Several hundred protesters, some wearing goggles and gas masks, marched past authorities downtown Sunday, hours after riot police forced Occupy Portland demonstrators out of two encampments in parks.
Police moved in shortly before noon and drove protesters into the street after dozens remained in the camps in defiance of city officials. Mayor Sam Adams had ordered that the camps be shut down Cleveland Indians Jerseys Saturday at midnight, citing unhealthy conditions and the increasing number of drug users and thieves.
More than 50 protesters were arrested.
After the police raid, the number of demonstrators swelled throughout the afternoon. By early evening, dozens of officers brandishing nightsticks stood shoulder to shoulder to hold the protesters back. Authorities retreated and protesters broke the standoff by marching through the streets.
Demonstrators regrouped several blocks away, where they broke into small groups to discuss their future. Some were advocating occupying foreclosed homes; others wanted to move onto the Portland State University campus or to the shores of the Willamette River.
Police Chief Mike Reese told KGW-TV it had been his plan to take the parks in a peaceful manner.
"Our officers have performed exceptionally well," he said.
On Sunday at an impromptu news conference, Florida Marlins Jerseys the mayor defended his order to clear the parks, saying it is his job to enforce the law and keep the peace. "This is not a game," Adams said.
In other cities over the weekend:
— Friends confirmed Sunday that Scott Olsen, an Iraq war veteran who suffered a skull fracture during a police raid on the Occupy Oakland encampment, had been released from the hospital. Olsen was injured Oct. 25, and Occupy supporters around the country had rallied around his plight.
Also Sunday, police said that a man slain Thursday near the encampment had indeed been staying there; he was identified as Kayode Ola Foster, 25, of Oakland.
And for the third time in three days, Oakland city officials warned protesters that they did not have the right to camp in the plaza in front of City Hall and that they would face immediate arrest.
— In Salt Lake City, police arrested 19 people Saturday when protesters refused to leave a park a day after a man was found dead inside his tent at the encampment.
— Police in New York arrested 24 Occupy Albany protesters after they defied an 11 p.m. curfew in a state-owned park. They were charged with trespassing.
— In Denver, authorities forced protesters to leave a downtown encampment and arrested four people for interfering with officers who removed illegally pitched tents, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said.
— In San Francisco, police said two demonstrators attacked two officers in separate incidents during a march.
2011年11月13日星期日
2011年3月25日星期五
NBA's senior citizens prove it pays to prepare
PHOENIX - The mild central Arizona winters can be catnip for NBA players who refuse to go quietly into the twilight of their careers.
Breathing the relatively warm, dry air for half of each regular season seems to have done wonders in helping prolong the productivity of senior Phoenix Suns Steve Nash and Grant Hill. But while climate is an attraction for golden oldies in all walks of life, it's also reasonable to imagine Nash and Hill continuing to excel regardless of weather conditions.
They, like several of the league's ranking graybeards, are thriving due more to commitment and preparation than abundant sunshine. This attention to detail (or lack of it) probably is the main reason why other aging NBA employees - such as Suns teammate Vince Carter - are not moving gracefully toward the basketball light.
Carter, whose limited exposure to the redeeming powers of Nash's passing skill and the franchise's celebrated training staff began in December, may have other issues we'll explore later. But on the day he arrived from Orlando in a six-player trade, Carter claimed he was ready to embrace the influence of Nash and Hill.
"You see a guy like Grant come here and it seems like he's drinking from the fountain of youth," Carter said during his introductory press conference. "I'm ready to start drinking whatever he is."
A guy like Hill is someone who appeared on a cover of GQ magazine that framed the daunting question "Can Grant Hill Save Sports?" That was 1995, back when Hill was considered a mortal lock to achieve basketball immortality. But well-documented injury and illness limited the star-crossed small forward to participating in 200 games over seven seasons after leaving the Detroit Pistons for a free-agent contract with the Orlando Magic in 2000.
Perhaps this limited participation spared him from a typical level of wear and tear.
Now in his fourth season with the Suns, the 38-year-old Hill is providing 13.2 points and 4.5 rebounds for a Phoenix team still clinging to the hope of landing a postseason ticket. But Hill, who has made 39 percent of his 3-point attempts, isn't exactly staggering toward the finish line. At 6-foot-8 and a lean 225 pounds, he represents - on an almost nightly basis - the Suns' best chance of keeping the opposition's top scoring threat in check.
Name the high-profile player and Hill probably has guarded him. The list includes New Jersey point guard Deron Williams, super-quick Golden State two-guard Monta Ellis (shooting 41 percent and averaging a measly 18.8 points in four games vs. the Suns), Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, Miami's LeBron James of the Miami Heat and Clippers' rookie power forward Blake Griffin.
