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.
AFP/Getty ImagesQ: Assuming they keep their core players, how many years can this Lakers team compete at the top?
— Michael Bold, Oak Park, Calif.
A: That, of course, is a huge assumption, since there is significant debate whether Jerry Buss would be willing to spend on both Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza this summer when they are free agents.
But with everyone intact? Well, consider how this hardly was the most stressful playoff run. Yes, it went seven games against Houston, but Utah was dispatched in five and Denver in six. Then there was the Magic in five.
Fact is, the West is not nearly the gauntlet it has been made out to be in recent years.
Phoenix is in free fall. Dallas is teetering. San Antonio appears to be considering a makeover that could have Manu Ginobili on the move. Houston has to deal with the free agency of Ron Artest and the continued uncertainty with Tracy McGrady.
Then there is Denver, which will have to hold it together with some of the most unstable personalities in the league; New Orleans and its financial concerns; and Portland with its not-quite-ready youth.
The window of opportunity therefore appears wide open. The Lakers even could afford to possibly deal away Andrew Bynum to open salary room for Odom and Ariza and still remain at the top. (Don't dismiss it. If the Lakers can get someone to take Luke Walton's bloated deal as a condition of acquiring Bynum, suddenly the salary issues are minimized, and the Lakers still are left with a starting front line of Gasol, Odom and Ariza.)
The ultimate issue might not be about "core players" but rather about the head coach. The last time Phil Jackson stepped aside, it got ugly in a hurry. It could come down to how long Jackson chooses to stay around.
Q: Joe Dumars recently hinted that the Pistons were being active in the trade market before July 1. Can you offer any insight, and is there any chance at all of Detroit pulling off a trade for the Clippers’ No. 1 pick?
— Steve Hampton, Loxley, Ala.
A: I don't think Detroit has the right mix of draft choices and young players to make it worthwhile for the Clippers, but I do think Dumars will look to make his move this summer while most of the league waits for the Summer of '10.
With Rasheed Wallace to depart as a free agent, it is possible a trade of Rip Hamilton follows next, as the overhaul continues.
There certainly will be plenty for Dumars to choose from at forward this summer, from Shawn Marion to Lamar Odom to, possibly, Carlos Boozer. But don't also discount second-tier, value free agents such as David Lee or Paul Millsap. An offer sheet for each could have their current teams thinking twice. There even could be a run at Trevor Ariza or Hedo Turkoglu.
At guard, there already are rumblings that Ben Gordon could be targeted as the partner of the future for Rodney Stuckey.
Q: I was wondering if a team can pay a player to exercise his opt-out clause? Specifically, can the Knicks pay Eddie Curry to go away?
— Abe, Brooklyn, N.Y.
A: Uh, no. A team can reach a settlement on the remaining terms on the player's contract, but the player has to agree to such a move.
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Further, Curry is at a point where he knows he has no avenue to recoup the $10.5 million he is due in 2009-10 and the $11.3 million he is due the following season.
At best, the Knicks could throw Curry's money into a trade for a player with an even longer contract, but that would defeat the goal of hoarding 2010 cap space.
No, the Knicks made their oversized bed with Curry and now have to deal with the fallout.
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
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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.
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