Transfers????

One of the big rumors/wonders/much-to-do-about-nothings is wondering what Michigan's roster will look like in 2007/8 on the court now that Amaker has left town. The biggest names being thrown about are current freshmen DeShawn Sims and Ekpe Udoh along with signed recruits Manny Harris, Alex Legion, and Kelvin Grady.

Sims and Udoh? According to the Ann Arbor News..."Ekpe Udoh isn't going anywhere. And neither is DeShawn Sims. Three days after Michigan fired basketball coach Tommy Amaker, Udoh told The News he has no plans to transfer and neither do any of his teammates." My current level of concern for either is quite low, expect both to be around next year.

Alex Legion? According to the Detroit News....“I’m still committed to Michigan, as long as I have players around me like (incoming recruit) Corperryale Harris and (current player) DeShawn Sims,” Legion said. He is certainly talking the talk right now, but he has to be the most likely to head elsewhere since he already decommitted from Michigan once and took a big look nationally when he was being recruited. In the end, it probably depends on who Michigan hires. I'd still say better than 50/50 he is a Wolverine.

Manny Harris? According to the Detroit News...""As of right now my heart is with Michigan," Harris said. "I will wait and see who they will hire. We've got to see what coach comes in." This is a kid that chose Michigan in no small part because it is so close to home. I'd be very surprised if he went elsewhere.

Kelvin Grady? Apparently still weighing his options including playing football at Michigan. His brother is UM tailback Kevin Grady. There are still strong family ties to Michigan and I think in the end he will end up at Michigan playing basketball.


I'd imagine the most likely scenario is that everybody shows up who was expected to be on the team next year. Next most likely is that one of the three recruits heads elsewhere with Legion being the most likely to move on. It certainly appears that the roster will be pretty stable, however, which is a relief to a program looking to avoid taking a big step back.

Coaching Candidate of the Day

John Beilein

• Who is he? The current coach of West Virginia who sports a career record of 548-318. He has taken LeMoyne, Canisius, Richmond, and West Virginia to the NCAA tournament. He is in the NIT this year with a young Mountaineer squad, but before that reached the Elite 8 in 2005 and Sweet 16 in 2006. He has posted a winning record in 26 of his 29 years as a head coach.
• What style does he run? Beilein favors a spread offense that stretches the defense out and makes them defend the entire court. His Mountaineer squad plays at a slow pace (63.3 possessions per game which is only slightly faster than Michigan this year at 62.7). They are very efficient on offense, however, scoring 1.131 points per possession to ranked 15th best in the nation. They allow 97.6 points per possession on defense which is 71st in the nation. This is the 3rd year in a row that WVU has ranked very highly in offensive efficiency and not nearly so high in defensive efficiency. And in a major departure from Amaker ball at Michigan, they rarely turn the ball over, only on 16.9% of possessions this season which is the 9th lowest rate in the nation. If putting the ball in the hoop efficiently is your passion, Beilein is your man. If you believe in tough nosed defense, maybe not so much.
• Why would he come to Michigan? Well, WVU is still small time when it comes to basketball. It's a lot easier to recruit high end talent to Ann Arbor than it is to Morgantown. Michigan also might actually pony up some $$$ and exceed his $700,000 or so annual salary for the Mountaineers.
• Why would Michigan want him? He's a likeable guy that has won everywhere he has been. Turning WVU into a respectable basketball program is a tougher job than he'll face in Ann Arbor.
  

The End of an Era

So long Tommy, we hardly knew ya. Wait, maybe we knew you too well. You are a great guy. Nice, respectful, clean cut, always saying and doing the right things. You took a Michigan basketball program that was on the verge of disaster and righted the ship. You got them through the darkest days in Michigan athletic history. But in the end, you couldn't win enough games.

Was it the lack of recruiting? The sloppy offense? Was it the players? Does it matter? The official tale of the tape: 6 years, 109-83, 43-53 in conference play, 3 NIT appearances, 2 NIT finals, 1 NIT championship, and one big gaping hole in terms of NCAA tournament appearances.

The big question is, what's next?

Michael Rosenberg wonders, "Here is a crazy idea: Why doesn't Michigan close the truck stop and start a major basketball program?"

Gary Parrish notes that there could be major interest in the job: "Now you know why people weren't jumping all over the Minnesota job. It’s because few wanted to get too involved with that gig until they were certain Michigan wouldn't open considering everybody assumed Michigan would open eventually.

On Saturday, eventually arrived. And if Michigan is willing to throw around big money and invest in facilities then it will lure a high-profile coach from somewhere and again become a basketball power now that the uninspired Tommy Amaker era is complete. "

Even the New York Times chimes in: "Publicly, Big Ten coaches will say that the firing of Amaker is unfortunate, but privately they are concerned about the reawakening of a power that won a national championship in 1989 and made the title game in 1992 and 1993 behind the famed Fab Five."

What does the future hold for Michigan basketball? I have no idea. Lots of names are getting tossed around right now, some of which are pipe dreams and some of which are possibilities. Tubby Smith, John Beilein, Mike Montgomery, Lon Kruger, Steve Lavin, Chris Lowery, Tony Bennett, Gregg Marshall, Karl Hobbs, etc.

