Empty the Bench

Two of baseball’s best starting pitchers appear to be progressing well and both should be back in early May according to today’s reports. Chris Caprenter was a preseason candidate for the NL’s Cy Young award before being derailed after his first start of the season with arthiritis and a ‘mild impingement’ in his throwing elbow. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that after starting a throwing program this week, Carpenter’s arm felt good and he didn’t experience any swelling according to trainer Barry Weinberg.

After Felix Hernandez’s first two starts, he was looking like a legitimate threat to Johan Santana for the AL’s Cy Young. King Felix had given up no runs, struck out 12 in the opener and then pitched a complete-game shutout in Boston. Then Minnesota came to town and Felix removed himself after just two outs in the first inning with tightness in his throwing elbow. Since then, the baseball world has been waiting with baited breath, hoping one of the best prospects in the last decade would be OK. According to John Hickey at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Hernandez threw on the side before Wednesday’s game and came out of it fine. Hernandez will throw a bullpen session this weekend and is scheduled to start in Yankee Stadium on May 4, the first day he’s eligible to come off the disabled list.

I watched this game last season, but just now found the clip (thanks Need4Sheed!). That he was recognized by the Pistons’ bench probably made the dude’s life. Hilarious.

Some call him embattled, others say he’s rotund, while still other NFL observers simply refer to him as Sideshow Matt. To folks like you and me, he’s simply known as Detroit Lions GM Matt Millen, and if there’s one thing (literally, there’s only this one thing) he’s done well at his job is stay in the news. Whether he’s calling a former employee of his a “faggot,” calling out an unnamed current employee (at the time) of his a “coward,” or leading the charge of one of the worst draft-pick streaks in NFL history, a headline and a chuckle with Millen involved is never too far off.

With his team possessing the second overall pick in the draft–and, likely, the keys to the best prospect of the year, one Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech–Millen will probably have the luxury of picking and choosing from a number of suitors eager to trade up into Detroit’s slot. Personally, I’d like to see Johnson line up across from Roy Williams for the Lions, but Millen has a respected reputation to uphold, after all, and it’s widely assumed that he wouldn’t spend a fourth top-10 pick on a wide receiver. As such, much of the speculation has centered on Tampa Bay swapping the four spot for the two spot in exchange for a few extra picks in rounds two and/or three. That would give Jon Gruden a big-league wide receiver, and give Millen a chance to make the wrong pick.

If there’s any truth to a rumor mentioned today by Sports Illustrated’s Don Banks involving the Atlanta Falcons, however, the Bucs would be forced into a bidding war if they were really serious about drafting Johnson. That means that three teams’ fate–Detroit, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay–would rest in the decision-making skills of, that’s right, Matt Millen. Go ahead, cringe with me:

Sources say Falcons owner Arthur Blank has pretty much ordered Atlanta general manager Rich McKay to do everything he can to put the team into position to land Johnson at No. 2. Blank wants Johnson for a couple of reasons. First, Johnson played at Georgia Tech and would help sell tickets to disillusioned Falcons fans who have endured two non-playoff seasons after Atlanta went to the NFC title game in 2004. Second, the Falcons still have their long-standing need of a reliable big-play receiver for quarterback Michael Vick to play pitch and catch with.

With seven picks in the first four rounds (including two second-rounders and three in the fourth), Atlanta definitely has the ammo to make the deal with Detroit. The Falcons could send the Lions their picks at 8, 39 and 44 for the No. 2 spot, and still have a third-rounder and three fourth-rounders to fill other needs.

The Lions are known to covet middle linebacker Patrick Willis of Mississippi and would be perfectly situated at No. 8 to select him. Picking up at least two extra second-rounders in the process would meet Matt Millen’s goal of turning the No. 2 slot into a first-day package of picks. Detroit is likely to draft a quarterback with its own second-round pick at No. 34. Stanford’s Trent Edwards remains slightly favored over Michigan State’s Drew Stanton.

That’d be a great situation for Detroit. By dropping down to eight, they’d still have a shot to fill voids at middle linebacker (Patrick Willis or Paul Pozluszny), safety (LaRon Landry), or tackle (Levi Brown), or even to trade back a bit further and amass even more picks (though the Lions probably want to stay in the top 10 in the first). Either way, four more picks over the next two rounds would give them 10 of the top 154. With those odds, we’re confident he’ll land at least one guy that can be a backup for Detroit. At least.

