Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Stephen A. Smith reports that Allen Iverson is “facing alcohol and gambling issues that have derailed his career and threaten his post-basketball well-being”. This news is from several NBA sources and comes just four days after the 76ers announced Iverson would not return this season. Also, on that same day, Iverson’s wife filed for divorce saying that the couple’s marriage was ”irretrievably broken” and that she is seeking full custody of the their five children. In his column Smith writes that multiple NBA sources say there is widespread concern that Iverson “will either drink himself into oblivion or gamble his life away”. Sources say Iverson has already been banned from casinos in Detroit and Atlantic City. Stay tuned for a follow up from CTS in the coming days.
WTF of the Week
Mar 8
NFL Combine Recap
Mar 5
Most every college football player aspires to find himself in the National Football League at some point in his career. These guys have trained most of their lives for that opportunity. The annual NFL Combine is one of the final chances these athletes have to impress pro scouts in order to ultimately achieve their goal of getting drafted in April. It is pretty interesting to watch because only the best of the best get invited to the combine and they all show their true competitive colors.
A topic that has frequently been under debate is the actual importance of the NFL Combine. There is a lot of stock put into it by the media, and therefore the fans, but is it warranted? I think you would have to look at it on a case-by-case basis. There are some athletes that go into the combine with little to answer physically, and therefore the combine will simply confirm what the scouts originally thought about that prospect, whether it be good or bad. There are other players who are already a lock to get drafted but could improve their stock by impressing in an area that was once thought to be a weakness. And finally, there are the occasional players who come out of nowhere to put on an impressive enough display to blow the minds of NFL scouts (Chris Johnson), and go from an undrafted status to a first day selection.
There is no way that everyone is going to agree about just how important the NFL Combine is for these potential NFL players. You cannot, however, disagree with the facts:
- All 32 NFL teams are in attendance watching the prospects in an equal setting.
- All team executives (Owner, GM, Coaches) are available for interviews with an opportunity for the players to impress them off the field.
- The physical and mental tests that are conducted (and not all players participate in all drills) include: 40-yard dash, Bench Press, Vertical Jump, Broad Jump, Shuttle, 3 Cone Drill, Specific Positional Drills, Wonderlic Test, Cybex Test, and an Injury Evaluation.
- A positional breakdown from last years draft:
| Position | # in Combine | # Drafted |
| DB | 59 | 55 |
| DL | 53 | 40 |
| LB | 27 | 28 |
| OL | 59 | 41 |
| K/P | 11 | 5 |
| QB | 21 | 11 |
| RB | 31 | 23 |
| TE | 21 | 19 |
| WR | 44 | 34 |
| ST | 2 | 0 |
I know that some of the drills don’t matter for certain positions (For example, who cares what Terrance Cody’s 40-time is?), but the facts don’t lie. If you participate in the NFL combine you have a much better chance of getting drafted. Now I’m going to look at some of the winners and losers from this years NFL combine:
Stock Rising:
Russell Okung (Oklahoma State, OT):
Okung was already thought of as the top offensive lineman in this draft class, but he confirmed any doubts scouts may have had at the combine. He tweaked his groin midway through so he was not able to finish his workouts but that didn’t matter. He bench pressed 225 pounds 38 times, and was very impressive in several pass-protection and change 
of direction drills.
Taylor Mays (USC, S):
Before Taylor Mays lined up to run the 40-yard dash, he looked back at Deion Sanders (one of the fastest football players ever) and said, “I’ve got something for you in the 40.” Mays backed his comments up by running a sizzling 4.24 40-yard dash after checking in at 6’3” and 230 pounds. I know that this was his unofficial time and his official time was a 4.43, but still that is flat out moving and has helped him move back into most first round projections for the NFL Draft come this April. He also recorded an impressive vertical leap of 41”. His 40 time is especially attractive considering he may be making the move to outside linebacker in college. If he could put on 5-10 more pounds and still maintain that speed, he could be a force on the outside. His big question mark among NFL scouts is his ball skills. He seems to always go for the big hit instead of playing the ball. Seems like a good fit at linebacker to me.
Jerry Hughes (TCU, DE):
Hughes is one of those guys that was very productive throughout his collegiate career, but had some concerns when it came to how he would work out. He didn’t come from the most obvious NFL pipeline college in Texas Christian, and maybe didn’t play against the consistent competition of some other top-tier defensive lineman. He put all those concerns to rest by running a 4.7 forty at 6’2” and 257 pounds and impressing in all defensive lineman drills, often standing out at the position.
