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How Cavaliers Selecting Otto Porter at No. 1 Would Change 2013 NBA Draft

Grant Hughes — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:36:21 -0400

Just about everyone has the Cleveland Cavaliers selecting Kentucky's Nerlens Noel with the top pick in the 2013 NBA draft, but if there's any truth to the rumor that they're actually interested in Otto Porter, the resultant ripple effect could really shake up the rest of the top picks.

According to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, the Cavs might not be as set on Noel as it seems:

But there is a possibility that Porter, arguably the most NBA-ready player among the top prospects, might not be around when the Wizards pick third. A source with knowledge of the Cavaliers’ thinking said Porter is under consideration to go No. 1.

It's actually pretty reasonable for the Cavaliers to be looking at options beyond Noel. The lanky big man is coming off a torn ACL and might have trouble bulking up enough to be the dominant interior force some think he'll eventually become.

Plus, Porter fills an obvious need for Cleveland on the wing. With a backcourt of Dion Waiters and Kyrie Irving set in stone and a pair of solid bigs in Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson, Porter could fit nicely into the mix as a small forward with a smooth mid-range game.

The lanky wing averaged 16.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists during his sophomore campaign with the Georgetown Hoyas. More impressively, he earned some major praise from a rival head coach:

It's still very early in the process and it's key to note that teams put out smoke screens like this all the time. This could simply be the Cavaliers' effort to seem unpredictable. After all, there's no advantage to letting every other team know what they really want to do with their No. 1 pick.

But just for the sake of argument, let's assume Lee's source is legitimate and the Cavs really are looking at Porter. If that's actually the case, there could be some interesting changes throughout the draft's remaining lottery picks.

For starters, the Orlando Magic would be stuck wondering whether they could shoehorn Noel into their frontcourt mix. The Magic have a promising big-man tandem in Nikola Vucevic and Andrew Nicholson, but they'd have to at least be tempted to take a look at Noel. Ben McLemore or Trey Burke certainly appear to be the better fits in Orlando, but the Magic might not be able to pass on Noel's talent.

Assuming the Magic can restrain themselves, Noel would slip to the Wizards, who already have a whole lot of money tied up between Emeka Okafor and Nene (more than $27 million in 2013-14 combined) in the frontcourt. So they might also look to fill a need on the wing, perhaps reaching for Shabazz Muhammad or the tantalizing Anthony Bennett.

The Wizards would really like to just take Porter, who played his college ball in their backyard, and be done with it. But if they can't have the small forward they really want, they'll be stuck between choosing from among less impressive replacements or picking Noel and hoping he's good enough to force them to offload one of their high-priced veteran bigs.

With Bradley Beal and John Wall set at the guard positions, there's no way the Wizards even look twice at Burke or McLemore.

So by the time the Bobcats get a chance to pick, it's likely that one of either Burke or McLemore will be available along with Noel.

If Noel somehow dropped past the Wizards and McLemore was also still available, there's a good chance that the projected No. 1 pick could fall even further. The Charlotte Bobcats are in desperate need of young talent up front (and everywhere, really), so you'd think they'd be ready to pounce on Noel if he were available.

But McLemore might be the safer pick and would fit in nicely alongside Kemba Walker, who showed some steady growth during the 2012-13 season.

The slippage for Noel might not stop there, either. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated has the Bobcats taking Victor Oladipo at No. 4, so if Noel and McLemore both become available to the Phoenix Suns, it's possible that they'd opt to take the Kansas guard ahead of the Kentucky center. Mannix points out that the Suns are bad enough that they need to take the best player on the board.

To them, that could be McLemore.

At No. 6, the New Orleans Pelicans are set up front with last year's top pick, Anthony Davis, and Robin Lopez. So they're not a guarantee to grab Noel either.

We have to stop here, though, as the Sacramento Kings have proved that they have no idea what they're doing and are basically impossible to predict. Let's just hope for Noel's sake that he's off the board by the time the Kings are selecting at No. 7.

Hey, we're piling speculation on top of speculation here to try to project how a potential surprise selection of Porter could affect the rest of the first round, but really, nobody knows yet what's going to happen.

Keep in mind, though, that if the Cavs really do forego Noel for Porter at the top spot, there really could be some far-reaching consequences—especially for Noel.

Sharks vs. Kings Game 5: Score, Twitter Reaction and Analysis

Ryan Rudnansky — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:24:47 -0400

The defending champion Los Angeles Kings defended home ice with a 3-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals Thursday night.

Anze Kopitar, Slava Voynov and Jonathan Quick were the heroes for the Kings.

It was a relatively clean first period with only one penalty.

The Kings' Jeff Carter got two minutes for boarding Matt Irwin 5:28 into the game, but, minus a couple of long slap shots by Irwin and Dan Boyle, the Sharks didn't threaten much during the ensuing power play.

Despite the lack of penalties, however, that doesn't mean it wasn't physical. The Kings racked up 24 hits in the first period alone, making it known that they came to play and to protect their Staples Center ice.

The one and only Tom Cruise was in attendance, via C.J. Fogler:

Neither team scored in the first 20 minutes. Los Angeles managed nine shots on goal during the first period, while San Jose registered six shots. It was clear coming into the battle that Antti Niemi and Jonathan Quick would make life tough for the offenses, but the defenses helped out early on, too.

Larry Beil of ABC 7 News in San Francisco tweeted:

Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times quipped:

The Kings once again came out firing early in the second period, playing aggressive hockey and keeping the Sharks in their zone for the most part. But the Kings were still unable to get much going on the offensive end, failing to score, or even draw a penalty from San Jose.

Eric L. Smith of the Antelope Valley Press tweeted:

While there weren't very many penalties, there were plenty of whistles for icing. There were six stoppages for icing in the first eight minutes of the second period.

At the 11:19 mark, the Kings were the ones to commit another penalty. Kyle Clifford was whistled for charging Patrick Marleau.

But it was the short-handed Kings that actually threatened more, with Dustin Brown's wrist shot from 13 feet being saved by Niemi.

Los Angeles was awarded a power play a few seconds after San Jose's ended when Jason Demers boarded Robyn Regehr. But the Kings weren't even able to get off a shot on goal.

After some back and forth, the Kings finally got on the board at the 18:08 mark of the second when Anze Kopitar flipped it home from point-blank range off a rebound, assists going to Clifford and Justin Williams.

Former NHL player and Sharks radio color commentator Jamie Baker hit us with a Pulp Fiction reference, and we thank him for it:

After San Jose's T.J. Galiardi was hit with interference at the 18:50 mark, Jeff Carter's attempt from 11 feet was saved brilliantly by Niemi, keeping the Sharks within range headed into the final period.

A mere 53 seconds into the third period, the defending champions struck again. This time, it was Slava Voynov, who connected on a 50-foot wrist shot off an assist by Trevor Lewis. The Kings had the lead, 2-0.

Of course, TheRoyalHalf.com knew better than to call it a game:

San Jose was awarded a power play at the 10:26 mark when Kopitar was whistled for tripping Joe Thornton. But two shots on goal by the Sharks were saved by Quick and time was ticking for San Jose.

San Jose's James Sheppard was given two minutes for roughing Mike Richards at the 13:36 mark. The Kings got off three shots during the ensuing power play, but they were all blocked by the Sharks.

The Sharks' last-ditch effort down the stretch ultimately came up short, as Jeff Carter finished off the win by swinging the puck into the open net with 32 seconds remaining.

The Kings racked up 29 shots and 51 hits in the 3-0 victory, while Quick saved all 24 attempts by the Sharks.

Game 6 is slated for Sunday in San Jose, with the Kings leading, 3-2.

How Does Adrian Peterson Compare to the Top 10 Rushers of All Time?

Matthew Stensrud — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:22:40 -0400

Adrian Peterson currently ranks No. 33 among the NFL career rushing leaders with 8,849 yards. Emmitt Smith sits comfortably at the top with 18,355 yards.

Coming off his best season in 2012 with 2,097 yards, which was nine yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson's season rushing record, the reigning MVP is currently the best running back in the NFL.

But how does he stack up against the best running backs in history, and can he remain healthy enough to contend for Smith's record?

With the running back position taking a considerable beating, a player must possess both athletic ability and longevity in order to have a chance at cracking the list of top 10 career rushers, let alone breaking Smith's record.

The NFL Players Association claims the average career of an NFL player is 3.30 years, with the average career of a running back at 2.57 years.

The NFL qualifies this statistic in claiming the average career of a rookie making a club's opening day roster is 6.0 years and players with at least one Pro Bowl selection or appearance last 11.70 years.

However you slice it, Peterson will need to more than double his production from his first six seasons over the remainder of his career to reach Smith—a challenging task in a league that has become more pass-happy over the years.

But let's not forget who we're talking about here.

After a shortened season in 2011 due to a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee, Peterson shattered all odds by returning in 2012 and having the best statistical performance of his career. He has set his own personal goal of 2,500 rushing yards for 2013.

While that target may be a bit of a stretch, Peterson is on a better pace than most of the career rushing leaders in the NFL. Let's take a closer look at how he stacks up against the top 10 rushers:

Rank	Player	Yards	Seasons	Yds/Season	Games	Yds/Game
1	Emmitt Smith	18,355	1990-2004	1,223.7	226	81.2
2	Walter Payton	16,726	1975-1987	1,286.6	190	88.0
3	Barry Sanders	15,269	1989-1998	1,526.9	153	99.8
4	Curtis Martin	14,101	1995-2005	1,281.9	168	83.9
5	LaDainian Tomlinson	13,684	2001-2011	1,244.0	170	80.5
6	Jerome Bettis	13,662	1993-2005	1,050.9	192	71.2
7	Eric Dickerson	13,259	1983-1993	1,205.4	146	90.8
8	Tony Dorsett	12,739	1977-1988	1,061.6	173	73.6
9	Jim Brown	12,312	1957-1965	1,368.0	118	104.3
10	Marshall Faulk	12,279	1994-2005	1,023.3	176	69.8
33	Adrian Peterson	8,849	2007-2012	1,474.8	89	99.4

Courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com

What stands out in this breakdown is that only Sanders tops Peterson in yards per season. And while Jim Brown is the only player on this list to average over 100 yards per game, Peterson is on his heels with 99.4.

According to Curtis Martin (the No. 4 rushing leader), speaking to Pro Football Weekly, Peterson is already one of the best running backs of all time:

To me, as far as God-given ability, Adrian Peterson has more than anyone I've ever seen play running back. I’m talking in the history of the NFL, not just in this era. I believe he’s that guy. Adrian Peterson is the type of talent that, even if his career ended with the injury last year, he’d make it into the Hall of Fame.

