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 | Check out this nasty crossover from Nate Robinson as he fakes out Deron Williams and connects with the tough one-handed scoop shot as he gets fouled for the ... | From: NBA Views: 94658   2063 ratings |
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 | Check out the full highlights from all the incredible playoff action tonight including the triple overtime thriller in Chicago & Kevin Durant's career-perfor... | From: NBA Views: 54247  1249 ratings |
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 | The Daily Zap recaps all of Wednesday`s playoff action. Visit http://www.nba.com/video for more highlights. About the NBA: The NBA is the premier professiona... | From: NBA Views: 8803 513 ratings |
| Time: 01:48 | More in Sports |
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It's nervous time.
College football's future is in the hands of a currently faceless, nameless entity.
For now, this entity is referred to as the BCS Selection Committee. And although it hasn't been officially named, count on its name to be the Selection Committee since the BCS decided to call the college football playoff the College Football Playoff.
The actual name of this committee doesn't really matter, but the makeup of this committee is crucial. The people selected to form this committee will have to determine which four teams are the best in the country and deserve to play for a spot in a championship game.
Good luck sleeping well at night, committee members.
Because if the BCS does this right, fans will know every committee member's name, school and/or conference affiliation (if any) and which four teams he or she selected to play in the College Football Playoff. This isn't for the faint of heart.
So who should be sitting on this committee?
First off, media members with digital skeletons in the closet are a no-no. Any published material that shows any bias toward or against a particular team or conference should be heavily weighed in considering his or her acceptance into the committee.
School presidents or athletic directors (current or former) are usually a safe bet but more so for former presidents and athletic directors. Remember, if a BCS school plays in a BCS bowl, every school in that conference receives a percentage of the bowl's revenues.
Obviously, that potential financial windfall can elicit some biased voting from pollsters who are employed by a school.
For example, if a president of a Pac-12 school is debating between sending a Pac-12 team and a Big 12 team to the college football playoff, which selection bolsters his conference's coffers?
No matter how he votes, he can't really avoid criticism. The Pac-12 president will either be accused of conference nepotism or overcompensating conference bias. It's best to avoid this potential conflict of interest and only select former administrators to sit on the committee.
Media members (digital, print and broadcast) who cover college football on a national basis would be perfect committee members.
They're generally familiar with all the conferences and avoid covering one particular conference.
Moreover, they are paid to report on college football, so their analysis (and job security) is usually dependent on accuracy and thoughtful insight. Not all national media members are ideal candidates—those who have an agenda should not be considered.
Current coaches should also be taken out of the mix and the biggest reason why is they simply don't have the time required to do this right.
Committee members should be spending all week looking at videos of the previous weekend's games—not just checking box scores—and determining which teams proved their mettle week in and week out.
A head coach should be going over game film and preparing for next week's opponent.
Some coaches have admitted they don't really vote and that the task has been handed off to another staffer. Other coaches have voted so far out of the box that they can't even defend their voting records. Some of the bigger coach-voting controversies can be read here.
Coaches have enough on their plates—don't force them into a impossible situation.
Finally, the committee should be comprised of members who live in all parts of the country. Each member must commit to watching high-profile games from every conference, even if that requires very late-night viewing.
And each member must be able to defend his or her selections to the committee in detail so that the rest of the committee knows how that decision was made. That his or her decision was not just whimsy, an afterthought or based on some other influential factors.
The system is not perfect.
But the system needs to be perfectly transparent.
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The Kansas City Chiefs have found the left tackle they'll be taking with the No. 1 overall pick—it's just not man most expected heading into NFL draft week.
According to Charean Williams of Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Chiefs will be taking Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher when the draft gets underway at Radio City Music Hall:
Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk confirmed the report, noting a source close to the organization told Mike Florio that Fisher would be the the pick.
That being said, if these reports are true, Fisher is still in the dark. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, the Central Michigan tackle has not been informed by Kansas City that he'll be taken No. 1:
Though momentum has been building to a crescendo for Fisher, this news will undoubtedly come as a shock to those who haven't followed the flurry of late-breaking information.
For months Texas A&M product Luke Joeckel had been expected to shake commissioner Roger Goodell's hand first on Thursday. Joeckel, an All-American who helped spur Johnny Manziel's Heisman trophy run, was viewed largely as a can't-miss prospect. His collegiate pedigree and ability to step in Week 1 made him look like the perfect fit for the Chiefs, who have made moves to compete in 2013 all offseason.
