Greg Monroe not interested in returning to Pistons, per report

Greg Monroe apparently isn't too happy with the prospect of staying in Detroit, but could the rising star really leave the Pistons?

We haven't heard much about Greg Monroe and the Detroit Pistons recently, but that doesn't mean the situation is any closer to a resolution. According to a recent podcast appearance from Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, passed on from Pro Basketball Talk, Monroe and the team have been working to put together a sign-and-trade.

He also indicated that Monroe would prefer to play elsewhere, if everything else is even:

Detroit has tried to help him with some sign-and-trade possibilities around the league. Monroe doesn’t really have a great interest in going back and playing with the Pistons. But if they’re going to move him in a sign and trade, they’ve got to get value for him. And they’ve got to get back some significant players, some significant talent, to compensate for that loss. They haven’t been able to find a deal for him.

The Pistons and Monroe are in a tough situation right now, since the big man is clearly deserving of a max contract in today's market but Detroit, for whatever reason, won't pay out. That's understandably led to some tension between the two sides, especially given the huge money Josh Smith received from the team last offseason.

Monroe has already asked that Smith be traded, and the Pistons reportedly spoke to the Kings at length on that front, but a deal didn't come together. If Monroe really wants out, a sign-and-trade does appear to be the only way to do it, since nobody is extending a big offer sheet at this point in the summer.

Could Monroe really be forcing his way out out of the Motor City?

Why this makes sense

Monroe has been one of the best young big men in the league over the past few years, but Detroit has never quite treated him like a franchise player. Between the drafting of Andre Drummond and the Smith signing, Monroe always felt like the third banana in the Pistons' dream frontcourt.

This summer has only intensified speculation that Detroit isn't entirely enamored with Monroe. Not only has the team avoided offering him a max-level deal this offseason, potentially leaving him to take a one-year deal entering next season, but it's failed to address the clear issues with the personnel already in house.

As we saw last season, a frontline of Smith, Monroe and Drummond simply isn't going to work. Smith doesn't have the necessary skills to fit at the three, and the group just generally looked out of sync despite having 80-plus games to figure things out.

Monroe has reasons to be frustrated, both on the court and off of it.

Why this doesn't make sense

Where exactly is Monroe going to go? Most teams don't have the available cap space for a lucrative offer sheet at this point in the offseason, and possible sign-and-trades haven't coalesced into serious discussions yet. Monroe might want out of Detroit, but it takes two to tango and he's lacking an obvious dancing partner.

During the podcast interview, Wojnarowski mentioned the Hawks, Suns and Trail Blazers as teams that showed interest this summer, but then he added the kicker:

"Those teams moved on, and they realized – again, they could have signed Monroe to an offer sheet, but Detroit would have likely matched it, and they weren’t just going to let him leave for nothing."

Teams could've pressured the Pistons with offer sheets earlier this offseason, but they opted not because of the high odds of Detroit matching. That's always made a sign-and-trade the more likely option, but then you're talking about giving up potentially significant assets in addition to a max-level deal for Monroe.

Ultimately, given the relative price tags for different teams, the Pistons have long been positioned as his most obvious destination.

Likelihood

The Pistons and Monroe clearly have some issues to work out, both basketball-wise and contractually. Entering next season on a lame duck one-year deal probably isn't ideal for either side, but it's possible if Monroe is truly set on leaving Detroit as soon as he can.

However, the lack of possible suitors for the big man leaves a major question mark over the entire situation, and makes it difficult to imagine a resolution where he's not a Piston. While the two sides might be frustrated right now, we'll peg the odds of Monroe leaving this offseason at 2 out of 10.

from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1qycYjZ

A punter on Ray Guy finally making the Hall of Fame

Former Raiders punter Ray Guy will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, the first punter ever to make it to Canton. We turned to St. Louis Rams punter Johnny Hekker for some insight on this historic occasion.

On Saturday night in Canton, Ohio, Ray Guy will take the stage wearing the iconic gold jacket worn exclusively by members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A first-round pick by the Raiders in 1973, Guy changed punting and importance of special teams during his 14-year career.

