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How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks 4, Stars 2.
By Jerry Bonkowski, The Sports Xchange
Chicago Blackhawks Goalie Corey Crawford
If at first you don't succeed, try again. With a playoff berth on the line, there is no other choice.
Such was the case for the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night at the United Center. When left winger Brandon Bollig's empty-net goal was disallowed with a minute to play, veteran right winger Marian Hossa completed what Bollig started 33 seconds later, scoring into the empty net to seal the Chicago Blackhawks' 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars.
Hossa's 26th goal of the season helped the Blackhawks (42-16-15) remain three points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche for second place in the Central Division.
Bollig's goal was waved off because officials ruled he deflected a shot with his stick above his shoulder. Video replays showed the referees were correct in their call.
While Hossa picked up the team seconds later, Bollig was still ticked about the call, getting into a late fight with Dallas left winger Antoine Roussel. Both players were sent to the penalty box for the final 22 seconds of the game.
Center Andrew Shaw put the Blackhawks on the scoreboard first with 18 seconds remaining in the first period. His 19th goal of the season came on the power play. Left winger Patrick Sharp took a slap shot from near the blue line. The puck bounced off Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen, and Shaw was there to backhand the rebound into the net.
At 4:12 of the second period, right wing Kris Versteeg tipped a shot by defenseman Duncan Keith past Lehtonen for his 12th goal of the season, giving Chicago a 2-0 advantage. The goal had originally been credited to Hossa but was changed after the second period ended.
Any hopes that the Blackhawks and goalie Corey Crawford had of a shutout were dashed at 10:56 of the middle period when center Ryan Garbutt drove through the crease and slipped a backhander past Crawford, closing Chicago's lead to 2-1. Garbutt registered his 13th goal of the season.
The Blackhawks quickly got their two-goal edge back at 14:15 when Keith's slap shot from just outside the left circle slid past Lehtonen, whose view was blocked by a number of players in front of the net. It was Keith's sixth goal of the season and third in the past five games. He added an assist, his team-leading 51st.
Fighting to stay in the playoff hunt with 10 more games after Tuesday, Dallas (34-27-11) didn't give up in the third period. Garbutt scored his second goal of the night at 14:20, threatening to send the Blackhawks off on a three-game road trip on the wrong foot.
Crawford stopped 25 of Dallas' 27 shots to improve to 29-13-10. Lehtonen stopped 38 of Chicago's 42 shots, and his record fell to 27-18-10.
The Blackhawks won the season series with Dallas, four games to one.
Tuesday marked the Blackhawks debut of 19-year-old forward Teuvo Teravainen, who was called up from Jokerit in his native Finland. In 49 games with Jokerit, Teravainen had nine goals and 35 assists.
Teravainen played just over 11 minutes but did not record any stats.
NOTES: Chicago is 8-15-8 when its opponent scores first this season. When the Blackhawks scored first, they are 32-1-7. ... Out since March 18, Chicago D Michal Rozsival is reportedly progressing nicely from his lower-body injury, and he could be back with the team before the regular season ends. However, it is likely that Blackhawks G Nikolai Khabibulin (lower body/shoulder) will not be back for the remainder of the season or the playoffs. ... Chicago plays six of its nine remaining regular-season games on the road, starting a three-game trip Thursday at Boston against the Bruins. ... Dallas hosts the Nashville Predators on Friday before beginning a five-game road trip. ... F Dustin Jeffrey joined the Stars on Tuesday after being recalled from the AHL Texas Stars on Monday, the same day F Chris Mueller was sent back down. ... The attendance was 21,493.
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Bears not awarded any compensatory picks in 2014 NFL draft.
By John Mullin
Phil Emery was hired as Bears general manager, in large part, for his experience with building through the draft. Unfortunately the NFL isn't going to help him out, at least not this year.
The league has awarded compensatory picks in this year’s draft, through rounds 3-7 in the draft that begins with Round 1 on May 8, but the Bears won’t receive any this year.
Under the rules for compensatory draft selections, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.
The number of picks a team receives equals the net loss of compensatory free agents up to a maximum of four. The 32 compensatory choices announced on Monday will supplement the 224 choices in the seven rounds of the 2014 NFL Draft (May 8-10), which will kick off in primetime for the fifth consecutive year.
It’s not the first time the Bears have gone comp-free. Since compensatory picks were initiated at the outset of free agency in 1994, the Bears stand 20th among all teams receiving make-up picks, with a total of 17 picks.
Bills owner Ralph Wilson dies at 95.
By JOHN WAWROW (AP Sports Writer)
During his 95 years, Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson went from fan to ''Foolish Club'' member to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, enjoying every step along the way.
The NFL lost the person regarded as the league's ''conscience'' on Tuesday, when Wilson died at his home around 1:40 p.m. Bills president Russ Brandon announced Wilson's death at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Fla.
His death resonated among the owners - from old to new. Wilson played an integral role in establishing the modern game, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.
In 1959, Wilson founded the Bills in helping establish the upstart American Football League, whose owners were dubbed ''The Foolish Club'' for having the chutzpah to challenge the NFL. Some five years later, Wilson played an influential role in the framework for the merger of the leagues.
''Ralph Wilson was a driving force in developing pro football into America's most popular sport,'' NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. ''Ralph always brought a principled and common-sense approach to issues.''
Patriots owner Robert Kraft released a statement saying how grateful he was for how Wilson welcomed him to the NFL, adding: ''I will miss him.''
So will Bills Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy, whom Wilson lured out of retirement to serve as the team's general manager from 2005-06.
''He wasn't my boss, he was my friend,'' Levy said. ''Deeply saddened to hear about his passing. He meant so much to the game that both of us revered, and to the community of Buffalo and beyond. It's quite a loss, and he's going to be remembered so fondly by everyone who knew him.''
The last surviving member of the original AFL owners, Wilson died at his home in Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich., said Mary Mazur, a spokeswoman for the Wayne County medical examiner's office. He had been receiving home hospice care.
Wilson had been in failing health since having hip surgery in 2011. Though he spent much of his time at his home in suburban Detroit, he attended Hall of Fame induction weekends. He was a regular at Bills home games since founding the franchise, but had not been there since going to one game in 2010.
Wilson gave up daily oversight of the club on Jan. 1, 2013, when he relinquished the president's title to Brandon.
