Charlotte.com: Basketball / NBA

These records are rock solid

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:18 EDT

People always are debating the toughest baseball record to break, but because of the changes in the game over more than a century, I think we can safely call a number of marks unbreakable.

Joe Sewell, believe it or not, struck out three times in all of 1932 (503 at-bats). Think anyone in this free-swinging generation will have fewer than that?

The flipside is that early home run totals appear insignificant compared with today's; guys once led leagues with 10 or 11.

And pitching records have changed just as dramatically. Starting pitchers used to complete games as a point of honor. In a recent game, the Mets' Johan Santana, generally considered the game's best in recent years, didn't come out for the ninth despite having thrown just 95 pitches.

Want some records that will still stand a century or two from now? Try these:

THE TOUGHEST RECORDS

TO BREAK:

Many marks, such as Barry Bonds' sleazy career home-run total of 762, will fall eventually. But these 10 are unbreakable, so put them in any order you like.

10MOST PITCHES THROWN IN A GAME: In 1974, young Nolan Ryan threw 259 pitches for California while completing a 12-inning game. That's the highest total I can find; publishing pitch counts is a fairly recent development. The effort didn't seem to affect Ryan, who would pitch another couple of decades, but can you imagine a manager allowing a pitcher to throw even 150 pitches now?

9STOLEN BASES IN A SEASON: In 1982, Oakland's Rickey Henderson stole 130, one of three times he reached triple figures. The steal has been somewhat de-emphasized in recent years, and no one has reached 100 since Vince Coleman swiped 109 in 1987.

8 LONGEST HITTING STREAK: Joe DiMaggio's string of 56 straight in 1941 is theoretically breakable, but these days, the media attention becomes overwhelming when a streak reaches the 30s. No one has come remotely close since Pete Rose reached 44 in 1978.

7 SEASON BATTING AVERAGE: We count only marks set during the modern era, which I believe began in 1903, when the National and American leagues first met in the World Series. The best since then is Rogers Hornsby's .424, in 1924.

6 MOST SHUTOUTS IN A SEASON: Grover Cleveland Alexander threw 16 – complete games, or you don't get credit – in 1916. Besides, it's fun to write Grover Cleveland Alexander.

5 FEWEST STRIKEOUTS IN A SEASON: Joe Sewell of the Yankees struck out thrice in 1932. Today guys whiff five times in a game. Think that one might be safe?

4 LIFETIME BATTING AVERAGE: Ty Cobb's mark used to be listed as .367, but modern research and recalculation lowered it to .366. So what? No one ever will come close.

3 CAREER COMPLETE GAMES: Cy Young had 749. Just think about that; to pass him, a pitcher would have to average 30 for 25 years. The league leaders these days usually don't reach double figures – the last to do so was Randy Johnson (12 in 1999).

2 VICTORIES IN A SEASON: In 1904, the New York Highlanders' Jack Chesbro won 41 games and also compiled the current record of 48 complete games. It's been decades since anyone even got 41 starts. Pitchers today – working in five-man rotations – usually get from 32 to 35.

1 CONSECUTIVE GAMES PLAYED: I wrote about Cal Ripken Jr.'s mark of 2,632 games played fairly recently. In these days of sitting at the slightest injury or slump, I doubt we'll see 1,000 straight again.

Oden eager to get going this fall

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:38 EDT

Greg Oden is itching to get his delayed career going, but he's still forbidden from any 5-on-5 action until September.

Oden's rookie season was over before it even started when he had right knee surgery last September.

Recovery can take six months or more, and the Portland Trail Blazers decided their No.1 pick would sit out the season.

“I'm still rehabbing, but I'm ready to play,” Oden told The Associated Press on Wednesday while in Los Angeles to attend the ESPY Awards. “I can work out, I can lift, no 5-on-5, no 3-on-3. That's where everything is going, towards me being able to play when the season starts, but I'm ready.”

Oden called his rehabilitation “tough and long,” but the 7-footer said he expects to be cleared to play again in September.

Until then, Oden is taking a summer school biology class at Ohio State.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

MILWAUKEE: The Bucks signed guard Tyronn Lue and forward Malik Allen. Lue, 31, averaged 5.8 points and 1.5 assists in 50 games last season. Allen began last season in New Jersey before being traded to Dallas.

Allen, who's 6-foot-10, averaged 4.6 points and 2.7 rebounds last season.

MINNEAPOLIS: The Timberwolves re-signed restricted free agent Craig Smith. The power forward averaged 9.4 points and 4.6 rebounds a game last year for the Timberwolves, his third season in the league.

He scored a career-high 36 points against the Wizards in December. observer news services

Cavs find gem in Wolfpack's Hickson

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:25 EDT

Cleveland Cavaliers assistant John Kuester was on a roll Monday, thinking up new ways to praise rookie J.J. Hickson.

“We're talking about an N.C. State guy, and I'm still saying nice things,” former Tar Heel Kuester joked. “He's that great a kid.”

And seemingly that good a prospect. Hickson looked spectacular during a 97-94 summer-league loss to the New York Knicks, with 26 points and nine rebounds.

