NBA Free Agent Action is Hot!

Take a few days off to catch some fish at the cabin and you miss like, 1 million free agent signings in the NBA.  I'm going to hit a few of the highlights.  Or lowlights.

1.  Might as well start with your precious T-Wolves, who signed Kevin Martin and Chase Budinger in a move to try to surround the Ricky Rubio/Kevin Love nucleus with as many poorly defending shooters as possible.  You take those two, J.J. Barea, Rubio, Love, Luke Ridnour, and Derrick Williams and add Shabazz Muhammad to the mix and the Wolves might end up being the worst defensive team in the league next year, especially if Kirilenko isn't back.  Nikola Pekovic, who it sounds like they're going to do everything to keep, is a decent post defender but not a rim protector in the slightest, which taken all together means that Giorgui Dieng is the only true paint defensive presence on the entire team.  You know, the guy whose job it is to discourage guys like Lebron and Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook from driving past all those white guards over and over again.  Sounds like a recipe for success!

2.  Dwight Howard is going to Houston.  Howard turned down more years and more money to stay with the Lakers and play with two (possibly 3) other future Hall-of-Famers, which is a stunningly good decision given Howard's track record the last three years.

Apparently the Howard signing isn't loved by everyone, as incumbent starting center Omer Asik has said he doesn't want Howard there, doesn't want to back him up, and doesn't want to play next to him and might want out of Houston.  Well guess what Omer?  I got news for you: I'm pretty sure they were exploring trades for you already.  Outside of free throw shooting his entire skill set is Dwight Howard extra lite, he offers nothing complimentary to Howard's game, and he's good enough where they can get something nice back for him most likely.  Sorry Omer, but you're not Dwight.

And make no mistake - Dwight Howard is still really, really good and it seems like everyone is forgetting that.  Last year was horrible, yes, but

1.  He was returning from a back injury, which for a player like him who relies on his athleticism and specifically his ability to jump quickly that is a tough one to play through.
2. The system he was playing in last year sucked for him, and playing with Kobe Bryant made him miserable which, because he's an immature person, made him sulk and affected his play.
3. People around the country hated, or at least had a strong dislike for Howard and the way he got Orlando's coach fired, then pushed his way out,then got Mike Brown fired with the Lakers.  Dwight is an immature person, and being disliked made him extra miserable and see #2.

Basically Howard is an immature baby who is mentally weak and who is going to sulk and suck when he's not happy.  He still averaged 17 & 12 with nearly 3 blocks per game while being only half engaged.  You don't think he's going to be better next year with his co-super star as James Harden, who knows about deferring when it's time to defer? He's still just 28 years old.  What if he actually realizes he has an amazing opportunity to learn from two of the best big men in history (Hakeem and McHale) and embraces it?  He could be a monster.  Going to be a big year for Houston.  Big.

3.  Sticking with the Rockets, they also traded your best friend Royce White to the 76ers.  Clearly Philly succeeded so well with one troubled but talented young big man in Andrew Bynum that they were super excited to try it again. Since Royce is pretty much afraid of everything, he's started walking to Philly from Houston and expects to be there by time training camps begin. Also, I really think trading Jrue Holiday is going to end up being a mistake for Philly.

4.  In what was, to me, the most shocking development of this period Brad Stevens (formerly of Butler) has agreed to become coach of the Celtics.  I was up at the cabin with Snacks and news was on in the background because we only get one channel up there and when the banner "Stevens to Boston" came up we had to yell and shush everybody else up and do you know how hard it is to shush up three women and one old man who've been hammering wine since mid-day?  It ain't Ninja Gaiden hard, but it's hard.

I'm just totally blown away because I assumed Stevens was going to be at Butler until he was lured away by Indiana or Duke or Kentucky or one of the other big-time college programs - I never ever thought he'd be going to the NBA for some reason.  I think part of it is because I thought we were done poaching college coaches and trying to make them NBA coaches since basically everybody has been a failure (seriously who is the best coach to make the switch?  I think it's P.J. Carlesimo which is like whoa).  Also this surprises me because Stevens is only 36 and has zero NBA experience.  People threw enough of a fit over Rich Pitino getting hired to coach kids at 30, but now Stevens is going to handle grown ass millionaires at 36?  I know it's a young team after trading Garnett and Pierce, but their best player is a total head case in Rajon Rondo.  There's almost no way Rondo spaz out by midseason. I'm not saying Stevens won't work out for sure, I'm just saying he won't with Rondo around.  FACT.

5.  The Hawks and Bucks got into a big fight over Kyle Korver.  Looking at the teams involved, you'd probably guess that this was an idiotic fight to get in to, and as usual you're right.  There were no winners in this fight, except of course Korver who ended up with a 4-year, $26 million contract which, considering he's going to be 37 at the end of that deal and he has exactly one discernible skill seems like a bit of an overpay, but then again J.J. Redick got 4/$27 and Jose Calderon got 4/$28 apparently that's the running rate for a one dimensional player who is really good at that one dimension and terrible at everything else.  For some reason, this seems terribly unfair.

6.  The Warriors are getting interesting.  First, because Dawger will point it out anyway, despite all my misgivings Steph Curry has completely proven me wrong and is a very, very good NBA player.  He's not as good as Bill Simmons thought he was during the play-offs, but he's an all-star, I will admit, and there's no doubt that he and Klay Thompson are a pretty dynamic duo.   Next season Harrison Barnes will be a year older and a year better, and he started to show some pretty dramatic growth in the playoffs and he gives the Warriors three pretty good wing players who can score in bunches. 

Now, via free agency, they've added Andre Iguodala, who doesn't score in bunches the way the other three do but is still averages 15 ppg for his carrer, is an absolutely outstanding defender, and can handle the ball and create well enough the Curry will get more chances to run off the ball, which will only help.  The plan seems to be to go with all four in the lineup at a time quite often, which will work if Barnes can defend and rebound at the 4 (remains to be seen), but even if not that's a pretty potent lineup, and Andrew Bogut (if healthy) is a good enough interior defender to make up for some defensive mistakes.  Really though, having four players who can all dribble, create, and shoot is something few teams have, and any time all four of those guys are on the floor it should be fun to watch.  Possibly on both ends.

7.  Milwaukee, oh Milwaukee.  First they made a trade towards the end of last season to acquire J.J. Redick, giving Tobias Harris to Orlando.  Harris, who averaged less than 12 minutes per game with the Bucks, was given starter's minutes in Orlando and went on to average 17 pts and 9 rebounds per game.  The Bucks just traded Redick (in a sign and trade) and received two second-round picks in return.  Then Monta Ellis opted out of his deal, which might actually be a good thing, but also means the Bucks have to find a way to replace some production all while with the handicap of selling Milwaukee to free agents.

Their big moves so far have been to sign O.J. Mayo, Zaza Pachulia, and Carlos Delfino - essentially a sixth man and two back-ups.  Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis (he gone), and Mike Dunleavey (he gone) were the team's top 3 scorers last year and now all three may be gone depending on what Jennings ends up doing.  Essentially the team is a bunch of so-so big men (John Henson is probably the best or at least has the most potential depending on what you think of Larry Sanders whose name does not actually have to be capitalized nerds) and Ish Smith.  This is either completely pathetic, or a genius realization that they're never going to be able to build a contending team through free agency and are in full on tank mode.  Given that we're talking Wisconsin, they're probably just drunk.

8.  We all know that the Lakers are somehow going to end up with Andrew Wiggins in next year's draft, right?  That's just how it happens.  If their smart they'll amnesty Kobe (since he is taking up nearly half of their cap room) trade Nash to Dallas for the heart warming Dirk/Nash reunion, trade Gasol and World Peace for whatever they can get and completely bottom out and hope for Wiggins.  What they will do is continue trotting out a lineup completely mismatched to D'Antoni's system which will be mismatched because Kobe will rush himself back by the season opener and they'll end up missing the playoffs by just a couple games and then win the lottery anyway because the NBA is rigged and everybody knows it.  Fact.

Who could say no to this?

Week in Review - 1/30/2012

 So I'm going no introduction.  Suck it.

WHO WAS AWESOME


1.  Gopher Basketball.  The basketball gods giveth, and they taketh away but in this case in the reverse order of that.  The Gophers lost a game they probably should have won when the played the Illini in Champaign and then made up for it by winning on Saturday when they should have lost, and would have if Meyers Leonard had just backed out of the way.  In any case, the Gophers are now 4-5 in conference play and would probably sneak into the tournament if it started today, which means they're in good position assuming they don't screw things up, making this week a monster.  They head to Iowa and then to Nebraska, two winnable road games that are more than just winnable, they're must wins.  I've been hurt too many times by Gopher teams and women to be fooled again, which is why I'm not buying into this team until after this week.  If they can win two road games they need to I'll go ahead and buy in.  Until then consider me cautiously optimistic.

Two players who deserve extra praise following the Illinois win are Chip Armelin and Andre Hollins or Andre Westbrook as he is known when I talk.  Armelin was the hero of the first half and basically the reason the Gophers went into half-time with a lead thanks to his energy, fearlessness, an accurate jumper, and a couple of great passes including a Magic-esque fake behind the back drop-off on a fastbreak.  Armelin was awesome.

