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After 2 decades with the franchise, Indiana Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh has decided to leave.

The Legacy

In all of his years in the front office, Donnie Walsh has never won the NBA Executive of the Year award.

He didn’t need to.

Donnie Walsh is widely recognized as one of the best front office executives in the NBA and perhaps all of sports. He makes intelligent decisions and takes risks whenever it’s necessary.

For instance, in 1987, the entire Indiana Pacers fan base had demanded that the team draft Steve Alford. The star of the University of Indiana was a local hero and many had hoped that he would continue his basketball career for the Indiana Pacers.

Donnie Walsh, though, had other ideas.

He instead chose to draft a skinny guard from UCLA named Reggie Miller. Yeah, the same Reggie Miller that would eventually become one of the best players to ever suit up for the Indiana Pacers.

Another shrewd move that Donnie Walsh orchestrated was trading veteran forward Dale Davis to the Portland Trail Blazers for a little used reserve named Jermaine O’Neal, who would go on to become the franchise player for the Indiana Pacers.

The Indiana Pacers also managed to pick up forward Ron Artest and center Brad Miller from the Chicago Bulls simply by trading guards Travis Best and Jalen Rose thanks to Donnie Walsh.

Bird’s House

With Donnie Walsh leaving the franchise, the Indiana Pacers are now under the complete command of Larry Bird.

For the last few months, Larry Bird had shared duties with Donnie Walsh in terms of running the team. That was by design because Donnie Walsh was grooming Larry Bird as his eventual replacement.

Larry Bird, a Hall of Fame player, now has an opportunity to prove to people that he can be a Hall of Fame executive.

I Love New York

The rumors have already begun swirling that Donnie Walsh has agreed to join the New York Knicks and try to save the sinking franchise.

As of right now, nothing is official yet, but it looks like team president and head coach Isiah Thomas will be on his way out of the Big Apple. New York Knicks fans and the New York media are all too happy to hold the door for him as he leaves.

With his history of success as an executive, Donnie Walsh will be a welcomed addition to the team.

Well, at least for a couple of months before the fans turn on him as well.

Closing Thoughts

It’s an end of an era in Indiana.

The Raiders have dished out the money to have a great cornerback  tandem by signing DeAngelo Hall to a 7 year, $70 million deal. Man the team is dishing out a lot of money on free agency and has obtained both offensive and defensive names including Gibril Wilson and Jevon Walker.

The DeAngelo and Nnamdi Asomugha  team-up gives the Raiders two great cover corners that can also play the run really well which they will definitely need because of the lack of upfront pressure.  The only concern is Hall’s attitude and willingness to play, especially if the team is losing and especially for a young, fresh coach in Lane Kiffin.

The Milwaukee Bucks have fired general manager Larry Harris.

Long Term

Larry Harris has been the general manager for the Milwaukee Bucks since 2003, but he’s been with the franchise for much longer than that.

In 1990, when his father Del Harris was the team’s head coach, Larry Harris worked as a scout and video coordinator for the team. That was approximately 18 years ago.

Milwaukee Bucks owner Senator Herb Kohl had a tough decision to make on a personal level. However, on a professional level, this move was a bit easier to make.

Larry Harris simply was unable to amaze anyone with his moves over the years.

The Moves

As the team’s general manager, Larry Harris was able to resign franchise guard Michael Redd to a contract extension. However, not a lot of people give Larry Harris a ton of credit for this because he had to fork out a 6 year, $90 million deal to get it done. The Cleveland Cavaliers were basically the only other team that had a shot with Michael Redd, but they couldn’t offer the same amount of money.

Center Dan Gadzuric was able to win himself a 6 year, $36 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. He hasn’t been able to earn himself a starting spot, and the franchise has spent draft picks and money on other frontline players.

Forward Bobby Simmons won the Most Improved Award when he was playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. That was enough to get $47 million dollars from the Milwaukee Bucks. At the time, everyone bashed team owner Donald Sterling for not spending money to keep his players, but after seeing Bobby Simmons failing to make a splash for the Milwaukee Bucks, it’s hard to blame him now.

