Basketball in March means the NCAA Tournament to a whole lot of people. While it’s looking unlikely that my Maryland Terrapins will make it, it will be a lot of fun anyway. It always is.
We’ve got one team already in, and Kels Dayton has five things you didn’t know about Florida Gulf Coast University None of them are “alma mater of Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Sale,” because everyone knows that, right? Right?
If you’re more interested in March Madness as it relates to the NBA, Joe Kotoch has a look at some of the top scorers in the college ranks and where they might go in the draft. Check it out if you need some guys to keep an eye on.
Now here’s all the latest NBA news:
- ESPN.com’s Marc Stein has a new Weekend Dime column up, and it’s good one. Here’s a taste, regarding the Hawks’ widely rumored Josh Smith discussions and also the Celtics: “Yahoo! Sports subsequently reported Friday that the Celtics and Hawks hatched a three-way trade scenario that would have brought Smith to Boston and routed Boston lifer Paul Pierce to Dallas that ultimately collapsed when Atlanta sought an additional first-round pick from the Celts. It’s believed that the Hawks, like many teams over the past few years, had internal questions about how serious Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge really was when it came to surrendering Pierce or Kevin Garnett at the deadline. Although Pierce, Garnett and Rajon Rondo have all been openly mentioned in trade speculation since the Celtics’ crushing defeat to the Lakers in Los Angeles in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals, with Ainge known to aggressively call around the league to see what’s available in potential deals, there remains considerable skepticism about his willingness to actually go through with dealing with Pierce or KG after those 30-somethings helped end Boston’s two-decade championship drought.”
If you’re a regular reader of my weekend blogs, you might remember that Greg Oden news is my favorite kind of news. Here’s some of that, from Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal: “Oden attended the Cavs’ game Friday as a guest of Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley Jr., his best friend since childhood – yet wound up in Cavs owner Dan Gilbert’s baseline seats adjacent the Cavs’ bench. Gilbert wasn’t in attendance Friday, so arena personnel invited Oden to move down from his original seats five rows behind the Cavs’ bench. It was a fascinating scene, given the negotiations between the Cavs and Oden’s agent – who also happens to be Conley’s father. Oden was showed on the video board twice during the game as fans cheered and said he is still interested in playing for the Cavs despite not signing a contract yet. “I live in Ohio. It’s home now,” Oden said. “They have a great organization and I really do think they’re up and coming.” The Cavs are believed to have offered Oden a two-year deal that would begin this season and include a team option for a third year, but Oden hasn’t signed. Now it’s looking like he won’t sign a deal until this summer, when more teams will have cap space and the demand could increase.”- I think Miami was the initial choice for Greg Oden but now his camp is realizing that other teams are willing to offer more money and years.
@AlexKennedyNBAAlex Kennedy
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