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Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy headlines the Sophomore team that will play in the NBA All Star Rookie Challenge this year.

Looking At The Big Game

In his second season, Brandon Roy is averaging 19.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists a game. That’s an improvement from his rookie year.

If you compare those numbers to other superstars around the league, it doesn’t particularly stand out. There are other guys contending for all-star spots that are putting up more impressive numbers.

However, the most impressive thing about Brandon Roy this year are the things that aren’t showing up in the box scores. The 6′6″ guard out of the University of Washington has stepped up and taken over the Portland Trail Blazers. He’s provide leadership and a calming influences for his teammates.

Brandon Roy even led his team on an impressive winning 13 game winning streak in December.

While he appreciates being named to the Rookie Game, it’s no secret that Brandon Roy is hoping to be named to the All-Star game itself.

Sophomore Team

Here’s the rest of the 2nd year players that are going to be playing with Brandon Roy in the NBA All Star Rookie Challenge.

• LeMarcus Aldridge - The 6′11″ forward for the Portland Trail Blazers has made the Greg Oden hype even bigger. These two guys could potentially dominant the inside game for years to come. He’s currently leading the team in rebounding and is 2nd in points behind Brandon Roy.
• Rajon Rondo - The 6′1″ guard from the University of Kentucky has been in the spotlight this year. His job is to successfully distribute the ball to 3 of the biggest NBA stars (Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett). He’s done a good job for the Boston Celtics thus far and deserves to be rewarded with this selection.
• Daniel Gibson - The 6′2″ guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers has the luxury of playing with LeBron James.
• Jordan Farmar - The 6′2″ guard for the Los Angeles Lakers is another guy that benefits from playing with a dominating superstar. He’s a year away from replacing veteran Derek Fisher as Kobe Bryant’s backcourt partner.
• Rudy Gay - The 6′8″forward has replaced Pau Gasol as the Memphis Grizzlies franchise player. He’s also made everyone second guess the Houston Rockets’ decision to trade him two years ago.
• Andrea Bargnani - Even though his numbers have gone down a bit, the 7′0″ forward for the Toronto Raptors is still showing enough to make the Sophomore team.
• Ronnie Brewer - The 6′7″ guard for the Utah Jazz has improved tremendously. He’s even earned a spot in Jerry Sloan’s rotation, which is pretty impressive.
• Paul Milsap - The 6′7″ forward has won over the fans in Utah. His relentless style has also earned him a spot in Jerry Sloan’s rotation as well.

Closing Thoughts

With great wing players like Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay, it’s going to be difficult for the Rookie Team to beat these guys. Plus, throw in a very good big man in LeMarcus Aldridge, and it becomes quite a task.

Damon Stoudamire wants what ever veteran in this league wants. Playing time on a championship contender.

When the San Antonio Spurs came calling with that offer, he was quick to jump on it.

Memphis Miscast

Damon Stoudamire was released by the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this week after it was widely accepted that it was a bad fit.

The Memphis Grizzlies are a rebuilding team. He’s a veteran player who didn’t want to spend the final fear years of his career in a losing situation.

While Damon Stoudamire did start in every game that he played this year for the team, he only logged a little more than 20 minutes a game. The team wants to get as much time as possible for young guards like Juan Carlos Navarro, Mike Conley, and Kyle Lowry.

Point of Interest

A lot of teams expressed interest in signing Damon Stoudamire after word spread that he was released.

The Boston Celtics, the Phoenix Suns, and the San Antonio Spurs were among the teams that wanted to sign the veteran from the University of Arizona.

Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge decided to pass on signing Damon Stoudamire because he didn’t want to mess with his team’s chemistry. Phoenix Suns GM Steve Kerr had multiple discussions with Damon Stoudamire, but the offer just wasn’t good enough for the 5′10″ guard.

There were even rumors floating around about Damon Stoudamire returning to the franchise that drafted him, the Toronto Raptors.

The Spurs Savior

Well, he’s not quite a savior at this point in his career. Nor do the San Antonio Spurs need one.