However, Fisher's top-pick momentum slowly built over the process and reached a crescendo over the past 24-48 hours. Listed at 6'7" and 306 pounds, Fisher spent his entire collegiate career demoralizing opposing edge-rushers at Central Michigan. Though the level of competition is a question, Fisher's quick burst off the line and commitment to staying low through his blocks made many feel his potential was higher than Joeckel.
And as the hours waned prior to Thursday night's festivities, more and more reports came pouring in that Fisher was quickly overtaking Joeckel on Kansas City's board.
Even so, there were few who had concrete word about which way the Chiefs were leaning, with reports of discord within the Kansas City organization only clouded things further. Bleacher Report NFL draft lead writer Matt Miller reported Wednesday that new Chiefs head coach Andy Reid wanted Fisher, while general manager John Dorsey was pushing for Joeckel:
Assuming that Williams' report proves correct, it seems that Reid has gotten his way.
Which tackle position Fisher will be playing in 2013 remains up in the air. While he will eventually shift over to the left tackle spot, incumbent left tackle Branden Albert's future with the Chiefs remains to be determined. Albert has been the subject of trade rumors (h/t Yahoo! Sports' Jason Cole) in the pre-draft process, but nothing is cemented at this time.
Nevertheless, Fisher reportedly is the left tackle of the future, but whether making that risky move is a good choice remains to be seen.
 | Dwyane Wade cleans up the miss with the filthy putback slam. Visit nba.com/video for more highlights. About the NBA: The NBA is the premier professional bask... | From: NBA Views: 55687 962 ratings |
| Time: 00:31 | More in Sports |
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Do you know who currently holds the longest active winning streak in the SEC? It is not Alabama, Georgia, LSU or even Florida. It is none other than the Vanderbilt Commodores.
It doesn’t seem like that long ago that Vanderbilt was the bottom feeder of the SEC. From 2000-2010 they had an overall record of 36 wins and 93 losses.
Moreover, their football struggles did not begin during the 2000 season. Vanderbilt began playing college football in 1890. However, prior to the hiring of Coach James Franklin, they had only played in a bowl game four times.
Coach Franklin had the Commodores competitive in his first season as head coach during the 2011 season. They finished the regular season 6-6, and Vanderbilt was selected to play in just their second bowl game since 1983. However, their overall record only told a small portion of the story.
For the first time in my lifetime, the Commodores were not a team you could just look over. Five of their losses on the season were only one touchdown away from being victories.
It was a good start, but it appears to be just the beginning for the Commodores. In 2012, Vanderbilt won nine games for the first time since 1915. Their nine-win season also included their longest win streak (7) since 1949. Perhaps their most impressive win was their 41-18 victory over their in-state rival, Tennessee.
Yes, things have changed in the state of Tennessee, and Coach Franklin is the reason why. Now it seems with every vacant head coaching position that comes open, Franklin’s name is mentioned. However, don’t look for him to leave Vanderbilt anytime soon. The Commodores realize what they have in Franklin, and he is content with building his legacy, much like Steve Spurrier did at Florida. Prior to Spurrier’s arrival, Florida had never won an SEC championship.
Before I write the rest of this article, I have a confession. I was not always a believer in Coach Franklin. I never doubted his ability to motivate his team or his impressive game time coaching ability. I was convinced that Franklin lacked the maturity to be a successful SEC coach.
As it turns out, I could not have been more wrong.
Coach Franklin’s outburst following the Georgia and Tennessee games was not a lack of maturity. Instead, it was the manifestation of his deep passion for his players and Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt is not a stepping stone for Coach Franklin; it is home.
The success that the Commodores have had over the past two seasons is not going to be the end of the story. Of this, I am certain. My experience with Coach Franklin at the Franklin American Mortgage Company Music City Bowl has turned me into a believer, and it had nothing to do with Vanderbilt’s impressive 38-24 victory over North Carolina State on the field.
To win at Vanderbilt consistently, you have to be a different kind of football coach. You can’t be distant and moody like Nick Saban at Alabama, and you can’t even be corky and lovable like Les Miles at LSU. You have to be genuine and approachable like Coach Franklin.
I covered the Music City Bowl from the press box. However, I was able to have a special friend of mine in the press box with me. Along with covering SEC sports, I also pastor a church about an hour and 45 minutes away from Nashville.
There is a young man in my church by the name of Austin Borens, who was born with cerebral palsy. Because of this disease, he has had over 10 surgeries despite only being 11 years old. Austin will never be able to play college football but dreams of one day being the head football coach at Vanderbilt, his favorite school. I am convinced that this is a goal he might very well reach.
Over the past year, Austin has become like a family member to me. So, when the opportunity arose for me to be able to take him to the Music City Bowl with me, I was very excited. His face was lit with joy the whole game, as his beloved Commodores were dominant for four quarters.
