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The Woelfel World of Sports
September 2009
Wednesday September 30, 2009
Posted by: gwoelfel at 10:57PM CST on September 30, 2009
GERY WOELFEL ST. FRANCIS -- For professional athletes, it's all about the money, right? Well, maybe not for all of them. Take Ersan Ilyasova, the Milwaukee Bucks' intriguing young forward. Ilyasova played last season for Regal FC Barcelona in the Spanish League, and he played quite well. His impressive play and his appealing upside made the 6-foot-9 Ilyasova an attractive free-agent prospect over the summer. The Bucks were just one of several options for him, and they were certainly weren't the best one -- at least from a financial standpoint. According to Ilyasova, FC Barcelona made a serious pitch to retain him, offering a lucrative, five-year offer. Ilyasova said he also got a sweet offer from Olympiakos, the Athens-based powerhouse. Olympakos had a four-year, guaranteed contract on the table for him. Ilyasova wouldn't disclose the monetary numbers for the FC Barcelona or Olympiakos offers, but conceded it was "more money than the Bucks.'' The Bucks signed Ilyasova to a three-year, $7 million deal. Ilyasova wouldn't have signed on the dotted line with the Bucks if Tolga Tugsavul, Ilyasova's agent, had his druthers. "He wanted me to stay in Europe,'' Ilyasova said. Ilyasova, who was born in Eskisehir, Turkey, certainly wouldn't have had an issue if he continued plying his craft in Europe. But Ilyasova, a fiercely independent individual, wasn't about to let his agent sway his opinion, much less determine his future. "The agent is to bring the offers,'' Ilyasova said, "but the decision is me.'' Ilyasova was almost obsessed about returning to the NBA and proving, especially to himself, that he could compete at the highest level of the game. Ilyasova attempted to do that after the Bucks chose him in the second round of the 2005 NBA draft, but the thin-as-a-rail 19-year-old wasn't close to being ready. The Bucks assigned him to the NBA's minor league -- the Development League -- with the Tulsa 66ers. The following season Ilyasova showed enough growth that he stuck with the Bucks. He played in 66 games and even started 14. Bucks officials were delighted with his progress and expected him to play a prominent role in the years to come. But while attending the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, then Bucks general manager Larry Harris was stunned to learn that Ilyasova was returning to Europe. Ilyasova, 22, is reluctant to explain why he left the Bucks, but he isn't hesitant about why he's come back. "It's more of a challenge,'' Ilyasova said. "When I was here the first time, I was just 19. "A lot of things have changed since then. I'm more experienced. I had more playing time. "I'm happy to be here.'' But not as happy as his wife, Julia. She grew up in Milwaukee and felt a sense of security being around her parents. There had been rumblings that Julia prodded Ersan toward signing with the Bucks this summer, but Ersan insists her opinion didn't influence his. "She is very excited to be here again,'' Ilyasova said. "It's more easy for her here. "(But) it wasn't why I came here. ... I see myself as an NBA player.'' Ilyasova probably sees himself as eventually being a big-time NBA player, although he isn't about to publicly make that proclamation. For now, he wants to establish himself as a key contributor for the Bucks. He is in a heated battle for one of the two starting forward spots and believes, unlike his last stint with the team, he is infinitely more prepared to start. "Why not?'' Ilyasova responds when asked if he could earn a starter's role. "Everybody has an even chance here.'' If he doesn't start, Ilyasova said he's not going to be devastated. It's not about him, he says, it's about the team. "First of all, my goal is playing on a winning team,'' Ilyasova said. "I want to help this team win. Our goal is to be in the playoffs.'' Where he could make some extra cash and recoup a portion of the money he lost by not signing with either FC Barcelona or Olympiakos. "It was a huge decision I make to come back to the NBA,'' Ilyasova said about passing on the bucks for the Bucks. "I'm happy with my decision. It's not about the money.'' Monday September 28, 2009
Posted by: gwoelfel at 11:21PM CST on September 28, 2009
GERY WOELFEL ST. FRANCIS – Jim Boylan is in the market for a new haberdasher. After losing almost 23 pounds in the last four months, the Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach virtually needs a whole new wardrobe. “My suits are a little loose now,’’ Boylan said smiling. While Boylan is thrilled being a svelte 182 pounds now, he is hardly thrilled by the way he lost it. The 54-year-old Boylan was told back in May that he had tongue cancer. “I had a sore throat for almost a year; it just kept bothering me,’’ Boylan said. “I went to a couple of different doctors and they weren’t sure what it was. “Finally, after a real frustrating time of not knowing exactly what was causing the problem, I had a MRI done and they discovered it.’’ Doctors found a tumor at the base of Boylan’s tongue, but were baffled at its origin. Boylan doesn’t smoke and his family doesn’t have any history of cancer. “It’s kind of a freaky thing because they didn’t know what caused it,’’ said Boylan, who gained local notoriety when he started at point guard on Marquette University’s NCAA championship team in 1977. “The doctor said it was kind of a perfect storm.’’ Once Boylan’s illness was determined, he immediately underwent chemo and radiation treatments. They lasted seven weeks until July 15 and, while Boylan tried his best to keep working, he eventually couldn’t anymore. He couldn’t travel with the team to the NBA’s Summer League in Las Vegas and didn’t get back into the gym until recently. For Boylan, who had always been a model of health, the cancer not only took a physical toll on him but a mental one as well. He credits his medical team at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, friends, members of the Bucks organization and especially his wife, Jane, for helping him cope with the biggest crisis in his life. “My wife, Jane, really took care of me,’’ Boylan said. “There’s a lot that goes into this: the doctor appointments, the treatments, the medications ... “If you have to handle it on your own, it’s pretty difficult. It could be pretty devastating. But if you have somebody to help relieve the pressure on you, it makes a huge difference. “She really got me through this.’’ Boylan had a CT scan two weeks ago and was understandably relieved to learn he is cancer free. Boylan said he feels great and is excited about the upcoming season. Suffice to say, Boylan is ecstatic his “bad dream’’ is over. “It’s very shocking when the words are said to you that you have cancer,’’ Boylan said. “You go into some kind of unbelievable mode of not understanding why this was happening. “It’s not an easy journey; it’s a tough journey.’’ But it’s a journey, Boylan concedes, that has given him a better perspective of life. “You start to look at things a little differently,’’ Boylan said. “You don’t take things for granted as much as you had in the past. You appreciate the simpler things in life. “When people say ‘as long as you have your health,’ it flies over you. It goes in one ear and out the other. “Sometimes you don’t appreciate your health until it is actually an issue. From that perspective, I do cherish things more now.’’
Sunday September 13, 2009
Posted by: gwoelfel at 3:24PM CST on September 13, 2009
GERY WOELFEL In the last several days, I've informally polled several die-hard NFL fans on their Super Bowl picks. Virtually all of them had different responses. And that's understandable. There are a dozen, or maybe more, NFL teams that have the wherewithal to get to the "Big One.'' Even the so-called ''experts'' have a variety of opinions, especially when it comes to the NFC Super Bowl entrant. Take CBS television's pre-game panel of analysts, for example: -- Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino -- the best pure passer I've ever seen - projects Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings playing New England in the Super Bowl. -- Former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms tabs New England to play the Green Bay Packers. -- Former Denver Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe concurred with Simms' prognostication. -- Former Pittsburgh Steelers Bill Cowher picks the Steelers to meet the New York Giants, his rationale being that the Steelers (Mike Tomlin) and Giants (Tom Coughlin) are two of only three current NFL coaches (the other being New England's Bill Belichick) who have won a Super Bowl. Did you notice none of these gentlemen picked such certifiable Super Bowl contenders like San Diego or Indianapolis or Chicago or Philadelphia or Baltimore or Atlanta or Carolina or Dallas or Arizona, which represented the NFC in last year's Super Bowl? Or one of my picks, New Orleans? Brees has always been terrific signal-caller, but I look for him to become a special one this season and elevate the Saints to an elite strata. Just like Tom Brady did with the Patriots in the past and what he'll do again now that he's healthy. A Super Bowl of Saints and Patriots. What more could you want? Thursday September 10, 2009
Posted by: gwoelfel at 5:55PM CST on September 10, 2009
GERY WOELFEL First, it was Richard Jefferson. Then, it was Charlie Villanueva. Now, in the next couple of days, it'll be Ramon Sessions. Three players who started for the Milaukee Bucks last season; three players who'll likely be starting for other teams this season. The Bucks traded Jefferson, a talented small forward, to San Antonio -- just one year after they acquired him from New Jersey. Villanueva, one of the better young forwards in the game, bolted to Detroit in free agency. And the Bucks didn't so much as make him a qualifying offer. As for Sessions, he's is on the cusp of joining the Minnesota Timberwolves, who signed him to a four-year, $16 million offer sheet. NBA officials wouldn't be surprised if the Bucks matched the offer, they'd be shocked. Why? Two words: luxury tax. The Bucks' payroll is at $68.316 million (A list of all the Bucks' salaries is at the end of this story). The luxury tax is $69.920M Do the math. The Bucks are just $1.6M under the tax threshold. If they'd sign Sessions, who'll make just under $4 million in the first season of his new deal, the Bucks would be approximately $2.4M over the cap. Under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement, that would mean the Bucks would have to give the NBA $2.4M. The Bucks have never been over the luxury tax, and they won't be now, either. So long Ramon Sessions. Sessions' impending departure thus means the Bucks will have lost three of their top four scorers from last seasons: Jefferson averaged 19.6 points, Villanueva averaged 16.2 and Sessions, despite playing just 27 minutes a game, averaged 12.4. That's a whopping 48.2 points a game. Making matters worse, the Bucks didn't pick up one -- not one -- certifiable scorer to help offset the losses of Jefferson, Villanueva and Sessions. Two words for Michael Redd, the Bucks' only legitimate and reliable scorer: good luck. BUCKS 2009-2110 SALARIES: * Count Chubby Wells, Sessions' agent, among those who don't think the Bucks will match the Timberwolves' offer. * Wells on Sessions' reaction to Minnesota's offer: "He is so happy. I mean I don't have the words to explain how happy he is.'' * I was told the New York Knicks came awfully close to landing Sessions. Said Wells: "Yeah, I thought we were really close with the Knicks on a couple of occasions.'' * Wells acknowledged he was still in talks with the L.A. Clippers when Minnesota made its last-minute, successful pitch for Sessions. * Wells said two other teams had contacted him last week about Sessions, although neither one put an offer on the table. * There has been some speculation the Bucks might trade Kurt Thomas, the veteran forward they obtained from San Antonio in the Jefferson trade, before training camp. But that's unlikely as Thomas recently bought a house in Milwaukee and plans to arrive there next week. * Bucks GM John Hammond said he will likely invite another three players to training camp. Hammond didn't disclose any names. * Mark Termini, the agent for former Bucks guard Damon Jones, said he's been in discussions "with a number of teams'' about his client.
Wednesday September 9, 2009
Posted by: gwoelfel at 10:36AM CST on September 9, 2009
GERY WOELFEL It's fairly obvious what's on Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin's "to-do'' list this winter. Melvin will will want to get a starting pitcher, or two. Melvin will want to get a reliable middle-relief pitcher. Melvin will want to get a quality, every day catcher. Melvin will want a center fielder who he doesn't have to pay $10 million. And Melvin will want to get a shrink. Yes, a shrink. After all, maybe a shrink can figure out why a pretty talented team like the Brewers can't consistently win in its own ballpark -- especially when most of their games at Miller Park are usually played before large and enthusiastic crowds. With their loss to the St. Louis Cardinals Tuesday night, the Brewers' home record plummeted to a feeble 34-36. That's the fourth-worst home record in the entire National League. That's also nine fewer home victories than the Central Division- leading Cardinals and, gulp, two fewer wins than the putrid Pirates have totaled in Pittsburgh. If the Brewers are to get back into the playoff mix next season, it would certainly help if Melvin -- or a shrink -- could get the Brewers' home woes straightened out.
Thursday September 3, 2009
Posted by: gwoelfel at 10:39PM CST on September 3, 2009
BY GERY WOELFEL Ramon Sessions could be approaching the end of his long and unpredictable free agency odyssey. Sessions, a restricted free agent who wound being the Bucks' starting point guard last season after just two years in the NBA, could be on the verge of receiving an offer sheet. Surprisingly, it might not come from the New York Knicks or the Los Angeles Clippers -- two teams that have heavily courted Sessions since the commencement of free agency on July 1. According to some NBA officials, Sessions may wind up signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves are in the market for a guard after their top choice in the 2009 draft -- Ricky Rubio -- recently decided to play for Regal FC Barcelona. Neither Sessions nor Chubby Wells, Sessions' agent, could be reached for comment Thursday night. Ditto for Timberwolves president David Kahn. If Sessions does sign an offer sheet with the Timberwolves, the Bucks would have seven days in which to match it. That is highly unlikely, though. The Bucks used their first-round draft pick -- No. 10 selection overall -- on point guard Brandon Jennings. The Bucks also have the services of veteran Luke Ridnour and recently acquired yet another point guard, Roko Ukic, in a trade with Toronto. If that isn't enough, the Bucks are only $1.6 million under the NBA's luxury tax threshold. It's a cinch Sessions will be offered a contract at least double that amount and probably for four years. Sessions, 23, is regarded as one of the best young point guards in the game. A second-round draft pick out of Nevada-Reno, Sessions spent most of his rookie season with Tulsa in the D-League and played in just 17 games with the Bucks. However, Sessions blossomed last season. He appeared in 79 games, 39 as a starter. He averaged 12.4 points and 5.7 assists. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Sessions holds the Bucks' all-time record for assists in a game with 24. What's more, he scorched the Detroit Pistons for 44 points in a game last season. The prevailing feeling was that Sessions would sign an offer sheet with the Knicks. New York coach Mike D'Antoni has an excellent rapport with Sessions and respects his game. Knicks president Donnie Walsh has had repeated conversations with Wells and with Bucks general manager John Hammond about some sign-and-trade scenarios, although the parties couldn't come to any agreement. The Knicks have their sights set on signing Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James next summer and don't want to disrupt their salary-cap situation. The Clippers have also shown continual interest in Sessions. Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy is impressed with Sessions' playmaking abilities, particularly his assist-to-turnover ratio. In 96 games with the Bucks, Sessions averaged 6.0 assists and just 1.9 turnovers.
Wednesday September 2, 2009
Posted by: gwoelfel at 11:49AM CST on September 2, 2009
GERY WOELFEL Brett Favre isn't one of the premier players in the NFL anymore. At age 39, many of Favre's extraordinary physical gifts have eroded. He doesn't And no longer does he run haphazardly around the field, concocting No, Brett Lorenzo Favre isn't a franchise player these days. He isn’t like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady or some of today's truly elite But while Favre has lost some of his magic, he hasn't lost his If you don't believe that, you should have checked out the In the third What possessed Vikings coach Brad Childress to use Favre in that But Childress did, and Favre seized the moment, once again showing After Percy Harvin took the snap, he rolled toward Favre's Not Favre. He didn't care it was a bogus preseason game. He didn't care if his body could have incurred some serious damage to it. No, siree. Instead, Favre threw a vicious, albeit illegal, Understandably, Wilson wasn't amused by Favre's block. But Wilson As Favre said afterward, "I hope he is OK. ... My intentions, That play epitomized Favre's unbridled passion for the game. That And that play, most importantly, may have galvanized his new team Asked his opinion of Favre's play, Harvin said: "I appreciated the Added an admiring Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson: "He's just Like few others have or ever will. |
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