Bleacher Report - Articles by Jeffrey Klein

Walking Around Wisconsin...In A Brett Favre Jets Jersey

Jeffrey Klein — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:28:16 -0400

I just got back to Madison, Wis. from Long Island, NY to start my senior year of college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the No. 1 party school as rated by Playboy magazine, the fifth-best public university, and tied for having the same number of Fortune 500 CEOs as Harvard. Wisconsin is the home of cheese, Brewers fans, and a whole lotta cheese-heads.

As a New Yorker going to college in Wisconsin, I felt it was necessary to wear a fresh, crisp No. 4 Brett Favre Jets jersey down State Street in Madison.

Purchased from training camp in Hofstra, NY and not available in stores in Wisconsin, this was the first time tons of die-hard Packers fan would have the opportunity to see their legend, idol, and savior—even someone would they would "go gay for" (ya, just continue reading)—in a different shade of green.

Five Ways David Stern Is Destroying the NBA

Jeffrey Klein — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:49:03 -0400

I don't like David Stern. Here are my top five reasons why:

1. Seattle

The Seattle Sonics are about to move to Oklahoma City. David Stern wants to add more bad talent to the league by expanding and adding five franchises in Europe. Seattle is going to get screwed, because taxpayers don't want to pay up after funding new stadiums for the Seahawks and Mariners.

2. The League is Too Big to Expand

You want to expand five teams into Europe.

Are you serious?

Get rid of the Memphis Grizzles and the Bobcats (sorry MJ), then let the rest of the league draft their players. The result would be deeper competition and more money to each of the remaining teams. And the Knicks could finally be competitive.

3. Buy-Outs

Sam Cassell and PJ Brown had their contracts bought out so they can leave and go play with playoff teams. Cassell hasn't made a field goal in the last two games in Cleveland—he's a stiff. He speaks during interviews as if he is part of the team, but he's a sellout. Shouldn't he have to PAY his OWN contract?

4. Tanking for the Lottery

Under no exceptions in a league trying to create the highest revenue should Dwayne Wade or Michael Redd be sitting during the final games of the season. With hopes to get a higher pick, they are canning the final few games of the season

5. Playoffs

Like baseball, all of the division winners should be granted a playoff birth. After that, you can see a team over .500 like the Warriors make the playoffs (48-34) and a team like Atlanta in the East (37-45) make the playoffs. This will increase the competition.

Yes, Stern has brought the NBA a global level. But I don't really like him, and without Jordan, he is nothing.

Stern needs to stop wasting time looking at pre-game pyrotechnics and noise.

That's retarded.

I could deal with that, I have yet to graduate college. If there's too much smoke before the games, and Ben Wallace is going to get injured, then tell Ben Wallace that he shouldn't be in the NBA.

Case solved.

Why do you hate David Stern?

Billy Duffy's A Genius: He Now Represents O.J. Mayo

Jeffrey Klein — Sun, 11 May 2008 22:43:55 -0400

O.J. Mayo was all over the top headlines yesterday. He has received over $30,000 in gifts and other goodies since his sophomore year in high school.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone that OJ Mayo was going to play in the NBA one day. At 15, this kid was being compared to Michael Jordan, and his ability to dominate the court drew everyone's attention, including the Billy Duffy Agency (DBA).

Rodney Gillory, an event promoter in Los Angeles, helped supply Mayo with money and other benefits so he would be represented by Bill Duffy’s agency.

Billy Duffy’s Agency also represents Steve Nash, Tayshaun Price, Rajon Rondo, and number of other NBA athletes.

Gillory was known as a “runner.” His job was to keep track of Mayo at all times and ensure that he did not get into trouble. Gillory would make sure Mayo was always was supplied with money, food, clothes, or big screen TV’s for his dorms.

Yes, this is a violation of the NCAA rules that goes against players receiving gifts.

Does Bill Duffy care, and is anything going to stop him from doing something like this again?

No. By partaking in these illegal practices, Duffy has lured one of the biggest players in this year's draft to be his client.

Duffy is currently ranked eighth in the agent rankings on Hoops Hype. Because money talks, he should continue to recruit college and high school players illegally, because it appeared to have worked this time.

