Bleacher Report - Front Page

Arsenal Transfer Rumours: Latest Buzz on Asier Illarramendi and Yaya Sanogo

Richard Langford — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:39:21 -0400

Arsenal certainly looks like they are embarking on a busy summer. Rumors about possible targets have been flying left and right.

While Gonzalo Higuain to Arsenal is hogging the bulk of the attention (the Daily Mail reports that Higuain will make the switch this summer), he certainly isn't the only possible future Gunner out there.

There are two young players connected to Arsenal, and I think both would be a nice fit and quality additions.

Asier Illarramendi

We'll start with Spain's Asier Illarramendi. He isn't the most well-known player, but he is a scintillating talent and could be on his way to Arsenal. This comes to us from Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail:

Meanwhile, The Gunners are leading the chase for Spain Under-21 international Asier Illarramendi.

The £10 million-rated Real Sociedad defensive midfielder has been outstanding all season and has attracted attention from Real Madrid.

This is a shrewd target for Arsenal. The 23-year-old is beginning to come into his own, and he is a nice fit for the Gunners.

He is a fantastic holding midfielder. He is a good tackler, has a knack for interceptions and is a quality passer. He also is fairly cheap. This would allow the Gunners to fill a hole while still having financial flexibility to make other additions. And we all know this will appeal to the fiscally minded Arsene Wenger.

Illarramendi made 32 starts for Real Sociedad this season and earned a solid 7.18 rating at Who Scored. He's also picked up valuable experience with Spain's U-21 team.

Yaya Sanogo

This acquisition could happen in a hurry. Check out this quote from Sanogo to France Football, which comes to us via ESPN UK:

Gilles Grimandi [Arsenal scout] came to see me from time to time at Auxerre too. One day he called me for a meeting in a Paris hotel and Arsene Wenger was there. I was very impressed. Wenger told me I would get opportunities and reassured me about my injury. He told me he had followed me for years. That meeting was very important and today I am an Arsenal player.

Then there was a report from John Cross of Mirror Football, stating this could happen in the next few days.

So, not only does it appear that Sanogo is headed toward Arsenal, but that he could be headed to the first team. Sanogo is just 20 years old, and there will be some growing pains, but there is no denying his talent.

He is an explosive forward with a fantastic first touch. Sanogo is physically gifted. He has a nice mix of size and speed. He will draw comparisons to Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke.

If there is one concern with Sanogo, it is with injuries. He has had a hard time staying healthy. While this could lead to frustration while he sits inactive, his upside makes that risk well worth it.

Are the Minnesota Vikings the Most Underrated Team in the NFL?

Matthew Stensrud — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:33:40 -0400

The Minnesota Vikings finished the 2012 NFL season with a 10-6 record, which included one of the best single-season rushing performances in league history by Adrian Peterson.

The six-year veteran was a mere nine yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's record of 2,105 yards on his way to receiving the 2012 MVP award—the first running back to do so since LaDanian Tomlinson in 2006.

In addition to coming off surgery to repair the torn ACL that Vikings' all-time leading rusher suffered a year earlier against the Washington Redskins, Peterson also underwent surgery for a sports hernia following the 2012 season.

With Peterson at 100 percent entering the upcoming season, one could anticipate high expectations for a team sporting a top offensive line behind Matt Kalil, John Sullivan and Phil Loadholt.

Add in a draft that included three selections in the first round—Sharrif Floyd, Xavier Rhodes and Cordarrelle Patterson—which all met immediate and future needs for the Vikings, you might expect the Vikings to be on the radar as a potential contender in the NFC for a deep playoff run.

Right?

Well, not so fast.

Instead, the Minnesota Vikings appear to be a team once again on the outside looking in as forecast by "experts" as another convoluted NFL season approaches.

ESPN has the Vikings ranked 17th in its recent power rankings, with nine other teams ahead of them in the NFC. This means that even after the playoffs are set, Minnesota ranks fourth among teams watching from home.

Out of all playoff teams from 2012, ESPN's rankings put the Vikings dead last prior to the start of the 2013 season, with two sub-.500 teams, the New Orleans Saints (7-9) and St. Louis Rams (7-8-1), both rated ahead of Minnesota.

The experts over at Bristol are not the only ones down on the Vikings this year. Will Brinson of CBSSports.com predicts the Vikings will be under the win total odds of 7.5 set by Las Vegas. A difficult schedule and regression by Peterson are cited as the rationale for the prediction.

Continuing with Vegas odds, Minnesota is the greatest long shot to win the Super Bowl among all 2012 playoff teams, coming in at 50-1 to bring home the Lombardy Trophy.

And while Christian Ponder seems to be a common target for criticism, finishing 21st in passer rating at 81.2, the third-year quarterback has an improved arsenal of receivers with former Packer Greg Jennings and rookie Cordarrelle Patterson joining the team.

Combine that with Pro Bowl MVP Kyle Rudolph and an emerging threat in slot receiver Jarius Wright, it would be fair for fans to scratch their head as to why so many pundits expect a 10-win playoff team to regress so much.

However, this tends to be the trend for analysts predicting the fate of the Minnesota Vikings, a team that has not been to a Super Bowl since the 1976 season and has lost three NFC Championship Games over the last 15 years.

History seems to be battling the upcoming season, one that includes the best running back in the NFL, young players continuing to develop at key positions and an overall improved team following free agency and the NFL draft.

Looking at the overall landscape of the NFL, it's hard to find a team more underrated than the Minnesota Vikings in 2013.

But maybe that's just the type of motivation the team needs to shake its harshest critics.

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Chelsea Transfer Rumours: Blues Can't Afford to Lose Juan Mata Over Contract

Justin Onslow — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:00:02 -0400

Jose Mourinho has only just returned to Stamford Bridge, and already he’s faced with some questions regarding one of his best players.

Or at least that’s what reports suggest.

According to Martin Lipton of the Daily Mirror, Barcelona have targeted midfielder Juan Mata as a top candidate for transfer this summer, and Mourinho may just be willing to go along with the plan:

Barcelona have targeted Juan Mata for a shock summer swoop because they believe he has fallen out with Jose Mourinho.

And the Nou Camp side have now sent out feelers in the direction of the former Valencia man Mata, ahead of a likely £30million bid.

The latest claim, coming from Catalonia, suggests Mourinho has blocked a wage increase due the 25-year-old under the terms of his current contract.

Sources in Spain insist Mata's 19 goals and 35 assists last term entitled him to a pay rise, but it has been vetoed at Mourinho's orders.

If those sources are correct, Mourinho may have already found himself in over his head. Mata was tremendous in tallying 54 points for the Blues last term, and he’s arguably Chelsea’s most important young player as they attempt to make a run at the Premier League title next term. If the 25-year-old has a salary dispute with the club, Mourinho would be wise to settle it now before the situation gets out of hand.

Of course, the source of such reports could also be coming from Camp Nou as the Catalan side try to stir up unrest and force Chelsea into making a poor decision. Given Barca’s obvious intent to make some changes this summer, that scenario would certainly make some sense.

What we know at this point is that Barcelona are interested, Mata has publicly admitted nothing of a salary dispute, and Chelsea have denied the rumours.

But there’s always more to the story than meets the eye.

It wouldn’t be a surprise for Mata to have a wage increase clause in his contract based on recent performance. It also wouldn’t be a surprise for Mourinho to have blocked the increase in order to free up funds.

What makes little sense is the idea that the Stamford Bridge boss would be willing to sell his best player over such a matter—unless, of course, he wants to free up a spot for Eden Hazard to shine as the club’s go-to playmaker, as Lipton suggests in his report.

Still, Chelsea can’t afford to let seemingly minor details uproot Mata and allow the situation to become toxic ahead of the summer transfer period. Both Chelsea and Mata have done well to quell the rumours, but speculations will only continue to increase until a definitive decision has been made.

Regardless of the validity of those rumours, Mourinho can’t afford to let Mata go at any cost, especially if that price is the reported £30 million offer Barcelona are preparing. Mata is worth more to Chelsea than a £30 million bid.

Liverpool Transfer News: Reds' Willingness to Spend Big Is Bold EPL Statement

Matt Fitzgerald — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:00:02 -0400

Liverpool's bold strategic approach to the summer transfer is a strong stand by the club, and a big statement to the rest of the English Premier League if management follows through on the prospective roster revamp.

According to a report by Goal.com chief correspondent Wayne Veysey, the Reds are prepared to spend £42 million to acquire four marquee players in Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Simon Mignolet, Luis Alberto and Christian Atsu.

Manager Brendan Rodgers' overhaul of the team, according to Veysey, is an attempt to gear the personnel more toward his preferred formation of 4-2-3-1.

That would only further fortify the depth of this team, which has already experienced a boost in acquiring Kolo Toure and Iago Aspas, per Veysey.

While the others are important, Manchester City's Toure should help absorb the retirement of legendary defender Jamie Carragher.

A player like Carragher is basically irreplaceable in terms of what he meant to the organization, but in terms of actual play during matches, according to English Premier League Index, the Ivorian figures to be a viable option to step in nicely:

The club's official Twitter was even having a hard time getting over the foreign concept of Carragher's absence on Wednesday:

It's not the only change that Rodgers is making in an effort to push the team into a progressive, new era, though.

Another particularly bold move involves the prospective transfer of Mignolet, the goalkeeper who would figure to replace longtime Reds stopper Pepe Reina.

Although Reina hasn't been as consistently great over the past few seasons, it's still a touchy situation dealing with such a popular and historically solid keeper. Mignolet was called early last season by Manchester City counterpart Joe Hart as the best goalkeeper in the league to that point.

However, it's risky because Mignolet would arrive from a club in Sunderland that barely avoided relegation this past season. It wasn't necessarily Mignolet to blame, but the increased expectations in Anfield will definitely be a factor.

According to Veysey, the most significant move would be getting Mkhitaryan. The Shakhtar Donetsk’s midfielder can play anywhere on the line and is especially dangerous on the attack.

BBC Sport's chief football writer, Phil McNulty, states that Rodgers feels Mkhitaryan is a key element to adding "more firepower" to the Reds next season. That will be vital to being more competitive in the EPL, where the top clubs sport attacking prowess nearly insurmountable on a consistent basis.

Also helping the cause with regard to Liverpool's offense will be Aspas, and Alberto will be a veteran mentor in the midfield to complement Mkhitaryan. The 21-year-old Atsu is also in an ideal environment to develop as a winger and future club cornerstone.

There is at least some hope that Liverpool could make a decent jump in the EPL next season if all the new pieces jell together properly for Rodgers.

Defending trophy bearer Manchester United dominated the competition, but are far from certain to do so again due to the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson as manager and a thin midfield unit.

The next four squads behind the Red Devils in the standings were all relatively close together with 70-plus points, but Liverpool was lagging behind a bit in seventh with 61 points to finish 2012-13.

By adding players in this kind of class and at a relatively reasonable cost, Rodgers and the Reds are building a promising product on the pitch that can more consistently contend for trophies in the future—perhaps sooner than expected.

