UNC’s Hansbrough Coming Back

By Chris Le

North Carolina forward and consensus player of the year, Tyler Hansbrough, announced that he will forgo the NBA draft and return for his senior season. Hansbrough averaged 22.6 points and 10.2 rebounds, leading the Tar Heels to a 36-2 record before losing to eventual national champion Kansas in the Final Four.

Hansbrough’s announcement comes after fellow teammates, speedy point guard Ty Lawson and sharp-shooting Wayne Ellington, declared for the draft but will not hire agents, making them eligible to return to school.

If all three return, UNC will be the prohibitive favorite to win the 2009 National Championship. But if it is only Hansbrough that comes back, they’ll still remain a top-5 team with their depth and another solid recruiting class.

—

Bottom line: Hansbrough wants a national championship. There’s no other explanation for his return. It’s not because he wants to improve his draft stock; in fact, I don’t think it could be any higher. I view him as being in the same boat as UCLA’s Kevin Love, where his height and athleticism–the only aspects of his game that pro GMs question–won’t (can’t) get better with one more year of college.

Nope. For Hansbrough, it’s about ridding himself of that bitter taste in his mouth after disappointing tournament exits by the hands of Georgetown and Kansas. Additionally, next year’s draft looks to have a lot less depth, possibly upping his chances of going in the lottery.

Augustin To Take Off After Two Years At Texas

This will be an ongoing list of underclassmen who have declared for the NBA draft (with some comments provided by ESPN.com) and are either foregoing their college eligibility by signing with an agent or are very likely to stay in the draft. Underclassmen have until April 27 to declare for the June 26 draft. Those who did not hire an agent have until June 16 to withdraw their name from the draft.

D.J. Augustin, Texas (Sophomore), PG – Projection: Lottery
Recap: All-American, won Bob Cousy Award for top point guard, led team with averages of 19.2 points and 5.8 assists and 118 3-pointers.

Keith Brumbaugh, Hillsborough Community College, SF – Projection: Late first to early second
Recap: Top scorer in the junior college level, averaging 36.5 points to go with 10 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 4.8 steals.

Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis (Junior), SG – Projection: Late first to early second
Recap: All-American, NCAA all-tournament team, Conference USA player of the year, averaged a team-high 18.1 points and 41.3 percent on 3-pointers and helped Memphis win 38 games, a record for most wins in a season.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, UCLA (Junior), SF – Projection: Late first to early second
Pros: Aggressive defender.
Similarities: Ron Artest

Kevin Love, UCLA (Freshman), C – Projection: Lottery
Recap: All-American who averaged a team-high 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds.
Pros: Strong in the paint.
Similarities: Bill Walton

Brandon Rush, Kansas (Junior), SG – Projection: Mid to late first round
Recap: MVP of the Big 12 tournament, and averaged a team-high 13.3 points.

The Weekly Rundown

By Bryan Jeon

Calzaghe Outpunches Hopkins To Stay Undefeated

Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KO) connected with 232 punches, the most ever against Bernard Hopkins (48-5-1, 32 KO) in his 21 fights tracked by CompuBox statistics, to win a split decision Saturday night in Las Vegas. After B-Hop exclaimed that he “would never lose to a white boy” in one of their face-to-face meetings leading up to the fight, he staggered Calzaghe in the first round in what would be the only knockdown of the fight. Calzaghe’s relentless barrage of goofy-looking punches was all the difference against the noticeably slow 43-year-old, and I’m surprised Hopkins can even be considered to win the fight despite some crisper punches. The 36-year-old British southpaw would arguably be the top pound-for-pound boxer if Floyd Mayweather were to lose to Oscar De La Hoya in their rematch later this year.

Ochoa Wins Fourth Straight; Tiger Out At Least Four Weeks

Folks, we have an undisputed number one women’s golfer by the name of Lorena Ochoa. Ochoa won her fourth event in as many weeks after taking the Ginn Open by three strokes. Only three other golfers in women’s history have accomplished this feat, the last being future Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam in 2001.

Meanwhile, the men’s number one golfer Tiger Woods is out for four to six weeks after having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, his second operation in five years on the same knee. Will this be the 32-year-old’s kryptonite? Good thing golfers are never hurried to take a shot. Woods hopes to return in time for the second major of the year, the U.S. Open.