Everson Griffen (USC, DE):
Griffen measured in at 6’3” and 273 pounds, obviously all muscle because he was able to complete 32 reps on the bench. He was one of the more physically sound prospects in attendance. He even ran a remarkable 4.65 40-yard dash both times in the 40, and looked smooth in the agility drills. Griffen proved to be a workout warrior and definitely improved his draft stock to the top-40 range.
Kareem Jackson (Alabama, CB):
Kareem surprised many by declaring for the draft early shortly after winning the National Championship earlier this year. He must have gotten some good advice because he is shooting up the draft boards. Kareem has been labeled a physical, bump-coverage, corner, that is obviously well-coached coming from Nick Saban’s defensive schemes. The main knock on him has been his speed, which made his 40-time all the more important. He impressed NFL scouts by running a 4.48 in the dash, the second best time among all cornerbacks. He may now see his name called in the first round.
Stock Falling:
Joe Haden (Florida, CB):
This is a bit of a stretch because most still believe Haden to be the first CB taken off the board. He is placed on this list based solely on his abysmal 40 time. He was expected to run in the low 4.4’s, but ended up running a disappointing 4.58. Most believe it was more of a technical error on his start, or a similar issue that caused the poor time, and he is expected to run much better at Florida’s pro-day later in the month.
Joe McKnight (USC, RB):
Joe McKnight has not proven to be durable, and scouts are uncertain whether he is worth the risk. I believe he is thought of as a valuable prospect mainly based on the fact that he was such a high-profile recruit coming out of high school. He was given all the comparisons to Reggie Bush, but injury concerns and fumbling problems hampered his career a bit. I personally don’t think McKnight is worth the risk, but will be interested to see where he ends up.
Desmond Briscoe (Kansas, WR):
Briscoe ran a slow 4.64 forty, which isn’t that huge of a concern considering his strength is not his electrifying speed. The big concern is that he is too much of a “system” receiver, and won’t have success if he is forced to deal with a jam at the line. He is more of a crafty receiver that works well in open spaces. I think Briscoe could be a bust in the NFL.
Carlos Dunlap:
Dunlap is an absolute freak, measuring in at 6’6” and 277 pounds while still being able to record a 40 time of 4.71. The big question about Dunlap is his work ethic, and his actual love of the game. There is no doubt he has top-10 pick potential, but I don’t think anyone would be surprised if he was out of the league in 4 years. He was going through the drills at the combine like he could care less, and I guarantee you NFL scouts took notice. He may drop all the way out of the first round.
-mfb
There is a time in an athlete’s career where they reach a particular pinnacle of popularity. As fans we honor them by dropping their last name. Lets take a look and see who could be the next to receive that awe$ome honor.
It would strike me as odd that every time I looked at the PGA page on any major sports website I found a featured article about Nationwide Tour golfer Luke List. I know, who is that? Sounds like a fratty name though.
It would also strike me as odd if every time I went to the Major League Baseball page, there was an article about the same guy struggling to make it in the minor leagues.
Therefore, I also find it peculiar that every time I see anything about NASCAR I inevitably hear the name, or see an article about the 34th ranked racer in the second tier Nationwide Series. What name is that? You guessed it Danica Patrick.
Now everyone has their own opinion of Danica, and why she is as famous as she is. How popular is she? Her merchandise sales are greater than the four-peat and reigning Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. Her sales rank up there with the biggest names in Nascar like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart. If you think that merchandise sales are not a good measure of popularity, then you have obviously never been to Talladega (or any other NASCAR race for that matter). NASCAR fans would gladly play chicken with the 200 mile per hour race cars if it meant they could get their coveted Dale Jr. thong or wife beater signed. NASCAR fans are like the Beatles groupies of old, except less hot, less mannered, less showered, but way more fun.
The question remains, why is such a second rate driver receiving all this attention. The obvious and most common answer is because she is a woman. Is it fair? Maybe, maybe not, but let’s take a closer look at Danica.
Why does that matter that she is a woman? For Danica, it is the only thing that matters. She is well aware of the exceptionality of what she is doing in an entirely male dominated sport. Importantly, one paradigm that is rarely discussed when talking about NASCAR is the tremendous number and percentage of female fans. I bet you did not know that 42% of NASCAR fans are women. Unlike other male dominated sports, NASCAR attracts female fans. These millions of women are craving for a star of their gender to come along. Can you imagine the merchandise sales she will achieve if she actually breaks the top 30 in the Nationwide. Furthermore, what if she makes it into the Sprint Cup? CTS 
will be in business of selling Danica wife beaters, hats, coffee mugs, bumper stickers, car magnets, antenna whips, head bands, coolers, grill kits, tailgate toilets, shoe laces, shoes, socks, pajamas, wallets, chap stick, sunglasses, cereal, and anything else I can put a Danica picture on.
