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Ex-Hawaii football coach June Jones has agreed to a five year deal worth about 2 million per year to coach the Southern Methodist University Mustangs of Conference USA. It wasn’t news that Jones was going to leave and on such a high note as a BCS appearance. There is no denying Jones did a great job at Hawaii after taking over a team that went 0-12 and turning that around to several winning seasons and a BCS appearance. June Jones brought that crazy pass game that seems to work in college football against teams with less speed and athletic talent and Hawaii excelled at it with lots of big yard passers and record breakers along the way.

What he brings to SMU is the same passing attack but the team already has that with sophomore quarterback Justin Willis already throwing for over 2,900 yards and 25 touchdowns. The June Jones’ passing attack will still work here as he already has a pass happy offense and is in Conference USA where the whole league is really offense minded with the exception of maybe Southern Miss. The only question is, can Jones’ offense outscore other high scoring teams in the league like Tulsa, Houston, East Carolina, Central Florida, and Memphis. Jones should definitely improve on the teams record but that is not hard as the team went 0-8 in conference play and 1-11 overall.

The hard part will be tweaking the offense to be more productive and getting a decent defense that can stop big plays and third down conversions and that will all depend on recruiting. Jones did a great job of getting some decent players from Hawaii and the closest states to him. With Texas being a football goldmine for coaches, Jones should be able to recruit some talented players. SMU definitely hired the right coach but should limit it’s expectations as Conference USA is not a two team league like the WAC where only Hawaii and Boise State are very competitive. A BCS bowl berth is most likely not in the cards but seasons of winning records and Bowl appearances could definitely be seen.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips won 13 games this year. In most cases, that’s enough to provide you with some job security.

However, the rules are a bit different when your boss is Jerry Jones.

Wade’s A Winner

In his first year as head coach, Wade Phillips was able to improve the Dallas Cowboys’ record from 9-7 to 13-3. That’s even more impressive when you consider that the roster hasn’t been changed that much.

Wade Phillips also won over the team. After four years under Bill Parcells and his aggressive coaching methods, the players welcomed Wade Phillips and his laid back approach wit open arms. Wade Phillips didn’t have his players constantly on the edge. He basically eased their minds and allowed them to discipline themselves.

The winning ways also enabled Wade Phillips to win over the Dallas Cowboys fanbase. A lot of the fans complained when Jerry Jones decided to hire Wade Phillips as opposed to Norv Turner. Granted, a lot of those fans now swear that they never said that and that they approved of Wade Phillips’ hiring from the start.

Temporary

There was a widespread belief that Wade Phillips was chosen over Norv Turner so that it would make it easier for Jerry Jones to fire his head coach after a year or so.

Since Norv Turner had a previous relationship with the Dallas Cowboys fans, it would have been more of a public relations disaster for Jerry Jones to fire him after a year or so. Wade Phillips didn’t have a relationship with the fans (prior to his current success), so it might have been easier to part ways with him. When Jason Garrett was hired, the Dallas Cowboys basically stamped “Head Coach in Training” on his forehead. In fact, it was one of those rare situations where an assistant coach was hired by the owner before he hired a head coach. Jason Garrett was considered for the head coaching job, but Jerry Jones wanted him to have a year or two of training before taking over.

Everyone knew he was going to succeed Wade Phillips as the head coach. They just didn’t thin it would be happening this soon.

Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems

Money and success go hand in hand in that the more you have of them, the more problems are likely to spring up.

Now that the Dallas Cowboys had a great season, every team in the league wants a piece of them. Not just on the football field either, but also in the transaction section.

As with prior success, you can expect to see several Dallas Cowboys free agents get overpaid by other teams. Front office personnel are likely to get jobs elsewhere (Jeff Ireland has already jumped to the Miami Dolphins). Assistant coaches get interviewed for promotions with other teams (Tony Sparano is expected to become the Miami Dolphins’ next head coach).

Well, all eyes are on Jason Garrett right now.

His name has already been linked to the head coaching spots in Atlanta, Miami, and Baltimore. When other jobs become available, his name will probably be linked to those as well.

Promotion

The only way for Jerry Jones to keep Jason Garrett on his staff is to promote him to the head coaching spot.

Jason Garrett is allowed to leave the Dallas Cowboys for a position that is considered a promotion over his current position. With him being an offensive coordinator right now, a promotion would mean that he becomes a head coach.

Wade Phillips is a known commodity. Jerry Jones can’t take too much credit for his success. Jason Garrett, on the other hand, is an up and coming coach. Jerry Jones would love to be able to say that he found the next great coach.