They basically need a veteran guard to fill in while Tony Parker recovers from his ankle injury.

Even at 34 years of age, Damon Stoudamire still has some speed to him. He likes running the floor. The veteran isn’t as quick as Tony Parker, but he can keep the offense running at close to the same pace.

Closing Thoughts

“Minor” moves like these have the potential to cause a big impact once the playoffs begin.

The big rumor in the NBA right now has guard Jason Kidd being traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

It’s not going to happen.

Rumored Deal

The heavily rumored deal right now has the New Jersey Nets sending Jason Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks. In return, they would get guard Jason Terry, forward Devean George, and center DeSagana Diop.

If this trade were to go down, Jason Kidd would be guaranteed a starting spot in the backcourt for the Dallas Mavericks.

The New Jersey Nets would pick up two starters in Jason Terry and DeSagana Diop. Veteran Devean George would provide some depth and leadership off the bench.

We Want the Kid

The reason why this trade won’t happen is that both teams want guard Devin Harris.

Devin Harris is one of the fastest young guards in the league. He’s also a guard that focuses on defense. Many around the league believe that he’s not too far off from being one of the top defensive guards in the league. There’s plenty of reasons why team owner Mark Cuban refuses to include him in any trade talks.

The New Jersey Nets reported asked for Devin Harris in the trade. The Dallas Mavericks countered with Jason Terry instead.

JETtison

Nothing against Jason Terry. He’s a superb scoring guard and a hard working player. However, he’s just not what the New Jersey Nets are looking for.

In the summer of 2006, Jason Terry signed a new 6 year contract worth close to $60 million. Right now, he’s 30 years old. That doesn’t necessarily make him an attractive trading piece.

Also, the New Jersey Nets already have two players to be the primary scorer. Guard Vince Carter and forward Richard Jefferson need a starting point guard that prefers to pass than shoot. That’s not Jason Terry’s specialty. He’s better off when he’s allowed to find scoring opportunities for himself.

Looking Elsewhere

Reports claim that Jason Kidd has asked the New Jersey Nets to trade him. The team doesn’t have to rush. There’s no reason to. Management will simply sit back and listen to all of the offers that come to them.

Sources state that the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers have already expressed interest. Several other teams are interested as well, and chances are, they’ll at least call the New Jersey Nets to see if a trade can happen.

Closing Thoughts

While it would be nice to see Jason Kidd finishing his career in the city where he started, it’s not going to happen.

The Mets have won the race on obtaining two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana, beating out both the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox without having to give their best players. Pending a physical and contract issues, the Mets will have obtained Santana for four players: OF Carlos Gomez,RHP Phil Humber, RHP Deolis Guerra, and RHP Kevin Mulvey. The Mets definitely stole Santana here without having to give up Fernando Martinez or other top prospects. The deal definitely is lopsided and favors the Mets unless one of these players just breaks out.

For the Minnesota Twins, GM Bill Smith took a gamble by dangling Santana out too often and throwing away the fish he caught he hopes of a bigger haul. Premium prospects including Jacoby Ellsbury, Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera, Justin Masterson, and John Lester all were mentioned somewhere and were better deals if taken. Instead the Twins end up with Guerra and Gomez who have potential in being decent players if they meet their projections.

For the Mets, they add Johan Santana in the pitching rotation which includes Pedro Martinez for a tough one-two punch which will create more favorable pitching matchups for John Maine, Olver Perez, and Orlando Hernandez and allow the bullpen to relax more and be utilized more effectively. If the Mets would have kept Tom Glavine, they would be solid from 1 to 4 but they still have a pitching staff that should rival other great rotations.

I personally thought that either the Yankees, Red Sox, or some other team willing to give away top prospects would land Santana but not the Mets and never by giving away these four players with at least one premium prospect that could return high dividends later on. This gives the Mets one of the best pitching rotations along with the Diamondbacks and makes them competitive with AL teams like the Red Sox, Tigers, and Indians that have strong pitchers. Sorry Twins, the players your team received are considered decent players who have the possibility to exceed expectations but most likely not.

