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06/25/2010 -
PHOENIX (AP) -The Phoenix Suns, working with a general manager who will walk away from his job next week, have selected Gani Lawal of Georgia Tech with the 46th pick overall in the NBA draft.
Lawal left college after his junior season, when he averaged 13.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots. The Suns have plenty of scorers, but the 6-foot-9, 234-pound forward could help address the team's need for rebounding and inside strength.
Phoenix also had the last pick of the draft, No. 60 overall, and the chose another athletic forward, 6-8 Dwayne Collins of Miami.
The Suns had no first-round pick. It was sent to the then-Seattle SuperSonics, now Oklahoma City Thunder, as part of the Suns' salary-dumping trade of Kurt Thomas in 2007.
Steve Kerr announced last week that he was leaving after three seasons as general manager and will explore opportunities in broadcasting. Kerr, who was part of five NBA championship teams, was a color analyst for TNT for four years before owner Robert Sarver hired him as general manager.
David Griffin, Phoenix's senior vice president for basketball operations, also decided to leave after 13 years in the Suns organization.
Kerr didn't talk to the media. That was left to coach Alvin Gentry, who will increase his involvement in management until a new general manager is found.
Gentry said Kerr and Griffin ``still have the best interest in the team.''
``Those guys have a lot of pride and they're going to try to do the best job they possibly can,'' Gentry said. ``The two picks that we had, to get those kids at 46 and 60, I think is phenomenal.''
Gentry said he had no interest in adding general manager to his title.
Sarver had no comment on whether he would like to talk to Kevin Pritchard, who was fired Thursday after seven seasons as general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers.
``Over the next 30 days, the process will play out,'' Sarver said.
Gentry called Lawal and Collins ``young kids that have the potential to do some good things.''
``You can never have too much size,'' Gentry said. ``You saw that in the Lakers series. We think both of those kids have an opportunity to turn into special players. The thing with Gani is he was the leading rebounder playing alongside (Derrick) Favors. Obviously that was a big factor for us.''
Lawal, whose father was born in Nigeria, explored the possibility of leaving college after his sophomore season but decided instead to stay at Georgia Tech, where he was a third-team all-ACC selection for the second straight year.
Lawal was a McDonald's all-American at Norcross, Ga., High School. He had 12 double-doubles last season and was ACC player of the week after 21-point games against Georgia and Duke. He scored 29 against Charlotte and had 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds against Miami.
Collins, who has a 7-foot, 4-inch wingspan, led Miami in scoring (12.0 points per game), rebounding (7.8), blocks (1.1) and field goal percentage (.604).
The Suns got the 46th choice in the trade that sent Boris Diaw and Raja Bell to Charlotte for Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley. The No. 60 pick came as part of the trade of Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland.
Kerr has denied widespread reports that he was dissatisfied with Sarver's offer for a new contract after building an overachieving team that made it to the Western Conference finals.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.
<< Raptors get Alabi from Mavs
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors acquired center Solomon
Alabi, the 50th overall pick, from the Dallas Mavericks in a draft-night deal.
Alabi, who played at Florida State, will head to the Raptors, while the Mavs
obtain a
<< South Carolina beats Oklahoma in dramatic 12th-inning finish
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jackie Bradley, Jr. singled in the tying run with
two outs in the 12th inning and scored on Brady Thomas' base hit for the game-
winner later in the frame, giving South Carolina a dramatic 3-2 win over
Oklahom
<< Rangers win 11th straight, sweep Pirates
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vladimir Guerrero's game-winning RBI single
with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the blazing-hot Texas
Rangers to their 11th straight victory and a 6-5 decision over Pittsburgh in
the fin
<< NHL Board approves penalty for hits to head
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League Board of
Governors on Thursday approved a rule change for hits to the head.
According to the new rule, which will be called "illegal check to the head," a
major penalty and a game
Blazers fire GM Pritchard >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers fired general
manager Kevin Pritchard just before the NBA draft began Thursday night.
Pritchard was promoted to general manager in March of 2007. The draft was
actually Pritchard
Suns pick up Gentry's option for 2011-12 >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phoenix Suns managing partner Robert Sarver has
exercised head coach Alvin Gentry's contract option for the 2011-12 season.
Gentry's contract was already partially guaranteed for that season after
guiding t
Clippers get Bledsoe from Thunder >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers acquired the draft
rights to Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe in a deal with the Oklahoma City
Thunder.
Bledsoe was selected 18th overall by the Thunder, who will receive a protected
first
Pacers, Thunder exchange second-round picks >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder
exchanged second-round picks in Thursday night's NBA Draft.
Louisiana Tech forward Magnum Rolle was drafted No. 51 overall by Oklahoma
City and acquired by the Pace
Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.
The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.
MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.
A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.
A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.
Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.
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BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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