Carmelo to the Lakers?Recent ESPN reports have indicated that the Lakers are in the early stages of negotiations with the Nuggets to acquire forward Carmelo Anthony. Sources say that the Lakers would trade center Andrew Bynum in order to make the deal, and that it is possible other players will be included. As a Lakers fan, I’m intrigued by the thought of adding ‘Melo. Considering the Lakers recent sub-championship play, and the fact that someone seems to have stole Pau Gasol’s legs and replaced them with a 60-year-old man’s legs, a shot of ‘Melo may be just what we need. (p.s. Michael Figlio, I hate it for your Knicks.)
Jimmer-mania
Anyone follow BYU basketball? No? But you’ve heard of The Jimmer Right? YES!! Jimmer Fredette, the senior guard from BYU, leads the Nation in scoring at 27.6 ppg and can often be seen raining down 3-pointers from behind the NBA 3-point line (don’t believe me? Just go to YouTube and type in “Jimmer”). Recently, a student at BYU decided to write a letter to the editor of BYU’s school paper, in which she stated that she couldn’t stand all the “Jimmer worship.” She then posted this same sentiment on her Facebook. Within nine hours, the student had more than 300 comments on her status, most of which were hilarious, good-natured chidings full of Jimmer-support. To see the enormous thread yourself, visit dreamcatchermedia.com/jimmered. By the way, can Tech get some Tacarra-mania?
Rooney Rule
Recently, I was asked what I thought about the Rooney Rule, a rule that requires NFL teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operations vacancies before they hire someone for those positions. I don’t like it. The nature of the rule is of good intent; minorities should be given an opportunity to prove themselves in a sport run predominantly by whites. But the Rooney Rule doesn’t level the playing field; it tilts it in the favor of the minorities. This slighting makes most of the interviews nothing more than a formality. Owners and team presidents who make the decisions usually have their guy picked out ahead of time and know they have to interview a minority in order to escape NFL-levied penalties. So they call in a qualified minority candidate and waste both sides’ time. This is not effective. Instead, how about we interview who we want to interview and allow candidates to prove themselves. I believe the Rooney Rule is just another excuse for NFL owners to look at minority coaches about halfway as seriously as white coaches.
Thumbs up of the week
This week’s Thumbs up goes to the Green Bay Packers. Last Sunday, Green Bay won Super Bowl XLV. Guided by their elite, young quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and a stingy defense led by Clay Matthews, The Pack jumped out to a 21-3 lead and held on to win 31-25. I personally wanted Green Bay to win. It’s not often I’ll root for a NFC team, but if the Steelers or Colts are on the AFC sideline, it’ll be a sure thing.
Thumbs down of the week
This one is a tie between the epitome-of-NBA-futility Cleveland Cavaliers and the king of “always-beleaguered-in-his-own-mind” syndrome, Alex Rodriguez. If you missed the Super Bowl, then you probably missed the funniest moment not occurring in a Doritos Commercial. Midway through the first quarter, a FOX camera cut to A-Rod being fed popcorn by his current girlfriend Cameron Diaz. The shot caught Rodriguez looking slightly awkward (is this different from usual?), and according to reports, he was furious when he saw the footage, suggesting that the cameraman involved tried to catch him in a paparazzi-type shot. Come on, A-Rod, lighten up. It’s not a big deal. Plus, If Cameron Diaz was feeding me popcorn, I wouldn’t be upset if 111 million people saw me, and that’s just in the United States.
As for the Cavaliers, all they did was lose a NBA-record 25 straight games, as of Monday night. Since LeBron left, the story has just became sadder and sadder, including the Cavs being hit with injuries and last-minute losses. Some suggest that the Cavs may be cursed after Owner Dan Gilbert bad-mouthed LeBron during the MVP’s exit from town. The man I feel sorry for the most? Cleveland Coach Byron Scott. Scott came in thinking he might get to coach arguably the best player in the league; instead, he may get fired because he’s coaching a team with the talent level of the Duke Blue Devils.
Stat of the week
8.8. As in the number of rebounds 5-7 guard Tacarra Hayes averages in Ohio Valley Conference games this year. This number is fourth in the league. When you think of a guard that plays around the perimeter and still is able to get that many rebounds, it’s really an amazing stat. In a recent game against Eastern Kentucky, Hayes grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds, including some impressive offensive boards where she snaked in-between taller players and then out hustled them for the ball. Hayes also averages 16.9 points, sixth in the OVC. Can I hear some OVC Player of the Year consideration?
On tap for next week’s “Roundup”: Greatest Rivalries in Sports.
Have anything to add, subtract, or debate? E-mail us at Oracle@tntech.edu.
