November 20, 2009
NBA
Rep. Peter King's letter to NBA commissioner David Stern regarding Greek club Olympiacos
Sporting News has obtained a letter written by Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., to NBA commissioner David Stern, in which King questions Stern's willingness to allow Greek club Olympiacos to play exhibitions against NBA teams. The full text:
What he did this summer: Dwight Howard focuses on jumper, free throws
Magic center Dwight Howard averaged 20.6 points and 13.8 rebounds last season. Just think how many more points he could have scored if he shot better from the free throw line—he made only 59.4 percent of his attempts from the stripe.
Indeed, Howard says that better free throw shooting, rather than the addition of new low-post moves, could have the biggest instant impact on his game. He told the Orlando Sentinel he worked on his shot every day and even circulated a video this summer in which he ran up and down the court making 15-footers.
"That's all I did, just get in the gym and work on my shot," Howard said. "Couldn't simulate double teams and all that stuff, just every day working on my shot."
NBA season preview: Team-by-team
Leading into the Oct. 27 season openers, Sporting News will preview each of the NBA teams, counting backward from its Sept. 25 Power Poll. For more great NBA content, order your copy of our Pro Basketball yearbook, or pick one up at a newsstand today.
No. 30 Sacramento KingsTeam preview: When will the decline end?
Shoals' take: Evans gives team hope for future
Team preview: With Carter gone, Nets rebuild
Shoals' take: Harris could become franchise player
Team preview: D'Antoni insists it's not a throwaway year
Shoals' take: As 2010 looms, team's future is hazy
Team preview: Iverson looks to mesh with young talent
Shoals' take: A.I. as savior? Don't hold your breath
Team preview: Wolves turn to Flynn after tumultuous offseason
Shoals' take: Rebuilding, but headed in right direction
Team preview: Granger is great, but he needs help
Shoals' take: Expect a lot of points and a lot of losses
Team preview: Success in hands of youngsters Jennings, Alexander
Shoals' take: This team could be surprisingly electric
Team preview: Plan of attack is to retrench completely
Shoals' take: McGrady should sit out this year
Team preview: Hoping roster moves lead to first playoff berth
Shoals' take: Front-office soap opera waiting to explode
Team preview: Talented cast could surprise this season
Shoals' take: Clippers are actually worth following
Team preview: Young nucleus still needs time to develop
Shoals' take: Thunder is league's most intriguing squad
Team preview: Defense an issue, but Curry adds firepower
Shoals' take: Don Nelson finally might have lost it
Team preview: New faces bring a lot of questions
Shoals' take: Stuckey needs to have breakout season
Team preview: Will Wade be a distraction?
Shoals' take: This team is Dwyane Wade
Team preview: A healthy Elton Brand will help
Shoals' take: Playoff trip will be tougher sans Miller
Team preview: Rose will have to carry Bulls on his back
Shoals' take: Thomas and Noah are foundation Chicago might not realize it has
Team preview: The Suns are a hot mess
Shoals' take: Alvin Gentry looking to bring back the old Suns magic
Team preview: Building the franchise around Deron Williams
Shoals' take: The Jazz are no longer strictly Sloan-ball
Team preview: Main scoring nucleus returns for Hawks
Shoals' take: It's time to call our Al Horford
Team preview: What can Turkoglu do for Toronto?
Shoals' take: Intriguing combination of players if things fall into place
Team preview: The buzz has worn off since 2007-08
Shoals' take: Father Time taking its toll on Hornets
Team preview: Nuggets hard-pressed to match last year's run
Shoals' take: Denver working it's way up West hierarchy
Fly: Romo should be more like Orton?
Hey, weren't you supposed to have the AL Central locked up already?
Blasphemy from the Dallas Morning News: Perhaps Tony Romo should be more like Kyle Orton? Seriously. That none-too-thrilling game-manager QB over in Denver has the Broncos at 3-0.
Interesting fact from Elias Sports Bureau via the New York Times: Jerry Hairston is one of 14 active players who have played at least 1,000 games and never made it to the postseason. "Get me off that list," Hairston told the Times with a grin. "That's not a list you want to be on." At the top of the list is Randy Winn with 1,599 games. Mike Sweeney is second with 1,396 and Michael Young is third with 1,349.
Don't worry about that Albert Pujols "homer drought." He'd like to point out that he's still hitting .330 even if he hasn't gone yard since Sept. 9. Manager Tony La Russa said of any drought, "Are you kidding me? What's he hitting this month? If you watch, he's getting nothing over the middle of the plate."
The Red Wings are huge in Sweden. Writes the Detroit Free Press: "Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg have been the fan favorites, drawing the loudest applause when they stepped on the ice Wednesday for the exhibition game at Karlstad."
Backhanded compliment? The Chicago Tribune says: For the first time in his NBA career, Joakim Noah has reported to camp in shape, eager to build on his strong finish to last season. Noah says he's a little concerned about the Bulls without Ben Gordon: "He was a big part of what we did. If I need to step up offensively, I will. If not, I will keep affecting the game by busting my (butt)."
