Over 16,529,091 people are on fubar.
What are you waiting for?

ekansekans's blog: "df"

created on 10/29/2012  |  http://fubar.com/df/b351055

OKLAHOMA CITY -- National player of the year Anthony Davis isnt giving away whether he and four teammates from national champion Kentucky will declare for the NBA draft at a news conference Tuesday. But with the possibility that all of his starters could leave college early, coach John Calipari said: "My guess is well need a new batch." Kentucky announced Monday that Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague, Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb will make their intentions known at a news conference in Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday. Davis was in Oklahoma City on Monday night to pick up the Wayman Tisdale Award as the nations top freshman. The 6-foot-10 power forward also won The Associated Press, Naismith and Wooden awards for national player of the year and is considered the likely No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft this June -- if he decides to enter. "Youve got to wait. Its only a day away, a couple hours," Davis told reporters before the ceremony. "Were doing it as a team. We thought it would be great to do it as a team to show how much we like each other and how much of a team we are and how we did it to win a national championship." Theres little more that Davis could accomplish basketball-wise by sticking around for another season with the Wildcats, other than duplicating his performance in leading Kentucky to its eighth national championship. "You couldnt really ask for much more. It was every college players dream to come in and win a national championship, player of the year, freshman of the year and everything," he said. "Im just grateful and thankful to my parents, my coaching staff, my teammates, everyone who helped me out to get to this point." Davis said he had always hoped to be a Division I prospect, and that became a reality when he grew half a foot late in his high-school career to transform from a 6-3 guard into a shot-blocking interior presence. He hadnt envisioned himself with the possibility of being a candidate to enter the draft this early. "I never actually thought about it like that," Davis said. "I just always went out there and played basketball. I always played for my team. I always deferred to my team because its a team sport. No one player can win the game by himself. "I never even thought about, OK, I can leave early if I keep playing this well." And now, he could go from unwanted high school player to the first player taken in the draft in just a couple years. "Itd be crazy. Like I said, I never expected any of this to happen," Davis said. "If that happens to happen, it would be a great opportunity." Davis said hes sure Calipari "would love it if the whole team would stay." That doesnt mean hell get his wish. "We thought it would be nice -- cool -- to do it together," he said. Calipari has already started bringing in his next crop of top talent, including highly regarded prospect Nerlens Noel only a few days ago, in hopes of turning another young group into big-time winners. "Its really unusual but what happens is they were all raised right," Calipari said. "In the recruiting process, none of them were promised minutes and starting positions and shots. ... None of these kids were recruited that way, so now they come in with an idea theyre going to earn it and theyre going to do this together and if they do it together, theyve got a chance. Then you start the coaching process." Calipari said hes glad to see the whole starting lineup make Tuesdays announcement together because "it shows it wasnt fake, it was real." "Its good stuff," he said. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys From China . Two-time former winner Ana Ivanovic also advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Monica Niculescu of Romania. Coming off her win in Beijing, Azarenka dominated the match from the start as Rus looked overwhelmed. The Dutch player double-faulted eight times and won only two points on her serve in the opening set. Cheap NFL Jerseys . Provided a one-run lead for much of the night, the 39-year-old left-hander put together a vintage performance in his second start following a one-year layoff. http://jasonhavens.org/cheap.html . - The Jacksonville Jaguars have placed running back Maurice Jones-Drew on the reserve/did not report list, an indication they dont expect their star player to show up to training camp anytime soon.NAPA, Calif. -- In an off-season full of changes for the Oakland Raiders, perhaps the most positive development has been the health of a returning star. Running back Darren McFadden has opened training camp the way he looked in off-season workouts, showing the speed and ability that has made him one of the NFLs dangerous backs when healthy. The problem for McFadden and the Raiders (tied 23rd in AP Pro 32) in recent years has been his health as he has missed 19 games in his first four seasons with foot, toe, shoulder, knee and hamstring injuries. "If somebodys got an answer for it I would love for them to tell me because I need that," McFadden said when asked how to avoid injuries. McFaddens most recent injury came last Oct. 23 while he was catching a pass early in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders originally described the injury as a sprained right foot and designated him week-to-week. But it was actually a more serious Lisfranc injury that cost him the final nine games of the season and was a big reason why Oakland missed the playoffs. McFadden said it was April before he could run again but he now looks like his former self. "I just want to come out there and pick up where I left off," McFadden said. "The type of injury that I had is something that set me down for a long time. A lot of people may think its hard to bounce back and get back in the flow of things, but for me, once Im out there on the field, I feel like Im at home, so I just get out there and try to pick up where I left off." McFadden was off to a fast start last season before the injury. He led the NFL with 610 yards rushing through six games and felt he had a shot at an 1,800-yard season. He also added 129 yards receiving and scored five total touchdowns as the Raiders opened the season 4-2. McFadden topped 100 yards rushing eight times in a 15-game span between 2010 and 2011 as he finally showed signs of being the big-play back the Raiders thought they found when they drafted him fourth overall in 2008. "I think we all understand that hes an explosive playmaker for us and we need him to be healthy for the entire season," coach Dennis Allen said. One of the biggest disappointments for the Raiders last season is they never got the chance to see their offence at full power. McFadden got hurt early in the game during which Carson Palmer made his debut as quarterback. Since Palmer had arrived in Oakland only earlier that weeek, the two never even got a chance to play together on the practice field until this spring.dddddddddddd With Palmers deep-strike passing ability, a bevy of speedy receivers on the outside and a healthy McFadden, the Raiders have all the ingredients to field their most high-powered offence in years. "I help this team go a lot but Im not the only player out there," McFadden said. "You know we have a lot of players out there that make plays. I have a big role in the offence but we have a lot of guys that are going to step up and make plays also." With reliable backup Michael Bush having left in free agency for Chicago, a healthy McFadden is even more crucial to the Raiders success. Oakland traded for Mike Goodson from Carolina in the off-season and also has speedy second-year back Taiwan Jones behind McFadden on the depth chart. But those two combined for just 16 carries last season, leaving a big question mark behind McFadden. There was talk earlier in the off-season that Oakland could try to sign a more proven backup like Cedric Benson but the Raiders have started training camp with Goodson and Jones behind McFadden. "Thats what we have, and thats who were going with," Allen said. "Mike Goodsons been a guy that -- a couple of years ago in Carolina -- did a nice job as a replacement there. Obviously, Taiwans an explosive back. So, the key is hopefully that were able to keep Darren healthy and then if were able to do that were going to be just fine." But the Raiders arent planning to keep McFadden under wraps in the preseason to make sure hes healthy. Allen said the plan is for his star back to play some in the exhibition games, which is quite all right with McFadden. "I cant control injuries," McFadden said. "If I get hurt, Im going to get hurt going hard because thats something I cant control, and Im not going to go out there and play not to get hurt." NOTES: RB Mike Goodson (hamstring) and TE Richard Gordon (hip flexor) both left practice early. ... P Shane Lechler (knee), LB Aaron Curry (knee), CB Ron Bartell (hamstring) and DL Travis Ivey (conditioning) also remained sidelined. ... The Raiders will have their first padded practice on Wednesday. "Thats the way the game was meant to be played, in pads. Well put them on and mix it up a little bit and find out whos going to compete when the pads are on," Allen said. ' ' ' 

Leave a comment!
html comments NOT enabled!
NOTE: If you post content that is offensive, adult, or NSFW (Not Safe For Work), your account will be deleted.[?]

giphy icon
blog.php' rendered in 0.0473 seconds on machine '54'.