Danica Makes History With First Win In 50 Tries

And of course, who won’t acknowledge Danica Patrick’s first career win and more importantly, thefirst win by a women in IndyCar history? It was the 26-year-old’s 50th career race at the Indy Japan 300 Sunday, and the winner finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of pole-sitter Helio Castroneves. Being a female, Patrick proceeded to cry during her emotional win.

Woman Wins Marathon By Two Seconds

Dire Tune beat Alevtina Biktimirova by two seconds in the Boston Marathon on Monday in the closest finish in the history of the women’s race. Can you imagine running 26.2 miles and being just two seconds away from someone? That’s mind-blowing to me. With the win, the 22-year-old Tune, who finished in 2:25:25, earned $150,000, the biggest in major marathon history.

On the men’s side, Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya won his fourth marathon, tied for second all-time, with a time of 2:07:46. Only Clarence DeMar of the U.S. has more Boston Marathon wins, earning his 7th in 1930.

NHL Playoffs (thru 4/22)

Western Conference
(1) Detroit beat (8) Nashville in series, 4-2
(2) San Jose beat (7) Calgary, 4-3
(6) Colorado beat (3) Minnesota, 4-2
(5) Dallas beat (4) Anaheim, 4-2

(1) Detroit vs. (6) Colorado
(2) San Jose vs. (5) Dallas

Eastern Conference
(1) Montreal beat (8) Boston, 4-3
(2) Pittsburgh beat (7) Ottawa, 4-0
(6) Philadelphia beat (3) Washington, 4-3
(5) NY Rangers beat (4) New Jersey, 4-1

(1) Montreal vs. (6) Philadelphia
(2) Pittsburgh vs. (5) NY Rangers

Go !

A Look Ahead: NFL Draft

It’s here, boys. The 2008 NFL draft starts on Sat., April 26 at 12p PT on ESPN, where the day will be spent on the first two rounds. Rounds 3 through 7 will take place on Sunday at 7a PT. The Miami Dolphins, who finished 1-15 last year, took out all of the drama of the first overall pick by signing Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long on Tuesday to a 5-year, $57.75 million contract with $30 million guaranteed. Long becomes the highest-paid lineman in the NFL after being an All-American selection and Big Ten lineman of the year in his last two seasons.

NBA Playoff Predictions

By Chris Le

I’ve been looking forward to the postseason for months now. Initially, my interest was in seeing which team would be left out in the West. That one was a big mystery ever since the All-Star break. Once Denver all but wrapped up the 8^th seed by beating the Warriors a week or so ago, the intrigue moved to how all the seedings would pan out. It came down to the very last day of the regular season, but we finally got to see which teams would be facing who. And it didn’t disappoint.

Because of the parity and all the back stories, there are so many unanswered questions and unknowns in what may be the greatest playoffs in NBA history. Which of the millions of trades this year will ultimately be the one that wins a team the title? Can the defending champion Spurs get out of the first round, let alone win a second consecutive championship? Will the Lakers and Celtics resurrect the rivalry and meet in the Finals? Can LeBron once again carry his team to the promised land? Who will be this year’s Golden State and have a Cinderella run? Will there even be one? These are only a small morsel of curiosities of this year’s playoffs.

Here’s my take on the opening-round action:

Eastern Conference

(8) Atlanta Hawks vs. (1) Boston Celtics

Regular Season Series: Celtics 3-0

Outcome: Not much to explain here. Too much defense (the C’s are second in the league in points allowed and lead the NBA in opponent field goal percentage and opponent three-point percentage) for an Atlanta team that is probably content just being in the postseason. In the end, Boston has more weapons that Atlanta cannot answer than vice versa. Kevin Garnett and the Celtics easily brush aside the Hawks. Celtics in 4.