While simply attempting to deal with the names on this list is worthy of reward, Hill has succeeded in either limiting their production or forcing these players to work harder than usual to post numbers. If enough voters have been paying attention, a spot on the league's All-Defensive Team should be automatic.
We're not sure what Hill's been drinking during this healthy run in Phoenix, but we know that he - like Nash - follows a consistent, comprehensive training regimen. This includes a diet that, according to witnesses, is about as a strict as what you see on those reality TV survival programs.
OK, they're probably not wolfing down handfuls of pre-game crickets, but chicken, fish, dried fruit, vegetables and raw nuts are in, while pasta, rice, breads and other processed foods routinely are out.
Nash, who turned 37 last month, has had plenty of excuses to give in and head for the McDonald's drive-through window for a discipline-busting cheeseburger, fries and a shake.
It began, at least publicly, when pick-and-roll co-star Amar'e Stoudemire left for New York, leaving Nash to find ways to incorporate several mismatched newcomers into the Phoenix offense. The door began revolving last summer and continued in December. Nash also has persevered through the end of his marriage, season-long rumors of his departure through trade or eventual free agency, and nagging injuries that kept him out of four games the Suns lost.
Through it all, Nash has been jockeying with Boston's Rajon Rondo to be the league's assist leader while providing almost 16 points per game. By the way, his overall field-goal percentage is above 50 percent, again, and - despite a recent cold streak brought on by injury-related balance issues - the 3-point accuracy is at 41 percent.
Efficiency has not defined the post-trade performance of the 34-year-old Carter. To be fair, there have been glimpses of Vinsanity-esque productivity, but the numbers - 14.3 points per game on 42-percent shooting - are skewed higher by big bursts in the first quarter. With knees we almost can hear creaking from press row, Carter no longer has the north-south burst, cutting ability or vertical explosion that used to enable him to transform shaky decisions into highlight-reel maneuvers. Instead, Carter - asked to provide the Suns with a measure of go-to scoring power - either fades to shoot contested jumpers or makes low-flying moves to the rim that usually end badly.
Attention to balance, stepping into the catch when he's open or using proper footwork to stop for mid-range attempts rarely appeared in Carter's game when he was younger and physically superior. Now that the pop has abandoned his legs, this lack of detail and adaptation often makes Carter a liability late in games.
Similar failure to prepare and adjust - on the court and off - also help to explain the grinding halt of Allen Iverson's NBA career. The iron will that served Iverson during his prime became career-dooming stubbornness when A.I. was asked to take a slightly limited role.
Like Carter and Iverson, Bryant's early years frequently were underscored by tremendous athletic feats. But like Michael Jordan, Kobe has continued to add and adapt as the regular seasons and playoff runs take their toll on his 32-year-old knees. Still capable of rising to high-noon challenges, Bryant thrives because he understands how to attack from different spots on the floor and how to get there when it matters.
This adaptive quality is seen in Dallas Mavericks superstar Dirk Nowitzki, who will be 33 in June and averages more than 23 points per game by knowing how to take what defenders give him.
On the flip side, Hedo Turkoglu of the Orlando Magic struggles to maintain what had been a high-level of play because he doesn't read defenses or prepare for these situations like Bryant or Nowitzki. Sure, he never was close to their level in the first place, but his inconsistency should make Magic fans cringe as the 32-year-old Hedo pulls in that fat paycheck.
Maybe he wasn't around Nash and Hill in Phoenix long enough to get that paycheck off of processed foods.
From a collective standpoint, the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs offers long-in-the-tooth stars who manage to keep their teams in title contention.
In Beantown, the work ethic starts with Kevin Garnett, who has demonstrated preparatory intensity his entire career. Another Celtic refusing to surrender to the harsh reality of time is 35-year-old Ray Allen, a long-time premium athlete whose commitment to staying sharp has resulted in a 17-point-per-game average and a 46-percent mark from beyond the arc.
The Cs also are hoping for an uprising from codger Shaquille O'Neal; had Shaq done more work over the summer during his career, the regular breakdowns probably wouldn't have turned him into a role player before his time.
The Spurs have attempted to inject some youth to assist their veteran core but still rally around old post man Tim Duncan. Although Duncan's physical downshift is hard to miss, his attention to maintenance should help the recovery from a current ankle injury. NBA "bigs" typically can remain productive in their golden years because they aren't require to zip around the court. But those who give short shrift to conditioning eventually surrender to the bulk that's been compromising their knees, ankles and feet.
Spurs teammate Manu Ginobili, a resilient wing player with a history of injury, has been able to produce another quality season at age 33. Manu is shooting a chilly 43 percent from the field but is expected to help San Antonio - which holds the league's best record - rise far above last year's playoff run.
