Sports Morning Headlines - Monday, 12/12/11

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Created on Monday, 12 December 2011 06:45

Last Updated on Thursday, 16 May 2013 07:51

Written by MVPTexas Morning Sports Report

Is Blair right fit as Spurs’ center? - For Spurs center DeJuan Blair, the toughest part about Russia wasn’t learning a new language. It wasn’t living in a foreign country, alone and further from home than he’s ever been.  It wasn’t reimagining how to play basketball, having to mold his game with the run-and-gun, everybody-shoots-it ethos of the Russian Leagues.  For Blair, the toughest part about spending two months of the NBA lockout playing for Krasnye Krylya, in the Russian metropolis of Samara, was finding suitable sustenance to feed his ample belly.  “I found a T.G.I. Fridays and a McDonald’s,” Blair said, “so I was good.”  Back in San Antonio, and somehow more svelte than when he left for Russia, Blair finds himself amid one of the most heated battles of Spurs training camp.   READ MORE

The New CBA and Your San Antonio Spurs - Let’s be honest, there are few among us who actually care what’s in the new collective bargaining agreement; we’re just happy it’s in place. That said, if you really care about the league, you should care about the new CBA, because the details of the deal will determine how the league functions for at least the next six years. It’s no secret that Spurs owner Peter Holt participated heavily in discussions throughout much of the negotiating process. Holt is among the least wealthy owners in the league (which makes his aggressive spending these past couple years all the more commendable), and the hard-line stance taken by the league in negotiations was largely on behalf of small market owners like Holt. Dan Gilbert of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Michael Jordan of the Charlotte Bobcats, for example, were also prominent, hard-line voices in the discussions. As such, it should come as little surprise that, though not quite as extensively as the Holts, Gilberts, or Jordans of the league may have wanted, the new CBA is undoubtedly a victory for the owners, and for small market franchises like our San Antonio Spurs. So how, exactly, will this new agreement effect our ball club? Let’s take a look.   READ MORE

Spurs rookie Joseph’s training camp debut on hold - The first three days of Spurs training camp have been difficult for first-round draft pick Cory Joseph.  It’s not that Joseph, the point guard from the University of Texas, couldn’t handle the rigors of camp because he wasn’t in shape. Nor is he injured and unable to participate.  The difficulty has been awaiting technical clearance from the government to join his new teammates on the practice court.  In a normal NBA season Joseph, a Canadian, would have applied to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service for a U.S. work visa after the Spurs drafted him in June, with the expectation he would be signed to a contract during the summer. That expectation ended when the NBA locked out its players on July 1, meaning Joseph couldn’t apply for the visa until the lockout was lifted.   READ MORE

After vetoed trade, Rockets return normalcy - Sunday represented normalcy. That it took the Rockets three days of training camp to reach this point was another matter.  One day after conducting practice without guards Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic and forward Luis Scola, key components of a twice-dead and once-resurrected, three-way trade involving the Hornets and Lakers, Rockets first-year coach Kevin McHale had all three on hand Sunday.  Dragic eventually succumbed to his tender ankle. Scola remained pragmatic. Martin moved another step beyond his personal dismay … and McHale had enough bodies to get some coaching accomplished.  "If you're asking if it was normal, it was more normal than the first two (days)," McHale said. "We've still got a few guys out that we want to get back and get in the fold, but it's getting closer. We've got to get so many reps in.   READ MORE

Houston Rockets pursuing Marc Gasol - @WojYahooNBA: Houston’s close to signing Marc Gasol to max-contract offer sheet, working a sign-and-trade with Memphis to secure him, league sources say.  Wow.  Talk about a contingency plan!  UPDATE:  @WojYahooNBA: Memphis is probably inclined to match the sheet, but if not, they can work a sign-and-trade with Rockets to get something for Gasol.  UPDATE: I’d be shocked if Memphis doesn’t match this offer.   READ MORE

