The Suns Have Set!

I've already alerted the police. Put the city of Phoenix on suicide watch.
When the going gets tough, Suns fans find something else to do. Well, the going has gotten tough. The Shaq trade was a disaster, Mike D'Antoni went from great coach to "let's fire him" practically overnight, and the Suns window for a championship is closing faster than you can say "Robert Sarver is cheap."

Steve Nash had a horrible series against San Antonio, posting numbers well below his season averages, especially in assists where he averaged 7.8 against 11.1. Shaq is clearly over the hill and the Suns found out what it's like to be Hack a Shaqed. General manager Steve Kerr reportedly wants a defensive team, so not only will the Suns be bad, they also won't be entertaining to watch. It almost appears that the Suns are on the verge of rebuilding. On the bright side, we won't be hearing from bandwagon Suns fans for at least several years. By the way, Luol Deng and Rajon Rondo would look pretty good right now in a Suns uniform but Sarver needed to stack that cheese.


I'm not sure how I feel about PacMan Jones. He's everything that I hate about sports.
Then again, I felt the same way about Terrell Owens and he's made me a fan. I'm all about rooting for a team, not necessarily for the players. There's always several players on my favorite teams who I can't stand (i.e. Andruw Jones, ex-Lakers Kwame Brown, Glen Rice, Brian Cook). But I can legitimately say that I've grown to like Owens on the Cowboys and cheer for him and I hope one day PacMan will make me say the same thing.

Must see video:

This 7-year old has already been suspended by Roger Goodell.

My favorite quote from the next Tank Johnson is, "I wanna do it because it's fun, it's fun to do bad things
As for what his punishment should be, "No videogames for a weekend," he said.

Andruw watch:

Hide the dog food, Andruw is coming after that also. BTW, someone called Andruw "Fatman Jones" in Bill Simmons chat today. Just wanted to let you know.

Season: .165, 29 ks, 4 RBIs.

Get out your brooms

Two things I never thought I'd see from the Lakers: Great defense and single digit turnovers. But that's what we got in game 3. The Lakers held a potent Denver offense to 84 points, frustrating them to the point that Carmelo Anthony said his team quit. Denver shot 37 percent on their home floor and Vladimir Radmanovic, of all people, forced Carmelo into a 5-22 performance.

"In a game like tonight, on our home court, us giving up as a whole is uncalled for," Anthony fumed. "Yeah. We quit. Everybody. From the coaches to the players, we quit. And I said it.

"I'm not blaming anyone. I'm not pointing the fingers at nobody. I didn't play worth a [expletive] tonight, and I can accept that. But as a competitor, there's no way that I should lay down and quit and lay down on my team like we did tonight."

Anthony said the Nuggets surrendered in the third quarter, although head coach George Karl didn't empty his bench until the fourth.

"You could just sense it," Anthony said. "I'm saying 'we,' because I'm part of this, too. I'm saying I quit. We all just gave up."

At least one teammate concurred.

"That's the way it seemed," Denver's Kenyon Martin said. "Everybody came out of the game. A.I. came out, and he leads the league in minutes. It's frustrating."

Congratulations to Antoine Cason who was drafted in the first round, No. 27 overall, by the San Diego Chargers. Based on all the mock drafts, Cason was a second round pick, but the Chargers looked past the scouting report that says he doesn't turn his hips fast enough and selected the Arizona grad.

With all the character issues the NFL has had recently, the Chargers couldn't have selected a better person. They got themselves a true professional, and a person who has already made a great impact in the community. I truly wish Cason the best of luck. No one deserves being taken higher than expected more than him.

Other Wildcats taken:

Larsen was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round (183rd overall), cornerback Wilrey Fontenot was taken in the seventh round by the Atlanta Falcons (212th overall) and defensive tackle Lionel Dotson was selected in the seventh round by the Miami Dolphins (245th overall).

Draft winners:

I think it's unanimous, the Chiefs came away with an offensive lineman at No. 15, when most predicted they'd take that same lineman at No.5 Instead, they got arguably the best player in the whole draft at No. 5, Glenn Dorsey, who could be the next Warren Sapp if he stays healthy.

The fans: The first round didn't take a week, so that was nice. The new 10 minute first round and seven minute second round went over well with everyone except maybe nervous general mangers who had the guy they wanted taken right in front of them. Also, having the first two rounds on day 1 instead of the first three rounds was a good move.

Draft losers:

The Jaguars traded their first round pick, two third round picks and a fourth round pick to reach for a defensive end Mel Kiper Jr. said doesn't always show up. So they made a bad trade for a reach.

Wide Receivers:

No wide receivers taken in the first round and I'll tell you why. This was the year of character. Like the Woodland Hills Park League, where I was an All Star for many years, character counts. Wide receivers tend to have "me first" attitudes and carry some baggage with them, see Owens, Terrell, Johnson, Chad, and Warrick, Peter. Thus, no team wanted to take a chance on a guy who would burn them rather than cornerbacks. That's why Devin Thomas slipped from top 15 to the second round.

No D in AI
You know what's sad, Kirk Hinrich is a better defender than Allen Iverson.
Allen Iverson is a HORRIBLE defender. Jordan Farmar beat him off the dribble like he's a practice dummy.

He plays really hard...with the ball in his hands. But the rest of the time he doesn't really play that hard. That's the biggest misconception about AI. Everyone talks about him being a warrior and I won't deny that, but for much of his career he has been one dimensional. He averages more assists than you would think, but many of those come after he's dribbled the ball for 20 seconds and his teammates are standing around. AI is a ball stopper on offense and a gambler on defense. You can post him up, you an get by him with the dribble and you can shoot over him. I'm not here to argue that he's overrated, I'm just here to argue that the notion that he plays hard in all facets of the game is false.

Just Saying:

• Pat Riley is a quitter.
• The Raiders have three running backs, but no quarterback.
• Darren McFadden will not get in trouble with the law.
• The Wizards need to stop talking to Lebron. That means you too Brandon Haywood.
• I'm shocked the Mavs are down 3-1. I thought they'd win the series and they're getting blown out.
• I'm even more shocked the Suns haven't really put up a fight against the Spurs. I know they won game 4 and held leads in games 1 and 2, but I really though this series would go to 7. And I doubt that happens now.

Andruw watch:

Hide the honey buns, Andruw Jones is coming to a town near you.

Season: BA: .159, 29 ks, 1 home run

Arizona Basketball Drama

Breaking News and Exclusive report

Just when you thought Arizona basketball couldn't get any crazier, Lute Olson is on the verge of revamping his entire coaching staff, according to one of my sources.

Miles Simon received his walking papers from Jim Livengood on Thursday and Josh Pastner will most likely resign from his position. Kevin O'Neill, because of another year left on his contract was not fired. Instead, he was reassigned to assistant athletic director helper. Or in other words, he will be doing a lot of nothing.