And lastly, a little Olympic weirdness. The Chicago Tribune asked three psychics if the Windy City would get the Olympics for 2016. Two out of three said yes. At least one clairvoyant was spot on: A tarot card reader said of the selection process, "It's kind of, almost, fishy … a lot of strings being pulled."
Bulls need Hinrich to be newest super sub
Sporting News' Athletes of the Decade
Our choices for seven athletes of the decade — one in each sport we cover — sparked some intense debate.
NFL Athlete of the Decade: Peyton Manning, QB, Colts
The most intense back-and-forth was Manning vs. Patriots QB Tom Brady.
NFL Athlete of the Decade
College Football Athlete of the Decade: Matt Leinart, QB, USC
Matt Leinart isn't the people's choice (that would be Florida's Tim Tebow), but just look at Leinart's record with the Trojans.
College Football Athlete of the Decade
MLB Athlete of the Decade: Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals
In the baseball category, there wasn't much discussion: Albert Pujols easily got the nod over Alex Rodriguez.
Baseball Athlete of the Decade
NBA Athlete of the Decade: Kobe Bryant, SG, Lakers
In the NBA, Kobe Bryant edged the Spurs' Tim Duncan.
NBA Athlete of the Decade
NASCAR Athlete of the Decade: Jimmie Johnson, No. 48, Hendrick Motorsports
Three consecutive Cup championships form a pretty good basis for arguing Jimmie Johnson over two-time champ Tony Stewart.
NASCAR Athlete of the Decade
College Basketball Athlete of the Decade: Tyler Hansbrough, C, North Carolina
Love him or hate him, Tyler Hansbrough was the decade's most influential player. He's SN's pick, over former Blue Devils point guard Jason Williams.
College Basketball Athlete of the Decade
NHL Player of the Decade: Nicklas Lidstrom, D, Red Wings
You could make great arguments for Nicklas Lidstrom and Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, but Lidstrom's six Norris trophies in eight seasons were tough to beat.
NHL Athlete of the Decade
Sporting News' NBA Athlete of the Decade: Kobe Bryant, SG, Lakers
Is he the next Michael Jordan? Can he win a title without Shaquille O'Neal? Is he still better than LeBron James? When it comes to Bryant, the talking points have always missed the mark. No player in the history of the sport has been as hell bent on muscling up and improving his game every offseason. Bryant continues to set the bar on hard work, and there's no sign of anyone reaching his level in that regard.
The numbers say...Bryant: 28.2 points per game, 5.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, one MVP, four titles
Duncan: 21.2 points per game, 11.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, two MVPs, three titles
SportingNews.com voting
Bryant 55%
Duncan 45%
Former Lakers teammate Shaquille O'Neal's case for Bryant: "The thing about Kobe is that, over the course of my career, I have never played with anyone who was as fierce as he is. By fierce I mean just having that extra killer instinct that you know when the game is on the line he is not going to shy away from the big shot, he is not going to make excuses. If we would go into the fourth quarter, playoffs or just some game in the season and we were within a little bit of the other team, Kobe was not going to shy away from the challenge of getting the win. He was going to take the shots."
Bryant says...Related Links Our pick's memory of the decade: "This year meant a lot. We won a championship. It was satisfying, very satisfying, because we put in a lot of time and effort to fix things and get better. It's a great memory. I feel that we just had such a great team, such a fun team, from our chemistry to the way we executed. We went through some years and years of frustration to get to that point."
SN PLAYERS OF THE YEAR2001: Allen Iverson
2002: Tim Duncan
2003: Tim Duncan
2000: Shaquille O'Neal
2004: Kevin Garnett
2005: Shaquille O'Neal
2006: LeBron James, Steve Nash
2007: Dirk Nowitzki
2008: Kobe Bryant
2009: LeBron James
--Contributing: Sean Deveney, Steve Greenberg
A longer version of this story first appeared in the Sept. 28, 2009, edition of Sporting News magazine. If you are not receiving the magazine, subscribe today, or pick up a copy, available at most Barnes & Noble, Borders and Hudson Retail outlets.
Washington could be one of the East's most interesting teams
One of the most interesting teams in the Eastern Conference this year figures to be Washington, which is coming off a 19-win disaster of a season, the third-worst year in the franchise's history.
One after another, bad things seemed to happen -- the news that Gilbert Arenas needed another surgery on his knee before the season, the wrist injury to Brendan Haywood that sidelined him for 76 games, the back injury that knocked out DeShawn Stevenson for 50 games, the firing of Eddie Jordan after a 1-10 start. It was miserable. There's no other way to put it.
"It was the toughest year of my career," said forward Antawn Jamison, who soldiered through a bevy of young, makeshift lineups playing under a caretaker coach, Ed Tapscott. "I think we gave our best effort. But everything went wrong. It was like January or February and I realized how much longer we still had to go. It was a long year."