Larry Harris has also made moves to acquire forward Charlie Villanueva and center Jamaal Magloire, but neither move really improved the team.

He was able to draft center Andrew Bogut and forward Yi Jianlian, but it’s too soon to really determine how well those moves have worked out.

Potential Replacements

Three names have already popped up as replacements for Larry Harris in Milwaukee.

Former head coach Doug Collins is a candidate to become the new general. He has been a head coach for the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, and Washington Wizards.

Rick Sund, the former general manager for the Seattle Sonics, is another name that has been tossed in the hat.

There’s a lot of question marks with the Indiana Pacers and their front office. Team CEO Donnie Walsh has been rumored to be leaving the team, and the Milwaukee Bucks are a potential landing spot for him.

Left Hanging

With the team expected to name a new general manager within the coming weeks, head coach Larry Krystkowiak is fully aware that his job will be on the line.

Most new executives prefer bringing in their own head coach. Larry Krystkowiak has been in the business long enough to know this.

Plus, Larry Krystkowiak hasn’t particularly impressed anyone with his record. Since being named the head coach, he has lost 30 more games than he has won.

He’s a talented coach, though, so he should end up on someone’s bench next year if he’s not retained by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Closing Thoughts

The move was expected. However, the timing of the move wasn’t. We thought they were at least going to wait until the end of the season.

Bracketology is back and so is the NCAA Basketball Tournament and this year has lots more diversity with plenty of mid majors added into the mix. There has never been a NCAA mens basketball tourney with this much diversity and I am happy that lots of mid majors have been given the chance to shine and that finally Gonzaga is no Cinderalla team. Lets take a look at some of the matchups and who I think will make it to the Final Four and win the whole thing.

East

I don’t see any team beating Tyler Hansborough and the deep and talented Tarheels. The sleeper teams I think can move on are George Mason, Boise State, and Butler definitely can take out Tennessee.

Midwest

This region definitely has some good teams in Kansas, USC, Georgetown, Wisconsin, and even some tough 6-10 teams as well. There are several teams that can win this bracket and make it into the Final Four.
The first matchup I noticed in the Midwest bracket was the USC vs Kansas State game. Whoever setup the games really knew people will love to see two of this years best Rookies, O.J. Mayo and Michael Beasley, battle it out. USC has a slight advantage but never count Beasley and the Wildcats out.

Davidson played North Carolina and Duke tough and could beat Gonzaga but Georgetown should beat who ever is on the bottom bracket. Although a Georgetown and Wisconsin defensive matchup would be fun to watch.

There are a lot of teams in the top bracket like Vanderbilt, UNLV, and Clemson being able to knock off number 1 seed Kansas. Vanderbilt has Ogilvy and Foster that can really change the course of any game, Clemson has Mays and Hammond who were close to beating North Carolina twice, and UNLV is a great sleeper team with coach Kruger getting the most out of a talented team.

South

The south bracket has Memphis in the top portion and Texas in the bottom portion. Both teams are super talented but Memphis has an easier task to get to the Regionals. Memphis might have to play Mississippi State which is a very deep and talented group that can take them out as well as a Michigan State team that could be very tough if they get in stride. I like both of these two teams and their chances of making it to the Final Four.

Texas’s biggest challenge will be St. Mary who I think will beat Miami and then Stanford. I think Cornell has a chance to upset them though so Texas might be a solid pick to make it to play Memphis. If Cornell can keep from getting totally dominated inside and can stay hot shooting, then Stanford may get bounced in the first round.

West

No one should beat UCLA in the west bracket except my sleeper team Drake. I love Drake and watched a few of their games. The team has talent and could beat UConn to play UCLA. Drake is definitely a great Cinderella team.

The bottom portion of the west bracket, you have to name Duke but I think West Virginia will beat them in a 3 point shoot out. If Georgia can ride that winning streak with the same passion they had in the SEC tournament, they might be able to take out Xavier and more. They beat Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Arkanas which are all teams in the tournament and to think that they can’t beat Xavier or whoever is next is dumb. This is what the NCAA tournament is all about, surprising teams that make the most unlikely happen.

