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.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had 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.
AP
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All those years of big men wanting to play like guards brought us some really bad basketball, but at last it is producing quite a few big men who can play like guards.
Teams want power forwards who are comfortable away from the basket so they can open up space on the floor and make it harder to double-team in the post. (It's hard enough to find guys who can score inside against one guy, let alone two.)
So it isn't only Germany and Spain producing big men who like to step outside and shoot a little bit. There are fellows like that coming out of California, Maryland and Washington state.
If you want to make this list now, you probably better be able to hit a 15-footer -- and you absolutely have to be able to run down the rebound if you miss.
1. Darrell Arthur, Kansas
How do you make a star disappear? Yeah, I'm still wondering about that after Arthur's freshman season with the Jayhawks. After averaging 16 points in his first half-dozen games -- and a star-making performance against Florida's eventual champions -- Arthur's minutes dwindled. There's no Julian Wright to get in his way now. Arthur will be the most reliable offensive weapon on a team that has many.
2. Brook Lopez, Stanford
If Lopez wants to define himself as a forward, that's great, but he'll have to learn to use his ridiculous length and athleticism to position himself for more rebounds. He was good at the defensive end, but could be productive on the offensive boards.
3. Mike Beasley, Kansas State
Every indication is that he'll be an offensive machine for the Wildcats. He is lefthanded, overpowering, dynamic and tough. When everybody else of his ilk was turning down USA Basketball to focus on improving their own games, Beasley accepted the invitation to spend nearly a month in Serbia playing for the U-19 World Championship. That's a player to love.
4. Ryan Anderson, California
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2006-07 season, he might have gained more notice had not teammate DeVon Hardin's injury spoiled Cal's drive toward the NCAAs. Anderson is a versatile big man who can score inside and out, and he rebounds relentlessly. Who else out there had 60 3-pointers and 274 rebounds?
5. Brandon Costner, N.C. State
Um, remember that question I just asked? Well, here's your answer. Costner hit 61 3-pointers and gathered 264 rebounds. He is not the rebounding machine that Anderson is, but Costner might be the most skilled big man in college basketball. He passes, handles, shoots and plays strong along the baseline.
6. Earl Clark, Louisville
This is all about potential. Clark delivered only nine double-figure scoring games as a freshman and only twice got there in the rebounding category. But he played huge down the stretch, and his development helped get the Cards into the NCAAs. He might be a small forward, depending on how Rick Pitino decides to use his deep frontcourt, but Clark has a genuine chance to be one of the Big East's best.
7. Jon Brockman, Washington
If he were two inches taller, he'd already been an NBA lottery pick. Inch-for-inch, he is the best rebounder in Division I.
8. Deon Thompson, North Carolina
After a stellar summer with the U.S. junior national team, Thompson will take Brandan Wright's place and try not to bump into Tyler Hansbrough too often. Here's a little secret for you: Thompson actually is a more skilled low-post player.
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10. Raymar Morgan, Michigan State
For Michigan State to become the Big Ten title contender it plans to be, Morgan has to become a full-time force. Whether he's playing power forward or on the wing, Morgan must improve his rebounding -- always a personal weakness -- so that his offensive production becomes more consistent.
Almost, not quite: Othella Hunter, Ohio State; Kyle Singler, Duke; Randal Falker, Southern Illinois; Will Daniels, Rhode Island; James Gist, Maryland; James Mays, Clemson; Marty Leunen, Oregon; Sam Young, Pittsburgh; Geoff McDermott, Providence; Damion James, Texas; Jeff Adrien, Connecticut; Robert Dozier, Memphis.
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.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 15 points and Evan Smotrycz added 13, helping No. 22 Michigan remain unbeaten at home with a 70-61 win over Illinois on Sunday.
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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.
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.
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