Olson will not bring back Rodney Tention according to the source, and Jay John has already signed on to be an assistant under Mike Montgomery at Cal.

Supposedly, the Wildcats are looking at a current Denver Nuggets assistant coach and Russ Pennell, a former ASU assistant.

It appears that Olson has decided the KO culture change did not work, so he's going with completely new faces. At one point it appeared that Pastner was primed for coaching stardom and that may still be the case one day, but Arizona's struggles have dropped him on the coaching food chain.

As for Simon, people in the program told me on numerous occasions that he wasn't a natural coach and didn't seem to fit in that role.

Note to the NBA: Change your slogan from "Where Amazing Happens" to "Where Kobe Happens." It's practically the same thing.

Note to ESPN.com editors: When you put a picture of Albert Pujols and the headline scary sight together, expect fantasy owners (including me) to have heart attacks and sue.

Only later was I able to breathe a sigh of relief after finding out the article was about Pujols being the scariest hitter in the game and not scaring me with his elbow injury.

Ka-Pau!

What is Pau Gasol doing? Someone please tell him he's not playing for a new contract.

I understand the 36 points... somewhat. But he dishes (8 assists) and goes to the boards (16 rebounds), and makes his teammates like Lamar Odom, who's been unbelievable since Pau's arrival, better.

Pau's just not that good.

The guy we gave up for him, on the other hand, was the first pick in the NBA draft and had tremendous potential. He was even drafted by His Airness, Michael Jordan.

And so now we have this Pau guy who flirts with triple doubles in the playoffs and causes Kobe to say he "absolutely" wants to be a Laker for life.

"I love the weather. I love my '63 drop-top Impala. I love the 405 [freeway]. I love my guys," Kobe said.

And he also said Mitch Kupchak went from an "F" to an "A-plus."

"He believed in the draft picks he made, he had the patience," Kobe said.

Quite the change in Kobe's demeanor, thanks in large part to this Pau guy.

Doesn't look like Andrew Bynum or Trevor Ariza will be joining the Lakers in the playoffs:

Phil Jackson called the possibility of Bynum playing in the playoffs a "remote thing."

TOL: Thinking out loud:

Not sure if I want to see the Suns lose in the first round, or get to the conference finals so they can potentially face the Lakers. Seeing them lose to the Spurs in game 1 just gave me so much joy, but a Lakers/Suns matchup, though risky, would be quite exciting.

I hate to give props to anyone on the D'Backs but this is worth mentioning:


Eric Byrnes promised to grow out a 'stache after every game in which he gets a hit, and won't cut it until he goes hitless.


So after every four or five game hitting streak, Byrnes will be rocking a stache. Here's to hoping he puts a nice 20 game string together.



What's the story with Kevin O'Neill?



Arizona fans rejoined recently when Lute Olson announced that O'Neill would not come back as an assistant coach. O'Neill, however, insists that he will be back, according to Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star.



Basketball recruits Arizona is looking at:



Several Southern California guys are on Arizona's 2009 "wish list" including Van Nuys forward Victor Rudd, La Canada center Anthony Stover, and Compton Dominguez forward Jordan Hamilton.

Andruw Watch:

Despite still bordering on obese, Jones hit his first home run of the season Friday in Atlanta. Braves didn't know whether to cheer him or boo. I'm not sure why you would boo him. He gave your club his best years, helped you win a World Series, and then got fat and saved you money by signing with another team. It was a win win situation for Braves fans.

Monday 0-4, 1K
Season: .159, 22ks

Coming for that No. 1 Spot

AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian

The Lakers didn't even have to sweat it out in their final home game, taking the Western Conference Regular Season crown in a win over the Kings, a title few thought would be bestowed upon them at the beginning of the season.

No Brad Miller, no Kevin Martin, and no Ron Artest made it nice and easy, allowing the regulars to sit out the fourth quarter and the fans (including David Beckham who sat about 10 rows in front of me) to give Kobe a standing ovation as he sat down late in the third quarter.

Now comes the hard part, and realistically the only meaningful part of the season. The Dallas Mavericks had the best record in the West last year and all they had to show for it was a first round exit at the hands of the Golden State Warriors and tons of ridicule throughout the summer.

Upcoming for the Lakers is most likely series against the No. 8 Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets still have a chance to get the No. 7 seed with a win against Memphis and a Dallas loss to New Orleans. Sounds pretty plausible, but the Hornets are locked in to the No. 2 seed and have nothing to play for. The Mavs meanwhile would much rather face the Hornets than the Lakers so you better believe they'll be playing hard. Look for Chris Paul and Co. to sit much of the game.

Onto the matchup. The Lakers have beaten the Nuggets by an average of 16.3 points per game in three games this year. Two were blowouts, while one was a four point victory for the Lakers.

The Nuggets play 0 defense. None, nada, nunca. How's that for Spanish, Kobe?

I don't expect the Nuggets to win one game, as long as the Lakers keep their focus. There couldn't have been a better matchup for the Lakers out of the top West teams and that includes Sacramento, Portland, and Golden State, three teams who didn't make the playoffs.

Carmelo Anthony has bigger things to worry about than the Lakers:
According to KWGN TV in Colorado, Anthony's fiancee LaLa refused to pick him up from the police station and a police sergeant drove him back to his Ritz Carlton hotel. That launched an internal investigation into whether Anthony received preferential treatment.
DUI charges are pending toxicology results.

Are you a loyal fan?

How much money would they have to pay you for your favorite team to move out of town?

The $65,000 question (from MLB.com)

Whatever happened to Yhency Brazoban?-- Greg G., Fargo, N.D.
He's on the comeback trail after missing most of the last two seasons, first with Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery, then with a torn shoulder labrum. Brazoban reported to Spring Training with his typical weight problems, pitched impressively in one exhibition game and then had a setback.
Brazoban opened the season at Double-A Jacksonville, with the goal of rebuilding arm strength and, hopefully, dropping some weight. If he keeps it up, Brazoban's likely to show up in Los Angeles sooner than later.

--

Ken Gurnick Dodgers MLB.com beat writer

Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. hate each other:

Not only do they talking lik they are disgusted with each other on television, but McShay wrote this in his Mock Draft 7.0 in discussing the Chiefs probable selection of Branden Albert at No.5:

"As much as it pains me to admit it, Mel Kiper's info on this pick seems to be accurate. It feels like a reach to me but the Chiefs evidently think enough of Albert to take him if they are stuck here."

High Five

Andrew Bogut high fives himself

Andruw Watch:

Tuesday: 2-3, 2 runs, 1 BB
Season: 7-47 BA: .149

Whoopeee, the Dodgers' $36 million man is up to .149!

Making sense of race:

Recently an annual report came out and stated that African-American baseball players are down to 8.2% from 8.4% in the Major Leagues. The media quickly rose to the occasion, condemning the lack of African Americans in baseball and practically shouting racism.

