Klopp asks for Dortmund exit

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Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp has asked the club to be released from his contract after the season, the Bild paper said on their website.


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Berlin – Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp has asked the club to be released from his contract after the season, the Bild


paper said on their website, naming Thomas Tuchel as his potential successor.


Klopp, 47, came to Dortmund in 2007 from Mainz and won Bundesliga titles 2011 and 2012 with them, plus the German cup in 2012, and reached the 2013 Champions League final. His contract is until 2018.


Bild said that Klopp wants time off after the season which has been disastrous by Dortmund’s standard, currently ranked 10th in the Bundesliga after being second bottom in the winter break, and eliminated in the Champions League.


Bild said that Tuchel, who replaced Klopp in Mainz and has been on a sabbatical since last summer, is believed to get a four-year contract as new Dortmund coach. Tuchel was heavily linked with SV Hamburg, but Hamburg said that they have ended talks and appointed Bruno Labbadia as coach until 2016. – ANA-DPA






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Buffon has no plans to retire yet

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Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has no immediate plans to retire and said it would be a waste to quit now when he feels he is still in top form.


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Turin - Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has no immediate plans to retire and said it would be a waste to quit now when he feels he is still in top form.


“A player stops when he feels that he is no longer what he was before on the pitch,” Buffon, 37, told reporters after Juventus beat Monaco 1-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.


“Looking at it objectively, that is not my case. I will continue to keep playing as long as I am doing well, otherwise it would be a waste. Why bid farewell to football if you are playing well?”


“At the first sign of slipping, I would be the first to bow out. I think one should stop playing when goes onto the field and you see that you are no longer the same person,” he added.


Buffon, who has helped Juventus win three successive Serie A titles and is still Italy's first-choice goalkeeper, made three important saves to deny Monaco an away goal in Tuesday's game.


Buffon joined Juventus from Parma in 2001, and stayed with them even after they were demoted to Serie B following the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal in 2006, the same year he helped Italy win the World Cup. – Reuters






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January slump cost City

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The wheels started to come off Manchester City's season during their defeat by Arsenal in the middle of January - and they have never been the same since.


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London - Joint leaders of the Premier League on New Year's Day, the wheels started to come off Manchester City's season during their 2-0 defeat by Arsenal in the middle of January - and they have never been the same since.


City had been challenging Chelsea at the top of the table and at the start of 2015, the two clubs had been separated only by alphabetical order.


Although there had been some earlier indications that Manuel Pellegrini's well-oiled machine was not running quite as smoothly as it could, City looked set to maintain their push for a second successive title.


A few doubts were raised during the Christmas and New Year programme when they allowed Burnley to come back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at the Etihad Stadium. They also squandered a 2-0 lead against Sunderland before eventually winning 3-2 thanks to a late Frank Lampard header.


City fell behind Chelsea in the title race when they allowed Everton to come from behind to force a 1-1 draw at Goodison.


Five weeks after being level with Chelsea, they were trailing Jose Mourinho's side by seven points.


After Sunday's crushing 4-2 derby defeat at Manchester United, even a top four finish and a place in next season's Champions League is no longer a certainty.


Headlines like “Humiliated” “Dismal City” “Toure top of the City flops” and “City humbled in derby defeat” have made painful reading for the blue half of Manchester.


City, effectively the richest team in the world through the backing of Sheikh Mansour's mega-rich Abu Dhabi United Group, have ended up looking more like the poor relations who have misspent their new found wealth.


Symptomatic of that is the 32.0 million pounds ($46.92 million) paid to Porto for French defender Eliaquim Mangala who has struggled at the back all season.


Many others including Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri, Edin Dzeko, Gael Clichy, Aleksandar Kolarov, Stevan Jovetic and captain Vincent Kompany have been poor since the slump started in January and coach Manuel Pellegrini's rigid 4-4-2 approach has cost them, especially when Barcelona eliminated them from the Champions League.


United skipper Wayne Rooney gave an indication of how his team approached Sunday's game when he said: “We know some City players are not the best at tracking back and defending or tracking runners and we felt we could make them pay for that and we did.


“We have got players who can score goals from midfield and, to be honest, we felt that was going to win us the game and that's how it proved to be.”


