Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski made $9.7 million in 2011
Coach K’s 2011 pay is the greatest single-year compensation total for a college athletics.
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7 Players That Made a Terrible Mistake Declaring for the 2013 NBA Draft
Every year there are a few players who make a terrible decision to declare—at least from an NBA draft stock point of view.
Some players declare for personal reasons that aren’t always made aware to the public.
But for players looking to make the maximum amount of dollars, there’s a right time to leave and a wrong time.
The following guys picked the wrong time. Another year or two in school could not only allow them to develop further, but it could give them a chance to maximize their stock and increase their odds at landing a fatter or guaranteed contract.
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Would Kobe Have Even Made a Difference Against Playoff Heavyweight Spurs?
Thanks to the forward-thinking Gregg Popovich, this is what the San Antonio Spurs have been planning for all season.
Their 102-91 win gave them a 2-0 series lead over a Los Angeles Lakers team apparently growing thinner by the second.
Here’s the good news for Lakers fans: Reserve forward Jordan Hill returned to action for the first time since undergoing hip surgery back in January. If his addition alone isn’t impressive enough, then his miraculous recovery time should be (via Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times):
Jordan Hill back playing 3 months into his 6 month recovery
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) April 25, 2013
As for the bad news, though, well that’s becoming almost too much to mention at this point.
Kobe Bryant (torn Achilles) was lost before the postseason even got under way. Steve Blake lasted nearly 36 minutes in Game 2 before a visit with the team trainers was needed (via Pincus):
So Steve Blake is out with a strained hamstring – no not Nash – Blake – him too
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) April 25, 2013
And although he’s been on the floor for each of L.A.’s first two playoff games, a clearly hobbled Steve Nash is getting harder to stomach (via TNT’s Matt Winer):
Steve Nash is moving like me when I wake up most mornings…
— Matt Winer (@matt_winer) April 25, 2013
Game 2 saw a much crisper offensive outing from both teams, but that didn’t change the final result. The Spurs shook off their Game 1 shooting woes (37.6 percent from the field, 31.8 percent from deep), converting 51.2 percent of their field goals and 50.0 percent of their perimeter attempts in their 102-91 win on Wednesday night.
Mike D’Antoni’s depleted roster managed a respectable 45.1 field-goal percentage in Game 2, but lacked an alpha-dog presence on the offensive end. Five different Lakers scored in double figures, but none poured in more than 16 points (Blake and Dwight Howard).
Clearly Kobe Bryant could have helped establish an offensive focal point. He was the league’s third-highest scorer, 27.3 points per game, during the regular season after all.
But more than a scoring lift, the Lakers desperately needed a perimeter stopper to slow San Antonio’s attack. Any offensive improvements would have gone for naught with the Lakers surrendering clean looks at an alarming rate.
As has been the case throughout this frustrating season, each forward L.A. step came with many more headed in the wrong direction (via Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News):
Lakers have improved in Game 2 but not on defense. Lakers well aware that part of that in Game 1 partly based on Spurs simply missing shots
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) April 25, 2013
Tony Parker tallied a game-high 28 points, Kawhi Leonard added 16 and Manu Ginobili chipped in with 13 off the bench.
And remember, this isn’t the same Mamba who brought home All-Defensive first-team honors nine times during his career, hadn’t been all season long actually. No, this version of Bryant, the 34-year-old one, was prone to far too many defensive lapses that exploited the Lakers’ interior.
The battle-tested Spurs know full well how to take advantage of another team’s weakness (see: Parker’s systematic dismantling of Nash). And they’ve made a living off of the drive-and-dish system that’s been a major weapon in Popovich’s arsenal for years.
It’s not as if those untimely naps would’ve cost Bryant any playing time; the remaining healthy bodies on L.A.’s perimeter have been used and abused throughout the series.
But would the Mamba’s offensive outpouring be enough to change the outcome of either matchup?
The only potential change I can envision is a vintage Bryant performance willing the Lakers away from a sweep, perhaps like his 36-point effort in the 2012 Western Conference Semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder that delayed L.A.’s departure by a game.
Outside of that, it’s hard to imagine any noticeable effects that a healthy Bryant would bring. He played some of the finest basketball of his career this season, yet L.A.’s playoff ticket wasn’t punched until the final night of the regular season.
He’s an all-time great in every respect, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer.
But he’s not a miracle worker, folks.
And anything short of that wouldn’t save these Lakers.
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Dwight Howard called out fan who made sign about his alleged baby mamas
Like many other superstar professional athletes, there are a lot of rumors and gossip that surround the life of Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard. For lack of a better term, Howard appears to have a lot of baby mama drama.
Earlier this month, a fan apparently got a rise out of Howard when she brought a sign to a game against the Portland Trailblazers telling him she is willing to become his “6th baby mama.” Below is a photo of the tweet the young lady sent that included a picture of the sign she brought to the game, courtesy of Vlad TV:
The fan was obviously looking for a response from Howard, and that’s exactly what she got. The big man did not find the sign to be humorous.
Again, there are a lot of theories about what goes on in Howard’s personal life. If you want a summary of most of the rumors, you can read one here. We don’t know how many children Howard has by how many different women, but it’s obvious he is sensitive about it. Otherwise, he would have just ignored the tweet like h
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Rick Pitino made a tattoo decision (and it’s not a tramp stamp)
See where the Louisville coach is going to get inked.
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Boris Diaw Made Lego Harlem Shake Video Because Legos Always Relevant
A tip of the hat to Pro Basketball Talk for finding one of the rare new “Harlem Shake” videos being delivered to a world who demanded last call on these things weeks ago.