Thanks to Nash, Hill and their pals, the Spurs were swept by Phoenix in the Western Conference's semifinal round.
For the Arizona fountain of youth, that was as close as it gets to happy hour.
2011年3月17日星期四
With Kendrick Perkins in the fold, how close is the team to being championship caliber?
The recently-acquired center likes to think of himself as just another building block, not the final piece to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s championship puzzle.
"I’m just trying to bring what I know to these young guys," said Perkins, who won it all with Boston in 2008. "We’ve got a good group of young guys that work hard, stay humble and are talented. I’m just trying to do what I can to come in and fit in."
NBA analysts gushed over Oklahoma City as a title contender before the paperwork could be filed on the four-player deal with Boston that brought Perkins to town on Feb. 24. But the history of league champions suggests Perkins’ arrival simply sparks a waiting game in Oklahoma City rather than a speedier trip to a title.
The NBA is the ultimate lunch line when it comes to championship winners, and, at best, the Thunder merely has taken its number with Perkins aboard. Over the past 31 years only eight franchises have been crowned as league champions. The Los Angeles Lakers have won 10 times over that span, Chicago has captured six titles, San Antonio and Boston each secured four championships, Detroit won it three times, Houston has two titles and Philadelphia and Miami each won one.
As the Thunder and Heat square off tonight inside American Airlines [AMR] Arena, they’ll represent the most likely franchises that figure to be next in line.
"There’s no easy path to that level. You have to earn it by working every day," said Thunder coach Scott Brooks, a member of the championship-winning 1994 Rockets. "We’re getting pieces to having a good team. Perk is another good piece to getting where we want to get to."
Perkins joins a stable of young talent that is led by soon-to-be back-to-back scoring champ Kevin Durant and fellow All-Star Russell Westbrook. Together, despite both being just 22, they form the league’s third highest scoring duo. And they’re flanked by what appears to be the right blend of role players, a mix of veteran glue guys (Nick Collison and Thabo Sefolosha) and other young, untapped potential (James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Eric Maynor and Cole Aldrich).
"But it takes a lot of work, effort and good players," Brooks said. "Not just one or two, it takes a team full of good players. And it takes some good fortune. We’re building our team with some good players. We want to keep working and keep improving. I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but we think like champions. We do everything like a champion."
Despite all the hype following last month’s trade, the Thunder still looks to be a year away from true contention. The Lakers, Spurs and Celtics [team stats] are the clear favorites for now. But as each of those teams continues to age, it’s the Thunder’s spry young nucleus that threatens to take over.
Growth is the name of the game at this point.
"You’ll know when they’re mature when they win a playoff series," said Washington coach Flip Saunders, who reached the Conference Finals in four out of five seasons as coach of Minnesota and Detroit between 2004 and 2008. "That’s their next step. And you hope that you can do that by winning your division and having home court advantage."
The Thunder is on track, currently sitting in fourth place in the West standings with a 3 1/2-game lead over Denver for the Northwest Division title and home court advantage. Oklahoma City also is on pace to win 53 games, three more than last year’s total.
"Players we have are growing," said Durant. "It’s just a matter of us bringing that all together."
Brooks is coaching with one eye on today’s development and the other on lessons for tomorrow. A buzz phrase around the Thunder is ’build good habits.’ Brooks explains good habits as fundamentals such as making the extra pass, setting solid screens, rebounding and boxing out.
"Those little things add up to big things," Brooks said. "And players and teams can do it occasionally but to do it consistently, that’s what makes real pros and makes good teams. And we want to be able to put the good habits together every night."
"I’m just trying to bring what I know to these young guys," said Perkins, who won it all with Boston in 2008. "We’ve got a good group of young guys that work hard, stay humble and are talented. I’m just trying to do what I can to come in and fit in."
NBA analysts gushed over Oklahoma City as a title contender before the paperwork could be filed on the four-player deal with Boston that brought Perkins to town on Feb. 24. But the history of league champions suggests Perkins’ arrival simply sparks a waiting game in Oklahoma City rather than a speedier trip to a title.
The NBA is the ultimate lunch line when it comes to championship winners, and, at best, the Thunder merely has taken its number with Perkins aboard. Over the past 31 years only eight franchises have been crowned as league champions. The Los Angeles Lakers have won 10 times over that span, Chicago has captured six titles, San Antonio and Boston each secured four championships, Detroit won it three times, Houston has two titles and Philadelphia and Miami each won one.
As the Thunder and Heat square off tonight inside American Airlines [AMR] Arena, they’ll represent the most likely franchises that figure to be next in line.