''No one loves this game more than Ralph Wilson,'' Brandon said. ''It's very tough. What he's' meant to the entire organization. He's our leader, our mentor our friend. How he loves his players and loved our community. Special guy. They just don't make them like Ralph Wilson.''
Wilson earned a well-established reputation for loyalty to fans and the stands he took against franchise relocation.
Though he butted heads several times with late Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, it did not affect their friendship.
As Davis said in 2009: ''There were a lot of guys saying (Steelers owner Dan) Rooney was the conscience. But certainly, Mr. Wilson was more of a conscience of the league.''
Wilson also earned the respect of his players.
Bills Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas struggled with his emotions when discussing Wilson.
''With Mr. Wilson's passing today, it hurts,'' Thomas said. ''So I'm going to miss him, without a doubt. He used to call me his favorite son.''
Wilson's Bills have never won a Super Bowl. They came close in the early 1990s, when the Levy-coached and Jim Kelly-quarterbacked teams won four consecutive AFC championships, but lost each time.
The Bills have not made the playoffs since 1999 and their 14-year postseason drought ranks as the NFL's longest active streak.
''We want to continue to cement his legacy,'' Jackson said. ''We want to honor him, and a great way to honor him is going out and winning a lot of football games.''
Wilson never lost his sense of humor.
In 2010, with the Bills 0-5, Wilson began an interview with The Associated Press with an apology. ''I want to apologize for this phone system,'' Wilson said, with a familiar chuckle. ''It's almost as bad as my team.''
The future of the team is now in the hands of Brandon and Wilson's second-in-command, Bills treasurer Jeffrey Littmann. For the meantime, the Bills are expected to be placed in a trust before eventually being sold.
Wilson expressed no interest of leaving the team to his family. He is survived by wife Mary, daughters Christy Wilson-Hofmann, who serves as a Bills consultant, and Edith Wilson. There's also niece Mary Owen, who serves on several NFL committees while working as the team's executive vice president of strategic planning.
Kelly has expressed interest in buying the franchise and has previously said he's assembled a group of investors.
Kelly's health, however, has become an issue this week. He is expected to have surgery for a second time in a year following the recurrence of cancer that his wife described as aggressive and ''starting to spread.''
Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula is also considered a candidate to purchase the Bills and keep them in Buffalo.
That doesn't remove the possibility of outside interests making offers and relocating the team to larger markets such as Los Angeles or nearby Toronto.
The Bills' future in Orchard Park is secure for the short term. The team negotiated a 10-year lease in December 2012 with the state and county to continue playing at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
The agreement includes a provision that essentially locks in the Bills through the first seven seasons. The franchise would have to pay $400 million if it decides to leave before 2019. The team then has an option of buying out the remaining three years of the lease for $28 million.
Under Wilson, the Bills produced 10 Hall of Famers, including himself and Smith. The others were Kelly, Levy, Thomas, O.J. Simpson, offensive linemen Billy Shaw and Joe DeLamielleure, receiver James Lofton and receiver Andre Reed, who will be inducted this year.
Born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1918, Wilson moved to Detroit three years later when his father, Ralph Wilson Sr., took a sales job at an auto dealership. The father turned to insurance and in the mid-1930s landed a deal with Chrysler Corp.
Among Wilson's first moves upon taking over his father's insurance business in 1959 was selling his minor share in the Lions and joining up with Lamar Hunt and Bud Adams to help found the AFL.
In 1964, Wilson traveled to the Winter Games at Innsbruck, Austria - where he slept on the floor of a reporter's room because all the hotels were booked - to help broker the AFL's landmark TV deal with NBC.
Wilson still carried influence with Goodell, who leaned on the Bills owner for advice, and among current NFL owners.
Shahid Khan reached out to Wilson for advice before completing his purchase of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012.
''Given his legacy as a builder and visionary, I imagine Ralph was able to relate to my dream to one day join him as a team owner,'' Khan said. ''I'll never forget his kindness and will always treasure the letter he wrote welcoming my family to the NFL.''
Wilson wore the ''Foolish Club'' badge with honor.
''What a damn fool I was,'' he told the AP in 2009. ''But I didn't care. I just wanted to own a team.''
In 1998, Wilson received the ''Order of the Leather Helmet'' from the NFL Alumni Association for his contributions to professional football.
Wilson always maintained a healthy perspective in regards to what mattered when it came to football, including his place in the game.
When asked about the fragmented state of football in the mid-1990s, Wilson joked: ''It's such a great game, it'll survive us.''
Funeral arrangements have not yet been determined.
NFL answers Mark Cuban's 'hoggy' criticism; Jerry Jones: ' I know more about pigs than Mark'.
By Eric Adelson
Roger Goodell has entered the Shark Tank.
So has Jerry Jones.
Mark Cuban's apocalyptic comments predicting implosion for the NFL within a decade made him the talk of the owners meetings here Monday, even though Cuban is not an owner of an NFL team.
The Dallas Mavericks owner got a lot of people buzzing when he said over the weekend that the NFL's push into playing games Thursdays, Saturdays and perhaps another weekday will result in fan ennui or even revolt.
"I think the NFL is 10 years away from an implosion," Cuban said Sunday evening. "I'm just telling you: Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. And they're getting hoggy. Just watch. Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. When you try to take it too far, people turn the other way. I'm just telling you, when you've got a good thing and you get greedy, it always, always, always, always, always turns on you.
That's rule No. 1 of business."
That's rule No. 1 of business."
Cuban, who is the star of the reality show "Shark Tank," received some blowback from fellow Dallas billionaire Jerry Jones on Monday.
"I respect Mark,'' the Cowboys owner told the Dallas Morning News. "But with all due respect, I know more about pigs than Mark does. I was taught as a Razorback to be lean and mean, not a little fat pig."
Goodell, asked about Cuban's comments at Monday's media conference here, said he wasn't aware of them. He responded anyway.
"Monday Night Football has been around since 1970," Goodell said. "Sunday Night Football has been around since 2006 and so has Thursday Night Football. We've taken, I think in a very incremental and thoughtful approach, how we've taken more games to a national platform. That's been in a large part driven by our fans. The fans want those games."
It's hard to argue against Goodell's point. There seems to be no end to the demand for the NFL. What was once confined largely to 16 weekends, a few weeks of playoffs and the draft is now a year-round drama with its own network. Although there are issues about keeping stadiums filled, those concerns are nothing compared to other pro leagues, including the NBA.
