Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
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.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
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.
APThe firing falls in line with the Sonics’ history of quick moves. Weiss is the third coach fired by Seattle during the season since 1992. In 2000, Paul Westphal was let go after a 6-9 start, replaced by McMillan. In 1992, K.C. Jones was fired after an 18-18 start and replaced by George Karl.
Hill found out about the decision during breakfast and said there would be significant changes, including possible starting lineup moves. This will be his fourth head coaching job, with previous stops in Indiana, New York and San Antonio, where he had the most success.
From 1994-96, Hill compiled a 124-58 record with the Spurs, winning two division titles and advancing to the 1995 Western Conference finals before losing to Houston. Hill has a 257-212 overall record.
Hill met with the players before practice.
“I told them that when they signed that contract they were agreeing that they would cooperate with whatever we wanted to do,” Hill said. “I expect them to play hard. I’m not going to coach effort, but I want them to play hard and play good.”
Hill’s most recent head coaching job was at Fordham University from 1999-2002. He’s also served as an assistant with the Knicks and Orlando Magic.
Because the Northwest Division is weak, making the playoffs is not out of the question. Despite their struggles, the Sonics are only two games behind first-place Minnesota.
When he was hired as an assistant, Hill believed the Sonics could win the West. Now?
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“I don’t know what we can do,” Hill said. “I think it’s a good team. I think we can be a good team. How good? I don’t know.”
The majority of the Sonics’ problems are at the defensive end, where they are worst in the league in points allowed (105.2) and field goal percentage (49.8).
Monday’s loss may have sealed Weiss’ fate. The Pacers had lost four straight and were without All-Star Jermaine O’Neal, guard Jamaal Tinsley and embattled forward Ron Artest. Yet, Indiana raced to a 38-23 lead and finished with its highest point total of the season.
Seattle has held only six opponents under 100 points and just once in its last 12 games.
“I think we all believe we’re a good team,” Allen said.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Paul Pierce has been around long enough to know what Rajon Rondo's performance can mean for the aging Boston Celtics.
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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.
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.
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.
