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 ImagesMilwaukee Bucks
Last season: 34-48, 5th in Central Division.
Coach: Scott Skiles (2nd season)
Needs: An injection of cash and a fresh coat of paint. This once-proud franchise has grown stale and uninspiring.
Additions: Forward Carlos Delfino (trade from Raptors), guard Brandon Jennings (draft), guard Jodie Meeks (draft), forward Walter Sharpe (trade from Nuggets), forward Kurt Thomas (trade from Spurs), guard Roko Ukic (trade from Raptors), forward Hakim Warrick (free agent).
Subtractions: Forward Amir Johnson (traded to Raptors), swingman Sonny Weems (traded to Raptors), forward Richard Jefferson (traded to Spurs), forward Fabricio Oberto (traded to Pistons), forward Keith Bogans (signed with Spurs), forward Bruce Bowen (retired), guard Damon Jones (free agent), guard Ramon Sessions (signed with Timberwolves), guard Salim Stoudamire (free agent), forward Charlie Villanueva (signed with Pistons).
Remaining from last season: Forwards Joe Alexander, Ersan Ilyasova, Luc Mbah a Moute; guards Charlie Bell, Michael Redd, Luke Ridnour; centers Andrew Bogut, Dan Gadzuric, Francisco Elson.
Outlook: At some point during the season, most likely in the middle of a game, Scott Skiles' head simply will explode. It likely will occur when Skiles' team is down and he turns to his bench and sees, well, no one who could possibly sustain playoff success. Last year there was the selloff of Mo Williams to the Cavaliers. This summer, Richard Jefferson's contract was pawned off on the Spurs. And then Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions were allowed to depart for nothing in return. And so, for another season, we will be told how Andrew Bogut can emerge as an elite force in the middle. There is some nice young talent in Joe Alexander and Brandon Jennings, but not enough to offer hope of a short-term turnaround. Sen. Kohl's constituents deserve better. It sure is looking like the time for new ownership.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Last season: 24-58, 4th in Northwest Division.
Coach: Kurt Rambis (1st season)
Needs: An immediate change of heart from Ricky Rubio.
Additions: Center Mark Blount (trade from Heat), guard Antonio Daniels (trade from Hornets), guard Wayne Ellington (draft), guard Jonny Flynn (draft), center Ryan Hollins (free agent), guard Sasha Pavlovic (free agent), forward Oleksiy Pecherov (trade from Wizards), guard Ramon Sessions (free agent), Damien Wilkins (trade from Thunder).
Subtractions: Guard Sebastian Telfair (traded to Clippers), forward Craig Smith (traded to Clippers), forward Mark Madsen (traded to Clippers), guard Quentin Richardson (traded to Heat), forward Etan Thomas (traded to Thunder), guard Randy Foye (traded to Wizards), swingman Mike Miller (traded to Wizards), guard Chucky Atkins (free agent), forward Rodney Carney (signed with 76ers), center Jason Collins (signed with Hawks), guard Kevin Ollie (signed with Thunder), forward Shelden Williams (signed with Celtics).
Remaining from last season: Forwards Corey Brewer, Brian Cardinal, Ryan Gomes, Kevin Love; center Al Jefferson.
Outlook: The makeover is astonishing. The Timberwolves dealt enough veterans in the offseason to fill two starting lineups. What remains is a team with intriguing young talent in Kevin Love, Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions. But there is not much in the way of a support system. Even if Al Jefferson continues his ascent toward a spot in the All-Star Game, such an unbalanced roster has little chance of any type of enduring success. For all the consternation over the handling of the Ricky Rubio situation by new General Manager David Kahn, what Kahn has done is buy himself time, essentially creating a waiting-for-Rubio grace period. But until Rubio can break free of his commitment in Spain in two years, future hope is about the only hope the Timberwolves will be able to generate. Flynn well could wind up in the thick of the balloting for Rookie of the Year, if only because he's going to be force-fed all he can handle.
New Jersey Nets
Last season: 34-48, 3rd in Atlantic Division.
Coach: Lawrence Frank (7th season)
Needs: A fast-tracking of the NBA's approval of its impending Russian billionaire ownership.
Additions: Guard Rafer Alston (trade from Magic), forward Tony Battie (trade from Magic), guard Courtney Lee (trade from Magic), guard Terrence Williams (draft).
Subtractions: Guard Vince Carter (traded to Magic), forward Maurice Ager (signed to play in Spain).
Remaining from last season: Centers Josh Boone, Brook Lopez; guards Keyon Dooling, Devin Harris; forwards Chris Douglas-Roberts, Trenton Hassell, Jarvis Hayes, Eduardo Najera, Bobby Simmons, Sean Williams, Yi Jianlian.
Outlook: With the move to Brooklyn back on track, the Nets are fully committed to the salary-cap space race. Because of that, the roster is as broken down as the swampland arena the Nets continue to lamentably call home. With the unloading of Vince Carter, the deconstruction of the roster is almost complete. For now, there is the speed of Devin Harris and the post play of Brook Lopez, two of the players who will be groomed for the move across two rivers. Harris is coming off a solid season and Lopez is among the league's most promising young big men. Otherwise, it will be up to coach Lawrence Frank to push and prod to keep his team out of the Eastern Conference cellar. To Frank's credit, he does not seem to shy from such challenges. Still, this is a team that has a dead-men walking look, with new ownership sure to dramatically overhaul everything before bridging the franchise's future to Brooklyn.
New Orleans Hornets
Last season: 49-33, 4th in Southwest Division.
Coach: Byron Scott (6th season)
Needs: Quality play in reserve at point guard to keep from running Chris Paul into the ground.
Additions: Guard Darren Collison (draft), forward Ike Diogu (free agent), center Emeka Okafor (trade from Bobcats), forward Darius Songaila (trade from Timberwolves), guard Marcus Thornton (draft).
Subtractions: Center Tyson Chandler (traded to Bobcats), swingman Rasual Butler (traded to Clippers), forward Ryan Bowen (signed with Thunder), forward Melvin Ely (signed with Kings), guard Jannero Pargo (signed with Bulls).
Remaining from last season: Center Hilton Armstrong; guards Bobby Brown, Devin Brown, Chris Paul, Morris Peterson; forwards Sean Marks, James Posey, Peja Stojakovic, David West, Julian Wright.
Outlook: For a team with such an apparent depth of talent, why does it seem as if Chris Paul at times has to carry the entire burden? Part of it is the reality that Peja Stojakovic no longer is Peja Stojakovic. Part of it is while he can claim to be an All-Star, David West too often plays as a complementary piece. To management's credit, the addition of Emeka Okafor, a far more complete player than Tyson Chandler, should help ease Paul's burden with his post play. But issues of depth remain, from anything of substance beyond undersized Okafor in the middle to a reliable option at the point when Paul dares take a minute or two off. Then there are the questions about whether Byron Scott has taken this team as far as he can take it, as he now stands near an end game similar to his final days in New Jersey. This is a team that certainly could contend for a spot in the Western Conference finals, or it is a team that might find the Okafor trade was just the start of a necessary overhaul.
New York Knicks
Last season: 32-59, 5th in Atlantic Division.
Coach: Mike D'Antoni (2nd season)
Needs: To get to the 2010 offseason as quickly as possible, because, frankly, there's nothing to see here folks.
Additions: Guard Toney Douglas (draft), forward Jordan Hill (draft), center Darko Milicic (trade from Grizzlies).
Subtractions: Guard Quentin Richardson (trade to Grizzlies), forward Chris Wilcox (signed with Pistons).
Remaining from last season: Forwards Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Al Harrington, Jared Jeffries, David Lee; guards Joe Crawford, Chris Duhon, Larry Hughes, Nate Robinson; center Eddy Curry.
Outlook: Mike D'Antoni certainly didn't sign up for this, guiding the NBA's ultimate lame-duck franchise. What he signed up for is what will follow, the opportunity to turn on the charm during next summer's free-agent recruiting, when the Knicks will carry as much cap space into the process as just about any team. In the interim, D'Antoni somehow has to convince a roster loaded with expiring contracts to put team first. He's charismatic, but is he that charismatic? When it comes to future thinking, the focus likely will be on Wilson Chandler and Jordan Hill, players whose contracts make them affordable enough to retain beyond this coming season. Otherwise, it will be another seasons of David Lee and Nate Robinson trying to showcase themselves for free-agency payoffs they thought were coming this past summer. Keep an eye on Eddy Curry, if only because the Knicks would love to showcase him and lose his contract. Ditto for Jared Jeffries.
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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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.