More than a month ago former City manager Peter Reid said much the same thing: “There's no desire when they lose the ball to get it back, to zip it around the park.


“We can all have off days in any walk of life but that desire, fighting for the shirt, not wanting to get beat, I'm looking at City and I don't see that.”


The one thing in City's favour with six matches to play is that they do not have the hardest of run-ins with home games to come against West Ham United, Aston Villa, Queens Park Rangers and Southampton, and two away games at Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City.


With a four-point cushion over Liverpool, they are still narrow favourites to finish in the top four, but who leads them forward and plays for them next season is anyone's guess. – Reuters






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Chiefs edge closer to PSL title

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Kaizer Chiefs continued their march towards the Premiership title with a hard-fought win over a resilient University of Pretoria.


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Pretoria – Kaizer Chiefs continued their march towards the Premiership title with a hard-fought 1-0 win over a resilient University of Pretoria side at Tuks Stadium, in Pretoria.


Siphiwe Tshabalala scored the only goal of the match through a trademark wonder strike with 20 minutes remaining in the clash.


The win means the AmaKhosi moved to 60 points, and were just six points away from clinching league honours with four games remaining in their season.


For Tuks, the loss at home comes as a blow to their top eight ambitions as they remain in 10th spot on the log with 30 points with five games remain.


The home side began fast from the first whistle with a chance to open the scoring in the first 30 seconds. Thabo Mnyamane made his way into the area and from close range could not get proper contact as he made contact with his knee, but a touch by a Chiefs corner meant a corner followed. From the setpiece, Chiefs showed some nervy defending again as they failed to clear the ball, and Mnyamane had the final shot but this time was well-wide of target.


Just after the quarter hour mark, Chiefs displayed swift interplay in the midfield with both Reneilwe Letsholonyane releasing George Lebese in the area with just Tuks keeper Washington Arubi to beat, but the striker’s shot was scuffed across the face of goal.


Within a minute, the ball was played up to the other side of the field and Mnyamane again got a shot off but Chiefs keeper Reyaad Pieterse pulled off an instinctive save to keep the sides level.


In the 26th minute, Thabo Mosadi was denied by Pieterse as his toe-poke forced another reaction stop from the gloveman.


After the interval, in the 56th minute from the edge of the area, Lebese found space but his left-footed effort was pulled wide of goal.


Chiefs finally broke the deadlock in the 70th minute with the goal from Shabalala. From a free kick 25 metres out, the midfielder produced a curling strike which rocketed into the top right hand corner of goal to make it 1-0 to Chiefs.


Despite Tuks pushing hard for an equaliser as the game wore to a close, Chiefs were able to keep the hosts scoreless to wrestle a vital three points. – ANA






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Wits too clever for Pirates

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A two-goal burst from Calvin Kadi helped Wits to a 2-0 win over Orlando Pirates in their Premiership match at Bidvest Stadium.


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Johannesburg – A two-goal burst from Calvin Kadi helped Wits to a 2-0 win over Orlando Pirates in their Premiership match at Bidvest Stadium, in Johannesburg, on Tuesday evening.


Wits stunned the much-fancied Buccaneers with a brace coming in the first 16 minutes from Kadi.


With the win, Wits join Pirates on the third-placed Pirates on 44 points, behind only on goal difference but with a game in hand.


With Kaizer Chiefs winning against University of Pretoria 1-0 in the other clash on the evening, Pirates mathematical chance of winning the league was ended.


Pirates were behind almost from the opening whistle. A shocking piece of defending by Patrick Phungwayo saw the ball passed straight into the path of Kadi, who could not believe his luck, and from the edge of the area slotted the ball with his right foot into the back of the net inside the first minute.


Barely fifteen minutes later, Kadi had his brace. Wits produced a flowing move upfield and sent the ball into the area, and Kadi at full pace banged the ball into goal with his left foot to make it 2-0 to the Clever Boys with the game still in its infancy.


Moeneeb Josephs in the Pirates goal was called to action in the 23rd minute as a Wits free kick was swung into the box and the keeper was able to punch the ball away from danger.