He made 11 of 15 shots from the field and generated seven trips to the foul line. If that's indicative of his scoring at the next level, he'll be a steal by the Cavaliers with the 18th overall pick.

Hickson wasn't the least surprised by his quick impact.

“I wouldn't have come out if I didn't think I was ready, so nothing has really surprised me,” he said. “There are some things I need to improve, but that's all a progression.”

Those flaws, Kuester detailed, are conditioning and defense, but the Cavaliers can wait for that. Hickson is a low-post, back-to-the-basket scorer, and those are rare these days with every 6-foot-10 forward seemingly living to take 20-foot jump shots.

Hickson did most of his scoring off bank shots, baby hooks and put-backs (he had seven offensive rebounds). The Cavaliers knew he had moves, but they were surprised just how explosive he was heading to the rim.

He didn't look that way in a workout in Cleveland, but there was an explanation.

“He flew in on a red-eye (an overnight flight) after working out in Denver and the poor guy didn't have his legs,” Kuester said.

“To the credit of our scouts and (general manager) Danny Ferry, they already knew what they wanted. They targeted him right from the get-go and you saw some of the things that make him special today.”

While the moves were home-grown – Hickson had the basics of low-post scoring in high school – he found it invaluable that N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe spent a decade in the NBA.

“Everything he said was coming from the NBA perspective already,” Hickson said. “You wouldn't believe all the things I knew just from being around him that season.”

Hornets' Paul has matured for this role

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 06:44 EDT

Chris Paul knows what the inside of a VIP room looks like.

When you're a rising NBA star with a magazine-ready smile, you get used to being ushered into private rooms at hot night spots.

The former Wake Forest and ACC standout finished second in the NBA's MVP balloting in his third season with the New Orleans Hornets, but even Paul feels the zing of being invited to the USA Basketball party, which will rage at the Beijing Olympics.

“One of my friends said it best when he told me this is the best team I will ever play on,” Paul said about setting up baskets for Kobe Bryant and LeBron James on the U.S. team.

Paul, 23, first played for the U.S. in college at the 2004 World Championship for Young Men Qualifying tournament. He led all players in assists (31) and 3-point shooting (63.6 percent) to help the team win a gold medal.

Paul made his first senior team for the 2006 World Championships in Japan after his NBA Rookie of the Year season.

He and Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich ran the offense in Japan but labored while adjusting to the bumping and shoving in the backcourt allowed by international officials – more than what is allowed in the NBA.

Dallas guard Jason Kidd and Utah's Deron Williams, both physically bigger than Paul and Hinrich, were added to the national roster in 2007 to address that.

Paul said experiencing that bronze-medal run in Japan keyed his quick rise in the NBA and prepped him for Beijing.

“Hopefully you're not so bug-eyed and not knowing what to expect in China,” he said. “You understand your role better.”

Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio said Paul has always been a quick study, devouring the basketball world in two-year gulps: Playing junior varsity ball as a West Forsyth High junior in Clemmons, winning the ACC Rookie of the Year award two years later at Wake, the NBA Rookie of the Year award two years after that, and finishing second in the MVP balloting this past seaason.

“He may be one of the best five players in the world right now,” said Gaudio, who was an assistant under the late Skip Prosser when Paul played at Wake.

“He has something other greats have – a presence and charisma that allows him to say what he needs to say without others being, and I don't know if this is the right word, offended or insulted.”

Paul has always been the younger guy leading the older ones so he had to mature quickly. He did during his second and final year at Wake Forest.

That season was supposed to be a big one for the Deacons. In many ways – Wake earned a No.2 seed in the 2005 NCAA Tournament – it was.

In others, it was not. Against N.C. State at the end of the ACC season, Paul hit N.C. State guard Julius Hodge with a stealth jab to the groin.

After making a running 10-footer to win that game, then apologizing to Hodge, Paul sat out a one-game suspension during the first-round of the ACC Tournament.

N.C. State beat Wake Forest in the tournament. West Virginia then beat the Deacons 111-105 in double overtime in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Gaudio said Paul, 19 at the time, took that loss as hard as anyone.

Still Paul didn't look back when he moved on.

“This will be my 28th season in coaching and a Chris Paul comes along maybe once every 25 years,” Gaudio said.

This Kidd has plenty of influence

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 08:25 EDT

Forward Richard Jefferson was asked what it would be like to play with an NBA point guard other than Jason Kidd.

Jefferson, speaking before Kidd was traded from the New Jersey Nets to the Dallas Mavericks, said, “I don't want to find out.”

The folks behind the U.S. senior men's national team that will compete at the Beijing Olympics between Aug.8-24 feel the same way.

Kidd, undefeated with the United States at 44-0, knows how to bring guys together.

The U.S. team needs great chemistry if it hopes to reclaim gold. Shaky chemistry contributed to a sixth-place finish at the 2002 world championships and third at the 2004 Athens Olympics and 2006 world championships.

“One thing about leadership is you have to have the respect of everyone you're leading,” U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “Jason had that right away.”

There's more at stake for the U.S. team – like proving basketball is still an American game – than when Kidd won gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Kidd will shoulder more responsibility, beginning with an opening-round game against China on Aug.10.