Lakers "Pulled Out"; Rockets Left Wondering What If - The final domino finally fell. The Lakers, fed up with the NBA's demands which they couldn't meet, pulled out of the deal and will instead trade Lamar Odom to the Mavericks. With that, the Rockets pursuit of Pau Gasol appears to be dead. Again.  ESPN's Marc Stein was the first to report it, and he bluntly said:  Sources say Lakers have pulled out [of] three-team trade for Chris Paul.  This emotional roller coaster for fans, players, and executives culminated in nothing, no star for Houston, no twin towers in the middle, just a heap of mediocrity and a leading scorer alienated by his front office.  When a Rockets executive said on Thursday night that the veto of this deal set the Rockets back three years, he was not exaggerating. After it became abundantly clear that the Yao-McGrady era was not going to bear fruit, everything the Rockets did was building to this day. And the Rockets nearly rebuilt their squad to a contender in the Western Conference in spite of overwhelming adversity, only to reach this day where a heavy-handed Commissioner killed all chances.   READ MORE

Mavs confirm Lamar Odom trade, sign guard - The Mavericks officially confirmed Sunday night that they've acquired forward Lamar Odom from the Lakers.  The Mavs sent a protected first-round pick to the Lakers for Odom, a 2012 second-round pick and other second-round considerations.   READ MORE

Dirk Nowitzki happy for Heisman winner Robert Griffin - Dirk Nowitzki watched the Heisman Trophy award show Saturday night and was happy to see that Baylor's Robert Griffin III won.  "Baylor's just down the road," he said. "I loved the speech, that was great so I'm really happy for him. He deserved it.   READ MORE

Mavs couldn't get the whole gang back - The Dallas Mavericks couldn’t get the whole gang back to see if they could successfully defend their NBA title.  With a look towards the future and a new collective bargaining agreement intact, Mavs management had other ideas.  “I think as players we would have loved to have the whole team back and get a real shot at repeating,’’ forward Dirk Nowitzki said. “But it just didn’t work that way.’’  Nowitzki paid homage to owner Mark Cuban for obtaining Lamar Odom and Vince Carter, saying: “He’s always found ways to make something happen.’’  Rudy Fernandez, Brian Cardinal, Drew Neitzel, Odom and Carter have yet to practice -- Fernandez and Odom aren’t even in town yet -- as the Mavs still has only 10 players in camp. But when all the players are assembled, Nowitzki believes this could be another special year for the Mavs, who open the season Dec. 25 against Miami.   READ MORE

 

 

 

 

Angels introduce Pujols, Wilson - It was called a press conference, but seemed more like a rally in Anaheim as a crowd estimated at more than 4,000 showed up when the Angels introduced Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson in front of Angel Stadium. Our colleague, ESPNLosAngeles.com's Mark Saxon, was there. Here's part of his column:  At 11:50 a.m. Pacific time Saturday morning, Albert Pujols pulled on a red Los Angeles Angels cap and launched the most ambitious chapter in franchise history.  More than 4,000 fans showed up at Angel Stadium Saturday for the official introduction of the superstar first baseman along with pitcher C.J. Wilson, the free agent pickups -- together with reliever LaTroy Hawkins -- from a one-week spending spree of more than $330 million by Angels owner Arte Moreno.  Fans chanted, "Thank you, Arte!"   READ MORE

Rangers interested in Brewers' Casey McGehee, Rays' Wade Davis - Though the winter meetings are over, the Rangers are still looking at options in Milwaukee and Tampa to improve their club, according to the New York Post.  With the signing of free-agent Prince Fielder unlikely according to the report, the Rangers might pursue the Brewers' Casey McGehee, making a trade of Mitch Moreland to the Rays for pitcher Wade Davis more likely.   READ MORE

Is Theriot Really On the Astros' Radar? - NBC Sports Hardball Talk discussed a Jon Heyman rumor that the Astros would have interest in the Cardinals' infielder Ryan Theriot if he is non-tendered. With the signing of Rafael Furcal, Theriot's future with the Cardinals is questionable. Since similar rumors appeared a few weeks ago, this report doesn't appear to be linked to the new GM's past history as a Cardinals' executive.  I am skeptical that the Astros are really that interested in Theriot. Unless Theriot will come at a bargain basement price, this wouldn't be an overly appealing move for the Astros. I can see the possibility that the Astros will sign a lower rung veteran shortstop. But Theriot is a similar player to Angel Sanchez, another veteran middle infielder on the team. Theriot is a better player than Sanchez, but probably not by a wide margin.   READ MORE

Astros use Meetings to set stage for moves - The Astros left the Winter Meetings on Thursday having accomplished one of their main objectives, but it was a rather significant one.  The club on Thursday formally introduced Jeff Luhnow, former vice president of player procurement for the Cardinals, as their new general manager, ending a two-week search to find a replacement for Ed Wade. Luhnow takes over a team coming off a 106-loss season and is committed to rebuilding through player development.  With that in mind, the Astros spent much of the Winter Meetings shopping high-price-tag veterans -- pitchers Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers, and first baseman Carlos Lee -- in hopes of getting young players in return and shedding more payroll.   READ MORE