Here's what I'm much more concerned about. African American doctors make up only 3.9 percent of doctors in America, yet that gets no publicity. African Americans make up about 12.4 percent of our entire population according to the US. Census in 2005, yet the media is concerned about a 4% difference in baseball players, and ignores a much more important 8.5 percent difference in doctors. Maybe if these same advocates put together a Doctors in the Inner City program rather than a Baseball in the Inner City program, our country would be better off.

For now, it appears a lot like baseball is just trying to get the African American sector involved in the game for financial purposes.

Statement Game

Kobe Bryant told his teammates in the tunnel before Sunday's game against the San Antonio Spurs, this is a statement game. The Lakers made their statement.
And then Kobe jumped over an Aston Martin.

OK, he didn't do it after the game, and no the video isn't real, although there apparently are many out there who think Kobe would be stupid enough to risk his career and possibly his life by doing a stunt like this, and that the Lakers would allow their superstar to jeopardize the Lakers future.

So Kobe received some technological help in his leap and the Lakers got some help in their leap to the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference. The New Orleans Hornets lost to the Sacramento Kings and the Houston Rockets, who held the tie breaker against the Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets.

Now, with a win against Sacramento on Tuesday, the Lakers would get the West's No. 1 seed and home court advantage throughout the West playoffs. They'd also most likely get a matchup with the Nuggets (unless they lose both of their last two games) in the first round and a second round matchup against the winner of the Houston/Utah series. Thus, the Lakers would bypass the best three teams in the West, the Suns, Spurs, and Hornets. Of course nothing in the West will be set in stone until the final buzzer of the final West game sounds.

But for the time being, the Lakers, even without Andrew Bynum who is not expected to play at the beginning of the playoffs and Trevor Ariza, appear to be a title contender.

The crazy aspect of the Lakers blowout was the scoring balance. No one expected the Lakers to share the wealth like they have. Seven players took at least seven shots. Kobe took 14 shots, second to Pau Gasol's 15, and sat out most of the fourth quarter. More importantly the Lakers played lock down defense in the third quarter when they held the Spurs to 3-17 shooting and outscored them 26-14.

In the playoffs, things change, teams buckle down and the Spurs will have Manu Ginobilli and Brent Barry back. It's unlikely the Lakers will have any 21 point wins over the Spurs if the two teams meet in the playoffs. Still, a dominating performance against the NBA champs has the Lakers and JA Adande believing they may be the team to beat.

Maybe Damon Stoudamire isn't as much of a pothead, and dumbass as we all thought: The former Wildcat had his 4 1/2 year marijuana possession case dismissed. Then again, he probably just had a good lawyer.

Carmelo Anthony will need a good lawyer. He was arrested for suspicion of DUI Monday morning.

Andruw Watch:
Sunday 0-3, 2 BBs and a lot of boos from the home crowd
Season: 4-40, BA: .100

The list of bad Dodger contracts continues to grow. Darren Dreifort, Kevin Brown, Jason Schmidt, Juan Pierre, and now Jones.

The Masters was this weekend?

I watched the Lakers, Dodgers, Angels, the Sox/Yanks game on ESPN and even caught some hockey. Wake me up when you need some athletic ability to be a golfer.

If Kobe doesn't win the MVP, then the apocalypse is upon us.

Kevin Love should leave for the NBA.

Darren Collison should not.

I knew the Dodgers shouldn't have scored all those runs on Saturday in an 11-1 win over the Padres. They needed those runs on Sunday when they got shutout by Greg Maddux and four relievers.

Just saying: Blake DeWitt is hitting .156 higher than Andruw Jones. Brad Penny is hitting .100 better.

Q&A with superstar soccer player Hoosh

Roman's Empire is honored to have Hoosh as our Q&A guest today. Hoosh is a new member of the Hunter College (New York) soccer team. We know your soccer schedule keeps you busy so thanks for joining us Hoosh.

Q: First of all, you worked really hard to get to where you are in your soccer career, how much of an accomplishment was it to make the Hunter team?

A: Spending my teen years in the mean streets of West Hills provided me with the mental fortitude that has allowed me to become a part of an under-funded Division III soccer program that will aim to win at least 2 games next season. My parents and I could not be more jubilant about my accomplishments. I feel fortunate that a partially torn Achilles tendon, a severely sprained ankle, and two inflamed lumbar discs have not slowed me down...yet.

Q: Your friend Nadeem's question about a theory you and him had made it into Bill Simmons mailbag, and Simmons said "Nadeem and Hoosh go White Castle" was a great movie, how cool was that?

A: Seeing my name in a Bill Simmons article was the highlight of my sports-related career. It barely beat out my 28 point JCC League performance and that one time I filled in on the Camel-Towing team and fully represented the fellas with back hair.

Q: Some people doubted that it was you. Do you think there is anyone else named Hoosh in New York?

A: You know, after my name was put up on the interwebs, a few people have tried to stake a claim to the name "Hoosh". I would like to set the record straight once and for all that there is only one true Hoosh. He enjoys long walks on the beach and candlelight dinners with that special someone.

Q: What number are you wearing for Hunter, and why did you pick that number?

A: Since our soccer program is not very well funded, we change our jerseys and numbers every season. For the time being, I am wearing #2. It represents the number of times I tried out, unsuccessfully, for the ECR basketball team. Speaking of which...

Q: At El Camino Real High School, coach Ludlow called you as if you made the freshman basketball team, and then immediately cut you. How did that experience motivate you?

A: One could argue that Ludlow cutting me was the beginning of my miraculous rise to the top. For those that actually knew me, however, it marked my fall from grace. I immediately became a chain-smoker, gained 25 lbs, and started shouting obscenities at strangers for no apparent reason. It took a seemingly effective intervention by a mullah and a rabbi (it's complicated) to set me straight...I still sneak in a pack or five here and there.

Q: You used to shoot a version of Kareem's sky-hook, the “Hooshercize”, in pickup basketball games. What kind of reaction did that get from those playing in the game with you?

A: People would have the same look on their faces as my parents did when I told them I was gonna major in Philosophy. It was a magical and rare combination of amazement, confusion, disappointment, and utter shock. I recommend all the readers to try this if they can. Tell your parents and watch their reaction, it's really quite a scene.

Now let's go our readers:

Todd from West Hills, CA asks:

When growing up in Iran, who were your inspirations as soccer players and who do you feel your game most represents?

A: Great question Mr. Wolfson. Growing up in Iran, access to a TV was a rarity, so watching famous players was out of the question. But I did admire this guy who was like the neighborhood Ronaldo, though he couldn't really shoot, or pass, or dribble, and he was pretty slow too. But man he had some really nice cleats.

Q: Now Hoosh, I understand you are possibly planning to go to dental school but you also might be playing Birmingham Hoosh in "JCC the Movie," coming out in 2009, what other projects do you have in the works?