But there's hope. There's a new coach, some new, experienced players and as much depth as any team in the league. The hope starts, though, with the guy whose absence most threw the Wizards off-kilter last year -- Arenas. This has been a particularly difficult stretch for Arenas, who has been plagued by knee injuries that have limited him to just 15 games in the last two seasons. He did sign a $118-million contract extension before it was revealed he'd need more surgery, which has led to harsh criticism of both Arenas and the franchise. And, Jamison said, he has certainly taken notice. Arenas has been working out in Chicago, but Jamison says he talks to him regularly.
Related Links"I think people are going to be shocked by where he is, by how ready he is to play," Jamison said. "There is going to be rust, of course, but he is going to be ready. I think sitting out for two years has really motivated him. I know Gilbert, and the guy loves basketball about as much as anyone I know. It's killed him to be out this long. Plus, the criticism and all of that, he has listened to it, he has taken it. Now he wants some payback."
Jamison said that the entire bunch is taking on that attitude—the team wants to avenge all of those drubbings. Arenas will play the lead role, but there is much frustration to release in Washington. Considering where the Wizards were last year, this year could be a bit more fun.
Sean Deveney is a staff writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at sdeveney@sportingnews.com.
Peter Vecsey gets low marks for NBA HOF speech
New York Post columnist Peter Vecsey gave the worst Basketball Hall of Fame speech of all time, according to Jeff Pearlman at jeffpearlman.com.
Pearlman said Vecsey looked unprepared and rattled off names of players he thought should be in the Hall of Fame and used inappropriate language, among other things. It was so bad that NBA commissioner David Stern shook his head throughout while checking his Blackberry and Michael Jordan -- who is being inducted -- walked out and didn't return, Pearlman said.
"I almost felt sorry for Peter Vecsey," Pearlman wrote.
Sessions to T-wolves after Bucks decline to match
The Bucks will not match the Timberwolves' four-year, $16.4 million offer for restricted free agent guard Ramon Sessions, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Minnesota moved to sign Sessions after PG Ricky Rubio opted to stay in Spain last week. Had the Bucks matched the offer, it would have put the team over the NBA's luxury tax level. "I think Milwaukee wanted to move on with their salary structure," Sessions' agent, James "Chubby" Wells, told the Journal Sentinel. "It wouldn't have been a problem to go back to Milwaukee." Sessions, who averaged 12.4 points and 5.7 assists in Milwaukee last season, could start in the Timberwolves' backcourt with rookie point guard Jonny Flynn. For the Bucks, rookie point guard Brandon Jennings will have the opportunity to get plenty of playing time.
LeBron's mom says he's not going to be a Knick
LeBron James will not be with the New York Knicks next season, his mother, Gloria, said at a book signing Thursday in New York.
"He's a hometown boy," she said. LeBron grew up in Akron, Ohio, but his home now is Cleveland.
The James family was at the Monkey Bar for a book party that Graydon Carter threw for "Shooting Stars", the story of LeBron's team at St. Vincent-St. Mary and their coach, Dru Joyce II. James authored the book with Buzz Bissinger. It is subtitled, "A Poignant, Thrilling Tale of the Power of Teamwork to Transform Young Lives and Make Dreams Come True."
Bissinger, who wrote "Friday Night Lights," recently said, "If you mess with LeBron around Gloria James, you better be in a witness-protection program."
Gloria's comments came after a Knick fan waved an arm around the elegant surroundings saying, "You don't have anything like this in Cleveland."
Shanoff's WUC: MJ, NFL Week 1, USC-Ohio St.
Today's Calls: Michael Jordan vs. Hall of Fame, Santonio Holmes vs. Troy Polamalu, USC vs. Ohio State, Notre Dame vs. Michigan, David Robinson vs. John Stockton and More.
The Opening Pitch: On the Friday of the NFL's opening weekend, it takes a special occasion to bump the NFL from the biggest story of the day. It remains a unique (and rarely uncynical) moment when the greatest player in a sport's history (perhaps the greatest player in sports history) is inducted into its Hall of Fame.
Today is THE moment to reflect on the ways you were wowed by Michael Jordan -- perhaps even to remember your favorite MJ moment. Here's mine:
January 4, 2002. 38-year-old MJ was playing for my Wiz, and I had behind-the-bench seats for the Wiz-Bulls game, Jordan's first game against his former team. It was late in the game. Ron Mercer had stolen the ball and was cruising in for an easy Bulls basket. Annoyed, Jordan came from behind, skied like he was 10 years younger and pinned Mercers' ball at the top of the square with both hands.
It was a remarkable play, made all the more so when you factored in MJ's age and diminishing skills. It was like his moment to say: "I still got it." Jordan's spectacular defense was always overshadowed by his offense; that he made this play on defense made it all the more special. Given his age, I think it is one of Jordan's finest moments. It was arguably his greatest moment as a Wizard.