“I'm looking forward to it,” said Kidd, who at 35 is the oldest player on the U.S. team.

Kidd was in college at California when the Dream Team slashed and burned through Barcelona, Spain, to win Olympic gold in 1992. He first played for the United States on a junior team in 1993.

Since then, he has helped the senior team qualify for the 2000 Olympics in 1999, the 2004 Games in 2003 and 2008 in 2007.

Kidd chose not to play at the 2004 Olympics – “I thought we had it,” he said – or the 2006 world championships in Japan, when LeBron James and Dwyane Wade led the team to a bronze.

Kidd said he didn't skip it because he feared tiring himself out for the NBA season. He said he wonders what's the big deal.

“The hardest part, which I enjoy, is the challenge and competition of practices,” Kidd said. “There are all-stars at each position. Why not improve your game?”

Last summer, Kidd joined Kobe Bryant and James to win the 2007 FIBA Americas tournament as the United States qualified for Beijing.

“People talked about having Kobe and LeBron but you couldn't miss the calming effect (Kidd) had on that team,” said former NBA All-Star Mark Jackson.

The effort earned the Americans premature and inaccurate comparisons to the original Dream Team, but Kidd's game was the right adhesive in Las Vegas this month during team training.

Chips off the old block

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:03 EDT

Jeff (III) and Jason Capel were born with basketball in their blood. From the time the brothers were toddlers, they had a basketball in their hands. They really had no other choice. The son of Jeff Capel Jr., both grew up in gyms as their father ascended the high school and college coaching ranks from Pinecrest High School to Wake Forest to Old Dominion University.

“Our dad never forced us to do anything,” Jeff Capel III said. “But what kid wouldn't want to hang around great basketball players. We (Jason and I) were always in gyms. We grew up being around the game. ”

Following in their dad's footsteps, both sons took their games to the next level with Jeff III earning a scholarship to play for coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke (1993-97), and Jason taking a full ride to play for Bill Guthridge at North Carolina (1998-2002). Jeff and Jason, five years apart in age, lived up to their billing, as both were four-year starters for teams that went to the Final Four.

“There aren't many parents (if any at all) that can say they had one son go play basketball at Duke and one at Carolina,” Capel III said. “I think that was a very special time for our family.”

After college, Jeff and Jason moved onto professional basketball careers. Jeff III in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and France while Jason played in the National Basketball Developmental League (NBDL) before going to play in Japan and Italy. But while both Capels made good money overseas, they did not realize their dreams of making it to the National Basketball Association.

“Every college basketball player's dream, especially if you are a good player on a good team, is to play in the NBA,” said Jason Capel, who was on the Charlotte Bobcats' roster throughout the preseason in 2004 before being cut. “(Both) Jeff and I had a tough time not being able to play the game the way we wanted to. But, we knew we wanted to be around the game.”

At 25 years old in 2000, Jeff III stepped away from the game as a player, and decided he would do something he never thought he would do: coaching.

Jeff first went to work for his dad as assistant at Old Dominion before moving onto Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) as an assistant. Jeff III then became the youngest Division I head coach in Division I basketball at age 27 at VCU. After four successful seasons at VCU, including trips to the NCAA and NIT tournaments, Capel was named the head men's basketball coach at Oklahoma, where he is today.

“I saw what my dad had to go through as a coach, growing up,” Jeff III said. “(So) I never actually thought I'd be a coach. It's not something I even wanted to do.”

As Jeff Capel III climbed the college coaching ranks on the fast track, Jason's back was limiting what he could do on the basketball court as a player. After a long rehab stint with the Charlotte Bobcats medical staff, Jason finally took doctors' advice and decided to retire from pro basketball.

“At first when I quit basketball, I couldn't even go near a gym, it was too hard,” Jason said. “I still miss it. I thought at 28, I would have some years left.”

Jason, who was an assistant coach for the boys' basketball team at South Iredell High last year, put his injury in the past. Last basketball season, he began a budding career as basketball commentator for Raycom Sports and ESPN. Jeff III even did radio for the Bobcats for about 30 games.

“College basketball is really all I've ever known,” said Jason, who tried out for Raycom without any training or experience. “I've been on a Final Four team, I've been on an 8-20 team, I've been through coaching changes…. When it comes to basketball, there is not much I haven't experienced.”

Jason hopes to do even more for Raycom and ESPN this season, while Jeff III hopes to build on his first NCAA tournament appearance with Oklahoma this past season. Meanwhile, their dad, Jeff Jr. was retained by Larry Brown as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Bobcats.

But either way, all three continue to work in the field that they love: basketball.

“More than anything else, my dad taught me to be myself,” Jeff III said, saying he said the same things to Jason. “I can't be anyone else. Whether it's my dad, Coach K or whoever. You have to learn how to be comfortable being yourself.”

Warriors sign Clippers star Maggette

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:47 EDT

Golden State acquired free agent Corey Maggette, 28, a former Duke star, on Thursday, signing away the Los Angeles Clippers' scoring leader.

A person with knowledge of the deal previously told The Associated Press that Maggette is getting a five-year deal worth around $50million to leave the Clippers, who signed Golden State's Baron Davis in an effective swap of high-scoring stars.