Dave Campo could be returning to the Dallas Cowboys soon.

The Dallas Cowboys have received permission from the Jacksonville Jaguars to interview the team’s former head coach for an assistant spot.

Back Where It All Started

In 1989, Dave Campo was hired by the Dallas Cowboys to be their defensive backs coach. He had followed Jimmy Johnson up from the University of Miami.

Dave Campo was promoted from defensive backs coach to defensive coordinator after Butch Davis left the Dallas Cowboys to become the head coach at the University of Miami.

He filled that role for 5 years before being promoted to head coach after Chan Gailey left the team.

In his 2 years as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, he was widely praised for his leadership skills. However, he was also widely criticized for his decision making as a head coach. Dave Campo was fired by the Dallas Cowboys as owner Jerry Jones made the decision to pursue coaching legend Bill Parcells.

Vacancy

The Dallas Cowboys have a vacant spot on the coaching staff with the departure of several assistant coaches, many of whom left to join the Miami Dolphins a few days ago.

Best to Move On

Right now, Dave Campo is the assistant head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. If he were to join the Dallas Cowboys, it would be as the defensive backs coach.

In case you didn’t know, that is a demotion. That means that the Jacksonville Jaguars could deny Dave Campo permission to leave if they wanted to.

However, that doesn’t appear to be what head coach Jack Del Rio (a former linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys, by the way) wants.

Jack Del Rio recently hired Donnie Henderson (former defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions and New York Jets). He hasn’t been given a title just yet, but his specialty is with defensive backs. It appears as if Jack Del Rio hired a replacement for Dave Campo before he actually left.

Owners’ Choice

Jerry Jones has stated that he would allow head coach Wade Phillips to choose assistant coaches to fill the void on his staff. However, the potential hiring of Dave Campo appears to be a move that Jerry Jones is choosing.

Wade Phillips has been looking for a defensive backs coach who has experience with the 3-4 defense. Dave Campo does not fit that bill since he’s been coaching under the 4-3 defense.

Last week, Wade Phillips hired Todd Grantham to coach the defensive line. Todd Grantham had previous served as the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, and he does have experience with the 3-4 defense.

Jerry Jones also sought permission from the Atlanta Falcons to interview Emmitt Thomas. He was denied, and the Atlanta Falcons promoted Emmitt Thomas to assistant head coach (he had previously served as interim head coach when Bobby Petrino ran away).

Closing Thoughts

Dave Campo is an experienced coach is pretty good when he’s just allowed to teach defensive players. Good move for the Dallas Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys have let down in the playoffs again by losing to the New York Giants in the Divisional playoff game. This proves once again that you can have the franchise best winning season but if your not prepared for the playoffs your going to lose. There was some high expectations for the number seed in the NFC and they were not anywhere near their goals and as a Cowboys fan it makes me wish we were still in the Jimmy Johnson era. There were a lot of reasons for the lost and what I want to focus on is Romo and the weak offensive showing.

All the drama of the Cowboys team towards the end was not drawn to Terrell Owens but rather to Tony Romo who has been horrible in the last few games with more interceptions than touchdowns. I am not going to blame Jessica Simpson, his cockiness, or his trip to Mexico to prepare for a playoff game. He is a good quarterback who has won some key games but what people rate you on is clutch time and he did not show up today. Against a wounded Giants secondary, who were definitely going to bring a pass rush, Romo did nothing to lead the team. He seemed to have no rhythm, seemed to rush plays, and just was indecisive. He missed some easy passes that would have gained major yards and missed some key passes that would have lead to touchdowns. If I were Owens, I would be pissed off as well.

Romo also had some key sacks towards the end of the game when the Cowboys were driving. These sacks were horrible to watch and had me yelling at the screen for him to throw the ball away. I know he is good at escaping from the sack but come on, when there are four guys coming at you just throw it away. What is even worse is that on a key drive with good field position, Romo decides to throw it away. Yes I said he should have thrown it away the previous play but here he got flagged for intentional grounding because he as in the pocket and no Giant player was even close to hitting him. I watched the game and the closest Giant player was like 8 yards away yet his dumb-ass throws the ball away. It is so frustrating when your quarterback does these crazy things. If Romo wants to be an elite quarterback on the league then he better improve his game by not making crappy decisions and hitting open receivers.