What makes Jordan so unique is that you don't have to have seen him in person to have a single-greatest memory -- or memories -- about him. You don't have to have been a Bulls fan to appreciate him. His memories belong to all fans -- and, today, to Hall immortality. (As if he needed it.)
Now, we return to the 2009 NFL season, already in progress...
Steelers edge Titans in slog: (1) Yup, Ben-to-Santonio still works... (2) Game's result is less important than the Steelers losing Polamalu for 4-6 weeks with the knee injury... (3) The NFL's "coin-flip-decides-the-game" OT rule is an embarrassment.
NFL Week 1 Top Storylines: (1) How big of a role will the Wildcat play? ... (2) Favre ... (3) Rookie coaching debuts ... (4) Last year's Cards vs. this year's Cards (49ers?) ... (5) Will the Lions win (or even look competitive?) ... Save "Tom Brady" for Monday.
NFL Week 1 Picks: Colts, Saints, Cowboys, Eagles, Ravens, Texans, Falcons, Bengals*, Vikings, Giants, Cards, Seahawks, Packers, Pats, Chargers. (*"Eliminator" pool pick)
CFB GOTW: USC vs. Ohio State. Why are folks giving OSU any chance here? Their recent track record in big games is abysmal. USC FTW in Columbus, not because the Trojans are particularly good this year -- but because Ohio State hasn't been excellent against a good team since they used up all their big-game karma in 2002 against Miami in the national-title game.
CFB Top 25 Picks: I will take every ranked team to win -- yes, even Notre Dame over Michigan in Ann Arbor. If I had any faith in myself, I'd look at high-octane Houston over Oklahoma State (with my more reasonable backup being UConn at home over UNC.)
(Not involving ranked teams, but of disproportionate interest is the "Yak Bowl" between Rick Neuheisel's UCLA and Lane Kiffin's Tennessee. I'll take the Vols, playing at home -- and providing a much better set-up for next week's epic beat-down at The Swamp.)
Georgia Tech edges Clemson: GT looked so good early, then seemed to lack the killer instinct you'd like to see in a conference championship contender. As usual, Clemson does just enough to let its fans down maximally. Welcome to the ACC, everybody!
More Hoops Hall: That's not to overlook the other most notable HOF enshrinees: John Stockton, arguably one of the Top 5 PGs in NBA history, and David Robinson, if not a Top 5 center in NBA history, pretty close -- and whose nickname "Admiral" might as well be "admirable.")
What's your favorite MJ memory? Or even your favorite Stockton or Robinson memory? Put them in the comments.
MLB Talking Points: In a fair world, records would be adjusted for payroll and the Marlins' 72 wins (via MLB-lowest $36M payroll, less than half the Rockies) would be enough to reward them with a playoff spot... Speaking of the Rox: To their credit, just won't give Florida a chance (7 straight Ws for Colorado)... File this away for October: The Tigers were swept by the Royals... Stud: John Lackey (CG 5-hit SO w/ 7 Ks)...
Injury Reports: Why are the Jets apologizing for mistakenly (or, perhaps, intentionally) not listing Brett Favre as "probable" on injury reports last year? Because of integrity? (Oh, right: Because many fans rely on injury reports to gamble on the NFL.)
Media: I can understand why the NFL's blackout rule is frustrating to fans who can't afford to go to the games. But at least the league is using its online platform to allow fans to watch -- eventually. The midnight release is just logistics; they want you watching the Sunday night game, not your team's game.
Jobs: Ooh! Ooh! *I* want to be the special assistant to a major sports league commissioner, too! (OK: I'll settle for the UFL.)
The Last Word: "I'm not the player that I was at 24. At 24, the gas tank was overflowing. Now, it's just full." -- Allen Iverson on his ability to still contribute as a member of the Grizzlies. (I'll repeat: If you've never seen AI live, take advantage of the good seats available when the Grizz come to your town to see him play in person. It's an experience.)
Dan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at . Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/danshanoff.
5 views on Michael Jordan's legacy
As Michael Jordan enters the Hall of Fame on Friday, people around the league give their take on what made No. 23 so great.
No one played above the rim like Jordan.
Joe Dumars, widely regarded as the toughest defender on Jordan:
He changed the way people see basketball. In my opinion, he is the best player who ever played the game. You can say the game was one thing up 'til the point he entered the league, and it was very different after him. He defined the way the game was going to be played from then on. He made it an above-the-rim game.
Dwyane Wade, who grew up watching Jordan in Chicago:
For me, it is amazing, to see someone you looked up to, who inspired you, to go into the Hall of Fame. There are so many memories, but to me, the thing that sticks out is when Michael became Michael, and that was the first championship. After that, he went from being a star basketball player to just being a star, being someone everyone around the world knew. And it seemed like, after he won that first one — he got by the Pistons, he got by Magic Johnson and the Lakers—it seemed like he never lost again.
