The best moment of the college basketball season

I would take Kevin Durant #1 if for only one reason. The best moment of the college basketball season happened during this game on Wed. night. The game is in the balance and Texas A&M is locking down Texas until the Longhorns find their big white guy (Connor Atchley) at the free-throw line for an open shot, which he shoots and he air-balls. After the play, they show Durant walk over to him and slap him upside the head as if to say "you big white dummy, give me the ball." A real slap to the back of the dudes head. Atchley was taken out of the game, and as I am on the phone with Gary, we both start dying. I don't know if I have ever seen a player slapped upside the head for a dumb shot by a teammate. Please let Durant end up in Memphis so he can slap a certain someone upside the head. It was priceless.

On another note, Acie Law IV (and I love that he is the IV, its regal) is ridiculous. Who could be more clutch than that guy was?

Watch out for that Tennesee team (and what happened to Joakim Noah?)

As you know, I have been on this Tennessee team all season. Outside of the inexplicable loss at South Carolina, when they have Lofton healthy, they are a team to beat. Before you jump on their SEC road record, realize that outside of the S. Carolina game, they haven't lost to a bad team (if you take into consideration the Lofton injury, which in my opinion kept them from winning @ Ole Miss and @ Auburn). Style, Style, Style. I suppose that the reason that most teams do not play the organized chaos style is that coaches have to coach less in a game. Basketball on all levels is plagued with over-coaching. Playing the style that the Vols play provides you with a distinct advantage over other teams when you get into tournament play. Much like a team like West Virginia, you simply don't play against anyone like that the rest of the year. Last night, if they do not take the foot off the gas, they would have beaten Florida by 25. Tennessee is much more difficult to prepare for, especially in a short prep period. Tennessee will make a run in the tournament. They will be in the sweet 16 (at minimum) in my bracket. I would imagine that they will probably be a 6 or 7, dependent on what they do in the SEC tourney, and shock someone in the second round. Just you watch. Don't sleep on that team this year. I am trying to help you here.

On another note, what happened to Joakim Noah? He always struck me as a mentally tough player that has that special something. The guy wanted the ball, he tried to dunk on everyones head, and played with great intelligence. Then I saw Dane Bradshaw pushing the guy around last night and found myself totally confused. What happened to this guy? In the last few weeks he has looked like a guy you would not want to touch in the draft. I guess his coach was right, Horford is the guy to take.

Update: For more on this and a response, click on comments. Feel free to comment and give your opinion.

Dick Vitale has got some 'splainin to do (Pinched)

Vitale was on a Knoxville radio station on Monday morning and it could probably not have turned out worse for ole Dick. The hosts go to Vitale and he has his phone down on the table or something and does not realize that he is on the air. What transpires is legendary radio. Vitale is telling someone that Billy Donovan told him in confidence that NBA scouts are making a mistake if they take Horford over Noah, and that Noah can't shoot. I think the exact quote is that Donovan said "no way he would take Noah over Horford." The hosts asking him about who he likes between Horford and Noah later when he realizes he is on is great too. Later, Vitale calls back in after he is told that what he said was on the air, and has to come up with some kind of excuse, which is equally funny. This will soon be all over the internet. Big ups to Gary Parrish for the heads up. He has it on his sportsline blog.

Here is the link to the story and the Audio.

Kentucky loses to Vandy, Katman2000 reacts (Reality TV at its finest)

I love Katman 2000. It is one thing to get on a message board or call into a talk show and bag on your team or your coach. It is taken to another level when you put it on video. Maybe you have seen this guy before, but until listener and Vandy student William sent it my way, I had not. This is an older Kentucky fan (Katman 2000)with his thoughts after the Wildcats lost to Vandy on Sunday. I will warn you that he does use profanity. I could not stop watching this and laughing along. I think what I love the most is that this is reality TV at its finest. The name he refers to Tubby Smith as, his thoughts on Senior night coming up, and the song at the end are all classic. This is my new favorite TV Show, I have to go back and watch the previous episodes. Enjoy.

Update: Katman2000 taken off of youtube. HERE IS THE NEW LINK

You cannot be serious. It's been one of those weeks.

I stayed up last night writing my Grizzlies Opus. I woke up this morning and it is gone. Completely gone. I left it pulled up on blogger, went to bed, and then when I get up this morning its gone. No recovery options, nothing. No internet explorer windows even open. I think I am gonna throw up. I will re-write it this weekend and have it up for Monday. If I ever off myself, it will be a reaction to a computer.

Maybe a few of you came to read the masterpiece, and I apologize.