The Warriors made another aggressive move, signing L.A. Lakers forward Ronny Turiaf to an offer sheet. The Lakers have seven days to decide whether to match Golden State's four-year, $17million offer, which would boost Los Angeles' payroll past the luxury tax.

Maggette averaged 22.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.01 steals in 70 games last season.

Elsewhere

CHICAGO: The NBA suspended guard JamesOn Curry for one game after he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors in Idaho. He was arrested in January and pleaded guilty to resisting arrest and urinating in public. A second-round draft pick in 2007, he spent most of his season in the Developmental League.

CLEVELAND: The Cavaliers have signed first-round draft pick J.J. Hickson, the 19th overall pick. He played one season at N.C. State.

ORLANDO: The Magic introduced 6-6 free agent Mickael Pietrus after signing him away from Golden State.

In Pietrus, 26, Orlando sees a lockdown defender and proven scorer. His contract will use most of Orlando's $5.5million midlevel salary exception.

His signing could also trigger the trade former Duke star J.J. Redick has been requesting for several months.

SACRAMENTO: The NBA suspended center Brad Miller five games for violating the league drug program.

UTAH: The Jazz signed first-round pick Kosta Koufos to a contract that will pay him around $1million a year.

Observer News Services

Beasley, Heat beat Bulls

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 05:10 EDT

Michael Beasley stood in the doorway to the gym an hour before game time, iPod in his left hand, head bobbing slightly as he chatted with new Miami Heat teammate Mario Chalmers.

Beasley was the picture of cool. And on the court, his demeanor didn't change much.

If he was the tiniest bit anxious about his first pro outing – one that came against the Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose, the only player selected before him in last month's NBA draft – he hid the nerves perfectly.

Beasley scored 28 points in 23 minutes, lifting Miami past Chicago 94-70 on Monday in the Orlando summer league opener for both teams.

It was the ninth-highest scoring performance in Orlando summer league history, and Beasley wasn't impressed.

“Could have played better,” he said. “Could have got a couple more assists, made a couple extra passes, got a couple more rebounds, could have got a couple stops early on.”

Rose, the guard who spearheaded Memphis' run to the NCAA title game this past season, finished with 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting, with four assists and five turnovers – mostly while being guarded by Chalmers, who helped Kansas beat Rose's Tigers in that national championship game.

“We didn't win,” Rose said, “so I think I played horrible. But tomorrow's a new day.”

Elsewhere

CHARLOTTE: As expected, coach Larry Brown has added his brother, longtime NBA assistant Herb Brown, to the staff. A former head coach of the Detroit Pistons, Herb Brown has coached more than 40 years and worked with eight NBA franchises.

He has twice worked for Larry, in Detroit and Philadelphia.

Herb Brown spent the past four seasons as an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks.

-- Rick Bonnell

OKLAHOMA CITY: The uniforms arrived in time, black mesh with white stripes along the sides, the words “Oklahoma City” across the front of the jersey and atop an NBA logo.

Around the bench, there was barely any SuperSonics green or gold in sight. And with that, Oklahoma City's latest NBA storyline got off to a simple start.

A week ago, these players would have been called the Seattle SuperSonics. Now, they're from Oklahoma City, nickname to be announced. And in the Orlando summer league, the former Sonics franchise took its first steps along the road of relocation, in a glorified scrimmage for rookies and other young pros.

“It's all happened so fast,” Oklahoma City rookie point guard Russell Westbrook said. “It's something you have to live with. It happened so fast. I'm very excited to be in the position I am now.”

Oklahoma City lost to the Indiana Pacers 95-78.

-- AP

Duke's Collins is held to a gold standard

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:02 EDT

Ask Duke associate head coach Chris Collins what happened to his dad, Doug, and the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team at the 1972 Munich Games and he'll tell you, “They were robbed.”

The emotions tied to a controversial Soviet Union victory and first-ever Olympic loss for the U.S. has carried over to the next generation of the Collins family.

Still, the younger Collins has a chance to lighten the heavy heart that lingers for his father, who hit two free throws with three seconds left that would have won the game for the U.S.

Instead, the Soviets won 51-50 after getting three chances to replay the final seconds and scoring on their final try.

Chris Collins will serve as a practice assistant and scout with the U.S. men's basketball team as it goes for gold in Beijing next month.

“I don't think it will ever fully reclaim anything,” Chris said of possibly playing a part in a gold-medal effort. “There's nothing that can fix that. But to be a part of that process the last couple of years and considering all my dad went through with that game and not being able to showcase a medal of his own ... it would be special for (my family). It would be a great feeling for me.”

Doug, who turns 57 on July28, wasn't a starter until his senior year at Benton (Ill.) High School. He eventually received the first full athletic scholarship ever given at Illinois State, where he became a star.

He was the No. 1 pick of the 1973 NBA Draft. But, in 1972, Illinois State coach Will Robinson, the first black head coach in Division I basketball, had to campaign hard to get Collins invited to the Olympic tryouts.