I would think Chris Lowery would be my top choice aside from Tubby Smith if he resigns from Kentucky. Then names like Beilein or Hobbs or Marshall. All I know is that Michigan has to get this one right. They need to right the ship and reawaken a sleeping giant of a basketball program.

John Brady...the Devil Dancing in the Pale Moonlight

First, let me explain the name. JohnBrady'sFatCheeks is a moniker esteeming Louisiana's resident #1 gentleman, John Brady (top right), men's basketball coach at LSU. Brady has a set of delightfully rotund jowls, giving many fans of rival SEC teams some rather lewd verbal ammunition, if you're picking up what we're laying down. Now, I'm not the type to go there - especially for a human role model such as John Brady. I think Brady's jowls are quite cute, in fact - and apparently so did former stripper-turned-workout-tycoon Misty Champagne, Brady's wife (top left). Brady's cheeks are so cute, that he even recently turned down a cheek-modeling contract from Revlon.

Brady's facial expression (top right) is par for the course. In this case he's most likely inviting an official to a benefit dinner at Brady's house for cancer research. Again, this guy's a humanitarian. The world is a better place because he is here. Hurricane Katrina blazed over the Gulf as a category-5 monster, but Brady intervened just before its New Orleans impact to reduce it to a category-4. Humanitarian....of Biblical proportions.

You should model your life after John Brady. No, really, you should.

Kobe Bryant Suspended for Intentional Elbow to Face

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has been suspended by the NBA office for a flailing elbow on his follow through that caught Minnesota Timberwolves guard Marko Jaric in the nose. Check out the video here. It is the second time Bryant has been suspended for hitting a player in the face this year. Earlier this year he was suspended for doing the same thing to Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs.

Last season Bryant was suspended for two games for clotheslining Mike Miller of the Memphis Grizzlies. At least he didn't grab Jaric by the neck and bend him over a hotel chair. Be sure to check out Kobe and the 666 Connection.

David Beckham Injures Knee in Match

The $250 million dollar man David Beckham injured his right knee during a match with Getafe. Beckham was playing for Spain's Madrid team.

Beckham appeared to sustain the problem midway through the second half of the Primera Liga match, after mishitting a cross and then running into the advertising hoardings behind the goal.He stayed on the pitch for a while seemingly in a bid to run the injury off but, with no apparent improvement, he was substituted with Antonio Cassano taking his place.

This is a major blow to both Madrid and Beckham. The team is facing two tough away matches next week. Beckham had recently signed a $250 million dollar contract to play for MLS's Los Angeles Galaxy. Healthy portions of the contract revolve around endorsements and a percentage of merchandise sales.

The injury to the knee looks to be very serious. The best scenario has him able to play in six weeks and the worst being a torn ACL which would put him out of action for about a year.

Pacman Jones Criminal Rap Sheet

Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones is the poster child for everything that is wrong with the NFL. NFL teams continue to draft thugs and convicts without regarding for their moral character or criminal record. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is considering a proposal where NFL players will be kicked out of the league after three strikes.

Here is a rap sheet look at all of Pacman’s brushes with the law since joining the NFL’s Tennessee Titans:

July 13, 2005- Arrested and charged with assault and felony vandalism after a nightclub altercation. This began Pacman Jones NFL rap sheet. He already had a lengthy one from high school and college.

September 5, 2005- Adam was invited to attend the Nashville Sports Council Kickoff Luncheon. Jones went off on a verbal tirade while being told to wait for his car after the event. He then refused to tip the valet service.

October 2005- State of West Virginia filed a petition stating that Jones had not been contacting his probation officer and that he had not reported his July 2005 arrest. The judge extended the probation for just 90 days.

March 23, 2006- Charged with marijuana possession in Fayetteville, Georgia. He went on to claim that he knew how to beat the NFL’s drug test.

August 25, 2006- Arrested for disorderly conduct and public intoxication after being ordered by the cops to leave a Murfreesboro night club several times. Jones claimed a woman stole his wallet. The woman claimed that Jones spat on her. The judge in the case gave Pacman six months probation and told him to stay away from the club.

October 26, 2006- Jones was issued a citation for misdemeanor assault after a female student from Tennessee State University claimed that Jones spit in her face at a Nashville night club.

Feburary 19, 2007- The facts are disputed and no charges have been made yet, but Jones was in the middle of a fight and shooting at a strip club in Las Vegas that left one man paralyzed and two more wounded. The fight broke out after Jones showered strippers on stage with $81,000 dollars. The club owner claims Jones was beating a strippers head against the bar while claiming to kill one of the club’s employees.

The above time line doesn’t include his sentence of one year in prison for a bar fight in Morgantown, West Virginia while in college. The sentence was later suspended in exchange for two years of probation (because he is a really good football player).

Here is a look at the options the Tennessee Titans have if they decide to cut Pacman Jones. He doesn’t only need to be cut, but Jones needs to serve some time. He has been given preferential treatment his entire life because he is good at playing football.