More Pac-12 Links

The NCAA ruled that next year's deadline to pull out of the draft will be before the first day of the spring signing period, typically mid-April. This year, players have until May 8 to withdraw from the draft. Essentially this means players will no longer have the opportunity to declare for the draft, work out for teams, and then come back.
This hurts players, but helps coaches, and obviously the players had no say in the ruling. I'll get to this more in depth later in the summer. In the meantime, here's what's going on with the rest of the Pac-12.

Stanford

Jeremy Green is trying to be the next Landry Fields, declaring for the NBA draft, but unlike Fields, Green isn't expected to be drafted.
Green was suspended from school for academic reasons, although at the time of the suspension, Johnny Dawkins said he expected him to come back. If Green doesn't return, Stanford's guard play and depth takes a big hit.

UCLA

This was announced a while ago, but still interesting. Instead of playing a non-conference game in January, UCLA will play Arizona on Jan. 5.
Remember last year, UCLA played St. John's late in the season, won, and got a boost for their tournament resume.

USC

Trojans land another junior college recruit. Here's the rest of USC's class.

Wing Byron Wesley from Etiwanda High
Guard Alexis Moore of Long Beach Poly
Center James Blasczyk of Lee College in Baytown, Texas
Forward Dewayne Dedmon (transferred from Antelope Valley College)
Forward Aaron Fuller. (transferred from Iowa)

Washington

God's Gift passes on Washington. That's right God's Gift Achiuwa (his real name) chose St. John's over the Huskies. Achiuwa, a two-time junior college All-American said Washington "was really close."

Washington St.
DeAngelo Casto, who has declared for the draft won't be charged with marijuana possession. His marijuana was seized without a warrant and the prosecutor's office says it won't go through with the case because of a lack of evidence.

Utah
Utes hire Salt Lake City Community College coach as an assitant.
Lots of change with the program as Larry Krystowiak takes over. Several players have asked for transfers, including Will Clyburn who announced he is transferring to Iowa State and freshman Preston Guiot who is headed to Southwest Baptist, as well as Shawn Glover and J.J. O’Brien who have been given permission to talk to other schools, and backups Chris Kupets and Antonio DiMaria who have announced they are transferring.

Summer in the Pac- 12

It's been 24 days since the NCAA National Championship game ended in a dud, and it's been too many days to count since I've updated this blog. I miss college hoops and I miss writing, so here we go.

I'll start by taking a shot at the Big East.

Big 6 conferences in order of total # of draft picks over last 10 drafts:

........total picked.....lottery pick.....1st rounder(not lotto).....2nd rounder

1-ACC- ....71...................21........................21..........................29

2-Pac 10-...66...................18........................15..........................33

3-big east-..62...................19........................15..........................28

4-big 12-....48...................14........................14..........................20

5-SEC-......44...................12.........................8...........................24

6-big 10-....33....................9.........................12..........................12

Despite having 6 fewer teams, (4 starting this season) the Pac-12 has four more NBA draft picks over the past 10 seasons and a whopping 33 more than the Big 10. I'm not saying the Pac-12 has the most talented players every season, NBA general managers are saying it.

Links

Arizona

Arizona basketball is still in the Top 20 in attendance.

Attendance actually dropped from last season, 13,815 in 2010 to 13,680 in 2011. Arizona ranked 1st in the Pac-10, but the Pac-10 ranked 7th among conferences, even behind the Mountain West.

Daniel Bejarano is officially transferring, as expected, making Arizona only 1 player over the scholarship limit for next year, meaning they still need lose 1 player scholarship before the season starts.

2011-12 (Limit of 12 because of NCAA sanctions)

Gone: Jamelle Horne, Derrick Williams

Off scholarship: Dondre Wise

Seniors

1. Kyle Fogg

2. Brendon Lavender

3. Jesse Perry

4. Alex Jacobson

Juniors

5. Solomon Hill

6. MoMo Jones

7. Kyryl Natyazhko

8. Kevin Parrom

Sophomores

9. Jordin Mayes

Freshmen

10. Sidiki Johnson

11. Nick Johnson

12. Josiah Turner

13. Angelo Chol

My thought is Alex Jacobsen, a 5th year senior will either transfer or choose to pay his own way, but with 6 guards, all of whom can really play, we may see a transfer. Lavender may be the 6th man in the guard rotation, so he may be the one who's out.

Arizona St.

ASU's basketball program is a sinking ship right now and Herb Sendek's job may be on the line after this season, but Sun Devils fans can turn on the NBA playoffs for some ASU hoops nostalgia.

James Harden is getting plenty of quality minutes after the Jeff Green trade, Eddie House can be seen making wide open jumpers for the Heat, and former Sun Devil Lionel Hollins is coaching the Grizzlies to potentially one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history.