After the game, we went on the field to watch the post-game celebration. Austin’s dad carried him on his shoulders, so he got a perfect view of the trophy presentation. Little did we know that this was just the beginning.
As the celebration was coming to an end, we were standing behind the Music City Bowl MVP Zac Stacy. It was at that moment that Coach Franklin walked past us to inform Stacy that it was time to return back to the locker room.
As coach Franklin was heading back to the locker room, he caught a glimpse of Austin. He had met Austin in a brief encounter a few months earlier. He came over to Austin and gave him a hug as if two best friends had been reunited. From there, we went to the press room for the post-game interview. After we got done, Austin and his father were ushered into the Vanderbilt locker room.
Once in the locker room, Coach Franklin began talking with Austin again. Coach Franklin then proceeded to introduce his children to Austin and have his star players take pictures with Austin and the Music City Bowl trophy.
The most impressive part of this event was that Coach Franklin had no idea I was a reporter. He had no idea that anyone was viewing his good deed. In other words, this was not a PR move. This was a man who loves and appreciates his fan base.
A great coach could come to Vanderbilt and win a handful of games and move on. A great coach who loves his University can come to Vanderbilt and build a genuine contender.
James Franklin is that man, and Vanderbilt and the SEC are better because he is here.
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On the heels of their second-worst season in franchise history, the Phoenix Suns have fired general manager Lance Blanks.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated was the first to report the move:
Suns have fired GM Lance Blanks
— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) April 22, 2013
It was later confirmed via the Suns' official Twitter account:
OFFICIAL: The Phoenix Suns today announced that Lance Blanks will no longer serve as the club’s general manager.on.suns.com/1u2
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) April 22, 2013
Blanks, a former NBA player, had one year remaining on his contract.
He joined the franchise in August 2010 after serving as the assistant to the general manger with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Phoenix assembled a 98-132 record during his tenure, although that figure is a bit skewed; the Suns played near-.500 ball during his first two seasons (73-75) before bottoming out this season (25-57), their first without former MVP Steve Nash.
His run was a tumultuous one with the organization still reeling from Amar'e Stoudemire's departure, a move necessitated by the six-time All-Star opting out of his contract in the summer of 2010. Phoenix balked at investing a large sum of money (five years, $99.7 million) in a player with a history of knee injuries and eventually agreed to a sign-and-trade for the big man with the New York Knicks.
Blanks tried to keep the franchise relevant after Stoudemire's exit, landing Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus and a 2011 first-round draft pick from the Orlando Magic in exchange for Earl Clark, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu. He then swapped that pick and Goran Dragic to the Houston Rockets for Aaron Brooks at the 2011 trade deadline.
Mannix later took the same approach after Nash and veteran Grant Hill left last summer, searching for veteran talent on the free-agent market. His attempt to delay the inevitable rebuilding project saw him reach free-agent deals with players like Dragic (four years, $34 million) Luis Scola (three years, $13.5 million), Michael Beasley (three years, $18 million) and Jermaine O'Neal (one year, $1.35 million).
He also tried to pry Eric Gordon away from the New Orleans Hornets and reached a four-year, $58 million agreement on a contract offer sheet with the former Indiana Hoosier. But despite the scoring guard's pleas (via Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune), the Hornets ultimately matched the offer.
Ultimately the moves proved fruitless as the Suns sputtered to the Western Conference's worst record and the franchise's lowest winning percentage (.305) since its debut NBA season in 1968-69 (via Basketball-Reference.com).
Blanks' dismissal follows the in-season firing of former coach Alvin Gentry, who came to a mutual agreement to leave the team after five seasons in January (via ESPN.com). According to Sam Amick of USA Today, the move could also foreshadow an ominous end for Gentry's replacement, interim coach Lindsey Hunter:
Phoenix announces GM Lance Blanks is out. He had a year left on contract.He was advocate of interim Lindsey Hunter's, so bad news for both
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) April 22, 2013
According to what a source told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, Hunter "did not fare well in his player evaluations." Another source reportedly said bluntly, "Players don't want him back."
Whoever fills Blanks' vacated position will have no easy task ahead of them. Phoenix already has more than $46 million committed to next year's payroll (via HoopsHype.com), and that figure could increase if the Suns pick up options on Hamed Haddadi, P.J. Tucker and rookie Diante Garrett.
The Suns should have a high lottery pick in the upcoming draft, but the 2013 class greatly lacks any surefire stars.
Phoenix is also an older team than most rebuilding clubs, as its most common starting five (Dragic, Jared Dudley, Tucker, Scola and Gortat) carried an average age of 28 (via Basketball-Reference.com).