On the half-hour mark, Lehlonono Majoro found himself ahead of the Wits defence but instead of running into the area decided to go for goal from range and lofted his poor attempt into the crowd.


Pirates did manage to put the ball in the back of the net in the 57th minute when Lennox Bacela backheeled a cross into goal, but he was ruled offside.


Sifiso Myeni attempted to wrestle the initiative as the game move into the 61st minute with a charging run up the middle leaving Wits defenders in his wake, but his shot from the edge of the area was sliced wide.


Such was the ebb and flow of the contest, that from the restart Kadi came close to completing his hattrick. The fiery forward burst into the Pirates goal, but on this occasion his finishing was poor as his shot drifted harmlessly wide.


Wits did not have proceedings go all their own way as Phumlani Ntshangase was given a straight-red card for a bad tackle on Bacela, and the referee had no option but to give the player his marching orders.


Despite the one-man advantage, Pirates were unable to find any breakthrough. – ANA






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News sport : NBA Playoff Picture: One night remains with so much left to decide

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - APRIL 05: Paul George #13 of the Indiana Pacers watches a free throw during the game against the Miami Heat at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on April 5, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tonight is his first game this season . NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) The final day of the NBA regular season is upon us, nearly six months since the San Antonio Spurs received their 2014 title rings on opening night. However, we're not especially close to figuring out the eight first-round playoff series set to begin this weekend. Only one matchup has been set — the East's No. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the No. 7 Boston Celtics, who beat the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night to clinch that seed.


As such, Wednesday's 14-game slate involves many different seeding scenarios dependent on a number of possible results. It's easiest to break things down by conference first and team second, so let's start with the East, where things are a little easier to follow.


The Indiana Pacers' 99-95 double-overtime win over the Washington Wizards eliminated the Miami Heat from contention, leaving just two teams to fight for the conference's final playoff berth. The possible seeds break down like this, with the team currently in that spot listed first:


1. Atlanta Hawks


2. Cleveland Cavaliers


3. Chicago Bulls or Toronto Raptors


4. Toronto Raptors or Chicago Bulls


5. Washington Wizards


6. Milwaukee Bucks


7. Boston Celtics


8. Indiana Pacers or Brooklyn Nets


And here's how each team will end up in each spot, along with its current record and Wednesday opponent:


Chicago Bulls: 49-32, vs. Hawks 8:00 p.m. ET


- No. 3 if they beat the Hawks OR the Raptors lose to the Charlotte Hornets


- No. 4 if they lose to the Hawks AND the Raptors beat the Hornets


Toronto Raptors: 48-33, vs. Hornets 7:00 p.m. ET


- No. 3 if they beat the Hornets AND the Bulls lose to the Hawks


- No. 4 if they lose to the Hornets OR the Bulls beat the Hawks


Indiana Pacers: 38-43, at Memphis Grizzlies 9:30 p.m. ET


- No. 8 if they beat the Grizzlies OR the Nets lose to the Orlando Magic


- Eliminated if they lose to the Grizzlies AND the Nets beat the Magic


Brooklyn Nets: 37-44, vs. Orlando Magic 8:00 p.m. ET


- No. 8 if they beat the Magic AND the Pacers lose to the Grizzlies


- Eliminated if they lose to the Magic OR the Pacers beat the Grizzlies



LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 19: Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs chases Chris Paul #3 of the Los Angeles Clippers around the screen of DeAndre Jordan #6 at Staples Center on February 19, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The West is significantly more complicated. While the Los Angeles Clippers 112-101 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night finishes their regular season and ensures that they cannot finish lower than the No. 3 seed, the San Antonio Spurs or Houston Rockets could still take the No. 2 seed or even fall all the way down to No. 6. There is also one playoff berth yet to be determined. It's a little tough to follow, but the basic breakdown looks like this:


1. Golden State Warriors


2. Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, or Houston Rockets


3. San Antonio Spurs or Los Angeles Clippers


4. Portland Trail Blazers (will not have homecourt advantage in first round)


5. Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, or San Antonio Spurs


6. Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, or San Antonio Spurs


7. Dallas Mavericks


8. New Orleans Pelicans or Oklahoma City Thunder


So how are we going to figure out which team goes where? Let us guide you:


Los Angeles Clippers: 56-26, already finished season


- No. 2 if the Spurs lose to the Pelicans AND the Rockets lose to the Utah Jazz


- No. 3 if the Spurs beat the Pelicans OR the Rockets beat the Jazz


San Antonio Spurs: 55-26, at Pelicans 8:00 p.m. ET


- No. 2 if they beat the Pelicans


- No. 3 if they lose to the Pelicans AND the Rockets lose to the Jazz


- No. 5 if they lose to the Pelicans AND the Rockets beat the Jazz AND the Grizzlies lose to the Pacers


- No. 6 if they lose to the Pelicans AND the Rockets beat the Jazz AND the Grizzlies beat the Pacers


Houston Rockets: 55-26, vs. Jazz 8:00 p.m. ET


- No. 2 if they beat the Jazz AND the Spurs lose to the Pelicans


- No. 5 if they beat the Jazz AND the Spurs beat the Pelicans; OR if they lose to the Jazz AND the Grizzlies lose to the Pacers


- No. 6 if they lose to the Jazz AND the Grizzlies beat the Pacers


Memphis Grizzlies: 54-27, vs. Pacers 9:30 p.m. ET


- No. 5 if they beat the Pacers AND the Rockets lose to the Jazz; OR if they beat the Pacers AND the Rockets beat the Jazz AND the Spurs lose to the Pelicans


- No. 6 if they lose to the Pacers; OR if they beat the Pacers AND the Rockets beat the Jazz AND the Spurs beat the Pelicans


New Orleans Pelicans: 44-37, vs. Spurs 8:00 p.m. ET


- No. 8 if they beat the Spurs OR the Thunder lose to the Minnesota Timberwolves


- Eliminated if they lose to the Spurs AND the Thunder beat the Timberwolves


Oklahoma City Thunder: 44-37, at Timberwolves 8:00 p.m. ET


- No. 8 if they beat the Timberwolves AND the Pelicans lose to the Spurs


- Eliminated if they lose to the Timberwolves OR the Pelicans beat the Spurs



NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 02: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives around Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center on December 2, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans won the game 112-104. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowlesges and agrees that by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

The math gets a lot easier after Wednesday — first to four wins moves on to the next round, and whichever squad fails goes on vacation. Get excited, everybody. The playoffs are almost here.


- - - - - - -


Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Chad George comes up a winner trying to show MMA fighters are role models

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Athletes in all sports are taught to play until the whistle blows, or until the referee says stop.


But because Chad George decided not to pay attention to that dictum, not only was a potentially dangerous situation averted, but he left the cage in Irvine, Calif., following his win over Mark Vorgeas at Bellator 136 on Friday with a greatly enhanced reputation.


In the third round of their lightweight fight, George caught Vorgeas with a Von Flue choke. Vorgeas went out, but referee Milan Ayers, standing only feet away, didn't realize it (4:10 mark of the video above). George let go of the choke, looked up at Ayers and said of Vorgeas, "He's out." Slowly, Ayers walked closer and said, "No he's not. No he's not."


And so George stepped back and pointed. When Vorgeas didn't move, Ayers took another step in, crouched over Vorgeas and only then realized he was out, calling off the bout.


George would have been well within his rights to keep the choke on or do some ground and pound on Vorgeas untll Ayers decided to stop the fight. But he chose the sportsmanlike route, much like Brian Stann did in 2012 during a bout with Alessio Sakara, when he alerted referee Marc Godard that Sakara was out cold and chose not to keep striking him.


George said the fight was over and he'd done his job.


Bellator fighter Chad George (Erik Fontanez/MMA Weekly) "Clearly, the fight was over and I didn't want to cause any more damage than needed to be done," George told Yahoo Sports. "I would hope someone would do the same for me if the roles were reversed. We both have families to go home to. This is a tough business and we know what can happen. You sometimes see a guy get a knockout and walk away, but in this case, I was fortunate to be able to get a submission and walk away."


He made the move that needed to be made, and showed the kind of professionalism and sportsmanship that epitomizes so many MMA fighters.


He said he wasn't angry with Ayers and didn't criticize the official for failing to see what was going on. He was right on the money in everything he had to say, striking the perfect tone.