There were some other keys to the loss including penalties and the Giant pass rush but I place all the focus on Romo who should be the leader and if he gets knocked down 10 times he should get up all 10 and say bring it on. The comparisons to Brett Favre are not there during clutch time. As a Cowboys fan I hope Romo improves for next year, or doesn’t date during the playoffs, and Jason Garrett can get more experience in playoff games.

The Baltimore Ravens could be bringing back a familiar face to fill their vacant head coaching spot.

Experience

The Baltimore Ravens would prefer a new head coach with experience.

Bill Cowher would be great. A lot of teams have expressed interest in the former head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he has constantly insisted that he’s not ready to get back into coaching just yet.

Pete Carroll is another coach that the team could be interested in. However, his yearly flirtation with the NFL has always led to him staying in the college ranks.

Right now, Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome has stated that his team is not at the point where they’re willing to trade draft picks in exchange for a head coach with experience.

Familiar Face

Marvin Lewis isn’t your typical head coaching candidate, though.

From 1996 to 2001, Marvin Lewis was the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. He was the architect of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens defense, which is still considered one of the best defenses of all time. Fans in Baltimore still think fondly of Marvin Lewis.

That success led to Marvin Lewis becoming one of the most coveted assistants in the league. The Cincinnati Bengals received nearly unanimous praise from around the league for hiring Marvin Lewis to resurrect their franchise.

Five years later, though, and Marvin Lewis finds himself with a bit of heat on him. He’s in the hot seat despite having 4 winning season and only 1 losing season. Expectations were raised this past season, and a 7-9 record wasn’t nearly good enough for the team.

It’s no secret that Marvin Lewis would love to have the head coaching job in Baltimore. There, he would be able to mold a defense that has two of the best players in the NFL in linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed. There’s very few coaches in the league who don’t find that to be appealing.

Plus, Marvin Lewis would be able to command respect from the players faster than other coaches. His familiarity with the organization makes him that much more appealing of a candidate.

However, the problem for the Baltimore Ravens is that Marvin Lewis has 3 years left on his contract. The Cincinnati Bengals aren’t going to allow him to leave without compensation.

Closing Thoughts

There’s a lot of good candidates out there, but Marvin Lewis seems to be the best fit for the Baltimore Ravens.

The Baltimore Ravens are conducting their first head coaching search in nearly a decade.

Here’s a list of the guys that they have their sights on.

The first group has already interviewed with the team.

• Jim Caldwell - He’s the assistant head coach for the Indianapolis Colts. He’s highly endorsed by Tony Dungy as a potential head coach. That’s a great reference to have on your resume. Jim Caldwell interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens on January 4, 2008.
• Jason Garrett - He’s the hot young assistant coach right now. There’s even talks about Wade Phillips being fired just so the Dallas Cowboys can retain him. Jason Garrett interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens on January 5, 2008.
• Tony Sparano - He’s the other Dallas Cowboys assistant coach that’s been linked to every opening in the NFL. He interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens on January 5, 2008, but the general consensus is that he’ll end up with Bill Parcells in Miami.
• Brian Schottenheimer - New York Jets offensive coordinator interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens on January 7, 2008. He’s got a great offensive mind. The team would probably prefer hiring his father more.
• Rex Ryan - He was the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens up until a few weeks ago. His familiarity with the team does give him an advantage. He interviewed for the head coaching job on January 8, 2008. A lot of people seem to think that he’ll end up being a defensive coordinator for at least another season.
• John Harbaugh - The defensive backs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. The guy learned from Ray Rhodes and Jim Johnson, two of the best defensive minds in the last 25 years. He interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens on January 8, 2008, and is considered a dark horse candidate.

Here’s a list of coaches that the Baltimore Ravens are interested in but have not interviewed yet.

