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Who will win the Super Bowl and be this year's NFL Champion??? Do the Bears have a chance???
The wait is over, the time is now, football is here.
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Bear Down Chicago Bears!!! Camp Confidential: Chicago Bears.
By Michael C. Wright
Lovie Smith finished 10-6 in his final season with the Chicago Bears before being fired. Marc Trestman comes in and leads the Bears to an 8-8 record in 2013. Yet expectations soar here on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University, where crowds for training camp practices routinely swell to 10,000. It’s easy to see why. For a fan base accustomed to hard-nosed defense and shaky-at-best offense, Trestman flipped the script in 2013, taking Chicago’s attack to new heights with a major assist from general manager Phil Emery’s shrewd personnel moves.
The Bears broke record after record on offense last season, and the defense stumbled to historic lows.
If Trestman and Emery could basically work a miracle on offense in just one season, why can’t they do it on the other side of the ball in 2014?
“[I] feel very good about the competitive depth and the fights for positions that we're going to have,” Emery said. “Out of the three camps, I would say this camp has the best competitive level among the roster from 1 to 90.”
Emery achieved that by loading up on defenders: acquiring a mix of players poised to hit the sweet spot of their careers in Lamarr Houston, Willie Young, Jared Allen, and drafting potential stars such as first-round pick Kyle Fuller. The Bears bolstered those moves with an overhaul of the scheme and additions to the defensive coaching staff.
“We started [with], ‘What could we do to get this team better?’” Trestman said. “I sat down with Phil [Emery], and we began to lay out a road map together on how we were going to rebuild this football team, and here we are at a stage where I don’t think there’s a player in our meeting room who doesn’t feel like there’s hope and high expectations. Now, it’s time to go to work.”
THREE REASONS FOR OPTIMISM
1. Jay Cutler’s grasp of the offense is firmer in Year 2 of Trestman’s system, and his performance this year at camp is significantly different from in 2013. Offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer said Cutler is his own problem solver and is making on-field adjustments so instinctively that he doesn’t need guidance from the staff. In his first camp under Trestman, Cutler misfired routinely, and there were concerns about whether he’d be effective in the regular season. After one particularly bad session in 2013, Trestman gathered Cutler and the other quarterbacks in the middle of the field in what could be described as a turning point. That’s not happening this year at camp as Cutler has become a bona fide field general.
2. Brandon Marshall is Brandon Marshall. He wasn’t at camp in 2013. He was coming off hip surgery that hindered his season preparation. Fully healthy now with an offseason to condition, Marshall is ready to go -- and with full comprehension of the offensive system. Throw in Alshon Jeffery’s ascension and you have the makings of something lethal on offense. The duo has certainly looked that way at camp as both routinely make so many eye-popping plays that Cutler could almost throw it up blindly and one of them would come down with the ball.
3. There’s a nastiness on defense and intense focus reminiscent of the units put on the field in Smith’s heyday. Practicing against one of the best offenses in the league, the defense should be losing more than it does at training camp. But this group routinely bests the offense, with dominating play by the front seven as a hallmark. Chalk it up to a combination of personnel additions and a culture shift brought about by an overhaul of the scheme and the acquisition of no-nonsense, get-in-your-face coaches such as Paul Pasqualoni, Reggie Herring and Clint Hurtt.
THREE REASONS FOR PESSIMISM
1. The defensive line makes plays at training camp. The corners and linebackers make plays. But you rarely see the safeties making an impact. That could be a result of a lack of chemistry because, with both spots up for grabs, the Bears are using several combinations at the position involving players such as Ryan Mundy, rookie Brock Vereen, Danny McCray, Adrian Wilson and M.D. Jennings. Horrid play at this position in 2013 contributed significantly to the defense’s demise, and we haven’t seen many indications at camp that the Bears will turn that around in 2014.
2. Protecting Cutler could become an issue if some of the injuries suffered by the team's offensive linemen linger. Guard Kyle Long (ankle) and tackle Jordan Mills (foot) missed the preseason opener, and the latter was seen wearing a walking boot when the club returned to training camp after that game. Reserve center Brian de la Puente is expected to miss time to a knee injury, and reserve guard/tackle Eben Britton still hasn’t returned from a strained hamstring suffered earlier at camp.
3. Cutler hasn’t played an entire 16-game season since 2009. So naturally, you’d think at some point in 2014 the Bears will have to turn to the backup quarterback. The problem is the candidates vying for the No. 2 job -- Jordan Palmer and Jimmy Clausen -- have done little to inspire confidence the way Josh McCown did last year at training camp. For the most part, Palmer and Clausen have been merely average at camp, misfiring on occasion and making mistakes typical of players acclimating themselves to a scheme. The duo needs to pick it up or the Bears could wind up looking outside the current roster for a suitable No. 2.
OBSERVATION DECK
- Chris Conte says he’s the best athlete in Chicago’s secondary. He needs to prove it, which he'll finally have a chance to do now that he's off the physically unable to perform list. Conte certainly possesses the athleticism to be a playmaker on the back end, provided he regains his confidence. But time is running out for Conte to make a real push for one of the two open jobs at safety. What Conte has going for him right now is that none of the safeties vying for the starting jobs is making plays at camp.
- The Bears hired martial arts expert Joe Kim to teach the defensive linemen hand fighting techniques as part of the scheme overhaul that requires the front four players to be technicians with their hands. It’ll be interesting to see how the results manifest themselves on the field. Every day after practice at camp, several defensive linemen -- and even some defensive backs -- work intricate hand fighting moves with Kim for several minutes. The players say the moves become almost natural once routinely put into practice on the field. We’ll see whether Kim’s assistance plays a role in the front four anchoring a run defense that finished last in 2013.
- Zach Miller and Matthew Mulligan are pushing Dante Rosario hard for the No. 2 job at tight end. Miller is more of a move tight end, and Mulligan is a classic in-line blocker who shows some impressive skills as a receiver. The two have received extra reps because of Martellus Bennett's suspension.
2014 NFL Thursday Night Football schedule.
By Ricardo Guzman
1. Which youngsters will step up?
Teräväinen is the front runner to make the roster out of the current prospects. We could also see Jeremy Morin in the everyday lineup as well. There will need to be young players worked in with the veteran stars of the Blackhawks.
2. Can Kris Versteeg regain his 2010 form?
Kris Versteeg struggled since making his return to Chicago. The struggles were especially evident in the playoffs. He was benched for an extra d-man in Sheldon Brookbank. If he can't turn his play around this offseason he may have played himself out of a job.