But Andre Hollins might have been even better in the second half and overtime.  The Gophers had a pretty easy time of it in overtime and Andre Hollins was the biggest reason, and seriously how much does he remind you of Russell Westbrook?  I can't be the only one who sees this.  Not a great shooter but has the ability to get hot, with the strongest part of his game his ability to get to the rim, which is a strength because he's willing to take it in there against anybody.  I suppose that could describe Joe Coleman as well, but Hollins kind of looks like Westbrook too.  I don't know, but with Hollins and Coleman maybe this team has a future after all.  Stay tuned.


2.  Kevin Love.  I figured he'd sign, I guessed he'd sign, but until it happens you can't ever relax, especially in a place that has seen all non-Twin beloved figures bolt and/or force their way out at some point, but now Love is ours.  For at least three years, and I think that's the best part of this deal for both sides.  Love is a smart dude who knows what he's doing, which is why it wasn't surprising when I read an article pre-lockout about him and how he and his agent were putting 90% of his income or something into an account not to be touched and he was just living off of 10%, which is really what everybody in pro sports should do but almost nobody does.  He continued his smart behavior by going with the 3-year opt out clause in his deal, which basically says, "Yes, I want to play here and build a winner but if that's not happening and the team isn't doing what it's supposed to I want out" which, again is a smart way to go about things.  Plus, now the Wolves absolutely have to work to build a team around him or he can just take off.  Three more years of Love + Rubio + Williams.  How good can they be?  I have no clue yet, but I am damn glad we will get to find out.

3.  Detroit Tigers.  Well shit.  Just when you think the Twins have a chance to be relevant (V-Martinez out for the year, White Sox trading everything away) the Tigers go and sign Prince Fielder.  Part of me wants to point out that giving a 9-year contract to a guy who is in the kind of shape Fielder's in and who only has one real skill (hitting) who is 29 years old probably means the last couple of years of that contract, at a minimum, are going to be a burden.  But I'm also smart enough to recognize that the part of me that wants to point that out is really nothing more than just a jealous asshole because this freaking sucks.  Fielder and Cabrera give the Tigers two of what, the five best hitters in the game?  And Avila and Peralta can hammer the ball as well.  If Delmon Young's figured out or if Brennan Boesch or Austin Jackson ever do that lineup is going to be sick, as if it isn't already.  And although there's plenty of questions behind Verlander, Fister-Scherzer-Porcello has a chance to be pretty solid.  Detroit's not a runaway favorite in the Central or anything, but they're clearly a favorite.  Just a great move that says, "F money, we're going for it" and the kind of thing the Twins would never, ever do in a million years.  Is the Chili Davis signing the biggest FA move of our lifetime?  Am I forgetting anything?  I'm moving to Detroit.

Just kidding.  I don't want to get shot.  Unless I do it myself after the Gophers lose to both Iowa and Nebraska.


4.  Lou Diamond Phillips.  I'm guessing most people don't watch Celebrity Cook-Off but for me if it's a cooking competition I'm pretty much watching no matter what, and LDP beat out Coolio to take this one down, although both of them would have been worthy champions.  Labamba was more refined, while Coolio had his own ideas and his own recipes which apparently worked well (mayo on cheesy bread?) but these two were definitely the two best cooks who took it seriously.  Joey Fatone can knock out Italian food but has zero range and zero creative skill, and there wasn't another cook besides those three who seemed worthwhile (Aaron Carter was one and his big dish was a macaroni salad lolololololol).  So nice work Lou for a good season where I actually learned stuff.  I look forward to not hearing your name again for 10 years or so until you resurface playing an Indian Chief is some sort of fancy movie.  Probably Sitting Bull or some shit.  With Ashton Kutcher as Custer.

5.  Iowa State Cyclones.  One of the most enjoyable basketball experiences I've ever had was going down to Ames for the first time (Snacks is a graduate and I was visiting him) and going to Hilton Coliseum and watching a good but not great Cyclones team take down a Kansas team that I think was ranked #1 going into the game, including seeing Minnesota's own Jake Sullivan pull up from 35-feet on a 3-on-2 fast break and nail a 3 (no joke, that was probably the coolest thing I've ever seen on a basketball court in person).  This weekend the Cyclones did it again, knocking off the Jayhawks 72-64, once again behind a native Minnesotan.  This time it wasn't a under-recruited, short little whiteboy with a deadly jumper who is in range from anywhere on the court, but a tatted up, nationally recognized top recruit with some mental problems and the kind of well-rounded game where he leads the team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and is 0.2 behind in steals.  Seriously I don't know if you've seen him yet this year but Royce White is really, really, really good.  Really good.  Put him on this Gopher team and they're an automatic NCAA team.  Put him and Mbakwe on this team and you're talk Sweet 16 team with upside.

God dammit.


WHO SUCKED

1.  Ralph Sampson.  It's official, the Gophers are now actively winning games in spite of Sampson.   5 points and 5 fouls with only three rebounds and couldn't be bothered to block a shot.  Not only was he crappy in measurable things, but he just got crushed by Meyers Leonard who had at least two and maybe three offensive boards on missed Illinois free throws that he got by just leaning on Ralph and moving him too far under the rim to do anything about it.  And Sampson just let it happen again and again.  Several times Sampson didn't even look interested, like the one time I specifically watched him and when Illinois took a jump shot he just stood there while Leonard went right around him and grabbed the o-board.  The guy had six offensive rebounds for the game and I'm fairly certain all six came against Sampson.  In a career full of disappointing games and poor effort, this one really took the cake.  Elliason is a better option at this point.  You may consider my heart-broken.  Just like when Emma Stone dyed her hair blonde.  Why Emma?  Why?

2.  San Diego State.  The funny thing, and I guess it's not really funny but whatever shut up, is that I actually had SDSU teed up as WHO WAS AWESOME after they went into Wyoming and rolled an underrated Cowboy team that was starting to look sleeperiffic.  I know beating Wyoming, even in Laramie, isn't usually impressive but trust me that was a really good win, not to mention SDSU was 18-2 in a year when they had lost four starters and the core of a sweet 16 team and weren't supposed to add up to much.  Probably the biggest surprise (pleasant surprise) of the year.  And then they roll into Fort Collins and just get smoked by the Colorado State and getting out-played in every way possible.  Big deal?  No, not really because the Aztecs are basically in the tournament no matter what, especially because collapse is nearly impossible since the Mountain West is meh this year, but just a hugely disappointing loss.  Why I care so much, I couldn't begin to tell you.

3.  Bruce Weber.  I have no idea how this guy still has a job.  He's one of the worst game coaches this side of Rick Barnes, and nobody does less with more than Weber.  When is the last time he actually exceeded expectations?  I know he did well at Southern Illinois (recruiting better than the rest of the conference, naturally, since that's the one thing he excels at) and he had a good start at Illinois with Self's players including that Final Four, but since then they've been garbage, right?  I mean I know they've made the NCAA Tournament like 4 of the 6 years since then and as Gopher fans we'd kill for that level of success, but based on the recruits he's bringing in that's pathetic, especially since they've only won two tournament games in that span.  I guess that's what happens when you hitch your wagon to fat non-point guard with no real point guard skills Demetri McCamey for four years and don't bother to, you know, recruit another point guard for four freaking years.  See you probably thought I wouldn't ever be able to work in another dig at McCamey, but then BAM! there we are.  Did you know he did 0 bench reps at the college hoops draft combine.  Zero.  Should have made it a donut eating contest.


4.  Central Michigan Chippewas.  Not that this week at 0-2 was particularly bad for Central Michigan because they plain old suck at 7-13 and have lost five straight, but it's time to call attention this because I thought they were supposed start getting more gooder.  Remember two years ago when Trey Ziegler was the #28 recruit in the country and had offers from Arizona, Duke, Michigan State, Michigan, and UCLA amongst others?  And then remember how he passed up all those opportunities in order to play for his dad at CMU?  Yeah, apparently it didn't matter because 10 total games last year and might be worse this year.  Ziegler leads the team in scoring, rebounding, and assists for the second straight year, but who cares because they're terrible.  It's basically the same story from the same year as Ray McCallum who ended up going to Detroit to play for daddy, but at least they're showing some signs of improvement - this Ziegler thing is a nightmare.

5.  Phil Mickelson.  Lefty is a bonafide stud when it comes to Torrey Pines.  He's won there three times in his career, he has 8 top-fives including a solo second here last year.  He's played at Torrey Pines 22 times on the PGA Tour, grew up playing on this course, lives like 5 minutes away, and hasn't missed a cut there in 10 years.  So how'd he do this weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open?  Natually he shot a +5 on Thursday, the day when over 2/3rds of the field went under par, and then missed the cut.  What an asshole.


Also I totally missed this which is why it's just getting mentioned here, but apparently Kyle Stanley didn't win the golf tournament today, despite having a 3-shot lead going into the last hole.  I was watching the end, but after he laid up on his second shot on the par-5 eighteenth hole to about 75 yards I figured it was over and clicked off.  According the words that other people typed, Stanley spun his approach shot right off the green, then on his second try put it 45 feet away and 3-putted (!!!) from there to end up going to a playoff with Brandt Snedeker who won after Stanley missed a five-foot par putt on the second playoff whole.  Jesus.  I'm damn glad I flipped the channel because if I had watched that I would have alternated laughing and feeling depressed to the point where I'd probably become the Joker.  By the way, did you know in the comic books there's a whole subplot where Joker rapes Commissioner Gordon's daughter?  Seriously, comic books are way fucked up.  I'm scared of comic book fans, for realsies.