Martin continued:

I don’t know any other back with his elusiveness combined with his speed, his power, with his durability. He may not have the best career of any running back, but I think he’s probably the most talented there is.

In assessing Peterson's odds of reaching Smith, let's project Peterson into 10 seasons. If he can rush for 1,600 yards over each of the next four seasons, Peterson would be at 15,249 yards, just 20 yards shy of Sanders at No. 3 all time.

Sanders himself averaged 1,649 yards per season his final four years of a 10-year career.

If Peterson can continue that pace for an additional two years, Peterson would finish with 18,449 yards, supplanting Smith as the NFL's all-time leading rusher.

Heading into the 2013 season, it seems almost a certainty that Peterson will break 10,000 yards. If he maintains a similar yards-per-game pace, he will do so in Week 13 at home against the Chicago Bears.

And while cracking the top 10 list of all-time rushers may still be a few years out, Peterson has certainly set the pace over the past six seasons. With a steady level of production and a couple breakout seasons, the Vikings running back may eventually cement his name in history.

Follow me on Twitter and Google+

Follow @MattStensrud

Evaluating Experts' Mock Drafts for the Philadelphia Flyers

Michael Pizzutillo — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:22:36 -0400

As the Philadelphia Flyers evaluate their potential first pick in the NHL draft, many experts have already weighed in with their own mock drafts.

NHL.com's experts Steve Hoffner, Adam Kimelman and Mike G Morreale predicted three different sets of mock drafts, especially with Philadelphia's No. 11 selection. Hoffner and Kimelman believe the Flyers will focus on defense, predicting Darnell Nurse or Rasmus Ristolainen, respectively, will be the team's first-round pick. Where Morreale estimates Philly will concentrate on offense or best-available player, by selecting forward Hunter Shinkaruk.

The obvious and popular first-round pick would be selecting a blueliner for the future—something Philadelphia has not done since drafting Luca Sbisa in 2008. A year later, Sbisa would be traded to the Anaheim Ducks for future Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger. Additionally, the Flyers have failed to fill the void of Pronger's absence in the lineup the last two seasons.

If the Flyers do take Nurse or Ristolainen, the team would be making an investment for the future, yet lacking an immediate impact for next season. Nurse, 18, who stands at 6'5" and weighs close to 200 pounds, enjoys throwing his body around—playing a Broad Street Bully style of hockey. And Ristolainen is an impressive two-way defender with incredible skills on both ends of the ice.

Philadelphia does lack an additional true goal scorer. Jake Voracek emerged this season and Wayne Simmonds contributed for most of the year, but the Flyers need a weapon on offense and Shinkaruk may be one of the best players available this draft. The young forward dominated the WHL with 37 goals and 49 assists in 64 games for the Medicine Hat Tigers this past season.

Additionally, Shinkaruk may be the most pro-ready player available to the Flyers and could make a rapid impact for the team.

Either way, the Flyers have gaping holes on their roster and issues that need to be addressed. It's likely the team will focus on defense, even if the experts' picks prove wrong. With the draft class being fairly deep, Philadelphia may have a plethora of talented players available at the 11th pick (see Ryan Pulock), and should be building for the future.

Blackhawks vs. Red Wings: Is Joel Quenneville Suddenly Coaching for His Job?

Nicholas Goss — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:08:27 -0400

Joel Quenneville was selected as a Jack Adams Award finalist earlier this month for his part in helping the Chicago Blackhawks earn the Presidents' Trophy in one of the most remarkable regular-season performances we have seen in a long time.

But after the Blackhawks lost in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night to move to the brink of postseason elimination, is Quenneville now coaching to save his job?

Chicago is one more loss away from becoming the ninth Presidents' Trophy winner in the last 10 years to not reach the Stanley Cup Final after dominating in the regular season.

Failing to advance past the conference semifinals would be the third consecutive disappointing playoff exit for the Blackhawks since the team won its first championship in 48 years during the 2009-10 season.

There's no question that Coach Q came into this lockout-shortened season on the hot seat following two straight first-round playoff losses.

When the Blackhawks started the year with an NHL record 24-game point streak, questions surrounding his job security quickly went away, but they will start to be asked again if Chicago doesn't come back and win this series.

It doesn't matter if the Blackhawks lose this series in five, six or seven games because there are no excuses for them to be eliminated by an inferior Red Wings team. Chicago had won seven straight games against its Central Division rival coming into this year's playoffs, and extended that streak to eight games with an impressive 4-1 victory in Game 1.

The problem for the Blackhawks and Quenneville isn't just that they are down 3-1 in this series after three consecutive losses, it's the way the team has put itself in this position that is most frustrating.

Despite the fact that he has better talent, more depth and a group of players with a lot of playoff and Stanley Cup-winning experience, Quenneville has been unable to figure out ways to get the most out of his team in this series.

This isn't a new situation for the 54-year-old, who is 0-5 all time as an NHL head coach in playoff series against the Red Wings.

His offense, which scored the second-most goals in the league during the regular season, has struggled mightily in the last three games with just two goals. Chicago's 2-0 defeat in Game 4 was its first shutout loss of the season and the fist time this team has lost three straight regulation games in 2013.

Quenneville tried many different line combinations in Game 4 and none of them resulted in any consistent success. He even put players together who don't have a lot of experience playing on the same line, which is a risky and foolish move in the middle of a playoff series.

Top-six forwards Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa and Brandon Saad have combined for zero goals in the last three games, and Quenneville has failed to draw up a game plan or find the right line combinations to help spark these players.

Another concern for the Blackhawks in Game 4 was their lack of energy and hunger with a possible 3-1 series deficit on the line. When a veteran group of players fail to play like a desperate team in that type of situation, the blame has to go to the coach for not moving his group.

The Blackhawks have also lost their composure in the last two games, evidenced by their foolish penalties and lack of poise under pressure. The team's confidence from the regular season has evaporated in a disappointing fashion.

Quenneville had a great regular season and deserved his Jack Adams nomination, but the Blackhawks are not the type of team whose season is judged based on what happens before the playoffs.

This team was the favorite to win the Stanley Cup going into the postseason, and if it does not reach the Western Conference finals, management has to give strong consideration to a coaching change.

If the Blackhawks lose their second-round series to Detroit, Quenneville will have failed to lead his team past the conference semifinals for the 13th time in his 16 seasons as an NHL head coach.

A series loss to the Red Wings would be Chicago's second straight playoff exit to an inferior opponent, and with the team's championship window currently open, the Blackhawks cannot afford to be wasting golden opportunities to win the Stanley Cup because of poor coaching. This franchise needs to contend for championships right now, especially since many of its best players are in the prime of their careers.

Quenneville is a quality NHL head coach with an impressive resume, but he is under immense pressure to make the proper adjustments going into Game 5 that will help his team improve.

Another embarrassing loss and an earlier-than-expected summer vacation for the Blackhawks could result in Quenneville joining Alain Vigneault and Lindy Ruff as veteran coaches available for hire this summer.

Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is an NHL Lead Writer at Bleacher Report. Nick was a credentialed reporter at the 2011 Stanley Cup Final and 2012 NHL playoffs, and he is also a credentialed writer at the 2013 NHL playoffs in Boston.

NFL Players Who Must Change Positions Remain Effective

Ryan McCrystal — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:02:23 -0400

Significant position changes are relatively rare in the NFL, but occasionally a switch can revive a player's career.

The following slideshow features five players who have struggled in recent years at their current position but have the skill set to excel in another role with their current team.

Each of these players is projected to remain at their current position, but a future shift could change the course of their career.

All advanced statistics provided by Pro Football Focus.

Begin Slideshow

Do Indiana Pacers Have to Play Perfect Game to Upset Miami Heat?

Zach Buckley — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:54:31 -0400

The Indiana Pacers did what they needed to do on Tuesday night.

Playing in the franchise's first Eastern Conference finals since 2003-04, Frank Vogel's team strutted into enemy territory and pushed the defending champion Miami Heat to the brink of defeat.

In 24 minutes they had choked out all of the energy the AmericanAirlines Arena faithful had bottled up over the past six days. Indiana's halftime lead wasn't great, 42-37, but things were clearly going to plan.

Miami limped into the break with just two field goals over the final 5.5 minutes of the second quarter. One was a Udonis Haslem slam, the other a deep three by Mario Chalmers. In other words, they came from players not named LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh.

In fact Miami's vaunted Big Three went largely M.I.A. in the first half, as the trio combined for just 17 points, seven fewer than Indiana's twin towers (Roy Hibbert and David West) had by themselves. By the end of the second quarter, the Heat had nearly as many turnovers (11) as made field goals (16).

It was Pacers basketball at its finest and, more importantly, this was the recipe for devouring a playoff win in front of a hostile road crowd.

Maybe Indiana got ahead of itself at halftime. Maybe Frank Vogel's message had a tad too much praise in it. Or perhaps Miami simply flipped the proverbial switch it had kept in its back pocket all season long.

The Heat opened the third quarter on a 12-2 run, and suddenly it was the Pacers that couldn't keep hold of the basketball. West, Hibbert and George Hill each had a turnover of three of Indiana's first four possessions, and Vogel was forced to call a timeout with his team trailing 49-44 at the 8:25 mark of the period.

This time Vogel got it right. Paul George buried a triple out of the timeout, and Hibbert added a layup on the ensuing trip after both he and George were denied at the rim during the possession.

Indiana had found its fight and somehow weathered the storm that had sunk so many ships earlier in the season. The Pacers and Heat traded blows over the next 1.5 quarters, and a desperation three from George with less than a second left in regulation pushed the contest into overtime.

In the rare chance that you need me to lift up the rock you've been living under, the Heat ultimately emerged victorious on a LeBron James layup to beat the buzzer. It was the second of two crunch-time layups for the King, both of which came while Indiana's $58 million rim protector, Hibbert, watched helplessly from the sidelines.

Vogel's decision to sit his center during those crucial moments, one he made to give the Pacers the ability to switch on all five Heat players, was intensely scrutinized at the time. And the criticisms carried over into the following day, as many wondered why the coach would fear the threat of a game-winning jumper more than an MVP attacking the basket.

But there was a far more pressing question that Vogel's team had to ask itself: Had it just blown its best chance to unseat the reigning champs?