3. Will Andrew Shaw play center?
The top two centers are set in stone (Toews and Richards). That leaves Shaw, Marcus Kruger, and possibly Teuvo Teräväinen. If Teräväinen can make the roster, he will play center, pushing Shaw over to one of the wings.
4. Who will get traded, Johnny Oduya or Nick Leddy?
As it stands, the Blackhawks are .2 million over the NHL salary cap. Nick Leddy is currently earning .7 million while Johnny Oduya earns .3 million. Either of these guys being traded as a salary casualty would even out that issue. The big question is who?
5. Will Marian Hossa's workload be lessened?
Marian Hossa has been a workhorse his whole career. At 35, it may be time to hold back on the minutes and situational play. Being one of the top defensive forwards in the league, Hossa logs big minutes in power play kill. He struggled at times on the Stanley Cup Finals and would benefit from a smaller workload during the regular season.
Where Joel Quenneville Ranks Among the NHL’s Best Coaches.
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, top left, directs his team during the second period in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings Sunday, June 1, 2014, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
The presence of a solid head coach can keep an NHL team from going into long slumps that can turn a potentially strong season into a disaster.
The Chicago Blackhawks know that Joel Quenneville is a lot more than a solid presence behind their bench. He ranks third on the all-time list of NHL coaching victories, but his win total is just a part of what makes him one of the best coaches in the league right now.
Six current NHL coaches have won at least one Stanley Cup, but two of those coaches have struggled quite a bit in playoff competition since leading their teams to the championship. Ken Hitchcock of the St. Louis Blues has been lauded as a top coach since he took over at the helm of the Dallas Stars in 1995-96. He led the Stars to the 1999 Stanley Cup, but his teams have failed in six of their last seven postseason series.
Peter Laviolette led the Carolina Panthers to an unexpected Stanley Cup in 2005-06, but he was fired by the Philadelphia Flyers early last season after his team did not make the playoffs in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. While he led the Flyers to the 2010 Eastern Conference championship, his teams’ postseason performances have been uneven.
Mike Babcock, Claude Julien and Darryl Sutter are the only current coaches who rank with Quenneville for consistency.
All four coaches have won at least one Stanley Cup and have regularly been able to get top efforts from their teams. In this feature, we will rate each coach, using these four categories as our guides: strategy, psychology, motivational ability and media relations.
Claude Julien, Boston Bruins
Number of Stanley Cups: One
Last Stanley Cup: 2010-11
Claude Julien led the Boston Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup when they became the first team to secure three seventh-game triumphs on the way to the title. (The Kings matched that feat this year.)
Perhaps the most impressive part of that Stanley Cup run is that it came on the heels of a 2010 collapse, when the Bruins fell short despite having a 3-0 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers in the conference semifinal round.
That kind of baggage would have weighed down and drowned many coaches, but Julien built off it, and his strong team had a powerful psychological edge when it took the ice in the playoffs the following year.
Julien excels at finding the best matchups for his teams and rolling four lines when opponents tend to shorten their bench. That was a key aspect to the Bruins run in 2013, when they got to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in three years but lost an epic confrontation to Quenneville and the Blackhawks.
Julien excels in his honest dealings with his players and the media, but his low-key demeanor prevents him from having the inspirational ability of Babcock or Quenneville.
Julien’s Bruins appeared to be stronger than the Montreal Canadiens when the two teams met in the conference semifinal this season, but his team was unable to secure the victory despite winning the Presidents’ Trophy and playing the seventh game of the series at home.
Darryl Sutter, Los Angeles Kings
Number of Stanley Cups: Two
Last Stanley Cup: 2013-14
Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi appeared to be making a rather desperate move when he hired Darryl Sutter to be the head coach early in the 2011-12 season. Sutter had been successful in previous coaching assignments in Chicago, San Jose and Calgary, but his teams had never won the Stanley Cup in 12 previous seasons.
Sutter appeared to lack vision and an ability to relate to his players. There was no doubt about his toughness or will to win, but he did not appear to be creative or inspiring.
Appearances can be deceiving, and Sutter has been a different coach with the Kings than he was earlier in his career. Five years away from the job mellowed him slightly, and he was able to have a few lighter moments with his players.
Instead of showing the demeanor of a statue, Sutter related to his players and energized them. While he has never been fond of conversing with the media, he has led the Kings to two Stanley Cup titles in the last three seasons.
Sutter is quite underrated as a strategist. His propensity for changing his lines and moving his players was a decisive factor throughout the 2014 postseason.
His Kings rebounded from an 0-3 first-round deficit to beat San Jose this year, and they also secured seventh-game road victories over Anaheim and Chicago before trouncing the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Final.
Sutter’s Kings played with confidence throughout their playoff runs in 2012 and 2014, and that’s testimony to the coach’s talent and ability.
Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks
Number of Stanley Cups: Two
Last Stanley Cup: 2012-13
Joel Quenneville ranks third in regular-season coaching victories (706) behind Scotty Bowman and Al Arbour. When Quenneville passed Dick Irvin to move into third place last season, he modestly accepted his accomplishment and deflected praise by merely looking ahead to the next game on the schedule.
While Quenneville had success with the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche prior to coming to the Blackhawks early in the 2008-09 season, he has grown tremendously during his run in Chicago.
Quenneville’s unique deployment of his roster has helped him lead the Blackhawks to two Stanley Cups in the last five seasons. He often separates superstars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane during the regular season, but he has put them together at crucial moments in the postseason, which has brought about some spectacular results.
Quenneville is a strong psychologist and a master motivator. He is not hesitant to pull players from the lineup or threaten their playing time when they are not performing up to expectations, but he is also sensitive to his their needs and insecurities. If he delivers a harsh rebuke in the media one time, he will often praise them the next time out.
As a result, his players leave everything on the ice for him. There is a certain fear that comes with playing for Quenneville, but there is an even greater amount of satisfaction when a player rises above expectations and plays the way his coach demands.
Mike Babcock, Detroit Red Wings
Number of Stanley Cups: One
Last Stanley Cup: 2007-08
Mike Babcock is clearly one of the most respected coaches in the NHL. He was selected as head coach of the Canadian Olympic team, and he helped that team secure both the 2010 and 2014 gold medals in Vancouver and Sochi, respectively.
When Babcock was named head coach of the Red Wings prior to the 2005-06 season, he was taking over a strong team with championship aspirations. That’s a difficult task for any coach, but Babcock was able to put his own imprint on the team even as it remained a strong contender.