Cuban pointed to "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?" the wildly popular show that spiraled after it expanded. That's a strong point, but there's a huge difference: A major part of the insatiable demand for the NFL comes from the millions of non-rich football owners around the world: fantasy football owners. They keep feeding the engine that drives interest in not only stars and top franchises, but middling players in smaller markets. Even if you don't care about the Saints or Eagles, you probably care a lot about running back Darren Sproles joining a fast-paced offense in Philadelphia. Although the NBA has fantasy basketball, it's nothing like what the NFL has.
"I think this is very thoughtful, strategic, and frankly, it's a response to the fans," Goodell said.
"That's what we're interested in. We're focusing our strategy and our fans and how we serve them better."
Cuban shouldn't be dismissed. His business acumen is unquestioned. So is his constant attention to what consumers want. His point becomes more credible when the most popular sports of the last century are considered. They included horse racing, boxing and baseball. None of those sports are the most popular now.
That's why Jones was more playful than dismissive of Cuban.
"I agree with him and run scared," Jones said. "Any time you're having success, then it's a fool who's not aware that that could change. I'm proud of the success we're having and want to continue at the league and franchise level to improve and have a better product for our fans. If we can do that, then we can maintain our relevance."
The expansion that might imperil the NFL might not be weekday expansion, but franchise expansion. As the recent history of the NHL shows, adding more teams dilutes the product. Boring football is almost as unwatchable as boring basketball. Just look at the December college bowl game rotation for proof.
As for now, though, that's not a problem at the pro level. Scoring in the NFL is up without ruining the chances of the league's top defensive teams, who consistently make the playoffs. The concussion issue is terribly frightening and serious, but (perhaps disturbingly) the popularity of the sport hasn't been lessened. That may change as we see more of the effects of years of hitting. At this point, though, the NFL seems to be at the peak of its power.
The only problem with that is what usually comes after a peak.
Just another Chicago Bulls Session… Third-quarter surge lifts Bulls past Pacers.
By The Sports Xchange
When these two Midwestern rivals square off, it's safe to expect an intense, physical battle that is likely to be decided in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
Forward Taj Gibson scored 23 points and the Chicago Bulls started the second half on fire, leading to an 89-77 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night at the United Center.
When these teams played in Indianapolis on Friday, the Pacers broke open a tight game with a 19-0 run early in the third. This time, Chicago trailed by one at halftime and began the second half by hitting 10 of 12 shots from the field.
Gibson's shot-making helped turn a defensive struggle into a relative runaway. Guard Kirk Hinrich added 18 points for the Bulls (40-31). Center Joakim Noah finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, as well as leading the cheers all night.
"They were really dominating us in the last game, especially on the glass, and they were laughing," Gibson said. "It's frustrating when you're playing against a team that's similar to you and they're like your rival and they're slapping fives and laughing in your face. We take too much pride in rebounding the ball and playing solid basketball."
Indiana (51-20) missed a chance to clinch the Central Division title, although that seems to be a formality. The Pacers' lead over Miami for the top seed in the East is now two games.
Forward Paul George led the Pacers with 21 points and guard George Hill scored 17, but Indiana shot just 37 percent from the field.
"The Bulls play great defense," George said. "They're a tough match and play with a lot of energy at home. They're phenomenal here."
After a low-scoring first half that saw Indiana carry a 34-33 edge into the locker room, the Bulls started the third quarter with a relative offensive explosion. The result was a 22-9 run, and the Bulls opened a 55-43 lead when Hinrich nailed a 3-pointer with 5:20 left in the third quarter.
Chicago's most picturesque play happened a few minutes later. Hinrich managed to take the ball away from George on a fast-break opportunity and pushed the ball upcourt quickly. Guard Jimmy Butler missed the ensuing shot, but Gibson's follow slam brought the crowd to its feet.
"The difference was they just made shots," said Indiana coach Frank Vogel, whose team is 5-7 in its last 12 games. "They were guarded shots and it wasn't because of poor defense. Credit them for making shots. We need to find our offensive rhythm."
That surge did the trick for Chicago. Indiana got as close as 61-56 in the final minute of the third quarter after a jumper by forward David West. But Gibson's three-point play gave the Bulls a 64-56 advantage heading into the fourth.
The Pacers trimmed the deficit to six points on three occasions in the fourth quarter, but could never put together a big run. Vogel emptied his bench with a minute left and a 10-point spread.
"I'm just happy we won," Noah said. "Every game is different. Every game has its problems. Indiana's a physical team. They play very good defense. We're very similar in a lot of ways. I'm just happy we could prove to ourselves we can compete with anybody in the East. That's exciting to me."
After the Pacers beat the Bulls on Friday, Gibson said he thought there was flopping going on by Indiana in an effort to draw fouls.
The Pacers denied the charge, but there were plenty of fouls called in the rematch. Butler, one of the Bulls best defenders, played just eight minutes in the first half after picking up three fouls, then Indiana center Roy Hibbert missed a large portion of the second half after getting his fourth and fifth fouls.
At the start of the game, the Bulls missed their first seven shots and fell behind 7-0. A jumper by Noah finally made a mark on the scoreboard and they eventually tied the score at 9-9.
By the end of one period, Indiana led 19-15 despite shooting 36.8 percent from the field. Chicago shot 27.3 percent in the opening quarter, with no player making more than a single field goal.
The second quarter was almost as ugly. The Bulls won that quarter 18-15, but both teams managed to shoot at least 33 percent.
Butler and West were given double technicals midway through the third quarter for jawing during a free-throw attempt.
NOTES: Before Monday's game, Indiana coach Frank Vogel endorsed his own player, C Roy Hibbert, for defensive player of the year. Chicago C Joakim Noah is considered one of the leading contenders for the honor, which is chosen by a media panel. "He's the best rim protector on the best defense in the league," Vogel said. "I think that's who the award should go to." ... Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and general manager Gar Forman both stated Monday they expect G Derrick Rose to miss the rest of the season. Rose had surgery to repair torn meniscus cartilage in his right knee Nov. 25. There was speculation Rose could return for the playoffs. ... Indiana G C.J. Watson, a former Bulls player, missed his sixth straight game with a right hamstring strain. ... Heading into Monday's action, Indiana posted the third-best record in the Eastern Conference since Jan. 1. Chicago owned the second-best record since that date and Brooklyn was first.