Guy is one of seven new members to be enshrined in bronze this year. But there's something different about Guy, something that sets him apart from his gold jacket wearing peers: he's the first punter, pure punter, to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

We asked St. Louis Rams All-Pro and Pro Bowl punter Johnny Hekker to help explain just how important this is and what it means for Guy and the game as whole.

It's a big moment for punters, huh?

Definitely. It's an honor to get that first one in there for any position. It's a special day for us, and a special day for Ray.

What is it about Ray Guy that was so different, Hall of Fame worthy?

Ray Guy was the first guy to really incorporate hang time and getting the ball up into the air. You talk to coaches that were around and watched him, and they say that there was nobody really doing what Ray did as far as hanging the ball up, exploding through the ball and putting those big rainbow arches on the punt trajectory. That scared a lot of returners. That made something click for a lot of special teams coaches. He was an engineer of punting technique that was ahead of the game. So many of us now owe our punting technique and style to him.

Is there anything about your approach that reminds you of Ray Guy or a technique you borrowed from him?

He was an engineer of punting technique that was ahead of the game-Johnny Hekker

Oh boy ... Ray was a technician that really took pride in his game and wanted to win the returns by getting great hang time on the ball and improving his team's ability to cover the punts. One thing for me is that I play with a lot of young, fast, very tenacious guys on special teams who are coached by, in my humble opinion, the best special teams coach in the NFL. We were able to do some great things last year, but just getting the ball up in the air and giving our guys a chance to get down there helps quite a bit.

Ever met Ray?

I never have. The closest I got was one of my good friends from college won his award in back to back years. He got to meet him.

I've seen lots of pictures and film of him back in the day. I know he was able to do a lot of great things for punters.

Ever go to one of his kicking camps?

I never have.

Ever been to a punting or kicking camp at all?

I have. I train with a coach out of Mobile, Mike McCabe from One-On-One Kicking. He teaches a lot of punting and kicking techniques that really helped mold my game. It's a thing that's catching on. The last five or six years have been really big for kicking and punting instruction. Those guys that put on the camps are really starting to get some traction. It's good for the game.

Kickers and punters back then weren't as physically ripped as they are today. What happened?

It's just the progression of the game, people getting better. I go coach high school camps and see kids out there hitting balls that I wasn't hitting until my junior or senior year of college. It's good to see, but I also realize that these kids are going to be vying for my job one day.

Guy came from Southern Mississippi, why does it seem like so many NFL punters and kickers come from small schools?

I don't think there's any true explanation for it. Kicking and punting is one of the only positions where it's universal at any level. You have the same football, the same field, the same conditions as everybody else whether you're at D3 college or a major D1 program. The stands are going to look a little bit different, but the uprights are the same.

For kickers and punters it's somewhat of an individual sport within the team sport. That's why you see guys coming out of smaller schools who can do some great things. You've got Marquette King out of Fort Valley State, Sam Martin from Appalacian State.

Are we seeing the golden age of special teams?

It's something where the NFL has definitely had a useful movement. I think that lends itself to guys that are really hungry to put the time and energy into special teams to make the team, to perfect our craft. And there are coaches out there through years of collaborating and watching film are finding new ways to improve technique. They're coaching guys like they've never been coached before. I think it's just years and years of experience building to this point, and I think it will just continue to do so.

What's it like when the punter gets press because the rest of their team isn't very good?

Punters get press if they perform and do well. If you're on a not-so-great team, you're getting plenty of chances to work and plenty of chances to improve. If you're on a good team you don't have as many chances to go out there and wow people, but if you do well with your limited opportunities that looks good. It's really what you do with every single rep.

What would the reaction be today if someone took a punter in the first round?

The reaction would be: "This punter better be unreal."

We had a punter in my class taken in the third round, Bryan Anger out of Cal. He was definitely one of more special punters I've ever seen in college. Even that got a lot of scrutiny for the Jaguars, being picked a couple spots before Russell Wilson and seeing that play out.

A punter taken in the first round would be a little out there, teams would come under a lot of fire. They probably wouldn't get too high of a grade.

Top perks of being a punter?