In Game 1 of the '97 Finals, the Jazz had no answer for Jordan's buzzer-beater.
Jerry Sloan, whose Jazz lost twice to Jordan and the Bulls in the NBA Finals:
What he did for basketball, the stuff he accomplished as a player puts him right at the very top. Not many people have been able to get to where he's been and what he's been able to do. I think what is more important is what he did for the game. On the floor, there was nothing you could do.
We doubled him one time, he found a player to make a shot. Another time, we guarded him one-on-one, he makes the shot to beat us. That's what great players do. You can talk all you want about philosophies in the world. Players like that break your philosophy. They make you have to change somewhere.
Reggie Miller, who shared a division with Jordan for nine seasons:
I can remember preparing to play the Bulls, and I would do the same thing for every guy I was supposed to be guarding. I would watch film, look at scouting reports and try to break down their games. No matter who I was playing against, all the best shooting guards of that era—Mitch Richmond, Clyde Drexler, Joe Dumars—there was some advantage I could find, some little thing they didn't do well that I could take advantage of.
With Michael, no matter how much film I watched, I couldn't find anything. He was strong, he could post you up. He could shoot over you from midrange. He could shoot from the outside. He could drive past you. He did everything. Not only did he do everything on the court, but look at what he did off the court. He was Elvis and Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali. The guy made it cool to be bald. A lot of people owe him for that.
Steve Kerr, Jordan's teammate for three championship seasons:
For a guy like me, playing with someone like Michael just makes your career. If you are a role player in this league, then being put next to a truly great player like Michael is all you can ask for, because he is going to find a way to take advantage of the role you can fill. I don't think anyone did that better than Michael, with his ability to take every aspect of his team and find a way to make it better.
Robinson humbled to be part of 2009 class
There's little doubting the Hall of Fame credentials carried by Spurs center David Robinson. Over the course of his 14-year career, Robinson averaged 21.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks, winning two championships along the way. Robinson talked with Sporting News' Sean Deveney about his enshrinement, how he's kept busy in retirement and why he won't be doing a Brett Favre.
Robinson ended his storied career with a championship in 2003.
Sporting News: It seems to be a pretty good class that you're going into Springfield with. Has that registered with you?
David Robinson: In a way, yes, and in a way no. Going into the Hall of Fame is obviously the biggest honor you can get as a basketball player, no matter who else goes in with you. But when you look at the list of other people — Jerry Sloan, Stockton, Jordan, Vivian Stringer — it is humbling. It becomes something bigger. It's exciting, and I am very proud to be doing this.
SN: How have you managed to keep busy in retirement?
DR: A lot of my time is spent on my school, the Carver Academy. We've got 120 kids, from pre-K to sixth grade, and we're always working to give them an academic program that is outstanding, something that nurtures them as students and as people. A lot of the kids at the school don't have that. I've always felt that if you see a man who is hungry, feed him. If you see a child who does not have clothes, get him some clothes.
SN: You've stayed connected with the Spurs in retirement, but you don't do a lot of coaching or anything like that. Do you think you ever will?
DR: I really don't think so. I don't have the personality for that. I have coached little kids. That's enough for me.
SN: Why?
DR: You know, basketball was an incredible experience for me. To have the career I did and to be in the Hall of Fame, that is incredible. But it doesn't define who I am as a man. I am a teacher at heart. I am not really a coach.
Related Links
SN: You're 44, and you've always kept yourself in good shape. What do you think, could you get back out there and play 10, 15 minutes a night?
DR: I have been watching Brett Favre coming back, and I am thinking, "Hey, maybe I can go get two years and $25 million like he did." Really, physically, I feel phenomenal. But when I retired, that was it. It never occurs to me that I could or should go back and play. I am pretty happy doing what I am doing now.
SN: Plus, you went out in 2003 with a championship. You can't beat that.
DR: If the last game you play ends with you holding the trophy, there's no point in pushing your luck. I walked off the court a champion, knowing that was going to be my last memory of basketball.
Michael Jordan's top 10 moments
1. The final shot. Game 6 of the 1998 Finals: Jordan nails the game-winning jumper over Bryon Russell.
MJ's first title was an emotional one. 2. The first title. The image of Jordan crying and holding the championship trophy is unforgettable.
3. The shrug. After knocking down six 3-pointers in the first half against the Blazers in Game 1 of the 1992 Finals, Jordan simply turns to the scorer's table and shrugs.
4. 63. The Bulls are swept by the Celtics in the 1986 playoffs, but Jordan's 63-point performance in Game 2 remains a playoff record.
5. Flu game. Barely able to walk because of the flu, Jordan manages to score 38 points in a Game 5 win over Utah in the 1997 Finals.