The Red Wings earned the 2008 Stanley Cup and got back to the Stanley Cup Final the following year. While they suffered a heavy loss when Nicklas Lidstrom retired after the 2011-12 season, Babcock has adjusted seamlessly from leading a veteran, contending team to guiding a youthful, learning team.
Few coaches have Babcock’s command of strategy. His ability to understand his team’s strengths and weaknesses and pit them against the opponent’s gives the Red Wings an advantage. He will push his players hard individually, as he knows how to play the psychological game to get the most out of them.
Babcock also does an exceptional job of motivating his team. He will use traditional coaching ploys like employment and playing time to get the most out of his players, but he will also find other tools to get the most out of them.
He is also direct and hard-hitting with the media, as he is unafraid to challenge his players by sending a message through the press and speaking his mind.
Just another Chicago Bulls Session… Are the Chicago Bulls legitimate contenders?
By Andrew Melnick
The Chicago Bulls entered the 2014 offseason with high hopes. They earned the first meeting with New York Knicks’ forward Carmelo Anthony and flew him for Chicago for a visit. They wined and dined him and let him watch star point guard Derrick Rose work out but ultimately he remained with the Knicks.
The Bulls then used the amnesty clause to waive veteran power forward Carlos Boozer and quickly used that money. They signed Los Angeles Lakers’ big man Pau Gasol to a three-year, $22 million deal and lockeddown a deal to bring Real Madrid forward Nikola Mirotić to the NBA on a three-year, $17 million deal. They re-signed point guard Kirk Hinrich and signed Denver Nuggets’ veteran point guard Aaron Brooks to replace reserve point guard D.J. Augustin, who signed with the Detroit Pistons. Before all of that, they traded the rights to their 16th and 19th-overall selections to the Denver Nuggets for the rights to the 11th-overall pick, former Creighton Blue Jays’ forward Doug McDermott.
Many believe after an offseason like that, the Bulls are legitimate contenders.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders believes the Bulls will get off to a quick start and are legitimate contenders provided they stay healthy.
I think the Bulls are far better equipped to hit the ground running. Continuity wins championships, and the Bulls have that by the truckload. They have to stay healthy, but like I said below, they have a shot at jumping out early and if they can stay healthy when the Cavs find their stride, they should have a handful of games as a buffer.Although the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs remain the favorites, the Bull certainly look like a legitimate challenger.
Be sure to check FanSided’s official NBA page to keep up to date on the latest news and rumors from around the league all summer long.
With age-limit changes on deck, NBA sources provide prospective.
By Sean Deveney
After more than a year of a bumpy and fraught search for a new executive director to lead the NBA’s players association, we finally have a winner: Washington, D.C., attorney Michele Roberts.
And while Roberts has a long laundry list of items that will demand her attention — you know, like avoiding a lockout in 2017 — the most pressing for basketball fans of all stripes is working with the league to find a resolution to the age-limit question that was left open at the end of the last collective-bargaining negotiations.
According to sources with knowledge of potential arrangements for an age limit, the NCAA remains a key player. While there has been much agitation for paying players some sort of stipend at the collegiate level, the organization as a whole is still firmly against changing those rules.
If that is the case, sources told Sporting News, the NBA and union could be pushed into a model in which players can be drafted and assigned to the D-League for either a period of years (two, likely) or until a player hits a predetermined age (21) before becoming NBA-eligible. Players would be given a much bigger D-League salary in that case than they receive now, which is about $25,000 per year.
“The NCAA are a bunch of horses’ asses,” one source said. “If they don’t get their heads out of the sand and help these kids who come from nothing, then you will see the NBA make a move toward salaries way more attractive than they are now at the D-League level. Why not invest $100,000 or $200,000 in a player, put him in the D-League and let him stay there? At that age, you need to get them away from home and you need to get them on the court.”
With that in mind, Sporting News brought the question of an age limit to a variety of sources with experience in both the pro and college game. Here’s what they said:
Lamond Murray, 12-year NBA veteran and partner/speaker with the National Collegiate Scouting Association.
“I think the one-and-done thing, when you had kids coming out and they were the man-child types, like Shawn Kemp back in the day — there are only going to be one or two of those guys every couple of years right out of high school. By them regulating it and saying you have to stay a little bit longer because of an age limit, those kids will have to make more of a decision, whether or not you are going to play college ball for a few years or like some are saying, decide to go play in the D-League give them an opportunity in which they can go to school for a few years or, if that is not what they want to do, give them a platform in which they can go make money and have the option to go to the NBA after they hone their skills.”
Mike Fratello, former NBA coach.
“It seems like we have acquiesced and given way more power to the agents than maybe we actually should for what we are paying these young guys to play professional basketball. Not only do they have the ability to come out after one year now, which means you get to see them play only maybe 35 games, but now we come to the pre-draft tryout camp, they are not even allowed to go up head-to-head against each other anymore. They’re so protected by agents and the rules now have all changed, so that you can’t do much of anything even in an individual workout. So it is not only the fact that they can come out after one year, it is, after that one year, you can’t even see them in a competitive situation against the other young guys who have come out. It leaves a lot to be desired, especially for the amounts of money these young men are paid.”
Derek Anderson, 11-year NBA veteran, University of Kentucky graduate.
“I hate it, man. It is not so much that people talk about the financial end of things, it is, when you are done with basketball, you have got the rest of your life, with what? You’ve got kids with no education, you have kids struggling to get jobs, struggling with personality issues, they don’t know how to deal with life out of the limelight. Kids don’t know what to do. And not enough of them are thinking, ‘OK, when things are done in the NBA after 10, 15 years and he is 35, what is he going to do for the next 35 years?’ Nothing, he is going to struggle. He has no education, no training. And that is if you’re lucky enough to get a 10-year NBA career. What do all these people do? Half of them go into coaching because they don’t have any other training.”
Steve Smith, 14-year NBA veteran, collegiate and NBA TV analyst.
“I think you should be allowed to come out of high school, or if you are going to have an age limit, it should be 21. You know, you’re grown. One year of college does not seem to be the right answer, you are still so far away from your degree. I think it should be 21, or you allow guys to enter the draft out of high school. I don’t see one year, or even two years, being enough.”
Reggie Theus, former NBA player and coach, D-League coach and current coach of Cal State Northridge.
“I am all for players making their living and starting to make their living early. But I think it is up to us to protect the game and the integrity of the game to some degree. So with that in mind, I think it is not so much you need an age limit, I think it is just you require two years of college. After two years, it is fine. I would like to see the two-year rule, I think it would solve a lot of problems. But I think if you’re coming out, you need to be with the big franchise, you need to get your reps with those coaches. There is very little stability in the D-League. It’s a tough league, players there have their own agendas. It is sort of like junior college, the mentality is the same, because everyone there is trying desperately to get somewhere else.”
