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.
APPhoenix: The shelf life is one more season. That's when Shaquille O'Neal's contract expires and when Steve Nash hits free agency, with Amare Stoudemire possibly to join him on the market.
That's when everything will change in the Valley.
Will the Suns try to ride out this high-octane, defense-be-damned thrill show for one more season?
That will come down to a trickle-down theory.
If owner Bob Sarver keeps general manager Steve Kerr, and if Kerr keeps coach Alvin Gentry, the Suns should at least be on the cusp of the playoffs.
Indiana: Is there any there there, with a roster that will continue to rely on Danny Granger, Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy and T.J. Ford?
They are all nice players, but beyond Granger, who strikes fear?
Oh, the 2009-10 Pacers will compete for Jim O'Brien, pull off the occasional upset, be just good enough to avoid a decent lottery seed, but the cap space isn't there for 2010 and neither is any discernable sign of being headed either up or down.
2010 lottery bound
New York: Having exposed itself to so much misery this season amid visions of the 2010 free-agent grail, the Knicks cannot back off now.
That means dicey free-agency dealings with David Lee and Nate Robinson, and probably even more of the on-court entertainment that is Danilo Gallinari and Chris Duhon.
That is no winning formula.
L.A. Clippers: This is one of those fantasy-league teams you draft figuring all those names have to add up to something.
Barring trades, Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman, Zach Randolph and Eric Gordon all will be back.
That just might be enough to cash in with your rotisserie team. But as a real cast, that group showed absolutely no life this season. Why, especially if Mike Dunleavy remains as coach, should change in the standings be expected?
Memphis: Nothing to see here folks, just a bunch of names congregating for the short term before anyone who's any good leaves as a free agent.
The youngsters have been fine, but all seemingly have a ceiling that does not come close to superstar. And this is the Western Conference, where good is not nearly good enough.
Golden State: How did Nellie manage to so quickly suck the life out of this group?
Just two years ago, this was the league's "clear vision" team. Now the whole mess, from the front office to the sideline leadership to a roster of swingmen-by-the-dozen has an utterly go-nowhere feel to it.
What a shame.
Sacramento: You give up on the potential and relatively cheap contract of John Salmons why?
Oh, the recent lottery picks have upside, but no one is building a team around Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson. And although Kevin Martin still can be deadly with that freakish jump shot, there just isn't a lot otherwise there.
The Brothers Maloof have to begin the cleanup by finding the right coach. Then, in about two or three years, we again can discuss the Kings as a legitimate NBA franchise.
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.
ProBasketballTalk tweets |
|
Source: Twitter. For more, follow @basketballtalk. |
 | Video: NBA from NBC Sports |
 Knicks, Lin still streaking Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni and point guard Jeremy Lin discuss the team and Lin's recent success. |
 | Slideshow |
 |
more photos |
Ask the NBA expert: Ira Winderman |
Do you have a burning NBA question? Submit it now, and then check back for our reader mailbag. |  |
 | Special feature |
 |
Who will be MVP? Interactive: Rank each player on a scale of 0 to 10 (10 = best player, 0 = barely worthy of consideration). NBCSports.com |
| Slideshow |
 |
more photos |
 | Slideshow |
 |
The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
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.
The Red Wings have finally started to embrace a record they've been chasing.