And unless the league cracks down, which I doubt it is going to do, I highly suggest that Bill Duffy keep up the good work, and continue going after other players that are currently in high school who could use some money right now.

As Mayo continues to take no responsibility and no action appears to be taken on this issue, I give a shout out to Billy Duffy.

Your $200,000 over the past four years, and $30,000 to O.J Mayo will certainly pay off in the years to come.

Congrats Bill!

How Would You Improve Bleacher Report?

Jeffrey Klein — Sat, 10 May 2008 21:18:16 -0400

No, I don't work for Bleacher Report.

If I did own this site, I would have banned the user MJ from writing for Bleacher Report. I find him obnoxious, but yet entertaining at the same time. He's a big fan of mine, so I expect him to be one of the first comments after reading this article.

Anyways, I've been using this site for over a month now, and I love it.

It's been a great opportunity to interact with other future sports journalists, and I can express my viewpoints freely on this site.

That being said, it isn't perfect. Here are some problems I've incurred.

1. I've lost a number of articles completely when trying to post them onto Bleacher Report, via Safari.

2. I spent two hours writing an article, and my article didn't appear on the front page under NBA. Why?

3. Do you ever feel like more people should be reading your articles, regardless of your status on the website?

4. I'm sure that you've incurred other problems, from uploading pictures to random posters who swear at you in a vulgar and offensive way.

I just want the creators of this site to get the feedback from the members of the community, and the Bleacher Creatures themselves.

If you write for Bleacher Report, you should comment on this article.

Orlando Magic: Fire Stan Van Gundy!

Jeffrey Klein — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:55:59 -0400

Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy acknowledged the fact that he's the one to blame for the Orlando Magic's performance against the Detroit Pistons.

With the daunting task of going on the road to Auburn Hills, the Magic must look forward.

In a press conference after Game Five, Van Gundy spoke to the media and accepted all of the blame for the Magic's three losses, which came as a result of his "bad coaching."

One win, three bad losses.

The Magic had the opportunity to win all three in the last minute.

"We needed to get better looks at the basket," said Van Gundy, blaming himself.

In Game One, the Magic found themselves down only two points with 38.8 seconds left to go. With a chance to win the game, poor shot selection and the inability of the refs to blow the whistle led to Orlando's defeat.

Game Two was another game which the officials did a horrible job, helping the Pistons win. This time the Magic found themselves down by two with 17.7 seconds remaining. Orlando failed to get off a good shot, and no foul was called when there was clearly contact in the lane.

A three-point field goal at the end of the third was counted and then later deemed by the league that the shot shouldn't have counted. The NBA can't be screwing up these calls in the playoffs. A big-time three-pointer like that had the ability to change the outcome of the game.

Perhaps the ref had a couple of dollars on the game?

Last night, the Magic had the opportunity to take advantage of an injury to Chauncey Billups and tie the series at 2-2. But it was the Magic that once again found themselves trailing and with only seconds to go. After a 33-point outburst by Rip Hamilton, it was Tayshaun Price hitting a floating jumper down the lane in the closing seconds.

That shot gave the Pistons a 90-89 lead. Van Gundy drew up a play for Hedo at the top of the key, which led to another poor look at the basket and another victory for the Pistons.

I wouldn't expect anything less than a thriller from these two battling teams in Game Five.

"I'm not going to comment on the play, the only thing that will lead to is me giving money to this league."

What's the Most Memorable Sporting Event You've Attended?

Jeffrey Klein — Sun, 04 May 2008 16:20:03 -0400

Your Favorite Sports Moment?

For me, it was 1994 NBA Finals, game five. The Knicks, yes the team which most recently fired Isiah Thomas, among the worst teams in the NBA, actually won some basketball games.

On June 17 1994, the Knicks captured a 3-2 series lead to close within one game of the title. Aside from being one of the loudest crowds of all of the sports events I have attended, it was also known as the “O.J. Game”.

If you folks, watching on TV, recall NFL Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson's slow-speed freeway chase was occurring simultaneously. Fans at the sold-out Madison Square Garden were packed into the corridors to watch the basketball game on one television, and the car chase on another. The NBA on NBC television broadcast even switched over to the car chase.