Also I really should have mentioned the Magic as a team who sucked.  They're in the dumpster at this point.  Zero chance Howard finishes out the year there.  Howard for Beasley, Webster, Williams, and Wes Johnson works under the cap.  Just sayin'.

Notes from a Marathon

24 hours of basketball, and nobody with a real job or who lives in a real adult world or who has any kind of life could possibly watch it all.  I tried to watch as much as I could, which mainly consisted of sneaking peaks at ESPN3 while at work, and here is everything I noticed, read, or had someone tell me:

-  Memphis looked very good dismantling Belmont 97-81 in a game they controlled from the start.  Being that this is the same Belmont team that took Duke down to the wire earlier this week makes the Tigers win that much more impressive.  Memphis's guards were able to penetrate at will (just like when I went out with your sister that one time) and made Belmont look like the low major it is.  I don't think they're a very good shooting team and the 50% from 3 and 59% from the floor won't happen very often, but this is the same team that held Duke to just 43%, so who knows.  They're going to run away with the C-USA title.

-  Kent State scored an upset for the MAC, defeating West Virginia 70-60 in West Virginia.  This is the second big win for the league this week after Akron defeated Mississippi State.  I don't know if the rest of the league will be good enough to boost the league's overall RPI enough to get an at-large bid, but both Kent State and Akron not only look worthy of a bid so far, but look like they could score an upset in March.

-  Despite losing almost everyone from last year, Texas's offense is going to be just fine as they dropped a hunny on Rhode Island.  J'Covan Brown answered questions if he can be the main guy for the Longhorns by putting up 35 and that's good because other than Myck Kabongo I haven't heard of anybody else on this team (except Jonathan Holmes but I'm guessing that's a different guy).  Of course, not having guys like Tristan Thompson and Dexter Pittman around doesn't exactly help your interior defense because Rhode Island scored 90 in the loss.  Looks like Texas will be fun to watch and then get bounced early in the tournament.  So that's totally new.

-  Baylor's Quincy Miller is the best freshman I've seen so far this year, and that includes Austin Rivers.  Rivers might end up being better (he still kind of seems to be adjusting to either college ball, Duke, or both), but right now Miller is better because he is just straight ready to go.  Super athletic at 6-9, he can play inside or outside equally well, which is a big key because once Perry Jones comes off his suspension Baylor will need him to move out to the perimeter more often since they have Quincy Acy as well.  I'm guessing he can handle it.

-   The Spartans managed to make it look like a competitive game, clawing back against Duke from what was at one point an 18-point second half deficit to finish losing by just five (and covering the spread, woo-hoo!).  It was basically a one-man show with Keith Appling scoring 14 points in the final six minutes.  Two other things I learned from this game:  Draymond Green is much better as a distributor/facilitator rather than a first option, and Adreian Payne is going to be a defensive monster.  As far as getting a read on the Spartans your guess is as good as mine - so far they've played North Carolina on a freaking battleship and Duke when Andre Dawkins was unconscious.  So I dunno.

-  Ohio State, however, defended the honor of the B1G by beating Florida 81-74.  Of course they were at home and are ranked higher, so they're expected to win but since it's a Big 10 team you never know.  One interesting wrinkle was that in the first half the Buckeyes had troubling keeping Florida's guards out of the lane despite having Aaron Craft who might end up going down as the best white defensive guard in history.  Of course it's kind of tough to judge because Florida's guards (Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, Mike Rosario, and Brad Beals) might be the best group in the entire country.  And obviously something changed in the second half that I'd love to tell but can't because in a related story I didn't watch the second half because we were watching Harry Potter and I sort of forgot to pull the game up on the computer.

-  I did remember to turn on the UK/KU game, so I can tell you Kentucky is easily the most talented, the most athletic, and the most exciting team to watch in college hoops this year.  They simply have the most ability and they play a Washington-esque brand of circus ball - it's truly exhilarating.  They are also a complete train wreck.  I don't know if I've ever seen anything like it.  Marquis Teague, Michael Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, and Anthony Davis all have a legitimate claim as the most talented player at their position in college ball, which is why they stomped the crap out of Kansas.  Of course, Kansas is going to have a big time down year (this #11 in the country crap is bullshit, I really wish you could bet on over/under season wins for college teams) so that makes this less impressive, as does the myriad of just simple mistakes they made on both sides of the floor, which again is kind of expected when you have a bunch of freshman and also when your coach couldn't game coach his way out of a whorehouse.  This paragraph is pretty disjointed, isn't it?  Well that's because this team is as confusing as a vagina.  They're either going to win the National Championship or become the first #1 seed to lose to a #16.  No in between.

-  Not part of the marathon, but Iowa State lost to crap-ass Drake, which means the dream of them becoming a sleeper National Title Contender is probably dead, unless of course this is what they want you to think in order to lower spreads and come in under the radar.  That's probably it since Royce White was awesome again (21 & 14) and everyone knows he just does the opposite of what he's supposed to.  Oh my god that's it.  Hoiberg is a genius.  Luckily he has some good soldiers who agree to be terrible like Chris Allen and Melvin Ejim, who combined to shoot 3-20 and 0-9 from three.  Good job guys!  Nobody will see you us coming now!  And we can build this dream together, standing strong together, nothing's gonna stop us now!

And if this world runs out of lovers, we'll still have each other, nothing's gonna stop us now

- The last game of the thing was Stanford/Colorado State. Here are my thoughts.

Week in Review - 11/14/2011 (+ mini South Dakota State preview)

Hey thanks internet.  You are supposed to be there to let me watch the Pacquiao/Marquez fight without having to pay a dime.  Instead I had to watch 3 seconds at a time and then stare at a god damn hour glass.  You failed me internet.  You failed me.  We are totally fighting.

WHO WAS AWESOME.

1.  Gopher hoops.  Click here for a proper recap, but to put it short, that was a solid win against a solid team, and the fact that they were able to actually manage to come back from down 5 with six minutes to go, against said solid team, just really impresses me.  I guess I have a low impress threshold.  I suppose it's just one more thing Gopher basketball has stolen from me.  And yet I can't stop going back.  I'm like a beaten woman, aren't I.  Oh my god I'm Aaliyah and the Gophers are Chris Brown.

2.  Royce White.  God mother hell shit fart.  This sucks.  Royce with 25 and 11 in his ISU debut, with 3 blocks and a couple assists to go with it.  And here's you, sitting there in your Laz-E-Boy watching Cops and swirling your brandy around even though it's fucking Korbel and making snide comments about how you wonder how many security guards he's pushed down or how many laptops he's stolen.  It's people like you that will always hold the Gopher basketball program down with your judging judgement.  What about the bible, fella?  Doesn't it say "don't be a pompous judgmental ass or I'll turn you into a pillar of salt" or something?  I think it's in Leviticus.

3.  Utah State.  There were better wins this weekend - UNC's over Michigan State for one - but between pure emotion and actual effect on an NCAA bid Utah's State's win over BYU might end up being the biggest.  In terms of NCAA Tournament implications, Utah State always needs quality wins since they're in the WAC where quality wins are basically impossible to come by and this was only one of three games against quality opponents for USU.  Huge win in the RPI sense.  Also a huge win in the "i hate these fuckin' guys" sense, because Utah Staties hate BYU, mostly because they're a bunch of prissy dickheads.  Here is a video of Utah State students welcoming BYU to their arena.  Solid effort.

4. Kendall Marshall.  You know how sometimes thing don't live up to the hype like Terra Nova, every Hannibal Lecter movie after Silence of the Lambs, flavored Mountain Dew (other than Live Wire), the last two George R.R. Martin novels, or having kids?  Well I finally got a good chance to watch Kendall Marshall on Sunday against UNC-Asheville and this dude is straight legit.  The stats are crazy - he had 15 assists - but just watching him it's clear he's the best point guard UNC has had since Ed Cota and he might even be better.  He's got that smooth playability about him where he doesn't really look like he's moving quickly or even really trying (like Evan Turner) but continually gets past people and his court vision is off the charts.  Whether it's a simple entry pass, running the break, or getting the ball up the court as fast as possible by passing it ahead, he's a legit point guard and as far as pure points go I'm thinking he might be the best in the country.  Outside of Justin Cobbs, of course.

5. Mark Sanchez.  Actually he sucks and couldn't get the Jets in the end zone with four plays inside the 10 at the end of the game, but he's awesome because as part of a teaser I had Jets/Pats under 54 and so boom.  The final leg is Vikes/Pack over 43, and there's almost no way the Pack doesn't even get there by themself, am I right?

WHO SUCKED

1.  UCLA.  You know how the Pac-10 has been in shambles for a few years and getting even two NCAA bids was kind of an accomplishment?  Well it's probably going to happen again.  Arizona looks like a sloppy mess right now, but at least they managed to not eff it up so badly that they actually lost, unlike the Bruins.  Yes, UCLA managed to lose their opener.  Not only did they lose, they lost to a mid-tier WCC team in Loyola-Marymount.  At home.  By 11.  The first time LMU beat UCLA since 1941.  Ouch.  Particularly impressive was point guard Lazeric Jones going 1-11 from the field for the Bruins, but they'll get some help at the point next game when Jerime Anderson is back, who was suspended one game for stealing a laptop this summer.  Huh?  A one game suspension for stealing a laptop.  How interesting.  Personally I would have run him right off campus and made sure he transferred out, probably going to a school in a neighboring state where he'd have a right smashing debut.  It's the proper way to handle it.