"There’s no easy path to that level. You have to earn it by working every day," said Thunder coach Scott Brooks, a member of the championship-winning 1994 Rockets. "We’re getting pieces to having a good team. Perk is another good piece to getting where we want to get to."
Perkins joins a stable of young talent that is led by soon-to-be back-to-back scoring champ Kevin Durant and fellow All-Star Russell Westbrook. Together, despite both being just 22, they form the league’s third highest scoring duo. And they’re flanked by what appears to be the right blend of role players, a mix of veteran glue guys (Nick Collison and Thabo Sefolosha) and other young, untapped potential (James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Eric Maynor and Cole Aldrich).
"But it takes a lot of work, effort and good players," Brooks said. "Not just one or two, it takes a team full of good players. And it takes some good fortune. We’re building our team with some good players. We want to keep working and keep improving. I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but we think like champions. We do everything like a champion."
Despite all the hype following last month’s trade, the Thunder still looks to be a year away from true contention. The Lakers, Spurs and Celtics [team stats] are the clear favorites for now. But as each of those teams continues to age, it’s the Thunder’s spry young nucleus that threatens to take over.
Growth is the name of the game at this point.
"You’ll know when they’re mature when they win a playoff series," said Washington coach Flip Saunders, who reached the Conference Finals in four out of five seasons as coach of Minnesota and Detroit between 2004 and 2008. "That’s their next step. And you hope that you can do that by winning your division and having home court advantage."
The Thunder is on track, currently sitting in fourth place in the West standings with a 3 1/2-game lead over Denver for the Northwest Division title and home court advantage. Oklahoma City also is on pace to win 53 games, three more than last year’s total.
"Players we have are growing," said Durant. "It’s just a matter of us bringing that all together."
Brooks is coaching with one eye on today’s development and the other on lessons for tomorrow. A buzz phrase around the Thunder is ’build good habits.’ Brooks explains good habits as fundamentals such as making the extra pass, setting solid screens, rebounding and boxing out.
"Those little things add up to big things," Brooks said. "And players and teams can do it occasionally but to do it consistently, that’s what makes real pros and makes good teams. And we want to be able to put the good habits together every night."
2011年3月3日星期四
NFL Draft: Cam Newton Is No. 1
I’ll say it now. Cam Newton is going to be the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL draft. As we know, QB is the most important position on an NFL team, by far. And despite murky forecast for NFL football in 2011, there is one thing that the NFLPA and the NFL agree on, and that’s the need for a rookie wage scale. We don’t have any
idea what that might look like, but we do know that one will be instituted and that we won’t see any guarantees of $50M (Sam Bradford) for any rookie ever again. Those ridiculous guarantees made it almost punitive for a team with many weaknesses to pick high in the draft, let alone a QB, the most expensive proposition. I’m sure that the Detroit Lions love Matthew Stafford’s ability and talent, but there is simply no way that he’s worth the guaranteed dollars (over $41M) that he’s been paid because in two seasons he’s only played in 13 total games, has thrown for 2,802 yards, 19 TDs, 21 INTs, and has a QB rating of 67.1. I like Stafford a lot as a QB and think he can be one of the best in the game, but if he can’t stay on the field he’s not worth the money. Hell, he’s not even worth a quarter of the money that they’ve already given him as it sits right now.
My point is this, if the rookie wage takes away the gigantic guaranteed money NFL teams must pay to sign their high draft picks, then the risk to that team goes down substantially and they can “gamble” on picking a QB that may or may not pan out because the financial ramifications aren’t devastating. And if an NFL team thinks that Cam Newton has the skills to be a successful QB in the league, then he’s not a top 10 pick, he’s the No. 1 pick. It’s an easy choice. If any NFL team had the opportunity to draft Josh Freeman or Ben Roethlisberger (knowing what we know about those two QBs right now) in the 2011 NFL they would pick either of those guys No. 1 without flinching and they would have done it last year without the salary restrictions. But this year? Please. QB-hungry teams are playing chicken right now, they want Cam Newton but they are hoping that he falls to them because of the “issues” that he has.
And let’s talk about those for a moment. Here’s what we know:
Cam’s dad, Cecil, shopped his son around to college programs when Cam was at Blinn Community College. He wanted 180k for his son’s signature on a letter of intent. We know that he offered this “deal” to Mississippi State, who turned him down. The NCAA determined that Cam knew nothing about this and therefore didn’t investigate further. Case closed (for now). So what does this tell us? It tells me only this: first, Cecil Newton was incredibly short-sighted. Second, Cecil did not fully appreciate the talents that his son possesses. He was short-sighted because in the long run of Cam’s career, 180k is a preposterously low amount of money, I mean, Bryant McKinnie could blow through that in a day and a half posted up at a hotel bar. He did not fully appreciate Cam’s talents because he wanted to get his money now, instead of waiting until his son blows up nationally. He did not want to risk not getting anything off of Cam’s talents, so he wanted to get some guaranteed money just in case Cam’s career went nowhere. Was it greedy? Of course. Was it stupid? Well that’s a stupid question. Was Cecil looking out for his son? Yeah, probably. Is it Cam’s fault? I don’t think so.