Hekker sporting his favorite punter-themed gift

I don't think there are many better situations to be on an NFL team and not be the most physically exerted guy around. You're going to watch a lot of practice. You get to hang out with some of the best athelets in the world. You have a very lax meeting schedule. I'm not saying we don't do any film; I'm just saying it pales in comparison to the vigorous film breakdowns and meeting schedules for the skill position guys.

I get a lot of down time. I get to read. The down time is probably the biggest perk to being a punter. if you asked my teammates they'd probably say the same.

So you don't have to go against Robert Quinn in practice?

Yes, when I'm saying my prayers, I thank God for that every day.

The best and worst punter-themed gift you've ever received?

I don't really get too many punter themed gifts. I got the "Punters Are People Too" shirt from Rich Eisen; that's pretty special.

As far as bad punting gifts, I don't think you can go wrong with a punter-themed gift, so I'm going to have to opt out of the question there.

from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1tCOLhm

COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMBLING: The 2014 ACC's best bets

Welcome to our weekly college football gambling column. It's called COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMBLING. Today, let's talk about the first of five power conferences: the ACC.

The ACC is the power league with the most ridiculous conference odds, because it includes Florida State. And the Seminoles might not be a bad bet even at steep odds -- if you shop around. In some spots, FSU has odds around 1/3 or 1/4 to win the league. But at Bovada, they are 4/11, which is a better value.

Shopping around to find value is important. Still, I don't necessarily like tying up my money this far ahead on odds that tall, so that will be a pass, as I am already betting FSU using another wager (see below).

Division wagers

I happen to think that the Coastal Division is even more tightly clustered than some think. In this situation, money can be made by finding the teams that are lesser, but not significantly so, and finding where they are being overrated. I've found two instances in the Coastal: Duke and Pitt.

At Olympic Sportsbook, Duke can be had to win the Coastal Division at +1500, which is double the price being offered on the Blue Devils by some other casinos. Duke has a limited ceiling, but if nobody else in the division steps up, their brand of mistake-free football could lead them to the title. No Florida State or Clemson on the schedule helps, too. That same sort of scheduling also helps with the bet of Pitt at +2500 (Bovada). Some books have the Panthers at +1800, so +2500 is a nice price for a team with limited depth but quality starters at many positions.

And if you can find Virginia Tech at 4/1 or better, the Hokies might be worth a play for the Coastal title.

Todd Fuhrman, Adam Kramer, Drew Collins, and I discuss ACC wagers on the On The Line Podcast. You can download the podcast here or listen here:

Team win totals

Win total wagers are based solely on the regular season. No championship games, bowl games, or Playoff games. If I don't mention a team, it means that I feel Vegas has the number pegged relatively well or I don't have a great feel for the team.

Florida State Over 11 wins (-195, 5Dimes): I give the Seminoles a 50 to 55 percent chance of going undefeated, a 35 to 40 percent shot to win exactly 11 games, and a 10 percent chance to be 10-2 or worse. I'll pay the premium to bet over 11, as opposed to taking the risk with the over 11.5 offered at some shops. Figuring out the likelihood, and thus the value of a push, is an important part of wagering.

Louisville Over 8 (-115, Bovada): Bobby Petrino can put together an offense. Charlie Strong left him with a pretty nice-looking roster. The offensive coaching will make up for the loss of Teddy Bridgewater, and Louisville insiders feel better about the defense than I expected. Louisville has a similar chance as FSU to go over/push on its number.

More ACC

Advanced guides for all 14 teams

StoryStream •SBNation.com

What Louisville fans need to know

Pete Volk •SBNation.com

More ACC

Advanced guides for all 14 teams What Louisville fans need to know

Syracuse Under 5.5 (+120, Bovada): I'll take the plus odds on Syracuse missing out on a bowl this year, and the main reason is the schedule. Syracuse could easily be 2-4 on October 11 after playing Central Michigan on the road, Maryland, Notre Dame (neutral site), Louisville, and Florida State. And then the difficult road games begin, including trips to Clemson, Pitt, and Boston College. I am not a believer in QB Terrel Hunt, and the Orange may have some issues at defensive tackle.

Wake Forest Under 3.5 (+145, Bovada): It's hard to see Wake Forest winning four games, yet is there enough value here? There is.