A: Well, I also have the sequel to "Nadeem and Hoosh go to White Castle" coming out soon. The sequel has a working title of "Nadeem and Hoosh Escape from Alcatraz" and is in post-production as we speak. We tried to get Sean Connery and Nick Cage to co-star with us, but the producers felt that having two big-name actors in our movie would diminish the artistic value.

In addition to dental school and all my movies, I may also be attending graduate school to pursue a PhD in Philosophy, or I may decide to stay in NYC and begin my takeover of a multi-billion dollar investment bank. I think we can all agree that with my combination of good looks and brains to match, the sky's the limit.

Q: What do you say to kids in Iran who are trying to follow in your footsteps?

A: My message for kids in Iran is plain and simple: do your best to be born into a family that is wealthy enough to move out of Iran. If you are unfortunate enough to not be one of those kids, there may be a Nigerian prince who can aid in your escape from Iran...for a minimal fee, of course.

OK, now let's go to the quick fire round...

Q: Favorite pro soccer team?

A: Paris Saint-Germain FC, followed by Liverpool FC

Q: The best Seinfeld episode is...

A: That’s like asking me to pick a favorite between my children. “The Little Jerry”

Q: Random Laker...

A: Mike Penberthy

Q: Who would win in a game of one on one, Larry or Mathew Rosenberg?

A: I’ve heard that Larry has been hitting the gym on the regular and has bulked up to at least 125 lbs, so he’s a viable threat. That being said, Matthew Rosenberg has the quickest release in the business, and I think that will be a deciding factor in a close game. 11-9 in favor of Rosenberg.

Wednesday State of the Sports Union

Trent Johnson is leaving Stanford for LSU. Anyone is better than Johnson who only helped his team by getting kicked out of a game in the NCAA Tournament, but wouldn't it be interesting if Mike Montgomery returned to Palo Alto. Yes, I know he just took the job at arch rival Cal but I wouldn't put it past any coach to sign a contract and then resign to take a more desirable job just days later. We've had a lot of quick signing, quick regretting coaches lately.

Billy Donovan (Orlando Magic back to Florida) and Rick Majerus (signed at USC before resigning) among others.

Fan Behavior: I couldn't agree more with Chase Utley's statement on Mike and Mike in the Morning Wednesday.

"If a guy's not playing hard or a guy's not hustling, that's when you should maybe let him know how you feel, but if you're playing hard and you're just struggling, the more positive support the better," Utley said.

From my boy Channing Frye's blog, which is really sick. Channing is a funny ass guy:

A lot of people ask me, “What is it like being tall?”

Well I’m gonna give you a simple breakdown of the pros and cons of being tall:

Pros

• It’s ok for me to ask for the exit row at the airplane
• I can hide things in places that no one will ever find
• It doesn’t hurt when playing basketball, volleyball, or tetherball
• I get called cool nicknames like Stretch, Big Guy, Big Fella, Tall Drink of Water, and Humungo
• I don’t have to be picky about a girl’s height because none of them are taller than me
• I get the biggest short size all the time because I have the longest legs
• I get automatic shotgun at all times
• When I order a lot more food than what I can eat they always give me a quick look then say “I guess you need to eat; you’re such a big boy.”

Cons

• Growing up I could never get any of the cool shoes in my size
• No matter what I wear, unless it’s a basketball jersey, I feel like it’s just not made for people my size (I personally just make it look good)
• Even though small cars are cool I can’t fit comfortably in any of them. I try and save the earth by conserving gas but I can’t fit in a Subaru or Honda, so I ride in a realy simple Tahoe. I try to do my part.
• No matter what seat I have on an airplane, unless it’s the team plane, NOTHING is comfortable — absolutely nothing. It’s a mental battle the whole trip trying to keep my knees from the people in front of me smashing them with their seats. I mean, seriously, do you not see the 7-ft man behind you? Do you think it’s cool to slam your chair back on our 330-hr flight?

Other than that, I mean, there really aren’t any other cons. Being tall is great. I love it and wouldn’t change it in the world.

Andruw Watch:

The Dodgers stud centerfielder came off the bench Wednesday. That's right, he wasn't even in the starting lineup.

He went 1-2 with a strikeout.

Season totals: 5-31 10ks, BA: .129

Roses are Brown for Lakers

Here's the good news: The Lakers won't have to play a game in the playoffs at the Rose Garden. For them, the Rose Garden smells like shit. They've lost six straight in Portland, a place where Lakers defense is prohibited.

Here's the solution: LA teams combine. The Lakers take the Dodgers defense, and the Dodgers take the Lakers offense. Rafael Furcal could be the Lakers shut down defender and Kobe can hit jacks. That's the only way to fix the Lakers porous defense and the Dodgers impotent offense. I mean, it's not like Andruw Jones is going to be much help.

Yeah, he's getting paid a lot of money. Yeah, he used it at Carl's Jr., Fatburger, and Greasy Tony's in the offseason. Yeah, he's fat. No, he can't hit a lick.

Andruw Watch:
Tuesday: 1-3, 1k
Season 4-29, 9ks BA: .103
=
Goooooood

Currently, the Lakers are the No. 3 seed in the West, which means potential matchups with the Suns in the first round, the Spurs in the second round, and the Hornets in the Conference Finals. In other words, the Lakers can't do any worse than getting the No. 3 seed.

Calling Trevor Ariza and Andrew Bynum:

Um... guys we need you. We have Vlad Radmanovic trying to guard Brandon Roy. Gary Vitti, we need your help.

As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 78 games) Lakers: 53-25 3rd in West

Fisher +320
Kobe +560
Turiaf +92
Odom +404
Gasol +245
Mihm -14
Walton +181
Bynum +238
Farmar +215
Radmanovic +326
Brown -44
Vujacic +112
Crittenton -40
Karl +8
Ariza +5
Mbenga +18
Newble 0

Up next: at LA Clippers Thursday 7:30 p.m. PST TNT

Should he stay or should he go?

The bad times continue for Arizona basketball. As most expected, Chase Budinger declared for the NBA draft.

He did not hire an agent and is therefore eligible to come back for his junior year. But that doesn't look likely. His trainer Trent Suzuki, who has been close to Chase since he was a kid, said Chase isn't coming back if he's projected to be in the top 20.

"I think if he gets it confirmed that he can get something like" a top-20 pick, he would stay in the draft, Suzuki told the AZ Daily Star. "I don't really know what his thought process is. Obviously, if he's a lottery pick, he'll come out for sure."

NBAdraft.net currently has him going 16th to Toronto and draftexpress.com has him at No. 14 to Denver. It's unlikely he'll drop any further down considering his elite athleticism and his potential in workouts.