• Jim Schwartz - The current defensive coordinator was the runner up for the San Francisco 49ers vacant head coaching spot in 2005 (Mike Nolan got the job).
• Marty Schottenheimer - The former head coach for the San Diego Chargers would love to get back into the league. Of course, he knows how much credentials he already has, so he has opted out of being involved in the first round of the interviewing process.
• Bill Cowher - He keeps telling people that he does not want to return to coaching just yet, but no one listens. That’s how much everyone wants him.
• Sylvester Croom - The head coach for Mississippi State is a dark horse candidate for the job. The guess here is that he’ll stick around the college ranks for a few years.
• Mike Singletary - There’s rumors that the Baltimore Ravens are heavily interested in the legendary linebacker for the Chicago Bulls. However, they have yet to reach out to the San Francisco 49ers (Mike Singletary is the assistant head coach) to request an interview. Mike Singletary was the linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens when Mike Nolan was the defensive coordinator.

My friend is a big San Francisco 49ers fan, one of those die hards that sticks with them during the championship seasons and the rebuilding ones like now. I, myself, hate the 49ers because I’m a Cowboys fan and when I heard the team was looking for an offensive coordinator I had to check the list of names.

First I saw Chan Gailey and thought about the old Dallas coaching days where he inherited a good team but could not win a playoff game. Then I saw his stint as offensive coach at Miami which was not productive and his return to the college ranks with Georgia Tech where he was recently dismissed after making it to the ACC championship game. He is not really an exciting, big offense minded guy so I was like yeah, a perfect fit for those 49ers.

Next I saw recently released Ravens coach Brian Billick who did great with a conservative, grinding offensive mindset. Billick could not repeat his offensive genius that he had in Minnesota and has been relying on a dominating defense and an offense that just limits mistakes to win games. I thought to myself here is another great fit for the 49ers.

Cam Cameron was also on the list of possible candidates for the 49ers offensive coordinator. He did a great job in San Diego with the weapons he had but could not repeat with the mediocre Dolphins and eventually released in the Bill Parcells move. He has the potential to be Offensive Assistant of the Year again but most like will take the Offensive Coordinator position for the St.Louis Rams.

The last name I saw on the list really scared me as he has great credentials already. Mike Martz did manage the Greatest Show on Turf and has the ability to bring out an offense. I think his failure in Detroit was more on the offensive line and Jon Kitna who I think sucks. Martz could be a problem if Shaun Hill continues his great play and takes over the starting QB position which would open up the field for Frank Gore whose receiving yards have been increasing. However I am not scared yet because the 49ers do not have any outstanding wide receiver.

Sorry 49er fans, it will be a few more years till you guys challenge for the NFC title. However I do like Shaun Hill with his mobility and throwing ability over Alex Smith. I like Manny Lawson, that tackling monster Patrick Willis, and good corner Nate Clements who make the defense much better.

Mike Singletary is regarded as one of the best middle linebackers who was not only known for his hard hitting but for his study of the game and opposing offenses. With many coaching positions open and maybe others in the future, his name has been mentioned as a possible candidate but the question remains, is Mike Singetary ready for the coaching job? Well lets look at some facts to see.

First he is a respected player and coach who would not need much to get the attention of his players. Singletary served as assistant coach to the Baltimore Ravens and assistant head coach/ linebackers coach for the San Francisco 49ers which gives him great credibility as everyone knows what the Ravens’ defense can do and the fact that linebacker Patrick Willis is a phenomenal beast. I’m sure Singletary coached Willis a little and his talent just took over. This gives Singletary 4 years of coaching experience but none as a coordinator which is usually the next step towards a head coaching position.

Can Singletary run both offense and defense? The answer is definitely yes. Look at Bill Cowher and Buddy Ryan, who mentored Singletary,  and it is easy to see that the discipline and heart that Singletary brings to the game can definitely work. However the lack of coaching experience is what really hurts and most likely Singletary will need a few more years as a defensive coordinator to land a head coaching position although I would love to see him as one now.