Check out the top 10 Denver Broncos draft picks of all time!
Note: These are the 10 best draft picks in franchise history, regardless of where the player spent the majority of their career.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1613501-top-10-denver-broncos-draft-picks-of-all-time
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 | About the NBA: The NBA is the premier professional basketball league in the United States and Canada. The league is truly global, with games and programming ... | From: NBA Views: 85119 1917 ratings |
| Time: 03:14 | More in Sports |
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Following a terrible 2012-13 season that featured zero games played by Andrew Bynum and a wasted breakout by Jrue Holiday, the Philadelphia 76ers are set to embark on what needs to be a transformational summer.
But before getting to what's next, it's worth a look back at the gory specifics of how the Sixers got to where they are.
Any analysis has to begin and end with the abject failure of the Bynum trade. The big man was supposed to help bring the Sixers' offense (ranked 17th in 2011-12) into the modern era. Instead of low-percentage jumpers from inside the three-point line, Philly was supposed to thrive in an inside-out game that would generate more long-range attempts and better spacing.
But the season-long absence of Bynum, combined with a series of questionable personnel moves leading up to the season (I'm looking at you, Nick Young), resulted in a major step backward for an already poor Sixers offense. Philly lost nearly two points per 100 possessions on offense this past season, dropping their overall efficiency all the way to 26th in the NBA.
For what it's worth, a shrewd (but humble) writer predicted the Sixers' woes before the season even began.
In sum, Philly barely had the personnel to be successful with Bynum. But without him, uninventive coaching and a lack of talent meant the Sixers' lottery fate was sealed by early February.
Offseason Overview
Through with the painful retrospective on what went wrong with the Sixers' season, it's time to look ahead.
Heading into next season, Philadelphia has about $46 million in salary commitments—assuming Kwame Brown exercises his $3 million option for 2013-14. Bynum, Dorell Wright, Nick Young and Damien Wilkins are the only significant Sixers who'll hit unrestricted free agency, so Philly can make a max-money pitch to Bynum if it wants to.
Whether or not the 76ers choose to make Bynum an offer is probably the team's biggest offseason decision. Considering how things went this past year, not to mention team adviser Julius Erving's not-so-sunny take on the injured center, it seems highly unlikely that Philadelphia will put itself through the headache of another go-round with Bynum.
On the coaching side, Doug Collins' resignation on April 18 means the team will also be in search of a new sideline stalker. It's hard to overstate how important the Sixers' coaching selection will be.
The team is in desperate need of a forward-thinker who'll put forth a strategic plan that doesn't feature something akin to Collins' outdated emphasis on gut feelings and low-percentage offensive plays. The Sixers don't need an MIT grad with a degree in advanced analytics, but they've got to have someone capable of embracing the changing landscape of the league.
In other words, painfully simple high school plays that yield long jumpers in isolation just won't cut it.
The good news is that Collins is off of the bench; the bad news is that as a member of the front office he'll still have input into the coaching selection. Sixers fans had better hope his gut makes the right choice.
Draft Needs
The Sixers have less than a one-percent shot at the top pick in the 2013 NBA draft, and based on their record, they'll most likely end up with the No. 11 selection.
It's hard to suggest the best use of that pick without being sure about whether Bynum will be back, but assuming he's a goner, Philadelphia would be wise to use its selection on a young big man who could serve in a backup role initially, but possibly unseat the mighty Spencer Hawes from the starting center position at some point during the year.
Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk and Maryland's Alex Len seem like realistic options at No. 11, but the lack of "wow" factor those names evoke is a good indication of just how weak this year's draft truly is.
Trade Market
Evan Turner doesn't seem to think he's on the trading block, but because the Sixers need to seriously consider a thorough housecleaning, he might want to dial back his confidence a bit:
Sure, Evan. Who wouldn't want an unathletic tweener whose rate stats showed no growth despite a pressure-free environment and ample playing time last year?
If the Sixers don't trade Turner, it'll only be because no other team wants a below-average player on a lottery-pick deal with an extension decision looming in the summer of 2014. They should definitely see what they can get for him, though.
Free-Agent Decisions
Philadelphia's complete list of unrestricted free agents this summer includes Bynum, Young, Wright, Wilkins, Royal Ivey, Charles Jenkins and Justin Holiday. And as I mentioned, Brown has a player option for $3 million he seems likely to exercise—he's probably not going to do any better on the open market after missing almost the entirety of his past two seasons.
The danger of bringing Bynum back is clear, and that risk should probably be one the Sixers allow another team to take.