2.  Butler.  I know Butler lost to Evansville last year early and still made the Nat Champ Game, and I know that losing Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard would be pretty tough for anybody so dropping a game to Evansville (in Evansville) is probably not that big a deal. Then again, last year at 9-9 was the first time Evansville reached .500 in conference (MVC) play since 2000 so losing to them is not exactly excusable.  Let me put it this way, outside the Aces two wins over Butler the last two years their only notable non-conference win dating back to 2001 was over Purdue in 2005.  This ain't exactly a giant killing program.  Maybe Evansville just has Butler's number, or maybe it's going to take a while to adjust to no Howard and no Mack, but maybe Butler just flat sucks this year.  They're going to struggle there's no doubt, because there's some quality Horizon opponents this year.  And speaking of......   

3. Vanderbilt.  You know how every time Vandy has a supposed good team they get bounced early in the NCAA Tournament?  Well apparently this year's version decided just to go out and start disappointing people right away because they lost on Sunday to Cleveland State 71-58.  Now in reality losing to Cleveland State isn't that bad of a loss because Cleveland State is one of the best teams in one of the best mid-major conferences in the country, and they will likely be in the running for an at-large bid come end of the year if they don't win the Horizon tournament.  But still, this was at Vanderbilt and the Commodores supposedly have their best team of all time and are ranked 7th in the country, so due to those circumstances this is a pretty crappy loss.  Vandy sucked, you might even say.

4. Kansas City Chiefs.  Actually there were so many NFL teams who embarrassed themselves this week it was hard to pick just one.  The Chiefs lost (at home) to Denver despite the Broncos completing just two passes the entire game.  The Ravens lost to the T-Jax led Seahawks while passing 53 times and only giving Ray Rice eight carries.  The Lions got smoked by the Bears by something like 50 points, the Eagles continued their unstoppable march to mediocrity by losing at home to a terrible Eagles team, and Buffalo reminded everyone they are Buffalo by getting crushed by Dallas.  Just a bizarre week in the NFL with a lot of really ugly games by ugly teams.  I'd say at this rate the Vikings actually have a chance to beat the Pack tonight.

5. Cain Velasquez. I don't know why I keep trying to get back into these fighting sports.  First Mayweather/Ortiz which ends in Floyd knocking out Ortiz while Ortiz is defenseless (his own fault but still), then Hopkins/Dawson which ended with an essential body slam and/or an old man looking to quit.  Now Saturday night I decide to check in on UFC and I get to see Velasquez, the "champion" (quotes should be read as air quotes), get hit in the face once, fall down, and then cry.  Seriously, pros should be able to take a punch, if I wanted to watch someone get knocked out I'd just ask someone to hit me (although the one time it actually happened after Dawger pickd a fight with some gang member and some other dude sucker punched me in the face and I was all like I will kill you mother fucker but he knocked my glasses off so I couldn't see shit and had no idea what was going on but I asked some other gang member dude to help me find my glasses since it was bullshit that the dude sucker punched me and he actually helped me look for them).  So yeah, I could beat up Cain Velasquez.  FACT.



As far as the Gophers go, they keep it going by taking on South Dakota State tonight.  The Jackrabbits are on a very similar plane as Bucknell as far as talent level goes - a good team from a terrible conference - and it should be a similar story to the Bucknell game - they have some good players and can be dangerous if the Gophers either don't play well or take them too lightly, but the Gophers really have no excuse for losing this game.

SDSU is another team that shoots the ball very well from three (41% last year) and they have a player in Nate Wolters who can take over a game and who many people who are stupid think should be a Gopher.  Wolters has a shot at winning Summit League Player of the Year this season, averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists per game last year, and opened up this year by dropping 32 (with 11 assists) in the Jackrabbits' win over Western Michigan.  Wolters is also from St. Cloud, which means people in this state are needlessly in love with him and also means he'll have a bit of extra motivation.  Him coming out and scoring 30+ is a very real possibility.

There are a couple of other decent players here (Jordan Dykstra in the post and SG Griffen Callahan both have the ability to score 20), but, like on Friday, the Gophers have more size, athleticism, ability, talent, and depth.  I expect SDSU to come out with a burst of emotion and grittiness and keep this one tight in the first half, but the Gophers should pull this one out by 10+ by the time it's over.  Of course, I say should, but once again this isn't a cupcake opponent and if the Gophers let them get hot from the perimeter and nobody's making shots for the Gophers isn't going to be tough.  Mbakwe and Sampson will probably be doubled again all day, so somebody else is going to have to help.

Or Mbakwe just grabs 20 boards and scores on putbacks all game because SDSU has absolutely nobody who can keep him off the glass.

Minnesota 72, South Dakota State 62

(If you're looking for something a little more in-depth, I'd assume From the Barn has got you covered)

 

 

This picture comes up if you search for Jackrabbits Cheerleaders.  Good enough, amiright?

6 Very Important Things from Last Night

Remember last year there was that very exciting 2-week or so period where I was writing daily posts so you worker drones would have something to do while you drink your coffee at your desk every morning?   And then my stupid second baby was born and that all went right out the window?  Well, I'm bringing it back.  Daily posts, either regular type posts or, if I don't have anything I'm thinking about writing about, I'll do it in this "6 things" list format.  Starting today and going until I get bored or lazy.

1. Drew Butera is my hero.  Mauer schmauer, who needs 'em?  The Twinks won their second straight, beating the Orioles 5-3 last night and giving Francisco Liriano his first win of the season.  Matt Capps tried to blow the game in the ninth by giving up a crushed home run to Luke Scott, but it turns out when you're up by three no matter how long of a home run you give up it's still only worth one point.

The real story of the game, however, was "no hit" Butera who went 2-4 with a career high three RBI, two coming on a big double in the second to give the Twins the lead, and the last one coming in the ninth, helping to give the Twins in a little insurance, something they will always need since they have the world's worst bullpen.  So a multi-hit game with three RBI, clutch hits, zero stolen bases by Baltimore probably because they were too afraid to run on his cannon arm, and such an outstanding ability to all a game that he made Francisco Liriano, Jose Mijares, and Jim Hoey all good, and Matt Capps only allowed one run which I assume is a season best?  I think this might be the Joe Mauer we always wanted, and without all the little baby injuries and "viruses."  With the DH spot already locked up I think it's time we start exploring trading him before it's too late.  I'll have to have a post later this week looking at what the Twins might be able to get for Mauer.  Stay tuned.

2.  Harrison Barnes is coming back.  Yep, Barnes, a consensus top-3 pick in the NBA draft, will be returning to North Carolina for his sophomore hoops season.  The effect of this is two-fold.  First, with John Henson and Tyler Zeller also staying in school plus the additions of James McAdoo (Rivals #8 overall player nationally and a guy who is just going to be ridiculous), P.J. Hairston (#14 nationally), and Desmond Hubert(#15 Center), the Tar Heels are going to be the prohibitive favorite to win the National Title (although if Kendall Marshall gets hurt it's over for them - he's the single most important player in college basketball next year).  The second, and more Minnesota-centric, effect is that this year's NBA draft is going to completely suck.  With Barnes, Baylor's Perry Jones, and Ohio State's Jared Sullinger all staying in school the only real blue-chippers are Arizona's Derrick Williams and Duke's Kyrie Irving.  We've all been here before.  Pencil the Wolves in for the third pick.  And of course with next year shaping up to be one of the deepest and best classes in recent memory the Wolves have already traded their pick.  Oof.

3.  This guy who was almost a Twin can really hit the ball.  And he's a shortstop.  You may remember the name Jed Lowrie, because he was part of the package the Red Sox offered the Twins for Johan Santana way back when.  The full offer was Lowrie, Jon freaking Lester, Justin Masterson, and Coco Crisp.  Lowrie is currently hitting .516 with 2 home runs after going 4-5 with a dinger today in the Red Sox 9-0 thumping of Toronto, and would be leading the league in average with just a few more plate appearances (not to mention he'd be tied for the team lead in homers if he was a Twin) and is starting to look like a potential franchise type shortstop.

Which means that with a different decision, Johan could have netted the Twins a possible franchise shortstop, a #1/#2 type starter, a potential #3/#4 type starter (depending on your opinion of Masterson), and another outfielder who could have been a trade chip, made someone else a trade chip, or at a minimum might have stopped the Twins from picking up Cuddy Bear's option which pays him $11 fucking million this year to hit singles.  Instead, they ended up netting out with two crappy relievers the Orioles didn't want (yes Hoey looked ok last night) and a pitching prospect who lost velocity and can't get out of double-A.  I know hindsight is 20/20, and I know that according to prospect rankings the trade with the Mets looked about on par with the Sox trade, but god damn it does it rankle me every time I see Lowrie or Lester do well.  Imagine how much better this team would be if that was the trade they made.  I'm going to go light something on fire.   

4.  Use up that $2.27 million signing bonus already?  In what can only be described as "totally fucking bizarre", Cincinnati Reds second year pitcher Mike Leake was arrested for stealing $60 worth of shirts from Macy's.  I totally don't get it because first of all Leake's signing bonus a year and a half ago was $2.27 million.  Second, he is making $425 million this year.  Third, he stole six shirts whose total cost was $59.98, or under 10 bucks a piece.  Fourth, the guy is a total stud and is soon, within the next couple few years, going to end up signing a nice big contract.  Fifth, what the fuck?   And finally, these are apparently the brand of shirts he was stealing.  What the hell?  You're telling me you can't just go down to ragstock or the salvation army and get the same thing for like a buck a piece?