Cal

This happened a while ago, but it's worth noting. De'End Parker de-committed from Cal and is going to UCLA. Important because Parker is one of the top JUCO transfers in the country, and UCLA last juco transfer, Lazeric Jones became their starting point guard last season.

Colorado

After going to the NIT, Colorado loses a ton, including lottery pick Alec Burks, but they do gain Carlon Brown, a transfer from Utah, who threw down this sick, ridiculous dunk a few years back.

Oregon

Oregon's recruiting class is ranked No. 19 by scout.com, so there's some hope for next season in Eugene. Jabari Brown, a guard who played in the Jordan Brand Classic is the gem.

Remember Michael Dunigan, a former prized Oregon recruit who left the Ducks to play pro ball in Israel, and then Estonia, that's right, a rival of Latvia. Well, he's eligible for the draft this year. Chad Ford says he's got a lot to prove to be considered for the 2nd round.

Oregon St.

Speaking of Europe, Oregon State went to the land of meatballs and Abba to sign a point guard for next season.

I'll get to the second half of the Pac-12 tomorrow, hope this whet the appetite.

Say goodbye to Mannywood

It was a sad day in Mannywood today-- or rather Dodgertown-- as the "Manny section" of Dodger Stadium has been renamed.

Just when you think the steroid era couldn't shock you anymore, it does.

I was stunned, saddened, disappointed, angered.

You duped us Manny. You suckered us into thinking that you were this happy-go-lucky character. You were too dumb to figure out about steroid cycles and multi-syllable drugs. You conned us into thinking that you were just being Manny.

You were different than the others. You didn't have the big head of Barry Bonds. You had the big dreads. You didn't have the seriousness of Alex Rodriguez. You were fun to be around. You didn't point the finger like Rafael Palmeiro. You preferred to wave.

For the two and half months you've worn a Dodger uniform, you changed the city. The Dodgers had their first face since Mike Piazza. You were the next Mania. The next Hideo, the next Fernando. Except you were even bigger.

But we're suckers for believing you, and now all we have is this bogus statement from you and your scumbag agent. We're not dumb enough to believe your pitiful excuses. No one in their right mind could believe you took women's fertility drugs with just cause.

The Dodgers lost today. They lost twice. They lost their dignity while the news cycle took its course and then they lost a game at home for the first time this year. The Dodgers and you were a part of something special. Today, they looked dejected. As each National touched the plate to turn a 6-0 lead into an eventual 11-9 loss, the faces in the dugout were glum. You brought a spark to the clubhouse and now it's gone.

The 2004 Red Sox were the idiots and you were one of them. You never looked like you knew what was going on, from your outfield gaffes to your clubhouse antics. You were the personification of innocence and naivety.

But you had us fooled. When will we hear the end of the steroid stories and who will be next?

Today hurt Manny.

In Mannywood, the story was too good to be true.

Not an April Fools Joke

Leave it to the man who hired John Mackovic to keep 'em guessing. The amount of people who even mentioned the words Tim Floyd as a candidate for the Arizona job was none. Unless they were hiding behind the woodshed.

Today, a new chapter in Arizona basketball was written. Tim Floyd will reportedly be hired as the next coach of Arizona after meeting with athletic director Jim Livengood.

This comes as a surprise. Tom Izzo, Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Mark Few, Jamie Dixon, Lon Kruger, Jeff Capel, Reggie Theus all mentioned, none hired. Even Russ Pennell would have been less shocking.

Which is not to say that this was a bad hire. Just kind of ironic it came on April Fools Day. A Pac-10 coach leaving a program he rebuilt to join another Pac-10 program he will have to rebuild? Head coaches don't leave to coach another program within the same conference. It just doesn't happen.

The good thing about Tim Floyd is that he wins. He led USC, Iowa State, and New Orleans to the NCAA Tournament.

The bad thing is that no one is exactly sold that Floyd is doing things the right way. There's the curios case of OJ Mayo and what (if any) involvement Floyd had in that fiasco. There's Daniel Hackett and his dad Rudy who reportedly were a package deal (Floyd denies this). There's the recruitment of Dwayne Polee Jr. who committed before he ever played a high school game.

So if you're willing to have a few scandals but win on a consistent basis then Floyd is the right man for you. Interestingly enough, the Trojans had a similar season to Arizona this year. Like the Wildcats, the Trojans underachieved, and then made a run in the tournament. In the case of USC, it was the Pac-10 tournament and the NCAA Tournament, where USC upset Boston College.

Floyd has had enough recruiting coups in the last several years (Mayo, Demar Derozan, Renardo Sidney) to establish himself as one of the premier recruiters in the country. That's a good thing. Does it matter to you how he's getting these players? Do you think John Calipari has World Wide Wes hanging around but is Mr. Clean?