6. Super shot in the Superdome. With 15 seconds remaining and North Carolina trailing Georgetown by one in the national championship game, Jordan, a freshman, makes a 16-foot jumper to win the game.
7. Crushing the Cavs. Jordan makes "The Shot" that pushes the Bulls past the Cavaliers in the decisive Game 5 of the 1989 playoffs' first round.
8. The dunk. At the 1988 dunk contest, Jordan beats out Dominique Wilkins after receiving a perfect score on a double-clutch foul-line dunk that shakes Chicago Stadium.
Related Links 9. The double-nickel. Returning from two years of dabbling with baseball, Jordan scores 55 points in his fifth game back, at Madison Square Garden.
10. The Dream Team. On a team of Hall of Famers, Jordan is the star for the 1992 Team USA Olympians, showing the extent of his worldwide popularity for the first time.
NCAA let Rose play, so why does Memphis have to pay?
It is not uncommon for history to be altered after it is written. Pluto once was considered a planet but now is not. Harry Truman left office with an approval rating in the low 20s but eventually became the model of the modern Democrat. Jim Rice was not deemed worthy of baseball's Hall of Fame for 14 years, and then he was.
Villanova in 1971, UCLA in 1980 and Ohio State in 1999 all competed in the NCAA Final Four, but they no longer are considered Final Four teams.
So the NCAA infractions committee's decision to vacate Memphis' accomplishments from the 2007-08 basketball season is not without precedent. And yet it appears to be unprecedented.
Because out of all the previous Final Four teams that have disappeared into history's dumpster, none arrived there with an arm of the NCAA serving as an unwitting participant in the transgression.
Before Derrick Rose could play basketball at the University of Memphis, the NCAA eligibility clearinghouse examined his academic records, including his standardized test score, and determined they met the minimum standards for eligibility to compete as a freshman.
Memphis accepted this verification and used Rose as the team's point guard in 40 games, 38 of which the Tigers won, including five in the NCAA Tournament.
A little more than a month after Rose missed a free throw that might have clinched the NCAA championship for the Tigers, the Educational Testing Service cancelled Rose's qualifying SAT score, technically rendering him ineligible to have played in that game.
Thursday, we were told two things about this transaction by NCAA infractions committee chair Paul Dee.
• "When you have a situation where information is not known at the time, and information appears to be valid on its face, then I assess no blame. Because the score was cancelled after the fact, it's hard to say that anyone could have foreseen that would happen."
This was his response when asked about the apparent inefficacy of the clearinghouse that approved Rose's eligibility.
• "The matter of initial eligibility is one of the NCAA rules where there is strict liability. Not infrequently, we find that information comes to light after a student/athlete has participated. For example, if a student/athlete becomes a professional ...
"If the student/athlete is academically ineligible, the penalty is related back to the time."
This was Dee's response when asked how Memphis could be punished for unknowingly utilizing an ineligible player.
This outrageous double standard leaves Memphis with an historic season that has been erased from history. The NCAA has ordered the school to remove any banners or signs that acknowledge the 2008 Final Four trip and to remove any recognition of the 38 victories from its media guide and other publications. It even declared coach John Calipari will have the 38 wins removed from his career record.
The university, to its credit, defended itself against the allegations at a June hearing and tried to fend off the vacating of its records. An appeal is planned. There is a financial component to the penalty for Memphis—having to return the money it earned for participating in the tournament—but Calipari has moved on to Kentucky and Rose now plays for the Chicago Bulls. Many schools in Memphis' situation would have accepted this punishment so long as there were no serious sanctions affecting future teams.
Many reporters on Thursday's conference call were consumed with the revelation that Rose's eventually-to-be-nullified SAT score was achieved in Detroit, which they seemed to accept as evidence that some chicanery had occurred.
However, a source close to the Memphis program told Sporting News that when Rose was first going through the initial eligibility process, he told the school and the NCAA he had taken the test in Detroit because the Bulls were playing the Pistons in a playoff game, and members of his family had planned to attend. The source said Rose has insisted to former teammates and members of the Bulls organization that he took his own test, although he has made no public statement on the matter.
It's interesting, though, that the infractions committee probed no deeper into the question of whether Rose had, in fact, taken that test. The most essential question of this entire controversy was decided when the Educational Testing Service cancelled Rose's test score in May 2008.
And why did that happen? Because the ETS sent letters to Rose's home in Chicago a couple months earlier—when Rose was attending school in Memphis and on the road playing the NCAA Tournament—and he did not respond to them.
Related LinksThe cancellation of the test was "based on failure to cooperate," Dee acknowledged. So an action this profound, this lasting, was undertaken at least partly because Rose didn't get his mail.
Isn't anyone else bothered by this?
Shouldn't history be rewritten by someone smart enough to recognize that a student at the University of Memphis might be spending most of his time in Memphis?
Mike DeCourcy is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at decourcy@sportingnews.com.
Four players primed for a breakout year
Sometimes, it's circumstance.