Arsenal Transfer Rumours: Breaking Down Impact of Gonzalo Higuain for Gunners

Timothy Rapp — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:00:00 -0400

One of the oldest transfer rumours of this summer appears very close to coming true, as Arsenal and Gonzalo Higuain have reportedly reached an agreement that would bring the Real Madrid striker to North London.

And he's exactly what the Gunners need.

From John Cross of the Mirror:

Gonzalo Higuain has agreed to come to Arsenal as the club-record £22million deal nears conclusion.

Real Madrid striker Higuain and his agent father Jorge are believed to have agreed personal terms in excess of £130,000-a-week as Arsenal prepare to smash their transfer record and wage structure.

The Spanish giants circulated Higuain's name for transfer last month and gave him the green light to negotiate a move away from Real Madrid this summer.

Higuain is keen to move to the Emirates after two rounds of talks with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger who hopes to wrap up the formalities before the club's Far East tour in three weeks' time.

While Olivier Giroud improved throughout the course of the year and Lukas Podolski filled in admirably when called upon to play centrally, it became clear this season that the Gunners needed a true No. 9 to replace Robin van Persie, who departed for Manchester United last summer.

Higuain has always been a reliable scorer for Real Madrid, and though he only started 29 total games for Los Blancos this season, splitting time with Karim Benzema, he still managed to score 19 goals on the year.

Higuain is a true poacher, capable of finishing in virtually every manner. He can hold up play for the midfield or drop back and act as a facilitator for his teammates, as evidenced by his 17 assists for Real Madrid over the past two years.

He would step in as Arsenal's primary striker from day one, allowing Giroud to be used as a reinforcement or as a tactical starter atop the formation in certain matchups.

It would also signal an end to Theo Walcott's desires to play centrally, which is probably for the best since he was an absolute nightmare for defenders on the right wing last season.

It's really fun to imagine Higuain leading a forward line with Walcott to the right, Podolski or Santi Cazorla on the left and Cazorla or Jack Wilshere slotting in behind Higuain.

Then again, Podolski's work rate on the left wasn't overly impressive this season. And with Walcott loving to cut in centrally from the right and looking to score goals, adding a more technical player on the left like Cazorla may be preferable to Podolski, who like Walcott looks to find his shot.

But however Arsenal lines up next season, landing Higuain will mean the Gunners again have a pure goal-scorer. While holding midfielder will remain a major need, and other reinforcements may be needed if players are sold, the first domino in Arsenal's rumoured summer of spending will have finally fallen.

And it's a domino that should find the back of the net quite often in the Premier League.

Arsenal Transfer News: Gonzalo Higuain Makes Gunners True EPL Title Contenders

Alex Ballentine — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:59:23 -0400

Arsenal is set to make the biggest splash of the summer transfer window thus far with the signing of Gonzalo Higuain.

According to the Mirror, Higuain has agreed to a move to Arsenal while the club is ironing out the details of his £22 million transfer.

Arsenal Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis told the Mirror that he wants the club to compete on the highest level and was willing to open up his pocket book to do so. It now appears that he wasn't kidding. The
£22 million transfer would be the largest in club history.

However, if the transfer means that the Gunners become a legitimate threat atop the EPL table, then the expensive move will be well worth it. Looking at what Arsenal were able to achieve last campaign and the current EPL landscape, the Gunners should be able to do just that.

Arsene Wenger's group finished fourth in the EPL table last season, just two points behind third-place Chelsea and five points behind second-place Manchester City. Of course, the Gunners failed to come close to Manchester United, but so did everyone else.

In short, Arsenal wasn't too far off from the top challengers to United in the race for the EPL title. Now that they have are in the process of bringing on Higuain, they have the pieces necessary to take the next step in competing for first place.

Last season, the Gunners managed to finish third in the league in scoring despite a lack of dynamic goalscorers. Theo Walcott led the team with just 14 goals on the season.

Higuain should fix that and make the Gunners' attack even more potent. The Argentinian scored 16 La Liga goals last campaign despite starting only 19 matches and sharing the spotlight with prolific scorer Lionel Messi.

At Emirates, Higuain will be a focal point of the offensive attack and should see even more opportunities to score. Having a player that can be counted on to create offense, both as a passer and scorer, will make Arsenal all the more dangerous this upcoming season.

The hope in bringing on a star like Higuain is that it will help the club take the next step. For an Arsenal team that finished fourth in the standings last season, the next step is serious contention for the title—anything less and Higuain's signing will have been a disappointment.

Breaking Down Alabama QB AJ McCarron's NFL Potential

Brandon Holstein — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:46:55 -0400

A year from now, Alabama Crimson Tide senior quarterback A.J. McCarron will have likely been drafted and in the beginning stages of his first NFL season.

Whether that will be as a potential starter, backup or quarterback of the future is unknown; however, as is the case regarding most of today's top college football players, it's never too early to take a look at how much NFL potential each player already possesses.

After all, McCarron now finds himself entering his third straight season as the Crimson Tide's starting signal-caller and a player that has already developed quite a national following and name for himself.

Winning back-to-back national championships will do that for you, as will being the lucky guy who gets to be dating former Miss Alabama Katherine Webb—ESPN commentator Brent Musburger's favorite piece of "eye candy."

Clearly life has been good to McCarron recently, but that's not to say he doesn't already have his share of doubters.

Pundits of McCarron cite him as more of a "game manager" and player who excels more from the stellar talent and coaching staff he has around him, rather than the true individual skills and quality talent it takes to become an upper-echelon NFL quarterback.

Needless to say, his current NFL draft stock is a long way from coming into focus, but that doesn't mean it’s necessarily too early to start considering his NFL potential.

Recently, Bleacher Report's lead NFL draft writer Matt Miller has been chronicling an excellent series on "How Scouts Break Down NFL Prospects" by position.

Here, we will use his piece on breaking down NFL quarterback prospects as our backdrop in configuring how McCarron stacks up—using what Miller believes are the eight most important criteria when evaluating quarterback's for the NFL (accuracy, vision, leadership and poise, arm strength, pocket presence, anticipation, mechanics and size).

Accuracy

In the aforementioned article courtesy of Miller, he states accuracy as something "you either have or you don't" and considers it to be "the single-most important aspect to being able to play the position at a high level."

Sentiments I also agree with, accuracy is generally a quality that can't necessarily be coached and can only be improved so much over the course of one's career.

Luckily for McCarron, this is typically an area he already excels in.

In the video above, we see McCarron drop a beautiful ball with touch, arc and accuracy where only his man can get it. In scouting lingo, this is called "dropping the ball in a basket" or "throwing to a spot or area."

Notice how he also places the football away from the defender and over the correct shoulder. This is the type of NFL throw evaluators want and love to see and one of the aspects that makes McCarron such a good passer from within the pocket.

Now let's take a look at what also makes him a quality passer outside the pocket.

Same game, only difference now is we see McCarron working outside the pocket.

Here, he's rolling to his right out of a play-action fake, before rifling a pass to the sidelines on a 10-yard out. An NFL-caliber throw for sure, McCarron's pinpoint accuracy, ball placement and velocity is spot on, and far too much to handle for the defender despite being in otherwise perfect position.

Surely the receiver deserves some credit for hauling in a difficult pass that requires superb hand-eye coordination, but this is exactly the type of throw we are referring to when we say "there's no defense for a perfectly thrown ball."

Now let's take a look at a play that's not so good.

In the clip above, McCarron does a poor job of setting his feet and stepping into his throw. This poor mechanical display is the epitome of how everything starts from the ground up, as good footwork provides the platform and foundation for which a quarterback is able to consistently make these types of throws.

By failing to play on the balls of his feet and throwing off his back foot, McCarron ever so slightly increases the angle of his arm, thus causing the pass to sail high and almost be intercepted.

This is the same type of bad habit that dogged Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford this past season, and it is something he needs to work on diligently as a quarterback who doesn't necessarily possess the level of arm strength it takes to play with sloppy mechanics.

Vision

Generally speaking, a quarterback's vision is believed to be his ability to scan the field and find the open receiver post-snap. It ties in his ability to read the defense and see the entire field, but limiting it to the decisions he makes once he already has the ball in his hands does not effectively tell us all we need to know.

To be a great quarterback with excellent vision it also takes a deep understanding and overall football knowledge of how to make pre-snap reads and adjustments.

This skill generally comes with experience, but it is also a quality that requires a great deal of conceptual awareness. Meaning, how well you're able to see how the small parts come together to fit into the whole.

It's the same type of skill required of architects and designers when asked to take a project from the beginning stages of conception to the finishing touches of completion.

Below paints a perfect picture of what it means to see the whole picture and get it to your "hot read" by analyzing the defensive alignment before the ball has even been snapped.

The video below, on the other hand, deals more with what McCarron is able to do once the ball has already been snapped and his initial read is no longer available.

Here, he does an excellent job of keeping the play alive by improvising and ever so slightly drifting backward to buy himself more time.

On the surface, this play seems to be more of a broken play gone incredibly well; however, by keeping his eyes downfield and allowing his receivers the extra time to get open, McCarron effectively makes this play happen seemingly by way of his vision and mental awareness to never give up on it.

Leadership and Poise

It goes without saying that McCarron has played and performed admirably in some rather high-profile games. He won both of the BCS National Championships he's played in, while sporting a solid 24-2 overall record as a starter in the unforgiving conference that is the "battle-tested" SEC.

With that also being said, the argument then becomes how much has he really had to do?

Surely there have been big moments in McCarron's career, but evaluators want to know if he really has what it takes to carry a team and make plays, rather than relying on the superb talent he always has always had around him.

In 2013, evaluators will be looking to see if he has that "it" factor to carry his team when things aren't going quite right—that willpower to step up and make plays when nothing seems to be going your way, because, to this point, those occasions have been few and far between.

The clip below, however, is one such example of McCarron's ability to step up and deliver in the clutch. Firing a pass in between defenders, in what became the game-winning drive against a talented defense in rival LSU.

Arm Strength/Velocity

Overall, McCarron isn't the type of quarterback who will wow you with a whole lot of natural arm talent. Instead, he is a player who uses leverage and torque generated from his lower body to drive his passes through and into his intended target.

As you will see in the column and video example on anticipation, McCarron's natural propensity to spin the ball with favorable RPMs doesn't come all that naturally. All the more reason why he needs to be mechanically sound in his fundamentals, which we will see is one of his strongest categories overall.

Outside of sheer velocity, however, McCarron does throw a nice deep ball.

As you can see in the video below, not only does he posses the capability to chuck the ball 50 yards downfield, but he's also doing it while under a heavy amount of interior pressure. Which is perhaps a better example of his poise in the pocket, and something we find ourselves discussing next.

Pocket Presence and Escapability

It's likely that one will never mistake McCarron for a scrambling quarterback or the next coming of Ryan Tannehill or Aaron Rodgers. That's not his game. However, much like McCarron's arm, his feet do just enough to get the job done.

Against Texas A&M, he took on what was perhaps the most pressure he has ever seen or faced in a game while at Alabama. Providing some rare glimpses and examples of McCarron's "internal clock" and ability to escape the pocket once his protection breaks down.

Like the final play straight out of the movie Friday Night Lights, McCarron's desperate scramble to reach the end zone in the clip above falls just short. However, that's not before showing us that he does have some natural ability and capacity to improvise with his legs when given the opportunity.

Next, however, is this play, which brings about questions regarding his natural affinity as a true pocket passer.

It goes without saying that McCarron largely benefited from great protection he received from what was perhaps one of the best offensive line units to ever play major college football—sporting the likes of Chance Warmack, D.J. Fluker and Barrett Jones.

Just one of things that, as Matt Miller pointed out in his article from last November—"Breaking Down A.J. McCarron's NFL Potential, Draft Stock"—makes it so hard to get a "true read on McCarron's pocket presence."

McCarron wasn't often pressured and asked to extend and create on his own, and while he does show the ability to know when to pull it down and run, the clip above does raise questions about his ability to feel and escape backside pressure.

Which is just one of the things that makes the not-so-fleet-footed Tom Brady one of the best ever at feeling and escaping pressure coming off the edge.

Anticipation

Anticipation is one of those rare quarterback qualities you're either initially good at or you're not. However, unlike accuracy, anticipation and timing is definitely something that can be developed over time with proper coaching and experience.

Take for instance Colin Kaepernick.

Coming out of Nevada, many questioned his ability to read a defense and throw to an area before his receiver made his break. Former Boise State player and current Detroit Lions quarterback Kellen Moore, on the other hand, possessed rare anticipation and timing skills coming out of college.

What’s the biggest difference between the two of them? A whole lot of arm talent and ball velocity. Plus, Kaepernick has now developed the ability to anticipate and have a better feel and understanding for when and where his receivers will become open.

However, now turning the attention back to McCarron, the clip below is a nice example of what is typically referred to as a "timing route." With a safety converging over the top, he places his confidence in his arm to fit it between two safeties in an area that requires pinpoint accuracy, guts and trust.

Never mind the fact that he doesn't possess the rocket arm of a Kaepernick, McCarron's arm talent lies somewhere between above average and good. Which is plenty good enough when you're able to speed up your decision-making process and throw with anticipation, rhythm and timing.

Mechanics

Part of what makes McCarron such an accurate passer in the short-to-intermediate passing game starts with his mechanics. As it was discussed earlier, a quarterback's mechanics starts and ends with his footwork.

Ideally, I'm looking for a quarterback who uses his feet to align his head and shoulders into position to make an accurate throw. McCarron does this nearly flawlessly, as evidenced by this video below, which provides an excellent aerial view of his overall throwing motion.

Here, we see McCarron utilize excellent footwork, balance and patience, while holding the ball high and tight to his chest to properly step into and finish through with a smooth overhand delivery. Nearly a flawless example of what it we mean by a quarterback who is considered "mechanically sound."

Size

As we have seen more and more over the past few years, size isn't always the best indicator of future NFL success. It's been quite the opposite in fact. Quarterbacks with limited size and height, such as Russell Wilson and Drew Brees, have shredded the conventional wisdom behind the argument that taller quarterbacks are better.

Better off? Yes. Better players? Well, that depends on your context.

There's no doubting the fact that taller quarterbacks have a competitive advantage in having an increased line of vision. However, this one quality hardly makes up for the previous seven we have already discussed.

According to the University of Alabama's official website, he currently checks in at a healthy 6'4", 214 pounds. Well above average in terms of height, McCarron will likely need to add a few pounds onto his lanky frame before he can be considered "NFL ready."

Nonetheless, it doesn't hurt to know he can basically check off this column as a quarterback who already possesses NFL size.

Final Word

McCarron is the type of quarterback who has a lot going for him but whose ceiling appears to be somewhat limited.

With a slightly average to above-average NFL arm and legs, he must rely on his mechanics, accuracy and football IQ to speed up and make up for some of the physical deficiencies that limit his NFL potential.

This is not to say McCarron cannot become a quality NFL quarterback in due time; however, evaluators will want to see how much his arm strength has improved since the end of last year, as well as his ability to make plays and create something out of nothing.

Too many times in the past, McCarron has benefited from big leads and stellar talent around him, and not often have we gotten the opportunity to see how he reacts and responds to adversity and/or pressure.

Nonetheless, McCarron's accuracy, vision, mechanics, size and production are all positive characteristics to build upon. His 10-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio from last year, and 291 consecutive passes without throwing an interception, points to a player who consistently makes good decisions, protects the football and avoids beating himself.

In ending, McCarron has proved he can keep his team in games and help it win consistently, but the question now becomes, does he have what it takes to lift a team single-handedly?

That's the question we're all left wondering for 71 more days.

Phil Jackson Claims He's Consulting for Lakers After Team Sought His Help

Grant Hughes — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:40:42 -0400

Phil Jackson is back with the Los Angeles Lakers, but probably not in the way most people would have expected. And in a turn of events that has to have stroked the Zen Master's considerable ego, his return as a pseudo-consultant came at the team's request.

Apparently, there's no bad blood between Jackson and the Lakers after the organization passed him over for its head-coaching duties in favor of Mike D'Antoni early in the 2012-13 season.

And despite a "casual" relationship with owner Jim Buss, Jackson seems more than willing to help out.

While the 11-time champ has no official title with the Lakers, he and longtime girlfriend Jeanie Buss were front and center at a recent Time Warner Cable event. Plus, there was a conspicuous absence as well.

Jackson and Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak have maintained a strong relationship over the years, and even the messy coaching search that netted D'Antoni didn't come between them. According to Kupchak, the only thing that might have irked Jackson during the process was a late wake-up call.

It seems that everyone's getting along in Lakerland these days. Well, at least as far as the front office is concerned. Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant could very well be at each other's throats at this very moment. But the harmony among the executives doesn't have Jackson convinced that the team is in good health.

In fact, he's already got a few ideas he'd like to implement.

That doesn't sound like someone who's a name-only consultant. Jackson has the experience—and now, apparently the desire—to help the Lakers sort out the financial mess of their current personnel situation.

It turns out all the Lakers had to do was ask.

Oh, and because this is Jackson, one of the most deliberately mercurial figures in NBA history, he planted a subtle seed that his ambitions might someday include a return to the bench.

I'm already enjoying the third go-round in the Jackson-Lakers saga.

Spurs Use Team Dinner After Crushing Game 6 to Clear Heads for Game 7

Jesse Dorsey — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:36:22 -0400

The San Antonio Spurs were dealt a devastating blow in Game 6, but the team went out to dinner together following the game to help clear the air.

It might seem like a small event to get over letting championship slip through their fingers in the span of 30 seconds, but sometimes its the small things that can help bring teams together.

Following the 103-100 loss to the Miami Heat in which they had a five-point lead with 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the big conversation was about how they could possibly bounce back after coming within seconds of a championship.

San Antonio's dinner was a team-bonding moment first and foremost, but it was also a way to keep teammates from going back to the hotel and wallowing in self-pity by themselves.

Tim Duncan hammered home the importance of the players supporting each other after that game, and all the good that the early morning dinner did. Via Lang Whitaker of NBA.com:

It helped, it did. The other option is a bunch of us go back to our rooms and sit there by ourselves and beat yourself up. So it’s always good to be around teammates and kind of get some stuff out in the open. We did exactly that. As I said, we’ll be ready to rock.

However, the most interesting thing to come from the dinner was the story that Tony Parker told the team about his similar experience back in 2005:

It was a great dinner. We shared histories and what happened in different games, and sharing stuff like when I was with the (French) national team, when we were up 7 and lost in 35 seconds, the European Championship. You just share those moments and try to see what you can do better and prepare for Game 7.

Of course, he's referencing the EuroBasket semifinal game between France and Greece from 2005.

Parker's French team held a seven-point lead with 47 seconds left to play and was looking at making its first EuroBasket Finals in nearly 60 years.

Greece scored 12 to France's four in the final 47 seconds and won by a point, leaving France nothing but a chance at a consolation prize in the bronze-medal game.

That French club went out and clobbered Spain for the bronze, winning 98-68.

Parker's team then didn't have a second chance at retribution—it lost and that was it. This time around, it can make up for its folly. Of course, there's no consolation prize either.

No team has won a Game 7 in the NBA Finals on the road since the Washington Bullets back in 1978. Not only that, the Miami Heat have won both Game 7s that they've been involved in since their convergence in 2010.

Hopefully for the Spurs sake, that was one rejuvenating dinner.

Buying or Selling Chicago Bulls Rumors Ahead of the NBA Draft

Mike B. — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:35:32 -0400

As the 2013 NBA draft approaches, the Chicago Bulls haven’t been associated with many rumors.

It will be interesting to see who the Bulls draft in the first round (20th overall). Will they take a shooting guard to replace Marco Belinelli, who could possibly leave town via free agency this summer? Or will they opt for a small forward or center?

Perhaps the Bulls would like to trade up. This time last year, a rumor, via Ian Whittell of ESPN Chicago, had Luol Deng heading to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for the seventh overall pick. The Bulls likely would’ve taken Harrison Barnes, who went on to have a solid rookie year for the Warriors. The deal never took place, but will Chicago move Deng on this year’s draft night?

Let’s play the “buy or sell” rumor game, Chicago Bulls style.

Bulls Are Likely to Target Defensive-Minded Players in the Draft

Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times believes the Bulls are looking for defenders in the upcoming draft.

That’s not the least bit surprising, seeing that the Bulls have been known as an elite defensive team the last few years. Head coach Tom Thibodeau is all about defense, and you don’t have to be the world’s biggest Bulls fan to know that.

According to Cowley, potential targets include three centers—Pittsburgh’s Steven Adams, Louisville’s Gorgui Dieng and Kansas’ Jeff Withey.

Adams should be long gone before pick No. 20, as NBADraft.net has him going to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 10. If he is available, though, the Bulls should strongly consider taking him.

Already a good defender at this point, Adams could blossom into a great defender, playing for Coach Thibs in Chicago.

Dieng is certainly an intriguing prospect. The Senegal native had a sensational junior year, picking up Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors and helping the Cardinals win the national title.

Dieng brings more to the table than just high-quality D. He can also pass from the high post (2.0 assists per game) and has the ability to drill the mid-range jumper on a consistent basis.

Meanwhile, Withey is a shot-blocking machine to say the least. When you erase nearly four shots per contest, you’re a shot-blocking machine.

Withey blocked 31 shots during the 2012 tournament, breaking current Bull Joakim Noah’s record.

He was named co-National Defensive Player of the Year as a senior, sharing the award with Indiana’s Victor Oladipo.

Verdict: Buy

Luol Deng to the Cleveland Cavaliers

The Bulls aren’t likely to move Deng this offseason. But if they decide to place him on the trading block, CSN Chicago’s Aggrey Sam claims the Cleveland Cavaliers could show interest.

The Cavaliers, of course, own the top pick in the draft. Would they part with the pick in order to acquire Deng? Some Bulls fans out there who would love to see such a trade take place.

The Bulls could draft Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore and slide Jimmy Butler over to small forward. A backcourt of Derrick Rose and McLemore could be entertaining for the next decade or so.

McLemore is often compared to future Hall of Famer Ray Allen due to his lights-out shooting. He may not be "Jesus Shuttlesworth 2.0," but he does has the potential to be an NBA star.

The addition of Deng would surely help out the Cavaliers, who were one of the league's worst defensive clubs this past season. Yet, there's no way the Cavs would trade the No. 1 pick for Deng, especially since his contract expires next summer. A one-year rental just wouldn't make sense.

The Cavaliers own the 19th overall pick as well as a boatload of cap space. They could deal the pick and simply absorb Deng’s contract, making Chicago's financial situation a lot better. However, the Bulls wouldn't bite on a deal like this.

Verdict: Sell

Bulls Are Likely to Draft a Big Man

ESPN Chicago's Nick Friedell thinks the Bulls will go the big-man route in this year's draft.

"With that in mind, a quick glance at the Bulls roster would indicate that while the Bulls could go in a number of different directions, the safe money is on them looking for a big man and giving a reformed bench some more depth."

Friedell lists big-man possibilities as the aforementioned Dieng and Withey. He also includes Duke's Mason Plumlee.

Plumlee came up huge as a senior, producing 17.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 59.9 percent from the field.

The Bulls have a thing for Duke players, as current starters Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer both starred for the Blue Devils. Guys like Jay Williams and Chris Duhon were drafted in the past as well.

No one would be shocked if the Bulls selected a big man with the 20th pick. It's no secret that the team needs a backup center for Joakim Noah.

Verdict: Buy

NHL Draft 2013: Updated Look at Philadelphia Flyers' Targets

Michael Pizzutillo — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:24:48 -0400

During the 2013 NHL draft, the Philadelphia Flyers will be targeting players to fill future needs, yet possessing a quick(er) learning curve.

It's no secret the Flyers need depth in their defensive unit, but a bruising, punishing prospect may not be enough to succeed in Philadelphia. The team desperately needs a player with an above-average hockey brain and incredible hockey instinct.

Too many times the Flyers defenders found themselves out of position—in their own zone—and losing battles along the board or open ice. Sure, many of these players threw their bodies around, unloading ferocious hits time after time, but that punishment was easily erased by mental mistakes or lack of effort.

As Philadelphia holds selections in the first, second, third, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds, the team should be concentrating on smart defenders who can make the leap into the NHL.

Here are four defensemen the Flyers could be targeting throughout the draft:

Rasmus Ristolainen

A guaranteed first-round selection, the Finland native will be a "tough grab" at the No. 11 pick. Rasmus Ristolainen is a sold blueliner who moves well with or without the puck. He also thrives on playing physical hockey.

He could eventually blossom into Kimmo Timonen's replacement.

Ryan Pulock

Another lock in the first round, Ryan Pulock could be the perfect fit for the Flyers. The shifty blueliner can skate, pass, shoot and hit. He would complement the team nicely, but with his impressive combine appearance, Pulock may not still be around by the time Philly makes its first selection.

Darnell Nurse

The gritty blueliner plays a Broad Street Bully style of hockey but with the potential to be an offensive threat. Darnell Nurse, the nephew of ex-Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, already has ties to the city and could quickly become a fan favorite with the Flyers faithful.

He possesses a ton of talent and potential upside, so the team would be making an investment for the future.

Chris Bigras

Chris Bigras is a player who has not received the attention of a first-round selection, but he could end up being a nice second-round pick for Philadelphia. He's a versatile blueliner, who is extremely intelligent on the ice.

In a scouting report by SportsNet's Patrick King, he labeled Bigras as an adaptable player, who could develop into a reliable, long-term pro.

The Philadelphia Flyers will not spend every pick on a defenseman, but the team should be focusing on filling this major void on its roster. Now is the time for Philly to invest in its defenders and help achieve successful seasons for years to come.

"Defense wins championships" is one of the oldest cliches in all of sports, and it's still true to this day. If the Flyers do not improve their defense, they will never truly compete for Lord Stanley's Cup.

Stanley Cup 2013: Suddenly Shaky 'D' Costs Boston Bruins Golden Opportunity

Nicholas Goss — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:18:19 -0400

Failing to put away an opponent in a playoff series when given the opportunity often comes back to haunt a team, and if the Boston Bruins lose the Stanley Cup Final to the Chicago Blackhawks, losing Game 4 6-5 in overtime will likely be remembered as the point where it all fell apart.

Going into Wednesday's matchup in Boston, the Bruins had a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead with a victory going into Saturday's Game 5 in Chicago.

But the Bruins were never able to hold a lead or capitalize on their chances to win the game, and ultimately lost when Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook blasted a shot from the point that found the back of the net nine minutes, 51 seconds into the extra period.

Most surprisingly for the Bruins, it was their normally reliable, responsible and excellent defense that let them down on Wednesday.

"Every game is different," said Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask. "Sometimes you feel more comfortable than the other nights and today they had a lot of—we had a lot of breakdowns and they got two-on-ones, breakaway, stuff like that. It’s just a battle out there. Sometimes you just feel more comfortable than the others."

Boston was uncharacteristically awful in its own end in Game 4, committing way too many turnovers, not winning 50-50 puck battles in the dirty areas, failing to clear rebounds, pinching when the safe play was to keep position and taking dumb penalties.

The result was a playoff-high six goals allowed, equaling the total that the Bruins gave up in their previous six games dating back to Game 3 of the conference finals.

"I just think we weren't very sharp in our decision-making," said Bruins head coach Claude Julien postgame. "Where we talked about we having layers, our D’s were pinching, our forwards were not really covering up, weren't totally committed to that part of the game.

"That's when you saw two-on-ones. Sometimes caught a little bit low. We were through the neutral zone, weren't very aggressive. There was a lot of our game tonight that was just average, and average isn't good enough at this stage of the season."

Average would be putting it nicely. Boston was downright horrendous at certain times on Wednesday from a defensive standpoint.

For example, the first goal of the game happened as a result of a lost puck battle in the attacking zone and a failure to back-check fast enough on the ensuing two-on-one breakaway. The result was a shorthanded goal for Michal Handzus.

On Chicago's second goal, Milan Lucic pressured Jonathan Toews from the blue line to behind the goal line but left him when the puck went to the point, allowing the Blackhawks captain to score on a rebound because he was all alone in front of the net.

The Blackhawks' third goal was scored on a rebound by Patrick Kane, who was able to skate from a few feet inside the blue line all the way to the net because three Bruins players were to the right of Rask and not paying attention.

There were also breakdowns and mistakes defensively on Chicago's next two goals, but I think you get the picture by now. The Bruins cannot win games against a highly skilled team like the Blackhawks without responsible and consistent defense.

"Everything together—it was mental, it was positional" said Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg when describing the team's defensive mistakes. "We always talk about layers, right? We just didn’t have those tonight. That’s why things like that happen."

Shutdown defenseman Zdeno Chara was a minus-three and was on the ice for five of the Blackhawks' six goals. Last year's Frank J. Selke Trophy winner Patrice Bergeron was a minus-two. It's rare that these two defensive stalwarts are on the ice for so many goals, but it also illustrates how poorly the Bruins defended in Game 4, even when their best players were on the ice.

In the two games that the Blackhawks have won in this Cup final, they have scored 10 total goals. In losses, they have put only one puck past Rask. Boston isn't built to win a high-scoring game in which it has to find the back of the net four, five or even six times against a great team like the Blackhawks. Boston simply doesn't have the offensive firepower to trade goals with Chicago.

Playing catch-up hockey and being forced to open themselves up offensively to erase a deficit isn't going to result in much success for the Bruins. They had to overcome deficits of 1-0, 2-1, 3-1, 4-2 and 5-4 just to force overtime in Game 4.

Luckily for the B's, most of the mistakes made in Game 4 are correctable because they involved positioning, effort, intelligence and a lack of toughness.

The Bruins certainly have the character and resiliency to bounce back from this defeat. They won Game 2 in overtime after losing in triple overtime to start the series, and many of their players were also a part of the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team that won a championship after being deadlocked at two games apiece following Game 4.

This is a veteran and experienced Boston team that understands how hard it must work to win Game 5 on the road and earn an opportunity to win the Stanley Cup on home ice for the first time since 1970.

"We knew it was going to a tough series, an even series," said Bergeron. "That’s what we’re having. We never said it was going to be easy."

"They’re a great team out there and so are we, so we just got to go out there—like you said, it’s a best-of-three now—and regroup and get ready for Game 5."

Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is an NHL Lead Writer at Bleacher Report. He is also a credentialed writer at the 2013 Stanley Cup Final in Boston. All quotes obtained firsthand.

Cost-Effective Moves the Miami Heat Could Make in Free Agency

Peter Emerick — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:07:03 -0400

The Miami Heat are one game away from back-to-back NBA titles, but that doesn't mean it's too early to take a look at this upcoming summer of free agency.

Regardless of whether LeBron James and Co. hoist the 2013 Larry O'Brien Trophy or not, they need to be relatively active this offseason.

With aging players like Ray Allen, Mike Miller, Shane Battier and Udonis Haslem, Pat Riley needs to find some talent not only to bolster the Heat's depth, but also to start building for the future of the franchise.

OK, before we get ahead of ourselves, let's get one thing straight. Pat Riley won't be establishing a future for his franchise via free agency, that is, unless he decides to trade one or two parts of the Big Three—Chris Bosh and/or Dwyane Wade.

Before we get into a debate on whether Bosh or Wade hold any significant value in the trade market, let's refocus on the task at hand—finding cost-effective moves the Heat can make to bolster their roster this offseason.

Chris Andersen, C, Miami Heat

The most obvious move the Heat can make is by retaining the talents of the one and only Birdman, Chris Andersen.

Whether you love him or hate him and his eccentric tattoos, there's no debating that he's the kind of player the Heat need in the paint.

He brings intensity to the court every second he's on the floor, and he's the kind of player who's not going to back down from a challenge or threat—just ask Tyler Hansbrough about that.

Aside from the energy and intensity he brings, Andersen is also a guy who can clean up the glass and be an interior presence on defense at the same time. Andersen has potential to make some cash this upcoming offseason if he wants to pursue his options, and teams are willing to invest in an aging role player.

But the Heat would be wise to lock him up to a mid-level exception the first moment they can, because he's helped them reach Game 7 in the 2013 NBA Finals. Honestly, without Andersen, the Heat would probably be watching the Indiana Pacers take on the San Antonio Spurs—that's how important he is.

Tony Allen, SG, Memphis Grizzlies

Much like Chris Andersen, the next player on this list, Tony Allen, is the kind of guy who can make a difference on the defensive side of the ball–and that's what the Heat need.

He can bang with players bigger than him, and he can run with the best perimeter players in the game.

Not only is Allen an athletic and versatile defender, but he can also find his stroke along the way.

This past season, Allen averaged 8.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in just 26.7 minutes per game. That's the kind of production the Heat could use coming off their bench, especially if Ray Allen decides to exercise the player option in his contract this offseason.

Allen already has a championship ring, though, so enticing him with the thought of winning another NBA title won't be that easy. Let's be honest, though, who wouldn't want to add another ring to their legacy?

If the Heat could sign Allen to the mid-level exception of around $3 million, they would be making one of the best steals—no pun intended—of the 2013 offseason.

Chauncey Billups, PG, L.A. Clippers

Adding a 37-year-old Chauncey Billups certainly wouldn't make the Miami Heat any younger, but it would give them veteran leadership in the backcourt, which is something a championship-caliber team can always utilize.

While there's no way the Heat would offer him close to the $3 million he got paid this past season, they could get away with offering him a veteran minimum.

He may not be the player he once was with the Detroit Pistons, but he has a reputation for knocking down big shots time and time again.

Just imagine a small-ball lineup at the end of a game with LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Billups, Ray Allen and Chris Bosh. Talk about having shooting threats all over the court.

Adding Billups would also be a great move for Norris Cole, who could finally learn from a veteran at his position who knows how to win and knows how to control the pace of a game with the best of the best.

Antawn Jamison, PF, L.A. Lakers

There's no doubt Antawn Jamison wasn't happy with his situation early on in the season with the Lakers out West.

He wasn't getting the minutes he was accustomed to, and he wasn't exactly getting that "legitimate shot" at an NBA title like he had hoped.

That all could change if he wants to take his talents to South Beach this offseason.

The Heat need a player who can spread the floor but also be a force in the post and on the glass, and that's exactly who Jamison is.

LeBron James played with him in Cleveland, and while it didn't work out as well as they had hoped there, Jamison could have the shot at redemption his career and legacy needs in Miami.

This past season, Jamison averaged 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per game. That production doesn't point to his ability to still take over games with intelligent play on the post and on the glass, and a long-range shot from the perimeter.

Jamison would be a great addition for the Heat; they would just need to get him for the right price.

DeJuan Blair, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs

This one would be an odd move, but there's no doubt DeJuan Blair has some serious potential that hasn't been fully realized yet.

Not only his he a ridiculously opportunistic and intelligent rebounder, but he can also finish around the rim with both class and authority, which is rare for a player with his unique size and skill set.

The Spurs would be foolish not to try to retain his talents this offseason, but that all depends on the growth and maturation of Blair's relationship with Gregg Popovich.

The Heat need to hope that it completely falls apart and Blair wants to head to a team that can give him a shot at a title while getting actual playing time. The Heat is that team, and adding Blair to their roster would be a very solid move.

While the Heat don't have much money to spend this offseason, there's no doubt that talent is out there for them to get.

It's all about being smart with their cash, and they've already proved that they can do just that.

Stars Rescue Chicago Blackhawks' Stanley Cup Dreams in Wild OT Game

Steve Silverman — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:00:11 -0400

The Chicago Blackhawks were desperate to climb back into the Stanley Cup Final. If only they could scratch out a goal or two against Tuukka Rask, they would have a chance to go back to Chicago with the series tied 2-2.

That was the theory before the start of Game 4. However, the Blackhawks and Bruins made mincemeat of that idea and engaged in a track meet of a hockey game that saw Chicago emerge with a 6-5 overtime victory. Brent Seabrook was the game's final hero when he blasted home the winner 9:51 into overtime.

"We did a lot of good things tonight. (We) look at the positives and move forward." -Coach Q says with a smile. pic.twitter.com/CViJU2FkmN
— NHL (@NHL) June 20, 2013

Overtime has become standard in this series, as three of the four games have gone into extra time. This was the Blackhawks' second overtime win, and the series is tied 2-2.

This is the first Stanley Cup Final since the 1993 meeting between the Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings to feature three overtime games.

Going into this game, the Blackhawks were getting ready to call the authorities because their stars were missing in action. Jonathan Toews had been invisible, Patrick Kane had one assist and the power play was disastrous.

The Blackhawks remedied all three of those situations in this game.

Toews scored his first goal since Game 5 of the conference semifinal series against the Detroit Red Wings when he made an artful deflection of a Michal Roszival shot past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask early in the second period that gave the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead.

Minutes later, Kane followed with a goal of his own. Once again, Roszival took a shot from the point. The rebound came out to Bryan Bickell, who fired a quick shot that Rask saved. Kane flashed in, got the puck on his backhand and fired a shot past Rask for a 3-1 Chicago lead.

With Toews and Kane both scoring, the Blackhawks let loose a huge sigh of relief.

Toews said Seabrook has been asking him for a couple days, "What are you thinking about?" Toews' answer: "Scoring goals."
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) June 20, 2013

The Blackhawks, who had been held without a goal for 122:26 of action following Patrick Sharp's goal in Game 2, suddenly had three in the first 28:41 of action. They would need all of them and more, because the Bruins would fight back hard.

Milan Lucic got the Bruins within one on a backhand shot over Corey Crawford's glove, but the Blackhawks would not relent.

Marcus Kruger finished off a two-on-one after taking a pass from Michael Frolik. Rask was able to kick out Kruger's first shot, but the forward stopped on a dime, recovered and put the puck into the top of the net on a sensational maneuver.

That two-goal lead might have stopped a lesser team, but the Bruins responded with a power-play goal by Patrice Bergeron to get within one before the end of the second period.

The Blackhawks were hanging by a thread between periods because the Bruins had the momentum and they were facing a 3-1 deficit if they lost the game.

Their fears of failing came closer to reality when Bergeron scored again early in the third after a dominating shift by Jaromir Jagr, who ended up with the primary assist.

But that's when the Blackhawks responded with a power-play goal by Sharp. Their power play had failed on its first 14 opportunities of the series—including the first three in this game—but Sharp slammed home a rebound to give them a 5-4 lead.

That lead lasted just 55 seconds, until Johnny Boychuk rocketed a drive past the glove of Crawford.

All five goals that Crawford allowed came to his glove side. Quenneville was unfazed.

"Corey's been great for us all year, all playoffs," Quenneville said at the postgame press conference broadcast by the NHL Network. "He just moves forward. We got the win and he'll be fine."

But despite his problems, Crawford made a big save in overtime on Brad Marchand that kept the Bruins from winning the game. Moments later, Seabrook came through with his second overtime goal of this playoff year. He had eliminated the Red Wings in Game 7 with another blast.

After the Blackhawks had been outworked by the Bruins in Game 3, they came back dramatically in a number of key areas.

They cut their humiliating 40-16 faceoff deficit to 39-38 and had a 13-11 margin in blocked shots after the Bruins had a 17-7 edge in that area in Game 3.

Quenneville wore the smile of a satisfied coach in this game. He saw his team find its scoring touch, its creativity and its battle level.

That allowed the Blackhawks to regain home-ice advantage. That has not been decisive so far in this series, with each team winning on the other's home ice, but it's something that will allow the Blackhawks to feel relieved as they prepare for Game 5.

Why Kevin McHale's Houston Rockets Would Be Perfect for Dwight Howard's Legacy

Luke Petkac — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:59:15 -0400

Some might say that Dwight Howard has a difficult decision facing him this summer, but actually, it's not that tough at all. Because the Houston Rockets would be absolutely perfect for Howard and his legacy. It's a no-brainer.

Talking about Howard's legacy has been popular lately because of the drama he brought to both the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers, but that talk's a little silly. Howard's young and has a good eight or nine years of basketball ahead of him. We have no idea what his legacy will look like at this point.

Still, there's no question that Howard's public image and legacy have taken a hit over the past few years, and he'll be looking to repair that damage.

Some, like ESPN's Chris Broussard (Insider only), have suggested that Howard's image will be even more damaged if he leaves the Lakers, but that's simply not true.

If LeBron James has taught us anything over the past few years, it's that winning cures all ills. If Howard plays fantastic basketball and wins a ring or two in his new city, we'll forgive him. That's just the way it works.

And that makes Houston the obvious choice for Howard. He could be incredible there.

Howard is very different from almost every other franchise center in history in the sense that he's never developed a great back-to-the-basket game. Even at his peak in Orlando, Howard's scoring efficiency on post opportunities was ranked around 50th in the league, and his go-to post move (a running hook with either hand) has always looked awkward and clunky.

Howard's primary value on the offensive end lies not in his low-post game, but in his outstanding pick-and-roll ability. And that makes James Harden—far and away the league's best young pick-and-roll ball-handler—the ideal partner for him.

In his Orlando stint, Howard destroyed defenses in the pick-and-roll. He was ranked as the league's first- or second-most efficient scorer as a roll man in each of his last three years with the Magic. And if he can do that well playing primarily with a good—but not great—pick-and-roll guard like Jameer Nelson, then just imagine the things he could do with Harden—a Manu Ginobili-esque passing genius.

Harden's patient, probing style in the pick-and-roll often forces defenses to send help or over-commit to prevent a drive to the basket, something that Howard could take advantage of in a way that Omer Asik simply can't. Howard's quick and explosive enough to get a dunk or a high-percentage shot any time the defense overplays a ball-handler, and with all due respect to Asik, he can't do stuff like this:

To be honest, Houston's also a great landing spot if Howard ever does want to become a dominant back-to-the-basket center.

Don't get me wrong, there's a good chance that Howard is who he is offensively at this point (and that's still enough to make him a top-five player when healthy). But he's an incredible athlete and still relatively young at 27 years old. There's no reason he couldn't be a dominant post presence. Players older than him have reinvented themselves late in their careers.

And if that is something that interests Howard, then what better teacher could he have than Kevin McHale?

To put it simply, McHale had the greatest set of moves on the low block ever. Period. Guys like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon had more unstoppable signature moves, but no one had a bigger arsenal of fakes, turnarounds and up-and-unders than McHale. No one.

He had 30-odd moves, a counter for every one of them and sometimes even a counter for the counter move. If anyone could serve as a mentor for Howard, it's him.

Funnily enough though, even if Howard wasn't able to pick up any moves from McHale, he'd still probably have better scoring opportunities down low with the Rockets than he has in his previous stops. Few teams in the league play more small ball than the Rockets do. They love to throw Chandler Parsons at the 4, run like crazy and hoist up tons of threes.

And that strategy could play right into Howard's hands. The Rockets often force other teams to go small to keep up with their speed, and if there's one thing Howard can do, it's take advantage of smaller defenders.

Obviously teams aren't going to be throwing guards or small forwards out to try and defend Howard on the block, but a bad defensive switch could put Howard in a good spot down low. And the Rockets' constant pick-and-roll attack generates switches like that pretty regularly.

Defensively, we know Howard would fit well with the Rockets because when healthy, he fits with everyone.

Asik did a phenomenal job anchoring the Rockets' defense this season, but he's not Howard, who's led the league in defensive win shares four times in the last six years, per Basketball-Reference.

Howard also could replace, if not improve, Asik's production on the defensive glass.

Asik grabbed 31 percent of all available defensive boards last season, and a healthy Howard rebounds at around the same rate, per Basketball-Reference. Crashing the defensive glass is important for a running team like the Rockets, so the fact that Dwight can match or exceed Asik's production in that area is key.