"It wasn't frustrating that [Ayers] didn't see it," George said. "I knew it was over and it was more like, I wanted to get out of there and get back to my family and friends and all of the people who had supported me. That's really what it was. I was in a way caught between a rock and a hard place.


"Do I act on emotion and rain down punches on him that could cause serious damage, or do I show I'm a professional. I knew I could walk away and I made the judgment call. We're professionals and we're not in there to hurt anyone or do any more damage than is needed to win the fight. The fight was won and when it was over, it was over and I felt it was impmortant to end it there."


Though he fought down on the card, for that decision alone, that made Chad George the Fighter of the Night. And in a lot of places, probably in the homes of families of people close to Vorgeas, he might be the Fighter of the Year.


He did the classy, sportsmanlike thing when it would have been so easy to do the opposite.


Bravo, Chad George.






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Oblak saves Atletico from Real Madrid

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Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak played a key role in the Champions League clash against Real Madrid.


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Madrid - Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak produced a heroic performance to repel holders Real Madrid and help secure a 0-0 draw in their Champions League quarter-final, first leg at the Calderon on Tuesday.


Slovenian Oblak made a string of memorable saves against the team that beat Atletico in last season's final to keep the Spanish champions' hopes of reaching the last four alive ahead of next week's return game at the Bernabeu.


Atletico have had the upper hand over their wealthy neighbours in six derby meetings already this term but Real dominated for long periods in Tuesday's clash and will be furious not to have come away with at least one away goal.


Gareth Bale had probably their best chance as early as the third minute when he ran clear through the centre after a mistake from Diego Godin but Oblak raced out and blocked the Welshman's shot.


“I am really pleased like the rest of the team because today we worked a lot and it was a really hard match but we are still alive,” Oblak said in an interview with Spanish television broadcaster RTVE.


“Of course you always want to score and win but it's also important that we didn't concede at home,” he added. “I don't know who the favourites are now. Madrid are a great team with a lot of great players.”


Real forced Atletico onto the back foot from the start in the 260th meeting between the city rivals and, after twice denying Bale, Oblak pulled off further saves from Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez.


Atletico's only real chance of the first half fell to Antoine Griezmann but the Frenchman's weak shot was easy for Iker Casillas in the Real goal.


With their fans roaring them on, Atletico saw more of the ball in the second period but Real, chasing a record-extending 11th European crown, again had the clearer chances and the home side were forced into some desperate defence.


However, they managed to mount a couple of dangerous attacks late on and Casillas had to be alert to keep out a Mario Suarez effort after a scramble in the goalmouth.


Atletico's Croatia forward Mario Mandzukic was in the thick of the action and suffered a head wound after he was caught by a flailing Sergio Ramos arm shortly after halftime but was able to play on after treatment.


Atletico midfielder Suarez and Real defender Marcelo were both booked and will be suspended for the return leg on April 22.


Reuters






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News sport : Rory McIlroy, Jamie Dornan square off in futuristic soccer match

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Rory McIlroy may be a golfer, but he's a big fan of other sports, too, including rugby and soccer, er, football. It's not a surprise, then, that the Ulsterman would be willing to try a new variation on the sport.


McIlroy faced off against fellow Northern Irishman and "50 Shades of Grey" actor Jamie Dornan in a match of Circular Soccer, a new game where players try to score goals on a three-sided net in the middle of the playing field. The idea is to encourage players to develop more skills, including ball handling, on the pitch.


Naturally, the world No. 1 wins the match.



Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.







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News sport : Twenty-six players confirmed for NFL draft, but no Jamies Winston or Marcus Mariota

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The 2015 NFL draft in Chicago will be a quarterback-free environment.

The league's first draft foray outside of New York will be lacking in star power for the first round on April 30, when 26 prospects are scheduled to attend — but there will be no Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota there. On the list of players the NFL confirmed have RSVPed to the event, there are zero quarterbacks who will stride across the stage to bro-hug Roger Goodell as of now.


Mariota previously said he intends to be in his native Hawaii for cultural and familial reasons. Winston has yet to officially say he's not attending the draft but did say he wanted to stay home because his grandmother is too ill to travel.