The buzz in Wildcat country, similarly to the talk in the Bluegrass State, surrounds the notion that a new coach's recruits will follow him to his new place of business. While getting Renardo Sidney, Dwayne Polee, or Solomon Hill (originally committed to Arizona) would be nice, I doubt that it will happen.

So Floyd will have to rebuild the same way he has at his other non-NBA stops. Defense. And isn't that refreshing? Wildcat fans have been clamoring for defense for a while now and Floyd will surely change the philosophy upon arrival.

I'm still not sure what to think. It was a good hire, but not great. Floyd is a very good college coach, but perhaps it's not the sexy hire everyone wanted. Hiring another Pac-10 coach was certainly unexpected and still needs some digesting.

I can't help but wonder who else would have taken the job. I doubt Pitino or Izzo, but would Mark Few or Jamie Dixon be better choices. Will one of those coaches take the USC job. If Floyd struggles, we will revisit those questions in the near future.

I'm puzzled by how this came to fruition and I'm curious as to how Floyd's personality fits as the new face of Arizona basketball. I'm still having a hard time picturing Floyd roaming the Arizona sideline, but I think I'm ready to start getting used to it.

Tim Floyd, the head coach of Arizona. It's gotta a ring to it.

This is my story and I'm sticking to it

You know what the good news is about the Donte Stallworth situation? Now Michael Vick will have someone to throw to in jail.

Gus Johnson announcing the UConn/Chatanooga game yesterday: (Cue Gus Johnson music by Fort Minor (the remix)

"Khalil Hartwell...HE'S BEEN AWESOME TODAY!!!!...drives...TO THE BUCKET!!!!... AND SCORES...CHAT-A-NOO-GA CUTS THE LEAD TO 52!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

(Note): Not sure if he did that game, but that's what it would have sounded like.

My upset special of Thursday: No. 12 Western Kentucky over No. 5 Illinois

My not so upset special: Cal over Memphis in the 2nd round...oops.

My upset special of Friday: No. 13 Portland State over No. 4 Xavier (in Idaho)
The Vikings already beat Gonzaga this year and lost to Washington by 1.

And finally, you can never have enough of The Machine.

Breaking down the Cats with Duff

DoofyUofA (3:50:27 AM): still bloggin?

romoballa (3:50:58 AM): no, haven't kept up with it, between work, partying, and laziness, kind of stopped, but i'll pick it back up eventually

DoofyUofA (3:51:42 AM): if we play like we played against zag and kansas and when we were on the streak

DoofyUofA (3:51:50 AM): i think we can go to the final four....

romoballa (3:51:55 AM): big if, if chase stops being a pussy

romoballa (3:51:57 AM): wow

DoofyUofA (3:51:58 AM): ya

romoballa (3:52:04 AM): i was just talkin bout beating utah

romoballa (3:52:09 AM): i have wake in the final four

DoofyUofA (3:52:10 AM): i think we have an easy road

DoofyUofA (3:52:17 AM): we beat louisville last year

DoofyUofA (3:52:22 AM): i think wake will be the tought game

DoofyUofA (3:52:33 AM): we have two lottery picks on our team...(if chase isnt a pussy)

romoballa (3:52:45 AM): did u see chase against asu in the pac 10 tourney

romoballa (3:52:52 AM): that was the worst game i've ever seen anyone play

DoofyUofA (3:52:59 AM): and arguable three of the top 5 or 10 players at their positions in the tourney

romoballa (3:53:01 AM): that includes big softie's aau team

DoofyUofA (3:53:07 AM): id say jordan is a top 5 big man in the tourney

DoofyUofA (3:53:28 AM): chase is at least top 10 sf/sg

romoballa (3:53:29 AM): i agree, but we only have 3 guys and one of those guys looks like a big vagina

DoofyUofA (3:53:37 AM): lol

DoofyUofA (3:53:44 AM): cinderella coach

DoofyUofA (3:53:51 AM): underseeded

romoballa (3:53:56 AM): join the other 15 cinderalla coachs

DoofyUofA (3:53:56 AM): chip on the shoulder

DoofyUofA (3:54:00 AM): barely got in

DoofyUofA (3:54:04 AM): its got the makings

romoballa (3:54:39 AM): u know what the biggest thing about our team...watch us in huddles, no one is encouraging each other, no one has cool handshakes

DoofyUofA (3:54:46 AM): that is true

romoballa (3:54:48 AM): the camaraderie isn't there

romoballa (3:55:00 AM): there's a lack of leadership

romoballa (3:55:19 AM): and chase is a pussy, he played himself out of the 1st round

romoballa (3:55:27 AM): here's a kid who was top 5 coming out of high school

romoballa (3:55:33 AM): now might drop to the 2nd round

DoofyUofA (3:55:35 AM): he looked fucking awful in that asu game didnt he

romoballa (3:55:45 AM): ya, don't show ur kids

DoofyUofA (3:55:49 AM): woody and wesley said it best...white men cant jump

romoballa (3:55:59 AM): except that he can, he just refuses to

DoofyUofA (3:56:02 AM): lol

DoofyUofA (3:56:13 AM): you think we have any chance of making it 26 next year?