(7) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (2) Detroit Pistons

Regular Season Series: Tied 2-2

Outcome: Of all the lower seeds in the East, I think Philadelphia is the team most squads want to face the least. They’re athletic, decently-rounded and were on a tear after the All-Star break. Andre Miller continues to be one of the most underrated players in the NBA, Andre Iguodala is good—though not exceptional—in a multitude of areas and Samuel Dalembert is more than serviceable in the defensive paint. I think they’d give any team in the East—including the Celtics—a little trouble. However, the Pistons are nearly unflappable. Too many weapons all over the court with too much experience to lose to a very young Philadelphia 76ers. Pistons in 5.

(6) Toronto Raptors vs. (3) Orlando Magic

Regular Season Series: Magic 2-1

Outcome: The Raptors have no answer for Dwight Howard. Then again, I don’t see anyone on the Magic stopping Chris Bosh. The edge in this series will probably be in the form of Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis. If they shoot well, it’ll be a short series. If not, I think it could go the full seven. Either way, I don’t expect Orlando to lose because of superior overall talent and coaching. Magic in 6.

(5) Washington Wizards vs. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers

Regular Season Series: Tied 2-2

Outcome: The only first-round match up in the East with any intrigue at all. This pairing is growing into one of the better rivalries in recent years. Not only have the Cavs eliminated the Wizards from the playoffs the last two seasons, but you have to love Gilbert Arenas and DeShawn Stevenson of all people running their mouths, calling LeBron overrated among other things. The Wizards have a potent, three-headed monster in Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison that trumps any three Cavalier players (pre-trade or otherwise). But I think they woke a sleeping giant with their trash talk. Even with a bad back, I fully expect LBJ to go off. More than anyone else in the game, LeBron is capable of single-handedly winning a series. Cavs in 7.

Western Conference

(8) Denver Nuggets vs. (1) Los Angeles Lakers

Regular Season Series: Lakers 3-0

Outcome: I honestly believe the Lakers are thanking their lucky stars that the Warriors didn’t make the playoffs. Golden State is a scary match up for them. But enough of my homer talk. This is the easiest first-round series to pick in the West. It really all boils down to Denver’s atrocious defense. Los Angeles averaged 118 points per game in their regular-season sweep of the Nuggets; I don’t expect that to change in the playoffs. The Lakers at least try on defense and have a chance of containing the Nuggets. The opposite can’t be said. Marcus Camby alone isn’t enough to nullify the Lakers’ fire power. Lakers in 5.

(7) Dallas Mavericks vs. (2) New Orleans Hornets

Regular Season Series: Hornets 2-1

Outcome: Going with the Mavs has been a trendy “upset” pick—if there is such a thing in this Western Conference. The biggest question mark for the Hornets is if they can perform under the pressure of being a high seed in the postseason. The Mavs have sputtered a little bit since their acquisition of Jason Kidd, but lately they’ve won some big games, including the regular season capper against New Orleans. My gut says to go with Dallas with Dirk Nowitzki coming up big (I can’t believe I wrote that). But my brain won’t let me pick against my regular season MVP in Chris Paul. This year has been Paul’s introduction as an elite player in this league, and I think he extends his coronation into the second round. Expect him to outplay Kidd, even if ever slightly, throughout the series and that being the deciding edge. So there it is—two consecutive first-round exits for the Mavs. Hornets in 7.

(6) Phoenix Suns vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs

Regular Season Series: Suns 3-1

Outcome: This is probably the best series of the opening round. There’s match up intrigue galore: Shaquille O’Neal on Tim Duncan, Bruce Bowen on Steve Nash, Raja Bell on Tony Parker/Manu Ginobili. There’s bad blood from the way last year’s series ended. And there’s more than pride and a championship on the line—Suns’ general manager Steve Kerr bet the house on Shaq, specifically acquisitioning him to counter Duncan. This move could decide his future in Phoenix. Not to mention, as two of the oldest teams in the league, this could be their last legitimate chance of winning a championship.

On paper and judging from their last two meetings, the edge seems to be in favor of Phoenix. But I can’t bear to pick against the defending champs. The return of Brent Barry will really bolster their offense, giving them more versatility and freedom, particularly down the stretch where the Spurs have suffered a lot this season. I feel that San Antonio, and this may be wishful thinking on my part, has been cruising in second or third gear all year long. As most veteran squads know, their season really begins in the postseason. Duncan and co. always play better in the playoffs. Against Phoenix, because of the gaping lanes they provide, it has traditionally been Parker and Ginobili that have been the difference makers. They’ll tear it up. On defense, the Spurs will let Amare run wild and put the clamps down on everyone else, which will be difficult because Phoenix has so many options. But it’s doable, since the Spurs are still the best rotating team in the West. Additionally, in their last two meetings, O’Neal and Stoudemire have been in foul trouble against San Antonio. I see this trend continuing to the Suns’ detriment. Spurs in 7.