Bob Knight: It's as if NBA has 'raped' college basketball.
By Dan Feldman
Bob Knight, Legendary NCAA Basketball Coach
Malcolm Moran of The New York Times:
Asked by Connie Chung, the NBC News correspondent conducting the interview, how he handled stress, the Indiana men’s basketball coach said, ”I think that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it.”
Then, apparently realizing what he had said might be offensive, Knight went on: ”That’s just an old term that you’re going to use. The plane’s down, so you have no control over it. I’m not talking about that, about the act of rape. Don’t misinterpret me there. But what I’m talking about is, something happens to you, so you have to handle it – now.”Now, 26 years later, some are already beginning to criticize his use of the word on “Mike and Mike” this morning. As transcribed by Chris Littmann of Sporting News:
“If I were involved with the NBA I wouldn’t want a 19-year-old or a 20-year-old kid, to bring into all the travel and all the problems that exist in the NBA. I would want a much more mature kid. I would want a kid that maybe I’ve been watching on another team and now he’s 21, 22 years old instead of 18 or 19, and I might trade for that kid. On top of it all, the NBA does a tremendous, gigantic disservice to college basketball. It’s as though they’ve raped college basketball in my opinion.
“Major League Baseball has the best idea of all. Three years before they’ll take a kid out of college, then they have a minor league system that they put the kids in. I’m sure that if the NBA followed the same thing, there would be a lot of kids in a minor league system that still were not good enough to play in the major NBA.”First of all, I don’t find Knight’s use of “rape” egregious this time. I believe it clearly qualifies under this dictionary definition:
to plunder (a place)However, I am offended by college coaches and former college coaches repeatedly using their influence to push for a system that makes them rich to make themselves even richer at the expense of young men forced to work at below market value by a cartel system.
The NBA shouldn’t want 19- and 20-year-olds? I bet college coaches would gladly take them and their maturity issues. Show me the college coach committed to redshirting all his elite freshmen so they can get accustomed to “all the travel and all the problems that exist” in college basketball.
By instituting the 19-year-old age limit, the NBA has done a tremendous service to college basketball, funneling elite players to the NCAA. Even if it’s just for one year, college basketball has capitalized. Probable one-and-doners like Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Julius Randle are among the sport’s biggest stars. They’ve made plenty of money for Kansas, Duke and Kentucky (and Bill Self, Mike Krzyzewski and John Calipari).
By pushing for a 20-year-old age limit, Adam Silver will even further aid college basketball. Maybe the NBA will someday supplant college basketball with the D-League, but that has not happened yet.
Knight would be hard-pressed to be more wrong here.
The NCAA received a $10.8 billion contract to televise its men’s basketball tournament. Imagine how much more money the non-profit could have gotten if it hadn’t been pillaged by the powerful and evil NBA.
By Craig Calcaterra
If Major League Baseball got this right, we may never see a game turn on a blown call again. At least an important game. When everyone is paying attention. And if there weren’t more egregiously blown calls earlier in the game.
Expanded replay is a new fact of life for the 2014 season and that little caveat above reflects the fact that, while baseball could have instituted a system in which every close play is examined, it chose to start more conservatively. It has put the onus on managers — not umpires — to make sure controversial plays are reviewed, and it has given managers a somewhat limited ability to initiate such reviews. The basics:
- Managers will start each game with one replay challenge to use;
- If a manager uses a challenge and any portion of a challenged play is overturned, then the manager who challenged the play will retain the ability to challenge one more play during the game. Under no circumstances may a manager challenge more than two plays in a game.
- If the managers challengers are used up — and if it’s after the seventh inning — the umpires may choose to invoke instant replay on any reviewable call. Home run and other boundary calls will always be reviewable, however.
As for the procedure: there will be a headset near home plate in all 30 parks. From there, the Crew Chief will be connected to the Replay Command Center at MLB Advanced Media headquarters in New York. There, major league Umpires will be staffed as replay officials, viewing the video feeds. Replay officials will make the ultimate determination of whether to overturn the call on a “clear and convincing evidence” standard. The hope is that the process will only take a minute or two. In spring training thus far, most reviews have been short and relatively seamless.
The obvious goal of the limited challenge system is to keep the delays to a minimum and to keep obsessive managers from challenging every single potential missed call. Inherent in this — but not too often said lest baseball officials be seen as minimizing the impact of blown calls — is that not too many games actually turn on umpire mistakes. Oh, they do in the aggregate in the form of inconsistent strike zones, but balls and strikes were never going to be on the table here. But they don’t turn on an egregiously bad out/safe call at first base or a blatant misapplication of the rules too terribly often. We certainly remember those, and a big part of the replay system is to make sure that those memorable missed calls no longer affect outcomes and, at the same time, don’t stick in people’s memories and reflect poorly on Major League Baseball.
But whatever the motivation and whatever the actual impact on games and outcomes, it’s a pretty big and pretty welcome step for Major League Baseball to turn to technology. The league has always taken a conservative approach to innovation, especially technological innovation, and while baseball wading into replay is pretty late compared to the other sports leagues, it’s downright visionary by its own historical standards.
Golf glance.
By Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange
COMING UP
PGA TOUR: Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio in San Antonio, Thursday through Sunday.
TV: Thursday and Friday, 3-6 p.m. EDT, on the Golf Channel; Saturday and Sunday, 1-3 p.m. EDT on the Golf Channel and 3-6 p.m. EDT on NBC.
LAST YEAR: Martin Laird of Scotland shot 9-under-par 63 in the final round to beat Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland by two strokes and claim his third victory on the PGA Tour. Laird, who also captured the 2009 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and the 2011 Arnold Palmer Invitational, came from four strokes back in the final round, when he tied the course record set by Matt Every a year earlier. The Scot recorded five birdies in a span of five holes through No. 8 and then finished with three consecutive birdies, including a 15-footer on the 18th hole that clinched his third straight appearance in the Masters. McIlroy closed with a 66 that included eight birdies, but he also made bogeys on the fourth and 10th holes.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Greater Gwinnett Championship at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga., April 18-20.
TV: Friday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. EDT; Saturday and Sunday, 3-6 p.m. EDT; on the Golf Channel each day.
