Our candlelight vigil continues for D'Angelo Russell after the former No. 2 overall pick was removed from the Los Angeles Lakers' starting lineup (along with promising young forward Julius Randle) against the Toronto Raptors:
D'Angelo: "I was starting to figure it out and then this happened....I've never been in the (back-up) position."
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) December 7, 2015
Russell: "Everybody has a story at the end of the day as far as what theyve been through...Hopefully I can look back at this and laugh."
— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) December 7, 2015
The only thing we'll laugh at is the fact Byron Scott lasted this long as a head coach in the NBA.
Last 4 games. D'Angelo Russell: 13-5-4 on 42% Julius Randle: 13-12-1 on 42% Kobe Bryant: 18-3-3 on 27% DO YOU, BYRON. DO YOU.
— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) December 7, 2015
The Lakers (3-18) fell to the Raptors (13-9), 102-93. Russell (9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists) is looking to the bright side of bench life:
Russell on bench role:"There's just more ball movement. No disrespect to Kobe, but you know you have more opportunity because of who he is."
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) December 8, 2015
NEXT COACH UP. Chris Ash is off to Rutgers. Depending how the coaching carousel rolls, guys like Ed Warinner or Luke Fickell could be out the door next. Either way, it's a crucial offseason for Urban Meyer, with a coaching exodus compounded by a player one.
From espn.com:
Ohio State still scored plenty of points this season after Tom Herman’s departure for Houston, but the offense wasn’t as explosive or efficient without him pulling the strings, and it was downright anemic in the loss to Michigan State that cost the Buckeyes a chance to defend their national championship. In fact, Meyer was still tinkering with both responsibilities and the alignment of his staff even in the final game of the regular season, moving offensive line coach Ed Warinner to the press box for the win over Michigan to address play-calling issues that seemed to pop up with Herman’s replacement, co-coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tim Beck.
The passing game as a whole appeared to take a step back with Beck this season, and problems like that are bound to happen when quality assistants have to be replaced. That doesn’t mean Beck isn’t a good coach or that he won’t eventually prove to be just as valuable after a rocky start, but continuity is a prized commodity for a reason.
Meyer is a three-time champion with a roster stacked to the gills with talent. Ohio State vacancies will attract the game's best minds, but hiring people isn't a science.
The pessimists among us will fret, but I look forward to how Meyer will answer this challenge. Yes, there will be a talent drain... but the new era will be unburdened by this season's expectations. Given the results of Meyer's tenure, why wouldn't I hold onto cautious optimism about 2016?
ASH REFLECTS. Even though Rutgers' introductory graphic made it look like Chris Ash's family was under direct threat, Ohio State's Co-Defensive Coordinator was introduced as Rutgers' next head coach on Monday.
Could he have held out for a better job than Rutgers? Probably, but Ash makes a point: What else was there left for him to accomplish in Columbus? Not much, if anything at all.
From dispatch.com:
“After I had this (Rutgers) job and had some alone time flying back to Columbus, I was thinking about the last two years,” Ash said. “When I came here -- why I came here -- it was to learn and grow and watch coach Meyer do business and run the program.
“I did all of that. To win a national championship, to check that box off, to get a head coaching job, I can check that box off. A long list of things I hoped to accomplish, (and) I did every single one of them and I did them faster than I thought I could.”
[...]
“I’m not trying to compete with Urban Meyer or Ohio State,” he said. “I’m going to try to be Chris Ash, the head coach of Rutgers and make Rutgers better every single day. I’m going to focus on the process it takes to recruit and develop players."
Ash said he wants a fast, physical team with relentless effort. Sound familiar?
He can say what he wants too, but the fact is Rutgers just dropped $11,000,000 guaranteed. Meyer not only is in his conference; he's in his division. Whether Ash likes it or not, Ohio State will be the measuring stick, and why wouldn't it be for any program not wanting to accept average?
THE FIESTA IS FINE. Yesterday, I said I was cool with the Fiesta Bowl matchup because the Irish are rated high on my Dumpability Index.
But there are other reasons to be excited for the matchup.
From landgrantholyland.com:
Despite not being a game that could determine the national champion, there's still plenty at stake in a big bowl against Notre Dame. When it comes to recruiting, no other program, except possibly Michigan, threatens Ohio State's dominance in the state of Ohio like Notre Dame. [...]