Doug got in and spent three sweaty weeks at the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii. In an open-air gym with the sun beating down on a tin roof, he played three times a day with future NBA coaches Gregg Popovich and Mike D'Antoni.

Every night, he and roommate Bobby Cremins, who would later coach 19 seasons at Georgia Tech, would lie awake talking about how they messed up, sure they'd be sent home the next day.

Doug made the cut and that's how he ended up on the line with the game in his hands in Munich.

The gold medal game started at midnight, so it was early morning before the U.S. team returned to its dorm, confused and inconsolable.

Doug and (then fiancée) Kathy, with Ed Ratleff and his girlfriend, walked the streets of Munich until the sun came up.

Upon returning to the Olympic dorms, they heard that FIBA, the international basketball governing body, had denied the U.S. protest. The team voted to skip the medal ceremony and refuse the silver medal, then took the first flight home.

Every few years, the IOC contacts the 1972 U.S. team members to see if they'll take the silver medals. All 12 would have to agree. Doug said he doesn't think that will happen.

But he continues to support the Olympics and USA Basketball and said he feels “so proud” that Chris was asked to work with the U.S. team in Beijing.

Doug will be nearby, working courtside as NBC's men's basketball analyst. Doug also will share his Olympic lessons with the current U.S. team as part of the USA Olympic Ambassadors program later this month in Las Vegas.

“I want to talk to the guys about how quickly things go,” he said, “and how opportunity is there one moment and gone the next, and how to take advantage of that.”

Collinses had close call with terror in Munich

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 07:25 EDT

Doug and Kathy Collins each had a brush with the terror attack that came to define the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Just days before the men's basketball medal round, members of a Palestinian group called Black September kidnapped 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team. During the abduction and a subsequent failed rescue attempt, all 11 were murdered and one German police officer killed.

"You're at the Olympics," said NBA analyst Doug Collins, who played for the 1972 U.S. Olympic men's basketball team. "You never think you'd be faced with that kind of tragedy."

The U.S. team got a close look at it all the morning of the abduction. The team was staying in the Olympic village dorm right next to where the Israelis were being held.

Walking to practice that morning of Sept. 5, 1972, U.S. teammates Collins and Ed Ratleff saw, 250 feet away, men wearing stocking caps with machine guns.

"That was kind of freaky because there was nothing on TV," said Kathy, who was Doug's fiancee at the time. "We were in the middle of all that and didn't even know it. We didn't know how bad it was. The whole experience was a lot more than we had bargained for. And I experienced all of that with Doug."

After the news came out that all 11 had been murdered, no one knew if the Olympics would continue. Kathy attended the memorial service with the U.S. team, sharing the grief, fear and uncertainty with the Olympic and Munich communities.

Kathy was in Munich because Doug's father, Paul, had decided to skip the trip overseas. Kathy, like Doug also a student at Illinois State, decided to go and flew in with the U.S. gymnastics team.

The day before she arrived, Doug had befriended the wife of an officer while practicing at the U.S. Army base in Munich. Upon hearing that Kathy was scheduled to stay outside of the city, the woman insisted that Kathy stay with her husband and three daughters on the base.

The officer turned out to be the head of intelligence at the base.

"He knew everything that was going on with the terrorists and the rescue attempt but couldn't talk about it," Kathy said. "It blew me away because we had been to the Olympic village and seen the terrorists. But [the officer's] wife said, 'I hope you don't mind. We were so worried for you that we had you followed.' I was like, 'Oh my God!' "

Kathy said she never considered going home after the event that became known as the Munich Massacre.

"To be honest, we didn't realize the magnitude," she said. "Just looking back, my kids ask me, 'Mom weren't you so freaked out?' And I say no because we didn't know what was going on. ... And I didn't have any fear because I knew I was being watched."

Beasley resumes contact drills

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 07:15 EDT

Michael Beasley resumed contact drills with the Heat summer league team Saturday afternoon, his first regular basketball activity since slightly cracking his sternum three days earlier.

His status Monday for the summer-league opener in Orlando against the Chicago Bulls – and Derrick Rose, who went No.1 overall in the June 26 draft, one spot ahead of Beasley – remains listed as day-to-day.

Beasley was struck by a teammate's elbow in a defensive drill Wednesday, causing the injury. The former Kansas State star, who averaged 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds in his lone college season, had only participated in non-contact work since.

While most eyes at Miami's summer games will be on Beasley, the Heat will be paying attention to what guard Mario Chalmers can do as well.

Upgrading the point guard position is one of Miami's top priorities this summer. Incumbent starter Jason Williams is an unrestricted free agent and isn't a guarantee to return; backup Chris Quinn is a restricted free agent who may be lured elsewhere.

Around the league

SEATTLE: First-round picks Russell Westbrook and D.J. White have signed multiyear contracts with the SuperSonics.

Westbrook, a guard, was taken fourth overall out of UCLA. White, a forward, was drafted by Detroit with the 29th overall pick out of Indiana and traded to the Sonics for the 32nd pick, Walter Sharpe, and the 46th selection, Trent Plaisted.

Westbrook and White signed on Friday, Seattle general manager Sam Presti said. Contract terms were not released.