Brendan Suhr, 25-year veteran NBA assistant coach and executive, director of program development for University of Central Florida
“Personally, I am for two years. That’s my management and coaching side of it. If I am going to pay those guys, coming in, I would want to have the ability to see them play for a couple of years, see how they fit into the college game. See how they mature and go from there. There are all kinds of good examples, obviously, Kobe and LeBron, and Garnett. But you have Tim Duncan, too — does anyone think he missed out by staying in school? It didn’t hurt him too badly, you know? I don’t think it is an advantage to rush things, it should be about getting it right for these kids. You want to make sure the kid, when he comes, is ready.”
Stern leads 10 in basketball Hall of Fame class.
By JIMMY GOLEN (AP Sports Writer)
The 2014 class of inductees into the Basketball Hall of Fame, from the left, Jataun Nathaniel, accepting on behalf of her father Nat Clifton, Tony Rodgers, accepting on behalf of his father Guy Rodgers, Mitch Richmond, Gary Williams, Bob Leonard, Nolan Richardson, Alonzo Mourning, Sarunas Marciulionis, and David Stern sit together during a news conference at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014, in Springfield, Mass. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Former NBA Commissioner David Stern prefers to look at the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers for a record $2 billion and not the decades of Donald Sterling's ''interesting'' ownership that came before it.
Speaking on Thursday at a media availability before he is to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Stern said the unprecedented offer from former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to buy the troubled franchise ''is an exclamation point on the health of the league.''
Stern said that the price being paid for the Clippers ''is just the next step'' in a process that has brought stability to franchises like the New Orleans Hornets, who were seized by the league in 2010 when owner George Shinn couldn't pay his debts. The renamed Pelicans are now ensconced in New Orleans, as are the Bucks in Milwaukee and the Kings in Sacramento, all under new owners.
The Clippers should be next, now that a California probate judge has cleared the way for Shelly Sterling to sell the team she co-owned with her husband to avoid having the franchise seized by the league. While praising new commissioner Adam Silver's handling of the matter, Stern insisted he couldn't have acted under his own tenure because Sterling managed to sidestep definitive legal judgments in two cases where he was accused of racism. (Still, Silver waited just four days, needing no such cover from the legal system, before fining Sterling $2.5 million and banning him for life for racist comments to a girlfriend.)
Asked if he wishes he had done more, Stern said: ''There were challenges.''
Asked if he wishes he had done more, Stern said: ''There were challenges.''
''It was an interesting ownership period,'' he said. ''I'm not going to say anything now that will disturb the waters that will hopefully calm a bit between Adam and Mr. Sterling.''
Stern headed a group of 10 Hall of Fame inductees who will be honored on Friday night by the Springfield shrine. Also in the class of 2014 are former NBA stars Alonzo Mourning and Mitch Richmond and NCAA championship-winning coaches Nolan Richardson of Arkansas and Gary Williams of Maryland.
The women's team from Immaculata College, which won three straight national championships in the 1970s, is also being honored, along with Lithuania star Sarunas Marciulionis. Former Indiana Pacers coach Bob ''Slick'' Leonard, the late Nat ''Sweetwater'' Clifton of the New York Knicks and the late Guy Rodgers of Temple round out the class.
Speaking with a cane at his side because of recent hip-replacement surgery, Stern said he was proud to have helped the league grow during his 30-year tenure from a league that broadcast its championship on tape-delay to one of the most powerful in the world. The NBA he took over had 23 teams and broadcast revenue of about $10 million per year; when he left, the 30-team league was bringing in $900 million in TV revenue alone.
''You've got to give credit where credit is due,'' Richmond said. ''He's one of the guys who propelled our league to another level.''
Asked if there was anyone in the class he was especially proud to be honored with, Mourning pointed across the room at the commissioner and said, ''David Stern, without a doubt.''
''Twenty-two years ago, he welcomed me into the league,'' said Mourning, who wore his 2013 Miami Heat championship ring on his right hand. ''And now, after 30 years, of his impact on the league ... we're going into the Hall together. So that makes it special.''
Richmond said he had only been at the Hall one other time, for the induction of former teammate Chris Mullin in 2011. Richmond was excited just to find a picture of himself, as part of two Olympic teams.
Now he'll be added to the ring of honor on his own.
Bulls release star-studded preseason schedule.
CSN Staff
The Bulls announced their eight-game 2014-15 preseason schedule on Monday afternoon.
Derrick Rose is expected to make his return to the court — in a Bulls uniform — when Chicago hosts the Washington Wizards on Oct. 6 in their preseason opener.
In what should be the marquee game of the preseason, the Bulls will battle LeBron. James and the revamped Cleveland Cavaliers at Ohio State University on Oct. 20.
The Bulls will also get a first look at the top two picks of the 2014 NBA Draft when they hit the road to face Jabari Parker and the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 11 and then travel to the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Oct. 24 for a matchup against Andrew Wiggins and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Here's a complete look at the Bulls preseason schedule:
| Date | Opponent | Time (CT) |
Mon. Oct. 6 | vs. Washington Wizards | 7:00 p.m. |
Tue. Oct. 7 | @ Detroit Pistons | 6:30 p.m. |
Sat. Oct. 11 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | 7:30 p.m. |
Mon. Oct. 13 | vs. Denver Nuggets | 7:00 p.m. |
Thu. Oct. 16 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | 7:00 p.m. |
Sun. Oct. 19 | vs. Charlotte Hornets | 7:00 p.m. |
Mon. Oct. 20 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers (at Ohio State University) | 6:00 p.m. |
Fri. Oct. 24 | vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (at Scottrade Center in St. Louis) | 7:00 p.m. |
MLB; Henry: Werner 'great' commish choice
By Gordon Edes
Red Sox principal owner John W. Henry, in an interview published four days before the owners are scheduled to vote on a successor to Bud Selig, said "there is no doubt" Sox chairman Tom Werner "would make a great commissioner."
Werner has emerged as a surprise finalist on the ballot to replace Selig, joining Rob Manfred, often regarded as Selig's hand-picked successor, and Tim Brosnan, MLB's executive vice president of business. Recent reports that White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is leading a faction opposed to Manfred prompted Selig to issue a statement Friday disputing reports of friction.
"Reports of personal animosity between Jerry Reinsdorf and me -- or any other alleged disputes between owners regarding the process or the candidates -- are unfounded and unproductive," Selig said. "I respect the ownership of our 30 franchises and have complete faith that the process will produce an individual that all in baseball will be eager to support."