It's a compelling game for so many other reasons, too. Ohio State's improved secondary will be sorely tested by Notre Dame's excellent Will Fuller, and what is one of the statistically most explosive offenses in the entire country. Their rushing attack will test Ohio State's elite front, and their defensive front will provide an opportunity to see how lasting the improvements to Ohio State's offense will be. [...]
But it isn't some random team -- it's Notre Dame. Urban Meyer coached there. So did Tim Hinton. So did Tony Alford. So did Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith. Notre Dame's QB, DeShone Kizer, is an Ohio kid that never got a committable Buckeye offer, and he's never forgotten about it. Daniel Cage, one of Notre Dame's best defensive players, is an Ohio kid that got away. These are two fanbases that already don't really like each other that much. With everything combined, it should be a worthwhile, fun, and important bowl game.
People are going to lose their minds if Ohio State loses to Notre Dame, aren't they? That might make for a nuclear winter and bring threads like "Mark Mangino – OC?" back from the dead. The hyperbolic overreaction I could live with.
I would be salty, however, about Ohio State losing to the Irish for the first time since the Roosevelt Administration. That's one of my favorite factoids with which to nuke Irish fans.
MICHIGAN WIN: STILL HIGH. I mentioned Michigan LB Joe Bolden's comments yesterday, but the full quote is out now and it's even more glorious than expected.
From mlive.com:
"It's hard to describe, especially with the way it happened. I mean, we got our butts kicked, there's no ifs, and's or buts about it," Michigan senior captain Joe Bolden said Monday. "It's just hard to fathom that you come in and you remember the exact first time you put that uniform on and button that chinstrap on the helmet (in Michigan Stadium) and it's hard to fathom that was the last game here in front of the home fans we love so dearly"
Bolden telling early-exiting Michigan fans to look in a mirror was my favorite part until I read about distraught Michigan linemen. Does this make me a bad person? Trick question. I don't care.
"It was pretty emotional for me, just seeing my teammates in there for the last time," Michigan fifth-year senior center Graham Glasgow said. "Being with Kyle (Kalis), the O-line -- we have our own little nook in the locker room where we all sit together. It was pretty emotional. You never want to go out like that.
"(The way we lost) probably added to it. It's something we're trying to get over, something I'm trying to get over by winning the last game."
Credit to where it's due. Jim Harbaugh—or perhaps Jim Harbaugh's SID—kept it 100 with his latest Coaches Poll ballot.
From thecomeback.com:
The defending NCAA college football playoff champion Ohio State Buckeyes finished this season with an 11-1 record and placed 7th in the college football playoff rankings and the AP poll. However, they did receive more support from some quarters, most notably the coaches’ poll. Ohio State finished fifth there, and they got one top-four vote, which came from an extremely-surprising source: Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. Putting a rival into playoff position when only a few others think they should be there is one thing, but that’s not the only weirdness on Harbaugh’s ballot. Here are his top 10 teams:
| RANKING | SCHOOL |
|---|---|
| 1 | CLEMSON TIGERS |
| 2 | ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE |
| 3 | MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS |
| 4 | OHIO STATE BUCKEYES |
| 5 | OKLAHOMA SOONERS |
| 6 | IOWA HAWKEYES |
| 7 | STANFORD CARDINAL |
| 8 | FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES |
| 9 | NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS |
| 10 | NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS |
That's a Final Four I can support, even though I remain mystified why, given the two résumés, anybody ranks Alabama over Michigan State:
Using CFP rankings, Mich St had wins over No. 5, No. 7, No. 14 and No. 15. Alabama had wins over No. 19, No. 20 and No. 23.
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) December 6, 2015
TORRANCE, NOOOOO. I remember the first time I saw snow in 1994. I thought it was an occasion of wonderment, but as it turns out it was some classic dipshittery my readers have come to know and love.
Snow would be fine if snowboarding or skiing were practical and we all made $4,000,000 a year, lived in Aspen, and didn't have to deal with drivers on public roads.
But it doesn't work that way. Instead you end up cussing and freezing at 7:30 a.m. trying to scrape ice off your windshield with a debit card or melting down because your morning commute time doubled.
In time, young Torrance Gibson will learn of our northern bane.
Sooooooooooo where is the snow? I've never seen snow before.
— Torrance Gibson 6 (@quick_tg6) December 7, 2015
Snow. Not even once.
THOSE WMDs. NFL trash talk has limits... The fate of daily fantasy is all about these bros... Summit Street gets protected bike lane near campus... Photos: Drilling for oil on Venice Beach... 'Boy in the Bubble' moved a world he couldn't touch... Sobriety needed to be Santa in 1948.
