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02/14/2007 -
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -Marcus Banks didn't work, and neither did Marko Jaric.
Mike James hasn't been the answer either, and the Minnesota Timberwolves couldn't swing a deal for Allen Iverson in December.
Now they turn to Randy Foye as their starting point guard, hoping the heady rookie can be what they've been looking for since Stephon Marbury skipped town nine years ago.
Foye will make his second start in a row at point guard on Wednesday night when the Nuggets come to town sans Iverson, who will miss the game with an ankle injury.
``I'm excited to get out there with guys like KG, Ricky Davis,'' Foye said after practice Tuesday. ``It just makes it a little easier on me as a rookie out there.''
Coach Randy Wittman abruptly made the decision on Sunday against Boston, sending the veteran James to the bench in a move that did not sit well with the Wolves' biggest free-agent offseason acquisition.
``It is what it is,'' James said with a shrug. ``He's the boss. Have to listen to what he says.''
James' averages this season are down in every category, including an almost 50 percent drop in his scoring average from 20.3 last year in Toronto to 10.8 points a game.
With guys like Kevin Garnett, Mark Blount and Ricky Davis in the starting lineup, shots have been harder to come by this season for James, who parlayed a career year for the woeful Raptors into a four-year, $23 million deal with Minnesota.
He has struggled to fit in with the Timberwolves, a shoot-first point guard in a starting lineup full of guys who like to shoot the ball.
Looking to restore a little balance to the first and second units, Wittman put James on the bench in hopes his scorer's mentality will help a second team that has had trouble putting the ball in the hole.
``I didn't do it really for anything more than to try to see if we can help him,'' Wittman said of James. ``He's been up and down this year in his play.
``When you're playing with Kevin and Ricky and Mark Blount, the way Mark Blount's playing, there's a lot that you have to make sure they're getting their touches and getting in the right spots, which I think took away from his aggression.''
Foye recognizes that his approach will change with the new starter's status. He was the primary scorer in college at Villanova, and now he's charged with running the show, distributing the ball and getting everyone involved.
``I pass first with them guys,'' Foye said. ``One of the biggest things is, with them guys, I'm a passer in the beginning, but late in games I'm a scorer.''
That sounds a lot like a young Marbury, who worked so well with Garnett early in his career in what initially looked like a souped-up version of Stockton-to-Malone. The two complemented each other very well, with Garnett controlling play for the first three quarters before deferring to Marbury in the fourth period.
But Marbury eventually refused to play second fiddle to Garnett and forced a trade to New Jersey, and the Wolves have been searching for a replacement at the point ever since.
James' bravado and willingness to take the big shot seemed to make him qualified, but he scored in double figures (10) just once in his previous seven starts before coming off the bench on Sunday.
Against the Celtics, he scored just five points on free throws in 14 minutes.
``I didn't anticipate him being happy,'' Wittman said. ``What I do anticipate is him being professional and playing, which he did.
``Nobody likes to have that situation. I was a player once that lost it. You don't like it. But you have to go out and try to fight to get it back and stay aggressive. That's all I'm worried about.''
Foye had 10 points and eight assists against the Celtics and made a brilliant pass to Davis off a drive for the winning shot.
``He played under control,'' Wittman said. ``It's a fine line with him because he's an aggressive kid that looks to score and I thought he really handled moving the ball, getting guys involved, as well as attacking the basket at opportune times.''
Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Thrashers-Flames, Sums
Atlanta 0 1 0-1Calgary 3 1 0-4First Period-1, Calgary, Langkow 23 (Phaneuf, Huselius), 2:59 (pp). 2, Calgary, Iginla 25 (Conroy, Tanguay), 6:19 (pp). 3, Calgary, Langkow 24 (Huselius, Iginla), 13:59 (pp). Penalties-Sim, Atl (goalie interferenc
<< Ducks-Avalanche, Sums
Anaheim 0 0 0-0Colorado 1 1 0-2First Period-1, Colorado, Hejduk 18 (Brunette, Sakic), 17:42 (pp). Penalties-Klee, Col (high-sticking), 2:32; Clark, Col (hooking), 11:24; Anaheim bench, served by Shannon (too many men), 17:02.Second Period-2, Colo
<< Sharks-Blues, Sums
San Jose 3 3 0-6St. Louis 1 2 2-5First Period-1, San Jose, Clowe 13 (Thornton, Cheechoo), :39. 2, San Jose, Carle 6 (Cheechoo, Thornton), 6:51 (pp). 3, St. Louis, Guerin 23 (Backman, Tkachuk), 13:15 (pp). 4, San Jose, Grier 12 (Marleau, Michalek)
<< Islanders-Maple Leafs, Sums
N.Y. Islanders 0 2 0 0-3Toronto 1 1 0 0-2N.Y. Islanders won shootout 2-1First Period-1, Toronto, Kubina 5 (Colaiacovo, Steen), 6:14 (pp). Penalties-Meyer, NYI (hooking), 4:38, Gervais, NYI (hooking), 9:02.Second Period-2, N.Y. Islanders
Mavericks win eighth straight; Heat rolling into All-Star break >>
The Dallas Mavericks used a strong fourth quarter to rally for their eighth straight win. The Miami Heat are rolling, too, and when they return to the court after the All-Star game, coach Pat Riley will be back on the sideline for the first time sin
Tuesday's College Basketball >>
Buffalo 98, Bowling Green 90, OTNiagara 89, Canisius 88Penn 48, Princeton 35SOUTHCharlotte 80, Louisiana-Lafayette 56E. Kentucky 46, Samford 38Georgia Tech 63, Florida St. 57Jacksonville St. 57, Morehead St. 52Old Dominion 96, Hofstra 82Stetson 88,
Weis testifies in obesity surgery lawsuit >>
BOSTON (AP) - Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis testified Wednesday he had gastric bypass surgery because he was afraid he would die if he didn't lose weight, but life-threatening complications resulted after the procedure.In his malpractice lawsuit, We
NFL COMBINE: Small school stars hoping to make big names for themselves >>
NEW YORK (AP) -Michael Coe wants what Danieal Manning has.Coe, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound cornerback from Alabama State, has looked at the career path of the Chicago Bears' rookie free safety, envisioning what it might be like to jump from a small school
Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch
Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.
Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
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