Sometimes, it's simply maturation. And sometimes, it's a new twist added to a player's game that changes everything. Whatever the cause, every season there are breakout players—those who manage to go from middling to mint almost overnight. This season will be no different.
Andrea Bargnani, C, Raptors. Bargnani benefited from a coaching switch. In his third season, he thrived with coach Jay Triano after wilting under the criticism of Sam Mitchell, who wanted Bargnani—a 7-footer with a great 3-point shot—to play more like a traditional center. "The thing with Andrea —I think you have to let him be who he is," Triano says. "You would like more rebounding, more defense, more of those things. But you have to emphasize the positive, too."
Mike Conley will lead the way in Memphis under new coach Lionel HollinsMike Conley, PG, Grizzlies. Conley never found his way during his rookie year and still was struggling in the first half of last season. But then, a blessing: Memphis hired Lionel Hollins as its coach. Hollins committed to Conley as his point guard, and the team traded Kyle Lowry, Conley's competitor for the starting job. After the All-Star break, Conley averaged 14.5 points and 5.6 assists and made 43.5 percent of his 3-pointers. "You could see Mike's confidence grow in the second half last year," teammate O.J. Mayo says. "I think we're all excited to go out and play with him."
Anthony Randolph, PF, Warriors. Randolph spent much of his rookie year in coach Don Nelson's doghouse and nailed to the bench. In the first half of the season, he averaged 5.8 points in 12.8 minutes. But after meeting with Nelson and getting a better understanding of what his coach was looking for, Randolph blossomed, averaging 10.7 points and 7.9 rebounds in the second half. He was the star of the NBA's summer league, where he averaged 26.8 points on 60.9 percent shooting, and is primed for a big year. "I have been working out all summer, mostly in Oakland," Randolph says. "I have been trying to stay in touch with Coach Nellie throughout the offseason so that I know what I need to work on. I am looking to get playing time this year."
John Salmons, G/F, Bulls. Salmons has had a strange NBA career. He struggled with his shot for four years in Philadelphia before blossoming with the Kings. But, because he played in Sacramento, few noticed Salmons had grown into an offensive threat. He averaged 18.3 points after his trade to Chicago last February, though, and with Ben Gordon gone, Salmons should take over the role of go-to scorer in a brighter media market . "He was unbelievable for us last year," teammate Derrick Rose says. "I think, now that he has had time to play with us and after he goes through training camp, he is going to be even better."
This story first appeared in the August 17 edition of Sporting News magazine. If you are not receiving the magazine, subscribe today, or pick up a copy, available at most Barnes & Noble, Borders and Hudson Retail outlets.
My profile: Jonny Flynn, Timberwolves rookie point guard
Born: Feb. 6, 1989, in Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Status: Single
Alma mater: Syracuse
What's on TV: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, SpongeBob SquarePants, SportsCenter
What's in my iPod: Jay Z
What I drive: White Mercedes-Benz CL550
Favorite flick: The Dark Knight
Last book I read: To Kill a Mockingbird in college
Magazine subscriptions: Slam, Sporting News—I don't subscribe but I read it.
Bookmarks: ESPN.com, YouTube
Superstition: I say a prayer before every free throw—"I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."
Worst habit: I eat way too much candy.
Love to trade places for a day with … Michael Jackson at his height when he was touring. I'd love to see how it feels to be in front of that big a crowd and feel that much love.
First job: Never had one before this
Talent I'd most like to have: I would like to be able to rap.
Favorite meal: Fried chicken, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy
Favorite athlete to watch in another sport: Alex Rodriguez
Favorite city to visit: Toronto
Favorite team as a kid: Knicks
Dream date: Lauren London
My hero: My pops
My motto: Kill or be killed
— Jeff D'Alessio
Shaq: 'I'm a regular guy that has won the athletic lottery'
It's been a busy offseason for Shaq. In addition to being traded from Phoenix to Cleveland, he's also been making the reality show Shaq Vs., in which he takes on other athletes in their own sports. He talked with Sporting News Radio's Rob Buska about his upcoming season with the Cavs, the concept of his TV show and how the cross-training is keeping him in shape.
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Q: Your life has changed the last six months. New team, new reality TV show -- it's certainly been a whirlwind for you.
A: Yeah, I was traded. My hat goes off to the Phoenix Suns organization. (General manager) Steve Kerr was very honest about the situation. I appreciate it. A lot of times teams don't tell you at all. You either hear it in the media or you read it.
But the Phoenix Suns organization has been a great organization, and in these tough times in our economy, business has to be handled. They wanted to take care of business and start all over. I understand that, appreciate that. But me being the business man that I am, I requested that they give me another shot at winning. So they sent me to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Q: You talk about the business side of things ... at what point in your career or in your life did you realize you wanted to be the guy in the limelight?