(5) Houston Rockets vs. (4) Utah Jazz

Regular Season Series: Jazz 2-1

Outcome: Everyone knows that Utah is nearly unbeatable at home. But the interesting thing is, despite being the lower seed, Houston has the home-court advantage in this series by virtue of their better overall regular season record. Still won’t make a difference. Here, in the playoffs where post-play rules, the Rockets will miss Yao Ming more than ever. Accordingly, with the offenses slowing down and reverting into the half-court game, this is where Deron Williams thrives. He’ll dominate like he did last year. They’ll steal a game or two in Houston and of course, take care of business at home. Utah in 6.

The Weekly Rundown

By Bryan Jeon

Tiger Can’t Come From Behind

I have to give credit to Michael Rosenberg of FOXSports.com, who has found that Tiger Woods has never won a major when trailing after 54 holes. With Woods six strokes back heading into the final round Sunday at Augusta, it was amazing enough that it was thought he still had a chance to win the Masters. And he very well could have had it not been for his faulty putting on the back nine to prevent him from putting the pressure on eventual winner Trevor Immelman, who beat Woods by three strokes. But then again, Tiger never loses when leading after 54 holes. We’ll just call him predictable.

Herschel Walker a Nutjob?

Herschel Walker revealed he has DID, dissociative identity disorder, or formerly and more likely known as multiple personality disorder, in the wake of his just-released book “Breaking Free.” The former running back said he had about a dozen alternate personalities, and after his NFL retirement in 1997, he claims to have played Russian roulette with a loaded pistol. The 46-year-old does not remember winning the Heisman Trophy at Georgia in 1982, but his ex-wife sure recalls Walker shoving a gun in her face. Did the star back really suffer from a disorder that has been dismissed by some in the medical field or is this all just a ploy for him to sell his book with the impossibility that his father never knew and his ex-wife was married to him for 16 years not knowing? Fact or fiction? (Whatever happened to Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction?)

NHL Playoffs (thru 4/16)

Western Conference
(1) Detroit is tied with (8) Nashville in series, 2-2
(2) San Jose is tied with (7) Calgary, 2-2
(3) Minnesota is tied with (6) Colorado, 2-2
(5) Dallas leads (4) Anaheim, 2-1

Eastern Conference
(1) Montreal leads (8) Boston, 3-1
(2) Pittsburgh beat (7) Ottawa, 4-0
(6) Philadelphia leads (3) Washington, 2-1
(5) NY Rangers leads (4) New Jersey, 3-1

Go !

Player of the Week: Candace Parker

No one had a better week in sports than Candace Parker, possibly ever. On Monday, the 6′4″ junior was named the Naismith Trophy Winner. On Tuesday, the 6′4″ junior led Tennessee to its second straight national championship, easily handling Stanford 64-48. On Wednesday, she was the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, where she will play alongside Lisa Leslie and the L.A. Sparks, who finished last because Leslie was out from being knocked up. With Leslie back, that team looks scary good and already has my interest in the sport next season. I’m expecting some Twin Tower-type domination. But back to Parker’s accolades, on Friday she was the John Wooden Award winner, sweeping the top player honors; she also was named the AP Player of the Year and MOP in the tournament. Congrats to the dunking queen.

Hopkins (48-4-1, 32 KO) vs. Calzaghe (44-0, 32 KO) on 4/19

WBO, WBC and WBA super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe will move up to 175 pounds to fight 43-year-old Bernard Hopkins this Saturday at Las Vegas. Calzaghe’s title will not be on the line, but his record will be, as Hopkins looks to erase that donut in the British southpaw’s record. Calzaghe is the longest reigning title holder in any weight class, recently passing the ten-year mark as the WBO super middleweight champion. Check it out on HBO for what is easily the most notable fight until Oscar De La Hoya steps back into the ring against Steve Forbes on May 3.