The NBA's rookie scale calls for Westbrook to make about $6million over his first two seasons, while White would make about $1.6million combined over the first two years.

The SuperSonics announced this week that they will be moving to Oklahoma City starting next season.

Westbrook averaged 12.7 points and 4.3 assists last season as a sophomore at UCLA, where he was also named the Pac-10 defensive player of the year.

White averaged 17.4 points and 10.3 rebounds as a senior at Indiana last season, earning Big Ten player of the year honors.

Coach K gets blame if Team USA loses

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:13 EDT

Having never been the sort to place more emphasis on the downside than potential reward, Mike Krzyzewski didn't look around for a grassy-knoll conspiracy when he was selected for – and quickly accepted – the head coaching job of the United States' 2008 Olympic men's basketball team.

I did, though. Hey, somebody has to search through the shadows.

The coaches certainly won't. They were born with visions of trophy cases dancing in their eyes. Left to their own devices, they would sign on to lead a team of miniature French poodles against the Boston Celtics.

That's the problem with coaches, and particularly lifelong college coaches. They think anything is possible. Give them a pile of horse manure, and they'll be fully convinced there's an award-winning pony at the bottom of the mess.

That's why you see so many college coaches with tears dripping from their eyes each March during the NCAA tournament. Broken dreams go hand-to-brow with broken hearts.

In that sense, Krzyzewski was not the logical choice to coach a team of hardened pros. He'll get all of the blame if the USA team again fails to win the gold and very little of the credit if the team succeeds.

Don't get me wrong. I'm fully convinced the USA will prevail in China, and with relative ease. For the first time since it became evident that America couldn't just show up and dominate each game by default, there has been an emphasis placed on assembling a team with the proper mentality and court skills to successfully compete under international rules.

But it still seems strange that Krzyzewski, a Duke fixture for almost three decades, was picked to coach this team. That's hardly a knock on his qualifications, preparations and resume. There's not a more highly respected basketball coach in the world.

None of that, however, changes the fact that Krzyzewski has never been in charge of a professional team during such a high-stakes competition. That alone puts an inordinate degree of the pressure to win on him.

If the USA team wins it all, most of the credit will go to Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, LeBron James and the remainder of a team with too much raw talent to lose. But if the team comes up short, Krzyzewski will be blamed as the college coach who was incapable of communicating with the pro superstars.

The selection of Krzyzewski to lead this team was a tribute to him personally and to the collegiate division in general. No one has to be concerned that he will take either honor lightly.

He'll put as much effort into winning the gold as most of his team will.

Olympic basketball was a lot more interesting in the days when the entire world understood that American college players were regularly beating professionals from other countries.

But since 1992, the Olympic team has become the NBA's domain. To put a college coach in charge of an NBA all-star team is putting the pressure in the wrong place.

Boozer ranks Olympic honor No. 1

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:29 EDT

The U.S. men's Olympic team is made up of all the guys you'd expect to see picked in the first round of the NBA draft – Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd.

Then there's former Duke star Carlos Boozer.

Boozer, now with the Utah Jazz, and Milwaukee guard Michael Redd were second-round picks. And proud of it.

“Oh this is the top of the list,” Boozer said, putting this experience in perspective during a USA Basketball news conference at The Plaza Hotel on Monday. “I'm a second-round pick like Redd and to make it all the way to the top and have a chance to be a gold medalist – that's cool.”

A two-time Olympian in Boozer's case. He won a bronze for the U.S. at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

He said he, Anthony, James, and Wade, U.S. teammates in 2004 and for 2008, learned the hard way how international basketball was played. The U.S. no longer could phone it in.

“When we lost in Athens, obviously we knew other teams had been playing together for years, but we still had that confidence that we'd win, and it hurt us a little,” Boozer said. “We lost and, I'm not sure what the score was, but it felt like 40 points. But the four guys on this team have a chance to redeem ourselves.”

Swimming

Christine Magnuson earned her first trip to the Olympics, rallying to win the 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. swimming trials in Omaha, Neb.

Magnuson, 22, was third at the turn as Rachel Komisarz pushed the pace, flipping just five-hundredths off the world record pace. But Komisarz, 31, faded on the sprint for home, and Magnuson rallied to win in 58.11 seconds.

Elaine Breeden took second in 58.21. Komisarz was third.

Katie Hoff is 2-for-2 at the trials, locking up another spot with a 400 freestyle victory, one night after she bumped off the world record in the 400 individual medley. Hoff rallied over the final 150 meters to pull away with a time of 4 minutes, 2.32 seconds. Kate Ziegler, America's best distance swimmer, claims the second spot in 4:03.92. associated press

Track and Field

With the Olympic track trials in full swing, the air quality in Oregon has turned murky, thanks to winds pushing up smoke from wildfires burning in Northern California.

Sounds a lot like Beijing, where noxious pollution presents an enormous problem and a health menace.

Hazel Clark-Riley , Alice Schmidt and Nicole Teter made the Olympic team in the women's 800 meters. Teter finished fourth at the trials, but made the team instead of third-place finisher Kameisha Bennett, because Teter had run a qualifying time of 2 minutes and Bennett hadn't.