LAST YEAR: Bernhard Langer of Germany bounced back from an opening 1-over-par 73 to play the weekend in 66-67 and claim his second victory of the season and 18th of his Champions Tour career by three shots over Tom Lehman and Tom Pernice Jr. Langer birdied three consecutive holes through No. 5 to take the lead and added three more birdies in the back nine, including a 40-foot chip-in on the 10th hole. Lehman also closed with a 67 but got going too late after making only one birdie on the front nine before adding four on the back, including three on the last four holes. Pernice, who was tied with Langer entering the final round, closed with a 70 that included a costly double-bogey 6 on the 12th hole.
LPGA TOUR: Kia Classic at Park Hyatt Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad, Calif., Thursday through Sunday.
TV: Thursday and Friday, 6:30-9 p.m. EDT; Saturday and Sunday, 7-9 p.m. EDT; on the Golf Channel each day.
LAST YEAR: Beatriz Recari of Spain sank an 18-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the second playoff hole to turn back I.K. Kim of South Korea and capture her second LPGA Tour victory, but the first since the 2010 CVS/pharmacy Classic. Recari, who added the Marathon Classic to her resume later in 2013, was in control of the tournament with scores of 69-67-69 before closing with a 2-over-par 74 that included a three-putt bogey on the 18th hole. Kim finished with a 71, but like Recari, she three-putted the final hole and both did the same on the first extra hole before Recari closed things out with her winning putt as darkness closed in.
Power Rankings: Carl Edwards maintains the top spot.
By Nick Bromberg
No. 1 Carl Edwards (LW: 1): Your last memory of Edwards from Sunday's race is probably his struggles with a flat tire on the apron of turns one and two, right? Well, after getting fresh tires on the final caution flag, Edwards ended up 10th. It's the type of run that good points days are made of, if those were something that could still be publicly lauded by drivers without fear of straying from the script.
No. 2 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 2): We can definitely get on board with the theory supported by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski that the bumps along the backstretch at Auto Club Speedway put too much load on the tires. Repaving the backstretch only? That's not something that should impact the quality of racing, and could even serve to enhance it. Oh, Junior finished 12th after having two tire issues on Sunday.
No. 3 Jeff Gordon (LW: 4): Here's where we have to balance the next three drivers, because they all fell victim to circumstances out of their control that derailed great runs. For Gordon, it was the final caution of the race that sent everyone to pit road. He restarted seventh, was trapped on the inside as the field went into turn one and finished 13th. We can use "Gordon Restart" here as a joke, but he got going well enough, he just didn't have anywhere to go through the corner.
No. 4 Jimmie Johnson (LW: 5): Here's the odds-on favorite for the win on Sunday. Martinsville probably played into Johnson's comments a bit on Friday, as Vader knew that a track where he routinely kicks (historic) ass at was coming up. And hell, that win almost happened at Auto Club anyway, until he cut a tire with seven laps to go.
No. 5 Brad Keselowski (LW: 3): Keselowski ultimately couldn't recover from his tire issue, but there was one problem he had that had nothing to do with anything the No. 2 team did. Keselowski, along with Gordon and Clint Bowyer, didn't pit under an early caution because while the flagman at the end of pit road was waving the pit open flag, the light above was red. NASCAR says the flag is greater than the light -- and that the official got his uniform caught in the fence -- but the top three saw the light and bailed. Keselowski and crew chief Paul Wolfe elected to stay out instead of pitting a lap later and fell like a rock to the back of the pack. But they shouldn't have had to make that choice in the first place.
No. 6 Kyle Busch (LW: NR): From nowhere to the top half of Power Rankings. Seems fitting for our fifth winner in five races. We ask this not having checked, nor sure where to start, but who would be the last driver to win consecutive races at a non-restrictor plate track with last-lap passes? While uncommon, it's had to happen before, right?
No. 7 Matt Kenseth (LW: 8): Did you know Flatline finished fourth? After starting on the pole, it was a similar run to what Denny Hamlin had last week. Kenseth quickly lost the lead but maintained his spot in the top 10 for the rest of the race. But since Kenseth really didn't challenge for the lead after a six lap stretch that ended on lap 126 or was involved in the four-person race to the checkers, he was as much as an afterthought as you can be with a very good car.
No. 8 Tony Stewart (LW: 12): Had Stewart's car stuck to the bottom of turns one and two on the final lap, might he have been in victory lane instead of Kyle Busch? Stewart went for it in those corners and the car almost stayed glued to the track. Instead, he had to get out of the throttle and that opened the door for Busch and Larson to drive through. After two bad finishes in three races, it was Stewart's second-straight top five.
No. 9 Kevin Harvick (LW: 7): Since this is three different calamities in three races for Harvick and things come in threes, he's done with the mechanical failures for a while, right? Tires were Harvick's undoing as a left-rear tire failure messed up the bodywork of his car and even the gas line. The camera shot of his team fixing and gassing the car as the gas spilled all over pit road was fantastic.
No. 10 Kyle Larson (LW: NR): After Larson's win in the Nationwide Series and second-place finish Sunday, he deserves to be here, right? He's improved his finishes in all five races after a bad showing in the Daytona 500 and scored a top-10 at Bristol. Though to continue the streak would mean a win at Martinsville and that seems unlikely. Many people have been quick to say that Larson will win this year, and it's entirely possible. However, it's also entirely possible he won't. He's still a rookie. If he doesn't, let's not view it as a disappointment.
No. 11 Jamie McMurray (LW: NR): McMurray got the good finish that he deserved at Bristol by finishing sixth at Auto Club. Had he not been forced to retire at Bristol after getting caught in the oil from Kevin Harvick's car, he would be somewhere in the bottom half of the top 10 in the points standings. Instead, he's 12th. Don't think that Larson is the most likely Ganassi winner just yet.
No. 12 Joey Logano (LW: 6): Logano takes a big fall after issues plagued his team's speed at Auto Club over the weekend. After being forced to go to a backup car with a fast primary car, the backup car was just as fast. But a week after suffering a power steering failure, the rear gear broke on the backup car and Logano ended up 39th.
Lucky Dog: How about Kurt Busch, who finished third? Or Brian Vickers, who was seventh?
The DNF: After making his 2014 Power Rankings debut, Aric Almirola finished last when he crashed with Brian Scott.
Dropped Out: Almirola, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Denny Hamlin
Wife of NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty dies.
AP Sports
Lynda Petty, the wife of NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, died Tuesday after battling cancer for several years. She was 72.