NBA Regular Season Awards

By Chris Le

Usually, by this time of year, most of the playoff seedings have been finalized and the topic of discussion becomes the regular season awards. As you know, however, this hasn’t been the typical NBA season, and the debate over the game’s best rookie, coach, sixth man, etc. has been overshadowed by this marvelous finish to the regular season. So with just over a week left, still amid a fiercely contested race for the 8^th seed in the Western Conference, I thought it’d be prudent to hand out some hardware—even if it isn’t the most prevalent subject on people’s minds.

Most Valuable Player – Chris Paul

I’ve gone through this with much depth in a previous article. But here’s the gist: the Hornets have the best record in the West, despite have the league’s worst bench—30^th in points per game (24.3) and 29^th in efficiency (25.8). No one has done more with less this year. And whether it is stats, team success or leadership, Paul has all three in spades.

Ballot: 1. Chris Paul 2. Kobe Bryant 3. Kevin Garnett 4. LeBron James

Coach of the Year – Byron Scott

It’s got to be down to Scott or Doc Rivers, who coach the top teams in their respective conferences, with Phil Jackson not too far behind. Some pundits picked the Celtics, now equipped with three legitimate stars, to win the East. Can’t say the same about the Hornets. And by virtue of the fact that no one saw New Orleans coming, I have to give it to Scott. I still can’t understand how they have the best record in the West. Well, there’s Paul playing out of his mind. But while CP3 deserves a lot of credit, the rest most certainly goes to Scott.

Ballot: 1. Byron Scott 2. Doc Rivers 3. Phil Jackson 4. Stan Van Gundy

Rookie of the Year – Kevin Durant

Another two-man race, this between Seattle’s quick-firing Durant and Al Horford, who has been a near double-double machine on a playoff contender. But as poorly and disappointing (and I use both terms very loosely) as Durant was in the beginning of the season, the growth he has shown in the second half has been substantial. Factoring in everything—the reality that he’s the only threat on a bottom-feeding team, the pressure of the hype and the mid-season maturity, all as a 19-year-old—one begins to realize it’s Durant pretty comfortably.

Ballot: 1. Kevin Durant 2. Al Horford 3. Al Thornton 4. Luis Scola

Defensive Player of the Year – Kevin Garnett

Hard to ignore the stats of Marcus Camby (3.6 blocks, 10.3 defensive rebounds, 1.1 steals) and Dwight Howard (2.2 blocks, 10.9 defensive rebounds). But it’s equally hard to disregard how mediocre to awful their teams are defensively as a whole. Unlike Camby and Howard, whose defensive contributions have been mainly singular, Kevin Garnett has turned a traditionally soft bunch into the stingiest defense in the NBA. Not only has it been Garnett’s individual play but the mindset he instilled in his teammates the moment he set foot in Boston.

Ballot: 1. Kevin Garnett 2. Marcus Camby 3. Dwight Howard 4. Shane Battier

Sixth Man of the Year – Manu Ginobili

Easiest pick of the bunch. Some say he’s really a starter, but with more appearances as a sub than as a starter, he fits the criteria.

And forget the 6^th man award, Manu should justifiably garner some (probably just a little) MVP attention. Everything the Spurs do still revolves around Tim Duncan, but this year Ginobili has been their go-to scorer, and the lift he gives them off the bench has been vital to their success—particularly with Father Time catching up to Robert Horry, Michael Finley and, to a lesser extent, Bruce Bowen. Additionally, there was a one month period earlier in the season when Manu was dropping 35-point games like nothing, looking like the best player on the planet (i.e. as good as Kobe and LeBron).

Ballot: 1. Manu Ginobili 2. Leandro Barbosa 3. Luis Scola 4. Ben Gordon

Most Improved Player – Hedo Turkoglu

Over the years, this category has become the most difficult to decide, usually because of a packed field—and this is great for the NBA. There’s isn’t anything like watching so many players blossom, especially into possible superstardom and knowing that the league has a bright future. But I digress.