The Pacers hadn't played a perfect game; they committed 20 turnovers and shot just 4-of-14 from three.

But Indiana's beauty is judged by different standards than most. Embracing the ugly is a necessity to understand this team's true talent.

The Pacers' big bruisers like to mix it up on the inside, the area conventional wisdom has identified as the Heat's most vulnerable. West and Hibbert controlled the interior (45 combined points on 20-of-35 shooting), while George sliced his way into the heart of Miami's defense, finding 27 points and an overdue introduction to the casual fans that had slept through his breakout All-Star season.

Indiana's relentless defensive effort forced 21 Miami turnovers. Tyler Hansbrough (10 points) and D.J. Augustin (eight points) provided a needed scoring punch off the bench. The Pacers had nearly as many free throws made, 24, as the Heat had attempts, 25.

The Heat have the defensive ability to battle through a physical game, but the Pacers prefer this style of play.

But despite the Pacers controlling the tempo, despite their fingerprints running rampant across the box score, it was the Heat that emerged victorious. Did Indiana just throw its knockout blow only to get knocked out itself?

One loss doesn't determine the outcome of a seven-game series. The Pacers aren't going to go away, but what do they have to do to avoid a similar fate when the series resumes on Friday night?

Drastic changes can't take place; nothing would be more detrimental than trying to act out of character at this point of the year. Indiana has to continue attacking the paint, rely on the offensive abilities of its frontcourt and fine-tune the defensive reads that helped carry the franchise this far.

That means being ready to rotate onto Hibbert's man when he moves to clog up driving lanes. And plugging free paths to the basket by fighting through screens and hedging harder off of the screener.

Then it's just a matter of making shots when they arise within the flow of the offense. George Hill's been to this stage before (and beyond) and knows another 2-of-9 showing from the field can't happen. Lance Stephenson's still feeling his way through life as an NBA regular, and as a career 29.6 percent three-point shooter he can't continue to settle for long-range looks (0-of-5 from deep in Game 1).

Indiana has the key ingredients to bother Miami, but a glaring talent gap means four flawless efforts may be required to take this series.

Vogel will ask for nothing less from his players. Their ability to meet that lofty demand is the only way Miami's bid for a successful title defense will be thwarted in this series.

Detroit vs. Chicago: How Jimmy Howard Is Manhandling the Vaunted Blackhawks

Jerry Bonkowski — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:53:29 -0400

When the Detroit Red Wings opened their Western Conference semifinal series against arguably their biggest rival, the Chicago Blackhawks, goalie Jimmy Howard played a terrible game.

The Hawks broke open a 1-1 tie with three third-period goals against Howard en route to a 4-1 win in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series. They made the Red Wings look so bad that Chicago fans were eyeing a four-game sweep of the Wings.

But since that humiliating Game 1 defeat, it's Howard and the Red Wings who have been humiliating the Blackhawks.

Howard has held Chicago to just two goals since Game 1, including Thursday's 2-0 shutout. The Red Wings have won Games 2 through 4 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead and could potentially close out the series in Game 5 Saturday in Chicago.

Without question, Howard is the No. 1 reason why the Red Wings are 3-1 right now—and why Chicago counterpart Corey Crawford and the Blackhawks aren't.

Howard has done something no other goalie has been able to do against the Blackhawks this season: sheer and utter manhandling of what was supposed to be the best team in the league.

Well, at least until the second round of the playoffs, that is.

The better the Red Wings have looked, the worse the Blackhawks have looked, becoming a mere hollow shell of themselves since the opening faceoff in Game 2 of the current series.

Detroit's success and advancement potential in the second round have rested squarely on Howard's shoulders, and he's responded with a "They Ain't Heavy, They're My Brothers" kind of attitude.

The Red Wings haven't gone crazy with goals, leading the Hawks by a far-from-spectacular 10-6 scoring margin in the first four games. What's more, Chicago has far outshot Detroit by a 130 to 108 margin.

And yet, Howard has far outplayed Crawford, who has looked overwhelmed in the last three games.

In a complete role reversal of Game 1, Howard has shined and the Blackhawks are the ones who have played terribly, now mired in their first three-game losing streak of the season—unquestionably coming at the absolute worst time.

The Red Wings are now one win away from advancing to the Western Conference Final against either the Kings or Sharks, while the Blackhawks must rally like they haven't this year, forced to win three games if their once-magical season is to continue.

Now it's Howard who has been wearing the "magical" tag with his play in the net. It's almost as if the more the Blackhawks have thrown at him, the more Howard has thrived.

Howard and the sparkling defensive play of his teammates—particularly guys like defensemen Jakub Kindl, Brendan Smith, Jonathan Ericsson and Niklas Kronwall—are why the Red Wings are where they are.

And why the Blackhawks are unfortunately where they are.

Flash back two weeks ago. The Red Wings were down three games to two in their opening-round Western Conference quarterfinal series with the Anaheim Ducks. Detroit would bounce back to win the final two games in a series that was grueling and tiring, including four overtime contests.

While the Blackhawks likely would have fared better against the Ducks in Round 2, virtually every player to a man on the team, as well as their countless fans, wanted to see the Red Wings as the next opponent.

The main reason both Detroit and Chicago wanted to face each other is this is a historic series in more ways than one. Not only is Detroit on the verge of stopping a team that had one of the greatest regular-season runs in NHL annals, this series will also be the last in-conference postseason matchup between the two teams.

The Red Wings shift next season to the Eastern Conference, breaking a pairing with the rival Blackhawks that dates back 87 years. Now, the only way both teams will ever meet in the playoffs again is if they both advance to a future Stanley Cup Final.

Detroit and Chicago have been bitter rivals since Nov. 24, 1926, when Motown squared off against the Windy City for the first time.

And while Chicago holds an 8-7 lead in all-time playoff series triumphs, the Red Wings have won the last two postseason series (1995 and 2009). Put more simply, the Blackhawks haven't beaten the Red Wings in postseason play since 1993.

The way things are looking right now, that streak may be extended once again in Detroit's favor—and for the final time.

As the old saying goes, "Be careful for what you wish for." If they had known the kind of stellar series Howard would be having against them, the Blackhawks and their fans may be doing some serious second-guessing about not wanting the Ducks in the second round.

Follow me on Twitter @JerryBonkowski

Jose Mourinho Will Reportedly Be Named New Chelsea Manager

Tim Daniels — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:50:06 -0400

Jose Mourinho has returned to Stamford Bridge. The manager, who previously held the Chelsea post from 2004-2007, will report back to his old stomping grounds after signing a four-year deal to replace interim boss Rafa Benitez, according to Martin Rogers of Yahoo! Sports:

Benitez replaced Roberto Di Matteo last November. He led the Blues to a Europa League title and a spot in next season's Champions League by finishing third in the Premier League. He wasn't retained on a full-time basis, however, opening the door for Mourinho's return.

The 50-year-old Portuguese manager leaves Real Madrid and La Liga to return for Chelsea. He signed an extension that was expected to keep him in Spain through 2016, but it was announced before the end of the campaign that he would be leaving the club.

Chelsea was the expected destination, and Friday's announcement will make it official. Mourinho takes over a club that isn't short on talent but struggled to keep pace with EPL champions Manchester United after an initial surge.

The good news for the "Special One" is that he understands the surroundings. Although time has passed since his first stint with the club, the goals (EPL and UCL success, high-profile signings) have remained the same, as have the pressures of the Chelsea job.

Mourinho's first stay with the club came to an abrupt end in 2007. After winning two Premier League titles, he left early in the 2007-08 campaign on "mutual consent," but a problematic relationship with owner Roman Abramovich has been cited as a contributing factor.

Whatever issues did allegedly exist have clearly been smoothed over. And, as always, winning will further bury the hatchet.

The task for Mourinho is to get Chelsea back into championship contention. Finishing in the top three is an acceptable result, but it's not what the Blues or their supporters want. They want trophies, and Chelsea finished 14 points off Manchester United's pace.

The veteran manager has done it before, and the Blues hope he can do it again. The transition will be a quick one, as the task of finding players to close the gap with United begins.

In other words, Chelsea need some Jose Mourinho magic. The club will soon find out what tricks he's got up his sleeve in his second stint, which both sides hope will be at least as successful as the first.

Chicago vs. Detroit: Is the Blackhawks' Dream Season About to End in a Choke?

Steve Silverman — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:49:14 -0400

Remember that 24-game point streak the Chicago Blackhawks had at the start of the regular season?

Not only did it put the Blackhawks in the record book, it also set the stage for a remarkable season that could only end with head coach Joel Quenneville's team raising the Stanley Cup if the season was going to be a success.

That brilliant start is now mocking the Blackhawks.

The team that couldn't lose in regulation has now dropped three straight games to the Detroit Red Wings in its conference semifinal series. The Blackhawks dropped a 2-0 decision in the fourth game of the series.

Detroit owns a 3-1 edge with the series heading back to Chicago.

Even if the Blackhawks can win the fifth game, they will have to find a way to beat the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. They scored one goal in the two games at the Joe.

The Blackhawks are having a problem putting the puck in the net. They have scored two goals in their last three games. The team that scored 155 goals in the regular season—second to the Pittsburgh Penguins—suddenly can't find the range.

Making matters worse is the plight of Jonathan Toews. The Blackhawks' captain has not scored a goal in the postseason. The Blackhawks have now played nine games, and his inability to get on the score sheet is hurting this team badly.

In addition to not finding the net, Toews's frustrations are starting to boil over. He was called for three consecutive penalties in the second period, and the Red Wings capitalized on the second one to score a power-play goal on Corey Crawford.

The postseason is turning into a nightmare for Toews. He is watching the Blackhawks' dreams go up in choke.

During the regular season, Toews was called for 11 two-minute minor penalties. His hat trick of penalties in the second period came in a span of 5:34.

Toews was yelling at officials from the penalty box. That's common for some players, but Toews rarely reacts that way to officials' calls. It seems clear that his dry spell and his team's plight are getting to him.

Toews told chicagotribune.com:

I'm not going to say anything about the officiating. Obviously, I disagree with the calls. It's in the heat of the moment they see what they see. I have to be careful with my stick. That doesn't help our team. Emotions run high in some of these games. My stick got a little loose there. I was playing hard. Sometimes that happens.

Who would have thought the Red Wings would be 3-1 up against the Blackhawks? Chicago loses 3 in a row for the first time this season.

