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.
Getty Images4. The Mavericks' season is over, having lasted one series longer than most observers thought it would. Their 10 playoff games uncovered very little we didn't know about them already - Dirk Nowitzki remains a matchup nightmare, Josh Howard is still immature, Erick Dampier remains grossly overpaid and the team as a whole lacks the talent and toughness to compete with the elite.
The biggest offseason question for the Mavericks revolves around free-agent point guard Jason Kidd. But that is not the only matter.
Kidd is 35 and has a lot of mileage on him from deep postseason runs and international ball. He is still good enough to control a game from the point but the questions continue regarding his inability to stay in front of the league's younger, quicker point guards.
Kidd made $21.3 million this season and is taking an eight-figure pay cut no matter where he plays. The Mavs should offer him $21 million over three years and let him walk if he balks.
That would trigger Plan B, which is to acquire Chris Paul from the Hornets, who have huge financial issues ad have to unload at least one of their big contracts. Dallas could move Josh Howard, Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse to New Orleans for Paul and Peja Stojakovic as the combined salaries match almost perfectly.
The Hornets move the immovable contract of Stojakovic, get fixtures at shooting guard and small forward and can dump Howard for his $11 million in cap room after next season. They can buy out Stackhouse's $7.25 million contract for $2 million and give his roster spot to a younger player. Yes, the would have to replace the irreplaceable Paul, but they could draft a point guard and sign Ramon Sessions.
That leaves the Hornets with a rebounder, three scorers and a passer in their starting lineup and a nice mix of veterans and kids on their bench. It's still a playoff team, and a more cost-effective one.
The Mavericks get a young superstar to take the burden off Nowitzki, who is in his 30s. Paul and Nowitzki can work the pick-and-pop the same way Paul and David West did in New Orleans, and Stojakovic can spot up behind the arc. They also can re-sign Ryan Hollins and exploit his athleticism through Paul. The deal does take Dallas off the 2010 free agent market and creates a need to find a shooting guard in the draft or free agency.
That leaves the Mavericks with two top-five talents, a perimeter sniper and some rugged pieces that instantly get better playing with Paul. They need to add a solid shooting guard, but it's still a playoff team, and one that could make a deep run if its stars take over.
Whether or not either of those plans unfolds, the Mavs have other free agents in Hollins, Brandon Bass, James Singleton and Gerald Green. It may be possible to keep Hollins cheaply, but this will be the third contract for Bass, who may be looking for the mid-level exception. If Singleton and Green harp for more money or years, it will be elsewhere.
5. Even in this instant-reaction world, I have done a pretty good job of restraining myself when it comes to speaking in superlatives.
I usually don't do so except when it is absolutely necessary. For example, during the course of any Sixers game, I will say two or three times, "Samuel Dalembert has got to be the dumbest player in the NBA."
I bet Paul Allen and Kevin Pritchard are wondering why this couldn't have happened, say, in Boston in early October.
6. Since we are in the first two-day stretch of no NBA games since late October, it seems like as good a time as any to update you on the PBN Postseason Pick 'Em Party.
As we approach the conference finals, PBN Editor Sam Amico still has the lead with 55 points. Yours truly has climbed to 48 points and narrowed the gap because I felt more strongly about Amico's hometown Cavaliers than he did. Tony Mejia remains third with 32 points and badly needs Orlando to win Sunday to get back in the picture.
Next season, the PBN Postseason Pick 'Em Party will begin in preseason, with all staffers selecting their 16 playoff teams and receiving a point for each correct pick — and losing two points for each incorrect pick.
We will have updated tables and conference finals picks in the near future.
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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 Knicks, Lin still streaking Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni and point guard Jeremy Lin discuss the team and Lin's recent success. |
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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 |
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The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
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.