I’m reluctant, like others out there I think, to give the award to players who have already established themselves as stars. In a way, I view it as a coming-out or a I-didn’t-think-you’d-be-this-good prize. So Dwight Howard, Monta Ellis and Chris Paul are out of the running.

Rudy Gay has seen the greatest statistical jump but plays on a horrible team. Rajon Rondo has been key to the Celtics’ success, but he’s playing behind three All-Stars. Turkoglu, on the other hand, is having career highs in points (19.7), rebounds (5.9), assists (4.9) and field goal percentage (.454), all while being the second-best player on a postseason contender.

Ballot: 1. Hedo Turkoglu 2. Rudy Gay 3. LaMarcus Aldridge 4. Rajon Rondo

All-NBA First Team

G Chris Paul

G Kobe Bryant

F LeBron James

F Kevin Garnett

C Amare Stoudemire

All-NBA Second Team

G Deron Williams

G Steve Nash (Thought about swapping him with Ginobili for a second)

F Paul Pierce

F Tim Duncan

C Dwight Howard

All-NBA Defense

G Kobe Bryant

F Shane Battier

F Kevin Garnett

F Tim Duncan

C Marcus Camby

5 Reasons Why Memphis Lost

By Bryan Jeon

Memphis obviously didn’t play a perfect game, but they did enough to be able to win the championship. Here are 5 reasons why Memphis blew a 9-point lead with just over two minutes remaining en route to a 75-68 overtime loss.

• Derrick Rose’s invisibility cloak in the first half. There were thoughts that Rose was still feeling it from his stomach ailment the day before the way he would give up the ball as soon as he came down the court. He finished the half with three points compared with 15 second-half points, as Memphis headed into the break with a 5-point deficit, their largest deficit at halftime in the season.
• The Tigers were criminally negligent with the ball at times, leading to 11 Jayhawk steals, none bigger than the inbounds pass and subsequent 3-pointer by Sherron Collins to give Kansas five quick points and trim the deficit to 60-56.
• Memphis big man Joey Dorsey fouled out with with 1:23 left in regulation. His absence in overtime allowed the Jayhawks to do what they did all game, penetrate inside for high-percentage shots.
• Missed free throws. Chris Douglas-Roberts missed his last three free throws, including two with 16 seconds left to keep it at 62-60, and Rose made just one of two with 10 seconds left to make it 63-60. That prevented it from being a two-possession game with 10 seconds left, which would have virtually put it away.
• Mario Chalmers made his game-tying 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining in regulation. Do you need to be told to play the perimeter tightly? He got a great look, and his clutch shot will probably now replace Tyus Edney’s famous full-court drive for the game-winning layup commercial. And you know how the story ends.

Despite the late-game collapse and loss of the national championship, Memphis set the record for most wins in a season, finishing 38-2 (Kansas finished 37-3). The team I chose to take it all from the start of the tournament tried to become just the second team in NCAA tournament history to win the title with a sub-65% FT in the regular season (‘04 Connecticut). Boy, did that come back to bite them when it counted. Memphis finished the season shooting 61.4% from the charity strike, led by Douglas-Roberts’ and Rose’s 71.2%. It remains to be seen who’ll pull out early for the draft, particularly the freshman Rose, who was a third-team All-American. Dorsey is a senior and made a strong showing throughout the tournament on the glass despite battling foul trouble in the close games. All in all, a heck of a run by a number one seed and C-USA team many didn’t see making the Final Four.

Bilas and Le Batard Verbally Tussle On-Air

By Chris Le

Once again, Dan Le Batard proves himself to be an idiot—and what sounds like a racist.

Prior to last night’s National Championship game, ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas was a guest on Le Batard’s Miami radio show. With the title game looming, one would assume they would discuss the Memphis-Kansas matchup, but Le Betard had other things in mind. Oh no, he thought race in the NBA was a more appropriate topic.

Le Batard proceeds to ask, since there appears to be a lack of first-rate white-American players in the league, would NBA teams be cautious of Michael Beasley’s ability if he were white? He then poses the reverse scenario for Tyler Hansbrough: if he were black would scouts be questioning his NBA potential?

My man, Jay Bilas, who doesn’t even bother to hide his distaste for Le Ba-turd, goes on to shove everything in his face.