Young has absolutely no place on a winning team, as his atrocious shot selection and complete inability to make anyone around him better make him a player that lacks any real value. Unless Young pays the Sixers, there's no scenario in which his return could be construed as a good move.
Of the rest of Philly's free agents, only Wright has much use. His three-point stroke has hovered between 36 and 39 percent for the past six seasons, and although he does almost nothing else at an above-average level, there's value in a consistent floor-stretching shooter. If the Sixers can bring him back for something like the $4 million he made last season, they probably wouldn't regret it.
Free-Agent Targets
Nikola Pekovic
Minnesota Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic will be on the market this summer and he'd be a solid fit for the Sixers. His brutal strength in the post would draw defenders the way Philadelphia hoped Bynum's would.
Best of all, he'll probably command less than a max salary and has two functional knees.
Paul Millsap
Everyone seems to value Al Jefferson more highly than his unrestricted free-agent teammate, but Paul Millsap is a a gritty, competitive forward that plays better two-way ball than Jefferson. Remember, half of the game is defense and Jefferson doesn't play any.
The Sixers could do worse than a Millsap-Thaddeus Young pairing in the frontcourt. That duo would be among the league's most versatile tandems and could provide excellent spacing and good defense in pick-and-roll situations.
Millsap made $7 million last season, but even with a slight raise, the Sixers could afford to bring him in if they let Bynum walk.
Nate Robinson
Nate Robinson would not only help with the bad-shot withdrawal symptoms Sixers fans would likely feel after Nick Young's departure, he'd also represent a dangerous backup option behind Holiday.
The Chicago Bulls' spark plug averaged 13.1 points in just 25 minutes per game this year, and his energy could really invigorate a stale, stagnant Sixers attack. After making just $1 million in 2012-13, Robinson could be had on the market for much more than that and still constitute a bargain.
Really, though, there are probably a few D-League options that would improve the 76ers' backup point guard situation. It was that bad this year.
On the Rise: Thaddeus Young
Thaddeus Young saw a marked uptick in his minutes per game last season and aside from a curious 20-percent decline in his free-throw shooting, his overall productivity remained steady. That's a good sign for a player who's at a turning point in his career.
For the rangy, athletic forward, 2013-14 is going to be the season he either takes another step forward into stardom or levels off as a good (but not great) rotation player.
Young is a good defender in the pick-and-roll, shoots a high percentage from the floor (53 percent in 2012-13) and has excellent athleticism. Freed of the restrictive Collins, perhaps Young will also be allowed to shoot more threes.
Remember, he hoisted about two per game in 2008-09 and 2009-10 at a 34 percent clip. More long-range shots would only increase Young's value as a stretch-4 in a more modern Sixers offense.
Biggest Question Going Forward: Is Jrue Holiday for real?
It's easy to accumulate good numbers on a bad team. Somebody is bound to score, log assists and pull in rebounds.
But it's hard to know how valuable those stats are when they come in meaningless games.
Holiday posted career bests of 17.7 points, eight assists and 4.2 rebounds this past season and despite almost no help from his teammates, he still managed to up his overall efficiency rating from 14.74 in 2011-12 to 16.74 in 2012-13.
Plus, he competed on defense and the stats show that his on-court presence improved the Sixers' defensive rating by over five points per 100 possessions.
And Holiday did give Sixers fans a glimpse of his ability to step up in big moments:
Those are great signs that point to Holiday being a very good player. But his overall numbers last year were far from elite. He'll have to shoot better than 43 percent from the field and cut his turnovers from 3.7 per game before he proves he belongs on the the upper tier of young point guards alongside Stephen Curry, Ty Lawson and Russell Westbrook.
The Sixers are committed to Holiday for the foreseeable future, having signed the point guard to a $44 million deal through the 2016-17 season. But they can't know what they've really got in him until their games matter more.
Hopefully, an offseason of changes will allow the Sixers to play in a few more games that actually count for something next season. That'd go a long way toward determining whether Holiday really can become a franchise cornerstone.
Projected Power Ranking Entering 2013-14: 18
Depending on how wisely the Sixers handle their free-agent decisions and spend their cap space, they've got a lot of power-ranking mobility. Simply assuming slight improvements for Holiday and Young and projecting replacement-level performances from whichever free agents take over the minutes of guys like Nick Young and Turner, the Sixers can expect a modest improvement overall.
If they hit it big with a free agent or two, the playoffs are a real possibility. Although in the marshmallow-soft lower tier of the Eastern Conference, that's not necessarily saying much.
![NBC's Brian Williams Threw it to an NBC Affiliate Who Summed it All Up: "We Don't Know S***" [Video]](http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/BIQCpP3CAAEHuOy-594x323.png "boat")