Does it help that Danica is easy on the eyes? Of course it does. Now, I say easy on the eyes because I am not 100% sold that she is the knockout GoDaddy wishes she was. She surely markets herself in a way that plays up her looks, and there are undoubtedly men who really have a thing for Danica. However, I think there are many people out there who think the jury is still out. It is difficult for some to think that a woman in a racing outfit can be attractive. Much like a woman in a catcher’s equipment or a football pads is a bit off-putting. Ponder this. Take Danica and Maria Sharapova and put Maria in the racing outfit, Danica in the tennis outfit, then ask 100 men who is hotter, and I bet 80% or more would choose Danica. As things are now, Maria as a tennis player and Danica as a driver, how many men do you think prefer Danica over Maria? I bet it is not 80%.
In closing, I would like to take a look into the future. Not just the future of Danica, but the future of women in the sport of NASCAR. The profit margins obviously love having Danica in the sport, and, in our great capitalist nation, profit always leads the way. But we have seen women like this before right? There were women who played football, and basketball right? Not really. Unlike previous women who have competed in male dominated sports, I feel that NASCAR is the first place where we will truly see men and women competing against each other (Poker, intramurals, bowling, and kickball don’t count).
Whether I am right or wrong about my thoughts, there are undoubtedly voluminous and varied opinions on Danica. She is still up and coming and just about received the honor of just going by one name. Danica. Get used to it. Email coverinthespread@gmail.com or comment above with yours.
-REB
Bubble Watch
Mar 4
Wednesday’s Slate of Games Help to Determine Field of 64
While Kansas and Maryland picked up huge wins last night in terms of seeding, many other teams had must-win games that would determine their postseason fate. On Wednesday night many bubble teams were in action with two games left to play before their respective conference tournaments. Here is a list of the teams that helped themselves last night and a few that may have played themselves out of the tournament.
Bubbles Bursting
UConn – In what was thought to be almost an elimination game, UConn came out flat against Notre Dame scoring just 50 points and losing to a Harangody-less Irish club in South Bend. The loss drops the Huskies to 17-13 overall and 7-10 in the Big East. After winning three straight and putting themselves back on the bubble, UConn has now lost back-to-back games after a 78-76 home loss to Louisville Saturday. As bad as UConn’s record is, this is an off year for NCAA at-large teams and a couple more wins may actually get Connecticut into the tournament. An out of conference schedule that includes Duke, Kentucky, and Texas may end up saving the Huskies.
Wake Forest – Just over two weeks ago the Demon Deacons were not worried about dancing in March as much as they were seeding. Wake sat at 18-5 overall and an impressive 8-3 in the ACC. Now, after losing a tough game at FSU last night, Wake Forest has lost four straight including a 9 point loss to UNC at home and is in serious bubble trouble. The Demon Deacons must be impressive in their finale at home vs. Clemson and must win at least two in the ACC tournament to get their conference record up to a bubbly 11-8.
Mississippi State – The Bulldogs blew a major opportunity last night on the Plains vs. Auburn. Mississippi State, who entered the night on Joe Lunardi’s “Last Four In” list, gave up 89 to an Auburn team who sits at 15-15 overall and 6-9 in the pathetic SEC West. With the 89-80 loss, MSU now is in a must-win situation this Saturday vs. the number 13 ranked Tennessee Volunteers. I do not see State winning their closer so MSU will likely be another team needing an automatic bid to be in the big tournament.
UAB – The Blazers are right there with the Bulldogs when it comes to blowing opportunities. UAB could not defeat 
Memphis for the second straight time this season and now is on the outside of the bubble looking in. While the Blazers have a good record of 23-6, they play in a terrible Conference USA whose only other contender for the big dance is UTEP. The Blazers will now have to beat UTEP on the road Saturday and win a couple games in their tourney to have a legitimate shot at dancing. As for Memphis, they have a good record of 22-8, but the Tigers have zero quality wins and losses vs. SMU, Houston, and even UMass should put Memphis in the NIT.