Petty Motorsports spokesman Jeff Dennison said in a statement that Petty was surrounded by her family when she died at her home in Level Cross. He said she had been fighting cancer for the past several years.
Lynda Petty helped start the Racing Wives Auxiliary, a benevolent fund for injured members of the NASCAR community. The group was formed by the wives of drivers, crews and sponsors.
''Through the years, Lynda became an integral part of the NASCAR landscape. We have lost a true friend, who will be missed each and every day,'' said NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France.
Besides her husband, Lynda Petty is survived by son Kyle, two daughters, 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
''It was no secret that she was the cornerstone of the Petty family; a woman of humility and extraordinary strength,'' said Austin Petty, Lynda and Richard's grandson and chief operating officer of Victory Junction, a camp for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses.
''While we mourn her death, we also celebrate her life and the profound impact she had on those who knew her,'' Austin Petty said.
A private memorial service is scheduled for Reverie Place in Randleman. No date or time was given.
Manchester United 0-3 Manchester City: Dezko's double hands City derby delight.
By Joe Prince-Wright
Manchester City prevailed in the 167th edition of the Manchester derby, as they beat Manchester United 3-0 away at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
Edin Dzeko stole the headlines with two clinical finishes in each half, to keep City’s title charge on course and leave fierce rivals United languishing way down the standings. Yaya Toure‘s late drive sealed the impressive victory for City, who have now won three-straight PL games away at the Theater of Dreams.
From the get-go Manuel Pellegrini’s City were the better side, as they started brightly in each half as Dzeko scored in the first minute of the match with a close range finish after a flowing City move and then finished the Red Devils off with a calm finish from a set piece just after the break.
With their fifth derby win in the last six derbies, City now move into second place in the PL standings and are just three points behind leaders Chelsea with two games in hand. As for United, they’re steady in seventh and have now lost 10 PL games for the first-time in history as David Moyes‘ side were second-best throughout.
Man City made a lighting quick start as Dzeko opened the scoring within 43 seconds of the kick off. David Silva burst into the box and Rafael stopped him with a last-ditch tackle but the ball then broke to Samir Nasri, who shifted the ball onto his right foot and struck the post but the rebound came straight to Dzeko who tapped home from two-yards out to give City the perfect start.
In the 9th minute Silva intercepted the ball after a poor giveaway 30-yards out which saw the Spaniard surge towards the edge of the box and take it past two United defenders but his tame effort was blocked, as the Citizens missed a golden chance to go 2-0 ahead.
Silva was popping everywhere as City were dominating the early stages and United just couldn’t get a grip on proceedings. In the 17th minute great link up play between Yaya Toure and Silva link up saw the latter play a great ball to Dzeko, and although the Bosnian directed his shot towards the bottom corner David De Gea got across to save well to his left to make up for his initial giveaway.
Then the game began to open up, as a clearance in his own six-yard box from Vincent Kompany halted United’s advances after Wayne Rooney had found Juan Mata unmarked on the left side of the box. The game ebbed and flowed, as both sets of supporters urged their teams to attack in a breathless opening 45 minutes at Old Trafford. That passion spilled over in the 30th minute, as Marouane Fellaini barged into Pablo Zabaleta and shoved his forearm and elbow straight into the face of City’s right back. Referee Michael Oliver saw the whole thing, but only booked Fellaini as United were lucky to still have eleven men on the pitch.
Manchester United got better as the first half wore on, as they were lucky to be just 1-0 down following City’s early onslaught. Fellaini had a shot which Joe Hart saved easily before the half hour mark, then Mata fired way over when well placed before the interval, as City comfortably protected their one goal lead as the teams went in at the break.
City started the second half just as they’d begun the first, as they took the game to United. A vicious out-swinging corner from the right found Fernandinho in the six-yard box but the Brazilian saw the ball late and couldn’t direct his header under the crossbar as it flew over.
Soon after City did double their lead as Dzeko’s controlled volley from another inch-perfect Nasri corner made it 2-0 to the Citizens and sent the away fans wild. Nasri’s out-swinging set piece saw Dzeko steal a march on his marker to coolly volley home his 20th goal of the season and give City a commanding lead against their fierce rivals.
United tried to fight back, but for large spells of the second half ‘Ole’s’ rang out from the away end as City’s players kept the ball with ease. Welbeck went close to halving the deficit in the 71st minute, as Rafael’s cross from the right was behind United’s striker but he cleverly sent a flick towards goal with his backheel but Hart reacted superbly to claw the effort away.
City defended well and kept their clean sheet intact with a resolute defensive display as United tried to throw everything they had at their neighbors. But the game ended the way it started, City dominating proceedings, as Toure reacted first to James Milner‘s deflected shot and the Ivorian smashed home a low shot in stoppage time to hammer the final nail in United’s derby day coffin.
LINEUPS
Manchester United: De Gea; Rafael, Ferdinand, Jones, Evra; Carrick, Cleverley (Kagawa, 45′), Fellaini (Valencia, 66′); Mata, Welbeck (Hernandez, 77′), Rooney
Manchester City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy, Yaya Toure, Fernandinho, Nasri (Milner, 74′), Silva, Navas (Javi Garcia, 68′), Dzeko (Negredo, 79′)
Goals: Dzeko (1′ & 55′), Toure (90′)
The best and worst of the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament.
By Jeff Eisenberg
There's no player left in the NCAA tournament who is more critical to his team's success than San Diego State point guard Xavier Thames. Carving up opposing defenses via the pick and roll, Thames had 23 points in the Aztecs' opening-round win over New Mexico State and delivered maybe the performance of the tournament in the round of 32 against North Dakota State. His 30 points and six assists accounted for 45 of San Diego State's first 55 points and one more than the Bison scored the entire game in a 63-44 rout. The defensive-oriented Aztecs need him to continue this hot streak to advance any further because he is their catalyst and their best weapon in half-court offense.
Player Who Shrank In Spotlight
Stanford's array of zone defenses turned Andrew Wiggins into the world's most athletic spot-up shooter. The freshman phenom and potential No. 1 pick in this June's NBA draft attempted only six shots and sank only one of them in Kansas' stunning 60-57 loss to the 10th-seeded Cardinal in the round of 32. Worse yet, Wiggins was content to float around the perimeter and take jump shots when he did shoot, a product of both his own lack of aggressiveness and Bill Self's unwillingness to go to a smaller lineup and try playing him in the high post. Regardless, it was a poor last impression for Wiggins to leave after a largely successful freshman season.