So, the “red flag” here is that Cam’s dad may not have the best head on his shoulders. Should the sins of the father be born by the son? I don’t think that’s fair. Also, isn’t it a good thing that he has a dad who cares about him, even if he is arguably a buffoon? Would it be better if Cam’s dad abandoned him and that he never had a dad around?
Another “issue” he has is that whole weird deal with the laptop when he was a freshman at Florida. The details are fuzzy and it was probably the reason that he decided to leave school (rather than depth-chart issues sitting behind Tim Tebow). Whatever happened at Florida obviously changed him because no one has unearthed any other scrapes with the law. Also, it takes adversity (self-inflicted or otherwise) sometimes for people to figure out who they are and who they want to be. Do you think that he was happy about having to go play at a freakin’ junior college after being on the roster of arguably the best program in the nation at the time? I’d say that experience humbled the hell out of Newton and set him straight a little bit.
The last “issue” that Cam has is that he is more interested in becoming famous than he is interested in becoming a great football player. To that I say shut the f**k up. Newton has a megawatt personality and is an impossibly good-looking guy, so because of that and some off-handed comment he made in the context of promoting Under Armor (“I see myself not only as a football player, but an entertainer and icon”) the media had their justification to pimp this “issue.” The media have implied that this guy is just like the other athletes who want to be famous but don’t want to put in the work to be great. I’d like to know where, exactly that comes from. All I know is what I saw on the field and a dude that is essentially 90% of a national title team’s offense had to have worked hard. Also, I’d ask that you take a look at the man. (If I could figure out the PI’s new publishing system, I’d embed a video, but I can’t, so I won’t). He’s 6’5 248 and looks like an anatomy chart. When I was watching him work out at the combine, I pressed pause when he was standing by himself with no frame of reference around him and asked my wife, “How tall do you think he is?” She said she had no idea and I said, “Okay, do you think he’s over 6’2 or under 6’2.” She guessed under. He simply looks like a 5’10 running back when standing on his own because his body is so proportional, but he’s 6’5! He just looks like he’s out of scale amongst other humans.
The point is you don’t get to be that kind of physical specimen by not working hard. You do not get to look like that if you sit on your couch all day and go to parties and don’t work out. He has a beautiful throwing motion, he has great touch, his arm is definitely strong enough, and he’s built like an Uruk from “Lord of the Rings” (please excuse the dip into dorkism, thank you). I haven’t heard any issues with Cam Newton being lazy or arrogant. I haven’t heard that his teammates dislike him. I’ve only seen him dominate college football and look great doing it. The only issues I see are that he’s got some poor foot mechanics and that he played in a run-oriented spread offense (although less so than say, Oregon). But he was still everything to Auburn. Without him, they are good, but they’re more like LSU-good (e.g. good everywhere except QB) as opposed to national title good.
For Carolina the answer is easy.
The question is: Would you rather have Cam Newton or Jimmy Clausen as your QB of the present and future?
I mean, come on.
If Carolina doesn’t pick him, they’ll regret it forever. The QB position is just too important and Cam Newton is just too talented to fail. He’s just too big, too good, and any flaws that he has can be fixed by a good quarterback coach. Talent like this is too good to pass up, and I think Carolina knows it.
Speaking of QB coaches… Carolina’s new QB coach is Mike Shula. Here’s where Shula spent the last 21 years (with the starting QBs in parentheses)
90 QB Coach– Tampa (Vinny Testaverde)
91-92 offensive assistant – Miami (Dan Marino)
93-95 TE coach – Chicago (Jim Harbaugh, Steve Walsh, Erik Kramer)
96-99 offensive coordinator – Tampa (Trent Dilfer, Shaun King)
00-02 QB coach – Miami (Jay Fiedler, Ray Lucas)
03-06 head coach – Alabama (Brodie Croyle, Spencer Pennington, John Parker Wilson)
07-10 QB coach Jacksonville (David Garrard)
The Jacksonville experience is certainly the most relevant with regard to Cam Newton. Shula’s first year in Jacksonville coincides with Garrard’s first year as a starter and Shula helped turn Garrard into a pro-bowl-caliber player.
Garrard’s stats under Shula…
63% passes
12,460 yards (avg. 3,115)
71 Tds (avg. 17.75)
41 INTs (avg. 10.25)
89.6 QB rating
Garrard is talented and mobile, but he’s nowhere near the athletic marvel that is Cam Newton and if Shula could turn Garrard into a pro bowler, I’m guessing that he can do the same with Newton.
I suppose the bottom line is this, are the off-the-field concerns legitimate enough to warrant passing on a talent like Newton?
I say hell no.
Draft him and be happy you did so, Carolina.
idea what that might look like, but we do know that one will be instituted and that we won’t see any guarantees of $50M (Sam Bradford) for any rookie ever again. Those ridiculous guarantees made it almost punitive for a team with many weaknesses to pick high in the draft, let alone a QB, the most expensive proposition. I’m sure that the Detroit Lions love Matthew Stafford’s ability and talent, but there is simply no way that he’s worth the guaranteed dollars (over $41M) that he’s been paid because in two seasons he’s only played in 13 total games, has thrown for 2,802 yards, 19 TDs, 21 INTs, and has a QB rating of 67.1. I like Stafford a lot as a QB and think he can be one of the best in the game, but if he can’t stay on the field he’s not worth the money. Hell, he’s not even worth a quarter of the money that they’ve already given him as it sits right now.
My point is this, if the rookie wage takes away the gigantic guaranteed money NFL teams must pay to sign their high draft picks, then the risk to that team goes down substantially and they can “gamble” on picking a QB that may or may not pan out because the financial ramifications aren’t devastating. And if an NFL team thinks that Cam Newton has the skills to be a successful QB in the league, then he’s not a top 10 pick, he’s the No. 1 pick. It’s an easy choice. If any NFL team had the opportunity to draft Josh Freeman or Ben Roethlisberger (knowing what we know about those two QBs right now) in the 2011 NFL they would pick either of those guys No. 1 without flinching and they would have done it last year without the salary restrictions. But this year? Please. QB-hungry teams are playing chicken right now, they want Cam Newton but they are hoping that he falls to them because of the “issues” that he has.
And let’s talk about those for a moment. Here’s what we know:
Cam’s dad, Cecil, shopped his son around to college programs when Cam was at Blinn Community College. He wanted 180k for his son’s signature on a letter of intent. We know that he offered this “deal” to Mississippi State, who turned him down. The NCAA determined that Cam knew nothing about this and therefore didn’t investigate further. Case closed (for now). So what does this tell us? It tells me only this: first, Cecil Newton was incredibly short-sighted. Second, Cecil did not fully appreciate the talents that his son possesses. He was short-sighted because in the long run of Cam’s career, 180k is a preposterously low amount of money, I mean, Bryant McKinnie could blow through that in a day and a half posted up at a hotel bar. He did not fully appreciate Cam’s talents because he wanted to get his money now, instead of waiting until his son blows up nationally. He did not want to risk not getting anything off of Cam’s talents, so he wanted to get some guaranteed money just in case Cam’s career went nowhere. Was it greedy? Of course. Was it stupid? Well that’s a stupid question. Was Cecil looking out for his son? Yeah, probably. Is it Cam’s fault? I don’t think so.
So, the “red flag” here is that Cam’s dad may not have the best head on his shoulders. Should the sins of the father be born by the son? I don’t think that’s fair. Also, isn’t it a good thing that he has a dad who cares about him, even if he is arguably a buffoon? Would it be better if Cam’s dad abandoned him and that he never had a dad around?
Another “issue” he has is that whole weird deal with the laptop when he was a freshman at Florida. The details are fuzzy and it was probably the reason that he decided to leave school (rather than depth-chart issues sitting behind Tim Tebow). Whatever happened at Florida obviously changed him because no one has unearthed any other scrapes with the law. Also, it takes adversity (self-inflicted or otherwise) sometimes for people to figure out who they are and who they want to be. Do you think that he was happy about having to go play at a freakin’ junior college after being on the roster of arguably the best program in the nation at the time? I’d say that experience humbled the hell out of Newton and set him straight a little bit.
The last “issue” that Cam has is that he is more interested in becoming famous than he is interested in becoming a great football player. To that I say shut the f**k up. Newton has a megawatt personality and is an impossibly good-looking guy, so because of that and some off-handed comment he made in the context of promoting Under Armor (“I see myself not only as a football player, but an entertainer and icon”) the media had their justification to pimp this “issue.” The media have implied that this guy is just like the other athletes who want to be famous but don’t want to put in the work to be great. I’d like to know where, exactly that comes from. All I know is what I saw on the field and a dude that is essentially 90% of a national title team’s offense had to have worked hard. Also, I’d ask that you take a look at the man. (If I could figure out the PI’s new publishing system, I’d embed a video, but I can’t, so I won’t). He’s 6’5 248 and looks like an anatomy chart. When I was watching him work out at the combine, I pressed pause when he was standing by himself with no frame of reference around him and asked my wife, “How tall do you think he is?” She said she had no idea and I said, “Okay, do you think he’s over 6’2 or under 6’2.” She guessed under. He simply looks like a 5’10 running back when standing on his own because his body is so proportional, but he’s 6’5! He just looks like he’s out of scale amongst other humans.