Only two possible explanations here.  First, Leake must be a huge pothead and was just confused. like Smokey after he ate too much corn.  If I may be allowed to generalize and stereotype, Leake has surfer hair and went to Arizona State, so I'll assume he's not unfamiliar with the herb.  Plus he went straight to the pros from the minors so he hasn't really had any time to "grow-up" or "be poor", if you will.  The second possibility is that Macy's is somehow infested with a demon that causes athletes to steal even when it's the dumbest thing they could possibly do.  Is it possible that Royce White was really innocent and it was just some evil force that made him try to steal those pants and push that old man?  Maybe Fred Hoiberg is a secret Choctaw shaman who was able to recognize that Royce was good at heart and was just possessed, cast out the demon, and is now ready to reap the rewards of an All-American season.  Stupid Baptist Tubby.  I bet if they had hired Archambeau he'd be all over this.

5.  Look out, world.  Here comes Pricey.  Tampa's David Price burst onto the scene in the 2008 playoffs, had a decent rookie year, then last year finished second in the Cy Young balloting, so his slow start this year was a bit puzzling.  Well you can stop worrying so much, because he completely shut down the Sox last night, going 8 shut-out innings, allowing just four hits and striking out nine.  That's the Price I'm talkin' about.  Plus he did it to the White Sox, the most evil team in the history of evil, even worse than the Nazis or Packers.  Does this make David Price some kind of Angel or maybe God?  But in November of 2007 the owner dude changed the team name from Devil Rays to Rays, just three short months after they drafted and signed Price.  Coincidence?  You tell me, Robert Stack.  You tell me.

6.  The Pacers almost did it again.  For the second straight game the Pacers looked like they might be in position to steal a win in Chicago, and for the second straight game Derrick Rose said "No soup for you."  Seriously, this guy is ridiculous and completely unguardable.  When it gets down to it in the fourth Chicago justs shifts into the "give Rose the ball and everybody get out of the way" offense and he gets to the rim and either finishes, gets fouled, or finds an open teammate - and nobody on the Pacers can keep him out of the lane.  Last night he scored 14 of his 36 in the fourth quarter, similar to Game 1 when he scored 9 of his 37 in the quarter and came up with the game's biggest play on an assist to Kyle Korver for a three to give the Bulls the lead.  Completely ridiculous.  This is just like watching me play at the Y - completely unstoppable.

Minnesota Golden Gophers Basketball: Upcoming Opponents (+ Devoe Joseph opinion)

After a couple quick appetizers of exhibition games, the Minnesota Gophers basketball team finally gets things underway with a quick couple of games against quality mid-major opponents in the Wofford Terriers tonight and the Siena Saints on Monday.  Since I am going out of town this weekend for a much needed vacation away from the kids I won't be computering at all, so I might as well fire up two previews for the price of one.  We love to give out sweet deals like that here at DWG, particularly on all your stationery or invitation needs (look to the right).

I'll start with Wofford, since they're first and that's a logical way to do things.  The Terriers may be the Gophers' stiffest test that doesn't take place in Puerto Rico this offseason, because this team is very solid.  They return four starters from last year's SoCon Champion team, a team that won 26 games last year and almost knocked off Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year and almost beat Pitt in last year's season opener.

Most importantly amongst those returning starters is Minnesota-boy Noah Dahlman, the SoCon player of the year last season after 17 points and 6 rebounds per game while shooting 58% from the floor.  He's an absolute brute who never stops working on the glass, and because of that relentlessness he's almost impossible to shut down (he's scored in double-figures 48 straight games).  Unless he's added a jump shot in the offseason his range doesn't extend beyond the paint, and that should play well for the Gophers.  He won't be able to out-muscle Colt Iverson or Trevor Mbakwe, and even if he can push Ralph around a little he's still got the reach on Dahlman.  Wisconsin and Illinois both kept him in check last season (10 and 5, 13 and 2), and I expect the Gophers to do the same.

Dahlman is the only returnee who averaged more than 9.5 points per game last year, so there's no one player to focus on outside of him, but Wofford won a lot of games with their defense last year, ranking 41st in the country in defensive efficiency.  Luckily for the Gophers, however, they come by that ranking mainly by defending the three well (not a key for the Gophers outside of Blake) and keeping teams off their offensive boards (not something the Gophers rely on).  Most of all, I had the opportunity to watch Wofford play against Wisconsin as well as in the SoCon Championship against Appalachian State.  They are slow.  S-L-O-W.  They caught a huge break getting Wisconsin in last year's tournament because both their pace of play and overabundance of non-athletically gifted white dudes helped Wofford to keep pace.  That won't happen against Minnesota tonight.  Wofford is a good team, but the Gophers shouldn't have any issues here.

Minnesota 71, Wofford 53.

Now we move on to a mini-Mid-Major dynasty in Monday's opponent, the Siena Saints.  Siena has made the last three NCAA Tournaments, notching wins over Ohio State and Vanderbilt, but have some big shoes to fill - they lose last year's national assist leader in Ronald Moore, last year's MAAC player of the year in Alex Franklin, and maybe the best all-around player in program history in Edwin Ubiles - not to mention their coach Fran McCaffery who has gone on to national basketball power and totally good situation Iowa.

That's not to say the cupboard is bare, because the Saints return two absolutely excellent in players in 6-9 forward Ryan Rossiter and 6-4 guard Clarence Jackson - either of whom could end up winning the MAAC Player of the Year Award.

Rossiter, one of the goofiest looking mofos you're ever going to see, averaged 14 points and 11 rebounds per game last season, to go along with 1 steal, assist, and block.  He's a smart player who uses an almost plastic-man type body to get himself into great position, and is one of the best offensive rebounders in the country.  He doesn't have the size to bang with Iverson or Mbakwe or even Sampson, but he's smart and he's crafty.  If Iverson starts on him I'd expect Colt to spend a good amount of time in foul trouble.

Jackson, who averaged 14 points per game last year, is a dynamic scorer who can hit from the outside (71 threes last year led the team) and can also put the ball on the floor and get to the rim.  He's streaky, and can be shut down (11 games in single-digits) but he can also explode (9 games over 20 points).   It would behoove the Gophers to not let Jackson get off, because he's the type that could single-handedly win a game for the Saints.  Since he's probably a little bit too big for Al Nolen to take one-on-one, this could be a great chance for Rodney Williams to show that he can be a defensive stopper.  He was the physical tools for it, so this could be a great test if he gets the matchup.

Outside of those guys Siena is a great big pile of unknown, since Jackson, Rossiter, and the three departed starters from last year made up 77% of the team's minutes played and 85% of their points scored.  I'm sure there is talent there somewhere since McCaffery had created a bit of a mini-dynasty and that recruiting area is rich with potential hidden gems, but if the Gophers can shut down at least one of the Jackson/Rossiter duo they should have little trouble with the Saints.  If this was last year I would be concerned, but since this team is in flux and has a new coach, I'm confident in the Gophers.

Also I want to mention that the Saints have a player named Just-in'love Smith.  Ouch.

Minnesota 76, Siena 65

[Since I posted this I saw on Twitter that Devoe is suspended indefinitely due to non-academic off the court issues, and won't be playing until at least after Puerto Rico.

Snacks has since texted me that he "hates Tubby" and "hopes Devoe transfers."  I'm not quite to that point, but it is rather frustrating how the Gophers are constantly dealing with off the court issues.  Either Tubby is far too strict or he recruits nothing but headcases, either way this is hardly a ringing endorsement of the coach.  No matter how you feel about the issue or whose feet you choose to lay the blame at, this clearly sucks ass.  Once again a promising Gopher season is starting under a dark cloud.

I'll reserve further judgment until we know more (if we ever do), but it's time for the University to decide if it wants to be a basketball school or not  I'm not saying they should let athletes get away with murder, but at UNLV Tre'Von Willis choked his girlfriend and got three games.  At Michigan State Korie Lucious was busted for drunk driving and got just one game.  At Memphis Jelan Kendrick missed a few practices after threatening his teammates, and it's looking like Lace Dunn might not miss any games at Baylor despite being arrested for domestic assault.  And Devoe is going to miss at least five games for something that will likely be in the realm of skipping class or smoking a j.

Look, I understand some people's need to believe that their University "does things the right way" and "doesn't put up with any crap" and "only recruits good kids."  I do.  And that's all well and good, but, with all due respect to those of that view point, Fuck that.  I don't give a crap what Devoe does in his spare time, and if he graduates or not is really the thing I care about least in the entire world.  I want him to play ball, and I want my team to win games and I don't care how they do it or whether or not the players still call their mothers every week like good little boys or if they go to church every Sunday.  I don't care about that, I just want to win, baby.  Royce White was already run off, and Trevor Mbakwe almost followed him.  Who's next?]

Au Revoir, Royce White

As you have likely heard by now, the one and only Royce White has signed on to play at Iowa State.  I feel as if this deserves my full attention, but whether it's because I have a headache not un-reminiscent of the time I got stabbed with a trident in my brain or because I am kind of sick of devoting my energies to thinking about Rocye, I'm having trouble mustering up enough effort to care.  From a Gopher point of few, my reaction is a shrug.  A more interesting way to look at it is from the Iowa State point of view.

I do think it's a pretty good signing for the Cyclones.  Their program is currently in shambles, with each coach (Eustacy, Morgan, and McDermott) seemingly making no progress at best, taking a step back and running off players at worst, and could use this kind of boost if things work out.

Hiring Fred Hoiberg as the new head coach showed the A.D. is willing to gamble.  Hoiberg has no coaching experience, but he is a big name, both in Ames and nationally, which should help with recruiting, and his NBA connections will be attractive to big-time players with professional aspirations.  Enter Royce White.

There is no doubting his talent, despite mixed reports from the Howard Pulley games.  White was a 5-star, heavily recruited star coming out of high school, and even if a year off has allowed some rust to show, by the time he's eligible to play for ISU he should be back to where he was, if not better with a year of college practices behind him.  Which leads me to the interesting part.

Unless the NCAA, the notoriously hard-assed NCAA, is willing to sign a waiver (they won't) or even two (they definitely won't) Royce won't be able to see the court until the beginning of the 2011 season due to NCAA rules regarding transferring as well as academic concerns (remember, he dropped out of the U).  That means, assuming he gets into the school in the first place (likely), that he will have to stay on campus for a full year before he can play.

A full year of getting his work done, not cheating on tests, stealing jeans or laptops, trespassing in dorms, or generally f*cking around.  It's basically a one-year probation period to make sure he has his shit together.  Seriously, what's the downside here?  He cheats/steals/flunks and gets booted out, and everybody says, "What an idiot!  Iowa State was willing to give him one last chance and he screwed it up again!  What a moron!"  It's not on the Cyclones or Hoiberg or whoever the A.D. is at all.  It's all on White.  And if it works out, and he keeps his nose clean and ends up playing in two years and maximizes his potential, it's genius.  Even if he's nothing more than a contributor it works out well for them.

With the hiring of Hoiberg, Iowa State has pretty much announced they are sick of mediocrity, and they're looking to take high-risk/high-reward chances and hope the dice don't come up craps.  Royce is the very definition of that kind of risk.  And don't forget, Hoiberg isn't just some new coach.  He was doing whatever it was for the Timberwolves for some time, and might know more about Royce the person that we do, and might be hearing good things from those in the Minnesota basketball community.

Of course, since this is Royce White we're talking about it's almost a certainty he can't stay out his way through one semester, let alone the entire year and a half he'd need to play, so it's most likely a moot point, and he'll likely get kicked off the team for playing mailbox baseball or throwing cherry bombs into the girls dormitory, but if he does stay clean this is an absolute home run.  Although I'm not re-thinking the craps analogy.  This is more like picking a single number and throwing your whole bankroll at it in roulette.  Odds are you aren't going to cash, but if your number hits, we're talking BOATLOADS!

 

Happy Groundhog Day, Royce

More Royce White drama.  Fitting that it's groundhog day since it seems we've been here before.  No doubt you are aware that Royce has quit the Gopher basketball team for the second time.  Since I assume nobody really pays any attention when I say things, I will guess you are unaware that I said earlier at one point that I wasn't going to bother writing about him any more until/unless he ended up playing in a game.  I'm mostly going to stick to that.  I'm instead going to let the Daily Gopher do the talking instead.  If you click on that link you will find a long, well thought out post by PJS detailing who deserves the blame in this whole mess.

I don't agree with all of it - I think Royce deserves more blame than PJS does (maybe not for just this particular "trespassing" incident, but for his entire time at the U), I think the race discussion is misplaced, and I don't know about the legal particulars because I don't understand such things - but overall I'm in PJS's corner here.  Particularly when it comes to his criticisms of the way Tubby Smith handled the situation.  We received very little information from him regarding what was going on, and that's his right since we're just fans, but it seems Royce didn't receive very clear information from him either, and that's a major issue.  Whether the miscommunications were Tubby's fault or Royce's the blame should lie at the feet of the head coach, and it's become clear Royce had a very different idea about what was going on than what Tubby did, and what reality has turned out to be.

This doesn't in the least excuse White's behavior, but this whole situation was a mess that could have been handled better by many different people.  I also find it fascinating that Nikola Dragovic, a starting forward for UCLA, was suspended just two games despite facing assault charges stemming from an incident/fight at a concert in October.  2 games.  His legal situation is not cleared up.  His preliminary hearing was just pushed out to March.  Yet he missed just two games while UCLA investigated the incident.  I don't have to tell you that Mbakwe hasn't played all year due to a similar charge, and we all know what is going on with Royce due to "trespassing." 

Some may say the U holds its players to a higher standard than UCLA.  I say the U is run by a bunch of idiots who don't realize that winning truly is the most important thing.  I'm not advocating that you look the other way in every situation or offer a scholarship to just anybody, even I have limits, but a trumped-up trespassing charge and a possible assault/possible mistaken identity case?  There is actually footage of Dragovic fighting at that concert, although he appears to be defending himself.  There is nothing on Mbakwe except the identification of some probably drunk woman, and everyone knows all black people look the same anyway.  Maybe this is just frustration with how awful the team has looked lately, but I'm just absolutely disgusted right now.  With everybody.    

And THAT then, is all I have to say on the situation until/unless he ends up in a uniform - somewhere, anywhere.  Besides, why speculate on that garbage when we could be having fun debating who the Gophers might end up playing in the NIT?

This Royce White Thing

Hey folks.  I promised a few sentences on this Royce White thing, so I suppose I shouldn't lie about things as if I was your mother when she said she loved you and actually get to it.  The real problem here is, though, I don't much care at this point.

Look, I definitely wanted White to be here.  There's no doubting his talent, and there's even less doubting that this team could really use a big-time banger type of power forward since all the other big guys (without Mbakwe) are perhaps a bit soft, except for Ralph (some people might say he's soft, I say he's playing coy).  But at this point in this season was anybody really still pining for him?  What were the odds he was even going to play this year?  10%?  5%?  It was made pretty clear that his legal troubles, valid or not, were piling up and anybody who thought he was going to play this year was holding on to a thin shred of hope like they were Chris Brander.  Sometimes it works out, but most of the time you're left standing there wearing your mall iron-on cat T-shirt while some jock reads your most heartfelt thoughts you wrote in Jamie's yearbook to the entire graduating class.

As far as Royce goes, all I can say is "Really?"  I mean really?  You've already skated through 18 years of life with little to no regard for the rules that most humans follow, and you've gotten away with it time and time again because the good lord blessed you with 6-7 size and super human athleticism.  Unfortunately, he also cursed you with that ten-cent head and you just couldn't get out of your own way. 

It's disappointing in a lot of ways.  Hell, I even defended him when he first got kicked out of De La Salle and ripped the crap out of Reusse for going after Tubby for keeping this guy on the team.  Now I feel like the idiot.  And it has nothing to do with the Mall of America pants incident or even this laptop framejob worthy of those dudes that framed Nixon.  It is because he quit.  He quit.

It might be different if I believed for a second that he quit because of "what the investigation was doing to his family."  But I don't.  Maybe I'm the asshole here, but it sounds to me like the whining of a privileged child who had his favorite toy taken away for being a bad boy, but instead of learning his lesson or owning up to his mistakes he blames the teacher and refuses to play red-rover anymore.  He had an incredible opportunity, and has now pissed it all away.

It wouldn't even have been that difficult.  Just play one season of college ball and enter the draft.  I could see him going anywhere from the mid-first to the late second with even a mediocre season based on his perceived potential.  But he couldn't even handle that and when a little adversity was thrown his way he quit.  A career in Europe may still be in the cards, but for my money I'd bet he still ends up playing at a JuCo or something on that level.  But the fact is I just don't care anymore.  I used too many words, too much breath, and far too many minutes of my life defending Royce, only to have him quit on everybody who defended and believed in him.

This is the last post you will see about Royce White on this site. (that probably isn't true but it sounds defiant - I'm like Elin Woods to Royce's Tiger over here.)  

Royce White Gone?

I haven't watched this and don't have time right now, but apparently Royce White announces in this youtube video that he is quitting college basketball.  Not transferring, but quitting.  We'll see.  I'll be back with some comments either tonight or tomorrow.

I can't figure out how to embed this stupid thing

Gophers win, Royce White is still a mystery

Usually when a rare Saturday roles around where I have no plans and no major projects needing to be done, which today is one of such of that, I like to do nothing.  Sit around, play with Wonderbaby^TM, watch some tv, and generally do nothing. However, with the Gopher basketball opener taking place last night and the whole Royce White deal, it seems I don't have much of a choice but to spend some time typing.

I'm just quickly going to touch on Royce White, since his status seems to be changing by the second. He wasn't on the bench for the game, rumors were flying that he was going to be expelled, and the news actually reported he was expelled. Seemed pretty clear, but now this morning both Tubby and Joel Maturi have said he is still on the team. I had expected he had gotten the boot, and despite my "wins come first" attitude and how vigorously I defended White previously, I thought it was probably the right decision. Now, who knows? I'm going to hold my thoughts on this matter until everything shakes out, but I'll just say if Royce is still on the team by the end of the week he is a very, very, very lucky young man. I just hope he will realize that, although I am not optimistic.

On to the fun part - the game. The team looked very good in their 87-50 win over Tennessee Tech, and the most impressive part was the defense. The numbers by themselves are impressive, holding the Eagles to 28% shooting, turning them over 27 times, and out rebounding them 35-26, and blocking 15 shots. Since the competition wasn't exactly top caliber, I was more interested in how they played rather than the results, and I'm happy to report that they looked good in their rotations and help side defense - absolute keys if they're going to do anything this year. That kind of defensive effort will keep them in a game against anyone. Needless to say, I was very impressed.

A few call-outs:

- Lawrence Westbrook led the team with 22 points on 9-13 shooting, including 4 three pointers, and he looked very good. He's slimmer and faster, and his shot right now is dead on and he knows it, showing supreme confidence once again in his jumper. I feel a little bit silly typing this, but I am getting a feeling that we might be in for a special senior season from Westy. Remember the leap in his game Travarus Bennett took from his junior year to his senior year? Or Eric Harris? I'm getting that feeling. I hope I'm right, because he'll be a big part of how far this team can go.

- Ralph Sampson started his run towards Big Ten POY with a nice night - 9 points and 9 boards on 4-5 shooting. He towered over everybody on Tenn Tech so the rebounds aren't really that impressive, but his offensive game looks far more polished than last season - that new turnaround J is a thing of beauty. With his added muscle as well, he should be able to have some very nice games this year.

- Al Nolen was unguardable last night. Seriously, there was nobody on TTU who could stay in front of him, and he was able to get to the lane at will and then usually find an open teammate for an easy basket, resulting in a team high 7 assists for Nolen last night. He still did his patented "get to the lane and then jump stop and pick up the dribble with no idea what I'm going to do with the ball move" a few times, which is still worrisome. It's one thing to slice up a bottom-tier OVC team, it's something different facing Big Ten defenders. Overall with Nole I was encouraged, but worried at the same time. I'm really looking forward to that Butler game. That's a touch defensive squad reminiscent of a Big Ten team, and will be a nice litmus test not only for the team, but for Nolen in general.

- Rodney Williams is the talk of the game, and for good reason. He was always said to be a ridiculous athlete who had some work to do on his offensive skills, and although that's not completely untrue he has looked far more polished than I and many others were expecting, and was the team's second leading scorer last night with 14 points on 5-8 shooting, including another three pointer. If his outside shooting is for real, a Gopher may still end up winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, just not the one initially expected.

- If I have to pick one player who didn't play well, and it isn't easy when your team wins by 37, it would be Devoe Joseph. He struggled shooting the ball, made some really poor decisions with the ball, and lost his man on defense a few times. I still think he's going to be a major contributor and a big part of this team for the next three years and everthing, just last night he stuck out as having a poor game. Not a concern.

- Finally, Damian Johnson is ridiculous. Look at this line: 9 pts, 2 rebs, 3 assists, 6 steals, and 5 blocks. Just a great all around game, and I have a feeling we won't see another game with DJ grabbing so few boards. Even if his offense hasn't improved (although it looks like it has), he's still going to be the most valuable Gopher again this year.

Overall a very good win. A game like this can't really tell you how good your team is, but it can warn you if they are flawed in some way. The Gophers got through this one with no red flags - an excellent sign. With or without the currently inactive players, this is going to be an NCAA Tournament team. After the Thanksgiving Tournament, we should have a pretty good idea if they can be more.

***UPDATE*** More Good news for the Gophers

With the first exhibition game for our beloved Golden Gopher basketball team coming on Thursday, we should be excited, discussing the exciting possibilities a new season always brings, and debating if Justin Cobbs will take Al Nolen's starting job before or during the Big Ten Conference season.  Instead we're getting nothing but bad news.

On the heels of the ludicrous Mbakwe decision comes the news today that Royce White and Devron Bostick have been suspended by Tubby Smith indefinitely due to a violation of "unspecified team rules."  According to the Pioneer Press article, Tubby stated the suspension could be two to six games, or "It could be 20.  If they take care of the things they have to take care of, then it could be less."

Any guess at what the infractions could be would be nothing but idle speculation, but the quote from Tubby gives me a positive feeling like it's something simple like skipping classes or effort in practice - something that could be fixed in a relatively short time and with a little effort.  Wishful thinking?  Maybe, but with the news so far this week, maybe Gopher fans need a little wishful thinking, otherwise it's starting to feel more like a Bob Huggins team than a Tubby Smith team.

The most troublesome aspect is that Royce White is involved.  I'm sure you remember his disciplinary problems in high school, but Tubby and the school game him the opportunity to play here anyway.  I'd hate to think they made a mistake, and/or he's not taking advantage of his situation.

UPDATE:   The Pioneer Press article has been updated to include the information that Royce White was cited for misdemeanor theft and fifth degree assault at the Macy's at the Mall of America, October 13th at 7:54 pm, and is scheduled to be arraigned November 17th.

Now, I have no clue if this has anything to do with the suspension, especially since Bostick isn't mentioned in the complaint, but it seems odd that Tubby would have waited three weeks after the incident to suspend Royce, and with the above quote I'm not sure this all fits together, unless he's referring to if the charges are dropped or reduced or something he'll let White back on the team.  I have no clue.  I won't rush to judgement until more facts are known, specifically what the hell actually happened and Bostick's involvement, but this certainly doesn't look good.

UPDATE 2:   Ugh.  More details from the Star Tribune.  According to this, White stole about $100 worth of merchandise from Macy's, and when he was confronted by the security guard he pushed him to the ground.  I'm trying to spin this, but really, really having trouble.  Uh, I guess it's good that he won't get jail time, right?

I defended White on this blog, but now I have a feeling he might never play in a game for the Gophers, and if that's the case, I can't argue against it.

Adios Mulvey (+Athlon Sports Gopher preview)

-  I missed this until Aaron Gleeman posted it yesterday, but the Twins completed the Jon Rauch trade by sending Arizona the player to be named later; Kevin Mulvey.  I have mixed feelings.

On one hand, there is part of me that says the Johan Santana trade suddenly looks better (blown game yesterday by Rauch aside) with him in there instead of Mulvey, who looked terrible in all of the one and third innings he pitched for the Twins.   On the other hand, Mulvey is still just 24, was ranked as the Mets #4 prospect at the time of the trade, and put up ok numbers at Rochester this year - his first at AAA.

He has already been promoted to the big club in Arizona, and has made two appearances since they acquired him late last week, totaling three innings and giving up just one hit and a run while striking out three and walking three.  So maybe he's fallen to the point where his upside is a middle reliever, I don't know.  I'm picturing him suddenly with a name change to K.J. Mulvey (middle name = John) and becoming a shut down 8th inning guy.  In any case it's a bit disheartening to know the team has already given up on part of the Johan deal - which continues to look worse and worse.

-  In a completely unrelated note, "early season fluke" Jason Bartlett has continued his fluky ways all season long, and is still fourth in the AL in batting average at .331 (just 20 points lower than O-Cabrera's slugging percentage).  He also leads all AL shortstops in average, OBP (higher than Morneau), slugging (higher than Cuddyer's), and OPS (would be third on the Twins behind Mauer and Kubel) and is second in steals, third in home runs and triples, and fourth in doubles.

God dammit.    

-  Since we are talking about MLB prospects and who did and didn't work out, I might as well bring up the unfortunately named but fortunately gifted Madison Bumgarner, a super prospect for the San Francisco Giants who made his debut last night after being a top ten prospect on any list you could find.  It was undoubtedly a success, with Bumgarner going 5 and a third, giving up just five hits and walk while striking out four.  Two of those hits given up were home runs, unfortunately, but both were solo, so he currently sits with an ERA of 3.38 and a WHIP of 1.13.

The original plan wasn't to bring him up until 2010 at the earliest, and more likely 2011, but the combination of being in a Wild Card race along with his stunning success scuttled that idea.  He put up some very impressive numbers in his two years in the minors between A and AA - in 49 games he compiled a record of 27-5 with an ERA of 1.65, WHIP of 0.97, and 256 Ks compared to just 55 walks - so at age 20 he's skipping AAA and hitting the bigs, and it looks good so far.  And think on this:  The Giants have Bumgarner, 20, Lincecum, 25, and Matt Cain, 24.  They're pretty much guaranteed to be contenders for years.

-  On the Gopher front, Athlon Sports College Basketball Preview Magazine is out, and they have the Gophers slotted as a 10 seed in the NCAA tournament this season.  Without having broken anything down yet on my own, that seems a bit low.  I would hope for something more in the 5-8 range.  Some other bits from the mag:

Big Ten tournament teams:  Minnesota (1 & done), Illinois (2 & out), Michigan (2 & out), Michigan State (Nat'l Runner-Up), Ohio State (2 & out), Purdue (Final Four), and Wisconsin (1 & done).  If that comes to pass it will be a very, very succesful conference season.

They predict the Spartans lose in the championship to Kansas - no real shock - with Texas the other Final Four team along with Purdue.  Villanova (ick), Kentucky, UNC, and Tennessee round out the other Elite 8 teams.

All American Team is Cole Aldrich, Devan Downey, Luke Harangody, Patrick Patterson, and Kyle Singler, with Evan Turner on the second team, Manny Harris and Kalin Lucas on the third team, and Talor Battle, Kevin Coble, Robbie Hummel, and E'Twaun Moore getting honorable mention (what!  No Ralph Sampson or JaJuan Johnson!!  Travesty!).

No Gopher makes the mag's All Big-Ten first, second, or third team, but Royce White is their predicted newcomer of the year, and they call out Al Nolen as the most underrated player in the conference (*bring hand to mouth, make fart sound here*).  Evan Turner is their conference player of the year.