— Dmitry Chesnokov (@dchesnokov) May 24, 2013

The winning goal was scored by defenseman Jakub Kindl on a blast from the left point. While the Red Wings were putting fairly heavy pressure on goalie Corey Crawford, the Kindl slap shot beat him on the short side.

Crawford should not have given up the post on that goal. It was a shot that he could have stopped.

The Blackhawks put significant pressure on Jimmy Howard throughout the game. Howard finished the game with 28 saves, and many of them were remarkable.

His best came in the third period when Dave Bolland tried to finish off a 2-on-1 from Michael Frolik with a hard wrister that appeared to be going to the open side of the net. However, Howard spread-eagled with his pads, and that kept the Blackhawks off the scoreboard.

When Dan Cleary added an empty-net goal, it meant the Blackhawks had lost three games in a row for the first time all season.

They have been pushed to the brink by a team that they had dominated all season.

Come to think of it, the Blackhawks had dominated nearly everyone all season.

Now they are complaining about the posts they hit and the bad breaks they have gotten.

"Three off the post and they get one (Kindl's goal) off the post and in," Crawford said. "That pretty much sums it up for the last couple of nights for us."

That does not sound like a team that is preparing to bounce back from this adversity and win three games in a row.

During the season, the Blackhawks could have done that in the blink of an eye. But now it seems like that kind of task that is too much for the best regular-season team in the league.

That honor, as so many teams have learned, means nothing once the playoffs start. The 2007-08 Red Wings are the last team to win the Stanley Cup after recording the best record in the regular season.

It seems that the President's Trophy has become a huge burden. One that leads to choking when it matters most.

The Blackhawks are hoping to avoid that fate, but their chances are fading quickly.

UFC 160 Weigh-in Results: Cain Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2 Fight Card

Trent Reinsmith — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:47:47 -0400

The UFC will return to its home base of Las Vegas on Saturday, May 25 for a Memorial Day Weekend fight card. This year’s model, UFC 160, is a pretty stacked affair, with the feature bout being a heavyweight title fight.

If the idea of Cain Velasquez defending his crown against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva doesn’t appeal to you as a fan, how about the former champion Junior dos Santos facing off against Mark Hunt in a potential slobberknocker?

If that’s not your cup of tea, there will be a lightweight title fight eliminator on the main card as Gray Maynard faces off against T.J. Grant to decide who will be the next opponent for champion Benson Henderson.

Also on the main card, a light heavyweight scrap between highly touted Glover Teixeira and James Te Huna, as well as a lightweight bout between Donald Cerrone and K.J. Noons.

In addition to the five main-card bouts, there will be seven preliminary card scraps.

The first fighter is scheduled to step on the scale at 7 p.m. ET / 4 PT on Friday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Bleacher Report will have the weigh-in results as they happen.

UFC 160 Full Fight Card:

Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva

Junior dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt

James Te Huna vs. Glover Teixeira

T.J. Grant vs. Gray Maynard

Donald Cerrone vs. KJ Noons

Mike Pyle vs. Rick Story

Dennis Bermudez vs. Max Holloway

Colton Smith vs. Robert Whittaker

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Abel Trujillo

Nah-Shon Burrell vs. Stephen Thompson

Brian Bowles vs. George Roop

Estevan Payan vs. Jeremy Stephens

5 Biggest Takeaways from Pittsburgh Penguins' 2nd-Round Playoff Series so Far

Michael Prunka — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:29:49 -0400

Four games into their Eastern Conference Semifinals series with the Ottawa Senators, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a 3-1 lead. As the Penguins continue to beat one of the NHL’s best defenses, there are plenty of takeaways from their second-round series thus far.

As always, superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have shined in the postseason campaign. However, Jarome Iginla’s desire to finally hoist the Stanley Cup is a major driving force for the Penguins.

It’s not just the effort from their top players, though. From top to bottom, the Penguins are rising to the occasion.

Here are five takeaways from what’s been played of Pittsburgh’s second-round series.

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WWE Fantasy Booking: Dolph Ziggler as a Babyface World Champ

Sebastian Maldonado — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:28:09 -0400

Dolph Ziggler, the current World Heavyweight Champion, is off to a rough start in his second reign.

Title contender Jack Swagger kicked Ziggler in the head three weeks ago on SmackDown. Ziggler suffered a concussion and hasn’t seen ring action since then. He missed Extreme Rules, which originally would have had Ziggler defend the title against Swagger and Alberto Del Rio in a ladder match.

The WWE has temporarily lost their world heavyweight champion. How should Ziggler return: the same heel or as a babyface champion? Let’s explore the options if by chance the WWE decides to make Ziggler a fan favorite.

For starters, consider the options for the champion. Making Ziggler a face would cause interesting matchups we haven’t seen before, such as feuding with current heels Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett and Ryback.

Swagger remains the obvious choice because he accidentally caused Ziggler’s concussion. It would keep Swagger relevant while making Ziggler a great champion.

Another option, but not recommended, would be splitting up the band. Ziggler’s alliance with AJ and Big E Langston was in full swing before the injury. Separating them wouldn’t do them any good, considering the lack of dominant factions that currently are in the WWE.

Maybe the WWE keeps them together for a war between factions. A feud with The Shield as babyfaces could catapult both sides to greater heights.

The real question lies with another WWE Superstar’s possible heel turn.

Rumors still surface of a possible Randy Orton heel turn. If that’s the case, it would be wise to put these two in a program together. The report in the link states Orton would likely turn heel at SummerSlam. The case should be made to put these two in a promo for the title at Survivor Series.

Both work well together. Their matches have been well documented, with both turning in great performances on free TV and at the 2012 Night of Champions.

Put the title on Orton and make Ziggler chase after the title, searching for revenge. Have that culminate at WrestleMania 30, with Ziggler getting back his title and claiming his WrestleMania moment. The fans will love it.

Maybe it isn’t the right move to turn Ziggler face, but you never know until the road is actually taken. Turning Ziggler face could change the champion’s career for the better. Dolph Ziggler has “it.” If anyone can become a convincing face, it’s Dolph Ziggler.

How to Fix NBA Awards Voting Process

Grant Hughes — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:18:03 -0400

For the most part, the right players went home with the hardware during the recently completed award season for the 2012-13 NBA campaign. But the strange, often nonsensical, processes that produced the winners could still use a little work.

Most recently, the league announced the players named to the All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams. The voters that selected LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul to the First Team did a swell job; it's hard to quibble with any of their decisions.

But stop and think for a second. Do you even know who votes, or what the actual process is? And if, for some reason, there was a crazy, inexplicable result, wouldn't you want to be able to nail the responsible party?

The sheer variety in voting processes is a little shocking. The All-NBA teams are chosen by a panel of 119 members of the media. The All-Defensive selections are made by the 30 NBA head coaches. Of course, the Defensive Player of the Year is voted on by 121 different sportswriters and broadcasters.

In what world does it make sense to have the Defensive Player of the Year decided by a different voting body than the one that decides who's on the All-Defensive team? Crazy, right?

The rest of the voting processes are similarly haphazard. Generally, the media is in charge, but in some cases, there are a different number of voters and the votes count for different "point totals." Yep, it's time to streamline this sucker.

Here are some key overhauls that could not only help avoid the few head-scratching choices we saw this year, but also make sure that when mistakes are made, the proper parties receive the requisite amount of public ridicule.

Transparency

When Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe ruined LeBron James' unanimous MVP award by giving his first-place vote to Carmelo Anthony, there was something of a public outcry. After seeing James dominate the league, post the highest PER mark of any player by a healthy margin, and captain his team to 27 straight wins, there was really no logical vote for anyone besides LBJ as the league's Most Valuable Player.

But Washburn ticked the box next to 'Melo's name on his ballot.

To his credit, Washburn wrote a column explaining the logic behind his decision. His argument was flawed, reeking of the type of old-school shortsightedness that still somehow persists in the increasingly analytical NBA world. It took Grantland's Zach Lowe very little time to swoop in and highlight just how ridiculous and baseless most of Washburn's defense truly was.

So Washburn's reasoning was absurd, but he at least had the guts to defend his highly unpopular opinion. The problem is that he didn't have to do that.

The NBA doesn't post a list of the media members who vote on these awards, and nobody requires said voters to publicize their picks. That's a system that invites irresponsibility, homerism and downright foolish selections. Without accountability, there's not as much of an incentive for objectivity.

So the first fix for the awards voting process is to make the entire thing totally transparent.

We might not always agree with the reasoning behind a voter's picks, but at least the voters will be forced to explain themselves if they go too far afield with their ballots. And if you're a media member who doesn't want to have to justify a dubious pick, well...you either need to bone up on your NBA knowledge or give up your voting privileges altogether.

A Penalty System

This one's kind of fun. We need to build in disincentives for ridiculous votes. Combined with the transparency tweak outlined above, this would really serve to deter thoughtless or biased selections.

I'm proposing that any vote deemed "questionable" by the committee would subject the voter (whose name we'd know because of the whole transparency thing) to either probation or a full repeal of voting privileges, depending on the egregiousness of the vote in question.

Who'd be on that committee? Well, it would be a panel of three people: Gregg Popovich would obviously be one of the adjudicators because he's basically allergic to nonsense and wouldn't stand for any stupid selections.

Shane Battier would be the second member of the tribunal, mostly because he reads more NBA scouting reports than any human being on earth and would be a great authority on individual awards.

The third member would be me. Because these are my rules and I can do what I want.

Anyway, an offending voter would be subject to discipline, which we'd call "being Washburned." More than two consecutive violations would lead to a lifetime ban. There are plenty of voters out there who'd love to participate, so there's no reason to keep folks around who aren't appreciating the privilege.

All-Inclusive Voting

As I mentioned earlier, the seven major awards (MVP, All-Defensive, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year and the All-NBA teams) each have slightly different rules.

So why not just combine all of the voting pools into one big one and do away with the points systems for each award?

This way, you'd have all of the media members with votes, the 30 head coaches and the fans (who get one measly vote in the case of the MVP) deciding the races one vote at a time. There'd be no more breaking things down into first-place votes and second-place votes; each person would just cast his individual ballot, and whichever player ended up with the most would be the winner.

It's ridiculously simple, but there's nothing wrong with that. And it'd probably help avoid what happened this year with the votes for Defensive Player of the Year and the All-Defensive team. Because the two voting bodies were totally different for those awards, Marc Gasol ran away with the individual honor but wasn't even named to one of two center spots on the First Team.

Where's the sense in that?