Also conspicuously absent from the list of invitees: Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper. The Biletnikoff Award winner is a candidate to go in the top 10, perhaps as high as No. 4 to the Oakland Raiders, and is in a battle with West Virginia's Kevin White to be the first wideout selected.


So you could have Winston, Mariota and Cooper be three of the first four picks, and Goodell might only have one young man to embrace. Could make for a slow first hour of the draft as far as his face time is concerned.


White is attending. So are other potential top-10 selections such as Clemson's Vic Beasley, Florida's Dante Fowler Jr. and USC's Leonard Williams.


Among the more interesting invitations is Nebraska's Randy Gregory. No one would have been surprised had he opted out of attending in light of his positive drug test at the NFL scouting combine, which could preclude a Draft Day slide and an awkward green-room experience. But Gregory will be in Chicago, along with some other players — such as Duke's Laken Tomlinson, a Chicago native — who might have to bring a second suit in case they're not selected on Thursday.


Rounds 2 and 3 continue on Friday, and last year the New England Patriots freed Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from falling farther by taking him with the penultimate pick of the second round — the final green roomer to be picked in 2014.


Could Winston change his mind and attend? Sure. But right now, this is your starting 26.


- - - - - - -


Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Justise Winslow becomes second Duke freshman to enter the draft

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The Duke freshman whose stock rose fastest during the Blue Devils' national championship run is poised to take advantage.


Justise Winslow announced Tuesday he is forgoing his final three years of college eligibility and entering the NBA draft.


"My family and I have decided that I should declare," Winslow said in a statement. "Considering the success and growth that I have experienced over this past year as a player and as a person, I believe it is time to take the next step on my career path and play at the highest level."


The departure of Winslow has been nearly a foregone conclusion for weeks because of how brilliantly he has performed since late January when he replaced Amile Jefferson in Duke's starting lineup as an undersized power forward.


Winslow cemented himself as a lottery pick by averaging 14.6 points per game during the latter half of the ACC regular season and the league tournament and elevated his stock even further by spearheading Duke's title push. In six NCAA tournament games, Winslow was unstoppable in transition, dangerous off the dribble and deadly from behind the arc, averaging 14.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists to lead the Blue Devils to their fifth national title.


One concern about Winslow is that he'll have to slide back to the wing in the NBA, meaning his quickness won't be such a mismatch for opposing defenders. His outside shot had also been considered a weakness entering the season, but he shot 41.8 percent from behind the arc for the season and 8 of 13 in the NCAA tournament, repeatedly punishing opposing defenders who helped off him or played him to drive.


Winslow becomes the sixth one-and-done prospect in Mike Krzyzewski's Duke tenure, joining classmate Jahlil Okafor and previous Blue Devils stars Corey Maggette, Luol Deng, Kyrie Irving, Austin Rivers and Jabari Parker. Point guard Tyus Jones could be No. 7 if he too decides to enter the draft later this month.


If all three star freshmen leave, Duke will be a vastly different team next season. The Blue Devils will have to build around title game hero Grayson Allen, returning starter Matt Jones and an incoming class that includes highly touted Chase Jeter and Luke Kennard.


- - - - - - -


Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : George Karl says he has never had an 'untradeable' player

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Probably 29 other NBA teams would fall over themselves for the chance to put together a deal for Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins is averaging over 24 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 blocks this year for another terrible Kings team, and his attitude and all-around play have improved quite a bit since Sacramento hired coach Michael Malone in 2013.


Malone isn’t coaching the team any more, and neither is his replacement Tyrone (“he’s here for the rest of the season!”) Corbin. Respected NBA lifer George Karl is Sacramento’s top coach, he’s coached the Kings for all over 29 games and Cousins for 19, and he’s open to all suggestions as to how to fix a Kings team that is in danger of missing the playoffs for the tenth straight season next year.


He won’t even rule out trading Cousins. Via Pro Basketball Talk, from CSN Bay Area:



“I’ve had some great players and I’ve never had one player that I have said is untradeable,” Karl added. “You always got to be ready for the possibility of a great trade that could come your way.




“I know I respect him (DeMarcus Cousins) a tremendous amount . . . I think our give and take and our communication has been almost on a daily basis . . . until we can really get to a special place together, I think we’ve got to continue to communicate, what he wants and what I want.”