Notre Dame – Without Luke Harangody and in a must-win Big East matchup, Notre Dame was able to stifle UConn and improve their Big East record to a very respectable 9-8. The win vs. UConn was the Irish’s third straight after upsetting Pittsburgh and Georgetown, and the Irish have now risen from the dead. If Notre Dame can finish strong at Marquette and get at least one win in the Big East tourney, the Irish will be dancing.
Florida State – The Seminole’s win last night vs. a good Wake Forest club should now secure the ‘Noles of a bid. The win not only puts the ‘Noles a game ahead of Wake Forest in the ACC but gives the ‘Noles a record of 21-8 with a strong non conference schedule to help their case. As long as the ‘Noles don’t lose to a struggling Miami team in their closer Saturday and avoid being humiliated in the first round of the ACC tourney, they will be among the field of 64.
Virginia Tech – The Hokies would absolutely be on the Bubbles Bursting list if they did not take care of NC State last night in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech was coming off three straight losses including an absolutely heartbreaking 104-100 overtime loss vs. Maryland at home on Friday and could not afford to go to Georgia Tech Saturday in a must-win situation. While the Hokies need to continue to win to stay off the bubble, one or two more wins should secure Tech a place in the tournament.
Rhode Island – Rhode Island got a humongous win last night vs. an underachieving Charlotte club to come a little closer to securing a spot in the tourney. With a convincing 22 point win, the Rams improved to 21-7 overall and 9-6 in the A-10. Also Temple was able to take care of Saint Louis to move Rhode Island within one game of Saint Louis in the conference. It will likely be a fight between Richmond, Rhode Island, and Saint Louis to see who can be the likely third and final invite from the conference. Whichever team has the best conference tournament will likely be the one receiving the bid.
-scf
Freak Stat
Mar 3
CTS is starting a new segment called “Freak Stat”. Whenever we see an outstanding stat that is not receiving much public attention we will post it immediately. If you happen to be listening to the Dan Patrick show or watching Sportscenter and you see a “freak stat” that you feel is not receiving enough love, please feel free to email us immediately at coverinthespread@gmail.com and if you have a good “freak stat” we will post it as soon as possible.
Inaugural Freak Stat
Kevin Durant’s freak stat of scoring 25+ points in 29 straight games came to an end last Wednesday at San Antonio. Against a top ten defense and on the road, Durant was only able to get a measley 21 vs the Spurs to put the streak to an end. Big deal. Last night KD scored 39 points in a 113-107 victory vs Sacramento. His teammate and rising star Russell Westbrook added 30 to help secure the win for the Thunder. This was just the fifth time in NBA history that teammates under the age of 22 both scored 30+ points in the same game. Kevin Durant has been a part of all five.
November 3 (Exhibiton) LeMoyne 82 @ Syracuse 79
This game was a wakeup call for the Orange. The Orange came into the exhibition against the cross-town Dolphins ranked number 25 in the nation with an extremely tough early season schedule ahead of them. After playing man-to-man most of the game instead of the usual stifling Boeheim zone defense, Syracuse allowed LeMoyne to make shots and score points abundantly to keep it close all game. Syracuse took a late lead and went back to the zone to secure the win but they couldn’t do it. LeMoyne scored on 7 of their 12 possessions against the zone to get the win at the end. This game let Syracuse know they had plenty of work ahead of them and a big reason why they sit at #1 right now.
November 20 2K Sports Classic Championship at MSG Syracuse 87 vs UNC 71
This game changed both of these teams’ seasons. Syracuse came into this game ranked number 24 in the land while Carolina was all the way up top at number 4. Syracuse was coming of a (at the time) impressive win against number 12 Cal who they defeated by 22 in the semifinal game giving west coast fans a look at what the Pac-10 would be like this year. Carolina was coming off a very impressive semifinal win against Ohio State and player of the year candidate Evan Turner and had Final Four aspirations. After a game completely dominated by the Orangemen, it was pretty clear 
which team would be playing for Indianapolis come March.
January 10 Kansas 68 @ Tennessee 76
In Tennessee’s first game since head coach Bruce Pearl was forced to suspend four UT players, including star and senior Tyler Smith due to gun and drug charges, the Vols welcomed the undefeated and number 1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks into Knoxville. In a game where Tennessee needed their stars to dominate, the role players were the ones who were able to get the job done for Pearl’s Vols. Wayne Chism and J.P. Prince combined for only 16 points but Renaldo Woolridge, Scotty Hopson, and Bobby Maze combined for 47 to lead the Vols to the win and give their season some serious hope. As for Kansas, this loss humbled the Jayhawks and allowed them to reel off 13 straight games before losing their most recent game against Oklahoma State Saturday night.