Going shoulder to shoulder in the 400-meter semifinals, Jeremy Wariner beat LaShawn Merritt by .10 seconds to set up a rematch in the finals Thursday.

In the decathlon, Bryan Clay made his second straight Olympics with a personal-record of 8,832. That marked the best score by an American in 16 years and beat Dan O'Brien's Olympic trials record. ap

Summer Games an extended family affair for Coach K

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:53 EDT

One thing you must know about Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski is that he is so hyped for hoops that he often leaps before he looks. This is the story of how Krzyzewski jumped in to accept the job as U.S. men's national team coach in the summer of 2005 before clearing it with his wife, Mickie, and daughters -- Debbie Savarino, Lindy Frasher and Jamie Spatola.

Krzyzewski plunged in the minute U.S. senior men's national team director Jerry Colangelo called him -- Mike and Mickie were vacationing in Las Vegas that summer -- to ask him out for dinner to talk about the U.S. program.

"I thought that was kind of him, out of respect, to speak to me like I might give him some insight," Krzyzewski said.

Before he left that evening, he assured his wife that he wouldn't take a job as a U.S. assistant if it were offered. Krzyzewski, who had coached in the USA Basketball program eight previous times, had thought his chance to coach an Olympic team had passed in 1992 when USA Basketball began using NBA players and coaches.

But Mickie Krzyzewski kept asking, "Are you sure Jerry isn't going to offer you the job? I think he's going to offer you the job." And Mike kept responding, "No. It's never going to happen."

"I really didn't think that [I would be offered the job]; I'm not kidding you," Mike Krzyzewski said. "When we met, I kept saying, 'You're serious, aren't you?' "

Mickie was right. Mike was wrong. Colangelo offered the job with one caveat: It had to be a three-year commitment.

Mickie Krzyzewski said her husband came back to the hotel that night and told her what had happened. She calmly said they should go home to Durham for a family meeting to discuss it. Right, Mike?

"And he said, 'Well, I already said yes,' " Mickie Krzyzewski said. "And I was like, 'You did what!' "

Ask Krzyzewski about it now and he'll tell you he accepted the three-year job, that would take him to Japan and China, after the family agreed.

Mickie Krzyzewski shook her head indulgently when she heard her husband's retelling of the story and said, "You have to understand, that's Mike."

She has been through these situations before. It is the reason that Mike's job is basketball and Mickie's job is Mike.

"We sort of have to protect him from himself," she said. "He believes that if [it's] something good, you say yes and make it work. He doesn't immediately think about how he's going to make it work."

Mike generates the ideas, and Mickie handles the mental legwork, Spatola said.

"Honestly, I believe my dad is a genius," Spatola said. "But I am serious when I tell you, none of it would work without my mom. His ideas would never be made into workable realities. She makes it work -- for him, for our whole family."

What needed to be figured out was how Krzyzewski's daughters and their young families would share their father with USA Basketball.

Krzyzewski was tempting some strong forces. It's a woman's world at the Krzyzewski home, where the coach often has to work to get a word in, which balances Krzyzewski's life.

His wife and daughters also work within the Duke program. Mike and Mickie have approached the program as an extension of their own family for 28 seasons. Before Krzyzewski took the Duke job in 1980, Mickie told Mike she would not be kept on the outside like other coaches' wives.

She hasn't. She often sits in on film sessions, meetings and interviews. She arranged the team photo/poster and banquet for years. She serves a function for the program's Legacy Fund, occasionally hosting fund members during road games.

Savarino is assistant director of the Legacy Fund, the fundraising arm of the Duke basketball program. Frasher, who has a master's degree in psychology, works as a team counselor. Spatola wrote a book with her father and also helps writes sections for his XM radio show. Spatola's husband Chris is Duke's director of basketball operations.

The Krzyzewski family often travels to road games. Nearly all of them, including sons-in-law Peter Savarino and Steve Frasher, and grandchildren Joey, Michael, Carly and Emmie Savarino, and Quin Frasher, regularly attend home games.

Because Duke, basketball and life are intertwined, Mickie was the one who told the girls that their father had accepted the job.

"They still had things to discuss. It was not 100 percent to start out," she said.

Spatola said they all remembered how their father had pushed himself too far during the 1994-95 season. Just 12 games into the season, following summer back surgery, Krzyzewski was done. He had to take a sabbatical and sit out.

The daughters, wanting to avoid a repeat, stood firm on one point: The family vacation was sacred. Each told their mother, we're all for this if we don't lose the family vacation, taken this year in May instead of June.

"When I talked to Mike, I said to him, 'When you tell me this thing is an honor for you to be selected, I'm telling you a bigger honor is that your daughters are not willing to give up the family vacation for it,' " Mickie Krzyzewski said.

Jamie Spatola said, "The discussions were 'how' discussions, not 'if' discussions."

"Some were intense and emotional -- but they had to happen," she said, "and look at how well it is all working."

Once they agreed, they all dived in.

"Once the family gave their blessing, then it was like, 'Well, you're not going to do this without us,' " Mickie Krzyzewski said.

Last summer, everyone except the Savarinos -- Peter was recovering from a stroke -- traveled to Las Vegas for the FIBA Americas Championship, where the U.S. qualified for Beijing. It was a business trip.