To me, Chase is the next Mike Dunleavy, only chosen with a reasonable pick, so he won't have the pressure of Dunleavy who was picked third. The most disconcerting thing about Chase's game has been his free throw shooting this season. For someone who possesses a great shooting stroke to shoot just 70 percent from the charity stripe should be a warning sign for NBA teams about his mental makeup. Inconsistency crept into Chase's game, especially during his sophomore year. Sometimes, he just floated in games and failed to become a factor. Defensively he's soft, despite having good quickness and long arms. At the next level, only strong minded players make it.

Can Chase become a contributor or will he be the next Casey Jacobson? That's to be determined. What will be determined much sooner is whether Chase will begin his NBA career this season.
Had he come out his freshman season, he would have been a lottery pick. As people dissected his game and found his weaknesses, he dropped to the late lottery or mid teens. Staying another year allows the skeptics to dig even deeper, and there's a chance he drops even lower in the first round. With Arizona basketball in disarray as the coaching situation creates more turmoil, there's no reason for Chase to stay.

With Chase and Jerryd Bayless gone, Arizona will not make the NCAA Tournament. The duo accounted for 48% of Arizona's scoring. Brandon Jennings is a great player but he can't make up for two first round picks. Arizona's lineup will probably like this now:


PG: Brandon Jennings
SG: Nic Wise

SF: Jamelle Horne
PF: Jordan Hill

C: Jeff Withey


If Withey is as good as advertised, maybe the front court will finally be able to compete in the Pac-10. That's a big if for a freshman center, especially one who is still growing into his body. The back court is extremely small, but both are good shooters. Horne showed that he can be a role player this season, but can he take the next step and pick up the slack for the scoring left by Budinger and Bayless. A lot of questions, a lot of inexperience, and an old coach coming back into a difficult situation.

Should be an interesting year in Tucson.

Should he stay or should he go Part 2:


Bill Self just won the national championship. The game, by the way, made up for the two excuses for Final Four games we saw on Saturday.

Now the tough part begins. Self, an Oklahoma State alum will be offered the head coaching job in Stillwater. He'll also be offered a king's ransom by Boone Pickens, a billionaire who has donated almost $300 million dollars to OSU, 92 percent of which has gone to athletics.


It's not out of the question that Self could get around $5 million a year and potentially could become the highest paid coach in college basketball. That's a lot of money, even for a guy who's making about $1.25 million a season at Kansas.


I know Self is a good coach but is Pickens really willing to spend that much money for those boring pre game speeches that sound like bed time stories?

I understand Self is a good coach and an OSU alum but he needs to go to Dick Vitale speech class. Or just close the locker room. Shouldn't the players be excited before the game?

The bottom line is that Self can make Oklahoma State a good program, but he can be great at Kansas. If he wants to be great he'll stay at Kansas.

The Longest Yard

JKlein3030 (10:59:28 PM): i love how michael vick is playing football in prison...if you were in prison, how tight would it be to play football with vick

romoballa (11:00:02 PM): Not that tight if ur one of his wrs, he'd always either overthrow u, or hit u in the ankles

Andruw Jones watch:
Monday: 0-4, 2ks
Season: 3-26, 8ks

Ohhh and 1

It's been a long time, boys and girls.

What can I say, I've been lazy. No excuses, play like a champion. A lot has occurred in the world of sports and as my almost namesake Jim Rome would say, here's what I'm burning on:

• I'm currently in 2,563,361st place in the ESPN tournament challenge. I'm pretty sure there were only 2,563,362 people who entered brackets.

• Television cameras spotted some kind of substance on the hand of Jake Peavy during a Dodgers/Padres game this weekend.

My question is, when are the Dodgers hitters going to be spotted with substances? The Dodgers are dead last in the major leagues in home runs, with two. They don't have warning track power. They have warning to the warning track power.

JKlein3030 (6:12:55 PM):if they're lucky

• Andruw Jones is 3-22 with six strikeouts and I don't want to say I told you so, but I told you so. However, I didn't listen to myself in hopes that Dodger management was right and drafted him in one of my fantasy baseball leagues. As Will Ferrell would say, "What an Idiot!"

• I went to my fourth Laker game of the season Friday against the Mavs, shattering my total for Laker games attended which previously stood at three all time, prior to this season. Courtesy of one of five Jews over 6-foot-8 in the country, I sat in the best seats of any of the games I have attended. So naturally there were some celebrity sightings: The guy from Arliss, B-Real, Lisa Leslie (not sure if she should be considered), and Jason Taylor. The aforementioned tall Jew happens to be a big Dolphins fan so when Taylor walked by us, he yelled "Jason, you're the man," and Taylor turned around, smiled and pointed at him.

• The Nike Hoop Summit will be televised by Fox Sports Network at 1:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday, April 12. Emmanuel Negedu of Arizona, who's from Nigeria will play for the international team. Brandon Jennings will not play at all.

• Jennings did play in the McDonald's All-American game and vowed to break the assist record, which he almost did, had some of his teammates been able to finish their layups and dunks. Rocking the Fresh Prince of Bell-Air haircut, he had five assists in the first five minutes, dazzled with his ball handling and looked like the pass first point guard Arizona desperately needs.

• Jerryd Bayless is entering th NBA draft and will hire an agent. Shocking. Nottttt!

• Not only did ASU have a great season in basketball despite getting snubbed from the NCAA Tournament, but Wells Fargo Arena was rocking in the NIT. So much, that the ESPN announcers commented on the atmosphere numerous times. The crowd stood for the majority of the game and I'm not just talking about the student section. With James Harden coming back next season, ASU will be a tournament team and gasp, should be better than Arizona.

• Brian Westbrook meet Richard Hamilton. If you remember, Brian Westbrook with his selfish stop at the 1 yard line ruined my fantasy football season. Rip had a chance to help my fantasy basketball season by not playing against my fantasy team two Sundays ago. The following is the discussion I had with my opponent before that awful Sunday, regarding Rip's injury.
  

evan411web (3:24:29 PM): its a sore hip

evan411web (3:24:33 PM): he has missed two games already

evan411web (3:24:36 PM): should be ready to roll

romoballa (3:24:44 PM): it should be a lingering problem

romoballa (3:24:46 PM): hopefully

evan411web (3:24:53 PM): haha

romoballa (3:24:54 PM): and they don't need him, rest up for the playoffs

evan411web (3:25:00 PM): haha he is their leading scorer

romoballa (3:25:03 PM): hold on, flip saunders is on the line

evan411web (3:25:16 PM): lol

romoballa (3:25:23 PM): hello flip, yeah i meant wat i said in the voice mail

romoballa (3:25:32 PM): yes, i'm holding ur housekeeper hostage

evan411web (3:25:38 PM): see he might not play tonight

romoballa (3:25:39 PM): do u want to see maria again?

evan411web (3:25:42 PM): since they are playing miami

Of course, he played, and I lost.

• Joe Torre is not a good manager. In fact, he's one of the worst, the numbers say.

• Phil Jackson and Jeanie Buss were on the Dog Whisperer.

