This could be Turner's Tourney posted by Brad VanFossan

Please disregard the website title as this is not Indians related, thanks.

This could be Turner’s Tourney

By Brad VanFossan

Work hard, play smart, play tough, keep your mouth shut, and let things fall into place. There aren’t too many young athletes who heed this advice, but that’s exactly what Ohio State’s Junior leader Evan Turner did. Amazingly, Turner arrived at Ohio State somewhat under the radar.

In 2007-08 Evan Turner came onto the scene in Columbus as a freshman in the shadows of fellow freshman and highly touted recruits Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., and Dequan Cook. Those three highly touted recruits ended up leaving after one season at Ohio State to become first round draft picks in the NBA, with Oden being the first pick overall.

The talented but less hyped Turner became the leader of a fairly inexperienced Buckeyes team as a sophomore and has not only taken the wheel, but has floored the gas in that role ever since.

Turner won the Big Ten Conference scoring title and Big Ten Player of the Year award in that 2008-09 sophomore season. Despite his personal success, the Buckeyes were upset by Sienna in last year’s NCAA Tournament, at the same time the Cleveland State Vikings shocked the world with their upset of Wake Forest. The first round loss having left a bad taste in Turner’s mouth, he passed up on the greener pastures of the NBA and returned to Columbus seeking redemption.

A funny thing happened on the path to redemption: another chance at redemption. On December 5, 2009, Turner fell and hit the ground hard after a dunk during a game vs. Eastern Michigan and suffered transverse process fractures of the second and third lumbar vertebra in his back. Turner was supposed to miss eight weeks and his and Ohio State’s season of promise turned into an almost Cleveland sports like curse. A bleak outlook was an understatement. As amazing as it is to think now that Evan Turner came to Ohio State as arguably the fourth best recruit, even more amazing was his recovery and return to play.

Bobcats start keying up for playoffs. posted by john howard

The Charlotte Bobcats have had a good season and looks like they should make the playoffs.  I have really fallen in love with this team.  I hope Michael Jordan gets the team.   Here is how the Bobcats look now and could look come playoff time:

PG  Raymond Felton--He is a good leader on this team.  His minutes have gone down slightly this year from 37 to 32. So, accordingly his stats have dipped a little.  But he will be more fresh at season's end and make this team go.

SG Stephen Jackson--20pts 5reb 4ast 2st.  And, he makes 1.5 3's a game.  Oh, and he can defend too.  Not too shabby for a second round pick.   He has been rock solid for this team.

SF Boris Diaw--11pts 5 reb 4ast  He does a little bit of everything as well.  He logs in a lot of minutes and is this team's anchor.  You can't leave him open, he'll hit the 3.

PF Gerald Wallace--18pts 10reb 2 ast.  The heart and sole of this team.  He has worked himself hard to become the player he is now.  He is undersized to play inside. But he is doing and causing matchup problems.  He currently has a spained ankle, but that will be fine soon.  He is one of my favorite players.

C  Tyson Chandler--6pts 6reb 2 to.  He has been a dissappointment his last 2 years in the league.  Tons of injuries have slowed him down.  His size and athletisism cause a lot of problems for opponents.  He is working his way back from injury.  I just don't know how effective he is going to be in the playoffs.

Welcome to the starting lineup Mr. Douglas! posted by Paul Stengel

Welcome to the starting lineup Toney Douglas! The Knicks are 2-0 in games Douglas has started, and he has clearly given the team a spark it was missing when it started Duhon and Sergio Rodriguez. Douglas has averaged 20 points over his last three games, and has brought great energy to the defensive end. His three steals against Philadelphia and clutch three point shooting helped keep the 76ers from coming back.

 Another big contributor to the Knicks lately has been Bill “Sky” Walker. Walker’s high flying dunks and surprising outside touch have been on display of late. He’s shooting near 60% as a Knick and has been a pleasant surprise in general when considering he was originally a throw-in in the Nate Robinson trade. Tracy McGrady’s frequent injuries have opened up minutes for Walker and he’s taking advantage.

The Knicks have overall become much more watchable with Douglas leading the team. Hopefully Gallinari will continue his aggressive play, and the Knicks can continue their winning streak against Boston.

The Need for Relevance posted by Micky Deming

As a Pacer fan, the obvious highlight of my season was the ESPN 30 for 30 story on Reggie Miller vs the New York Knicks. I loved every second of the documentary. I thought it was put together very well, and the best part was all of the memories it brought back.

On the other hand it was bitter-sweet in some ways. The Pacers have been awful for the last few years, but I have still enjoyed the NBA and told myself, "It's OK that the Pacers aren't competitive because it is still great to watch all of these high profile teams go at it in the Playoffs." 