romoballa (3:56:17 AM): 0

romoballa (3:56:25 AM): unless, our big 3 come back

DoofyUofA (3:56:30 AM): how about a nucleus of zane johnson kyle fogg and jamelle horn leading ur u a wildcats

romoballa (3:56:31 AM): which would be a miracle

romoballa (3:56:35 AM): lol

DoofyUofA (3:56:46 AM): i actually like fogg though

romoballa (3:56:46 AM): ladies and gentleman, ur 2009-10 arizona basketball team

romoballa (3:56:49 AM): me too

DoofyUofA (3:56:55 AM): even though he plays defense like a jack ass some times

romoballa (3:56:56 AM): he's my favorite wildcat

romoballa (3:57:03 AM): ya, but he plays hard

romoballa (3:57:24 AM): i actually like zane johnson too, he's not afraid to fire

DoofyUofA (3:57:27 AM): pennell better have the coaching run of his life

DoofyUofA (3:57:34 AM): cause hes been out coached quite a bit this year

romoballa (3:57:46 AM): pennell has done a great job, but he's clueless sometimes

romoballa (3:57:58 AM): he made 0 adjustments against ASU, and we fell apart in the 2nd half

DoofyUofA (3:58:09 AM): and then theres lute on the sid lines...touching his face all the time and shit

romoballa (3:58:25 AM): lute has completely lost it

romoballa (3:58:55 AM): he feels like an anvil just dropped on his had

romoballa (3:58:56 AM): head

romoballa (3:59:04 AM): and he's seeing stars

DoofyUofA (3:59:15 AM): i was waiting for some joe dimaggio type speech at that game where he was honored

DoofyUofA (3:59:18 AM): and it was like

DoofyUofA (3:59:20 AM): thanks

DoofyUofA (3:59:21 AM): im out

DoofyUofA (3:59:40 AM): id like to thank god my momma and biggie smalls

DoofyUofA (3:59:42 AM): peace

22 reasons why Buller is an Idiot

In honor of Buller's birthday, here is the annual "Reasons why Buller is a dumbass list."


1. Buller doesn't know who Joe Paterno is.
2. On the same day Buller wore Oregon shorts and a Notre Dame sweatshirt; two different people came up to him to talk about those teams and he knew nothing about them.
3. Buller now owns an Eastern Michigan sweatshirt with the initials EMU on the front.
4. Buller says "No homo" to his basketball club team at practice.
5. Buller won 19 straight regular season games in fantasy basketball and then didn't win a fucking dime in the playoffs.
6. Buller's football team was the Falcons, then the Chargers, at some point the Patriots and the Raiders, and now the Falcons again...since you know they made the playoffs and everything.
7. Buller's favorite football team is subject to change in the next 3 weeks.
8. The idea for this blog came from Buller.
9. After I told Buller I was already at No. 8 after about 3 minutes, he asked, Baller 11 15 21 (4:04:55 PM): is it really that easy?
10. I told Buller I made a tuna sandwich with Mayo, and he asked if it was O.J. Mayo.
11. One of the major factors of Buller becoming an idiot was in high school when everyone was learning Buller had the following thoughts going on his head...
A. How can I take off Larry's shirt
B. How can I take off Nick Kindel's pants
C. Hey Frank, you're fat as fuck, let me get a large popcorn with extra butter, hold the popcorn.
D. I can't see the TV because of your box ass head
12. One of Buller's favorite activities is jumping over shopping carts
13. Buller sent out an email to all the parents of his team asking them to please "reseda the email."
14. Buller is 22 years old but still wears braces.
15. To save 12 dollars from the store price, Buller bought an X Box on Amazon.com and it was broken.
16. Buller pays for a gym membership but never goes
17. When Buller does go to the gym, he lifts kids weights.
18. Buller has over 25 jerseys that he never wears. The one jersey he does wear is a game worn Ira Newble jersey.
19. Buller goes to bars with nba logo socks on.
20. Buller calls Skyler "sky" and calls the show entourage "auntie"
21. (from Skyler) "He backed ur car up into a wall, dumbass."
22 This is the kind of shit Buller does on his Birthday:

Baller 11 15 21 (3:57:06 PM): you might have to put amanda peet, mary j blige, damien wilkins, kevin boss, and tony allen in there too cause its their birthdays as well

Baller 11 15 21 (3:57:14 PM): happy birthday to them as well man

A second to think

I just wanted to post this link because too often we take our way of life for granted. This blog was posted by a friend of a friend I had met last year who is doing a documentary in Israel.