06-26-2019, 12:58 AM
FIVE QUICK HOOPS THOUGHTS 1. TIM HARDAWAY, JR (Knicks): Picked 24th by New Yorks former GM, Glen Grunwald (honestly, what is owner James Dolan thinking firing him?) is a gem. Saw him on Friday night vs. the Raptors. I was very impressed with him. Hes got nice shooting mechanics and plays with great energy and awareness. Played for a terrific college coach at Michigan (John Beilein) who is one of the best in the business at teaching offensive fundamentals and obviously his dad, Tim, Sr. was a wonderful player. He really jumped out at me. Hell be playing for a winning team and will have to earn every minute he gets which is a good thing - it will make him a better pro in the long run. If first impressions matter he made a positive one, thats for sure. 2. GREG ODEN (Heat): Practiced for the first time 5-on-5 on Sunday and got through it okay. Fingers crossed hes able to practice/play consistently. Frustrating start to his NBA career with a rash of injuries. The positive is that the Heat need him in a secondary capacity and hell be brought along slowly and eased in. In addition, hell be held accountable by coach Erik Spoelstra, president Pat Riley and a team with good internal leadership - you had better be in shape, do your work and be professional or else. Its an environment that is conducive to a gradual step in the right direction for him if he can stay healthy. 3. NIKOLA PEKOVIC (Timberwolves): Man this guy is a beast. What a load to move in the lane. Felt bad for the Raptors big men watching them try to battle with him last week. When he gets to his spot on the floor - good luck moving him. Hes developed into a nice player and when you look around the league there will be nights that hell have his way in the lane with smaller/weaker bigs in the paint. He has no back down and is a relentless rebounder and improving offensive feature for coach Rick Adelman. 4. DEMAR DEROZAN (Raptors): I have been impressed with him and his approach from the start of Training Camp. Definitely stronger and seems to know what works for him and playing the game at an efficient pace. Ive always respected his mature approach. He loves the game and works at his craft diligently. Hes playing with a greater degree of toughness in the lane and attacking his opponent and working harder to draw fouls and get to the free throw line. Obviously, the Raptors have played only four preseason games so the sample size is very small but he is on the right track. Stay on it and keep improving. People talk a lot about his three-point shooting needing to improve. I totally agree. Lets be real though. Hell never be confused even at his best with Ray Allen. Hes a slasher with great explosiveness and increased strength whose biggest positive is getting to the rim. Play to your strengths - be who you are. 5. ANDREW WIGGINS (University of Kansas): Got my Sports Illustrated in the mailbox and see him on the cover. The hype is ratcheting up even further. What expectations and pressure on this young man. Happy that hes getting the PR and its an exciting time for the growth of Canadian basketball yet I always worry when too much is thrown at a young player. Thrilled for him yet the attention unnerves me. Most times it creates distractions that they cant live up to. Im hopeful that he has the emotional maturity/makeup to handle all of this. I wish he could ease into this a bit more. With the accelerated pace of development of players these days its hard for a player to experience the much needed growing pains that shape your character and improve you as a player. Easy does it is not the mode anymore and it can crush a guy. Based upon what Ive seen he looks like a guy that will get through it all just fine. 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Will Venable and Ryan Ludwick drove in a run each for the Padres, who have taken six of their last seven contests and clinched their third straight series win after winning the first two in this set. Clayton Richard (4-9) allowed five hits and a pair of runs over seven innings, while fanning five.NEW YORK -- California Chrome failed in his bid to win the first Triple Crown in 36 years on Saturday, losing the Belmont Stakes to long shot Tonalist and leaving his owner to complain others took "the cowards way out" by skipping the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Before tens of thousands hoping to see history, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner finished in a dead-heat for fourth with Wicked Strong. California Chromes loss extended the longest drought without a Triple Crown champion. California Chrome co-owner Steve Coburn was bitter about horses skipping the first two legs and then stealing the Belmont. Six of the last eight Belmont winners did just that. "Thats the cowards way out," he said. "Its not fair to these horses that have been in the game since day one. If you dont make enough points to get into the Kentucky Derby, you cant run in the other two races. Its all or nothing." Coburn thought the other 10 horses ganged up on California Chrome, who was