For people needing to fill out their brackets, ESPN, Yahoo, and CBS Sportsline all have brackets where you can win money and many online sports books do to.

I like what the Raiders improvements in the off-season by taking a risk on wide receiver Jevon Walker and adding Gibril Wilson at free safety. Walker came off a season where he started strong but due to an injury, never got back to where he started. Wilson has been getting better and was part of the New York Giants defensive that won the 2007 Super Bowl.

With the loss of Jerry Porter, the Raiders had to pick up or draft a talented receiver. Signing Walker to a six-year, $55 million contract is the solution and should give JaMarcus Russell a good target. The price was a bit steep seeing how Bernard Berrian and Randy Moss both signed for less. If he can stay healthy and happy, Walker is really a good receiver that can put up numbers like a Plexico Burress. His addition will also allow Ronald Curry, who has really been improving, to upgrade his numbers as well. The Raiders also added wide receiver Drew Carter but don’t expect much from him.

The Raiders signed Wilson to a 6 year, $39 million dollar deal. Wilson is a good upgrade to the secondary and is a sure tackler which will help the team. Last season he played 13 games and totaled 70 tackles and 4 interceptions. His only full season was in 2005 where he totaled 114 tackles with an astounding 92 solo ones. Wilson was a little injury prone in his first 4 years but should be able to play the full season. With the Raiders close to a deal for pro bowl corner DeAngelo Hall, signing him would give the team one of the best secondaries with Wilson and Hall paired with Oakland’s other cover corner Nnamdi Asomugha.

The Raiders but the other two major concerns, the offensive line and the defensive line definitely need to be fixed as well with the loss of Warren Sapp. They signed DL Tommy Kelly to a huge deal that from first look, is way too much and looks like the team got nervous and is throwing money around. They also signed busts defensive tackle William Joseph and tackle Kwame Harris to deals. This is more like a patchwork job and the team needs to find gems in the free agent market or they will still be last in the AFC West.

The San Francisco 49ers tried to find solutions to their terribly passing game which ranked 32nd in the league for the 2007 season. The only notable receiver the team had was Arnaz Battle who had 50 receptions for 600 yards and 5 touchdowns. They started by adding Mike Martz as offensive coordinator which should open up the teams passing attack. They also added wide receivers Isaac Bruce and Bryant Johnson to bolster the terrible receiving corps but released Darrel Jackson.
Isaac Bruce is too old to be very effective these days but he still runs precise routes and knows the Martz style. If the team can find a suitable quarterback, I like Shaun Hill’s potential over Alex Smith, Bruce can still be an efficient 3rd receiver and mentor. Bryant Johnson probably has the most upside and showed some flashes of talent when able to start in Arizona. He lived in the shadows of the two super stars there and has a chance to be a number 1 here if he can learn the Mike Martz offensive.

Battle’s numbers would probably improve with the addition of these two receivers and only one quarterback throwing to him in the season. What was interesting is the 49ers releasing Darrell Jackson, even after a bad season for the receiver. The 49ers had three different quarterbacks and you can’t really blame a lack of production on Jackson. He would be a nice fit to the current receiving corp under the Martz pass attack and could possibly have improved his numbers greatly.

Although they didn’t get the best available wide receivers available in free agency, the team tried to make some moves to improve the passing offensive which fans should see as a positive but don’t expect the team to go far in 2008 either.d

For an Arizona team that has improving on defense, I really like this pickup with the loss of Calvin Pace. Defensive end Travis LaBoy has that heart and energy that you love to see. Since his days playing for the Hawaii Warriors, the guy does not give up on plays and always seem to give it his all. Last year he played for the Tennessee Titans and 13 games in a reserve role coming in every few downs he got 6 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and 1 interception. To really utilize his talents, the Cardinals need to use him at what he is good at and that is more speed rushing than power.  Overall he should contribute effectively to the Cardinal defense.