If you're a Rockets fan or even just a Howard fan, you have to admit all of that sounds pretty great.

With that being said, there are a few potential drawbacks to Howard going to Houston, and it's important that they be mentioned.

First, there's the fact that Houston played at the fastest pace in the league this season, per Basketball-Reference. The only team Howard's been a part of that played near that quickly was this year's Lakers squad, and he looked pretty uncomfortable in the Los Angeles system.

This isn't an enormous concern, since Howard was dealing with serious back issues this year, and he's always been outstanding at running the floor for easy lobs or dunks. He would probably be just fine playing at the Rockets' pace, but it's still worth mentioning since there aren't all that many big men who love sprinting up and down the floor.

The second and most important drawback is that Howard would have to sacrifice some post touches. That was mentioned a bit earlier, but the reality is that Howard would be forced to adapt to the Rockets' system.

Howard's accustomed to having between 50 to 60 percent of his touches come in the post, and that simply would not happen in Houston. The Rockets play too quickly.

That would maybe change if Howard did indeed learn from McHale, but as he is now, Howard would have to sacrifice some post touches for the good of the team.

That's it, though. Those are the only real drawbacks to Howard being with the Rockets, and in all honesty, they're pretty small.

No one knows what Dwight Howard's legacy is going to be by the time he retires, but one thing's for sure—he'd have the chance to build a great one with the Rockets. They have the right players, the right coach and—as CBS Sports' Zach Harper recently broke down—the ability to get at least one max player in a Rockets uniform.

The rest is up to Howard.

All stats were compiled via Synergy Sports Technology unless mentioned otherwise.

Bob Stoops' Home Burglarized Wednesday Morning

Alex Ballentine — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:51:19 -0400

Oklahoma University head football coach Bob Stoops was the victim of a burglary early Wednesday morning.

According to Jake Trotter of ESPN, the Stoops' home was burglarized at 3:30 a.m. The family was in the home and sleeping at the time of the break-in. Among the items reported stolen was a vehicle.

Trotter also tweeted out the unfortunate news:

According to Trotter's report, the family discovered the burglary at the home they just moved into last year and alerted the authorities at around 8:30 a.m. The case is being considered a first-degree burglary per Lieutenant Eric Lehenbauer of the Norman Police Department via ESPN.

Lehenbauer also said that he and his department have leads that they are following and no one was harmed during the event.

Stoops and his wife have three children—a daughter, Mackenzie and two twin sons, Drake and Isaac.

The coach is a highly revered figure in Oklahoma history. He'll be entering his 15th season as the Sooners head coach this year and won the school's most recent national championship in 2000.

He has also led the Sooners to eight Big 12 championships, including a share of the title in 2012. He has a career record of 149-37 and a bowl record of 7-7. His 149 wins stands just eight wins behind Barry Switzer for most wins in Sooner football history.

That's a mark that he should eclipse this season. The Sooners have won at least eight games in every season since his debut 7-5 season as coach in 1999.

The State of the Shield: Analyzing the WWE Super Team in 5 Quotes

Jonathan Snowden — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:38:05 -0400

The Shield aren't supposed to be the hottest new WWE act in a decade. Professional wrestling simply doesn't work that way.

Since the dawn of Hulkamania, wrestling stars have been built with performance-enhancing drugs, pedigree and more than a sprinkling of politics.

Wrestling success is traditionally a product of shiny, spray-tanned muscles not suplexes and slams. The kind of physiques that make you snort when someone mentions drug testing with a straight face. Buddy Rose, one of the great talents of his generation, never made a big impact in WWE. The Warlord, a musclebound, immobile and completely underwhelming Road Warriors rip off, got multiple chances to try to get it right.

The difference?

About 70 pounds of Grade A muscle.

WWE owner Vince McMahon is a fetishist. His addiction? Veins and bulges. Most top WWE stars need to deliver in the weight room. Period.

The path to the top is easier to navigate, too, when you manage to get tight with the right crew. The boys in the back can make you or break you. It didn't hurt to be tight with Hogan or the Klique back in the day. It doesn't hurt to nod your head at the right times around The Undertaker or John Cena now.

If all else fails, you better hope your daddy was wrestling royalty. Outsiders have proved unreliable. Goldberg, Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley all got big pushes. None of them lasted. The progeny of wrestlers, it is thought, will be better suited than others to sustain the rigors of the road and the pressure of the politics.

Who you are can trump what you can do.

What's interesting about The Shield's success is how poorly they fit the established mold. For the most part, they're lacking in all three categories. They don't have friends in high places like Daniel Bryan. They don't have John Cena's freak musculature. And none of them descend from wrestling greatness like Randy Orton.

And yet, here they are—a major cog in the system despite being in their first year with the company. Can that last?

Let's take a look, together, at the most dynamic six-man tag team in 30 years. Five quotes over the last week stood out to me as emblematic of The Shield, both their journey and the path they have yet to walk.

"This guy is the powerhouse of The Shield."
—Jerry Lawler

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!"
—Richmond, Va.

"After six months of being beaten up and embarrassed by The Shield, I'd be mad too."
—Dean Ambrose

"The Shield is very stoppable."
—Michael Cole

"You guys remind me of me."
—Vince McMahon

Are they about to be Mr. McMahon's team vs. HHH?

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Why the Giants Were Smart to Diminish David Wilson's Role on Special Teams

Benjamin J. Block — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:35:42 -0400

The New York Giants know very well from experience that tagging David Wilson with full-time kickoff return duties in addition to his primary role at running back would be playing with fire—remember star cornerback Jason Sehorn's 1998 season?

Sehorn's season-ending knee injury that occurred at the end of a 33-yard opening kickoff return in that fateful August preseason game against the New York Jets remains a particularly sore moment in Giants history.

Now it serves as a teaching moment.

Immediately following that meaningless game 15 years ago, Michael Strahan said the only thing that needed to be said.

"To think that it happened on something that he didn't necessarily have to do is what eats at me."

Would Wilson and his NFL league-leading 1,533 kickoff return yards from last season as a rookie make the Giants better on special teams in 2013? Yes.

Do they necessarily have to have him back there all the time? No.

Along with Andre Brown, Wilson is expected to carry the running load this season, so the coaching staff is appropriately looking to preserve his energy and minimize any unnecessary injury risks.

Special teams coordinator Tom Quinn told Giants.com that their decision to use Wilson on kick returns will ultimately depend on the impact that the second-year man has on offense.

Obviously, he [Wilson] would like to do it. He’s done it very well, but we’ll have to see how it all comes down with where he is on the depth chart and what he’s doing on offense. It might be maybe for one or two or you don’t need him for one or two, but we’ve got other guys that we feel good about.

Those other candidates whom Quinn and head coach Tom Coughlin allude to are 22-year-old Rueben Randle and 2011 draft pick Jerrel Jernigan.

Randle, the former LSU standout, fielded 15 of the Giants' 20 punt returns in 2012.

The Giants were good enough for last place in the NFL a season ago, mustering only 144 punt-return yards for the entire year, but Randle was a bright spot, accounting for 108 of those yards.

Jernigan had some flashes of success in 2011 returning kickoffs, amassing 186 yards on just eight return attempts. He only ran back two kicks in 2012 but managed to squeeze 60 yards out of those opportunities.

Jernigan has also only had three career receptions as he heads into his third season in the NFL, and his contribution with the Giants is likely to be felt in the kick-return game.

Quinn also boasts that Jernigan and Randle are among "a bunch of guys that can do the job if it’s not David."

One of those other "guys" will be returning Giant Aaron Ross.

While Ross wasn't really utilized in a punt-return role too much with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season—returning three kicks for 16 yards—the G-Men had effectively used him in that role in 2010 and 2011.

So can the collaborative efforts of Randle, Jernigan, Ross and others match or improve upon Wilson's 1,533 return yards from last season? Maybe.

More importantly, is it a smart move by the Giants to lessen Wilson's role on kick returns and spread the accountability out to others? Yes.

It gives other guys a chance to shine and allows Wilson to concentrate on filling the void left at running back by fan-favorite Ahmad Bradshaw.

Even though Sehorn was a defensive star and Wilson is a burgeoning offensive threat, the misuse of Sehorn in the late 1990s resonates with how the Giants should utilize Wilson.

Big Blue lost Sehorn for the season in 1998, forever compromising his full potential.

The 2013 Giants brass appear to be smarter this time around in protecting their investment in Wilson, reserving their willingness to exploit his kick-return capabilities.

Los Angeles Lakers: No Game 7 Needed, Social Media Champions for 2013

Kevin Goldberg — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:26:38 -0400

Well even though the NBA Finals are coming down to what should be an exciting Game 7, all 32 teams are on an equal playing field when it comes to social media. Payroll, superstars, and a Zen-master coach don’t factor in on the Facebook and Twitter battlefields.

With that being said, the Los Angeles Lakers are crowned the social media champions for 2013!

So even though the Lakers had incredibly high expectations to start the season, which, well, didn’t pan out as expected, they are the best, according to Unmetric.

But how exactly did the Lakers win?

For one, they added an impressive 3.2 million Facebook fans in this past year alone. A reason for this spike could be their engagement levels. Last year they rarely engaged directly with their fans on Facebook, yet this year they have added a more personalized appeal to their page.

Some other interesting findings from the report include:

San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets had the most proactive tweets about their teams (97 percent).
In 2012, the Memphis Grizzlies were the biggest losers. This year the team stepped up its game with the highest number of admin posts and fastest average reply time on Facebook.
Brooklyn Nets dubbed fastest growing team on Facebook, while Toronto Raptors dominate Twitter.
In terms of content, teams posted most frequently about players and game schedules; however, fans were most excited to talk about posts that prompted them to Like or Share.

Interesting to note how unremarkable the Heat’s following is despite their media attention and big-name players. They also do little in interacting and engaging with their fans to promote a bigger following.

It’s also incredibly ironic how social media correlates with the Heat. Though LeBron James has by far the largest Twitter following of any NBA athlete, he can’t hold up the team by himself.

King Mo Lawal Defeats Seth Petruzelli by Vicious KO at Bellator 96

Michael Stets — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:24:41 -0400

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal returned to action Wednesday, June 19th, for the first time since his devastating loss to Emmanuel Newton back in February. It took him all of one minute and 35 seconds to return to the win column, as he knocked out Seth Petruzelli in the main event of Bellator 96 at Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma.

After Lawal collided heads with Petruzelli on his first takedown attempt, referee “Big” John McCarthy briefly called a halt to the action.

After the restart, Lawal landed a takedown—something he hadn’t done his last two fights—which led to him standing up in Petruzelli’s open guard. From there, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy threw both of his opponent’s legs to the side to pass before landing the vicious over-hand right that would end the fight:

Petruzelli had talked a lot of trash leading up to the fight, saying he would spoil Bellator’s plans for Lawal to become a champion. Lawal is no stranger to running his mouth, but he didn't have much of a response to Petruzelli’s pre-fight talk, letting his hands do the talking instead.

The AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) fighter is now 2-1 inside the promotion; he needed a win to avoid further criticism after his embarrassing defeat to Newton back at Bellator 90. Many media members panned Lawal for being overconfident and cocky before getting caught with Newton’s spinning-back fist.

Viacom has invested quite a bit in Lawal, and it would’ve been even harder to promote him in Bellator as well as TNA had he lost back-to-back fights at this juncture of the newest chapter in his career.

“King Mo” will now advance to the finals of the summer series four-man tournament where he will take on Jacob Noe. Noe was also victorious at Bellator 96, by third-round TKO over Renato “Babalu” Sobral.

He may not have said much about Petruzelli, but Lawal had plenty of disdain for Noe during the post-fight press conference:

"I didn't know when the fight was going to end, but I knew I was going to stop him, and I did," Lawal said.

He went on to talk about the Noe fight:

But now it's time for me to fight Jacob Noe. Noe, No, I don't know, I don't care. I don't like him, admitted Lawal. I don't like the gym he trains at. He's fake. He talked a lot of trash behind my back. I hope he's here listening, you all can tell him this because I'm going to beat the brakes off him. I'm going to whip his ass so bad, I'm going to retire him.

The two finalists will meet on July 31 at the Santa Ana Star Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The summer series tournament champion will earn the right to face the winner of the light heavyweight championship bout between current champ Attila Vegh and season eight tournament-winner Newton.

Those two will likely square off at some point during season nine this fall.

Michael Stets is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

Key Similarities and Differences Between Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer Eras

Carl Stine — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:20:51 -0400

The two most recent Ohio State head football coaches are a study.

Jim Tressel, the man that led the Buckeyes to a dominant decade, did so with a fierce defense, conservative offense and a sweater vest that left fashionistas wondering what the heck he was doing.

Urban Meyer's team that went 12-0 in 2012 featured a stout defense, wide-open offense and windbreakers.

Comparing the two is an interesting study, even though Meyer's time at OSU has been limited.

That single year helped prove what many believed—the man knows how to coach. Say what you will about the Buckeyes' 2012, they were the only college football team that finished without a loss.

While much of that is a credit to a stout defense led by Luke Fickell (remember him?) and the sparkling play of quarterback Braxton Miller, it is pretty obvious that Meyer has taken the magic that he had in Florida and transitioned it to Columbus.

Tressel, in spite of his departure in disgrace, had a great run at the head of the OSU football program, dominating the Big Ten and reeling in win after win.

In five of Tressel's 10 seasons at OSU, he won a BCS game. The Buckeyes participated in a bowl game every year, and his postseason record of 6-4 included one BCS championship game win.

There are significant differences, mainly the time difference, the fact that Urban Meyer won his BCS titles at Florida without controversy and the difference in style.

Meyer's offense is predicated on spreading the field, and while a dual-threat quarterback is something the two systems have in common, Tressel's conservative approach that included repeated attempts at that dive off left tackle with the same result every time was enough to put fans to sleep.

Not so with Meyer. The athletes Meyer fields are not reined in and limited by his offensive system and philosophy. As the Buckeyes implement more and more of his system on the offensive side of the ball, guys like Miller will have more opportunities to star with athletic ability.

Miller shined in the offense in his first season last year, providing more highlight-reel plays than any other player in college football.

Expect more of that from him in Meyer's explosive system with a year of experience under his belt.

Miller will be able to obtain accolades and highlights much easier than Tressel's quarterbacks, because he plays in Meyer's system, which allows him to flourish.

But the two also have some things in common that are worth addressing.

Both enjoyed a perfect season early in their career at Columbus. Tressel went 14-0 in his second season, while Meyer finished 12-0 in his first.

They both utilized athletic, mobile quarterbacks at OSU, and Meyer did so while at Florida as well.

Meyer has exhibited a better ability to recruit than Tressel ever did, a trait that will be important in restoring the Buckeyes, and on a wider scale the entire Big Ten, to respectability.

The key characteristic that fans should be concerned about is the winning.

It is all about the wins, and the two of them, while vastly different in recruiting ability and style, both know how to win.

Whether Meyer will be able to surpass Tressel in the OSU annals of greatness remains to be seen; there is no question that the two men have been elite coaches over the past decade.

If that trend continues, Meyer will have more titles to add to the two he already possesses from his time in Gainesville.

But the two have some things in common, and they will continue to do so going forward.

Iconic Accessories of NBA Stars Past and Present

Jesse Dorsey — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:20:20 -0400

LeBron James' headband was the star of Game 6 in the NBA Finals, or at least his lack of a headband was. The stir created brought up the idea of famous accessories through NBA history.

Starting with George Mikan's eyeglasses, rolling all the way through to LeBron's headband, players have always found a way to stick out from the crowd wearing something other than a regulated uniform.

Time and time again, players come up through the league make a name for themselves, and whatever accessories they rock end up taking on a life of their own.

Sometimes, people grow enthralled with individual pieces of cloth so much that a player becomes his accessory, and is remembered more for that stretch bit of cloth than anything else, as was the case with one of the first headband-wearing players, Slick Watts.

Throughout history, star players and role players alike have rocked identifying accessories, and they've continually kept it interesting throughout the years.

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Big Ten Football: Ranking the Top 30 Players for 2013

Danny Flynn — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:19:37 -0400

The last few years haven’t exactly been the greatest times for the Big Ten.

The Penn State sex abuse scandal, the Ohio State memorabilia scandal, the postseason struggles, plus the team’s declining prospect presence in the NFL draft have diminished the conference's reputation.

The league may be expanding by adding the likes of Rutgers and Maryland to boost its presence on the East Coast. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that the conference's current stock—in terms of the national stage—is on a downswing.

2013 is a vital season for the Big Ten. Ohio State is the squad with the most talent and the highest expectations to live up to. However, there’s plenty of other talent spread across the league, which will make things interesting this year.

Here’s a look at the Big Ten’s top 30 players for the 2013 season.

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Danny Briere: Ranking the 5 Best Landing Spots for Soon-to-Be Free Agent

Isaac Smith — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:18:19 -0400

Danny Briere will not be playing for the Philadelphia Flyers next season, as he will be bought out per a report by Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com.

Although many teams will likely be interested in acquiring the 35-year-old right wing, Briere will determine where he plays next because he will have the money from the Flyers to accept a pay cut to play for a Stanley Cup next season.

But as not all Stanley Cup contenders need either a right wing or more importantly a forward, his options for teams that he sees as possible contenders next year remains limited.

Here are five teams that will be the best landing spots for Briere, come next season.

"Best landing spot" in this case will be defined as a spot where Briere can be a top-six forward, but also have a reasonable chance of winning a Cup.

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5 Injured MLB Stars Who Shouldn't Be Counted out for 2nd Half

Pete Schauer — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:15:02 -0400

Injuries are something every MLB franchise has to battle through, attempting to keep its head above water, until its key pieces return to contribute.

It's always difficult to predict when a player will return from the disabled list—especially with the possibility of a setback—but the players on this list are all slated to be healthy right around the All-Star break.

Here are five players who shouldn't be counted out for the second half of the 2013 MLB season.

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Jay-Z Gets Officially Licensed to be NBA Agent with Kevin Durant First in Line

Zach Buckley — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:07:00 -0400

Allow him to reintroduce himself: His name is Jay-Z, and he's now an officially licensed NBA agent.

Ron Berkowitz, a spokesman for Jay Z's newly formed sports agency Roc Nation Sports, confirmed the news to ESPN.com's Darren Rovell.

It's still unclear exactly when he can start representing players (he still has not gotten around to selling his minority stake in the Brooklyn Nets, per Rovell's report), but he's already making an impact on the hoops world. Oklahoma City Thunder star and three-time scoring champion Kevin Durant has reportedly already aligned himself with Roc Nation Sports.

Although his agency is still in its infancy stage, the hip-hop mogul's clientele already features a number of notable names. New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, New York Jets rookie quarterback Geno Smith, and Tulsa Shock guard Skylar Diggins have all signed with the firm.

Where Roc Nation Sports goes from here is anyone's guess. But sports icons are flocking to him like his rabid fans, as few understand the importance of branding like the Brooklyn native.

Music propelled him to national fame, but that's far from the only egg in his basket now. Roc Nation has its own music division, featuring hit-makers like Rihanna and Shakira among others. His other business ventures have included launching fashion lines, investing in Carol's Daughter beauty products, owning a string of upscale sports bars called the 40/40 Club, and he once served as the president of Def Jam Recordings.

He's not a businessman, he's a business, man.

And now a certified NBA agent.

Boston Celtics: Why Danny Ainge Gets Too Much Blame for the Team's Conundrum

Sterling Xie — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:02:54 -0400

The Boston Celtics are no longer championship contenders. They are, however, old and expensive, which effectively amounts to NBA purgatory. Many have rushed to blame Celtics' general manager Danny Ainge, for reasons including his cap management, personnel decisions and handling of the Doc Rivers saga.

While Ainge has certainly made his share of questionable decisions over the years, from the unpopular Kendrick Perkins trade to the mid-level exceptions spent on Rasheed Wallace and Jermaine O'Neal, he has received too much blame for the Celtics' descent into mediocrity.

Here are three factors to consider when evaluating Ainge's role in how Boston ended up in NBA no-man's land.

Consistent Offseason Decisiveness

At the beginning of the season, Zach Lowe of Grantland had a great article about a theory on contention shared by most NBA executives. Dubbed by Rockets GM Daryl Morey as "the five percent rule," its premise centers on the rarity of even remote championship aspirations:

If you have some pieces, you're almost there, and if you're almost there, you go for it — even if the chances of toppling a superpower are slim. "If you've got even a 5 percent chance to win the title — and that group includes a very small number of teams every year — you've gotta be focused all on winning the title," says Rockets GM Daryl Morey. Mark Cuban, the Mavs' owner, agrees: "One sprained toe or two, and the competitive landscape changes," he says. "You don't want to miss that opportunity. You should always put the best team you can on the floor within the parameters you have set for yourself."

Danny Ainge has lived by this rule the past four seasons. The Celtics have consistently spent to the luxury tax in order to build the best possible supporting cast around their veteran core.

Yes, he's had his misses, but such is the nature of free agency when you can only use a mid-level exception and go bargain shopping for veteran minimums. Teams in similar cap situations haven't exactly fared well either.

At the moment, the Celtics are capped out for the next two seasons because of the moves Ainge made this offseason.

But hindsight is 20-20; many analysts were praising Ainge's free-agent signings at the time. Few expected him to lure Jason Terry away from the comfort of Dallas, and most saw Courtney Lee's acquisition for spare parts as a shrewd maneuver.

Only a tiny minority expected Terry to struggle so much as a catch-and-shoot option instead of a ball-handler, or for Lee to play his way out of the rotation come playoff time. The Celtics game within a game of making the 2012 NBA Finals, and these offseason upgrades gave them the best chance to make it back to that point.

Obviously the team never gelled and suffered a couple debilitating injuries, but no one can deny that at least on paper, the team looked better.

