Sports fodder for a Friday morning . . .
Top Ten Reasons Why You Can't Blame JaVale McGee for Entering the NBA Draft . . . Reason 1: Money. Would you turn down millions of dollars? Reasons 2 through 10: See Reason 1. The reason McGee came to Nevada is the same reason why every science, math and English major came to Nevada - to become attractive to prospective employers. McGee, who was a basketball major, just accomplished his goal a lot faster than most science, math and English majors. Be happy for McGee. Don't begrudge him his success.
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You shouldn't have been surprised at all by McGee's decision. As soon as NBA scouts started seriously sniffing around McGee a few months ago, it was clear that McGee would likely leave early. Also, this is a kid, after all, that went to three different high schools. He didn't even declare a major yet at Nevada, according to the Wolf Pack Web site. McGee was always about one thing - getting to the NBA.
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The Wolf Pack will miss McGee. No question. It would have been nice to have a world class, seven-foot athlete standing in the paint and blocking shots next season. The biggest player on the roster right now, after all, is 6-foot-8 reserve forward Matt LaGrone. And McGee probably would have likely added three or four points and three or four rebounds to his 14.1 scoring average and 7.3 rebounding average of this season. But the program will survive. That's what good programs like Nevada do. They survive. McGee isn't the first NBA player to leave the team in the last few years. Feel better, Pack fans? Don't jump off the bandwagon just yet.
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With McGee, the Wolf Pack had Sweet 16 written all over it heading into the 2008-09 season. Without McGee, the only thing written all over it is about a half-dozen question marks. But coach Mark Fox, who found the answers to most of the questions this season, will do the same next year. College basketball is not about the players. Did you even know the name of 10 players in the entire NCAA Tournament when you filled out your bracket? The coaches are the stars in college basketball. When Fox leaves early for the NBA, then it's time to worry, Pack fans.
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Since all four No. 1 seeds are in the Final Four, is this NCAA Tournament the most boring in history? It's about the underdogs and Cinderella stories, right? On the contrary. This could be the best Final Four in years. Four great teams will make for three great games. You could pick any of the four teams to win it all. We've liked North Carolina to beat Memphis in the title game since about the middle of January and there's no reason to change now.
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The NCAA needs to make a minor rule change for men's and women's basketball. The rule? No Division I school should be allowed to fire or hire any coach during the postseason. It's too much of a distraction and takes away from the tournaments and the players. This week, for example, wasn't about the great matchups we have in the Final Four. It was about Sean Sutton getting fired at Okalahoma State. It was about Kansas coach Bill Self denying he has any interest in the Oklahoma State job. It was about Marquette coach Tom Crean going to Indiana. It's about who will be the next coach at Marquette. It's about George Mason coach Jim Larranaga turning down the Providence job. Can't we just forget that college basketball is all about the dollars for at least two weeks a year?
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The Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants combined to score a grand total of five runs through their first five games in the United States. Don't expect that offensive explosion to last, folks. The A's and Giants would make a decent soccer team.
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OK, this might sound a little crazy. And maybe we're overreacting to the first few games of the season. But it sure would be nice to see Barry Bonds in a Giants uniform again, wouldn't it? What do the Giants have to lose by bringing Bonds back? It's not like his presence would stunt the development or take at-bats away from some hot outfield prospect. The Giants don't have any hot outfield prospects. The Giants are the most boring team in the major leagues. Bonds, even if he just plays two games a week and pinch hits every now and then, would at least give you a reason to watch.
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A couple weeks ago Tiger Woods complained that a photographer clicked his picture as he was in the middle of a shot. Woods said the sound of the shutter altered his swing. Do you still need some more reasons why golfers should be eliminated from all discussions about the greatest athletes of all time?
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Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach Larry Bowa was suspended for three games this week for not standing in the coaches box during a game. That is a rule that needs to be wiped off the books. Why do coaches need to stand within that silly little box? They can't do their job if they stay within those arbitrary white lines. Runners rounding third can't see them. Let the coaches stand where they want to stand as long as it is in foul territory.