Conference That Excelled
You won't convince me that more than three SEC teams should have made the NCAA tournament, but credit the three who did for proving they certainly belong. Top-seeded Florida, eighth-seeded Kentucky and 11th-seeded Tennessee have amassed a 7-0 NCAA tournament record, taking down Wichita State, UMass, Pittsburgh and Kansas State in the process. The SEC's three Sweet 16 teams are tied for the most by any conference. The Big Ten and Pac-12 also produced three apiece, while the American and the Big 12 sent two and the ACC, Atlantic 10 and Mountain West have one apiece.
Considering that newly hired Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams fled Marquette in part because he wasn't happy coaching in the new Big East, the league could have benefited from the positive publicity that a successful NCAA tournament brings. Instead its four teams all lost in the opening two rounds, making the Big East the only top nine RPI conference not to send a team to the Sweet 16. Xavier lost a First Four game to NC State, Providence put up a good fight before falling to North Carolina in the round of 64 and Creighton and Villanova both lost to lesser seeds in the round of 32, the Wildcats by 12 to UConn and the Blueyjays by 30 against Baylor.
Most Surprising Sweet 16 Team
The two most surprising Sweet 16 teams both play one-another for a spot in the Elite Eight. Only a couple weeks ago, Stanford had lost three in a row and had jeopardized its NCAA tournament hopes and endangered its coach's job. Now the tenth-seeded Cardinal are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2008 after victories over Mountain West tournament champion New Mexico and Big 12 champ Kansas. Their opponent in Memphis ended a much longer Sweet 16 drought. Eleventh-seeded Dayton, once 1-5 in the Atlantic 10 entering February, rebounded to finish tied for fifth in its league, sneak into the NCAA tournament and upset in-state power Ohio State and third-seeded Syracuse en route to the Sweet 16.
Most Intriguing Sweet Sixteen Matchup
From Virginia-Michigan State, to Arizona-San Diego State, to Kentucky-Louisville, there are a handful of must-see matchups in the Sweet 16. The one that could be truly can't-miss though is the South Region showdown between No. 1 Florida and surging UCLA. Having defeated Oregon, Stanford and Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament before overwhelming Tulsa and Stephen F. Austin this past weekend in San Diego, UCLA enters playing by far its best basketball this season. The Bruins have the offensive firepower to challenge Florida's stingy defense, but they'll have to keep the Gators off the offensive boards to avoid being eliminated by Billy Donovan's team for the fourth time in eight years. Added intrigue for this matchup? A Final Four bid is likely at stake. The winner will be a heavy favorite against either Dayton or Stanford two days later.
Best Game
Somehow, someway, the matchup between the nation's lone unbeaten team and college basketball's preseason No. 1 actually exceeded the hype. Wichita State and Kentucky traded big shot after big shot for 40 minutes with the Wildcats prevailing by two after Fred VanVleet's potential game-winning 3-pointer missed the mark as time expired. In many ways, the Shockers may have won over some of their doubters more in losing for the first time than in winning 35 straight. They saw Kentucky's A-plus game and nearly matched it for 40 minutes, just falling one basket short.
Worst Game
Brilliant as Doug McDermott has been throughout his four years at Creighton, it would have been nice to see him make one run past the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament. Instead the national player of the year favorite endured one of his worst performances of the season against Baylor in the round of 32 on Sunday, getting into early foul trouble and finishing with a quiet 14 points. It might not have mattered if McDermott was at his best because Baylor was too big, too strong and too athletic for the Bluejays. The Bears shot 63.8 percent from the field and rolled to an 85-55 rout.
Team That Deserved A Higher Seed
Neither fourth-seeded Louisville nor its Sweet 16 opponent Kentucky were seeded high enough. The fourth-seeded Cardinals weren't especially scintillating in surviving Manhattan and Saint Louis this past week, but they entered the NCAA tournament having won 12 of 13 to finish with 29 wins and a sweep of the American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. And eighth-seeded Kentucky certainly didn't live up to expectation in the regular season, but it was still top 20 in the KenPom rankings entering the NCAA tournament and deserved a seed line or two better.
Team That Didn't Belong In The Field
With a borderline resume and its second-leading scorer having torn his ACL in the WCC title game, BYU either belonged in the NIT or the First Four in Dayton. Instead the Cougars received a No. 10 seed and were about as non-competitive as you'd expect in an 87-68 loss to seventh-seeded Oregon. Somewhere in Dallas, SMU players and coaches had to be watching that game and shaking their heads. Somewhere in Green Bay, Brian Wardle and his team was probably doing the same thing.
1. In answering a post-game question about the memories he'd take from North Dakota State's NCAA tournament run, teary-eyed Saul Phillips revealed how much his team means to him. "It's only the greatest professional week of my life," he answered, choking back his emotion. Later he added, "This season? Wow. Let's just say this: It's why I do what I do. And I lose the six guys out that door. Charles Barkley can make fun of me now, it's fine. Hey, I love these guys. Absolutely love them. Love 'em."
2. How could anyone not feel good for Desmond Haymon after the Stephen F. Austin star's four-point play to force overtime and enable the Lumberjacks to defeat VCU? Haymon's father overcame his fear of flying and took his first-ever plane flight from Mississippi to San Diego to watch his son play in the NCAA tournament for the first time. The reward was a shot from Haymon that could be the shot of the tournament thus far.
3. If it's true someone's character is revealed after a loss, then Mike Krzyzewski showed a lot of class Friday. He took the time to visit the Mercer locker room and congratulate the Bears after they upset third-seeded Duke in the round of 64. “You guys have a hell of a basketball team,” Krzyzewski said. “I love the game and you guys play the game really, really well and your coach coaches it well. If we had to be beaten, I'm glad we got beaten by a hell of a basketball team. So good luck to you.”
Three Bad Moments
1. Watching Iowa State's Georges Niang hobble to the locker room with a season-ending broken foot on Friday night was heart-breaking because of the timing and the implications. You have to feel for Niang going down at the worst possible time of year. Plus, even though the Cyclones got past North Carolina on Sunday, it's difficult to imagine them making a Final Four run without one of their three most important players and their biggest matchup problem.
