ARLINGTON, Va.
Tim Hardaway Jr. Jersey . -- Of all the subjects raised with George McPhee at his on-the-way-out news conference after being told hes done as the Washington Capitals general manager, the two most vital to understanding the teams future and recent past involved captain Alex Ovechkin and fired coach Adam Oates. And those were two topics McPhee did not want to address Monday, two days after the Capitals announced the 17-year GMs contract would not be renewed. "I dont really want to answer questions about individuals. Im going to duck those," McPhee replied when Ovechkins name was first brought up. Pressed to weigh in about the three-time NHL MVP, McPhee replied: "If youre asking me if we can win with him, I believed we could win with him." As to how Ovechkin could lead the league with 51 goals and be among the worst in the NHL with a minus-36 rating, McPhee said: "Of course I have opinions, but those issues are for the next guy." Later, McPhee was asked to describe his working relationship with Oates, who was fired Saturday with a season left on his three-year deal. "Again," McPhee said, "I dont want to talk about individuals." At another point in the half-hour meeting with the media, though, McPhee did say he "loved working with" Oates two immediate predecessors as Washingtons coach, Bruce Boudreau and Dale Hunter. The Capitals finished ninth in the Eastern Conference this season, missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2007. "For five years, we really had an opportunity to win a cup. We were legit," McPhee said. "And then I thought the last couple years, we could make the playoffs, but going deep might be hard, because I didnt think we were quite deep enough." During the six post-season berths in the span from 2008-13, though, Washington never made it past the second round. McPhee thinks hes leaving the team in good shape, ready to reach the Stanley Cup finals "sometime in the next three years." "Im not exaggerating when I try to explain that this organization is in great shape," McPhee said. "We dont have any bad contracts on the books. Lots of cap space to work with. A great (AHL) affiliation in Hershey. A whole group of young players coming into the organization." He said the Capitals simply need a "pretty easy fix." McPhee said his contract wont expire until July 1, so other teams would need to ask the Capitals for permission to speak to him about a job. "If theres another GMs job in the future and someone gives me an opportunity, Id love to do it again," he said. "And Id go to Iceland to do it. Doesnt matter where it is." McPhees mood was light and he made a handful of jokes. Perhaps its because he was not stunned that the Capitals would make changes. "I felt it was coming," McPhee said, "but in this job, youre 24 hours away from being fired almost any time."
Walt Frazier Jersey . -- LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the Trail Blazers lineup, happy to know that things didnt go awry without him.
Phil Jackson Jersey . Scolari says that although Brazilians have the right to complain about the government and demand improvements, perhaps the protests wont be coming at the "right time.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - There are still 10 undefeated teams left at the Division I level with less than a month gone in the 2014-15 season. Some of those squads who have yet to suffer a loss are familiar names, as nobody is surprised that talent-rich programs like Kentucky, Duke and Arizona are all sitting pretty with a goose egg in the loss column. For teams like TCU (8-0), Colorado State (8-0), Northern Iowa (8-0) and Washington (7-0), the undefeated look is a new one. The real intrigue now lies in determining which squads are for real, and which are destined for a harsh dose of reality in the coming weeks. In Fort Worth, fans may be consumed by disappointment over TCUs rejection from the College Football Playoff, but the Horned Frogs faithful have had plenty to cheer about on the court. TCU has never been much of a basketball power, with only two NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 40 years. The Horned Frogs have had a losing record in eight of the last nine seasons, including a 9-22 debacle in 2013-14. That is what makes their 8-0 success rate through the month of November and the beginning of December so startling. Sure, they have yet to really take down any team considered top notch, although triumphs over Mississippi State (61-52) and on the road against Ole Miss (66-54) are solid for sure. However, just the fact that the Horned Frogs are within reach of 10 wins before February is an accomplishment. TCUs success has been and will need to continue to be built on defense, as it ranks 10th in the country in opponent field goal percentage (.349). With a roster made up of a host of supplementary scorers (Kyan Anderson (12.5 ppg) is the only consistent double-digit threat), the Horned Frogs better hope their defense holds up. The Pac-12 has two of the remaining unbeaten teams, but Washington wasnt the lock to have the kind of the start that Arizona was. Coming off back-to-back seasons with moderate success, the Huskies did not seem to be headed in the right direction and that meant the heat was increasing under Lorenzo Romars seat on the bench. A 6-0 start didnt exactly wipe all that away, but the seventh win might have bought Romar some more time. The Huskies hosted then No. 13 San Diego State on Sunday and thanks tto some suffocating defense, escaped with a 49-36 victory.
Enes Kanter Jersey. Was it a pretty win? Absolutely not, but it counts just the same as any of its previous victories in the standings. In the minds of college basketball fans and pundits alike, it weighs even heavier. As with TCU, Washington can thank its commitment to defense for not only its win over the Aztecs, but its overall success. The Huskies are sixth in the country in opponent field goal percentage (.336), thanks to some excellent rim protection. They are blocking seven shots per game, which is tied for sixth in the nation. Robert Upshaw leads the way, swatting four shots per contest. Length, first of all, Romar said when asked why his team has been so strong defensively. We have more shot blockers as opposed to last year when we were so small that if you got near the rim we wouldnt make you pay for it. But this year we make you pay for it. Of course, for all the defensive superlatives for the Horned Frogs and Huskies, they are still ranked outside the top-30 in terms of adjusted defensive efficiency according to the Ken Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings. That fact makes the hopes of continued domination seem that much more precarious, especially as these teams enter January and the crunch of playing teams from power conferences every night. Meanwhile, Colorado State and Northern Iowa may be able to hide a bit in the more diluted Mountain West and Missouri Valley Conferences, respectively. That is not to say that the Rams and Panthers are not strong teams. Colorado State has wins over Georgia State (80-70) and UC Santa Barbara (65-63), which are impressive at the mid-major level. Northern Iowa has its fair share of mid-major wins, a 79-77 overtime triumph at Stephen F. Austin perhaps the most eye-opening. The Panthers also defeated Virginia Tech (73-54) and Northwestern (61-42) to log some wins against power conference teams, albeit weaker ones. It also is worth mentioning that of the teams discussed above, Northern Iowa is the second-highest in Pomeroys overall ratings, sitting at 38th. Washington is ranked 35th, while TCU (58) and Colorado State (70) are further down the list. The Huskies (17) and Panthers (23) are the only teams ranked in AP Top-25 as well. ' ' '