**UPDATE** Click here for a follow-up interview with Banks on Sports Radio 1130.

We saw the likes of Francisco Liriano, Jared Weaver, Jonathan Papelbon, Takashi Saito (He counts) and Justin Verlander make huge impacts as rookies in every fantasy league around the country in 2006. Daisuke Matsuzaka was drafted among the top 20 pitchers in your league, but who are the undrafted fantasy rookies that will help teams bring home the trophy in 2007? The first may be arriving this week. Wunderkind Phil Hughes will get the starting nod for the Yankees tomorrow, and just three weeks into the season he represents the first call up who could have the type of impact the aforementioned pitchers did last season. None of the guys featured below have had a chance to contribute at the Major League level yet, but given the opportunity I expect each of these four to be ownable in all fantasy formats.

Of course, with such unproven products these suggestions come with a caveat of caution- don’t go dropping Erik Bedard for them just yet. If you haven’t done so, you may want to pause now, put in a waiver claim for Hughes (He was entered into the Yahoo! system last night), before checking out the rest of ETB’s top pitching prospects:

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We’re huge fans of Josh Howard. Have been ever since he came into the league as an undervalued, underappreciated late first-round pick of the Dallas Mavericks in 2003. Dirk Nowitzki and head coach Avery Johnson get most of the credit for the Mavericks’ success the past few seasons (and rightfully so), but Howard is the guy that pushes this team over the top. Without his unique suite of offensive and defensive talents, the Mavs would not be in the position they are today.

After reading an excellent interview with Howard conducted by True Hoop’s Henry Abbott, we like him that much more. Articulate, thoughtful, and honest about himself and his views of the world throughout, this young man is easy to root for and possesses the kind of heart and hard-working attitude many NBA players sorely lack. The whole interview is a must read, but here’s just a few excerpts:

There’s this idea out there that NBA players don’t develop much — that what you are in college is what you’ll be. You seem to defy that. You were a 4 in college, and now you do so many things, even guarding point guards. How has that happened?

I’m just going hard all the time, trying to get better at all the different phases of the game. Coach Johnson, even before he was the head coach, he has been in charge of my development. The main thing has been to keep the attitude that you are humble and need to improve. At the end of each year, every one of us has a meeting with the coach, and he gives everyone a plan to improve. He told me he wanted me to average 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and four steals, and I have been trying to do that. [Note: Howard's averaging about 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal.]

That’s what makes me a well-rounded player. When he told me that, I went home and worked on my jumpshot, because I have always been able to get rebounds. The six assists are tough because I don’t have the ball in my hands that much.

What about Mark Cuban’s antics on the sidelines? Dirk Nowitzki has suggested it might not be good for the team. You think it hurts the team?

Yeah. Put yourself in the referee’s shoes. He’s there constantly yelling. The coach is yelling. The crowd is yelling. Sometimes players are yelling. That’s a lot. Plus he sends those video tapes in to the league. I understand he wants what’s best for our team. I have no problem with it. But at the end of the day, it does hurt our team.

I don’t know if you ever listen to Chad Ford’s podcasts, but on there a while ago Joe Dumars said he was sad that more players didn’t follow politics.

A lot of players aren’t into anything but themselves. It’s kind of sad. They’re just here to play basketball, and they are not concerned about anyone else. They need to step out of their box. I had a reality check at 11 or 12 when I realized there was a whole ‘nother world and it wasn’t all about me and my goals. I’m glad it happened when I was 11 or 12 and not 27. To each his own, I guess, but it’s a little sad at times.

Seems like a lot of teams that make it deep into the playoffs have a selflessness to them.

Like Detroit, right? You have got to have that selflessness. On our team, everybody checks their egos at the door. We look out for one another. Everyone knows their own role. None of these guys are like that at all.

What did you study in college?

Religion. At Wake Forest, they always try to put athletes in sociology and communications because they are not hard. Really, when I looked at it, I thought about what would happen if I got injured and basketball was over for me? I don’t like broadcasting. And sociology — I’m a black man with a single mother. I know all there is to know about that already. I decided to study what I like in life, so I got a degree in religion, and Wake Forest happened to have the best religion program in the country. Spent a lot of time analyzing the Bible, comparing and contrasting different books, figuring out what makes sense. I had one religion class that had nothing to do with religion at all. It was about the African unconsciousness. It didn’t make sense, but I had to take it.