second early, dropped to fourth and then fifth before dead-heating for fourth. Photos after the race showed Chrome also had a bloody gash on his right front foot, a minor injury that may have hurt his chances. Coburn voiced a similar complaint after the Preakness, saying only the 20 horses that run in the Kentucky Derby should be eligible to compete in the other two legs. He also believed that horses skipping the Preakness should not be allowed to return in the Belmont. Coburn had been in a festive mood earlier in the day, waving his cream-colored cowboy hat to fans and signing items they tossed to him in his box seat. But the mood turned ugly after the race. Three tough races in five weeks proved too demanding for California Chrome, who was sent off as the heavy 4-5 favourite. Affirmed remains the most recent Triple Crown winner in 1978. The raucous crowd of 102,199 -- the third-largest in Belmont history -- was silenced when it became obvious that California Chrome lacked his usual punch in the stretch. Jockey Victor Espinoza realized long before then that his chestnut colt wasnt up to the grueling 1 1/2-mile trip around the tracks sweeping turns. "As soon as he came out of the gate, he wasnt the same," Espinoza said. Alan Sherman, the son and assistant to trainer Art Sherman, agreed. "When Victor started to squeeze on him, he didnt respond," he said. "He was wore out, I think." Once the official result was posted, fans sat in stunned silence before heading to the exits. Penny Chenery, the 92-year-old owner of 1973 Triple Crown champion Secretariat, had been ready to welcome a new member to the exclusive club. She and others with ties to previous Triple Crown winners came to watch what they hoped would be California Chromes big day. "Im very disappointed that we didnt have a Triple Crown winner, but Im happy for the winners," she said. Tonalist, the fifth wagering choice at 9-1 odds, was a fresh and restted horse making his debut on the Triple Crown trail.dddddddddddd. He last ran and won the Peter Pan Stakes over the same Belmont dirt on May 10. Tonalist beat Commissioner, another newcomer to the Triple Crown, by a head. Those two horses finished in the same order in the Peter Pan. Tonalist ran the distance in 2:28.52 and paid $20.40, $9.60 and $7. Commissioner returned $23.20 and $13.20, while Medal Count was another length back in third and paid $13.20 to show. Samraat was sixth, followed by General a Rod, Matterhorn, Commanding Curve, Matuszak and Ride On Curlin. California Chrome broke quickly but was pressed immediately by Commissioner and General a Rod. Espinoza eased California Chrome back into third along the rail. Approaching the final turn, California Chrome was manoeuvred to the outside. He angled four-wide turning for home, just to the outside of Tonalist, who was close to the pace the entire race. Espinoza started whipping left-handed in the lane but California Chrome had no response. "I thought he was gaining ground, but he didnt have it in him, apparently," Coburn said. Tonalist joined the growing list of Triple Crown spoilers, making California Chrome the 12th horse since Affirmed to lose his Triple try in the Belmont, the longest race in the series. In 2012, Ill Have Another won the first two legs, but was scratched the day before the Belmont with a career-ending tendon injury. "The Triple Crown itself, obviously its tough," winning trainer Christophe Clement said. "If it would be easier to do it, then it would mean nothing." Tonalist was making just his fifth career start. "We actually thought he finished second, but we got lucky, he won," Clement said. "It was great." California Chromes rise from a humble pedigree and his working-stiff owners resonated with sports fans who rarely take an interest in horse racing. His owners spent $8,000 on a mare they bred to a stallion for $2,500, and were called "dumb asses" by a trainer for buying a mare who gave no indication that she could produce a standout offspring who could run fast. Conditions seemed aligned for the Triple Crown drought to end. California Chrome thrived during his three-week stay at Belmont Park. His chestnut coat gleamed and he gained weight after the Preakness on May 17. His owners, trainer and jockey oozed confidence. But this fairy tale didnt have a happy ending. Espinoza lost his second chance at a Triple Crown. He was aboard War Emblem in 2002, when that colt stumbled at the start of the Belmont and lost all chance. "The horse tried, thats all I can ask for. He took me on the ride of my life, Ill always have that in my heart for that horse," trainer Art Sherman said. Coburn, who with Perry Martin formed Dumb Ass Partners to race their one-horse stable, had vowed that California Chrome "would go down in history." It just wasnt the kind they wanted to make. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Cheap NBA Jerseys Wholesale NHL Jerseys Wholesale MLB Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Wholesale NCAA Jerseys Wholesale Football Jerseys Wholesale Basketball Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '