Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has hole-by-hole reports.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
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Ron on way out? Dec. 13: Pacers star Ron Artest talks about his desire for a trade, and president/CEO Donnie Walsh and Jermain O'Neal weigh in. |
James appreciated Artest’s interest. Artest shut him down in Indiana’s 98-76 win on Thanksgiving Day.
“You’ve got to be flattered because he knows we’re an up and coming team,” James said. “Any team in this league could use a guy like Ron Artest.”
Jackson said the Pacers didn’t foresee Artest’s desire to leave.
“I think it shocked us all,” Jackson said. “Ron’s his own man. You really can’t tell what’s going through his mind ... I’ll see him down the line, I’ll still give him a hug and still tell him he’s my boy.”
Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said the Pacers will recover, in part because they got used to playing without him last season.
“You’re never going to be as good a team in terms of manpower without a guy like Ron Artest,” he said, “but the reality right now is we don’t have him. We’ve been through situations where we had to adjust before and we’ll do it again.”
O’Neal said he expects the Pacers to remain among the league’s elite. The Pacers (12-7) have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
“You’re putting too much emphasis on this situation,” O’Neal told reporters. “Our team is not going to falter. We’re not going to fall into a lottery team. We’re going to keep winning.”
The Pacers now will need more from their newest players, guard Sarunas Jasikevicius and forward Danny Granger.
Jasikevicius, a 29-year-old rookie guard from Lithuania, has averaged 9.4 points and 2.9 assists. He is among the league’s leaders in free-throw percentage and shoots 48 percent from 3-point range.
Carlisle said Granger, the 17th pick in the draft, will be expected to grow up quickly. His 15 minutes per game will increase.
“Right now, he’s a guy who’s going to have to step to the forefront,” Carlisle said. “It’ll be an opportunity for him, and we’re counting on him to come through for us.”
Artest has missed the last two games with a sore right wrist. The Pacers defeated Washington 111-87 and Memphis 80-66 last week without him.
Walsh said the fact that Artest went public before talking to management might scare some teams off.
“I think Ronnie is a guy who acts first and thinks later,” Walsh said. “If he were to do it over again, he might do it differently.”
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Rajon Rondo recorded a triple-double with 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to a 95-91 win Sunday over the Chicago Bulls, who were without star guard Derrick Rose.
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring at a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.