• Larry Bowa, the Dodgers new third base coach is the man. He was suspended for his dustup with the third base umpire, and he wasn't even arguing a call.

"We got a memo and an edict, and they're adamant about the box and stuff," (umpire Ed) Montague said. "Don't go up in front of the box toward home plate, and don't get any closer to the foul lines. I told Bo in the bottom of the fifth, because he got up close. And that's what caught my eye. And I just told him, 'Bo, you got the memo, we got the memo, and you've got to stay back.' I went over and told Joe in-between innings what I told Bo. And Bo just said, 'I'm going to do it the way I've always been doing it.'"I said, 'Bo, if you go up, I'm going to have to run you.' And he said, 'Do what you've got to do, and it is what it is.' When he got up in front of it again, I said, 'Bo, I told you once, now get back in the box.' He argued it, and finally I said, 'You're gone.' So I gave him every chance in the book and he defied it."It's probably one of the dumbest ejections I've had."Bowa unleashed a profanity-laced tirade regarding the rule as he left the Dodger Stadium."I did it all spring, nobody said a word," he said, still irate a half-hour after the game ended. "I did it yesterday, nobody said a word. It's impossible to coach third and stay in the box with a runner at second."

To no one's surprise, Bowa also expressed anger early in spring training about having to wear a helmet at third.

Quote of the week:

"He eats Gummy Bears and Starburst for breakfast, and Twizzlers and Honey Buns for dinner. That's why his stomach hurts," fellow guard Chris Douglas-Roberts said. "We tell Derrick (Rose) the whole year, 'Stop eating so many Gummy Bears and Sour Straws.' But he can't. ... Nobody eats Gummy Bears more than him."

This idiot was on Arizona's football team. After this video, he wasn't.

Coming up: An interview with Hunter club soccer star, Hoosh.

Johnny Mountain or Dallas Raines?

Have you ever wondered what your weather man name would be? Every one knows your porn star name is your middle name and the name of the street you live on. But I've always wondered how you go about picking your weather man name. Los Angeles has two of the best in Johnny Mountain (CBS) and Dallas Raines (ABC). Then I ran across this list of the best weatherman names in the country.

Yes, someone actually compiled a list, researching a majority if not all of the local television stations nationwide. It's that important.

Flip Spiceland tops the list, but my personal favorite is No. 2 Storm Field. I can't imagine how much confidence a man with a name like Storm Field has. It's like when Homer Simpson changed his name to Max Power. I'm confident that Storm Field would give Chuck Norris the fight of his life in a cage match.

I've narrowed the list of names for when I become weatherman to the following five:

Larry Tornado
Tropic Snow
Bobby Heatwave
Sleet Cloud
Sonny Skies

And just for the hell of it, how about some weather related athlete names:

Eric Snow
Garth Snow
Sonny Weems
Tim Raines

Lakers get one back

Same two teams, back to back nights, different city, different result. The Lakers got one back from the Golden State Warriors in Oakland after losing at home on Sunday. Once again, the Lakers had to come from behind, took a lead, and then blew a lead. But this time, they got another chance in overtime, and thanks to the hot shooting of Derek Fisher and Sasha Vujacic, as well as some timely plays from Lamar Odom, the Lakers walked away with a victory. And then there's that guy Kobe Bryant who had 30 points 11 rebounds and seven assists in what amounted to a quiet game for him. Kobe started 3-13 and missed 19 of his 30 shots, yet the Lakers still walked away with a victory.

That's a good sign.

What's not a good sign is the fact that Fisher and not Kobe took the potential game winning shot at the end of regulation. So far this season, the Lakers have had Fisher, Walton, and Odom take and miss game winners. Kobe has had a few also. The point is that Kobe should at least have the ball in his hands in the waning seconds. If he's doubled and decides to pass to a wide open shooter ala Jordan to Kerr or Jordan to Paxson, that's fine. Yesterday, Kobe didn't even cut to get open. There was no screen set for him. Don't you want to free up your best player for the final shot? How many times does Lebron not get the final shot for the Cavs? Not too many. If you have to set a quadruple screen for Kobe, then do that. You can take your chances with the other guys but that hasn't worked thus far.

As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 66 games) Lakers: 49-22 2nd in West

Fisher +311
Kobe +528
Turiaf +93
Odom +385
Gasol +227
Mihm -16
Walton +160
Bynum +236
Farmar +204
Radmanovic +309
Brown -44
Vujacic +85
Crittenton -40
Karl +8
Ariza +5
Mbenga +23

Up next: vs. Charlotte Wednesday 7:30 p.m. PST FSN

Viva Las Vegas

I'm back from my vacation to Las Vegas and ready to blog. Whatever happens in Vegas...is reflected on your bank and credit card statements.

Also, I said vacation, but let me tell you, betting on losing college basketball teams and yelling at the screen is a lot of work.

By the way did you know that in 14 seasons as a head coach prior to this year, Kevin O'Neill has compiled a 190-197 record (.491).

Is that someone u want leading Arizona in the future, the present, or in a charity game? Is that someone you want to bet on when your team needs a win in a first round NCAA tournament game when you still have three days left in Vegas and you hope to have enough money to at least buy food?

In addition to losing money, I'm sure I at some point lost my dignity. It could have been when I was so hammered, I danced my way off the bed and onto my ass at Tao, got kicked out as I was already leaving (still not sure why) and then stumbled to a roulette table at Balleys and put my remaining $31 on red. And I actually won, leaving me some money to bet with the next day.

On the bright side, I watched almost every game, and bet on almost every game. I took a little time off to chill by the pool, but the lifeguard refused to let me drown myself. She, like everyone else who works in Vegas was one size bigger in the chest region. So that was fun to look at.

So what's next for Arizona basketball you might be asking?

Chase Budinger has embarrassed himself to the point where he might have to come back? Needless to say Joe Alexander has replaced Budinger as the best white athletic player in the country, and this means that Arizona may once again make the tournament next year, of course as an 8 or 9 seed.

I would be absolutely shocked if Jerryd Bayless comes back and even more shocked and devastated in O'Neill came back. The KO experiment bombed like Pearl Harbor.

Next year's lineup should look like this:

PG: Brandon Jennings
SG: Nic Wise
SF: Chase Budinger
PF: Jamelle Horne/Jordan Hill
C: Jordan Hill/Jeff Withey

I've heard some good things about Withey, a 7-footer from San Diego lately, but as with all tall, frail white guys you have to be cautious. Having Hill go back to his natural position of power forward would be integral to keeping him out of foul trouble. It doesn't appear the Wildcats will be that much deeper next year, but Horne and Zane Johnson will be a little more ready to play in the Pac-10 and Emmanuel Negedu could see some minutes as a freshman.