I know Alge Crumpler is one of the better tight ends in the game but it is hard to think that a Titans’ offensive that has no big name receivers going after a tight end before trying to sign one of the better wide receivers available. With a miserable passing offensive that ranked 27 in the league and with two average receivers in Justin Gage and Roydell Williams, the Titans look like they are going to depend on the running game again.

The team also just re-signed wide receiver Justin McCareins who they traded to the Jets in 2004 after a good season but his numbers have just disappeared into a black hole and should not be much help to the team. It would have been great to see them go after one of the big names available. Well, there is still some good potential receivers in the draft for Titan fans.

Pau Gasol is a great player, but he does have a weakness that could be exploited during the playoffs.

The Weakness is Weakness

On Sunday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, Pau Gasol came away with the win, but the rest of the league (particularly the playoff bound teams) got a reminder as to how to disrupt the big Spaniard’s game.

His final numbers for the game were pretty impressive. Pau Gasol scored 17 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and had 5 assists. Those are numbers that most players in the league would love to have.

However, basketball is more than just stats.

The game showed how to effective play against Pau Gasol on defense. You have to use your strength and move the big man from his comfortable spots on the floor. You have to physically wear him down in order to take away his consistency.

Erick Dampier isn’t a lot of things, but he is strong. On Sunday, he used his strength to make Pau Gasol uncomfortable.

Tough Challenges

When you browse through the teams that will potentially be in the playoffs, a few of them have guys on the roster that could cause some problems for Pau Gasol.

The team that is directly ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers in the standings is the San Antonio Spurs. Their combination of Kurt Thomas and Tim Duncan has to be a cause of concern.

Kurt Thomas, despite weighing only 235 pounds, is one of the strongest defenders in the league. He’ll definitely use his physicality against Pau Gasol.

Offensively, the San Antonio Spurs will look to have Tim Duncan wearing down Pau Gasol by forcing him to play defense. The team will also look to attack Andrew Bynum as well to get him into foul trouble. If Andrew Bynum isn’t in the lineup, then Pau Gasol is forced to guard Tim Duncan.

The Boston Celtics have PJ Brown and Kendrick Perkins, the Detroit Pistons have an army of big men, the Orlando Magic has Dwight Howard, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have Ben Wallace.

Granted, Pau Gasol isn’t going to be dominated by all of these guys. We’re just saying that these guys have the potential to cause problems for him if they play him physically.

Adjustments

Everyone knows that basketball is a game of adjustments.

It’s a human chess game where you counter a good move with another good move. In basketball terms, if a defense figures out how to stop you, then you change things up to continue scoring.

Pau Gasol is a finesse player. Most European big men are finesse players. That’s nothing new.

On nights where the defense is getting physical with Pau Gasol, the Los Angeles Lakers can adjust by having the 7′0″, 260 center use that finesse of his.

The perimeter players can also provide some help for Pau Gasol on offense as well. The Los Angeles Lakers can utilize a lot of cuts by the guards to help out Pau Gasol against the opposing big men. He’s gifted enough of a passer to make it where his defender has to stay focused in case a perimeter player breaks through the paint.

Having Pau Gasol playing some pick and roll offense also utilizes his strengths as a finesse player as well.

Closing Thoughts

Pau Gasol is going to have to figure out how to adjust in order to help the Los Angeles Lakers win another NBA championship.

The Atlanta Falcons have signed Michael Turner to a 6 year contract worth approximately $34.5 million. Turner, who has been LaDainian Tomlinson backup for the past couple of years, becomes a free agent and with some flashes of greatness in many games, has become the top available runningback in the current free agent market. Turner has that small, compact frame at 5′10 and 237 pounds.

I do not know what the Falcons are thinking here. First there was the thought that they might pickup Darren McFadden who would be a great investment looking at his combine numbers. That thought is gone with this signing. Next, Turner has not played a whole season as starter and is not guaranteed to be an improvement. Also, they have a talented runningback that was never given the chance to start in Jerious Norwood, who looked impressive with his speed. Finally the Falcons have bigger holes to plug than the runningback position. They will most likely draft a quarterback but how about some defense or more anchor on that offensive line.