Diaw is taking it easy at the moment, out for Wednesday’s game because of a back injury. It’s my hope that he uses his down time to construct yet another chapter in stop-motion artistry.
I am going to assume that most of you had your “Harlem Shake” fill a while back. Now don’t get me wrong, there was a moment when these types of videos caused me to actually click play without cringing.
The fact that everyone and their mothers have produced these things makes me a tad weary when a new “Harlem Shake” comes creeping across the transom of the internet.
However, let’s congratulate Diaw on producing—he is listed as the artistic director and executive producer—one of the last creative iterations remaining.
This would be like getting the crew together for one more Happy Days episode, or doing one more episode of Golden Girls nobody asked for.
Take a bow, Diaw. You managed to keep “Harlem Shake” going for just a bit longer. Now, to the rest of you, let this thing die mercifully.
Hit me up on Twitter, but not with anything Harlem Shake related.
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The 10 Lamest PSAs Ever Made Involving NBA Players
A public service announcement done right can be a very powerful thing. When a celebrity or athlete gets on camera and talks about real issues, kids tend to listen.
Over the years, the NBA has tried to get their players involved as much as possible with creating these PSAs.
From Magic Johnson to LeBron James, these messages have become a part of every NBA player’s off-the-court life.
But what happens when these PSAs turn into a comedy routine? Well, then they become the stuff of legend.
Start the slideshow below and check out the 10 lamest public service announcements involving NBA players of all time.
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3 Mistakes the Milwaukee Bucks Made This Season
Nobody’s perfect, and like many other teams, the Milwaukee Bucks have made a few decisions that are going to come back to haunt them in the near future.
Whether it’s an unconventional signing or a bad trade, the Bucks still find themselves in the playoff race for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
However, there are very few middle-of-the-pack teams in the league like the Bucks who still don’t have a sense of direction.
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LeBron James Reportedly Hasn’t Made Any Decisions About 2014 Free Agency
LeBron James isn’t going anywhere…for now. Beyond that, he makes no promises nor has he made any decisions.
Presently riding the second-longest winning streak in NBA history with the Miami Heat, on pace to win his fourth MVP award and well within reach of his second championship ring, The Chosen One has no idea what he’ll choose to do come 2014, when he’s eligible to be a free agent again.
Per Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, despite several teams already gearing up for his availability, the King isn’t on the cusp of making any decisions:
Sources close to James insist that there is no plan in place for 2014 and no decisions have been made.
Of course, teams hardly have the same luxury — they have to plan ahead, because of the complexities of salary-cap and roster management. Going into next season, it will be fairly obvious, just as in 2009-10, which teams are plotting to make a run at James. While teams cannot talk publicly about players on other rosters, their intentions are often well known.
In addition to the Heat, three teams are mentioned most often as potential bidders: the Cavs, Lakers and Bulls.
The Decision part two is still more than a year a way and while we can’t stay with any sort of definitiveness that James will flee South Beach, we also can’t say with any certainty that he won’t.
As Windhorst notes, the new CBA could quadruple Miami’s luxury tax bill in 2014 if James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade all decide to re-sign, making it extremely difficult for the Heat to keep this team together.
We can safely assume that Micky Arison would give LeBron the world to return, but he might not be so apt to re-up with the Heat if both his buddies aren’t allowed to do the same. Footing a steeper luxury tax bill also impedes Miami’s ability to surround its Big Three with talent similar to what is next to them now.
Clinging to the hope that the Heat win one or two more titles before next summer to lure LeBron back presents some sound logic, but at that point, he could also view the Heat as a vessel that brought him as far as it can.
No matter what happens between now and 2014, there’s still a chance James leaves sunny Miami for what he considers more suitable pastures.
Where might those “pastures” be?
The Cleveland Cavaliers will obviously be a favorite. They don’t have any guaranteed money on the books for the 2014-15 season at the moment. Assuming they retain the restricted free agent Kyrie Irving (they will), the Cavs will have at least $40 million annually to play around with (provided they don’t exercise any of the other five team options they have).
Before you rule out James returning to the city he helped destroy, ask yourself: Who doesn’t love a good prodigal-son returns story?
LeBron would have the opportunity to return home, back to his roots and bring the city of Cleveland the title(s) he was initially supposed to.
Compelling stuff.
But as compelling as him setting up shop in the locker room Michael Jordan used to haunt with the Chicago Bulls?
Windhorst mentions them as a possibility as well. They, however, have $42 million in salary committed to 2014-15 campaign and would have to move someone to make adequate room (Taj Gibson?). The allure of playing where Jordan once did and next to a Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah (no Carlos Boozer!) is bound to intrigue him.
Don’t rule out the Los Angeles Lakers either. In Hollywood, he would have the opportunity to team up with Dwight Howard (if the Lakers re-sign him), and maybe even Kobe Bryant (unrestricted free agent).
Tinseltown has just under $10 million on the payroll that summer. Even if Howard returns (he will), then that will leave the Lakers with $25-30 million worth of spending power.
And this isn’t including any dark horse candidates that emerge between now and then. The possibilities are endless.
Which LeBron knows, also like he knows he doesn’t have to make a decision now.
Instead, he’ll wait until the year ahead paints a better picture of where the league and any interested teams are going.
Then, and only then, will he decide where it is he’s taking his talents this time.
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Dwight Howard: I made a change at break
Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard said he’s committed the second half of the season to being a better man and better player. When did he decide to make a change? “At the All-Star break,” said Howard
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