 But that was wrong. There is something incredible about living and dying with every point in an NBA Playoff series. And Pacer fans got to experience that excitement consistently from the mid 90's to the early 00's. Honestly, I took it for granted. And seeing those old games again, I remembered how much I hated the Knicks and how much I cared about how those games turned out. It reminded me that the Pacers used to matter. And I want that again so badly. I want our games to be meaningful; relevant. I want to sit at work all day and be thinking about what is going to happen in the game tonight.

Which brings us to the lottery. The Pacers have never been a serious contender for the top pick in the lottery. In fact, the last two years they finished 9th in the East, just out of the playoffs, and a long way from the top talent in the draft. To me, it seems silly to act like a top pick in the draft is the only way the team can get good, but a glance at the top of the league shows that you have to score big with a superstar or you will never be good.

New York Knicks, what the salary cap future holds posted by Paul Stengel

CLAAAANG!!!  Another errant Knicks shot glances off the rim.  The New York Knickerbockers have mastered the art of losing for the past 10 years.  The only silver lining after this season is the possibility of signing two big name, “max contract” players.  The Knicks traded away their upcoming draft pick (along with Jared Jeffries and others) to Houston,  to free up more money for these players.  Nothing is guaranteed, the Knicks aren’t necessarily getting anyone for their trouble. 

The losing that the Knicks have been doing is a relatively new experience for their head coach, Mike D’Antoni.  D’Antoni came over from Phoenix, where he had an outstanding winning percentage, playoff appearances every year, and usually a late-season meeting with the San Antonio Spurs that ultimately would decide who would come out of the west.  Before he coached Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash and Shawn Marion to 60 wins a year.  Now he leads Al Harrington and a band of inexperienced, below average knicks to likely two 30 win seasons. 

The Knicks have been on a downward spiral since they decided to trade away their franchise player of the 90’s Patrick Ewing.  They have been compiling bad contracts ever since, and it wasn’t until Donnie Walsh became the active general manager that their attitude toward free agents began to change.  Starting with the trades of Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph, Walsh has managed to free up more and more salary cap space, and with it, the possibility of greater things in the future. 

Grizzlies give Thabeet some time posted by Andy Charles

The Memphis Grizzlies will be hopeful that the NBA D-League lives up to its name after they sent 2009 No 2 draft pick Hasheem Thabeet down to the North Dakota Wizards and made just a little bit of history in the process.

Thabeet, who was expected to be a fairly raw rookie anyway, has had little or no success since the Grizzlies drafted him out of Connecticut last summer, and he is the highest draft pick yet to be sent down to the Developmental League, the NBA’s own version of the minors.

The 7ft 3in giant, who has only really had any success as a shot-blocker and often looked lost out on the court against more seasoned professionals, will be working mainly on his shooting according to NBA Tips, after averaging less than three points per game.

Thabeet has been on court in 50 Memphis games this season, but only logged an average of 10 minutes, scoring in double figures just once against Phoenix in early January.

Although the Grizzlies knew he was going to be something of a project, much of the trouble has come for the right reasons; Memphis are only a couple of games out of the playoff picture and felt less need to risk their prized rookie in key moments.

Seasoning may well prove to be all he needs, although adding a few pounds to a fairly wiry frame would help as well, but shooting was a problem for him in his college days as well and is something that could well prove to be a concern through his career if it is not dealt with sooner rather than later.

Thankfully Grizzlies officials appear to have learned from previous picks, though, as they are finally showing a little in the way of patience. It is doubtful that they will see Thabeet in a Memphis jersey again this season, but it could well be to their benefit by the time next season rolls around.

Humpday Huddle posted by Amari Harris

I’ve been extremely busy lately so I haven’t had as much time to write, but I have wanted to weigh in on a few topics before the week is over and hopefully I can come through with a column for tomorrow.  Let’s be random…

Did I hear that correctly?  Appartently the Golden State Warriors turned down a trade that would have netted them O.J. Mayo and Nasheen Thabeet for Monta Ellis…craziness

There are a lot of interesting rumblings coming out of the 2010 Draft/Combine.  Tim Tebow is working on changing his throwing motion.  This is one of the more intriguing stories of the draft.  It is easy to root for Tebow because of his faith and his character but I just don’t see him being an effective NFL quarterback.  NFL defenses are too fast, too smart and too powerful for a guy who dominated the college ranks with those same traits.  His passing ability is very suspect because of that long wind-up release.  The transformation that he’s attempting will be very difficult as he has thrown with the same motion for the last 20 years.  Some people try to compare Tebow to Vince Young, but VY has demonstrated the tools and ability to excel on the NFL level.  Young does everything Tebow does, but way better.  This should be an interesting development and I’m sure there are GMs and teams out there that can make this marriage work, but I would stay away from this guy for the most part.