Closing Thoughts

With everything in mind, it wouldn’t surprise us the least bit if Wade Phillips is looking for a new job next year.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been looking for a new player to run the offense, and trade rumors suggest that Sacramento Kings guard Mike Bibby is the man for the job.

Backcourt Upgrade

Even though the team made it all the way to the NBA Finals last year, they really do need an upgrade in the backcourt.

Guard Daniel Gibson has done a solid job this year when he was a starter. He averaged 12. 5 points and 3 assists a game. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers need more than solid. They need spectacular.

Spectacular was what guard Larry Hughes was supposed to bring. He’s a talented player, but he’s just not the right fit for LeBron James. He’s more of a slasher than a shooter, which is what the Cleveland Cavaliers need.

Mike Bibby just happens to be a spectacular guard who can shoot.

Time For A Change Mike Bibby has missed the 2007 season thus far because of a thumb injury. In the last few years, he’s shown a bit of a decline. That could simply be because of the team’s overall state and Mike Bibby’s motivation level. Trading Mike Bibby away now would allow the team to rebuild, and it could possibly give Mike Bibby a big boost in motivation. Sometimes, a change of scenery is all that a player needs to get his career back on the upswing. Mike Bibby won’t be the only player that will be shopped. Forward Ron Artest, forward, Kenny Thomas, forward Shareef Abdur Rahim, and center Brad Miller will all be shopped in an attempt to clear up some salary cap space.

Potential Trades

There’ a few potential trades possible between the two teams.

• Mike Bibby for Larry Hughes For those of you that are wondering, a straight up trade between Mike Bibby and Larry Hughes does work under salary cap rules.

  However, it’s hard to imagine that the Sacramento Kings would do that deal straight up because Larry Hughes has a few years left on his contract. Plus, he’s not really the type of player that teams will build around. He’s more of a secondary player. With the Cleveland Cavaliers expected to be a perennial playoff team, their draft picks aren’t as highly valued.

• Mike Bibby & Mikki Moore for Larry Hughes & Drew GoodenThis trade might be a bit more appealing for the Sacramento Kings.

  Larry Hughes and forward Drew Gooden are two guys that can help the Sacramento Kings out in the short term and long term. If the team can trade their other expensive contracts so they can acquire a superstar, then the team can use Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden as supporting players.

  Center Mikki Moore is a throw-in for salary cap purposes, but he could end up teaming up with forward Anderson Varejao in providing the Cleveland Cavaliers with energy on the frontline.

• Mike Bibby for Eric Snow & Drew GoodenGuard Eric Snow and Drew Gooden each have a year remaining on their contracts, which is about $7 milion each. That does provide the Sacramento Kings with some flexibility in the near future.

  Drew Gooden is a pretty good big man who is still young enough to be a building block for the Sacramento Kings. He’s not a superstar, but he’s a starter on most teams in the league.

  As for Eric Snow, he’s more valuable as a short term mentor for Beno Udrih than what he can actually contribute on the floor.

Closing Thoughts

A trade that sends Mike Bibby to the Cleveland Cavaliers would create quite a buzz for the league.

After an absolutely horrible season, the Miami Dolphins have decided to shake things up by firing head coach Cam Cameron.

One and Done

When you go 1-15 for a season, the chances of you keeping your job is pretty slim.

When the owner of the franchise hires a big name like Bill Parcells to come in and run the team, then your slim chances get cut in half.

Cam Cameron is a fine coach, but there’s absolutely no way that he was going to win against the odds placed against him.

It wasn’t like the Miami Dolphins were a championship contender when Cam Cameron took over. They weren’t even a threat to go 8-8.

Plus, injuries took quite a toll on the team. The season saw the loss of quarterback Trent Green, running back Ronnie Brown, and linebacker Zach Thomas to injuries. When the season started, Cam Cameron showed signs of being the offensive genius that he was with the San Diego Chargers. There was definitely evidence that the team was showing signs of improvements on offense. Then, the losing began, and it sapped the team of every ounce of motivation that they had. Along with Cam Cameron, every single one of his assistant but two were released. Assistant special teams coach Steve Hoffman and linebackers coach George Edwards were retained. The other assistants still have a shot at being rehired, but that depends entirely on whoever the next head coach is.

Replacement

When Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland hire their next head coach, the Miami Dolphins will be welcoming their 5th head coach in 5 seasons.

Right now, the front runner is Dallas Cowboys assistant head coach Tony Sparano. He has an interview with the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, but chances are, he’ll end up with Bill Parcells in Miami.

Maurice Carthon is another candidate to take over the Miami Dolphins. He was an assistant coach under Bill Parcells in Dallas.

A dark horse candidate to keep an eye on is Todd Bowles, the secondary coach for the Dallas Cowboys. Bill Parcells was very high on him when the two worked together in Dallas. He becomes the team’s top candidate for defensive coordinator if Tony Sparano is hired.

Closing Thoughts

Can’t say that this move wasn’t an expected move. Cam Cameron himself knew the moment Bill Parcells was hired to run the team.

One of the big trade rumors floating around right now has the Denver Nuggets trading for New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd.

Let’s analyze that.

Possibilities

First of all, there are trades between the two teams that would work financially.

• Jason Kidd for JR Smith, Eduardo Najera & Marcus Camby
• Jason Kidd for Chucky Atkins, JR Smith, Eduardo Najera & Nene

The Denver Nuggets can package guard JR Smith, forward Eduardo Najera, and center Marcus Camby to the New Jersey Nets for Jason Kidd.

That might not be the most attractive package that the New Jersey Nets can get, but it’s not too shabby. JR Smith is a young versatile player that can score. Eduardo Najera and Marcus Camby would provide the team with a frontcourt upgrade.

The Denver Nuggets frontline would be a lot thinner, but you’re not going to get a great player like Jason Kidd without giving something back in return. The team would still have forward Kenyon Martin (if he ever gets healthy again) and center Nene to provide some muscles up front.
If the Denver Nuggets really wanted to keep Marcus Camby, then they can offer a package of guard Chucky Atkins, JR Smith, Eduardo Najera, and Nene.

That right there leads many to believe that they’d be able to sacrifice a big of their personal stats in exchange for a title.

Of course, if they sacrifice too much of their games, then there’d really be no point in making the trade. That means that Carmelo Anthony needs to sacrifice a little bit of his game.

Whether or not he’d be willing to do that is the big question.

When they both came into the league, there was a rivalry between Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. Now that LeBron James has become widely recognized as the better player, that could be a good thing for the Denver Nuggets. Carmelo Anthony should know that the best way for him to beat LeBron James now is to win the NBA championship first.

Publicly, Carmelo Anthony won’t admit that the rivalry between the two is that big. However, as a competitor (which is what Carmelo Anthony is), he has to be feeling the heat deep down inside.

Closing Thoughts

This is one of those “high risk, high rewards” situation. With the Denver Nuggets ahead of their division right now, it’d be quite a risky move to do.

The New Jersey Nets have hired Kiki Vandeweghe as an executive.

Special Assistant

Kiki Vandeweghe’s new job title hasn’t been revealed yet. Right now, he’s basically a special assistant to team president Rod Thorn.

We’re taking a guess here, but the job will probably require Kiki Vandeweghe to do several general manager duties. After his fantastic work rebuilding the Denver Nuggets, Kiki Vandeweghe’s stock is still pretty high. We can’t imagine that he’d take a job that wasn’t of high importance.

Kiki Vandeweghe will be heavily involved in the upcoming NBA draft. First, though, he’ll be responsible for preparing the team for the upcoming trade deadline.

The position became available about a month ago when the former general manager Ed Stefanski left the team to take over the Philadelphia 76ers.

New York Knicks There were strong indications that Kiki Vandeweghe was the top candidate to replace Isiah Thomas in New York. He’s a former New York Knick, which should buy him a few weeks of clemency until the fans turn on him. Kiki Vandweghe also reportedly has the support of the league offices to take over the position. David Stern and his staff are fully about the problems with the New York Knicks, and they are more than willing to provide “suggestions” on how to fix things. Kiki Vandeweghe’s signing with the New Jersey Nets could mean that Isiah Thomas has his job secured for another year. Then again, the fact that he has yet to receive the official title of general manager could lead many to believe that his gig with the New Jersey Nets is only a temporary job until the New York Knicks come to their senses.

Credentials

From 2001 through 2006, Kiki Vandeweghe served as the general manager for the Denver Nuggets. He’s been credited with rebuilding the franchise.

Kiki Vandeweghe gave the team a nice foundation by signing free agent guard Andre Miller, drafting franchise player Carmelo Anthony, and traded for tremendous size in Nene and Marcus Camby. He was also able to provide the team quality depth by adding veteran guards like Earl Boykins, Voshon Lenard, and Jon Barry.

Of course, Kiki Vandeweghe made the biggest mistake of his career by trading three 1st round draft picks to acquire forward Kenyon Martin.

Ironically, Kenyon Martin was acquired from the New Jersey Nets. For helping the team get rid of the underachieving and disappointing forward, Kiki Vandeweghe should also be given 50% ownership of the franchise as well.

Closing Thoughts

Rod Thorn may have just hired the man who will take over for him so he can step aside.