With the mag out and the weather turning to fall, expect an increase in college basketball posts as I get ridiculously excited for the millionth season in a row.

-  Finally, as much as it pains me to praise Patrick Reusse, take the time to check out this very well done article by him on Minnesota Amateur Baseball, something very near and dear to me.  If you pay close enough attention (and you know me personally), you may catch a familiar name in there.  Way to go Old Man, maybe you weren't all talk after all.

Check back again tomorrow.  At some point before the NFL season kicks off I will have my wildly popular NFL predictions.  And they're all yours FREE OF CHARGE!!!  All I ask in return is that you go click an ad on the right side over there.  Go do it now.

Inner City News

No, not that kind of inner city news. The Inner City All-Star Game, which is apparently a real thing. An anonymous commenter supplies some info:

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Not the place for this but...
Royce White was named the MVP of the inner city all star game this evening. 20-5-4 or something similar. I still think he will be BTFOY; he is a man among boys at the HS level.

The dunk contest was a disappointment, but RWJR's 2 attempts from outside the foul line and his 3 attempts with a 360 from 2 steps inside the line were very impressive!!! Rodney takes home the crown over; dylan hale (texas state), cedric martin (JUCO), and Royce White.

Raymond Cowles (santa clara) was lights out from 3 to take home the 3 point contest.

After talking to numerous HS coaches tonight everyone seems to be in agreement that RWJR will not see much time next year unless he really adds some muscle and buys into defense and effort! Exciting raw bball player, and will be fun to watch in the years to come!

Teams with multiple participants (-): Hopkins (3), Cooper (2), Washburn (2) Johnson (2), Spring Lake Park (2)

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Thanks Anonymous. You know what they say about journalists trusting anonymous sources, so good thing I'm not one and can take this as gospel.

Some Stuff Quick

- Cry. Travis Busch is leaving the Gophers. The team declined to renew his scholarship, so Buschy is taking his ball and leaving which, with the graduation of Shamala, leaves the team dangerously low in the unathletic white guy department. The Daily Gopher reports that the Pioneer Press reports that Busch is getting interest from Winona State and Nebraska-Omaha, and I'm kind of surprised. I actually figured that his little hustle routine and pigmentless skin would have a higher profile team (like a Northern Iowa or Valpo) come calling, but it would seem not. Faith in the world slightly restored. Slightly.

- One of the things I'm most impressed with this early in the season is the improvement of Carlos Gomez's batting approach. His stats aren't staggering, but looking deeper (or even just watching him) you can see he's matured and made changes, and the Spring Training reports to that weren't just Spring fluff. Last season, according to fangraphs, Gomez swung at 36.8% of pitches thrown that were out of the strike zone, and so far this season he's only gone after 21.7%. He's even letting more balls in the zone go as well, swing at 58% of strikes this year compared 68% last season. Overall, he's swinging at just 34% of pitches this year, whereas last year he went after 53%. This is awesome, and should not only contribute to more walks and less strikeouts, but also to a higher batting average and slugging percentage as he stops going after pitches he can't hit. Excellent.

- Also excellent is Alexi Casilla turning the double play. I agree with The Fourth Strike that he and Punto might be the best double play combination in the league - fielding wise at least. Certainly not offensively, since Punto sucks and that honor pretty clearly goes to Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla in Florida.

- ESPN released their final list of the top 100 prospects, The ESPNU 100, for 2009. As you'd guess, two Gophers ended up in the top 100, with Royce coming in at #35 and Rodney at #42. According to this list, they end up being the #2 and #3 ranked freshman coming into the Big Ten for next season, since there isn't a whole lot of talent coming into the conference, behind just Indiana's Christian Watford at #34.

- Oh, and if you're wondering, last year Delmon Young swung at 39.9% of pitches out of the zone (fourth in the league) and this year he's so far gone after a whopping 60%, and overall has gone after a staggering 64% of pitches he's seen.

- Joe Crede just hit a home run in his first at-bat against the Sox. So awesome. Eat it, queers.

- The Masters is shaping up nicely, with a couple of surprises at the top of the leaderboard in Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry, with nearly all the big names in striking distance, including Furyk, Garcia, Kim, Singh, Ogilvy, Mickelson, Villegas, Westwood, Harrington, and el Tigre all within seven shots. Shaping up to be a fun weekend, although my new least favorite golfer in the world Zach Johnson won't be there after shooting a freaking 80 today. 80! Raymond Floyd is 66 years old and hasn't won on the Champions tour since 2000. There were only five rounds the entire first two days of the tournament worse. What a giant piece of crap. Thanks for sucking and making me look like an idiot.

- I have two movies queued up to live blog when I get a chance. The first is Shark Attack 3: Megalodon, which I have mentioned before and finally found again and Tivo'd, and The Sandlot 3, starring Dylan McKay which I can't wait to watch - it has to be better than Sandlot 2, which had girls playing ball for god's sake.

- Since baseball is harder to keep up with who is being Awesome and who is sucking in a given week, I'm considering going to a "Daily Review" every morning rather than just the weekly roundup. So that would mean daily content updates. Stay tuned.

- By the way, if you search this blog for "Shark" it returns 11 posts, only one of which references Greg Norman and zero of which reference the San Jose Sharks if they still exist. I may have a problem of some sort.

EDIT: Un-freaking-believable. I get my ESPN Streak for the Cash up to 10, and Phoenix gets beat by Memphis - and not only beat, they get rolled by 20. F that. Turns out Phoneix played their backups more than their starters. God that sucks.

Rodney/Royce Game Review (+ quick MSU Game preview)

Because Rodney Williams and Royce White are so important to the future of the program, and because they just played each other last night, I'm going to take a couple of comments I received on the game from commenters and promote them into an actual post.

First, from Dawger:

The game was like walking into a scene from Dangerours Minds. I think Coolio may have also been playing over the loud speakers. The place was packed to the rafters with many shady characters. Those character's included a 9.5:1 lefty to righty ratio. Not kidding. The list also featured Trent Tucker, Sid Hartman, Flip Saunders and the coach from Colorado State University who was wearing his gay green CSU sweat shirt. The guy looked like a complete slob and had zero chance of landing any recruit.

Baby Dawger (BD)and Lil Lil Snake (LLS)were on their best behavior. This was probably because they were very much out of their element and paralyzed with fear.

The gym was buzzing with anticipation to see all of the showcased talent. Warm ups were particularly interesting as Rodney and Royce were putting on dunking clinics on their perspective ends.

While watching the warm ups you could see that Cooper would be in trouble as Hopkins was taller at every position.

Rodney won Snake over on the opening tip, when he jumped about 14ft into the air and slapped the ball to the baseline. That would be Rodney's lone highlight of the first half. I would disagree with anonymous that Rodney's jumper needs work. He has great form and unbelieveable lift. He tends to use fade away's when its not necessary but that is easily changed.

Royce was unbelieveable in the first half. His defense was smothering and he was great at jumping into passing lanes for steals. He was simply unstoppable on offense. He is 6'8", solid and quick. Great ball handling and court vision. He was able to get to the rim whenever he wanted. The crowd gave him an "Overrated" chant after he missed a free throw and on the next play he went right around Rodney (who was giving up quite a bit of size) and slammed one home to silence the crowd.

Hopkins is stacked and has a few players to keep an eye on in the future. Particularly #23 who was a sophmore. This kid was a beast on the glass and very athletic.

Anyhow we left at half-time and missed Rodney's dunking highlight reel in the 2nd half. Maybe next time. I believe both will be very exciting to watch next year. I don't see either one rotting away on the bench as long as they come ready to play defense. Both are far too talented to keep on the shelf.

and secondly from an anonymous commenter,

4000 or so people at the cooper vs hopkins game tonight. Hopkins rolls, RW dominates the game offensively (tenacious rebounder, tremendous low post game, great handle) big ten ready right now!

RWJR has NBA athleticism right now, but has alot to work on prior to becoming an asset at the next level! suspect jumper, more than suspect handle, and lack of interest on D. But can't wait to see what tubby molds him into!

going to be fun next year!

Sounds awesome. I think everyone, except for the donkeys who think Royce will singlehandedly bring the program to its knees swift bird style, can agree that it's going to be very entertaining to watch these do wear the gold & maroon (and white).

As far as tonight's game, who would have thought the Gophers would be playing for a share of first place? Without the Gopher performance in the Illinois game, I wouldn't give them a chance, but that was one of the best defensive performances I've ever seen, and that kind of defense will always give you a chance.

With the Spartans reeling a bit and with back-to-back losses and home, not to mention no Raymar Morgan and a banged up (and maybe out) Goran Suton tonight, things may be lining up for Minnesota to grab a huge victory.

IF Nolen can control Kalin Lucas, IF the Gophers can keep keep Chris Allen from getting off from three, IF Ralph Sampson continues his journey to become the greatest Gopher ever, and IF Al Nolen can play smart and under control, yet aggressive, the Gophers can win this game. All that being said, I can't bring myself to pick a Gopher team to actually win in East Lansing, I just can't. Michigan State 64, Minnesota 60.

I apologize for the lack of a more substantial preview and no picture, but I'm getting bombarded at work like the fat nerd playing bombardment in gym class (save your fat nerd jokes). If you're looking for more, check From the Barn and The Daily Gopher. Those d-bags are much smarter than me anyway.