Free Agency is upon us and there are some pretty sexy story lines surfacing as the off-season progresses.  Julius Peppers will be the hottest free agent on the market despite being 30 years old and having questionable work ethic.  Peppers seems to be a bit selfish as he is looking for the biggest pay day and he doesn’t play the run very well.  Under the right conditions, Peppers could be a defensive MVP. I’m not sure those conditions exist right now however.  Many people are speculating that Peppers would go to the Patriots, but I don’t see the economics being there, and the Patriots have a lack of leadership on the defensive side of the ball…Peppers won’t help.  I’d be more inclined to see Peppers as a Jet or Charger.  These teams have shown promise for years to come and Peppers could be the missing piece for each team.  I also wouldn’t write off the New Orleans Saints.  This is a team that thrived off of turnovers this past season and Peppers is a turnover specialist.  I think he would be a good fit in their hybrid defensive packages that Greg Williams’ deploys.

New faces, early dividends posted by john howard

Dallas Mavericks' new players played well last night, beating the top team in the east in Orlando Magic.

Caron Butler and Brenden Haywood combined for 73 minutes 16 rebounds and 31 points.  A really good bigman and another scorer.  Good Job Dallas.

Another top team fell to newcomers.  Denver fell to Washington and their new lineup.  No Arenas, no Jamison, no Butler, no problem.  Josh Howard had 20 points in 23 minutes. More stunning was the 25 points the Wizards outscored the Nuggets in that 23 minutes.  Also, Al Thornton (just acquired from the Clippers) had 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 block shots in 31 minutes. Oh I can't wait until Ilgauskas joins the group. 

Expect Thornton and Howard to play with a chip on their shoulders, showing the teams that didn't want them that they were wrong. The Wizards have players that are auditioning for the big free agent bucks.  They are going to be competitive for the rest of the season.

Cleveland and Lebron will win its first championship since 1964 posted by Colin Linneweber

The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired two-time All-Star Antawn Jamison in a three-team trade Wednesday night. 

Cleveland, who has won 11 consecutive games and owns the best record in the league at 43-11, only squandered Zydrunas Ilgauskas and their first round pick to obtain Jamison. 

Jamison, 33, the fourth overall selection in the 1998 NBA Draft out of the University of North Carolina, is a skilled and rugged power forward who was averaging an impressive 20.5 points for the Washington Wizards prior to last night’s transaction. 

At this juncture, barring an injury to superstar Lebron James, the Cavaliers seem destined to easily waltz through the Eastern Conference and into the NBA Finals in June. 

James, 25, a three-time All-NBA First Team selection and the 2009 MVP, is indisputably the best player in the world today. 

Ever since he made his professional debut with Cleveland in 2003, James hasn’t been surrounded with enough talent to capture a title. 

However, with legendary center Shaquille O’Neal, 2009 All-Star point guard Mo Williams and Jamison, James now has the type of teammates that can win help him win the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. 

Presently, the only squads that are even remotely capable of competing with Cleveland are the Boston Celtics (33-18), the Orlando Magic (37-18), the San Antonio Spurs (31-21) and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers (42-13). 

The Celtics, Magic and Spurs are all very solid teams. 

Nevertheless, in actuality, not one of those three teams can genuinely topple the Cavs. 

Utah is making financial moves posted by john howard

Utah is trying to stay within their financial means and stay competitive at the same time. They traded Ronnie Brewer to Memphis for a future pick.  They have depth at that position and can absorb the loss.  Brewer is a restricted free agent and Utah may not be able to match any offers.  So, they gain a pick for him now.  Not bad I guess.

Memphis is trying to make the playoffs now and giving up a future pick for something now makes sense.  Brewer will improve them and I think he was worth the first round pick.  I don't know that he gets them there, but he will be better than what they could have drafted for.

Bogut has 25 points, Bucks knock off another marquee team with 86-84 win over Celtics (The Canad

[read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Nash plays 1,000th game, Stoudemire dominant as Suns beat Hornets 120-106 (The Canadian Press%

[read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Brooks' 31 points, Scola's double-double carry Rockets past Nuggets 125-123 (The Canadian Pr

Aaron Brooks hit a clutch shot to help keep the Houston Rockets' desperate late drive for the playoffs going. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Injury-ravaged Warriors rally by Hornets (AP)

The injury-ravaged Golden State Warriors haven't had the luxury of slowly bringing along their NBA Development League. That's worked well for Reggie Williams, one of five D-League players called up by Golden State this season. Williams scored 22 points, 18 in the fourth quarter, to help the Warriors overcome a 21-point deficit and beat the New Orleans Hornets 131-121 on Wednesday night. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Bosh's late basket gets Raptors by Hawks (AP)

Chris Both put a poor shooting performance behind him in a big way for the Toronto Raptors. Bosh hit a 16-foot jumper with 2.1 seconds left and the Raptors ended a five-game losing streak with a 106-105 victory over Atlanta on Wednesday night. "I shot it with confidence, and there wasn't a doubt in my mind that it (was) going in," said Bosh. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports