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.
Getty ImagesOklahoma City Thunder
Last season: 23-59, 5th in Northwest Division.
Coach: Scott Brooks (2nd season)
Needs: A legitimate post presence would round out the wonderful perimeter talent Sam Presti has assembled.
Additions: Guard James Harden (draft), forward Serge Ibaka (draft), center B.J. Mullens (draft), guard Kevin Ollie (free agent), center Etan Thomas (trade from Timberwolves).
Subtractions: Guard Chucky Atkins (traded to Timberwolves), swingman Damien Wilkens (traded to Timberwolves), forward Desmond Mason (signed with Kings), forward Malik Rose (free agent), center Robert Swift (free agent), guard Earl Watson (signed with Pacers).
Remaining from last season: Forwards Nick Collison, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Thabo Sefolosha, D.J. White; center Nenad Krstic; guards Shaun Livingston, Kyle Weaver, Russell Westbrook.
Outlook: Don't sleep on the Thunder; already the future rumblings are apparent. No, this is not a 2009-10 playoff team, but it is the type of roster that will make plenty of noise in coming seasons, especially as certain West contenders continue to age. In Kevin Durant, the Thunder possesses a talent poised to move up in class to the Wade, LeBron, Kobe level. He is that dynamic a scoring presence. Then there is perimeter depth of such quality and diversity that it could be difficult for lottery pick James Harden to even get a sniff of playing time. Russell Westbrook is mere seasoning away from emerging as an elite point guard. Jeff Green and Thabo Sefolosha play their roles well. And there is enough in the power rotation to at least snag a few rebounds, block a few shots and then get the heck out of the way of the scorers. This should be among the league's most enjoyable teams to watch, if only the networks had gotten that message.
Orlando Magic
Last season: 59-23, 1st in Southeast Division.
Coach: Stan Van Gundy (3rd season)
Needs: An enforcer-type power forward to each the burden on Dwight Howard.
Additions: Guard Morris Almond (free agent), forward Ryan Anderson (trade from Nets), forward Matt Barnes (free agent), forward Brandon Bass (free agent), guard Vince Carter (trade from Nets), forward Linton Johnson (free agent), guard Jason Williams (free agent).
Subtractions: Guard Courtney Lee (traded to Nets), guard Rafer Alston (traded to Nets), forward Tony Battie (traded to Nets), guard Tyronn Lue (free agent), forward Jeremy Richardson (free agent), forward Hedo Turkoglu (re-signed, traded to Raptors).
Remaining from last season: Centers Adonal Foyle, Marcin Gortat, Dwight Howard; forwards Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus; guards Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick.
Outlook: Magic general manager Otis Smith has arguably assembled the league's best depth of veteran talent this side of the Lakers. While most of the focus has been on the addition of Vince Carter, it is the smaller moves that also could provide significant dividends, such as the additions of Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes and Jason Williams. Then there was the decision to match Dallas' offer sheet for Marcin Gortat, providing Dwight Howard with perhaps the league's best backup center. The issues are how Stan Van Gundy will pull it all together, and how he will replace the versatility of Hedo Turkoglu in the lineup. The loss of Courtney Lee also will be felt, with Carter not exactly a defensive presence. Don't be surprised to see Van Gundy field lineups with defensive bents, which would mean plenty of minutes for Mickael Pietrus. This certainly is a team capable of getting back to the NBA Finals.
Philadelphia 76ers
Last season: 41-41, 2nd in Atlantic Division.
Coach: Eddie Jordan (1st season)
Needs: A veteran point guard to hold it all together. The loss of Andre Miller will be felt.
Additions: Center Primoz Brezec (free agent), forward Rodney Carney (free agent), guard Jrue Holiday (draft), forward Jason Kapono (trade from Raptors).
Subtractions: Forward Reggie Evans (traded to Raptors), forward Donyell Marshall (free agent), guard Andre Miller (signed with Trail Blazers), center Theo Ratliff (signed with Spurs), guard Kareem Rush (signed with Clippers).