A: I don't really look at it as like I want to be in the limelight. I always tell people I'm a regular guy that has won the athletic lottery. So I don't really consider myself a superstar; I consider myself one of those lucky guys. Because let's face it, I've had three tremendous, excellent contracts in one lifetime.
But I don't sit there and say I want to do this, I want to do that. This (reality show) idea came across with me being like most male couch bravados -- as a guy, I can do anything, period. But as a superb athlete, I know I can really do it. …
I knew some friends in the TV production world, and we brought it to ABC, and they loved it. So basically it's me getting in the best shape of my career, cross-training and having a good time.
Q: Do you think this will give you a fond appreciation of what they go through once you compete in their event head-to-head?
A: A good thing about me is I'm a gracious host. What I mean by that is if I win, I ain't going to be rubbing it in their face. If I lose, I'm going to say, "You know what, you whupped me."
Yesterday, I had to give it up to the beach volleyball guys. I was doing some training with the Beijing Beast (Phil Dalhausser), and his vertical is like 50 in the sand. Mine looked like it was about 20. So I told him, "You know what, before we even turn the camera on, I got to apologize to you guys." Because on TV, you look at it, and OK, he's (6-9), he's throwing it down. I'm 7-1 … it's easy. But it ain't easy in that sand, brother.
Man, yesterday I was out there at 8, and was out there all day to 6. By the time I got in the car and got to the highway, which is two blocks, I was snoring. Done.
Q: A lot of people have said you already look in better shape than you have in the past couple of years. Do you feel that this is a little bit of a resurrection for your career?
A: You know a good thing about being with the great organization of the Phoenix Suns, (head athletic trainer) Aaron Nelson and (physical therapist) Mike Clark, who's also part of the show, they taught me a new way of how to train. You know, after I had the hip thing in Miami, they were telling me I was done. So I thought I was done. But these guys actually had me feeling younger. So now that I know that I can at least go about three more years, I'm going to really be serious.
You know for me to have the full complete circle career -- what I mean by that, when you draw a circle, if you don't go out the same way you come in, then the circle ain't complete. I want to go out like I came in.
Q: Do you have a nickname in Cleveland yet? The Big … fill in the blank for us.
A: The Big Witness Protection.
This story first appeared in the August 13, 2009 edition of Sporting News Today. If you are not receiving Sporting News Today, the only daily digital sports newspaper, sign up today for free.
My Profile: Ernie Johnson, TNT golf, NBA host
Born: Aug. 7, 1956, in Milwaukee
Status: Married—27th anniversary is Aug. 21
Alma mater: Georgia
What's on TV: The Office, 30 Rock, Leave It to Beaver, Entourage
What's in my iPod: John Butler Trio, Eric Hutchinson, Bebo Norman, Steven Curtis Chapman, Robert Randolph, Sara Groves, Jimmy Buffett
Favorite flicks: The Shawshank Redemption, Goodfellas, Bruce Almighty, Braveheart, No Country for Old Men, Field of Dreams
What I'm reading: The Shack, by William Paul Young; The Complete Game, by Ron Darling; Faith and Doubt, by John Ortberg
Bookmarks: NBA.com, MLB.com, Slamonline.com, Streetgrace.org, Samaritansfeet.org
Worst habit: Failing to return e-mails
On my office walls: Various pieces of schoolwork done by my 4 kids over the years; 2 TNT T-shirts signed by anybody who's been a guest on our shows—from Shaq to Kareem to Ozzie Smith to the guys from Run DMC, etc.
Love to trade places for a day with … I've seen Jimmy Buffett a handful of times and his concerts are a blast. Anytime you can do your job without a tie and barefoot, that's cool, so I'd trade places with him for a night.
First job: First paying job aside from cutting grass in the neighborhood was working for Super X Drugs in Sandy Springs, outside Atlanta. I stocked the shelves, ran the cash register, swept the floor, hung those big signs in the window that screamed "Paper Towels—3 Rolls for a Dollar" and did basically anything else they told me to do. Can't remember what I got paid, but it was more than I was getting for sitting around playing Strat-O-Matic baseball.
Talent I'd most like to have: To be able to play the piano. I took lessons as a kid, but gave it up.
Favorite meal: Anything Italian. My wife, Cheryl, makes killer lasagna, but she's also taught me how to make a pretty decent eggplant parm.
Favorite athletes to watch: Golf—Tiger, NBA—LeBron, baseball—Dustin Pedroia
Favorite city to visit: Venice, Italy
Favorite team as a kid: Milwaukee Braves
Favorite value in others: Loyalty
Favorite physical attribute about myself: My receding hairline. Hah hah.
And least … Lack of vertical leap
Dream date: Come on. My wife, Cheryl
My greatest love: My family
My hero: My dad, Ernie Johnson Sr.
My motto: Trust God, period.
— Jeff D'Alessio
This story appears in Aug. 13's edition of Sporting News Today. If you are not receiving Sporting News Today, the only daily digital sports newspaper, sign up today.