 

 

Yates leads Texans to comeback win, AFC South title - The Houston Texans have won the AFC South.  Led by their defense and rookie quarterback T.J. Yates, the Texans overcame a mistake-filled first half to rally for a last-second victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. Yates threw the game-winning six-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kevin Walter with two seconds remaining.  The Texans (10-3) won 20-19 after trailing 16-3 at halftime and, with the Tennessee Titans losing to the New Orleans Saints, clinched their first-ever division title and playoff berth.  “It was an ugly football game for us, but the end result was great for the organization,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “We did not play well, we turned the ball over and did not stop the runs in the first half. It did not look like we had any chance of getting out of here with a win, but we have a young quarterback who believes in what he’s doing. I’m just happy for everybody.”   READ MORE

Yates heroics send Texans to playoffs - Way up at the top of Paul Brown Stadium, where the wind was beating the temperature down into the mid-30s, Carol Yates buried her face in her hands. Her husband, John, pulled her close.  Her son, Taylor, had just led a last-minute touchdown drive to beat the Cincinnati Bengals (7-5) 20-19 and send the AFC South champion Houston Texans (10-3) to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. It ended a generation's worth of misery for Houston football fans, who haven't seen a playoff game since the Oilers made it in 1993.  Most people call him T.J.  "There's nothing he can't do," coach Gary Kubiak said.  It was an embrace between a husband and wife, two proud parents sharing a small moment that lived within the biggest moment in Houston Texans history. The embrace might as well have been between a franchise and a city.   READ MORE

Late FG try haunts Cowboys again in loss - Eli Manning and the New York Giants finally have something to show for all their hard work -- first place in the NFC East.  On the verge of being knocked to the edge of the playoff chase, Manning led the Giants to two touchdowns in the final 3:14 and Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a field goal as time expired, giving New York a 37-34 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.  "Good to get that winning feeling again," Manning said.  New York ended a frustrating four-game losing streak filled mostly with narrow losses to division leaders. The Giants (7-6) appeared headed to another setback when they were trailing 34-22 with 5:41 left, but a series of clutch plays on their part and meltdowns by Dallas reshaped the division race.   READ MORE

Cowboys Collapse In Gut-Wrenching Fashion, Fall to Giants 37-34 - Well folks, here we are.  In a contest where the Cowboys appeared to right themselves as the game wore on, they forgot about the last five minutes of the game. After taking a 12-point lead on a huge touchdown to Dez Bryant, the Cowboys defense made mistake after mistake, penatly after blown coverage and let Eli Manning bring the Giants back for a final-minute victory.  There were so many points of this game to be either frustrated with or elated by, what more representative way for the game to end than a blocked field goal following the opposing coach icing Dan Bailey. Jason Pierre-Paul rose high over backup center Kevin Kowalski and got his mitt on the ball to keep the Cowboys from forcing overtime.   READ MORE

Stars Win at L.A. Was Much Needed - The Stars earned a big win on the road Saturday night, getting past the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 at Staples Center. Dallas had lost five of its previous six road games before evening its record at 7-7-0 away from Dallas.  The thinking before the trip was not to let one outing, good or bad, bleed into the next.  “We talked about it before we left Dallas that we’re going to take each game individually and try not to look ahead,” forward Brenden Morrow said.   READ MORE

Young blueliner Larsen making the most of extended audition - In his first extended opportunity to show his abilities at the NHL level, the offensive-minded defenseman has flourished in the nine games with the Dallas Stars since his last recall from AHL Texas on Nov. 12, and seems to have gotten progressively better with each game. He’s chipped in with two assists, fired 10 shots on goal and has been reliable defensively, posting a +2 plus/minus rating.  After suiting up for two games with the Stars at the end of 2009-10 and six contests last year amidst a season honing his craft for current Stars coach Glen Gulutzan and assistant Paul Jerrard in the AHL, it was clear those times that Larsen’s presence in Dallas was just as a stopgap.  This time, Larsen has fit right in at the NHL level and looks like he belongs for good.   READ MORE











---Staff and Wire Reports contributed to this story