Colt Iverson, a 6-9, 240 lb. center out of South Dakota. Neither Scout nor Rivals have much information on him, but that could just be because I'm guessing they don't cover South Dakota as well as like, New York City.

Charley Walters in the PP points out that he won the MVP at the Hoosier Shootout recently, with 28 points and 16 boards in the championship game. Although I can't seem to find any information about what other kids and caliber of recruits played in this tournament, I'm going to go ahead and assume it was top caliber kids and this guy just dominated and now might be a Gopher.

There is more info on Iverson over at The Gopher Hole in this thread.

One thing I have tracked down, is that he looks like Kyle Sanden and that scares me.

Boo National League!

Before the All-Star Game gets started here, I want to mention that I have the American League at -1.5.

AL good, NL bad.

UPDATE: Freakin' stupid. I hate both Brian Roberts and J.J. Putz. And gambling. I hate that too.

Time to Trade Hunter?

Is it time for Torii Hunter to be traded? I don't know, but it's certainly getting to be a possibility. Hunter will be a free agent after this year, and will command at least $15 mil per season once he hits the open market, probably more like $17.

According to reports, the Twins haven't started talking to him about an extension, which makes me think they are going to wait until after the season. If Hunter goes into this off-season as a free agent, I don't see any way he signs with the Twins once he sees the kind of numbers other teams are offering him.

What sucks, is that the trading deadline is July 31. There is a second deadline in August, but Hunter would have to clear waivers to be eligible to be traded, and I don't see that happening - so it would have to be by July 31, three short weeks away.

The Twins are currently 8 games behind the Tigers for the central division title, and are 5.5 behind Seattle for the Wildcard. They are still in position to make a run at the playoffs, but it's not a lock by any means. I would hate to lose Hunter and get nothing in return.

The other issue is how effective will Hunter be and for how long. The best way I know of to look at this is using PECOTA from Baseball Prospectus. I'm not going to get into all the math here, but it basically looks at past performance, similar players historical performance, and uses mathematical formulas to project probable statistics for a player's career. It's basically the kind of think baseball math nerds like me live for.

Hunter is hitting .301 this year, PECOTA puts him at .272
Hunter has an OBP of .342 and SLG of .558, PECOTA has him at .336 and .468
Hunter is on-pace for 35 homeruns and 47 doubles, while PECOTA predicted him at 19 HR and 25 doubles.
He has a career OPS+ of just 104, but this year is at 136.

All this tells me is that Hunter is having an absolute career year, will get paid for this kind of performance, and then will come back to earth, meaning whoever pays him what is needed to sign him, will end up regretting it big-time. According to Baseballreference.com, his career is most similar right now to Preston Wilson. Would you give Preston Wilson $15 million for four years?

From watching Hunter, you can see that his defensive ability, although still well above average, has begun to drop off. And according to PECOTA, it'll just get worse. Not to mention that in that fourth year of the contract, when he's still making $15 million, his most likely statistics will be .270/.327/.447 - slightly above average (2.0 WARP).

I think it's time to trade Hunter while his value is at an all-time high. His performance is just going to go down, and it's time to cash in before it's too late (see: Moss, Randy and Garnett, Kevin).

ALSO: If you like baseball math, check out Fire Joe Morgan. Freakin' hilarious.

Another 2009 Recruit

Add Chicago C Stan Simpson to the list of players currently being recruited for 2008 by Tubby Smith and the Gophers. Simpson is the #22 ranked center in the class by Scout.com, and is given three stars.

Simpson is said to have medium interest in the Gophers, putting them on the top tier of his teams along with Arkansas, Colorado, and Indiana (who has given him an offer). Virginia has also offered Simpson, but his interest is listed as "low" there, along with DePaul, Iowa, and Iowa State.

Simpson is 6-9, 220 and hopefully the Gophers can land either him or Ralph Sampson, who is gathering more and more interest as the 14th ranked center, who has been offered by the Gophers, Georgia Tech, Cal, and UNLV, and is showing interest in Wake Forest and UCLA as well.