But doubt has been cast on the inevitability that Manfred, who heads MLB's labor relations arm, will succeed Selig, who has not publicly endorsed any of the candidates. And while Werner, the highly successful television producer who rebounded from a disastrous tenure as San Diego Padres owner in the early 1990s to forge a strong partnership in Boston with Henry and CEO Larry Lucchino, is viewed as a long-shot candidate, he might challenge Manfred's ability to corral the necessary 23 votes for election.
Henry implied in an email exchange with the Boston Herald that he might throw his support behind Werner, who reportedly had a strong interview with the seven-man search committee.
"It's a very important time," Henry wrote. "There are excellent candidates. I believe, given today's world, that we need a businessman who understands more than the inherent problems of owners and of labor. That person must excel in understanding media, entertainment, competition and business as well as the sport. The game won't automatically grow and it could well be disrupted by standing still."
Werner and Henry have become close personal friends since they joined forces to buy the Red Sox, a purchase that took place on Dec. 20, 2001, and closed on Feb. 27, 2002. The possibility of losing Werner as a business partner and his steady company as a friend, Henry told the Herald, has left him with mixed feelings about his candidacy.
"There is no doubt he would make a great commissioner," Henry wrote of Werner. "Tom is one of the most popular owners because he's very passionate about baseball, has a sense of duty, as evidenced by his work with veterans and the Red Sox Foundation, and because he is trusted by everyone who knows him. You won't find a more popular person in the television industry.
"On the other hand, we would hate to lose him here. Not only would he have to sell his interest in the Red Sox, but he would be moving back to New York. It would be a terrible loss, personally and professionally. So I have very mixed feelings on the subject."
Golf: I got a club for that… Most of US Ryder Cup team solidified, three spots up for grabs.
By Kyle Porter
The first nine are set for the US Ryder Cup team. Phil Mickelson played his way on and Jason Dufner injured his way off and we have the nine golfers who qualified for US Ryder Cup team in September.
In order of points:
1. Bubba Watson
2. Rickie Fowler
3. Jim Furyk
4. Jimmy Walker
5. Phil Mickelson
6. Matt Kuchar
7. Jordan Spieth
8. Patrick Reed
9. Zach Johnson
That's a solid group. I trust Fowler, Mickelson and Johnson, and I semi-trust Spieth, Kuchar and Walker.
The downsides are that Bubba is a free-for-all, Furyk is 9-17-4 all-time, and Patrick Reed in Gleneagles just screams "international incident."
Tom Watson has until Sept. 2 to decide who his three captain's picks will be and he'll likely choose from a group that includes:
Ryan Moore (11th in the standings)
Brendon Todd (12th)
Keegan Bradley (13th)
Chris Kirk (14th)
Webb Simpson (15th)
Harris English (16th)
Brandt Snedeker (20th)
Tiger Woods (70th)
Yes, Watson said Tiger is still in the mix to be picked.
Two other names I'd like to throw at you as potential underdog candidates: Billy Horschel (35th) and Brooks Koepka (39th).
The Koepka idea was Will Gray's and the Horschel idea my own. Koepka would be great and Horschel seems like he'd do something crazy like wear pants with miniature George Washington heads on them and a fake Abe Lincoln beard throughout the week.
The Ryder Cup is built on confidence and these crazy emotional waves so forgive me if I don't want to see Ryan Moore and Chris Kirk tip their caps and wave their hands after big shots.
Horschel and Koepka wouldn't much care about Ian Poulter's career Ryder Cup record or Rory McIlroy's dominance, and that's the best thing Tom Watson could ask for at this point.
Tiger Woods to Tom Watson on Ryder Cup: 'I want you to pick me'.
By Kyle Porter
Watson revealed Woods said the following:
"I want you to pick me."
Well of course he did. I want Watson to pick me for Gleneagles but that doesn't mean it's going to (or should) happen.
Watson then said a bunch of things he's largely already said about Woods over the past six months. Things like:
"He brings something to the team in a big way. The most important thing is can he [physically] play?"
Also:
"He is Tiger Woods and he brings a lot to the team. If he has the ability to play and he's healthy, he brings a lot to the team and I'd be a fool not to consider him."
I know these are things Watson has to say in a press conference in early August. He can't just straight up say, "He's out, I'm done with him!"
But if you take a wounded Tiger to Gleneagles for Rory McIlroy and Co. to feast on, you might not even need to play the Sunday singles matches.
Power Rankings: Hi Junior, it's a lofty perch, isn't it?
By Nick Bromberg
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 2): This spot isn't simply by virtue of Jeff Gordon's problems on Sunday. Rather it's that his 11th place finish was a big step up for Junior at Watkins Glen based on past performance. While he just missed cracking the top 10 for only the fourth time in 15 races and the first time since 2005, it was still his best finish since that season. And it ended up netting him the points lead.
2. Jeff Gordon (LW: 1): Jeff Gordon's car needed to take a break about halfway through Sunday's race. OK, it's not that simple, but the car lost power while Gordon was at the front and his chances for a win were over. But as we know, it's not a big deal given that Gordon is locked into the Chase. And as Gordon said after his day was ruined and before he got back into the car, he'd rather have these problems now than in the Chase. It's a refrain that a teammate of his (who we'll get to later) is likely saying as well.
3. Kevin Harvick (LW: 3): Beanbags? What the heck is next? Harvick had to make an unscheduled pit stop at the beginning of the race because a beanbag weight in the car had become dislodged from underneath the seat and went under the pedals of his car. At the rate Harvick is going with misfortune, if he gets eliminated during the Chase we can virtually guarantee it's going to be due to some bizarre reason.
4. Joey Logano (LW: 5): Suddenly Logano is Mr. Consistency after a fairly irregular season. Logano finished sixth on Sunday, the third-straight time he's finished in the top-six. And it's also marks the only time Logano has finished in the top 10 in three consecutive races too. The streak could go to four too. He was ninth at Michigan earlier in the year and is the defending champion of next Sunday's race.
5. Matt Kenseth (LW 6): Hi Matt, did you know that you and Ryan Newman are responsible for the half-ounce of drama surrounding the Chase qualification of one-race winners in the Cup Series? Neither you or Newman have a win and are within striking distance (we use that term in this case very liberally) of the points lead. If, for some crazy reason, four winless drivers over the next four races win a race and one of you assumes the points lead after Richmond without being one of those four drivers, a driver with a win misses the Chase. Yes, it's convoluted and incredibly improbable.