Of course, the Celtics would never have still had hope in Year 6 of a "three-year plan" if not for another one of Ainge's management habits.

Not Giving Away Trade Assets

Some believe Ainge's reluctance to trade Pierce and Garnett (and previously Ray Allen) is a sign of vacillation that has impaired Boston's rebuilding efforts.

However, it's not as if Ainge is unwilling to start over, based on the nonstop trade rumors swirling around the team the last two seasons. Rather, he is like a patient poker player who bides his time, not willing to go broke simply for the sake of action.

Pierce, KG and Doc Rivers (more on him in a bit) are the Celtics' best trade assets, since they will not be part of the rebuilding phase but can still help a contender.

In the past, Ainge has dangled his veterans and only received offers like Eric Gordon, Rudy Gay and, most laughably, Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks. Some of those players have nice name value, but none is the type of player who will propel the C's to anything more than what the Atlanta Hawks have been the past few seasons.

The recent Clippers rumors have to make the Celtics faithful feel queasy. Does anyone really want to see Ainge ship away all of Boston's assets for DeAndre Jordan, a flawed young center with no post game and shakier defense than most realize? Or whose own coach said this about him following a playoff loss? Per Phil Collin of the Daily News:

I don’t know if crossroads is the right (word) but there’s definitely a level you have to play at right now that is much different. He has a much different responsibility now. He understands it. I haven’t seen the consistency that I like. He hasn’t seen the consistency he would like.

I didn’t see him controlling the game the way I thought he needed to, and at that stage you have to go with someone you feel can.

Moreover, Jordan's $10 million per year salary would have only provided Boston with minimal financial flexibility, even while shipping out Terry or Lee. Bad teams need to be young and cheap, and Ainge was wise not to relent simply for the sake of making a trade.

The Doc Rivers Saga

Of course, Ainge was nearly forced into making that trade because of the Celtics' suddenly tenuous relationship with Doc Rivers.

This conflict of interest lies at the heart of the Celtics' conundrum: They are a team that needs to move on, but the $7 million-a-year coach who is supposed to lead onward wants to jump ship instead.

Many point to Ainge as the root of the problem. For one, they argue, handing out an enormous extension to a coach leading a rebuilding effort is generally not the wisest plan, even if the Celtics were in contention for the first half of Rivers' contract. Second, Ainge's relentless shopping of Rivers has now arguably made the locker room a toxic environment.

Regarding the contract, $7 million per year is certainly a lot to pay any coach, let alone one who might be overseeing lottery teams for the next few seasons. Still, Ainge remains convinced Rivers is the right coach for the next era, as reported by Matt Burke of the Metro.

If that is the case, then it makes no sense to save a few bucks on someone like Vinny Del Negro, who would come cheap, but who also would likely leave the team in as bad a shape as he inherited it.

As for the potentially toxic locker room, that is entirely dependent on Doc Rivers' commitment to the Celtics. Rivers is one of the few coaches with the charisma and reputation where he could earn back his players' trust. Ainge was simply doing his job in shopping Rivers.

If Ainge could have stolen Jordan and Eric Bledsoe, plus future picks and meaningful cap flexibility, even the most stubborn Celtics fans would have to concede that deal. Now, with the Clippers rumors reopening as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, it appears the Celtics have the upper hand in leverage. By holding out, Ainge may get his franchise-changing trade after all.

Doc Rivers may or may not be the right man to help the Celtics transition into a new era. But Danny Ainge has already presided over one Boston turnaround, albeit under extraordinary circumstances. Like any championship contender, the Celtics will probably need another stroke of luck to turn around their fortunes. Ainge at least deserves a chance to prove he can do it again.

Breaking Down the Recipe for the Ideal UFC Superstar

Artem Moshkovich — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:01:54 -0400

The world of professional athletics is often ruthless and unforgiving—any given sport is riddled with has-beens and also-rans. One poor performance in the heat of the moment can be as devastating as an embarrassing faux paus during a press conference. Star athletes are forced to walk on eggshells as they tread the fine line separating mediocrity from superstardom.

Mixed martial arts is no different.

Cage fighters must juggle sponsorships, media appearances and their own, public perceptions—all the while striving to increase the number of digits in their win column.

An elite few overcome the odds and somehow manage to secure the illustrious title of champion. Then, of course, begins the struggle to keep contenders at bay—giving birth to the expression, "It's harder to keep the belt than it is to get it in the first place."

Some UFC champions—both past and present—have managed to handle it admirably. But as I've said before, there's a clear line of demarcation separating a mere champion in a series of many from one who propels the sport of MMA to lofty new heights. We have yet to see the ideal superstar that extols the traits of a champion for the ages.

Which ingredients would we need from some of MMA's most iconic figures and, more interestingly, what if we were to throw them in a melting pot in a quest assemble the archetype of an MMA superstar?

Start with a Full Serving of Georges St. Pierre's Signature Professionalism

The French Canadian sets MMA's standard for suave and sophistication—he's practically synonymous with the suit-and-tie look. Always respectful of opponents and attentive to company needs, GSP would represent the core of our dream superstar. All the crucial traits would have to carry over: professionalism, business-oriented attitude, work ethic and even self-promotion.

The ideal MMA athlete would need the right stuff both inside and outside the cage.

Mix in a Good Batch of Sheer Athleticism Courtesy of Jon Jones

Top-tier athletes tend to look the part. This mixture would result in a physically impressive fighter a la Jon Jones. Reach and height would enable nothing short of blinding speed and dexterity. Victories would have to be highlight reel-worthy, with each finish acting as a firm declaration.

Jones knows this to be true—he tends to end his fights in ways that guarantee water cooler talk.

Stir in Equal Amounts of BJ Penn's Raw Talent

There's something to be said for a fighter that has the natural it factor.

Movements would have to be so fluid and natural that even the most casual MMA fans could feel like they were witnessing something special. Penn was not only the first American to win the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships, but also the first to be simultaneously ranked No. 1 in two, separate weight divisions.

Our star would need to be a replicate of the innate talents of "The Prodigy" in order to break such boundaries.

Add a Hint of Ronda Rousey's Magnetism

Enormous media coverage, polarizing interviews and a willingness to cull fans from untapped resources would have to be second nature to a superfighter of the next generation. Ronda Rousey managed to introduce UFC fans to entirely new subset of mixed martial arts—nearly half a million pay-per-view buys isn't too shabby for your first time at bat.

Season it with a Dash of Chael Sonnen's Wit and Intellect

Arguably the most interesting figure—though certainly the most quotable—in all of MMA, Chael Sonnen has mastered the the art of selling a fight. Fans can squabble over his fight game, but few would be foolish enough to argue his skill at self-promotion. Sonnen knows just how to use his mouth to achieve a desired result—so would our superstar.

When the lights shine bright, the camera gains focus and all ears are directed at what our fighter might say, nothing is more promising and pivotal than the delivery. Sonnen has proved it time and time again.

And Then Let it Marinate in Anderson Silva's Aura

The recipe wouldn't be complete without adding Silva's preternatural ability to evoke awe from the crowd. He lost interest in mere victory long ago—cementing his legacy is at the forefront of his mind as he inches toward the conclusion of his record-breaking career.

Our dream combatant would need a certain overwhelming characteristic that words fail to accurately describe. Each fight would need to reverberate throughout his or her career—a special place in history would be reserved for when the curtain closed.

There's little to no doubt that we'd be left with a crazy concoction.

But those individual ingredients—if adhered together as part of a complete package—amount to the epitome of a superstar. Winning streaks would serve as mere stepping stones on the path to the title. And even then, the next-generation champion would be unwilling to rest.

Casual fans would associate his or her name with the entire sport of mixed martial arts—akin to Michael Jordan's effect on basketball or Tiger Woods' impact on the landscape of golf. Boundaries would be broken because this fighter would consider no feat too daunting to attempt.

Sounds like crazy, wishful thinking, doesn't it?

Well, before you toss the recipe aside, just consider that we never saw Jon Jones coming—nor did we see Anderson Silva before him.

The ebb and flow of mixed martial arts is less like a gentle river and more like a violent white-water rapid. Ordinary fighters are routinely swallowed by the rushing tides, whereas the truly extraordinary manage to stay afloat.

Somewhere, somehow and in some random suburb, there is a young, hungry fighter training relentlessly. Posters of MMA's greats adorn his or her walls.

That novice could potentially mature into the realization of this ideal recipe—a genuine superstar in the making.

Blackhawks vs. Bruins Video: Watch Brent Seabrook Score OT Winner in Game 4

Justin Onslow — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:00:25 -0400

No one can say the Stanley Cup Final hasn’t lived up to the hype.

With the Chicago Blackhawks trailing 2-1 in the series, they entered Game 4 facing a must-win scenario—and in stunning fashion, they answered the call yet again.

Defenseman Brent Seabrook found himself in position to break the 5-5 overtime tie and propel his team to a massive victory against the Boston Bruins, and he took full advantage with a slap shot from 45 feet that sailed over the stick of Boston goalie Tuukka Rask.

Rask appeared not to have seen the puck until the last second, presumably bothered by traffic in front of the net. The slap shot made its way past an unsuspecting Dennis Seidenberg and found the side of the net for the game-winner.

It was the third game of the series to go to overtime, the first of which was decided in a triple-overtime Blackhawks victory. If the remainder of the series plays out as it has so far, each of the final games will be must-watch affairs.

With the win, Chicago returns home with a great deal of momentum. Rask has been incredible throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs, but the Blackhawks proved Wednesday night that he isn't unbeatable.

For Seabrook, playing the hero is nothing new. The defenseman also netted the game-winning goal in overtime of Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals. If he plays as he did on Wednesday when Chicago returns home, the Blackhawks could find themselves with a commanding 3-2 series lead in short order.

Game 5 will take place Saturday evening at the United Center in Chicago.

Every NBA Legend's Greatest Finals Game 7 Moment of All Time

Jimmy Spencer — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:00:05 -0400

Legacy is built upon defining moments.

The mention of an NBA legend evokes memories of clutch shots, dramatic plays or championship triumph.

Nothing matches the grandeur of a Game 7, a single game that can define the career of the league’s all-time greats.

It’s win or lose, and the pressure couldn’t be greater. Thursday's Game 7 between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs will be just the 18th Game 7 in NBA Finals history.

Of the previous 17 finals Game 7s, 11 have been won by either the Boston Celtics or the Lakers (Minneapolis or Los Angeles). None have included Michael Jordan or the Chicago Bulls.

The legacy of LeBron James rests on his individual performance and ability to lead the Heat to either a second consecutive title or to his third failure in four finals appearances.

Tim Duncan can earn the fifth championship of his Hall of Fame career and catapult his standing among the game’s elite.

Of course, Dwyane Wade, Tony Parker, Ray Allen, Chris Bosh and Manu Ginobili each have personal narratives on the line, albeit to a lesser degree.

To comprehend the full magnitude of Thursday’s final game to decide the 2012-13 NBA season, it’s essential to look back at what the game’s legends have accomplished when facing a finals Game 7.

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