05/10/2008 - Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rick Carlisle has come to terms on a four-year contract to become head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks website posted a story late Friday night that confirmed the signing, which is expected to take place Saturday. The story said that Carlisle will be introduced as the ninth head coach in franchise history on Wednesday.
Carlisle takes over for the recently fired Avery Johnson.
"Incredibly excited that Rick has come on board," said Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in the story on his team's website. "His coaching record speaks for itself. He has a unique ability to coach multiple styles of play, which we think makes him a great fit for the Mavs."
In six seasons as a coach, two with Detroit and four with Indiana, Carlisle has compiled a 281-211 record. He was the league's Coach of the Year in 2002 when he guided the Pistons to a 50-win season.
Carlisle's career playoff record stands at 30-32. Indiana finished just 35-47 in 2006-07, and Carlisle didn't return to the team for the following season. In four seasons as the Pacers mentor, Carlisle compiled a 181-147 record and the team made the NBA playoffs in three of his four seasons at the helm.
His best season in Indianapolis was his first. In 2003-04 the Pacers posted a 61-21 record -- the best mark in franchise history -- and reached the Eastern Conference finals.
Despite having three years left on a five-year deal he signed after Dallas' run to the 2006 NBA Finals, Johnson finds himself unemployed after two straight exits in the first round of the playoffs. Johnson led the Mavs to a 194-70 record during the regular season, but his postseason mark is 23-24. The Mavericks have lost 12 of their last 15 playoff games.
Dallas lost to New Orleans in five games in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. The first-round defeat was the second straight for Dallas, which was eliminated by Golden State in the 2007 conference quarterfinals in one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history, becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 8 seed in a seven-game series.
<< Red Wings aim for 2-0 lead against visiting Stars
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded Detroit Red Wings will try to take a two
games to none lead in the Western Conference finals tonight, when they welcome
the Dallas Stars for Game 2 at Joe Louis Arena.
The Red Wings came out with a strong pe
<< Cavs, Celtics resume best-of-seven series in Cleveland
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics attempt to take a commanding 3-0 lead
over the Cleveland Cavaliers in their Eastern Conference semifinal series, as
the teams meet tonight at Quicken Loans Arena.
On Thursday, Paul Pierce paced a balanc
<< Friday's NHL Playoff Sum
Philadelphia 2 0 0-2Pittsburgh 3 1 0-4First Period-1, Pittsburgh, Sykora 5 (Malone, Malkin), 6:19. 2, Philadelphia, Richards 5 (Umberger, Coburn), 8:30. 3, Philadelphia, Richards 6 (Lupul, Umberger), 12:50. 4, Pittsburgh, Crosby 3 (Hossa), 14:11
<< Friday's NHL Playoff Summary
Philadelphia 2 0 0-2Pittsburgh 3 1 0-4First Period-1, Pittsburgh, Sykora 5 (Malone, Malkin), 6:19. 2, Philadelphia, Richards 5 (Umberger, Coburn), 8:30. 3, Philadelphia, Richards 6 (Lupul, Umberger), 12:50. 4, Pittsburgh, Crosby 3 (Hossa), 14:11
Braves resume series with Bucos at PNC Park >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta lefty Chuck James looks for a third straight
victory tonight, when the Braves enter PNC Park for the second installment of
a four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
James opened his 2008 season wit
Magic try to even East semis with Pistons >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic attempt to even their Eastern Conference
semifinal series with the Detroit Pistons at two games apiece, as the teams
battle tonight at Amway Arena.
After losing Games 1 and 2 at The Palace of Auburn Hills
Dempster leads Cubs vs. D'Backs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Ryan Dempster will try to rebound from his
first loss of 2008 today, when the Chicago Cubs entertain the Arizona
Diamondbacks again in the middle contest of a three-game weekend series at
Wrigley
Astros continue trek at Los Angeles >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros opened their 10-game road trip on a good
note, and will try to stay on track tonight in the second test of a three-game
series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.
The Astros, who have won s
Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their “supplements” to worry about what their opponents are doing).
Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this won’t be an intelligent discussion.
Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).
Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.
Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a “truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit.” And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. “The plug-necked yahoos on your team,” you can say, “will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.”
The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesn’t focus only on your opponent’s team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.
What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Where’s your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, “I’ll try to type slower for you next time.” Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.
Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, don’t just conclude by saying your opponent is a “twerp who drafts like my grandmother.” Say that your opponent is a “sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars.” By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.
But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You won’t be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, I’m sure, to reply.
In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.
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