Hopefully he splurged on Guinness draught and didn’t shortchange him with tall cans of Pabst. After kicking back a few brews last night with the formerly head coach of the Indiana Pacers, Larry Bird fired Rick Carlisle this afternoon in a move they claim was mostly mutual. Carlisle seemed beaten down by all the zaniness in Indianapolis since his arrival (team mascots kicking the handicapped, SJaxes fighting three-fingered men, etc). And for his part, Bird wanted to lay most of the blame for his team’s futility this season squarely at the feet of someone else.

“It’s time for a new era. We shouldn’t point fingers at anyone,” Bird said. “We’re all at fault. If you want to blame somebody, you have to blame the people at the top. I understand that. It’s part of the business. There were a lot of things that went on here in the last three years that were embarrassing. It hurts, being from Indiana. I had a major problem with a lot of it. And we can’t have that. So we’re going to get the right players with skills and the right players to build our community. And we’re going to build from that.”

This move isn’t at all surprising; it was more a matter of when than if. Unfortunately, there are few building blocks for the team to work with moving forward. Jermaine O’Neal doesn’t seem happy, and there are legitimate concerns about his ability to carry the load as the Pacers’ go-to guy for an entire season. That mega-midseason trade that netted Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, and Ike Diogu was partially done so the team could have players who better suited Carlisle’s plodding style of play. Jamaal Tinsley, well… he’s successfully taken over the departed Stephen Jackson’s role as DLC (Designated Loose Cannon). Second-year forward Danny Granger is promising, and the jury is still out on last year’s first-round pick, Shawne Williams (both are 6-9 forwards… sigh).

Hey, at least Bird doesn’t have to worry about who’ll speak at his funeral. “We made a deal last night,” Carlisle said. “Whoever dies first, the other one does his eulogy.” Oh, you jokers you! Your funerals! Oh, how the time flies when you’re having fun.

What a day. About the only thing Bob Hill has going for him now is immortality which, granted, is supposedly pretty sweet. Following rampant speculation that the Seattle SuperSonics head coach would not return to the bench next season, owner Clay Bennett made it official yesterday by firing Hill and moving Rick Sund from the all-important general manager job to a token consultant role.

While Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell was on top of the world yesterday after being named the NBA’s top coach, then seeing his team even up their first-round series with the Nets at 1-1, Hill was suffering through a miserable afternoon. First, he had a fun-filled field trip to a San Antonio hospital, where he toured the operating facilities and had a lingering hernia worked on. Good times filled with squeals and giggles for everyone involved.

Then, despite being prescribed a strict diet of split-pea soup and afternoon reruns of Murder, She Wrote to aid his recovery, Hill had no choice but to disobey doctor’s orders and answer his phone. It was Bennett, and unfortunately he didn’t call with sympathetic get-well wishes:

“What he said was a lot of nice things,” Hill said. “He felt like he had to bring in his own people. I didn’t feel any sense of urgency to (defend myself). I think for me the last two years have been great. I got to do what I loved to do. The NBA can be thankless and unforgiving. But I don’t disagree with his decision. He should go in a different direction. I am all for it.”

And so are we, Bob. Aside from the Indiana Pacers, the Sonics are perhaps facing more uncertainty this summer than any other NBA franchise. No head coach, no general manager, an injured superstar (Ray Allen), a marquee free agent (Rashard Lewis), and a trio of first-round pick centers from the last three years (Robert Swift, Johan Petro, Sene) who, at this point, don’t look anywhere close to being ready to shine in starring roles. And, oh yeah, no one knows how much longer this franchise will even be in Seattle. Awesome time to be a Sonics fan, eh?

Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Chris Terry has had a warrant issued for his arrest in Atlanta. Terry failed to show for a court date last Friday when he was scheduled to face charges stemming from an incident where he allegedly slapped his girlfriend in the face with a handful of cash-money at a nightclub and then dumped beer on her head. This is the same guy who was suspended for the entire 2005 NFL season for other off-field issues, and was arrested for domestic violence in 2002. In that incident, he allegedly threw his wife into a wall, head-butted her, and shoved her face into a pillow in front of their two children. Expect NFL Commish Roger Goodell to come down on the young man. Hard.