You’ll recall, as Karl’s coaching career has moved along, his team’s actions have backed up his most recent declaration.


[Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball]


He started with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the early 1980s, a team so willing to deal draft picks that the NBA had to establish a rule that first-round picks could not be traded in consecutive years, a rule initiated only because owner Ted Stepien traded pick after pick in exchange for an endless series of middling veterans.


He then joined the Golden State Warriors, who traded franchise center Joe Barry Carroll on his watch.


Karl didn’t hesitate to encourage a deal sending (then) hotheaded swingman Kendall Gill to Charlotte for the less-fiery (but better-fitting) Hersey Hawkins. Shawn Kemp was rumored to be close to being dealt to the Chicago Bulls following 1994-95, and he was eventually dealt to Cleveland in the fall of 1997.


Gary Payton managed to make it through an at-times tenuous relationship with Karl, but he was finally dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks at the 2003 NBA trade deadline … to a Bucks team coached by George Karl. Karl and the Bucks sent Ray Allen away in the move, only to watch as Allen went on to seven more All-Star teams following the deal. Payton’s contributions fell off precipitously, and both he and Karl would be out of Milwaukee just a few months after the transaction.


Surfacing in Denver a few years later, Karl was the Nuggets coach in 2011 when the team signed off on a long-rumored deal that was to send bored scoring forward Carmelo Anthony to New York. The Nuggets actually improved without Anthony, but Karl’s team could never turn the corner with the somewhat star-less (depending on how you considered Andre Iguodala, who was traded from Denver soon after Karl left) Nuggets.


Everyone is tradable. LeBron James, technically, was traded. Kobe Bryant was traded not because of some stink he was putting up about having to play in Charlotte, but because the Hornets thought the return (Vlade Divac, entering his prime) better suited their needs. Wilt, Kareem, Kevin Garnett and Dominique Wilkins have all been traded. Jim Jackson has been traded, people. Anthony Johnson, too.


Because this is the flighty Sacramento Kings, however, we’re left to assume that this should be some passive-aggressive knowledge drop regarding All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, however.


Maybe.


Because there’s this …



“I know I respect him a tremendous amount,” Karl said.



… followed up by this:



“Just the way any good offensive player can border on being selfish, there’s always going to be a little conflict there. But I think our give-and-take, our communication is almost on a daily basis, and I think that will continue until we can get to a special place together. We have to continue to communicate.”



Cousins is in the first year of a five-year, $65 million deal that, if 2014-15 is any indication, he will certainly earn. He “only” made the All-Star team as an injury replacement in the West this year, but acting as the 13th-best player (12th, if you dismiss Kobe Bryant’s fan vote as a starter in an injury-plagued year) in the loaded Western Conference is quite the accomplishment.


DeMarcus has been ruled out for the season, as the Kings look to secure losses and a lottery spot. If the Kings endure some major NBA draft lottery bad luck in May and fall out of the top ten (they currently have the best odds at the sixth pick with one game left to lose) the franchise will be forced to give up its pick to the Chicago Bulls.


It is not known whether or not Cousins is happy with the decision to sit the big man. Witness his Twitter reaction to the news (we’re guessing) from Saturday:



The deal that sent a potential pick to (eventually) Chicago happened one owner and one general manager ago, in the horrid Maloof brother/Geoff Petrie era. Speculation is running rampant that, once again, that embarrassingly impatient new’ish Kings owner Vivek Ranadive will make what is rumored right now official sometime this offseason – Vlade Divac would take over as player personnel boss, and current general manager Pete D’Alessandro would be out.


Karl mentioned D’Alessandro, who used to work with George in Denver, ahead of Vlade (ooooh!) prior to his “untradeable” comment:



“That’s (general manager) Pete (D’Alessandro) and (vice president) Vlade (Divac’s) area of expertise.”



It would seem a rather innocuous, and accurate, comment. With these Kings, though, you never know.


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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : VOD: Utah tries to take its recruiting to a 'Fast and Furious' level

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

When you think of Utah football, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?


Fast cars, right?


Yeah, me too. We’re totally on the same page with that one.


