Two players believed to be on the radar are former Ohio State star Mike Conley and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ramon Sessions.

Also, via the Dispatch, Player of the Year Evan Turner has signed with the 76ers. He’s guaranteed $8M over the first two years. Congrats to ET for a well-deserved pay day.

I realized why I can’t get into soccer. I tried, I really did. For the two years I lived in Spain, I really wanted to like soccer. I married into a “soccer family.” I can’t put my finger on exactly why, though. Maybe it’s the time commitment. Watch 90+ minutes of a sport that can end up being all for nothing. After Ghana scored its first goal against the US moments into the game, the game could have ended there. Finito. Five minutes into the game it potentially could have been over. But you invest your time, hoping, and there is always the possibility that your team never gets another chance on goal. For the next eighty-five minutes you are a prisoner with nothing more than the faintest glimmer of hope for escape.

It was at that point I had an moment of clarity while the inevitable was happening during the USA/Ghana WC game: This must be what if feels like to play against Jim Tressel. There’s no hope for you. You will not be getting another chance. The endzone? You’re not allowed in there! All the while, fans (and coaches (and players)) are thinking, “Seriously? He’s punting again? What the?! Great, we now have the ball on the three yard line!” “Where does he get these man-beasts for his defensive line?” “Come on man, another running play up the middle?” (That last one was from his own fans)

And so it goes.

A few odds and ends since our last post.

First and foremost, we didn’t get a chance to congratulate the #2 overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, Evan Turner (who will be sporting the #12 in this upcoming season). After the unfortunate events of the LBJ Exodus, I’m guessing a lot of Central Ohio former Cavs fans will be rooting for the 76ers this season. (NB: the outcome will be the same, rooting for the 2010-11 Cavs or 76ers).

Speaking of Philadelphia, there were murmurings early this week that, in wake of the Michael Vick situation (the shooting one), that the Eagles were looking at Troy Smith as a backup. After the arrival of Marc Bulger to the Ravens, I think it’s about time someone starts the rally cry: “Free Troy Smith!”

I know most of us knew this would happen after USC released him from his LOI, but Seantrel Henderson has chosen to attend the U. (At least Daddy has decided that Seantrel will be going to Miami. It appears that Seantrel is incapable of talking for himself)

“No. I’m sure of it, I hate him.”

 
Finally, I updated the Twittering Buckeyes page with ten new Buckeyes. Obviously Seantrel will not be one of them.

Coming up next: We start our preseason position previews.

Evan Turner went down in Ohio State’s spanking of Eastern Michigan. Turner will miss eight weeks after fracturing his second and third lumbar vertebrae. That sounds a lot worse than just a two month injury. That sounds career-threatening. Here’s to hoping Evan has a speedy and full recovery, just in time for the heart of the Buckeyes’ Big Ten schedule.

Greg Oden was carted off the court against the Houston Rockets after fracturing his knee cap and is likely to miss the season. Which is a shame, because this year was really looking good for both Oden and the Trailblazers.

It’s a good thing Michael Redd is already injured for today’s game against the Cavs. Who knows how that would have turned out.

It is Greg Oden’s world, and we are all just living in it. Well, maybe not yet. But if summer reports from Columbus & Las Vegas, as well as the recent reports from the Blazers training camp are any indication..Oden is going to quiet a lot of doubters this upcoming season. The big man is slimmer, more agile, light on his feet, and overall more comfortable on the floor.

Buckeye Ballers is also faithfully following ex-Buckeyes that are playing overseas, mostly in Europe. Another snippet:

29 Year old Brent Darby will play for Limoges CSP Elite of the France Pro B league this season. Like Penn & Johnson, Darby has also enjoyed a very solid european career. He played for Eldo Castera in Italy last season.

Of course, I’m a fan of a Cleveland team, which means I am doomed to suffer the maximum amount of pain. This fact accounts for the close game, up until the very bitter end, this afternoon. LeBron provided an LeBronian effort, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough.

In the end, I guess I can take a bit of bittersweet solace that Kevin Garnett has proven, yet again, that he can not win the big game. For all his mean-face, chest-thumping bravado, he faded like he always does. And that makes me happy. This was all Paul Pierce. Turns out the “Big Three” is really “Paul Pierce and that really skinny guy who can’t win the big one and that dude who was in that movie with Denzel”. Hopefully we can put talk of “The Big Three” to rest. It isn’t even the “Big Two Featuring Ray Allen“.

So now it’s total boredom for the next three months. Great. I’m going back to GTA IV.

There were eight sports teams from Ohio that either lost a championship game or had the coveted #1 ranking elude them in 2007. Never before have so many teams from a single state reached within inches of the promised land, only to fail at accomplishing the utmost feat.

The following teams from Ohio finished #2 in their respective sports in 2007:

History shows that the team never took its BCS opponent seriously, and after a 50-day layoff came to the stadium overweight, flat, and uninspired – and was promptly dispatched by a tough Florida team that had grown weary of hearing about its underdog status.

The Buckeyes survived a tough playoff bracket and matched up against Florida in the championship game. Despite a career game for Oden, the Buckeyes simply couldn’t match up with a Gator team full of talented, experienced veterans.

San Antonio then swept the series, 4-0.

They lost the championship to the San Jose Sabercats, 55-33.

The women won the Southern Conference and made it to the NWFA Championship game — where they were beaten 32-0 by the Pittsburgh Passion.