Terry was the early favorite to occupy the Chiefs starting right tackle position in 2007. This is another blow to a Kansas City offensive line that has lost two Pro-Bowlers in the last year. The absence of Terry for any stretch could have an impact on Larry Johnson’s production, but that’s only if he’s still a Chief when the regular season kicks off. Earlier this week, the Kansas City Star reported that the Chiefs were shopping the running back to the Browns, Bills, Titans, and Packers in exchange for several draft picks.

It wasn’t pretty last night for Kobe’s LA Lakers, losing in blowout fashion to the tune of a 126-98 final score in Phoenix. With the Suns holding down a commanding 2-0 lead in the series, the action shifts to Los Angeles for Games Three and Four. Can the Lakers win tomorrow night and get back in the series? ETB’s West Coast Bureau hopes so.

With his preview of what to look for in LA, lifelong Lakers fan Christopher Thell makes his debut on Empty the Bench, albeit with a heavy heart after what went down last night. Are Lakers fans still clinging to a shred of hope? Christopher, it’s all you….

It’s fair to say that last year’s Suns/Lakers series was one of the most entertaining match-ups of the playoffs. LA came into that series riding the wave of an 11-3 finish, confident they could beat the Suns. After accumulating a 3-1 series lead, they were one proper Lamar Odom box out away from sending the Suns home for the summer (it was Odom who failed to box out Shawn Marion, thereby allowing the Suns to retain possession of the ball and Tim Thomas to nail the last-second three that sent the game into overtime and put a dagger through the Lakers’ hearts).

Oh, what a difference a year makes. The Lakers limped into the playoffs this year with a horrid 4-8 finish that actually sounds better, if that‘s possible, than it really is. The Lakers have beaten only one team since the All-Star break with a winning record. The ever-petulant Smush Parker, the Lakers’ pathetic excuse for a point guard, was benched with two games remaining in favor of local boy made good, former UCLA standout Jordan Farmar, who no doubt has a solid future ahead of him in the league, but is merely a rookie, and was making his first two starts of his career after spending time in the D-League only a week before. Not the kind of tinkering you want to be indulging in when you’re about to face the team with one of the best point guards of the millennium.

Of course, Kobe is Kobe – hands down the best individual player in the game. Love him or hate him, his superiority cannot be denied. However, it will take a team effort to catch up with the Suns. Lamar Odom will have to be a monster from here on out–we’re talking averaging 20-15–and one more Laker-to-be-named will have to step up and play like man. Unfortunately, outside of Kobe and Lamar, this team is made of boys, so that may be asking a bit much.

If the Lakers are to have any chance of prolonging this series–much less win it–in addition to finding a third offensive option they’ll have to do three things very well:

1.) Play defense.
2.) Play defense.
3.) Play defense.

This has been the Lakers’ Achilles Heel all season.They can’t stop anyone. Ever. Hence why they struggled to a 42-40 record and why they struggle to beat teams with winning records. The Suns, meanwhile, led the NBA in assists, three-point shooting, and field goal percentage thanks to their fun-and-gun ways.

In order to slow the Suns down, the Lakers must create a wall around the paint. This starts with the guards not allowing the porous dribble penetration they have all year, and thus far in this series, and requires the LA big men protect the paint with ferocity while staying out of foul trouble. The Lakers, never adroit at defending the high pick and roll, the Suns bread and butter, must find a way to adequately dampen this threat, lest Nash and Barbosa shred them. In correlation with limiting dribble penetration, protecting the paint, and diffusing the potent high screen and roll the Suns so deftly employ, the Lakers must control the tempo. If they can keep the Suns under 100 points in LA, they’ll have a chance. And with the best closer in the game who you know should be good for at least a win strictly on his own accord, that’s all this very mediocre Laker squad can hope for. Here’s how the positional matchups are looking:

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I’m a few days late, but with the first round of the NBA playoffs not even halfway over with yet, it’s still quite relevant. Ryan McNeill of Hoops Addict fame coralled 35 NBA writers and bloggers over email last week to get their thoughts and predictions for the 2007 NBA Playoffs. I tip my hat to Ryan for a job well done in putting this all together in an easy-to-read format, and thank him for including me in the roundup.

Please click here to find out what I had to say, and make sure to check out the rest of the playoff predictions as curated by Hoops Addict.