Wake Forest might have the worst defensive line of any major-conference team. There are questions at quarterback, offensive line, and receiver. Wake Forest should be an underdog in at least 10 of its 12 games (Gardner-Webb and Army being the exceptions), so this is a bet against the Demon Deacons pulling two upsets even if they hold serve twice as favorites.

Miami Under 8.5 (-135, Olympic): This is a value play, as some books are requiring bettors to pay -135 to bet Under 8, not even 8.5. There is value in the hook.

As it is, Miami could be the best team in the Coastal. But the schedule is not friendly. An opening game at Louisville before starting QB Ryan Williams will have returned from a knee injury is just bad timing. There is no guarantee that Miami will field even an average defense. Florida State and a Thursday night contest at Virginia Tech won't be easy, and roadies at Georgia Tech and Nebraska are also on deck. This team could get to 8-4, but 9-3 is a fairly big jump, and something I'm willing to lay -135 won't happen.

Then again, I also liked Auburn's talent but hated its schedule going into 2013 ...

Virginia Tech Over 8 (+101, Pinnacle Sports): An elite defense, an offense that can't get any worse, and a very friendly schedule (no Florida State, Clemson, or Louisville from the Atlantic Division). That's the formula for Virginia Tech to get to 9-3 in 2014. Pitt and Duke are not especially tough places to play on the road, and as the saying goes, "defense travels."

The swing game for the Hokies that could be the difference between 8-4 and 9-3 is the road game at North Carolina. Win that one, and even 10-2 might be within reach.

All wagers are for entertainment purposes only.

from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1ljor3Z

Watch a Jazz forward dunk on a child

That'll knock that kid down a few pegs.

This is Utah Jazz forward and former Slam Dunk Contest champion Jeremy Evans teaching a kid a valuable life lesson also indoctrinated by Homer Simpson. "You tried and you failed miserably. The lesson is: never try."

Let's watch this again:

And here's the reaction from the peanut gallery.

"Bruh, I know you just got embarrassed, but can you smile wide for the camera?"

from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1oVFy0F

Metta World Peace signs 1-year deal with Chinese team

World Peace is heading to China on a one-year deal for the 2014-15 season.

Veteran forward Metta World Peace will be taking his talents to the Chinese Basketball Association for the 2014-15 season, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. The former New York Knick has agreed to a one-year, $1.43 million deal with the Sichuan Blue Whales, making him the highest paid import in the league next season.

World Peace hit unrestricted free agency this offseason after an up-and-down year with the Knicks. Playing in just 29 games due to injuries and ineffectiveness, he recorded career-low averages across the board, including just 4.8 points and two rebounds per contest.

That decline hasn't stopped Sichuan from forking up a sizable salary to bring over the 34-year-old, who actually considered playing in China last offseason before ultimately opting to sign with his hometown team in New York. It's hard to say what kinds of domestic opportunities World Peace is turning down to go overseas, but this may be his best move financially.

Additionally, one of the benefits of signing with a Chinese team is the scheduling. Because the Chinese league's season ends well before the NBA's, World Peace should have the opportunity to join an NBA team for the stretch run next spring if he wants. So if the player's ultimate goal remains getting another ring, he could still have that shot even with this deal in place.

from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1zD4c9V

Washington's NFL team is selling a shirt commemorating practice with the Patriots

Aaah, memories.

The Redskins are selling "we practiced with the Patriots during training camp" tees. 30 bucks http://ift.tt/1sbog0r

— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) August 1, 2014

Buying a commemorative T-shirt is the perfect way to remember a momentous event and say "I was there." Now you have the unique opportunity to re-live the time two NFL teams practiced together.

For the low, low price of $30 you can own this thrilling grey tee signifying three magical days in August when your team got to hang out with Tom Brady. Yes, this could be the worst T-shirt you can buy right now.

Okay, so maybe it's also to celebrate the team's first preseason game -- but on the other hand it's a shirt to celebrate the team's first preseason game. Why is that a thing?

from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1qxzKID

2014 WGC Bridgestone Invitational: Tee times, pairings for Friday's round

Tiger Woods will be out in the morning on Friday at Firestone, while Phil and Rory will anchor things late in the afternoon.