Andy Katz Update

Andy Katz has an article up on ESPN.com looking at a few different things in college hoops. Of note:

- Tyler Smith joining Tennessee this season. As I mentioned previously, this makes Tennessee a top contender this year. Katz talked to Pearl, and they will go with three guards, making a starting lineup of JaJuan Smith, Ramar Smith, Chris Lofton, Wayne Chism, and Tyler Smith. That is a solid, solid team. A bit undersized, with Chism at 6-9 and Tyler Smith at 6-7 and the other three little guys, but still. Watch out.

- David Lighty of Ohio State has been a big hit with the USA Basketball Under 19 team. Bruiser Flint, an assistant on the team, expects Lighty to have a breakout season for the Buckeyes, which is not great news for the rest of the Big Ten.

- A few other pieces, including more praise for freshman DeAndre Jordan (Tex A&M) and Johnny Flynn (Syracuse), the fact that TaJuan Porter (Oregon) can't play point, and some other stuff that isn't very interesting.

ESPN's Quick Gopher Preview

ESPN.com's Andy Glockner has a Big Ten Basketball preview up, and it's a quick version, but I'll still comment on the Gopher section, which is:

Minnesota
Good news: After a year of turmoil that led to the pressured resignation of Dan Monson in November and the bulk of a 9-22 campaign under interim coach Jim Molinari, the Gophers came up golden when they pried Tubby Smith away from Kentucky. Minnesota now will have a defensive identity and toughness it lacked in prior years. Think the fans aren't into the Smith Era already? Check out the "Chubby for Tubby" T-shirts.

Bad news: Minnesota was bad with a bunch of upperclassmen last season, which is never a good thing, although the entire core of the team returns intact for one more go. Given some of the locals' gripes about how the Gophers let too much in-state talent escape, it will be interesting to see if Smith can shed his reputation of not recruiting elite talent and upgrade this roster. It also will be interesting to see how many people actually will wear the Chubby slogan on their chest. A little TMI, perhaps?

Basically, the only good news he lists is that Tubby Smith is here. I think that's pretty much accurate. What other good news is there? We have the entire starting lineup intact? That isn't really good news when you go 9-22, this isn't Florida here. He also mentions the Gophers "will have a defensive identity and toughness" this year? What? Where? I don't think after three years of Coleman being soft he's magically going to be a tough guy inside just because Tubby showed up. And I don't think McKenzie and Shamala are going to become defensive stoppers all of a sudden. I'm happy Tubby is here, thrilled, actually, but anyone looking for major improvements this year is going to be disappointed. I really hope I'm wrong, but I just don't think they have the players - Tubby or not.

As far as the bad news goes, it's pretty much everything other than Tubby. He mentions the in-state talent getting away under Monson, and he's right. Tubby needs to get either White or Williams, if not both, to make a major statement.

You can read the entire preview here, but to sum up:

Good: Michigan State, Indiana, Ohio State
Middle: Illinois, Penn State (?), Purdue, Wisconsin
Bad: Gophers, Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern

Happy Fourth!

I'm out of here until Sunday.

Enjoy this highlight video of Jonathan Williams while I'm gone.

Monson is a Little Crazy

ESPN.com has an interview with Dan Monson where he tries to convince everyone he's really happy now.

I won't dig through the whole thing, but Paging Jim Shikenjanski has an excellent post on it Here.

Top Big Ten Freshmen

It's probably a bit early, but I'm starting to feel the itch for the new college basketball season, and thought I'd kick it off by taking a look at the top Freshmen in the Big Ten this coming season:

1. Eric Gordon, SG, Indiana: The #1 ranked SG in the country by both Rivals and Scout, and Rivals has him as the #2 overall freshman. Would easily have been a lottery pick if High Schoolers were still eligible to come out, and likely would have gone top 5, possibly as high as #3. Is really an incredible, game-changing type player. Struggled with his shot a bit in the McDonald's All-American game, but you could see how good he's going to be. Wouldn't surprise me to see him end up all-conference next season.

2. Kosta Koufos, C, Ohio State: The Buckeyes lose Oden and the rest, but pick up a very intriguing player in this seven-footer with Greek Heritage. Koufos really impressed me at the McDonald's game as well as the shooting contests before it. A big man who can play down-low, but also has a very nice touch from outside, extending all the way to the three-point line. Ranked #16 overall by Rivals.

3. Durrell Summers, SF, Michigan State: Summers is a player who really shot up the rankings his junior summer, much like Rodney Williams is this year. An incredible athlete, he's a slasher who can get to the basket with ease and joins that with a nice jumper from the perimeter.

4. Kalin Lucas, PG, Michigan State: Yes, another Spartan. He should be able to step in and handle the point to take some of the pressure of Drew Neitzel. He can really push the pace of the game, and is an excellent creator. Needs some work on shooting and scoring, but will have the Spartans running and gunning.

5. E'Twaun Moore, SG, Pudure: I know, Purdue with a top five incoming freshman in the Big Ten? It's weird, but it's true - Moore is ranked as the #35 prospect by Rivals. Is already a terrific defender, and has improved his perimeter shot, which was weakness. Has a ton of potential, and could continue to get better.

HONORABLE MENTION: Chris Allen - Mich St, Corperryale Harris - Michigan, JaJuan Johnson - Purdue, Evan Turner - OSU, Jon Diebler, OSU, Demetri McCamey - Illinois, Robbie Hummell - Purdue, Scott Martin - Purdue, Jon Leuer - Wisconsin (Minnesota boy)

Williams Rising

Scout.com has just released a brand new Top 50 list for the class of 2009.

Rodney Williams of Cooper has shot up the charts and is now ranked at #38 in the class, the #7 Small Forward in the country.

Let's hope that all the attention and high ranking won't sway him from his hometown Gophers. This will be a very important get for Tubby Smith if he can pull it off. He's exactly the type of player Monson always lost out on, so hopefully things will be different now.

Everyone is a Liar

Everyone hates Barry Bonds, right? Except for some fans in San Francisco. That's all you ever hear about. Bonds sucks. Bonds is a cheater. Bonds took steroids. Bonds is an asshole. Bonds doesn't deserve the record.

That's all you ever hear, from anybody. So everybody hates Barry Bonds, right?

So then how the hell was he voted a starter for the All-Star game? Starters for the MLB All-Star game are 100% voted in by fans. Not managers, not players, no media. The fans. The same fans who hate Bonds and hope he dies in a freak needle accident before he breaks Aaron's record.

Obviously, he's not nearly as hated as people like to pretend he is.

ALSO: Pat Neshek is up for the Final Man Vote on MLB.com to be added to the All-Star Roster. Go Here and look for the Final Vote link to cast your ballot for Neshek.

Bryce Considering Leaving?

This might be the first time Charley Walters has broken a story, but according to him in today's Pioneer Press, Bryce Webster is considering leaving the team to concentrate on academics.

Actually a pretty good move. He clearly doesn't have a future in the NBA or anything, so if he needs to concentrate on his grades he certainly should. With Coleman, Tollackson, and Williams taking up the front court minutes, Webster wouldn't get a whole lot of playing time. He didn't get a whole lot last year either, even though he looked ok at times.

The more scholarships available for Tubby to get his guys instead of being stuck with Monson's, the better.

Since Walters wrote this, it's most likely either completely made up, or at best is third or fourth-hand knowledge, so who knows, but it's out there.

You Should Probably Just Ignore This

A pretty good blog can be found Here.

It's funny, it's informative, and it's a pretty good read.

One GIANT problem: It's a Badger blog.

Manny Fernandez to be Traded

According to the Pioneer Press.

I don't care. I really don't. I know there's something wrong with me, but I don't care about hockey at all.

Also, Boiler Room is a pretty good movie. That dad was kind of a dick.


UPDATE: Traded to Boston for somebody and something.