2. Speaking of Iowa State-North Carolina, everything about the last 1.6 seconds of the game deserves mention here as well. There was North Carolina not getting a timeout after DeAndre Kane's go-ahead basket with 1.6 seconds to go. Then there was the clock error that stemmed from the clock not starting on time after the Tar Heels inbounded the ball. And then there was the lengthy delay that ensued before referees decided to end the game and award the victory to the Cyclones. Bizarre ending to a game that deserved better.
3. There's no way of knowing whether Wichita State could have gotten a better look at the rim had Gregg Marshall not called timeout with three seconds left Sunday afternoon, but it sure would have been nice to find out. Instead Fred VanVleet ended up with an off-balance 3-pointer that badly missed the mark, ensuring Kentucky a 78-76 victory and ending Wichita State's bid for perfection.
Nick Saban has ideas to change the NFL Scouting Combine.
By Kevin McGuire
Alabama head coach Nick Saban has some ideas on how to change the NFL Scouting Combine experience that he believes would help prevent the growing trend of underclassmen declaring early for the NFL Draft. Saban thinks making the combine a more exclusive opportunity is one way to go. Another idea Saban thinks might work would be allowing players to participate in a combine event before players have to declare for the NFL Draft, allowing players to get a sense of where they really stand before making the decision to go pro or return to school.
“More guys go down at the combine than go up, because they’re not as fast,” Saban said in an interview on SiriusXM NFL radio. “And they don’t have a very good feel in comparison to all the other competition in the draft at their position. And when they come to that realization, it’s too late, the way we do it now. More guys go down at the Combine than go up because they’re not as fast and they don’t have a very good feel in comparison to all the other competition in the draft at their position. When they come to that realization, it’s too late.”
As noted by AL.com, this year’s NFL Scouting Combine invited 355 players with hopes of making it in the NFL, but only 254 players were drafted in the 2013 NFL Draft. This year a record number of underclassmen declared early for the NFL Draft, with 98 players choosing to skip their senior seasons.
One of the biggest reasons for more players choosing to leave school early for the NFL is the impact of the most recent collective bargaining agreement ut in place in the NFL. For players to cash in on bigger paydays for a longer period of time, they need to start their NFL careers as soon as possible. Some players are worthy of the NFL right now, but a growing number of players may actually be making a poor decision to leave early, perhaps due to an agent leading them to believe this is the best move in the long term.
Saban has been outspoken about keeping agents away from college football, so his views on how to change the combine should not be too surprising. In fact, he may actually have a good idea with having some sort of combine event before players have to declare early, and you would think there would be a way to make something like this possible that would comply with NCAA rules. A mini combine or a series of mini combines in January, after the bowls, could help players get a real feel for whether or not declaring early is the right choice or not.
Despite a conflicting report, Derrick Rose will not return to the Chicago Bulls this season.
By Kelly Dwyer
Dating back decades, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News has a history of, um, drawing attention to his Sunday NBA roundup columns with random drops of what should be Very Big News. There are often several observations that are either unsourced or culled from league sources going off the record, and though we’re trying to be kind, sometimes these tidbits don’t play out in reality.
In his latest, Lawrence dropped what should have been the main focus of his column, an item referencing a pretty massive bombshell – that a franchise player and one-time NBA MVP was expected by his team to return in time for the playoffs after sitting out most of the season with a right knee injury. Here’s Lawrence’s take:
In his latest, Lawrence dropped what should have been the main focus of his column, an item referencing a pretty massive bombshell – that a franchise player and one-time NBA MVP was expected by his team to return in time for the playoffs after sitting out most of the season with a right knee injury. Here’s Lawrence’s take:
It’s no joke — the Bulls really are expecting Derrick Rose to make it back from his latest knee injury in time for the playoffs.
Again – this was dropped in the middle of a massive column, and it wasn’t even the general focus. Yes, Phil Jackson going to New York is pretty big, if by this time old news – but Derrick Rose back for the playoffs?
It turns out that this might be yet another one of Mitch Lawrence’s, um, attention-grabbers. Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau confirmed as much on Monday, as his team prepared to play the Central Division-leading Indiana Pacers. From the Associated Press:
It turns out that this might be yet another one of Mitch Lawrence’s, um, attention-grabbers. Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau confirmed as much on Monday, as his team prepared to play the Central Division-leading Indiana Pacers. From the Associated Press:
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was asked if there was a chance Rose could return for the playoffs. ''No,'' he said. ''He's doing a little bit more, he's coming along (and) doing some things in practice. But he's out for the year.''
So there’s … that.
We bring this up not to pile on Lawrence, but just to remind NBA fans that you just don’t want to mess with meniscus tears, which is what Rose suffered two weeks into the 2013-14 season. An ACL tear, which felled Rose in April 2012, is a significant and more severe injury, but once players regain their strength and timing the aftereffects aren’t as lasting as meniscus woes. Nobody rushes back from an ACL tear to suffer from chronic ACL soreness, y’know?
Meniscus returns usually come quicker that ACL rehabilitation, but if you press the issue you risk lingering pain in the knee, a possible re-tear, potential surgical follow-ups, and the possibility that a career-altering microfracture surgery may await you at some point down the line. This is why we all held our breath on Friday night when Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook left the game with an injury to his surgically repaired right knee.
Scratch that. Make it triple-surgically repaired right knee, as Russell has undergone two cleanup procedures under the knife since tearing his meniscus early in the 2013 NBA playoffs. Again, you don’t want to mess with these things.
Far less important but still worth discussing, is Rose’s impact with the team, should he come back for the postseason. Chicago dominated the exhibition frame last fall, going undefeated, but the Bulls looked absolutely terrible with Rose in uniform for the regular season, shuffling off to a mediocre record while he shot 35 percent from the field alongside those 3.4 turnovers per game. Rose and his teammates looked hesitant and unsure after a full 2012-13 season that featured Joakim Noah initiating most of the offense.
Noah’s offensive role has only grown in the months since, and it is fair to wonder just what sort of fit Rose would have on a (very bad, it should be noted, in his absence) Chicago Bulls offense were he to return on the fly.
Of course, these are hypothetical musings that are best served for wondering about in July, when the Bulls attempt to rebuild around Rose and Noah, and October, when Chicago readies for the 2014-15 season.
Because that’s when Derrick Rose is coming back. Unless we’re being blatantly lied to, chalk up any talk of Rose returning to Chicago in time for the post season as mere backpage attention seeking.
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