Remaining from last season: Forwards Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala, Jason Smith, Marreese Speights, Thaddeus Young; center Samuel Dalembert; guards Willie Green, Royal Ivey, Lou Williams.
Outlook: It will be interesting to see how quickly the 76ers' identity comes into focus. Will this be the up-tempo team that has made surprise playoff appearances each of the past two seasons? Will it be the halfcourt, post-driven team General Manager Ed Stefanski envisioned when he signed Elton Brand a year ago? Or will it be a pass-first halfcourt team that plays to the strengths of Eddie Jordan's Princeton precepts? Then again, with the duties at point guard left to Lou Williams and rookie Jrue Holiday, will there be someone to establish any semblance of order? This is, no doubt, a roster with plenty of talent. The question is how it will mesh. The loss of Andre Miller is significant. But the 76ers also look at it as adding Brand after losing him for almost an entire season. Figure another seasons of frantically chasing one of the lower playoff seeds.
Phoenix Suns
Last season: 46-36, 2nd in Pacific Division.
Coach: Alvin Gentry (2nd season)
Needs: A center with enough presence in the middle to command the opposition's attention.
Additions: Forward Earl Clark (draft).
Subtractions: Center Shaquille O'Neal (traded to Cavaliers), forward Matt Barnes (signed with Magic), guard Sasha Pavlovic (signed with Timberwolves), forward Stromile Swift (signed with 76ers), center Ben Wallace (signed with Pistons).
Remaining from last season: Forwards Louis Amundson, Jared Dudley, Grant Hill, Amare Stoudemire, Alando Tucker; guards Leandro Barbosa, Goran Dragic, Steve Nash, Jason Richardson; centers Robin Lopez, Channing Frye.
Outlook: After a season and a half of trying to be something they are not, a halfcourt, post-driven team playing to the needs of Shaquille O'Neal, the Suns get back to being Steve Nash's team. Trouble is, plenty of what made the Nash system work is gone, including Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and Mike D'Antoni. There still figures to be enough to produce points at a significant rate and regain the interest of a loyal fan base. But this also is a roster with plenty of question marks on the front line beyond Amare Stoudemire. With O'Neal gone, there is not much in the middle. There also is not much in the way of defensive deterrence. And then there is the question of whether management's ultimate goal is victory or the bottom line? The Suns will be fun again. Whether they will be back in the playoffs is another issue.
Portland Trail Blazers
Last season: 54-28, 2nd in Northwest Division.
Coach: Nate McMillan (5th season)
Needs: A rotation that can keep as many players as happy as possible.
Additions: Forward Victor Claver (draft), forward Dante Cunningham (draft), forward Juwan Howard (free agent), guard Andre Miller (free agent), guard Patrick Mills (draft), forward Ime Udoka (free agent), center Jarron Collins (free agent).
Subtractions: Guard Sergio Rodriguez (traded to Kings), forward Channing Frye (signed with Suns), center Raef LaFrentz (free agent), forward Shavlik Randolph (signed with Heat), forward Michael Ruffin (signed with Thunder).
Remaining from last season: Forwards LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Travis Outlaw; guards Jerryd Bayless, Steve Blake, Rudy Fernandez, Brandon Roy, Martell Webster; centers Greg Oden, Joel Przybilla.
Outlook: The most challenging coaching job in the NBA this season well might belong to Nate McMillan. Trying to whittle down a rotation to a workable number will be difficult with such an array of talent. Of course, that also means having to deal with plenty of ego. The Blazers tried to alleviate some of those concerns by discarding Channing Frye and Sergio Rodriguez in the offseason, but, still, the battle for playing time at the perimeter positions will be fierce. If there is a concern, it might be at center, where Greg Oden has yet to make the jump beyond being adequate. It will be interesting to see if management puts additional pressure on McMillan to try to get more out of Oden, or whether it allows him to continue to utilize Joel Przybilla and LaMarcus Aldridge extensively in the power rotation. This very well could be the year the Blazers challenge for a spot in the Western Conference finals.
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.
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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.
The Red Wings have finally started to embrace a record they've been chasing.