Tuesday Water Cooler – June 8th, 2010
Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter Sports Picks and topics…well, basically all the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.
Enjoy!
The Major League Baseball draft went down predictably yesterday – hint: Bryce Harper went first overall – so we’ll open the day with some swirling NBA rumors.
NBA news: Turkoglu wants to return to Sacramento; Cavaliers courting Tom Izzo
Well, that was quick. Just one year into his five-year, $53-million contract, Hedo Turkoglu has privately (publicly?) told his friends he wishes to return to the Sacramento Kings. They took him 16th overall in the 2000 NBA Draft.
Turkoglu was a disaster in his first year with the Toronto Raptors.
After averaging 19.5 and 16.8 points with Orlando the two seasons prior, he averaged just 11.3 for Toronto in 2009-10.
He also wound up suspended from the team when he “called in sick” and was spotted at a nightclub shortly after that.
The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to waste no time in their search to (a) find a new head coach and (b) make themselves a more attractive return destination for LeBron James. They’ve reportedly made an offer to Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo, with the rumored terms to be five years at six million per (at least).
Izzo is under contract with the Spartans through 2016 and has led Michigan State to the Final Four in six of 12 seasons.
NFL news: Romo’s U.S. Open bid spoiled again; Isaac Bruce returns to Rams for retirement
Tony Romo’s chance to qualify for the U.S. Open just got squandered again. The All-Pro Dallas Cowboys signalcaller advanced to the sectional qualifier after a four-man playoff on May 20 and his bid for Pebble Beach started strongly this week.
He opened the 36-hole qualifier with a 71 (-1) to keep him four shots off the pace.
But he opened the second round with a quadruple bogey before it got delayed by rain. At that point, Romo withdrew and returned to the Dallas Cowboys, as he was obligated to rejoin the team on Tuesday and wasn’t allowed to finish his round.
Happy trails, Isaac Bruce. As he spent most of his career with the St. Louis Rams and was part of the “Greatest Show on Turf” that won the Super Bowl in the 1999 season, it was very appropriate and classy to see San Francisco ship him back to the Rams yesterday so he could announce his retirement.
A four-time Pro Bowler, Bruce is second all-time in NFL receiving yards, fifth in catches and ninth in receiving touchdowns.
NHL news: Laviolette won’t reveal Flyers’ starting goalie for Game 6
After the Flyers took a 7-4 beating in Game 5 and yanked goaltender Michael Leighton following Chicago’s 3-0 start in the first period, coach Peter Laviolette won’t name a starting netminder for Game 6.
Laviolette has in fact decided between Leighton and Brian Boucher as his Game 6 starter but simply refuses to say which one gets the nod.
Leighton is 8-2 with a 2.34 goals against average and three shutouts in the playoffs; Boucher sits at 6-6 and 2.47.
The Flyers face elimination tonight but that’s nothing new for the team that rallied from a 2-0 deficit in this series and became the third NHL team ever to rally from 3-0 when they beat the Boston Bruins in round two.
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