Brandon Jennings will replace Bayless, but don't expect him to have a much larger impact. Jennings will have a harder time finishing around the basket than Bayless because of his 170 pound body. He's a much better ball handler, however, and will involve his teammates more. Bayless, a natural scorer who would have fit in well alongside Jennings. The days of Bayless curling off screens off the ball all day long are over because Jennings' game is with the ball in his hands.

The Lake show
Without Pau Gasol, the Lakers have been inconsistent. No post presence inside means Kobe has to work a lot harder to get his points and that causes him to be less effective on the defensive end. The 72 points the Lakers gave up in the first half to the Warriors is alarming for a team whose early exit in the first round the last two seasons was mainly due to poor defense.

Andrew Bynum is out for at least another 2-3 weeks, and the longer he sits, the longer it will take for him to get back in shape and back in rhythm. I wouldn't expect him to be his first half self immediately, especially considering the type of work he put in this summer to prepare him for his breakout season. It's a lot more difficult to get back into playing shape when you're 7-feet and 270 pounds than it is for a guard.

Trevor Ariza isn't even running on the Lakers new $75, 000 treadmill yet so he'll be lucky to be back for the playoffs.

In even worse news, Chris Mihm looks like he may be the first one of the four injured Lakers to come back. Let's hope Phil Jackson pretends that Mihm is still injured when it comes to playing time.

Dodger Blues

I never got a chance to go to Dodgertown and that makes me sad. I had a preliminary plan for a trip, even had a free Southwest ticket. But it didn't work out and I feel like I missed out.

There's been a lot written in the past few days about the memories, the Dodger legends, the fan interaction, and the tradition. And even though I never got to experience if first hand, reading about a place that was so special to so many has been a treat.

Tommy Lasorda and others reflected on Spring Training in Vero Beach after the Dodgers last game there.

Perhaps the place meant more to Lasorda than anyone else, wrote TJ Simers of the LA Times.
And the Dodger players gave him a fitting tribute, letting him walk off the field last as they stood side by side and raised their bats like swords, allowing a king to exit his castle.

The Dodgers will hold spring training in Glendale, Arizona next year, in a new multi million dollar complex they will share with the White Sox.

It will be closer to Los Angeles, about a five hour drive from Dodger Stadium. I understand why they're moving. I'll probably get to watch them in person even. But I can't help but feel like this is similar to when they took the legends off the outfield walls in favor of advertisements. The Dodgers have so much history. They're a walking baseball museum. But with every business decision, they lose some of that history.

Other Tidbits:

Trent Johnson almost cost his Stanford team the game against Marquette in the second round, and saved his team in that game at the same time. You see, his two technical fouls and the seven point play Marquette got because of it put the Cardinal in a hole. Not having Trent Johnson on the sidelines for the rest of the game gave Stanford an advantage. The Cardinal went to Brook Lopez on every possession including the last one when Lopez made a 10 foot turnaround shot to win the game. Johnson should stay in the locker room at the beginning of the game next time. He's a better coach from there anyway.

Stephen Curry is fun to watch. The kid is averaging 35 points a game in the first two rounds and single handedly dismantled Georgetown and Gonzaga, two solid defensive teams. He runs all over the court like Reggie Miller, has a good handle, and ice in his veins. Here's to Davidson being the next George Mason.

Are you for some reason not excited about the NCAA tournament? Watch this clip and you will be.

Gus Johnson is the man!


As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 65 games) Lakers: 48-22 2nd in West

Fisher +312
Kobe +526
Turiaf +91
Odom +381
Gasol +227
Mihm -16
Walton +166
Bynum +236
Farmar +199
Radmanovic +308
Brown -44
Vujacic +72
Crittenton -40
Karl +8
Ariza +5
Mbenga +23

Up next: at Golden State Monday 7:30 p.m. PST KCAL

Panic Time?

The beauty of sports is the ups and downs. Without the valleys, the peaks wouldn't feel so good. That's why teams scream no one believed in us when they win championships. Because it feels better to go from the lowest low to the highest high.

The Lakers have gone through some obstacles. Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza were already facing pretty serious injuries and now Pau Gasol goes down with a sprained ankle that did not appear to be on the lighter side.

"I would be ecstatic if he only misses three games," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

That's not a particularly good sign.

You could say it's been a roller coaster season for the Lakers. First the low of the offseason with all the Kobe drama, then the solid start followed by the Bynum injury, and then the Gasol trade to bring hopes to a high.

Yesterday, with the loss of Gasol and a loss to the Hornets, the team is at a low once again.

This is the time for a team to band together and to overcome adversity. The bench that has been so improved this year has to step up. Kobe must prove that when times are tough, he can still be a good leader.

If Bynum and Gasol come back and the Lakers make a deep run in the playoffs, each win will be that much sweeter because of the situations they've faced throughout the season.

By the way, Spain still won the World Championships (pictured above) without Gasol.

CSUN's season ends on a low:

Cal State Northridge basketball led the Big West Conference from the first day to the last day, finishing in a three way tie. But in their first game of the Big West Tournament, the semifinals, the Matadors went out quietly.

The Matadors lost 83-68 to Cal State Fullerton in a game they never led and didn't get closer than 10 in the second half.

They turned the ball over, took bad shots, and didn't play the kind of pressure defense that led to their success all season. Fullerton had already played a game the night before and had a rhythm to their offense from the start. The Titans took it to Northridge early, building an early 20 point lead from which the Matadors could not recover.

The season began on an unexpected high, with seven straight conference wins and ended on a low, with no NCAA Tournament appearance.

The idiocy of Joel Meyers:

For about three possessions after Gasol went down with his ankle injury, Meyers didn't even mention the fact that the Lakers were playing four on five and that Gasol was at one end of the court grabbing his ankle. Now he either is completely blind or he just flat out chose not to discuss a potentially devastating injury.

He continued calling the game like nothing was wrong.

I sat there stunned while Meyers talked about how well the Lakers were playing at that point. Is this what it's come down to? The intelligence of the viewers is being insulted and there's nothing we can do about it. Chick Hearn is turning over in his grave.


Who knew Chan Ho Park's autograph could cause an international incident?

Apparently, Chinese soldiers stood between Chan Ho's fans and the Dodgers super star potential fifth starter.


As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 65 games) Lakers: 45-20 T- 1st in West

Fisher +295
Kobe +515
Turiaf +67
Odom +363
Gasol +227
Mihm -16
Walton +185
Bynum +236
Farmar +199
Radmanovic +244
Brown -44
Vujacic +100
Crittenton -40
Karl +7
Ariza +5
Mbenga +3

Up next: at Houston Friday 12:30 p.m. PST ABC

Don't let this man be Arizona's future coach

I would start www.firekevinoneill.com but mercifully the worst coaching era in Arizona history appears to have just one more game left.