Could Be Worse

On the bright side, the voting process for the NBA's major awards is a lot better than many others in professional sports (Major League Baseball's arcane Hall of Fame voting comes readily to mind), but a few simple changes could make it a heck of a lot better.

Does anybody know Adam Silver's direct phone number? I'd like to present this to him before he takes over as NBA commissioner next year.

Mock Help Wanted Ad for LA Clippers' Open Head Coaching Position

Oren Friedman — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:16:28 -0400

With Vinny Del Negro out as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, management will need to find the right coach that can turn this team into legitimate championship contenders.

While the Clips looked elite early in December, a poor second half of the season, combined with an early playoff exit at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies, manifested that Del Negro might not be the coach to take Lob City to the next level. Presuming Chris Paul re-signs, the Clippers need a coach that can change the defensive outlook of this squad while maximizing the X’s and O’s of such a talented roster.

Emphasis on Defense

Despite finishing with a top-10 defense in the regular season with a defensive rating of 101.0, the Clippers often looked lost in the fourth quarter of close games.

With the score within five points in the last five minutes of regulation and overtime, Lob City’s defensive rating ballooned to 116.9. That number was eerily similar to the Clips’ overall 109.7 defensive rating in the postseason against Memphis.

That clip would have been the worst out of any team in the regular season. Keep in mind that the offensively inept Memphis Grizzlies had just a 101.7 offensive rating in the regular season, the worst of any Western Conference playoff team.

Del Negro’s inability to utilize the athleticism of his roster and transform it into a defensive swarming team proved to be catastrophic. The Clips need a coach that can harness DeAndre Jordan’s rim-blocking potential while taking advantage of the ball-hawking pressure of both Paul and Eric Bledsoe on the perimeter.

Balance Youth Development with Veteran Play

Throughout the season and the playoffs, Vinny Del Negro had some questionable rotations. As something of a lame-duck coach on the last year of his contract, Del Negro routinely opted to play trusted veterans in the midst of underwhelming seasons rather than cultivate his young guns.

Comparing Chauncey Billups and Bledsoe provides a compelling study.

Inexplicably Bledsoe played just 1.4 minutes more per game in the regular season than Billups. That number flipped in the postseason, as Mr. Big Shot actually saw more burn than the young Kentucky product.

Curiously, Bledsoe also finished with the third-highest PER in the postseason at 20.0, while Billups posted a team-worst PER of 5.8.

Ultimately, Billups looked lost in the Memphis series, finishing with a minus-12.7 net rating in six games.

Jordan’s playing time was another confounding decision.

DJ logged an average of just 5.0 fourth-quarter minutes per contest in the regular season. The big man often conceded minutes to Lamar Odom, who had continued his subpar play from his forgettable season on the Dallas Mavericks.

Jordan’s 17.2 regular-season PER was far superior to LO’s under-average regular-season PER of 10.9.

With Del Negro out of the fold, the Clips will surely benefit from a coach that can better balance his rotations. Players like Jordan needed fourth-quarter reps, and Del Negro simply did not provide his young center with enough.

Moving forward, the Clips’ new coach should let the young guys complement the veterans, rather than risk stymieing their development.

Master the X’s and O’s

For all the pyrotechnics that accompany Lob City’s offensive firepower, the Clips have mightily struggled in the half court. While the Chris Paul offense can produce, it certainly struggles against the NBA’s best defenses.

A top-five offense in the regular season put up a disappointing postseason offensive rating of 104.9. Credit the Grizzlies’ stifling defense, but the Clips offensive rating fell to just 101.8 in the second half of ball games against the Grizz.

Clutch time was the Chris Paul show. In a 93-91 win over the Grizzlies in Game 2, the Point God scored the last eight points for the Clips, including a buzzer-beater to win the game.

CP3 is known to be masterful in the clutch, but the Clips could have sorely benefited from a coach that could draw up an easy score. Something beyond the Chris Paul system would have paid dividends for one the NBA’s high-octane offenses.

Elite NBA coaches like Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs are noted NBA tacticians. There are a host of potential coaching candidates from Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer to former Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy that can operate the whiteboard in timeouts. Chris Paul or bust does not have to be the only option down the stretch.

A coach that can tighten up his team’s X’s and O’s would better maximize the potential of this fringe contender, making an already lethal offense all the more potent.

All statistics used from NBA.com/stats and Basketball-Reference.com.

Liga MX Final 2013: Score, Recap and Analysis for Cruz Azul vs. America

Tim Keeney — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:15:03 -0400

In the first leg of the Liga MX Clausura final, Cruz Azul escaped with a hard-fought 1-0 home win over Club America thanks to an early header put home by midfielder Christian Gimenez.

The clubs will meet at Estadio Azteca for the second and final leg on Sunday—each with hopes of ending an overdrawn title drought.

Action at Estadio Azul on Thursday night was fairly slow at the beginning, but after some back-and-forth play, the Argentine Gimenez put Cruz Azul ahead in the 19th minute:

It was a nice buildup by Cruz Azul and a powerful, accurate finish by Gimenez, but America made an atrocious mistake leaving the midfielder completely unmarked in the middle of the box.

The rest of the first half provided a few opportunities, but nothing of real danger for either side.

After the break, America intensified the pressure in its attempt to grab an equalizer. In the 52nd minute, Las Aguilas delivered a searching cross into the middle of the box, where they sent a wide-open header scorching onto goal.

Cruz Azul goalkeeper Jose de Jesus Corona was there for the instinctful save in what was arguably the play of the match:

Just five minutes later, America put another shot on a goal, and Corona once again made a diving save to help his squad secure the lead. His impact can't be overstated:

Moments later, there was a bit of controversy when Aquivaldo Mosquera got into it with former teammate Gimenez, but nothing came of it:

America continued to pushed on, but opportunities opened up for Cruz Azul, as well. In the 68th minute, the ball dropped to Javier Antonio Orozco Penuelas at the top of the box. He had a clear look at goal but dragged his shot just wide.

Still, for most of the second half, it was America looking like the home squad. It controlled a whopping 58 percent of the possession and fired off 22 shots to Cruz Azul's six.

Alas, Miguel Herrera's squad was unable to earn the crucial road goal against Corona and Cruz Azul and will head home needing at least one goal to stay alive.

Nevertheless, despite heading into the second leg trailing on aggregate, you have to believe Club America feels it will have the supreme momentum at Estadio Azteca this weekend. It looked like the far more interested squad in the second half on Thursday, while Cruz Azul was slightly shaky in the back.

Nevertheless, a lead is a lead for Cruz Azul, which put forth a determined effort. As such, it's possible that both squads very well may be claiming "victory" on Thursday night.

Either way, with America trying to secure its first league title since 2005 and Cruz Azul its first since 1997, the final on Sunday is sure to be scintillating.

Dana White: Like Him or Not, Bryan Caraway '100 Percent' Deserved the Bonus

Damon Martin — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:10:51 -0400

It seemed no one in the MMA world (especially Nate Diaz) was too happy about Bryan Caraway being awarded a $65,000 Submission of the Night bonus for his fight at UFC 159 only after Pat Healy tested positive for marijuana.

The UFC gave the money to Caraway, which conformed to their rule that no fighter can receive a discretionary post-fight bonus if they test positive for any banned substance after the fight is over. Healy's test returned a positive result for marijuana and the New Jersey Athletic Control Board suspended him 90 days. His win over Jim Miller was changed to a no-contest.

In addition, Healy lost out on $130,000 in bonuses for Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night.

Caraway was given the bonus but then proceeded to state in an interview with MMAJunkie.com that he had "zero remorse or guilt" for taking the bonus after Healy tested positive and that he has "zero tolerance" for people that smoke marijuana.

Regardless of Caraway's comments being in good taste or not when it seemed he was somehow gloating while Healy was left $130,000 poorer, UFC President Dana White says the decision to strip the bonuses from one fighter and give to another was absolutely the right move to make.

"He wasn't eligible for that bonus. I know nobody likes Bryan Caraway. Bryan Caraway followed the rules. He had a submission that night and he followed the rules," White said on Thursday about the decision when speaking to the media at UFC 160. "He absolutely, 100 percent deserves that bonus."

The use of marijuana in sports continues to be a controversial and much-debated subject, but for now it is still deemed illegal and White says Healy knew that going into his fight at UFC 159. Whether he believes the drug should be banned or not doesn't matter. Marijuana is illegal right now, and Healy tested positive for the drug and thus becomes ineligible for the bonuses.

"It's illegal. You can't do it, it's a banned substance," White said. "Should it be? I necessarily don't think so. It doesn't matter. It's a banned substance. Every fighter knows you go in and you use marijuana and you get caught, you're busted."

White also points out that the rule affects any fighter on the UFC roster who fails a post-fight drug test no matter what substance they used. It also counts for fighters who miss weight; they are no longer eligible to win post-fight bonuses, either.

Whether marijuana usage should land in the same category as a serious performance-enhancing drug like steroids remains a subject worth discussing, but White believes there is no grey area on this matter when it comes to UFC policy.

Cheating is cheating and cheaters will not be rewarded.

"Imagine what it would say if I gave that kid $130,000 for not following the rules?" White said in closing.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

5 Free Agents the NY Knicks Must Avoid

John Dorn — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:10:17 -0400

The New York Knicks fell short of their goals in 2013. There's no question about that. The focus has now shifted to this summer, where the capped-out Knicks will need to somehow revamp most aspects of the roster.

They'll need to steer clear of several dangerous, although enticing potential targets, though. Luckily, the team is in a position where dealing out colossal figures won't be possible, but unwise deals are still something to be weary of. Look no further than Jason Kidd and Marcus Camby's pacts of yester-offseason as evidence.

With prospective fits in the backcourt and frontcourt, Glen Grunwald and the rest of the Knicks brass should and will be placing calls to various agents around the league. They'll just need to be the right ones.

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UFC Fight Week 2013 Comes to Las Vegas to Kick off UFC 162

Duane Finley — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:05:56 -0400

The UFC is known for rolling out all of the stops for their annual Fourth of July weekend card in Las Vegas. And this year is no exception.

The promotion is partnering with the city of Las Vegas to host their second annual Fight Week celebration from July 3-6. A series of scheduled events have been planned throughout the city, which will include the Fan Expo that takes place on July 5 and 6 and lead up to UFC 162 at the MGM Grand, where Anderson Silva defends his middleweight title against Chris Weidman on the card's main event.

Fight Week 2013 is set to kick off on July 3 with UFC Community Day, where a collection of the promotion's fighters will be volunteering at Habitat for Humanity, Boys Town and The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada. Of the scheduled events for Fight Week 2013, UFC Community Day is the only activity not open to the public.