BJ’s Blog

Hansbrough Awarded Player of the Year; UNC Loses

Tyler Hansbrough, the Tar Heels’ star big man, won National Player of the Year honors on Saturday, easily beating out Kansas State’s Michael Beasley. A few hours later, his team, which was thought by most to be able to handle Kansas, trailed by as much as 28 points before falling 84-66 in the second game of the doubleheader. Hansbrough finished with 17 points and 9 rebounds, below his averages of 23 and 10, and it wasn’t nearly enough against a Kansas team that looked nothing like the one that beat Davidson by 2 points a round earlier. Kansas is one of those teams where you wonder which version of it will come out and play on Monday, but my money says Memphis, which absolutely shut down UCLA 78-63, will do much of the same against KU in The Big Dance.

GOTW: Denver at Seattle – Su. @ 6p PT

According to ABC, the game of the week is Dallas at Phoenix, and it will be a great game, no doubt. But if you could only check up on one box score among the slew of games on Sunday, it’s got to be the high-scoring Denver Nuggets against the Western Conference’s worst, the Seattle SuperSonics. Denver, which averages 110.1 points per game, trails only Phoenix and Golden State at 110.4 points a contest. But more reason than that is what happened in the last meeting between these two teams. Exactly three weeks ago, the Nuggets put up a 168-116 victory at home, which stands as the NBA’s season-high in points. The 52-point margin set a franchise record for Denver, who in its three wins over Seattle, has beat them by an average of 37.0 points per game, the closest being a 17-point spanking in their season openers. And in the Sonics’ 66-point effort against the Rockets on Friday, Kevin Durant shot 2-for-17, something he and the rest of the team cannot afford to make this contest anything but embarrassing.

Resto Admits To Plastering Tape In 1983 Bout Against Collins

Luis Resto admitted in a news conference on Thursday that the tape used to wrap his hands had been soaked in plaster of Paris, a type of building material which you can imagine makes your hands harder than no other, in his 10-round beating of Billy Collins Jr. in 1983. Resto also removed two inches of padding from his gloves, which made the entire experience of getting hit worse than bare knuckles. During the fight, Billy told his father and trainer that it felt like he was getting hit with rocks. He suffered from blurred vision and depression after the fight and died in a car accident nine months later. In the post-fight handshake, Billy Collins Sr. noticed the tampered gloves and alerted a state boxing commissioner. Resto and his trainer were banned from boxing and served jail time on assault and conspiracy over the tampered gloves. Currently, a motion to re-open a civil suit against the State of New York to prevent the pounding was filed on Thursday amid Resto’s apology and guilt. But the question arises: did Resto murder Collins?

Quote of the Day

Memphis freshman guard Derrick Rose missed media sessions Sunday with a stomach ailment but is expected to play in Monday’s national championship game against Kansas. Teammate Chris Douglas-Roberts explained, “He eats Gummy Bears and Starburst for breakfast, and Twizzlers and Honey Buns for dinner. That’s why his stomach hurts. We tell Derrick the whole year, ‘Stop eating so many Gummy Bears and Sour Straws.’ But he can’t. … Nobody eats Gummy Bears more than him.”

The diet of a champion right there. This just in, Gummy Bears sales shoot up 300% on Monday.

Mayweather Beats The Big Show With Gloves…And Chair…And Brass Knuckles

Last Sunday, Wrestlemania XXIV was held at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando in front of a record-setting 74,635 in attendance. The pay-per-view event was a joint promotion featuring the three brands, as Randy Orton took the WWE (Raw) championship, The Undertaker won the World Heavyweight Championship (Smackdown) and Kane won the ECW Championship (Extreme Championship Wrestling). There were plenty of cameos too, as Kim Kardashian was a hostess while Snoop Dogg was the Master of Ceremonies for the Playboy BunnyMania Lumberjack Match. But for our purposes, the night belonged to Floyd Mayweather, who beat The Big Show in a No Disqualification match after Big Show failed to answer a ten-count. Check out the fight that landed PBF $20 million richer:

One Man’s Opinion: The NBA’s MVP

By Chris Le

In what has possibly been the first March when the NBA has trumped college basketball, the hotly contested race for a Western Conference playoff spot has only been matched by the equally murky debate over this season’s most valuable player.