"It was a little odd to be in Vegas and not be partying," Mickie said. "We do like Vegas. The whole family is a Vegas act."

For Christmas, Mike and Mickie gave family members the gift of a trip to China. When the U.S. men open against China on Aug. 10, all seven adults and five grandkids will do what they usually do at games, cheer on their team and give officials the business when necessary.

"It'll be the 'Griswolds in Beijing,' " Mickie Krzyzewski said. "It's going to be unbelievable. We're there for Mike. That's our team."

Shock extends Dream's nightmare of a season

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:46 EDT

Kara Braxton scored a career-best 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds Sunday to help the Detroit Shock keep the Atlanta Dream winless with a 100-92 victory Sunday night.

Detroit (12-5) moved into a tie with Connecticut for the Eastern Conference lead, while the expansion Dream extended its WNBA-record losing streak to 15 games.

The Dream lost its 14th straight game Friday at Connecticut to break the record of 13 set by the Shock in 2002 and the Chicago Sky in 2006, its first season in the league.

Katie Smith added 24 points and Deanna Nolan had 18 points and 11 assists for Detroit, which was missing starters Cheryl Ford (knee) and Elaine Powell (foot) and used just eight players.

Atlanta got a career-high 26 points from Tamera Young and 22 from Betty Lennox. Former North Carolina star Ivory Latta of York, S.C., added 18 points.

In Uncasville, Conn., Diana Taurasi scored 25 points, leading the Phoenix Mercury past the Connecticut Sun 87-80 for its fifth win in six games.

Tangela Smith added 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Mercury, which took advantage of 14 offensive rebounds to sweep the season series from Connecticut.

Taurasi made her fifth 3-pointer with 4 minutes, 42 seconds left to give the Mercury a 75-68 lead, after Phoenix kept the possession alive with two offensive rebounds.

Sue Bird had 14 points and seven assists to lead a balanced attack as the host Seattle Storm beat the Washington Mystics 64-49.

Lauren Jackson scored 13 points, Sheryl Swoopes 11, Swin Cash 10 and Yolanda Griffith nine to help Seattle (9-7) move into third place in the Western Conference, one-half game behind second-place San Antonio (9-6). Former Duke star Alana Beard scored 16 points, but was 6-for-17 from the field for Washington.

Motorsports

Dutch driver Junior Strous raced to his first Atlantic race victory, leading every lap in the 30-lap race that ended under a full-course caution at Circuit Mont-Tremblant in Quebec.

Strous drove the No.6 Condor Motorsports/Team Holland machine, giving the team its second straight victory at Mont-Tremblant. Franck Perera won in 2007.

The victory also gave Strous a 74-67 lead over to Canadian driver James Hinchcliffe in the season standings. Hinchcliffe was fourth Sunday.

Finnish rookie Markus Niemela was second in the No.8 car for Brooks Associates Racing, and American Carl Skerlong was third in the No.14 Pacific Coast Motorsports entry.

Justin Allgaier won the Cayuga ARCA RE/MAX 250, beating Frank Kimmel by 1.166 seconds at Cayuga Motor Speedway in Nelles Corners, Ontario.

Stenhouse was third on the 0.625-mile track, followed by Dexter Bean, Pete Shepherd, Matt Carter, Tom Hessert III, Scott Speed and John Wes Townley. The 257-lap race was slowed by 18 caution periods that consumed 106 laps.

Colleges

The University of Arkansas reaches two milestones today – its contract with fired basketball coach Nolan Richardson ends and the chancellor who helped show him the door is stepping down after 11 years at the campus.

Chancellor John White says he didn't realize the coincidence. But in an interview with The Associated Press, White said athletic director Jeff Long and current Arkansas coach John Pelphrey should develop a relationship with Richardson.

White and then-athletic director Frank Broyles fired Richardson on March 1, 2002, after the coach said he would leave if the school would buy out his contract. With the dismissal, the Razorbacks' fundraising arm was obligated to pay Richardson $500,000 a year through June 30, 2008.

NFL

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Derrick Martin was cited for drug abuse after he was found in possession of suspected marijuana at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Cleveland police spokesman Lt. Thomas Stacho said airport screeners discovered three bags of suspected marijuana while searching Martin at a security checkpoint Saturday night.

A Baltimore Ravens spokesman said Martin has denied that the incident occurred.

NHL

The Edmonton Oilers acquired defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky from the Los Angeles Kings for forward Jarret Stoll and defenseman Matt Greene. Visnovsky had eight goals and 33 assists for the Kings last season. Stoll, 26, had 14 goals and 22 assists.

The Minnesota Wild traded forward Brian Rolston to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a conditional draft pick. The Wild will get a selection in either the 2009 or 2010 draft.

Field Hockey

Australia beat Spain 4-1 to win its ninth Champions Trophy field hockey title in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Desmond Abbott, Jamie Dwyer, Eddie Ockenden and Eli Matheson scored for Australia. Xavi Ribas had Spain's goal. Argentina won the bronze medal, beating the Netherlands 5-3. Observer News Services