The activities on July 4 will head to downtown Las Vegas as the Octagon girls host pool parties at El Cortez, Golden Nugget, The D and Golden Gate. Later that afternoon, Three Days Grace will take to the Fremont Street Experience for a free concert.

On Friday, July 5, the Fan Expo gets underway at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, providing fans the opportunity to interact with over 75 of the UFC's top fighters.

The schedule also includes an amateur MMA tournament hosted by Tuff-N-Nuff at South Point and the weigh-ins for UFC 162 at the MGM.

Capping off Fight Week 2013 will be one of the year's biggest cards at UFC 162. In addition to the title tilt between Silva and Weidman, the event will also feature a high-profile featherweight bout between Ricardo Lamas and Chan Sung Jung in the co-main event, with the winner potentially earning the next shot at the 145-pound title.

What Tyler Wilson Must Prove Before Claiming Raiders' Starting QB Spot

Marques Eversoll — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The Oakland Raiders turned the page on their 25-game rental of Carson Palmer this offseason, and brought in a pair of inexperienced quarterbacks—Matt Flynn and Tyler Wilson—to compete for the starting job.

Flynn, who signed with the Seattle Seahawks a year ago for $10 million guaranteed, was acquired by the Raiders for just a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a conditional pick in 2015. Flynn was the favorite to win Seattle's starting gig last summer, before rookie Russell Wilson won the job and went on to lead the Seahawks to the playoffs.

And now, for the second year in a row, Flynn, 27, will compete with a rookie to be his team's starting quarterback. For Flynn, it's another year, another Wilson.

Wilson was the starting quarterback at Arkansas for the past two seasons. With Wilson as the starter, the Razorbacks passing attack ranked No.13 in the FBS in 2011 and No. 21 during his senior year.

Wilson's draft stock was sky high following his junior year, after Arkansas finished the season 11-2 with a victory over Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl. The team's only two losses came on the road against No. 3 Alabama and No. 1 LSU.

Russ Lande of SportingNews.com ranked Wilson as the top 2013 prospect a year ago, before Wilson's senior season.

But after Arkansas' 4-8 train wreck a year ago, Wilson fell all the way to the fourth round in last month's NFL draft, where he was selected by the Oakland Raiders.

As a rookie, Wilson has a legitimate shot at being the Raiders' starting quarterback. Flynn, in two career starts with the Green Bay Packers, threw for 731 yards and nine touchdowns, but he failed to ward off Wilson in Seattle last year.

In an effort to protect themselves against the possibility of another Flynn flop, the Raiders reworked his contract so they owe him no guaranteed money beyond the 2013 season.

Combine Flynn's cloudy future with the implementation of a new offensive system, and the battle for Oakland's starting quarterback job will be one to watch this summer.

The Raiders have brought in Greg Olson to run the offense. That means Flynn and Terrelle Pryor, who started a game for Oakland last season, face similar schematic challenges to WIlson in his transition to the NFL.

Pryor is an interesting case.

After being the subject of Ohio State's "Tattoo-Gate" scandal, Pryor withdrew from the university in 2011 and became eligible for the NFL's Supplemental Draft. Two years into his professional career, the Raiders have been adamant that Pryor will compete for the starting job in 2013.

But Olson, who was Purdue's quarterbacks coach when Drew Brees was in college, will likely opt for a more skilled passer than Pryor to lead his offense. In all likelihood, the competition will come down to Flynn and Wilson.

It's only May, but the rookie quarterback was impressive in the team's rookie mini-camp earlier this month, according to Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times.

”Wilson is on track to push Matt Flynn for the starting job right away and certainly push (Terrelle) Pryor for the backup spot held by Matt Leinart last season," Corkran opined.

With Pryor being expendable and Flynn's future in question, building around Wilson makes some sense for the Raiders, both financially and schematically.

“I’ve liked the way Tyler’s commanded the huddle,” head coach Dennis Allen said during Oakland's rookie mini-camp, according to SI.com. “I like the way he’s gone through his reads. Obviously, picking up a new system, I think there’s still a little bit of rust there but throwing the ball, I think he’s done a nice job. I don’t have any question about his arm strength and his accuracy.”

Wilson will need to continue to impress the coaching staff this offseason in order to lock down the starting job. But if he's the best quarterback, he'll be the starter.

Game action in the preseason will go a long way in determining who starts under center for the Raiders. Coming into the draft, there was a lot of concern about Wilson's hand size.

According to DraftInsider.net, most teams have a cutoff at nine inches for hand size. Wilson was the only quarterback at the Senior Bowl under that number.

But if Wilson can prove hand size isn't and issue by limiting his turnovers in the preseason, the starting gig may be his to lose. As a rookie, experience isn't in Wilson's favor, but Flynn and Pryor only have three combined NFL starts.

It's not as if Wilson is battling it out against a pair of proven veterans.

“I’m comfortable out there; it’s fun, it’s football,” Wilson said, according to Raiders.com. “There’s a lot going through your head ... Even if I’m not right the first time, we’ll get it right eventually.”

Wilson will surely endure some speed bumps in his bid to earn the starting gig. However, despite being the sixth quarterback drafted last month, Wilson may have the best odds of all rookie quarterbacks to be a Week-1 starter.

5 Things Miami Heat Must Clean Up in Game 2 vs. Indiana Pacers

Ethan Skolnick — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:53:25 -0400

The Miami Heat lead the Indiana Pacers, 1-0, in the Eastern Conference finals.

If you covered the teams' respective practices Thursday, you might have been led to believe otherwise.

While the Pacers spoke confidently of their position, following a 103-102 overtime loss, the Heat sounded as if they had narrowly avoided calamity. No one seemed especially proud of anything that had occurred in Game 1, other than the ability to persevere and produce the desired outcome.

"We have to play better," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

He has been saying that for some time, even as Miami has won 46 of its past 49 games overall—including nine of 10 during the postseason.

"We know we can get better," LeBron James said, a day after saving the Heat with a buzzer-beating layup in overtime. "We watched the film. We had 20-plus turnovers, which is uncharacteristic of us, some miscues defensively. And they could say the same thing."

Certainly, the Pacers need more from their guards than they got in Game 1. They'll need to do a better job countering Chris Andersen, who made all seven of his shot attempts for Miami. They'll need to sort out their late-game defense, whether it's their coach Frank Vogel keeping Roy Hibbert in the game, or Paul George playing more fundamentally sound.

So what do the Heat need to do?

Five things will suffice.

(All quotes for this piece were collected over the course of the author's coverage of the Miami Heat for the Palm Beach Post.)

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Dallas Cowboys: Busting Myths About 2- and 3-Tight End Sets

Roger Light — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:44:53 -0400

The Dallas Cowboys now have three pass-catching tight ends on their roster, each with their own unique skill set. Jason Witten is the most the complete tight end and one of the best in the history of the game. James Hanna was the fastest tight end in the 2012 draft. Gavin Escobar isn’t nearly as fast, but he's known for running great routes and being a great receiver.

With much being written about the likelihood that Dallas will deploy more two- and three-tight end formations in 2013, critics have claimed that this won’t allow for an explosive offense.

The concern is that putting two or three tight ends on the field means that wide receivers like Terrance Williams, Dwayne Harris and even Miles Austin will be on the sidelines, thus reducing Dallas’ quick-strike capability.

This is absolutely a legitimate concern. Given Escobar’s unimpressive 4.8 40-time at the combine is hardly inspiring. It's hard to think of a scenario in which you take Austin, Harris or Williams off the field so that he can be in the lineup.

And Hanna barely contributed to the pass offense last year, with only eight receptions for 81 yards.

Wouldn’t it make far more sense to go three and four wide as much as possible?

With Dez Bryant, Austin, Harris and Williams, Dallas will field one of the most dangerous spread formations in the NFL. Why on earth would you want to limit that?

You wouldn’t. But there are times when tight ends can help Dallas in ways that WRs can’t.

3 Reasons for Multiple Tight Ends

1. Making the Defense Guess Wrong

Making the defense guess wrong with their personnel package is nearly impossible with three or four wideouts. With such a spread formation, the defense has to go to a nickel or a dime package.

Yes, teams have effectively run from this formation, taking advantage of the defense on the field, but no team is going to be fooled the other way. In other words, with three or four wideouts, the defense will never be caught guessing run and be caught off-guard by a pass.

But with a two- or three-tight end package, Dallas can look extremely run-oriented and then send four receivers into patterns, thus overwhelming the secondary. Making the defense put fewer pass defenders on the field can lead to much bigger gains, especially if you go no-huddle and prevent the defense from substituting. The New England Patriots have perfected this attack.

2. The Red Zone

With only 10 to 20 yards behind them to defend, teams are far better at defending wideouts.

The Cowboys have been great at racking up lots of yards with Garrett’s offense, but with the exception of 2007, they have struggled to score points. Pass-catching tight ends create mismatches in the secondary. Having three of them on the field, along with Bryant and Murray, puts the defense in a horrible bind in the red zone.

If the defense doesn't match Dallas' heavy run package with its run-stuffing package, it's likely to concede a rushing touchdown. But then Dallas can use play action and hit one of four dangerous, strong receivers.

This could be the answer Dallas has been seeking to its scoring conundrum of the last several years.

3. Closing out Games

Which scenario would you feel more comfortable with: Continuing to operate from a spread formation late in a game with a lead, or going with multiple tight ends and playing ball possession?

Having three tight ends should make it possible to pound the rock when it's time to burn clock. Having three pass-catching tight ends means the defense is never going to know when a pass is coming, which is critical to moving the chains and maintaining possession.

If Dallas is smart, its plan for this year will be to build an early lead by running plenty of three- and four-receiver sets and letting Romo go to the hurry-up like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Colin Kaepernick, Joe Flacco and Russell Wilson do.

All of those QBs have two things in common: They made the playoffs last year and they can run the hurry-up offense at any time, not just when their team is behind or it’s the last two minutes of a half.

Garrett has been too restrictive in that regard. Romo is excellent at running the hurry-up and needs to be allowed to run it anytime he sees fit. If given this authority, Romo will be able to build leads for Dallas.

Once Dallas has a lead, the multiple-tight end formations will become even more deadly. Not only can they be used to burn clock, but they can also be used to lock the defense into the wrong personnel package.