For this morning, I will comment on something else on my mind. Yesterday I talked about how all I have heard for the past 3 years is "if you don't think Gasol is worth a max-deal, put him on the market and there will be 29 other teams that would love to take it on." Chris Herrington took exception to me saying that not being able to deal Gasol speaks to what other teams think about him. He says (and then others repeat on their own shows) that stars are not traded for value. Is it an indictment of Allen Iverson or Vince Carter, etc? Good point... and worth examination.

First things first... we know what was declined (from reports) for Gasol. A possible Boston deal and a possible Chicago deal were pretty well documented. So yes, if those teams were not willing to lose players like Al Jefferson or Luol Deng, along with some cap relief and a pick, I think that speaks to what Gasol is worth to another team. So its a little different with this situation because we knew of some of the possible deals, and that the other teams were the ones that said no... not the Grizzlies (according to Rick Bucher report). If Gasol is so great, why would teams not be willing to do these deals? Last year I heard "the columnist" (he won't acknowledge me and the numerous things he hears on my show, so I will not acknowledge him.. hahaha) say that there were not 10 guys in the league he would trade for Pau. So I will tell you that I admittedly probably take the other side in an exaggerated fashion to combat this type of nonsense from the Pau fan club.

I decided that I was going to investigate what good players were traded for (instead of just accepting the blanket statement that it is hard to get value). I at least wanted to find out. The exact players brought up were Carter and Iverson and was it an indictment of them that teams did not give "equal value" for them? It needs to be mentioned that both Carter and Iverson demanded trades. Demanded. The teams had to deal them (you can say that they did not, but come on). Those teams were put in a bad spot by these players and the league knew the deal with these guys, so you get what you can. There is a difference to me. But who cares, lets just look at good players that were traded and what they were traded for. Let's see if you can get value for a "star".

Vince Carter was traded for Alonzo Mourning (cap), Aaron Williams, and 2 first rd picks. (Cap relief and draft picks for the future)

Allen Iverson was traded for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and 2 first rd picks.

Elton Brand was traded for Brian Skinner and the draft rights to Tyson Chandler.

Shaquille ONeal was traded for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and a 1st Rd pick. (Geez, looks better now that Butler is awesome)

Joe Johnson was traded for Boris Diaw and 2 first Rd picks (yikes).

Ray Allen was traded with Flip Murray, Kevin Olie, and conditional pick, for Gary Payton (expiring deal) and Desmond Mason

Tracy McGrady was traded with Tyrone Lue and Juwan Howard for Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato

Shareef Abdur Rahim was traded for the rights to Pau Gasol, Brevin Knight, and Lorenzen Wright.

Peja Stojakivic (requested trade) was traded for Ron Artest.

Eddie Curry was traded with contract of Antonio Davis for Tim Thomas, Mike Sweetney, 2 first rd picks, and two second round picks.

Richard Hamilton was traded with Hubert Davis and Bobby Simmons for Jerry Stackhouse, Brian Cardinal (haaha), and Ratko Varda (who?)

Chris Webber was traded to Sixers with Matt Barnes and Michael Bradley for Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson, and Brian Skinner (how many deals has this guy been in, geez)

Those are some of the trades where really good/ great players have been traded. I would not say that most of these are ridiculous (total rip-offs), but that is me. After looking at these trades, I don't think you can say that you cannot get something good in return for an elite player. Equal value? Maybe not. But I don't think the Grizzlies could even get close to some of these deals for Gasol. You tell me. Even times where a guy absolutely had to be moved, teams made some sense in getting what they got in terms of gettin cap relief and multiple picks.

If you have taken the time to read this, I would love to hear your thoughts on whether it is an indictment of Gasol because the Grizzlies could not get close to fair value (unless you are from Spain , and then I don't give a damn what you think). You look at Iverson and Carter (which were the two brought up), and even the Joe Johnson deal, and you realize that even though the fantastic player was traded, the team that traded them netted themselves at least 2 first rd picks each (with either cap relief or a player).

I would have done some of the deals above and some of them I would not have done (but they, in my opinion, are not overwhelming stupid deals).

"29 teams would love to have Gasol." Well, not enough to make a rational deal for him. I think we learned that while the deals listed here were not all good deals, it is not always ridiculous to think you can get something decent in return. It is not unrealistic to think you can get some good pieces, picks, and cap relief for a "star" player. The fact that most offered deals for Gasol were categorized as "ridiculous" tells me something. Again, if he is so great, why could the team not get close to value? Are stars always traded for great value... no, but it happens. My opinion is that Pau is overvalued by the Pau-lovers, possibly overvalued by the team, but not by the "29 teams that would love to have Gasol." They don't love the idea enough to give anything reasonable to get him. Not enough to lose Luol Deng or Al Jefferson. If you cannot get something even reasonable for Pau, is it an indictment of him and his value? My mind has not changed Pau fan club.

Check Mate.