I’ve gone back and forth from one player to another throughout the months after the All-Star break and with just over two weeks left in the season, the choice isn’t any easier. The field however, as I’ve concluded, has been whittled down to four contenders: Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James and Chris Paul.

Now, KG has restored legitimacy to the Boston Celtics in less than a year—an almost unfathomable notion a couple of seasons ago—completely transforming everyone on their roster. His intensity, particularly on defense (the main reason for the Celtics’ success), has been infectious even to teammates who aren’t especially known for their defensive prowess (i.e. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce). That’s why the Celtics continued to win when Garnett was sidelined with an abdominal injury. However, also during that stretch where KG was out of commission, his MVP campaign lost some steam while other contenders seriously picked up their games—like LeBron James.

Since the All-Star break, LBJ has put up Oscar Robertson-type numbers. He has been so insane this year that spectators now expect him to post 30-8-8 every time out. If he doesn’t, it’s almost considered a mediocre game. That’s how amazing he has been. And that’s not even mentioning his defensive improvements, though still sporadic, and the fact that he’s been the best clutch player in the league this season. Despite his otherworldly statistics, however, I begrudgingly still can’t shake the .554 winning percentage (record of 41-33), in the lowly Eastern Conference no less. I realize his supporting cast sucks (even the new one after the trade) and LeBron having the Cavs playing this well is in itself a mammoth achievement, but I can’t—with a clear conscience—give the MVP to a player whose team didn’t even win its own division. I didn’t think Kobe deserved it a couple of years ago when he, while scoring a million points a game, had a horrendous Lakers team hovering around .500; same logic here.

So, with KG’s injury-induced loss of steam in his argument and LeBron’s lack of team success, it’s a two-man race between Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul, both of whom have been consistently excellent on winning squads.

The way it began, with his trade demands and largely negative attitude, who would’ve thought this would be Kobe’s best overall season? With his game-changing scoring ability and clutch play, Kobe is undeniably the game’s top talent and its most feared player—he has been for years. But he’s never combined those attributes with genuine leadership and a winning record until this season. You can say the Lakers are near the top of the Western Conference standings because their bench is improved so significantly and because of the Pau Gasol theft, but you have to largely credit Kobe for Los Angeles’ turnaround. You have to pay tribute to his growth as a leader and trust in his teammates, without which they and the newly-acquired Gasol would not have matured and flourished as quickly as they have. That was why, for months, it was entrenched in my mind that this was Kobe’s year. I all but had him penned-in for the Maurice Podoloff Trophy.

But the more I thought about it, the more it became progressively difficult to deny Chris Paul.

His stats (21.5 points, a league-leading 11.4 assists and 2.7 steals) are exceedingly impressive yet still belie his true value as a player. That’s entering Tim Duncan territory when extraordinary numbers don’t fully encapsulate how impacting a player is. He routinely dominates the floor, regularly slicing up top defenses and at times scoring at will. When was the last time the NBA’s top assist man was also a top-20 scorer? From the looks of it, the last was Magic Johnson over twenty years ago in 1987 when he posted 23.9 points and 12.2 assists a night. Not bad company.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a floor general who runs his offense better than CP3 (and yes, that includes Deron Williams and Steve Nash). You can also argue that Paul’s season has been better than Nash’s two previous MVP campaigns. He may not quite have Nash’s repertoire of passes and ambidextrousness, but his greater ability to create his own shots and those of his teammates has led to a better assist to turnover ratio (4.65 to 1 against Nash’s 3.03 to 1). It’s no coincidence that Tyson Chandler and David West are having career years. And let’s not forget that Paul is a defensive stalwart compared to Nash, particularly in the passing lanes.

In the end, in only his third year, Paul is the unquestioned leader of the (for now) top team in the West and is completely fearless on the court. His teammates feed off of him like KG, he’s posting crazy stats like LeBron, and he’s winning and leading like Kobe. In my book, there’s no other choice.

My ballot:

1. Chris Paul
2. Kobe Bryant
3. Kevin Garnett
4. LeBron James