6. Brad Keselowski (LW: 4): A dented front bumper and a brake problem made Keselowski's day a long one. But hey, he's qualified for the Chase and no one is playing the what-if game about Keselowski's race and Chase chances. Remember, last year he chose not to use the bumper on Kyle Busch for the win and ended up missing the Chase.
7. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 7): This is where the standings start to get iffy. You can make a lot of justifications for the final six spots. We'll keep Johnson here because he was running in the top 10 when he got spun on lap 81 and it wasn't a self-spin. And also because of last year. We're still not going to play the faux-panic game.
8. Kyle Larson (LW: 12): The dude who had to practice shifting lost a ton of spots after overshooting the inner loop during Sunday's race and at one point was 38th. He finished fourth. If he keeps that up, he'll likely be in the Chase with or without a win. Anyone want to guess who the last rookie to make the Chase was?
9. A.J. Allmendinger (LW: NR): Yes, Allmendinger will likely not be here next week, but we need to honor Sunday's winner, right? And we also need to point out that very rarely does the ultimate scenario come to fruition. Two winless road racing experts fighting for the win and a Chase spot was about as ideal as anyone would have hoped for going in to the race.
10. Carl Edwards (LW: NR): For a while it didn't look like the gamble Edwards and teammate Greg Biffle made of not pitting after the red flag was going to pay off. But add in another red flag and a bunch of yellow flags at the end, voila, Edwards was able to finish fourth. It was worth the shot for the extra three points in the Chase, don't you think?
11. Ryan Newman (LW: 8): Oof, that was a tough hit for both Newman and Michael McDowell. Here's a suggestion: instead of funneling drivers off a near 180-degree turn five and onto a long straightaway, why doesn't NASCAR race the boot at Watkins Glen? Yes, laps would be longer but there would be more turns. We like more turns.
12. Marcos Ambrose (LW: NR): This spot goes to Ambrose because this may be the final time in his Cup career he'll have the chance to be in Power Rankings. We don't know what the 2015 future holds for Ambrose. He may be back in the No. 9 or he could be out of NASCAR altogether. But after winning the Nationwide race and epically battling with Allmendinger for a win, he's worthy of this spot.
The Lucky Dog: How aobout Kurt Busch who finished third?
The DNF: Oh, Kyle Busch.
NASCAR Stewart probe shows "no criminal behavior": police.
AFP
US police have found "no criminal behavior" on racing driver Tony Stewart's part but will continue their probe into the bizarre incident in which he struck and killed an up-and-coming driver.
Stewart, one of the most popular drivers in America's NASCAR stock car circuit, ploughed into 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr. during a non-NASCAR race on a dirt track Saturday night at Canandaigua Motorsports Park.
"At this time there are no facts that exist that support any criminal behaviour or conduct or that any probable cause of a criminal act in this investigation," Ontario County Sheriff spokesman Philip Povero told reporters on Monday.
Povero said they have interviewed Stewart and several others who witnessed the incident and they say Stewart, who was unhurt, has been cooperative.
Povero told reporters they are looking for more video footage of the crash as part of their ongoing investigation. He said they already have two videos of the incident.
"We are seeking persons outside that are familiar with racing that can help us review and analyze these tapes to hopefully fully understand the crash," he said.
Meanwhile, the 43-year-old American, who missed Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Watkins Glen International track, has withdrawn from a second non-NASCAR race Saturday in Plymouth, Indiana.
"We at Plymouth Speedway extend our deepest condolences and prayers to the family of Kevin Ward, Jr. and thoughts and prayers to Tony Stewart and his family. Tony Stewart will NOT be racing at Plymouth Speedway this Saturday," race officials said.
There is no word yet from Stewart's team, Stewart-Haas Racing, on whether Stewart will compete in a NASCAR race at the Michigan International Speedway on Sunday.
Saturday's incident happened near turn two at the halfway point of a 25-lap Lucas Oil Super Sprint Features dirt race.
Stewart first bumped Ward's car and knocked it out of the race. On his next lap Stewart's vehicle collided with Ward, who had climbed out of his car and was walking down the track pointing his finger in the direction of Stewart.
- Dragging him along the track -
As the car passed by Ward it appeared to rev and then fishtail, hitting Ward and dragging him along the track for several meters.
An autopsy was performed on the body which showed Ward died of massive blunt force trauma.
Ward, of Port Leyden, New York, began competing in Go Kart racing at the age four in 1998. He began sprint car racing in 2010 and won his first career sprint car feature in June 2011.
Stewart, who is a multi-millionaire, is part owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, whose drivers include Danica Patrick.
Despite his success, he continues to compete in non-NASCAR races on small and dirt tracks across America against drivers of varying talent levels and ages, including some in their teens.
The hard-headed Stewart has a history of dust-ups with other drivers. Two years ago after a crash he walked onto a track at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee and threw his helmet at Matt Kenseth's car.
When Stewart competed in an event at Canandaigua in July 2013, he caused a crash that involved 15 drivers.
In Fontana, California last year, Stewart stormed down pit road and got into a fist fight with Joey Logano, whom he accused of trying to block him.
Louis van Gaal brings Manchester United back to its past of no-nonsense soccer.
By Martin Rogers
In his homeland of the Netherlands, Louis van Gaal is known as "The Iron Tulip," meaning he is now the possessor of both the English Premier League's toughest coaching job and its oddest nickname.
Analyzing what a tulip's characteristics are – apart from being Dutch – requires a discussion that we don't have time for, not with the Premier League season just a few days away. But what is not lost in translation is that van Gaal, the new Manchester United boss, is no shrinking violet.
And that, in itself, is exactly what United needs.
Van Gaal is his own man with a glittering pedigree, but his no-nonsense approach and demand for discipline also make him the closest thing the game has to Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary coach who steered United through 2½ decades of mostly unfettered glory.
When that era ended and Ferguson's anointed successor David Moyes could do no better than a gloomy seventh-place finish, it was clear that change was both required and inevitable.
The Moyes experiment showed starkly that the task of leading the club is too burdensome for the ill-prepared. Moyes, for all his fine work during 10 years at Everton, was unfortunately not up to the challenge and was cowed by its gravity in the end. Van Gaal won't shirk, not after stints at Barcelona and Bayern Munich and fresh from taking the Netherlands to the World Cup semifinals.
The 63-year-old is his own greatest fan, but that is no criticism. He took the Dutch way to Barcelona during two separate periods in charge and he will similarly bring a version of it to Manchester, already showing intent with a 3-5-2 formation that has the potential to shake up the Premiership.