For example, let's say that the Cowboys have a 10-point lead late in the third quarter. They put three TEs on the field, a.k.a. the jumbo package. The defense sends out its run-stopping package because it can ill afford to let Dallas start chewing up yardage on the ground and game clock as well. But Dallas surprises the opponent by going to a hurry-up and passing.

The Cowboys have Witten, Murray, Escobar and the very speedy Hanna. All are very capable receivers who can move the chains. Staying with a no-huddle means that Dallas forces the opposition to stay with its run-stopping personnel, meaning that it has little chance of stopping Dallas from marching down the field. And, since Dallas still wants to burn clock in that situation, it can mix in plenty of runs.

The idea is to be able to pass effectively from a run package, not allow substitutions on defense and still mix in enough runs to burn clock while moving the chains.

If that sounds like fantasy, then you probably haven’t watched much Patriots football, because this is what they do week in and week out. The Patriots have made tight ends more important to their passing game than wide receivers and have led the league in scoring two out of the last three years.

If you’re still not convinced that an offense that puts a premium on tight end packages can be explosive, then understand this:

New England scored 557 points in 2012. The next-closest offense was Denver, which scored 481 points. When 76 points separates the No. 1 scoring offense from the No. 2 scoring offense, I think it's safe to say that No. 1 has something special working. New England also led the league in total yards, third-down conversions, total plays and rushing touchdowns with 25.

That last one is worth some discussion. The next-best team at scoring on the ground was Washington, which ran for 22. RGIII ran for seven of those. But New England, with its spread offense, ran for 25 and Brady ran for four of them. Brady, who runs a 5.28 40-yard dash, had only three fewer rushing TDs than RGIII last year.

What on earth is going on with this New England offense?

Well, imagine you are playing defense versus the 2012 Patriots and you are backed up to your goal line. They have Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez out there along with Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd plus their running back, Steven Ridley. You are supposed to figure out if it’s a run or a pass and you are supposed to stop it. Gronkowski and Hernandez and Welker are massive red-zone threats, but Ridley is also very dangerous.

Scoring in the NFL is very exciting when it’s a deep ball, but more typically what happens is that a team works its way down to the red zone, the defense suddenly has less field to defend and things get difficult.

The Patriots have an offense that is impossible to decipher in this situation, meaning that they can still overwhelm defenses even in the red zone where things get tight. Nothing makes that fact more obvious than a guy who runs a 5.28 running for four touchdowns. By the way, that’s exactly how many rushing TDs DeMarco Murray had last year: four.

Two- and three-tight end formations can drastically improve Dallas’ ability to run and throw the ball in the red zone, meaning that it can finally get back to being a top-five scoring team, which will get the Cowboys back in the playoffs.

Predicting San Francisco 49ers' Wide Receiver Depth Chart After Crabtree Injury

Dan Tylicki — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:41:04 -0400

The San Francisco 49ers are quite happy that they acquired Anquan Boldin from the Baltimore Ravens, which gave them a great one-two punch with their starting receivers. Unfortunately, they are now back to where they were before.

The 49ers got a target as quickly as they lost one, as Michael Crabtree went down with a torn Achilles tendon in OTAs. It's possible he will be back late in the season, but that still means that the 49ers have to decide on a completely new receiving depth chart for most of the year.

Anquan Boldin was a 1,000-yard receiver last year for the Ravens if you include the postseason, and he is by far the most experienced player on the roster. He was a no-brainer as the second option, but does that make him the No. 1 target by default?

In short, yes. No one else on the current 49ers roster had even 500 receiving yards last season. Colin Kaepernick needs a reliable target, and receivers do not get much more reliable than Boldin.

In fact, with Crabtree out and Boldin as the only target that Kaepernick knows he can go to in a tight spot, I see a bit of a revival for Boldin this year, notching around 1,000 yards in the regular season.

The question becomes who takes over as the second receiver.

The primary candidates for that job are Mario Manningham, Quinton Patton, Kyle Williams and A.J. Jenkins. The 49ers have a slew of others on the depth chart as well, such as Marlon Moore, but these players will likely not be a factor.

Manningham and Williams put up better numbers with Alex Smith at quarterback than with Kaepernick, and Patton and Jenkins don't yet have NFL experience.

It's very easy to dismiss A.J. Jenkins on the surface, after spending most of last season inactive despite having been a first-round selection. Of the four wideouts above, however, Jenkins is the one that has chemistry with Kaepernick.

More to the point, Jenkins has bulked up in the offseason, and with Crabtree's injury, he will have the inside track on the second starting job. The question is whether or not he can produce.

A 500-yard performance is reasonable to expect out of him, especially since he has the downfield speed to be a threat—at least that's what was seen while he was scouted for the draft. Anything less or losing the starting job will put him on the fast track to being a draft bust.

As for Patton, I love the guy personally, and still think he was a steal for the 49ers. He will be expected to be a major role player and may compete with Jenkins for the starting job. He's already shown the will to play in the NFL, so we just have to see it on the field.

I see Patton hitting around the 400- to 450-yard mark, keeping in line with Jenkins throughout the year. In short, that's a battle that I don't see being entirely resolved until the end of training camp, and maybe not even then.

While Jenkins and Patton should be okay under Kaepernick's leadership, Williams and Manningham are more concerning, as both are coming off ACL injuries.

Williams should be back by the time the season begins, but he's never been a frequently-targeted passer. He's someone who could be thrown to in a tight spot, though, and 200 yards is reasonable if 20 receptions or so is presumed.

Manningham is the more concerning one. He won't be ready until later on in the season, and his production dropped when the quarterbacks were switched. In his last three starts with Kaepernick, he had one reception.

He may have more name recognition than the others thanks to his experience with New York Giants, but I see him putting up far fewer yards than expected. He had 449 receiving yards last year as a starter, and this year he may only end up with 200.

In short, the 49ers will have Boldin and Jenkins as their starters, with Patton and Williams as the primary backups. Manningham and others will contribute occasionally, but they will be deep on the chart.

The total number may not seem like a lot, but Vernon Davis should bounce back and have a better year on the receiving end, so in reality, the 49ers will still have solid receiving numbers.

After Crabtree last year, no one besides Davis had 500 receiving yards, and even he just barely passed that. They can still get close to 3,500 receiving yards without him if Boldin is as good as he should be this year.

Of course, even if their numbers are somewhat comparable on paper, the fact is that Crabtree and Kaepernick worked perfectly together, and that is something that the quarterback will either have to find with another receiver fast or find another way to win in 2013.

If Jenkins, Patton and the others do fail to step up, then there's always the loaded running back group with Frank Gore and company, featuring Kaepernick himself. Nothing wrong with running the ball more while Crabtree is out.

Transgender MMA Fighter Fallon Fox Makes Weight, Ready for CFA 11 Bout

McKinley Noble — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:39:53 -0400

Despite an enormous amount of controversy, Fallon Fox is now officially set for her upcoming match at Championship Fighting Alliance 11.

Fox (2-0) came in comfortably under the 145-pound limit (via Facebook), where she'll face Allanna Jones (2-1) during the CFA 11 women's featherweight tournament semifinals.

In addition to Fox vs. Jones, the event also features Strikeforce and Bellator veterans, including former UFC fighter Mike Kyle, facing late replacement Travis Wiuff.

Kyle was originally scheduled to fight Valentijn Overeem, but that bout was scrapped shortly after Overeem injured himself during training (via MMA Mania).

CFA 11 Main Card

• Mike Kyle vs. Travis Wiuff
• Fallon Fox vs. Allanna Jones
• Luis Palomino vs. Robert Washington
• Elvin Brito vs. Sean Soriano
• Czar Sklavos vs. Alexis Vila
• Oscar Delgado vs. Mike King

Media attention around the event has dramatically spiked since Fox came out as the sport's first openly male-to-female transgender athlete, brought to the public eye in an ESPN profile piece by veteran MMA journalist Loretta Hunt.

Several prominent names have negatively responded to Fox's decision to compete in the women's division, including Joe Rogan, heavyweight Matt Mitrione (via The MMA Hour) and UFC champion Ronda Rousey (via The New York Post).

Moreover, the controversial fighter also gained a PR black eye last April, when Australian star Bec Hyatt detailed a heated confrontation at Invicta FC 5.

According to sources with knowledge of the event, Fox was trespassing at the Kansas City-based all women's MMA promotion, reportedly threatening Hyatt and other female fighters while being asked to leave by the Invicta FC staff.

That kind of press may follow Fox throughout the CFA 11 women's 145-pound tournament, where the eventual winner will earn both a championship belt and a $20,000 prize.

CFA 11 takes place on May 24 at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida, with the card to be broadcast at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT on AXS TV.

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist. His work has appeared in NVision, PC World, Macworld, GamePro, 1UP, MMA Mania and The L.A. Times.

5 Reasons the Toronto Blue Jays Shouldn't Consider All-Out Fire Sale

Matthew Appleby — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:37:23 -0400

The Toronto Blue Jays' season has not gotten off to a great start, but should they have a fire sale? There has been a lot of talk about amongst fans about trading players. But is that really the team's best option?

The Blue Jays are currently 20-27 and sit dead last in the American League East. After an influx of major league talent, thanks in large part to a Miami Marlins fire sale, expectations were as high as ever for the Blue Jays. Needless to say, their slow start has been troublesome.

Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos went big this offseason and acquired Maicer Izturis, Melky Cabrera, Jose Reyes, Emilio Bonifacio, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey. They immediately skyrocketed to World Series favourites before spring training even started. However, once they hit the field they have struggled, and have not been able to reach .500 yet this year.

So is a fire sale the route the Blue Jays should go? Should they sell their remaining assets, admit defeat on the season and get ready for the coming years by adding draft picks and prospects? I do not think it is their best bet. Here are five reasons why.

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Best Moments from Damian Lillard's Rookie of the Year Season

Morgan Chalfant — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:36:55 -0400

Having averaged 19.0 points, 6.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game for the 2012-13 season, it's no surprise that 22-year-old point guard Damian Lillard was named Rookie of the Year for the season.

Yes, he had countless solid games. Yes, he proved himself worthy of a starting position on the Portland Trail Blazers squad. Let's take a look at five of Lillard's top moments in his debut season.

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Vitor Belfort Could Fight for Title Next but TRT Use Won't Determine Location

Damon Martin — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:36:02 -0400

Vitor Belfort is stuck in the crosshairs of controversy surrounding his use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), but it doesn't mean he won't get the next shot at the UFC middleweight title.