Although I was only eight years old at the time, I recall my father putting me on his shoulders, so that I could see the car chase among the crowd of people. It was one of the most bizarre sporting events that I have ever attended. People were more concerned with this idiot, then game five of the NBA Finals.

The victorious Knicks won a well-battled game, as Patrick Ewing and John Starks propelled the Knicks to a 94-86 win. The crowd, although distracted by the car chase, was louder then any other Knicks game I have attended. It was something I will remember for a long time. Fans had their towels ready, waving them around for every play.

Even re-watching the game was not able to help me relive my memories or tell the story of exactly what happened, in Madison Square Garden, that one evening in the summer of 1994. Those memories shall live with me for a lifetime, and that sporting event that I attended will live on with me forever.

What’s the MOST MEMORABLE SPORTING EVENT YOU’VE ATTENDED?
Share with me!

(Was the crowd louder then you ever imagined in person, did you see history, a record broken, a fantastic play, a title won, future on the Jumbotron, or did the man in front of you refuse to sit down the whole game)

Tell Me Your Story, and try to throw up any cool pics, or pics of stubs or other cool tidbits you may want to share from your memory filled memorable event.

Marvin Harrison Allegedly Involved In Shooting

Jeffrey Klein — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:22:26 -0400

Here we go again, another athlete involved in a shooting.

Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison was allegedly involved in a shooting at the bar Playmakers, which he is a part owner of, in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Authorities are stating that the the skirmish begin inside the bar as a fistfight. Harrison then followed the man out of the bar where a gunfire was exchanged. Glass was flying everywhere and the man was struck in the hand by a bullet. A small girl was also reportedly hit by glass as well.

The following day the police went to Harrison's and found his car washed. When he was questioned about the gun, he said the gun never left his house.

The gun, which was one of 25 guns registered to his name, was found in a bucket at the car wash and Harrison was caught in his lie. The gun involved in the shooting is a rare custom made gun, one which was only made in Belgium. Police noted that their were seven bullets fired.

Pennsylvania state law says that any crime involving a gun is an automatic misdemeanor. At this point there are no witness naming Marvin Harrison as the shooter.

You're Fired: NBA Head Coaches Style

Jeffrey Klein — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:29:12 -0400

The Bulls managed to fire both Scott Skiles and his replacement Jim Boylan, after one season.

Larry Krystkowiak was released after the disappointing season of the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Knicks finally made the decision to strip Isiah Thomas of all of his coaching duties.

After the Suns failed to get out of the first round after acquiring Shaquille O'Neal at the trading deadline, Mike D'Antoni found himself fired.

Avery Johnson, after failing to get out of the 1st round for the 2nd year in a row, was fired as the Mavericks head coach by Mark Cuban.

The expectations for Flip Saunders in Detroit are high. Joe Dumars will be left with a tough decision if the Pistons aren't able to put a nice run together in the playoffs.

This coaching carousel has became a norm at the end of an NBA season. Teams fail to meet the expectations of their owners, and all of the blame is taken out of the coaches. But we should ask, is this really fair?

Both the Suns and the Mavericks were the underdogs in their 1st round playoff match-ups. The Spurs were the defending Champions and were just too strong forShaq and the Suns. But can you really blame Mike D'Antoni for the way that the Suns played?

Chris Paul was not going to be stopped by the Dallas Mavericks without Devin Harris. Their was no chance that Jason Kidd was going to be able to stay with the future MVP (if not this year, the 22 year old will win in it the future) Chris Paul. Can you really blame this on Avery Johnson?

I find the job insecurity and the expectations of these coaches unbelievable, while they are not making nearly the same about of any of these players who can get away with not performing whatsoever (GILBERT ARENAS) and still make millions of dollars.

Don't you think that the Knicks wish that they would fire Stephon Marbury?

It's Great to Be No. 3 in the NCAA: Wisconsin, Xavier, Louisville, and Stanford

Jeffrey Klein — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 03:41:14 -0400

Gotta love those No. 3 seeds, right?