O'Neill was brought in to instill toughness in a program that was consistently dubbed soft. How's a 50-27 rebounding disparity? Does that not exemplify a soft team? I know, I know, Stanford had two 7-footers. But how about the long rebounds? How about the fact that 6-foot-5 Fred Washington had eight rebounds? How about six-foot guard Mitch Johnson pulling down 10 rebounds? How about Lawrence Hill getting eight rebounds off the bench?

How about doing a little boxing out? How about chasing down the loose balls? How about showing some grit? Where was the David vs. Goliath mentality when it comes to rebounding?

What was Kevin O'Neill talking about during all those timeouts he wasted early in the game, once again running out with more than five minutes left to play?

Where was the game plan? The adjustments?

Stanford's weakness is its guards. So the Wildcats went to a soft man to man?

Where was the pressure on the ball? Why didn't they press full court, or at least a three-quarter trap? Make the Lopez twins make decisions with the ball. Exploit their weaknesses.

Instead, Stanford turned the ball over just seven times. Arizona's athleticism was never a factor.

Why didn't O'Neill take advantage of Arizona's strengths? Why didn't the Wildcats get easy baskets in transition where the Lopez twins would be less of a factor. Why didn't the Wildcats try to speed the game up?

So many questions, and so little answers. The wait until Selection Sunday has never been this nerve racking.

There's only one thing that is certain:

JamMasterJ86 (11:09:21 AM): i just want KO to not be the next coach

Kevin O'Neill was bad at Northwestern, bad at Tennessee and horrible with the Toronto Raptors. He's not a good coach and should not be the coach at Arizona. Jim Livengood, are you listening?


Steve Lavin's wife is really, really hot. I now have such a different appreciation for one of the worst coaches in UCLA history. I wonder if Kevin O'Neill's wife is hot. That's the only thing that could save his reputation.

It was just Wednesday when Arizona beat Oregon State. But that win was a given because Oregon State is like the Washington Generals.

Ouch:

How in the world is this surgery minor?

If this is true, Tommy Bowden is a scumbag: Ray Ray McElrathbey was kicked off the team despite having two years of eligibility left because Clemson went over on the amount of scholarships they can have, thanks to their big recruiting class this year.
If you remember, Ray Ray was a national story for taking care of his brother in the absence of their mom, who was a crack addict, and their dad, who was a gambling addict.

Now, he doesn't even have a scholarship and Bowden has no comment.

The Ronny Show:

I went to my third Laker game of the season on Tuesday, a single season record for me. I rocked my Ronny Turiaf jersey proudly, as people stared at what I'm sure they perceived to be counterfeit.

Shouldn't that be a 4 after the 2? Why does it say Turiaf and not Bryant?

Those were the questions people thought coming into the game. But after the game and Ronny put up nine points, four rebounds, three assists, and his usual hustle and energy in 14 minutes, one fan walked by me and actually said, "Dude, I'm getting a Ronny Turiaf jersey."


As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 64 games) Lakers: 45-19 1st in West

Fisher +292
Kobe +525
Turiaf +81
Odom +370
Gasol +226
Mihm -16
Walton +192
Bynum +236
Farmar +207
Radmanovic +242
Brown -44
Vujacic +110
Crittenton -40
Karl +7
Ariza +5
Mbenga +3

Up next: at New Orleans Friday 5:00 p.m. PST KCAL

CSUN snags Big West Awards

Cal State Northridge basketball has been an afterthought in the grand scheme of Los Angeles sports. This season, the Matadors won their first ever share of the Big West title, going 12-4 to finish tied with Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara.

So, Northridge is now...well still an afterthought.

But at least the Big West awards committe (the coaches) took notice.

Bobby Braswell won the Big West Coach of the Year and senior forward Jonathan Heard was named to the All Big West first team.

Tremaine Townsend and Deon Tresvant were named to the second team and Josh Jenkins and Calvin Chitwood were honorable mentions.

I do have beef with one of the selections. As one of the few people who have followed Northridge basketball throughout the season, I know that no one has been more instrumental in the Matadors' success than Josh Jenkins.

When asked what the biggest difference was between last season's struggles and this season, Braswell didn't hesitate to cite Jenkins. He may not be a top scorer, but he's eighth in the nation in assists and does a great job of playing on ball defense, the main factor in CSUN's league lead in turnovers forced and steals.

As for the Lakers, defense has been the afterthought. They gave up 71 points in the first half to the Sacramento Kings, while playing Matador defense (pun intended). After a missed jumper at the buzzer by Kobe, the Lakers lost 114-113, missing an opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the West.

In both games against the Kings this year, they have struggled on defense, giving up open layups and too many easy jump shots. In the first game, Kobe bailed the Lakers out with his huge fourth quarter. Remember all that jersey strutting and primal yelling. Yeah, that didn't hapen this time. Kobe scored one point and took just two shots in the final quarter, including his last second miss.

Which brings me to a theory I've had.

The offense has to go through Kobe in the last five minutes. That means he must touch the ball on every possession in the last five minutes or Phil subs the other four players out. The Lakers are deep enough to make that work and Phil could send a message.

Barring a fastbreak, the Lakers offense will get a considerably better shot if Kobe touches the ball. Almost every opposing team brings the double against Kobe and he can either split the double team or find an open shot for someone else. When he doesn't touch it, the ball moves but nobody gets open, especially because teams tighten up their defense at the end of a game. The result is usually a forced Derek Fisher drive or an unncessary Lamar Odom jumper. So go to Kobe or be subbed out.

Pain in the Ass:

The Dodgers are already down two third basemen in spring training and now, the guy who would be starting for the moment, Tony Abreu, is out indefinitely because of a pulled muscle in his right buttocks. He was playing in his first game on Friday after coming back from an abdominal injury and hurt his ass running out a ground ball.

As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 63 games) Lakers: 44-19 T-1st in West

Fisher +287
Kobe +516
Turiaf +74
Odom +371
Gasol +224
Mihm -16
Walton +183
Bynum +236
Farmar +203
Radmanovic +239
Brown -44
Vujacic +110
Crittenton -40
Karl 0
Ariza +5
Mbenga +3

Up next: vs. Toronto Tuesday 7:30 p.m. PST FSN

Olson will be back next year

Lute Olson is expected to announce his intentions to be the head coach at Arizona again, next season.

I had been hearing for a while that Lute would not be coming back, but apparently something triggered a decision to come back to the sidelines at McKale.
As a person who has a lot of respect for Lute and one who doesn't think too highly of Kevin O'Neill's coaching record, I think it's great for the program to have Lute back.
He's a coaching legend and deserves to retire on his own terms, with a year long farewell tour to boot, whenever he decides to hang it up.

"I am very eager to be back doing what I love, which is coaching this team," Olson said in a statement. "I appreciate everyone's support during this period and want to thank Kevin O'Neill for the great job he's done in my absence."

Olson also said that his absence was caused "by a medical condition that was not life-threatening, but serious enough to require time away from my coaching responsibilities.”

Previously, Olson had said that his personal leave was not for health reasons.