The point is you don’t get to be that kind of physical specimen by not working hard. You do not get to look like that if you sit on your couch all day and go to parties and don’t work out. He has a beautiful throwing motion, he has great touch, his arm is definitely strong enough, and he’s built like an Uruk from “Lord of the Rings” (please excuse the dip into dorkism, thank you). I haven’t heard any issues with Cam Newton being lazy or arrogant. I haven’t heard that his teammates dislike him. I’ve only seen him dominate college football and look great doing it. The only issues I see are that he’s got some poor foot mechanics and that he played in a run-oriented spread offense (although less so than say, Oregon). But he was still everything to Auburn. Without him, they are good, but they’re more like LSU-good (e.g. good everywhere except QB) as opposed to national title good.
For Carolina the answer is easy.
The question is: Would you rather have Cam Newton or Jimmy Clausen as your QB of the present and future?
I mean, come on.
If Carolina doesn’t pick him, they’ll regret it forever. The QB position is just too important and Cam Newton is just too talented to fail. He’s just too big, too good, and any flaws that he has can be fixed by a good quarterback coach. Talent like this is too good to pass up, and I think Carolina knows it.
Speaking of QB coaches… Carolina’s new QB coach is Mike Shula. Here’s where Shula spent the last 21 years (with the starting QBs in parentheses)
90 QB Coach– Tampa (Vinny Testaverde)
91-92 offensive assistant – Miami (Dan Marino)
93-95 TE coach – Chicago (Jim Harbaugh, Steve Walsh, Erik Kramer)
96-99 offensive coordinator – Tampa (Trent Dilfer, Shaun King)
00-02 QB coach – Miami (Jay Fiedler, Ray Lucas)
03-06 head coach – Alabama (Brodie Croyle, Spencer Pennington, John Parker Wilson)
07-10 QB coach Jacksonville (David Garrard)
The Jacksonville experience is certainly the most relevant with regard to Cam Newton. Shula’s first year in Jacksonville coincides with Garrard’s first year as a starter and Shula helped turn Garrard into a pro-bowl-caliber player.
Garrard’s stats under Shula…
63% passes
12,460 yards (avg. 3,115)
71 Tds (avg. 17.75)
41 INTs (avg. 10.25)
89.6 QB rating
Garrard is talented and mobile, but he’s nowhere near the athletic marvel that is Cam Newton and if Shula could turn Garrard into a pro bowler, I’m guessing that he can do the same with Newton.
I suppose the bottom line is this, are the off-the-field concerns legitimate enough to warrant passing on a talent like Newton?
I say hell no.
Draft him and be happy you did so, Carolina.
2011年2月22日星期二
Lakers stuck in reverse, but foes expect revival
They know Kobe Bryant isn't over the hill just yet.
Bryant's 37-point MVP performance in Sunday's NBA All-Star Game was the latest evidence that the 32-year-old is not too creaky to lead the Lakers to one more Phil Jackson-coached three-peat. It would be Bryant's second three-peat and Jackson's fourth.
But can a 38-19 team that entered the All-Star break off three losses in a row, the last to the 10-46 Cleveland Cavaliers, be expected to contend for the NBA title?
"Yep," Bryant says.
Really?
"Absolutely," he says.
So what's wrong with the Lakers?
"We suck," he says.
When will it get better?
"Tuesday," he says.
Among what needs to get better:
•The bench, so productive early in the season, is inconsistent.
•The defense, at times, is non-existent.
ANTHONY DEALT: Carmelo to join Knicks
BIG MAN BACK? Noah set to return for Bulls
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: With Carmelo trade, other deals could fall into place
•Speaking of non-existent, forward Ron Artest, hero of the NBA Finals Game 7 win against the Boston Celtics last June, is averaging 7.9 points and scored one point in 18 minutes of the loss last Wednesday to Cleveland, the team the Lakers beat by 55 earlier in the season.
If the playoffs began today, the San Antonio Spurs (46-10) and Dallas Mavericks (40-16) would have home-court advantages over the Lakers.
In the East, the Celtics (40-14), Miami Heat (41-15) and Chicago Bulls (38-16) have better records than the Lakers.
But opponents aren't fooled by the Lakers:
•"Maybe it's hard after winning back-to-back championships, but I think when the playoffs start, they're the team to beat in the West," Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki says.