January 18 Texas 62 @ Kansas State 71
In the Longhorns first week at number 1 in the polls, they showed that they couldn’t take the pressure and that they were not even that good in the first place, a la UNC. After early season victories against Pittsburgh, UNC, and Michigan State, the Longhorns went a month before facing another top 25 team. In a Big Monday at Kansas State, the Horns (with a little help from UNC) proved that their early season success was a fluke and the road through the Big 12 would be a long one. Texas would lose 5 of their next 8 games and become the first team to fall out of the top 25 after being number 1 since Alabama in 2002. Kansas State has gone on to win 8 of their last 10 including an 81-79 overtime loss versus their number 2 ranked rival Kansas.
February 24 Purdue 59 @ Minnesota 58
The final score and the winner of this game is not the reason this game is significant. Purdue star forward Robbie Hummel went down with a knee injury in the first half and found out a day later that he had torn his ACL and was done for the season. The Boilermakers were in the driver’s seat for a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament before Hummel’s injury and now must be left to face the grueling march through March without him. Hummel and his two teammates, E’Twaun Moore and JaJaun Johnson, were in their third year together and had national title aspirations. Now, without Hummel, Purdue could make a run in March but it likely won’t be to the Final Four. JaJaun Johnson and E’Twaun Moore both announced today that they would be back for their senior year next season with Hummel. Whether or not Hummel will be healthy enough to help the trio reach their goals next season remains to be seen.
-scf
The Lakers had a comfortable lead atop the west heading into Sunday, but were 0-2 against the second place Nuggets – not anymore.
Many people believe the Lakers toughest competition out west is Denver, but it may in fact be themselves. It is always tough to fight complacency when you’re the defending champs, and this is why Kobe admits the Lakers were looking ahead to Denver in their lackadaisical win against Philly earlier this week.
The win against Denver may not have been pretty either, but it sent a message. Kobe only had 14 points, but added 12 assists and 5 rebounds to the stat sheet. And it was no surprise that Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom stepped up their games; both with double-doubles, 15 points 14 rebounds and 20 points 12 rebounds respectively. The versatile big men have been on fire lately, and together, were the main reason the Lakers were able to go 4-1 when Kobe was injured.
The real surprise yesterday has also been the question mark for the Lakers all year, Ron Artest. He was brought in to provide a spark, and to guard the playmakers out west so Kobe didn’t have to. He answered the call big time last night. Carmelo still ended up with 21 points, but was a meager 7-19 from the field and fouled out of the game for only the second time this season. And if you watched the game, it was no secret he was frustrated with the lack of space Artest gave him and the physical style of play Big Ron brought to the table (look out King James).
There is something different about being defending champs. Sure everyone is gunning for you and you have the title to defend, but there is also a swagger that comes with being a champion. The Lakers have that swagger now. It’s not just the Kobe show anymore. They can beat you in so many different ways. They can dominate down low with 3 7-footers, or run the floor with the speed of Kobe and Farmar. They can dominate the boards and shut down the scorers, and they can certainly outcoach you with the best coach in the association.
And how about closing out games? When the clock is ticking down who do you want with the ball in their hands? 10 out of 10 coaches in the NBA would tell you Kobe Bryant. Not only does he have 4 titles, an MVP, and the experience of closing games in the postseason, but number 24 already has 5 game-wining shots this year. Yes barely half way through the season he has 5.
The rest of the West has a sliver of hope. Chauncey and Carmelo have the Nuggets poised for another late run. Dallas has re-loaded and Dirk is playing great. Kevin Durant is the hardest match-up in the league and has some talent around him. Williams and Boozer always give the Jazz a chance, but as Malone and Stockton will tell you – can’t win a title with 2 guys. And when it comes down to it, the defending champs are just too much; even for you LeBron.
-rew
WTF of the Week
Feb 26
The rookie class of 09-10 has proven to be a good one so far. Players such as Stephen Curry, Darren Collison, Tyreke Evans, and Brandon Jennings have all made names for themselves early in their career. The rookie class is so good this year that they were actually able to beat the sophomores in the rookie-sophomore game at All Star weekend for the first time in 8 years. While many rookies are shining in the NBA, some will have to shine elsewhere. As in the D-League. The number 2 overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, Hasheem Thabeet, was just sent from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Dakota Wizards of the NBDL Thursday. Thabeet, who was supposed to be a sure-thing defensively, is averaging less than 3 points and 3 rebounds in only 10 minutes per game.