Love,

Chris Vernon

The State of the Grizzlies

After the deadline, and we know who is still on the Grizzlies, I will have a complete analysis of the team and the future. This will most likely be the longest post ever on the site. My plan is to have it up by tomorrow morning. I'll play GM and build the Grizzlies... including the draft (who to take with each pick possible and analyze some of the players coming out), management and coaches, and the entire roster. Thank you for listening to the show and coming to the site. Suggestions for the column are welcome... email me at verno@730espn.com.

New Tigers Def Coordinator (CVERNON.COM EXCLUSIVE)

There is a press conference at the University of Memphis on Thursday where they will announce who Tommy West has hired to be the new defensive coordinator. CVERNON.COM has learned that the man that will be introduced is Rick Kravitz, who was at NC State as the safties and special teams coach under Chuck Amato.

Kravitz is well-respected and seemingly has ties in the important state of Florida (formerly at USF), but he is not young (which does not take away from the hire at all, just not what we thought was going to happen).

Rick Kravitz will be the new defensive coordinator at Memphis. Announcement tomorrow.

cvernon.com... where news breaks first every once in a while.

Some recent un-posted audio from the show

Dirk Goldschapp was in Las Vegas for the All-Star Game and got the inside scoop as always

Song released on the behalf of Pau Gasol (because we are fair and balanced) ... Boo Me

The origin of Taco Meat

The man that has dominated the haters, and turned it into an art form, joined us in studio on Friday. Taco Meat is our official Life Analyst on the show. This is a man with a wisdom and a wealth of life experiences that we can all learn from. In what was possibly my favorite show moment ever, we learn where this mysterious man's name came from. Click on the link...

THE STORY BEHIND THE NAME... TACO MEAT

Gary Parrish, internet TV Star

Gary is doing a Top Tourney Moments bit for sportsline.com. Most serious I have ever known him to be. Watch your back Seth Davis. CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Vegas is sleeping on Mike Miller, etc.

The 3 pt contest is this weekend and Vegas is sleeping on our boy Mike Miller. He is one of the real longshots to win the contest (+550). The only one less likely (according to Vegas) to win the contest is Jason Terry. PROP OF THE YEAR! hahahaha. I love Miller's chances to win this thing. Here are the odds for everything on all-star weekend. Arenas would be my choice to win without homerism, but I am rooting for a Grizzly to win something this year.

Scottie Pippen says he wants to come back and jump on board with a contender. He seems like a Spur to me, but I really could care less. He needs to sign with an athletic team where team speed is not the problem (remember how slow Dallas made the Spurs look last year). The Spurs don't need him, but it seems like the kind of guy they would sign if they think he could play. Maybe Philly J would grab him in LA? I guess being a horrific analyst did not work out for Pippen.

I don't agree with Tim Hardaway that the majority of players agree with him. I don't think the majority of players hate gay people, but I do think the majority of players would be very uncomfortable with a gay player on their team.

Dick Bavetta is going to demoralize Charles Barkley when they race on Sat. night.

Memphis playing @ Gonzaga is the most excited I have been to watch a game since Duke/ Carolina. I love the guard Pargo (reminds me of Kyle Lowry) from Gonzaga and think he could be a big problem with dribble drive and grabbing boards. Pargo is the guy to watch for Gonzaga. The funniest thing I hear is that "they are a wounded animal, so watch out." With Heytvelt they are pretty good, without him, not so much. Memphis should win this game if they are a top 10 team. They need this game. I think it could be a 2 seed swing dependent on the outcome.

Have a good weekend.

Elite XC Event @ DeSoto Civic Center (A Visual History)

The event Saturday night was incredible. The Godfather Kelly Armstrong, 730 ESPN, and the boys from KDX put together a party that included free food and drinks for everyone, a suite where many of the listeners were able to come and hang out, and a night that ended with hanging out with freaking Bill Goldberg. Thank you to all of you that came out. That was serious. Jimmy Kimmell and Dax Sheppard from Punk'd were at the event. Here is the visual history of the night. Don't miss the next one we throw.

Roser, Gary, and listeners Hank and Stephanie at the pre-party all stick their necks out to make Gary feel better about his lack of one...

Listeners were out in full force at the pre-party. Rockin the Big Time Cash necklace was a must...

King of the C block, Hillbilly J, is totally out of his league with this one, but he would have stopped you...

Roser will not remember this picture being taken, bet...

These girls really love sportline.com and were thrilled to meet Gary Parrish...

Gina Carano was one of the fighters and she is a killer. Never cheat on her. Her hand looked like it has been broken 1000 times. She loves the Chris Vernon Show...

Goldberg came to the post party to hang out, not as huge as I imagined...