•"They're fine," New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul says. "I still think they're the best team."
•"They have the experience. They've been there forever. They have Kobe," Heat forward Chris Bosh says. "They're kind of down right now because they've had a couple of bad losses and people are starting to write them off. When people do that, that kind of gives teams motivation.
"I know with us, (a slump) was magnified. Just like with the Lakers, it's magnified right now. They're going to have to get past that. But it's not the first time they've been in a situation like that."
Assessing the Lakers at any one point is difficult. Just take the last road trip. They started 4-0, including an impressive victory at Boston. Then … thud.
"There's been a lot of hot and cold this year and a lot of contrasts, unfortunately," All-Star Lakers forward Pau Gasol says. "We need to find a certain level of consistency. I think we can do that."
The Lakers were thought to be interested in swapping center Andrew Bynum for Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, a move that would drastically alter the look on both ends of the Los Angeles court.
But general manager Mitch Kupchak has downplayed the Lakers' interest in changing the roster before Thursday's trading deadline. The team did get forward Matt Barnes back for non-contact practice Monday for the first time since tearing cartilage in his right knee six weeks ago. He could return to action next week.
"I don't know about trades," Gasol says. "I don't know what's going to happen. I have no control over that. I think with the team we have and the weapons we have on our team, we should be perfectly fine. Things are not clicking at this particular time."
He says topic No. 1 in the Lakers locker room is team play.
"We're all in this, and we can't make this worse and we have to play right," Gasol says. "It won't happen by people trying on their own. As much as you can try individually, you have to put your efforts together in order to accomplish the team's success."
Bryant's 37-point MVP performance in Sunday's NBA All-Star Game was the latest evidence that the 32-year-old is not too creaky to lead the Lakers to one more Phil Jackson-coached three-peat. It would be Bryant's second three-peat and Jackson's fourth.
But can a 38-19 team that entered the All-Star break off three losses in a row, the last to the 10-46 Cleveland Cavaliers, be expected to contend for the NBA title?
"Yep," Bryant says.
Really?
"Absolutely," he says.
So what's wrong with the Lakers?
"We suck," he says.
When will it get better?
"Tuesday," he says.
Among what needs to get better:
•The bench, so productive early in the season, is inconsistent.
•The defense, at times, is non-existent.
ANTHONY DEALT: Carmelo to join Knicks
BIG MAN BACK? Noah set to return for Bulls
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: With Carmelo trade, other deals could fall into place
•Speaking of non-existent, forward Ron Artest, hero of the NBA Finals Game 7 win against the Boston Celtics last June, is averaging 7.9 points and scored one point in 18 minutes of the loss last Wednesday to Cleveland, the team the Lakers beat by 55 earlier in the season.
If the playoffs began today, the San Antonio Spurs (46-10) and Dallas Mavericks (40-16) would have home-court advantages over the Lakers.
In the East, the Celtics (40-14), Miami Heat (41-15) and Chicago Bulls (38-16) have better records than the Lakers.
But opponents aren't fooled by the Lakers:
•"Maybe it's hard after winning back-to-back championships, but I think when the playoffs start, they're the team to beat in the West," Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki says.
•"They're fine," New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul says. "I still think they're the best team."
•"They have the experience. They've been there forever. They have Kobe," Heat forward Chris Bosh says. "They're kind of down right now because they've had a couple of bad losses and people are starting to write them off. When people do that, that kind of gives teams motivation.
"I know with us, (a slump) was magnified. Just like with the Lakers, it's magnified right now. They're going to have to get past that. But it's not the first time they've been in a situation like that."
Assessing the Lakers at any one point is difficult. Just take the last road trip. They started 4-0, including an impressive victory at Boston. Then … thud.
"There's been a lot of hot and cold this year and a lot of contrasts, unfortunately," All-Star Lakers forward Pau Gasol says. "We need to find a certain level of consistency. I think we can do that."
The Lakers were thought to be interested in swapping center Andrew Bynum for Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, a move that would drastically alter the look on both ends of the Los Angeles court.
But general manager Mitch Kupchak has downplayed the Lakers' interest in changing the roster before Thursday's trading deadline. The team did get forward Matt Barnes back for non-contact practice Monday for the first time since tearing cartilage in his right knee six weeks ago. He could return to action next week.
"I don't know about trades," Gasol says. "I don't know what's going to happen. I have no control over that. I think with the team we have and the weapons we have on our team, we should be perfectly fine. Things are not clicking at this particular time."
He says topic No. 1 in the Lakers locker room is team play.
"We're all in this, and we can't make this worse and we have to play right," Gasol says. "It won't happen by people trying on their own. As much as you can try individually, you have to put your efforts together in order to accomplish the team's success."
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