Last weekend, Belfort knocked out former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold with a spectacular spinning heel kick, which marked his second head kick finish in a row. The previous knockout was over top-five middleweight Michael Bisping, and it put Belfort back at the top of the division where he remains undefeated at 185 pounds outside of a lone loss to champion Anderson Silva.

The discussion surrounding Belfort's next fight hasn't started yet, but UFC President Dana White didn't rule out the possibility of a title shot against the winner of Silva and current top contender Chris Weidman at UFC 162.

"There's no plans right now with Vitor. He just fought so we'll see what happens. It would make sense for those two (Silva and Weidman) to fight and that's not far away, and then those two fight or Vitor could fight again," White said when speaking to the media on Thursday. "He could fight either one of those guys."

The biggest question that continues to swirl around Belfort's involvement in a potential title fight is his continued use of TRT. While the treatment is not illegal by any means, Belfort's 2006 suspension after testing positive for steroids still haunts the middleweight contender.

For Belfort to continue on his TRT treatments he must receive a therapeutic use exemption from whatever state commission his fight is taking place in, and because of his past steroid trouble it could cause an issue.

"Vitor doesn't want this, he's aggravated and pissed off about this stuff. He doesn't want his name to be smeared," White said about Belfort's TRT usage. "I don't like TRT, I'm not a fan of it, I don't like it at all. I said a while ago these guys are going to be tested and Vitor was tested. Vitor followed the rules and did what he was supposed to do."

As far as a location for the fight, White doesn't see Belfort having any trouble receiving his fight license, but a use exemption for TRT is another story all together. White leaves that up to the commissions, but promises that the UFC isn't putting Belfort in places like Brazil where he is allowed to use TRT just so he can continue to fight while using the treatment.

"That's up to them. They'll have to do a hearing or however they want to do it," White said about Belfort being approved by another commission. "We're not keeping Vitor out of fighting from anywhere. We had Vitor fight in Brazil because Vitor sells out in Brazil. It's all a bunch of conspiracy, f—king crock of s—t."

Whether or not Belfort sits out to face the winner of Silva vs. Weidman remains to be seen. Depending on who wins that fight and what kind of time off they will require after the early-July title bout could determine Belfort's next course of action.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

Biggest Questions and Answers for the Miami Heat This Offseason

Sam Richmond — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:33:53 -0400

There won't be a lot of money thrown around this offseason for the Miami Heat. With three superstars on the roster, Miami has almost no financial flexibility.

But there are still plenty of decisions that Miami will have to make this summer that will affect next year's team.

Change could happen: There are team options, player options, unrestricted free agents and a potential amnesty clause.

So, let's look at how the Heat should handle these possible changes.

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Boston vs. New York: It's Never Easy with the Bruins

Nicholas Goss — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:32:50 -0400

The Boston Bruins have not disappointed hockey fans during this year's playoffs by providing some exhilarating hockey and heart-stopping moments on a regular basis.

Unfortunately for their fans, watching the Bruins is often an agonizing experience because these players never make it easy on themselves, especially in closeout games.

The Bruins went into Thursday night's Game 4 against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden with a chance to complete a series sweep and make their second Eastern Conference Finals appearance in the last two decades.

The Bruins started the game with great energy and an aggressive forecheck in the first period, which we rarely see from them in closeout games. At 4:39 of the second period, Nathan Horton opened the scoring, and then rookie Torey Krug continued his fine postseason play with a goal to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead three minutes later.

At this point, the B's were completely dominating the Rangers and were well on their way to winning the series.

But then the wheels started to fall off for Boston, because it wouldn't be a playoff series involving the Bruins without some drama in a closeout game.

Two awful mistakes cost the Bruins their lead, including a lazy play from captain Zdeno Chara to allow Rangers center Derek Stepan to take the puck and score, as well as a blooper-reel blunder from goaltender Tuukka Rask that gifted Carl Hagelin a goal (highlights below).

After regaining the lead from Tyler Seguin's first goal of the playoffs, the Bruins allowed Brian Boyle to tie the game with a goal off a wide-open shot 10 feet from Rask's net on the power play shortly thereafter.

Following an overtime period in which the Bruins controlled the play and created a lot of offensive zone pressure, New York won the game on a goal from rookie winger Chris Kreider, whose beautifully tipped shot from a Rick Nash pass beat Rask.

The Bruins goaltender shared his thoughts on the loss after the game with Joe McDonald of ESPN Boston:

Failing to close out a series is becoming a frustrating trend for the Bruins.

They had a 3-1 series lead in Round 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but two poor performances allowed their Northeast Division rivals to force a Game 7. The Bruins needed a comeback for the ages to avoid a historic collapse and survive that series by overcoming a 4-1 third-period deficit to win 5-4 in overtime.

Allowing opponents to stay alive and have an opportunity to make a remarkable comeback is nothing new for the Bruins, who have been dealing with this problem on a regular basis since the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

Boston is now 7-13 in closeout games since Claude Julien took over as the team's head coach for the 2007-08 season. In non-Game 7 closeout games, the Bruins are just 3-9.

The ugly closeout stats don't stop there. Rask, who has been brilliant in the Bruins' second-round series against the Rangers until a horrible Game 4 performance, has a 2-8 record with a 3.20 GAA and a .890 save percentage in closeout games.

He was also the team's starting goaltender in the 2010 playoffs, when the Bruins became the third team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 series lead when the Philadelphia Flyers staged an amazing comeback in the second round.

Frighteningly, that Flyers comeback started with a Game 4 overtime victory at home, which is exactly what happened in New York on Thursday.

But the comparisons between the 2010 and 2013 teams are bogus.

This year's roster is more talented, much deeper and the majority of the players were part of the 2011 championship squad. Of the 35 players who played a game for the 2010 Bruins, only 12 of them are still with the team, and two important players in that postseason series (defenseman Dennis Seidenberg and center David Krejci) missed the final four games against the Flyers because of injuries.

The lack of a "killer instinct" is the Bruins' biggest weakness, and for a team that has played in seven Game 7s over the last five years and won a Stanley Cup two years ago, it's surprising to see these players have so much trouble finishing series before a seventh game.

But Boston won't panic, especially when there are a lot of positives to build on from Game 4, such as the play of Krug, Seguin and the fourth line. Two of the final three games of this series, including Saturday's Game 5 and a possible Game 7, will be played at TD Garden in Boston, where the Bruins are 20-7-3 this season (including playoffs).

The Bruins don't make it easy for themselves in closeout games, but this isn't an unfamiliar situation for these players. They have shown a lot of character and resiliency this season, and it would be shocking if their response in Game 5 was a weak one.

Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is an NHL Lead Writer at Bleacher Report. He was a credentialed reporter at the 2011 Stanley Cup Final and 2012 NHL playoffs in Boston. He's also a credentialed reporter at the 2013 NHL playoffs in Boston. Nick has covered the Bruins since the 2010-11 season.

Texas Football: How the Longhorns Are Leaning on Their 2011 Recruiting Class

Jonathan Woo — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:30:25 -0400

When you fall off your horse—the saying goes—you are supposed to get back on. That is exactly what the Texas Longhorns have done over the course of the past two seasons.

When the Longhorns dropped five of their last six contests to finish 2010 with a 5-7 record, it marked a historic stumble for a program that had made its second national championship appearance in five seasons.

Mack Brown was adamant about restoring what was once an elite program, and the results are beginning to show themselves after two years of marginal improvement—although the 2013 season figures to be the payout campaign filled with high expectations and media attention.

But behind all of that hype and rhetoric is the foundation of a team that arguably is ready for a special year.

The 2011 recruiting class—a group that includes quarterback David Ash and running backs Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron—has had a number of players emerge to become a core, and it just might have enough working pieces to make something happen.

The ‘Horns locked up 22 commitments in their 2011 haul, and 14 of them figure to contribute in some fashion this season. If Texas is able to bring home some hardware this season, these juniors and redshirt sophomores will have huge roles in doing so.

Offensively, the 2011 class has fingerprints all over.

David Ash is going into his junior season with a wealth of experience. His physical abilities have helped him tremendously in the past, and now he will have to conquer the mental tasks of running an up-tempo offense.

Running backs Brown and Bergeron are both three-year contributors like Ash and are two-thirds of a trio of backs that can challenge any backfield in the country from a talent standpoint. Is this the year that the production catches up with the talent?

Jaxon Shipley is a fixture at wide receiver, one of two reliable options (Mike Davis). Shipley saw his numbers increase in virtually every category from his freshman to his sophomore season, and similar improvements will be the standard for the junior receiver.

The Longhorns have not had success at tight end, but M.J. McFarland definitely gives them a reason to be hopeful. After redshirting his freshman year in 2011, McFarland caught eight passes for 125 yards and a touchdown in 12 games in 2012. Blessed with great athleticism, McFarland could flourish in a spread offense.

Josh Cochran has made the most noise up front, having seen significant time at left and right tackle since arriving as a freshman. Two years later, Cochran has become a reliable contributor outside, and his efforts cannot be understated during a 2011 season that really called for help on the offensive line.

Defensively, the 2011 class delivered, although there is still much to expect from the group.

Desmond Jackson has become a solid fixture in the defensive tackle rotation—with 25 games under his belt—and is one candidate for a huge 2013 season.

Cedric Reed is the favorite to come out of summer with the starting defensive end spot opposite Jackson Jeffcoat. Reed’s development has been a steady climb, but after a standout sophomore season, Reed is firmly in the spotlight on the defensive line.

Linebackers Steve Edmond and Kendall Thompson saw big minutes last season, and their inexperience got the better of them more often than not. Nevertheless, the two of them are significant pieces to the puzzle on defense.

Quandre Diggs is the obvious name drop, and his production speaks volumes over the course of his two seasons. Entering his junior season, Diggs is expected to slide into the nickelback position, taking over where Kenny Vaccaro left off.

The last three all play in the secondary as up-and-comers who flashed some brilliance last season and are expected to serve big roles in the defensive backfield.

Sheroid Evans has emerged as a legitimate option at cornerback, allowing Diggs’ move to the nickel and some safety. Mykkele Thompson and Josh Turner have come along nicely as well and have made enough plays in the past to warrant a place in the rotation. While players like Adrian Phillips and Carrington Byndom have the seniority, Thompson and Turner have not been without their standout plays.

Ultimately, Texas’ 2011 recruiting class has produced solid pieces at virtually every position. The Longhorns were one of the youngest teams a season ago, but with all of these third-year players gaining valuable experience early on, the foundation is a huge reason why they are one of the favorites to win the Big 12.