Cleveland then took a 3-1 lead against Boston in the ALCS, but then lost the pennant with three straight losses to the Red Sox.

The Bombers came in only four points behind Northwestern of Miami Florida. The two did not play against one another.

The Buckeyes played a dominant first half, but Wake Forest came from behind late in the game on a controversial goal. The Demon Deacons went on to win.

So, what say you? Is this list an example of Ohio superiority in athletics, or weakness?

2008 starts off well, with another Ohio team competing for a championship as the football Buckeyes get a chance to redeem themselves in the Bourbon Bowl. Let’s hope that this pattern of #2 ends on January 7th.

It’s good to see these guys go so high. It’s been said before, but Oden has had a huge positive influence on the Ohio State basketball program. I don’t think we’ve seen the full effect of what he (and the rest of the Thad Five) did for OSU. We can only dream about what they would have done if they stuck together for one more year. Would have been amazing.

I think Oden’s prospects in Portland, however, were slightly diminished with the NY/Portland trade. Zach Randolph may not have been the best influence for Oden, but having a player like Stevie Franchise isn’t going to help either. Oden and Francis are polar opposites — Oden is the consumate team player whereas Francis… isn’t. It was cool that Portland also picked up Josh McRoberts, as he and Oden also played together in their pre-college years. (Who hasn’t Oden played basketball with? I know he played high school and AAU ball for like 14 years, but this is ridiculous!)

Conley Jr. will definitely miss playing with Oden, but Pau Gasol is no slouch when it comes to big men (he’s also a Spainard, which is like +10 to awesomeness right off the bat). He’ll also play with the second ugliest player in basketball (Mike Miller). He was the ugliest player until Joakim Noah got picked up by the Bulls.

Speaking of Noah, I can’t wait until the Human Elbow #2 (Varejao) brings it down to bear on Noah’s pretty face. That will be something to see. It will be an explosion of hair, fugliness, and ethnicity. Awesome.

Now I just hope someone does the right thing and picks up Ron Lewis.

Another great draft showing by the Buckeyes. Let’s hope they keep happening.

This is my favorite image from the celebration on the floor of the “Q” after the Cavs Game 6 victory. If you’ve been a fan of the Cavaliers over the past 15+ years, this is exactly how you feel.

“Air Apparent,” thy name is LeBron James. And you never looked so good.

I guess Rasheed didn’t want to “play a little harder.” How much harder will they play if McDyess is suspended for game 6?

Is it really a jump shot when Z shoots that 18-footer? I never see his feet leave the ground.

I hope someone snapped a picture of Tayshaun Prince on LeBron’s penultimate dunk in the fourth quarter. He was cowering like a little girl. What a sissy! It was beautiful.

I swear LeBron broke his back in overtime after that foul by Maxiell. He then scored like 71 points in overtime. He healed it with his King powers. I’m a witness.

It’s not just the Buckeyes that owns the team from the state up North right now. The Cavaliers are just embarassing the Pistons, the Tigers have become the Indians’ whipping boys and, in case you forgot, Michigan hasn’t tasted victory against the Buckeyes in years. It’s a great time to be a sports fan in Ohio.

I’ve been watching the Cavs all season, listening to the critics knock The King as the Cavs stumbled through the regular season. They could never find an identity and it could be painful at times to watch them play. Then things seemed to come together near the end of the season and I was optimistic going into the playoffs. I kept thinking, “just wait for the playoffs. LeBron will silence all the critics and go NUTS.” He really didn’t need to do anything special against the Wizards and, against the Nets, Vince Carter helped out the Cavs’ cause plenty. So finally, LeBron has been given his chance to shine against Detroit. The final seconds of the first two games looked shakey. Should he have passed in Game 1? (Probably. Marshall was open, afterall.) Was he fouled in Game 2? (Yes, he was). Down 0-2, things were getting ugly.

Then Games 3 and 4 happened and The King has taken over, especially in the fourth quarter. He has gotten to the rim whenever he wants (that dunk over ‘Sheed was NASTY). Players are stepping up when they’ve had to: Drew Gooden has been big when it counts and Daniel Gibson is turning into an excellent player before our eyes (just like they pointed out over at Burnt Orange Nation). I get nervous when they have Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall (Old Man Donyell, if you will) in the lineup at the same time, but the Cavs have managed not to blow it when the “shooter lineup” is in the game. It still makes me nervous, but it isn’t not working, so I’ll go with the flow.

On the Detroit side, Chauncey has been playing unChauncey-like and Tayshaun Prince has been a scrub. Rasheed has been unstoppable and I don’t know why they haven’t been feeding him in the post with regularity, but I still don’t see him as a threat. He’s still got three games to get kicked out of, so I still have faith he’ll do it. And when is Chris Webber going to quit it with the faux snarl? Just let it go, man. Your wheels are getting old and it doesn’t scare anyone any more.

It really boils down to this: if the Cavs can play a competitive third quarter, they can steal Game 5. It’s no secret what the Pistons have been doing — bottle up LeBron at all costs and let the other four beat you. Unfortunately the Cavs have gone cold in the third and the Pistons’ third quarter gameplan is working. If Z can find his jumper or Sasha can hit a perimeter shot or someone other than LeBron can get into the paint, I think the Cavs can shock everyone and win Game 5. Someone just needs to drive the lane!

(Bonus points to the first reader to name the song with the reworded lyrics I used for the title of this post)