The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is an entertaining event for several reasons, one of which is the pace of play and the way golfers race around Firestone's South Course. A major reason for golf's decline in popularity is the interminable time commitment it takes both to play and to watch.

But the limited no-cut WGC events have an exclusive and smaller field, allowing the PGA to send the players off split tees in groups of two. The result is a consistent pace of play that delivers rounds usually under four hours. Tiger Woods played his round on Thursday afternoon, late in the day when there would be a back-up if pace was an issue, right around a brisk three hours and 40 minutes. It makes the round much more watchable on TV, and the loaded field of the world's best players prefer it as well. Next week, we'll be back to a jam-packed tee sheet of 156 players, grouped in threesomes off two tees for sun-up to sun-down golf and five-hour rounds at the PGA Championship.

Woods will flip to the morning wave on Friday, but won't be out until later at 10:30 a.m. ET. His playing partner, Martin Kaymer, is not known for being especially quick but the German is so far down the leaderboard that maybe he'll want to get his round over and done with. Tiger is generally on the faster side, so once again, their round should come in right around four hours or less. That puts their last 5 holes or so during the coverage window on Golf Channel, which starts at 1:30 p.m.

A WGC event features a marquee player at almost every tee time. It's really hard to pick out the few clusters that you know everyone will be following. Those top groups are often easy to spot during a regular week on Tour, but a WGC is filled top-to-bottom with world-class talent. In the afternoon, however, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson will undoubtedly take up much of the camera time. They play in the last two tee times of the day, Mickelson with Sergio Garcia, and Rory with Matt Kuchar. So while Tiger may be done during most of the TV coverage, there are still some huge draws playing late in the day.

Here's the full tee sheet for the second round at Firestone:

Morning wave off No. 1:

Tee Time	Players
9:10 AM	Chris Kirk	Marc Leishman
9:20 AM	Kevin Streelman	Daisuke Maruyama
9:30 AM	Stephen Gallacher	Ben Crane
9:40 AM	Russell Henley	Jonas Blixt
9:50 AM	Gary Woodland	Yoshitaka Takeya
10:00 AM	Ernie Els	Jason Dufner
10:10 AM	Zach Johnson	Ian Poulter
10:20 AM	Brendon de Jonge	Kevin Na
10:30 AM	Thomas Bjorn	Steve Stricker

Morning wave off No. 10:

Tee Time	Players
9:10 AM	Steven Bowditch	Kevin Stadler
9:20 AM	Fabrizio Zanotti	Graham DeLaet
9:30 AM	Richard Sterne	Scott Stallings
9:40 AM	Mikko Ilonen	Brendon Todd
9:50 AM	J.B. Holmes	David Lynn
10:00 AM	Jim Furyk	Jason Day
10:10 AM	Justin Rose	Rickie Fowler
10:20 AM	Bubba Watson	Adam Scott
10:30 AM	Tiger Woods	Martin Kaymer
10:40 AM	Henrik Stenson	Bill Haas

Afternoon wave off No. 1:

Tee Time	Players
1:00 PM	Patrick Reed	John Senden
1:10 PM	Harris English	Ryan Moore
1:20 PM	Pablo Larrazabal	Louis Oosthuizen
1:30 PM	Brian Harman	David Howell
1:40 PM	Joost Luiten	Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
1:50 PM	Charl Schwartzel	Jamie Donaldson
2:00 PM	Jordan Spieth	Victor Dubuisson
2:10 PM	Brandt Snedeker	Hideki Matsuyama
2:20 PM	Sergio Garcia	Phil Mickelson
2:30 PM	Matt Kuchar	Rory McIlroy

Afternoon wave off No. 10:

Tee Time	Players
1:00 PM	Matt Every	Branden Grace
1:10 PM	Tim Clark	Angel Cabrera
1:20 PM	Tano Goya	Alexander Levy
1:30 PM	Matt Jones	Thongchai Jaidee
1:40 PM	Francesco Molinari	Seung-Yul Noh
1:50 PM	Luke Donald	Webb Simpson
2:00 PM	Jimmy Walker	Lee Westwood
2:10 PM	Graeme McDowell	Hunter Mahan
2:20 PM	Keegan Bradley	Miguel A. Jimenez

from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1tC201H