He won't accept any of the unseemly insubordination that was seen last season at United and, like Ferguson, he has little time for doubters and dissenters.
There are far too many anecdotes to mention but one worth regaling from several years back involved a hapless journalist who was unfortunate enough to have been unwittingly booked into the same hotel as the Dutch team that van Gaal then led. Convinced the reporter was an opposition spy, van Gaal had the reporter confronted by security and ordered from the premises.
Has he mellowed? Not much. During the group stage in Brazil, at the precise time when the Netherlands had just cruised through their Group of Death and was then the most in-form team in the tournament, van Gaal responded to a question about his tactics following a win over Chile by furiously and snidely berating an American writer who dared to quiz him about defense.
The van Gaal formula is tough but it is consistent. He gives no favor to any player, yet most of his former charges love him nevertheless.
New signing Luke Shaw, the 19-year-old left back, was given a swift and stark introduction to life under van Gaal. No sooner had he been unveiled as a United player than the coach banished him to train apart from the squad for apparently being out of shape.
Toward the end, even Ferguson admitted that treatment of modern day players was, by necessity, very different to yesteryear. Egos these days are more fragile, according to the Ferguson wisdom. Van Gaal seems determined to test that logic with an approach that marries modern tactics and old school toughness.
The methodology will start to be tested at home against Swansea City on Saturday when all eyes will be on United to see if a challenge for the title is a realistic target this season. It will be difficult, that much is certain, as defending champion Manchester City look strong and Chelsea are eagerly hunting an EPL crown under Jose Mourinho.
United has added to its squad by bringing in Shaw and midfielder Ander Herrera. But the club was also frustrated to find that, without the lure of Champions League soccer this season, some transfer targets were unwilling to make the switch to Old Trafford.
Such a scenario is one that won't sit well with the Iron Tulip. His task is to take the team back to the top, although there is a general level of understanding from the club's board and fans that it may not happen immediately.
Van Gaal, with his iron grip, seems to be the man to negotiate the climb back to the summit.
Slive: College sports in 'historic evolution'.
AP Sports
Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive says college athletics are ''going through a historic evolution.''
Slive released a statement Monday after a judge's ruling that players in FBS football and Division I men's basketball are entitled to at least $5,000 a year for rights to their names, images and likenesses. He says the judge on Friday appropriately recognized ''the importance of integrating academics and athletics in this decision.''
The NCAA says it will appeal U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken's ruling against the NCAA's argument that its model of amateurism is the only way to operate college sports.
Slive says ''the ultimate consequences'' won't be known until legal questions are resolved. He says the judge's decision and recent changes in NCAA governances represent ''a historic evolution of the landscape of college sports.''
Candid Coaches: Should the NCAA worry with weed tests?
By Gary Parrish
Mitch McGary revealed in April that he tested positive for marijuana during the NCAA Tournament and thus would've been suspended for his entire junior season had he opted to return to Michigan, at which point all reasonable people seemed to agree that such a penalty is too harsh for a single failed test of a drug that's legal in some states and growing more socially acceptable by the day. Either way, the good news is that the NCAA is lowering the penalty to six months. But the bad news is that six months for failing an NCAA-administered marijuana test remains excessive, I think.
Still, a more interesting question looms.
Forget whether six months is too harsh or if weed should be considered heroin's equal in the eyes of the NCAA (because it so clearly shouldn't even though it inexplicably is). The more interesting conversation is one that revolves around the following question we asked dozens and dozens of men's basketball coaches:
Should the NCAA remove marijuana from its list of banned substances?
- Yes: 24 percent
- No: 76 percent
FIVE QUOTES THAT STOOD OUT
"Marijuana is becoming more and more accepted in our society and is too popular in basketball culture. I think the decision to punish marijuana use should be left up to individual schools and programs. I am not pro marijuana use, but I do not think the NCAA should be responsible for enforcement."
"I don't know that I favor removing marijuana as a banned substance but at some point the NCAA has to have an honest conversation as to how often they test and what fair penalties are. The other factor is that from a legal standpoint many states are starting to 'pseudo' legalize marijuana use, and I suspect many states will follow. You don't get penalized for legal alcohol use … so why legal marijuana use?"
"You can't remove it until it's legal in all the states. We're trending in that direction. But we aren't ready for that yet."
"Marijuana is still illegal in the majority of states, so it has to remain a banned substance."
"Marijuana should be a banned substance. But a year-long suspension or a six-month suspension or whatever for one positive test [administered by the NCAA] is crazy. The mayor of Toronto can keep his job after being caught on tape smoking crack, but we're suspending kids for a year for a weed test? It's ridiculous."
THE TAKEAWAY (BY GARY PARRISH)
The NCAA last month released results from a study that alleged lacrosse players had the highest percentage of reported marijuana use among male athletes in the past year, which makes sense, I guess. But what didn't make sense (or seem believable in the least) is that swimming, soccer, wrestling, baseball, football, golf and tennis -- basically everybody! -- all also ranked ahead of men's basketball, meaning we're to believe that men's basketball players are among the nation's cleanest when it comes to weed.
With all due respect, I'm not buying it, and literally no coach I spoke with thinks the study is an accurate reflection of the current state of marijuana use among men's basketball players. One coach even told me that when he took a new job and inherited a roster, literally every scholarship player had failed at least one school-administered drug test.
"But all of that is not reported to the NCAA," the coach said.
Bottom line, college coaches believe there's significantly more marijuana use among men's basketball players than the NCAA study suggests, and they think one year (or even six months) for failing an NCAA-administered marijuana test is excessive. But by a roughly three-to-one vote, the coaches we spoke with are not in favor of completely removing marijuana from the list of banned substances -- especially while it's still illegal in most states. Should marijuana be classified differently than heroin? Yes. But essentially telling student-athletes it's OK to do something that remains illegal in most places is farther than most coachces want to go ... at least right now.
The five biggest surprises from the college hoops hate map.
By Jeff Eisenberg
The five biggest surprises from the college hoops hate map (Data compiled by Reddit user KMHokies35)
It should come as no surprise who college basketball's most hated team is.
They hate Duke in Maryland and Virginia. They despise Duke in New Jersey, Louisiana and Alabama. They even don't like Duke halfway across the country in Idaho, Montana and the Dakotas.
That was certainly one of the expected outcomes from the survey conducted the past few days on Reddit's college basketball page by KMHokies35, but there were a few more surprises. A look at the five things that stood out most to me:
1. For those expecting Duke or Kentucky to dominate the entire map, it didn't happen. Yes, Kentucky is the most hated team in most SEC states and Indiana. And yes, Duke took some ACC states and much of basketball-barren Big Sky country. But while those two are probably the most despised programs nationally, regional rivalries took up much of this map.
2. Eight schools are the most hated in their own states: Washington, Arizona State, BYU, Creighton, Louisville, North Carolina, Boston College and Mississippi State. Most of these are programs with one or more in-state rivals who boast similar or larger fan bases. The lone big surprise in my eyes is Boston College being the most hated team in Massachusetts since the Eagles are probably the state's flagship program. Maybe Boston College fans spread their hatred evenly among schools like UConn, Providence, Duke and Syracuse, whereas other fan bases in the state united in their dislike of the Eagles.
3. The most prestigious programs who don't appear on this map are probably UCLA, UConn and Michigan State. In Michigan State's case, it's because the Spartans are nobody's primary rival. Michigan hates Ohio State more and vice versa. UConn is similar since its former Big East rivals Syracuse, Georgetown, Pitt and Villanova all have more heated rivals. As for UCLA, it's probably a product of two factors: Arizona fans have more dislike for Arizona State and the Bruins' natural rivals in California don't have large enough hoops fan bases to sway the state.
4. The biggest what-the-heck vote in the entire map: What does the state of Wyoming have against Ohio State? The Buckeyes were the choice ahead of reviled national programs like Duke or Kentucky or Wyoming's Mountain West rivals UNLV, San Diego State or New Mexico. The only explanation here is a small sample size. Perhaps only a handful of people from Wyoming voted or maybe savvy Michigan fans flooded the ballot box.
5. One more surprise: Colorado hates Arizona State the most, huh? I'm puzzled by that one, but maybe Buffs fans haven't forgotten this Jordan Bachynski takedown of Josh Scott.
Steve Ballmer becomes owner of LA Clippers.
By BETH HARRIS (AP Sports Writer)
The Clippers moved on from months of ugliness Tuesday, with Steve Ballmer officially becoming the team's new owner in a record $2 billion sale that ousted Donald Sterling as the NBA's longest-tenured owner.
Sterling bought the team in 1981 for $12 million and presided over decades of losing seasons before engaging in a fierce legal battle with his estranged wife to hold on to his most prized asset.
The team said the sale closed after a Los Angeles court confirmed the authority of Shelly Sterling, on behalf of the Sterling Family Trust, to sell the franchise to the former Microsoft CEO.
''I hate losing the team,'' she said at a news conference.
She later added, ''It feels good. It would have felt good to own the team, too.''
The NBA Board of Governors had previously approved the sale.
''Really excited - in a pretty hardcore way - to continue the path to making the Clippers a better and better basketball team, and a better and better citizen of the Los Angeles community,'' Ballmer told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
The bizarre drama began in April when a recording surfaced of Donald Sterling scolding his girlfriend for bringing black men to Clippers games. The audio spurred the NBA to ban Sterling for life and fine him $2.5 million.
Sterling was apologetic after the audio recording went viral, but his mea culpa backfired when he criticized Lakers great Magic Johnson, who had been photographed with Sterling's girlfriend, as a bad role model for kids because he had HIV. The 80-year-old real estate mogul was roundly condemned from locker rooms to the Oval Office, where President Barack Obama called Sterling's remarks ''incredibly offensive racist statements.''
With the NBA threatening to seize the team and auction it, Sterling initially gave his wife of 58 years permission to negotiate a sale but then refused to sign the Ballmer deal. He said he would sue the league instead and then revoked the trust, which his lawyers said effectively killed the deal.
Shelly Sterling removed Donald as a trustee after doctors found he had symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
Adam Streisand, Ballmer's attorney, said Tuesday that Superior Court Judge Michael Levanas signed the order authorizing the sale even if Donald Sterling's attorneys filed an appeal.
Pierce O'Donnell, Shelly Sterling's attorney, said at the news conference that Donald Sterling had filed a petition opposing the sale.
''They're alleging the judge made errors,'' O'Donnell said. ''We believe it's another desperate act. We're confident the court of appeals will not take the case.''
Streisand said even if Donald Sterling seeks an emergency order directing the judge to vacate his order, the attorney is confident an appellate court would agree that Levanas made the correct decision.
Donald Sterling's attorneys weren't immediately available to comment.
The sale ends some troubling concerns that had surrounded the team in recent months.
Doc Rivers would possibly have quit as coach if Sterling remained the owner, interim CEO Richard Parsons had testified. All-Star point guard Chris Paul, who also is president of the Players Association, might have sat out and convinced other players to join him. Sponsors who already started to flee after the Donald Sterling recording was released might have stayed away for good.
None of that appears to be a problem with Ballmer taking over what could be a powerhouse team next season. By agreeing to the record purchase price, he's already proven he's willing to spend in contrast to the famously frugal Sterling, long regarded as the worst owner in the NBA.
''The topic of conversation with Doc earlier was to focus in on what does it take and how can I help support him in achieving our mutual mission and in a pretty intense way continue to improve, be tenacious,'' Ballmer said. ''If we do all that, good things will come our way.''
Ballmer was nearly an NBA owner last year before owners chose to keep the Kings in Sacramento, rather than allow them to be sold to a group that included Ballmer and moved to Seattle.
Now he's got his own team to share with his wife and three sons.
''We're a family that likes basketball,'' he told the AP.
Ballmer said he fell in love with the sport as a seventh-grader in his hometown of Detroit. He was manager of his high school team, which included keeping statistics.
Two of his sons have played the game, while the youngest has been a statistician for his high school team in the Seattle area, where the family lives.
Ballmer said he hopes to attend a lot of Clippers games next season. He said Parsons has agreed to stay on as CEO for the interim.
''That gives me a chance to figure this all out,'' he said.
Ballmer said he wants to put the controversy in the past and focus the team on being ''a great citizen in the community for a diverse set of folks,'' including the NBA's predominantly black players.
''We're going to do our best on that,'' he said. ''I know that is high on Doc's list, it's high on my list to do that. We also have to be a phenomenal basketball team, play really well as a team and have great success on court. We're going to work on all those things.''
Ballmer agreed to give Shelly Sterling the title of ''owner emeritus.'' She will receive two floor seats, 10 other seats and parking at Staples Center for games.
''I am confident that Steve will bring the city a championship team in the very near future,'' she said.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, August 13, 2014.
MemoriesofHistory.com
1986 - United States Football League standout Herschel Walker signed to play with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.
1990 - Magic Johnson announced the indefinite postponement of his wedding to fiancé Earletha Kelly.
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