These are just some of the pictures from the night that was. Again, thank you to all of you that came out to the event (way too many for me to ever remember and name). I hope you had a great time. Keep a look out for when we are going to do this again. Thanks for listening to the show. If you have pics, send them to me. verno@730espn.com

DeSoto Civic Center ELITE XC Event

The response to acquire tickets for the event Saturday night was the greatest I have seen for anything I have given away since I have been in Memphis. Calls, emails, and personal phone calls for the last 3 weeks have been totally overwhelming. It has continued into tonight. If you have not gotten tickets yet, you still can. DeSoto Civic Center @ 5 oclock is when the party jumps off-- get there early if you can. We will have music, free food, free drinks (kegs), ESPN girls, more girls, and a lot of the people you hear on the show regularly will be in attendance. You have to be there or you will regret it forever. I will take pictures so it can be rubbed in later. Showtime is coming to the party and looking for good looking people to sit up front for the cameras. Get dressed up and maybe you can score some tix for free. Otherwise, buy some. My whole crew will be in one of the suites, come find me and I will let you know so any of you can stop by. This is gonna be wild. I cannot wait to watch guys punch each other in the face. DeSoto Civic Center - Starts at 5-- do it, do it.

The Best Recruiting Analyst in the Biz (Tim Clemming)

Tim Clemming from Arch Rival Magazine joined us on signing day and took calls from the listeners. His legitimacy was called into question. HERE IS THE SEGMENT.

What it is

My final Super Bowl thoughts are as follows...

The Prince halftime show was the most overrated performance in the history of performances. The gushing over this performance that has followed is not in direct proportion to how good it was. It was fine, it was hardly great. An honest analyseez of the performance is that he sang a ton of covers (including a lame Proud Mary, butchering All Along the Watchtower and Best of You by Foo Fighters), a song that is so authentically 80's (Let's Go Crazy), and then Purple Rain was great (because it was raining). Not to mention, a sheer doo-rag that is tied in the front crosses the line from rockin to fruity. Totally ridiculous and unacceptable apparel. Even for Prince.

Grossman lost the game for the Bears. 22-17, 12 min, he throws a pick-6 to a guy I still have never heard of (Kelvin Hayden). There is a premium now in the NFL on QB's that will not get you beat, and he got them beat.

Manning is now in the conversation of greatest ever. That is what a ring does.

The commercials were awful. 2.7 million for those?

Mash is the most overrated TV show of all-time. It's not funny. I will not debate this. It does not hold up.

Cirque de Soliel (or whatever, I tried) is horrid. I have come to the conclusion that it can only serve as a deal closer. That is the only reason ever to endure that bologna.

On to Pau...

So there has been stuff going on for two years that you do not want to talk about? Then shut up. Don't even bring up the behind the scenes crap to support your feelings if you are not willing to tell us. He is trying to flip the script on the Grizzlies and it will not work. This mealy-mouthed, veiled attempt to explain his feelings was laughable at best.

Durant...

I am secretly wishing the Grizzlies get the second pick and they get Durant. He will be infinitely more fun to watch for the next 10 years than Oden will be. Perimeter players are more fun by nature, and he is a bonafide superstar.

Holler.

My new Spanish Friends (How ya like me now Spain?)

Ramon Fuentes and his crew from Tele Cinco (Channel 5) Madrid came in today before the show. They could not have been nicer, even though I thought they may have been coming to kill me. Ramon told me he interviewed Pau and Pau told him that his time in Memphis was over and he would be moving to a different team. Overall, the language barrier was tough, but they were great. Spanish reporters are nicer than Spanish blog commenters. I was given a Twizzler as a peace offering, is that a Spanish thing? If so, we should start doing that in America also.

Nantzism contest today! Get them ready to go.

One of our favorite traditions on the show. You can call or email me the line that Jim Nantz will use at the end of the Super Bowl. Like... "We shall be Freeney, Indy wins SB XLI" If you nail it, you will win a huge prize pack.
Will Leitch is the editor of deadspin.com and he will be on the show today.

Jimmy Denunzio 2-1-07 (Season Ending Performance)

Possibly the most incredible handicapping performance of this generation. Virtuoso. Please email this to anyone you know that may wager on the Super Bowl or any of the props, it could really be useful. Without further ado, here is the link
The World's Greatest Handicapper, Jimmy Denunzio.

Jerry West house on the market

a source within the real estate industry has let me know that Jerry West is selling his Southwind home. Make of it what you will. Herrington has it broken down with pics-- click on his link on the right.

Gary Parrish watches game film with Ben Howland

Here is the Column. It think our boy Gary is getting a little too famous for my taste. Next thing we know, Dianna Ross is gonna stop a concert and make him take a bow. Some of you understand. Note to Spain: This has nothing to do with Pau or the Grizzlies.