Rick Pitino's Cardinals find themselves in the Elite Eight after a victory over Tennessee last night. A great defense effort by the Cards held Chris Lofton to 3-15 in the field, although he managed to end up with 15 points.

Five different Louisville players appeared in double figures. Their ability to move the ball on the floor and spread the court will make them a really tough out for North Carolina.

Xavier pulled through in overtime last night as the Musketeers advanced to the Elite Eight after beating West Virginia. Drew Lavender struggled from the field, shooting 3-11 and ending up with nine points.

The Musketeers' senior forward added a season high 26 points to lead his team to victory.

I had Xavier going to the Elite Eight in my bracket—I don't really see them having a chance playing with UCLA, way too tough defensively.

Stanford will play as a three seed today, taking on the two seeded Texas Longhorns, the only three seeds that will fail to make the Elite Eight.

With Texas's dynamic duo and the best guard combo in the nation, this squad will definitely have the edge. Augustine and Abrams, playing in their home state, are too strong for Stanford to stand a chance.

I understand that the Lopez twins are a dynamic duo themselves, but if Stanford wants a chance to win this match they are going to need a big game from star guard Anthony Goods.

The final three seed advancing to the round of eight is the Wisconsin Badgers. Starting the season unranked and finishing the season 31-4 with a Big Ten conference and regular season title, the Badgers don't look to be stopping now.

Michael Flowers will manhandle Stephen Curry and the Badgers will walk to a matchup against either Villanova or Kansas. Badgers fans could use just a little help from Nova Nation to get their team to the Final.

Since 2001, two teams started the season unranked and went on to win the National title: Syracuse and Florida. Both were three seeds.

Look for the Badgers and Musketeers to add their name to that list.

2002-Maryland (Pre-Season No. 2)

2003-Syracuse (unranked)

2004-UConn (Pre-season No. 1)

2005-North Carolina (Pre-Season No. 4)

2006-Florida

2007-Florida (Pre-Season No. 1)

Yankees: An Underdog?

Jeffrey Klein — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:44:02 -0400

Projections are flowing in that the Red Sox are projected to repeat as World Series champions.

Then there is a team from the Bronx called the New York Yankees. They have the highest payroll in major league baseball and have made the playoffs every year since 1995.

The Detroit Tigers, with the acquisitions of Miguel Cabrera and the Dontrelle Willis, are the favorites to win the Central Division along side the Cleveland Indians. The Indians were up 3-2 on the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS last season, after they defeated the Yankees in four games in the ALDS.

The Yankees can be seen as an underdog entering 2008. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy don't have the experience of many of the Yankees starting pitchers of the past. Many will also question Mike Mussina's ability to be effective after getting booted from the rotation late in the 2007 season.

The number one factor for the Yankees this season will be their ability to keep their pitchers healthy.

This is the year that Joe Torre is gone. Joe Girardi takes over as skipper, and the Yankees star a new era. They are not projected to make the playoffs for the first time since 1995.

This is the last year that the Yankees play in Yankees Stadium. Hopefully it will be a special one.

Wisconsin Badgers: Final Four Bound

Jeffrey Klein — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:21:05 -0400

November 5th, 2007, pre-season polls are released. The Wisconsin Badgers nowhere to be seen in the Top 25, let alone the top 35. Alando Tucker, 1st Team All-American graduated, a first-round pick with the Suns. Kammron Taylor playing in a top league in Europe, graduated as well.

Michigan State projected to win the Big Ten, Drew Neitzel was going to be the Big Ten player of the Year. Indiana was going to be a powerhouse with D.J White and the freshman phenom Eric Gordon. Ohio State had lost Oden and Conley are still projected to be a top 25 team with freshman Kousta Kofaus and Jamar Butler leading the win. Wisconsin expected to have a down year, shot to the top of the conference out of no where.

31-4 record, for a team that was not project to finish in the top 25. Blown out by Cameron by the Dukies in November the Badgers lost only three more games. Marquette, and a sweep by Purdue all by a combined 14 points. Pretty impressive for a team that was not expected to match the success from a year ago.

Senior guard Michael Flowers and junior forward Joe Krabbenhoft both named to the Big Ten All- Defensive Team. Flowers, know for his ability to lock down defenders will be given the task of guarding Davidson's Stephen Jackson on Saturday.

Brian Butch, the senior year lead Wisconsin is scoring and re bounder (12.7 ppg, 7 rpg) He has an uncanny ability to knock the outside shot, with a 3-point bank-shot with 5 seconds left lift the Badgers to victory at Indiana.

Sophomore guard Trevon Hughes has stepped up for the graduated Kammron Taylor, putting up 11.6 ppg. Hughes scored a team-high 25 points against the Kansas State Wildcats in the Badgers 72-55 second round victory.

End of the year, the team that was no where to be found in the pre-season poll is hoping for a two-seed in the tournament and of course would not gain the respect that is due. In a year that was deemed down in the Big Ten, the Badgers would receive a 3 seed.

All of the teams in the Sweet 16 (excluding Western Kentucky) received more votes then the Wisconsin Badgers. Now, the must face the critics and earn the respect that is due. Bo Ryan's defensive squad will be seen standing at last on more weekend.

Result:

Wisconsin- Final Four

From No. 40 to the Final Four: Wisconsin a True Cinderella

Jeffrey Klein — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:18:04 -0400

The Sweet 16 is upon us. Let's take a quick look at where these teams sat in the AP Preseason Top 25, released on November 5. Teams in bold are still alive.

(Note: Western Kentucky did not recieve any top 25 votes):

1. North Carolina

2. UCLA

3. Memphis

4. Kansas

5. Georgetown

6. Louisville

7. Tennessee

8. Michigan State

9. Indiana

10. Washington State

11. Marquette

12. Oregon

13. Duke

14. Gonzaga

15. Texas

16. Texas A&M

17. Arizona

18. USC

19. Arkansas

20. Kentucky

21. North Carolina State

22. Pittsburgh

23. Stanford

24. Southern Illinois

25. Kansas State

Other Recieving Votes (high to low): Villanova, Ohio State, Butler, Syracuse, Clemson, Xavier, Connecticut, Davidson, Mississippi State, Florida, West Virginia, Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth, Norte Dame, Wisconsin, etc.

If you want a real Cinderalla team, look closely at Bo Ryan's Wisconsin Badgers.

You may question my using of the word "Cinderella" with a team that was given a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. How could a team that won the Big Ten regular season and conference tournament be considered a true Cinderalla?

Looking back at the preseason in the first week of November, the Wisconsin Badgers were nowhere to be seen.

A year removed from Alando Tucker's greatness and Kammron Taylors ability to effectively run Bo Ryan's swing offense, the Badgers were projected to be in a rebuilding stage, projected to finish in the middle half of the Big Ten conference.

Ranked 40th in the nation, sitting merely at the latter part of the "Other's Recieving Votes Category" in the AP's Poll, the Badgers had no business to think about a trip to San Antonio.

They started the season ranked below Davidson, whom they are playing Friday night and below 39 other teams, many of which ended up in the NIT.

But now, facing a 10th-seeded Davidson, Michael Flowers and the Wisconsin Badgers have set their sights straight, on going to the Alamo Dome.

Perhaps one of the more unpredicatable teams this year in college basketball, the Badgers will put Bo Ryan's swing offense to the test on Friday night.

The big match-up will be the high-flying sophomore from Davidson, Stephen Curry, up against the best lock-down defender in the nation, Michael Flowers. Flowers was not even the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, nor was Bo Ryan the Big Ten Coach of the Year.

The Badgers will set out on Friday night not trying to earn any respect, but trying to play hard-nosed basketball and come out on top Friday night, earning them a trip to the Elite Eight.

Saturday, the media will be all over the Badgers and how they won't be able to control the tempo of the Kansas Wildcats, and won't give the Badgers a chance to earn a trip to the Final Four.

But just wait. The Badgers defense style of play, and their hard-nosed swing offense will earn them a trip to the Final Four.

Therefore, the Wisconsin Badgers will be the only team to start the season unranked and be seen playing in San Antonio.