So it’s a good thing Utah decided to capitalize on its well-known persona and create a recruiting video that tries (emphasize the word tries) to emulate the Fast and the Furious.



Ute Fast / Ute Furious from Utah Football on Vimeo.


So what I gather from this video is that Utah is sick of losing its top recruits to out-of state competition. And that’s fair. In the last two years, the top recruits in the state, including 2015’s No. 1 overall recruit Porter Gustin, went to other Pac-12 schools. Only twice since the Utes joined the Pac-12 in 2011 have they received a signature from a recruit ranked in the top three in state (2011 and 2013). Not once during that time has the top recruit gone to Utah and only once — OL Ryker Matthews — has the top in-state recruit stayed in state.


But did the Utah coaches have to put the poor unsuspecting folks of Salt Lake City in harms way during the making of this video? I mean, they’re changing lanes without signaling, they’re revving their engines, they’re crossing the centerline on two-lane roads and there’s even a shot of some poor student driver who will probably never be able to get on the road again.


Although this video tried hard, it fell well short of Arizona's "Speed" video, which still reigns supreme as the best random college football gimmick video ever made.


For more Utah news, visit Utezone.com.


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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!


And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook






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News sport : Arkansas sends 15 letters to recruit's girlfriend

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

Arkansas seems to really want Caleb Roddy, a defensive end from Denham Springs, La.


Roddy is a Rivals three-star recruit in the class of 2016 who has offers from programs across the country, but the Razorbacks and coach Bret Bielema are going the extra mile. Arkansas’ coaches want Roddy to commit so badly that they sent 15 recruiting letters to his girlfriend on Monday.



That’s a pretty clever way for the Arkansas coaches to convey their interest in Roddy. The 6-foot-5, 248-pound recruit took a visit to Fayetteville last week and seemed to be impressed. Maybe reaching out to his girlfriend will put them over the top.



In addition to Arkansas, three other SEC programs – Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Tennessee – have offered Roddy a scholarship, according to Rivals. Additionally, Roddy has offers from Arizona State, Illinois, North Carolina and San Diego State, among others.


Among strongside defensive ends in the 2016 class, Rivals ranks Roddy as the 21st-best overall. Additionally, Roddy is rated as the 19th-best 2016 prospect in Louisiana.


For more Arkansas news, HawgSports.com.


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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Florida OL Rod Johnson retires due to spinal condition

♠ Posted by channel-top-news in ,,,,,,,

Sep 13, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators offensive linesman Roderick Johnson (55) celebrates with fans after they beat the Kentucky Wildcats during overtime at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida Gators defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 36-30 in triple overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports Roderick Johnson’s career at Florida is over.


Johnson, a redshirt sophomore offensive tackle, was diagnosed with “congenital cervical stenosis” by Florida’s medical staff. Per GatorZone.com, the condition is “a narrowing of the spinal canal enveloping the spinal cord, preventing enough fluid to gather around the spinal cord to properly protect it from injury.”


Johnson first showed signs of the condition when he suffered what was thought to be a stinger on April 3 during a scrimmage. The 6-foot-6, 296-pound Johnson felt a numbness in his fingers and hands and was held out of the rest of spring practice while undergoing further examination.


After undergoing an MRI, meeting with specialists and consulting with team doctors, “it was recommended Johnson retire from the sport.”


Cervical stenosis also ended the careers of former New York Giants running back David Wilson and Ole Miss wide receiver Cooper Manning, the brother of Peyton and Eli Manning


Florida head coach Jim McElwain hinted after Saturday’s spring game that Johnson’s career was likely over. McElwain also said that he would “never” put Johnson or another player “out there in harm’s way.”


“Life’s too short, man,” McElwain said. “Ain’t gonna do it, ain’t gonna do it to a young guy.”


Johnson, who started three games and played in 12 for the Gators last season, was expected to be a starter for the Gators at offensive tackle in 2015.




Quarterback Treon Harris said Saturday that Johnson not being able to play is a “big loss” for the Gators.


The Gators suited up just six scholarship offensive lineman on Saturday, but have six true freshmen linemen joining the program this summer.


For more Florida news, visit InsideTheGators.com.


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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!







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