Dear Steve Carell. It's about to rain. A lot. Please build an ark and save the animals. Sincerely, God.

ESPN gets credit for this week's theme. And ok, I suppose we should give credit to a certain Evan Turner as well. After all, he makes it rain too...

So with that win, as well as the double overtime escape over the Fighting Illini (that's Illinois, for those less NCAA inclined), the Ohio State Buckeyes have advanced to the Big Ten championship game, where they will take on.....our very own Golden Gophers!

...wait....what....???

Yes indeed, there is one Minnesota basketball team making some serious progress. In what is Tubby Smith's biggest accomplishment here in Minny yet, the Gophers will play in their first Big Ten championship game ever, after knocking out the NCAA's golden boy of 2009....Kalin Lucas....and Michigan State, then running roughshod over Jajuan Johnson and the Purdue Boilermakers today. Granted the Boilermakers were missing a rather significant player by the name of Robbie Hummel, without whom Purdue lacked enough length to fight off twin towers Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson (hint hint Timberwolves...) But it is what it is.

So how about that Evan Turner?

Well, there's a rather big college basketball tournament coming up soon. March Madness. Maybe you've heard of it? And for fans of an anemic team like the Wolves...well, watching the potential future is a lot less painful than watching the present.

So this week is chock full of college-y goodness. There's still plenty of NBA news to cover...and we'll cover it....but with visions of Evan Turner in Wolves white and blue, all your eyes are on the college kids these days, I'm sure...

Actually, before we get to the NBA, I want to mention something about the Gophers, which is....

I think Ralph Sampson III is going to be a very good NBA player someday:

I was very excited when he committed to the Gophers in 2008. Last season was a big struggle for him as he adjusted to college ball. He played inconsistent minutes and put up inconsistent production, and...well....Tubby made the smart move to rely on the "veteran" players Lawrence Westbrook, Damian Johnson, Blake Hoffarber, and the now-graduated Lawrence McKenzie.

This season, Sampson and Colton Iverson have taken on much bigger roles, as Tubby has made an intentional move to balance out the floor more and rely less on his guards. Iverson's response has been inconsistent....his rebounding is up, but his shooting % is way down and his defense has lagged at times. He's got a world of talent, but is still maturing physically and mentally.

But Sampson's repsonse has been terrific right now...everything is up for him; scoring, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and FG%. And he's actually decreased his fouls to boot, as he and Tubby have worked very hard on his positioning and timing at the defensive end.

I really feel that Sampson can be a very effective two-way NBA player with excellent mobility and solid athleticism. He's got great length. He communicates well. He has an expanding post game, so he won't be a defense-only player like Tyson Chandler or Samuel Dalembert. And he's got his dad's cerebral court awareness, which leads me to believe he'll be able to effectively anchor a team's defense at the pro level someday, in the mold of an Al Horford or Brendan Haywood. I think his best pro comparison right now is Andris Beidrins, with his size and reach and ability to effectively play both ends of the court.

Unless the Gophers go ballistic in the tournament (and after today's win, I fully expect them to be in, regardless of whether we beat Ohio State or not), I doubt Sampson declares this year. But if he can make the same strides next season that he's made this season, he'll be one of the best big men in the entire country.

Plus, it's nice to see at least one of the Gophers' rebuilding programs paying off. Yes, I'm calling you out here, Tim Brewster.

ANYWAY the NBA has an Iverson of its own, who's not doing so hot either....

Allen Iverson reportedly has drinking and gambling problems:

Iverson's personal life, unfortunately, has been far far worse this season than his NBA life. He's been dumped off by two teams. His daughter is sick. His wife wants a divorce. And now this.

Stephen A Smith, who's a close friend of Iverson's having worked decades as the Philadelphia Inquirer's 76ers beat reporter, said he was told by several people in the Sixers' organization that they were afraid Iverson, "will either drink himself into oblivion or gamble his life away," on the heels of his wife filing for divorce and custody of their 5 children.

AI's gambling problems are apparently so bad he's been banned from casinos is Detroit and Atlantic City.

Iverson wrote on his Twitter account: "To my fans: You all know that my life isn't perfect. I am going through some very tough times right now, like I am sure that we all do from time to time. However, I will stand tall like always with 'rhino' thick skin."

I'm not sure what else to say about this other than I hope Iverson finds the right people (former college coach John Thompson would qualify) and gets his life back together. He's in very much the same situation that Eddie Griffin was....I hope Wolves fans all remember the terrible price Griffin paid for it.

ALSO. I want to say, since we just saw a video of him...

I really miss Stephen A Smith on ESPN:

And Bill Walton, for that matter.

Yes. I know he's called "Screamin A" for a reason. I know he irritates the hell out of some people. But the guy is entertaining, and whether or not you like the way he says things, he's usually right.

ESPN's studio coverage has eroded to pathetic levels since Stephen A was shoved out the door. I mean...c'mon...do I want to look at Jalen Rose's creepy "I don't know what to say" smile and listen to Avery Johnson stumble over his words? Or do I want this?

Ya. I want that. Give me that back. Even with the "enthusiasm", it's not like he and Bill yelled any more than Kenny and Chuck do....

Ok. Now that that's out of my system.

Mike Dunleavy has been fired as the Clippers' General Manager:

And apparently the Clippers didn't even have the courtesy (guts...?) to tell him themselves.

"I come back to my locker around 7 p.m. and there's a million messages on my phone," Dunleavy said, when reached by ESPNLosAngeles.com late Tuesday night. "This guy comes up to me and said, 'What's going on? They just said on TV that the Clippers severed ties with you?' I had no idea what they were talking about. I'm like, 'Wow. I haven't even talked to the Clippers.'"

So another inept move by the NBA franchise that writes the book on them. The Clippers said the team, under Dunleavy, "hasn't made sufficient progress". Gee, you think the owner has anything to do with that? Donald Sterling isn't known as a cheapskate for nothing. If you don't give your man anything to work with, how can you expect him to get you anywhere?

So assistant GM Neil Olshey will take over the job for now, as the Clippers (I assume) look for a permanent replacement. But, let's be honest. The owner is proven to not give his GMs a fighting chance. Elgin Baylor, who was the GM before Dunleavy, is still trying to get Sterling to actually pay him. And now Dunleavy finds out he's been fired on TV? Who would honestly want this job? Phil Jackson sure struggled to come up with anything....

I'll tell you who doesn't want the job: Jerry West. And he said it in no uncertain terms, at that.

"No contact, no interest, not looking to work anymore," West said by telephone after the Dunleavy news broke. "Time for someone younger to have an opportunity to do something. I have not been contacted, nor would I have any interest."

You've got a #1 overall pick waiting in the wings. You have two great, young centers, a lights out shooting guard, a talented (albeit easily distracted) point guard, a flotilla of quality support players, and enough money to possibly sign a max free agent over the summer. And Jerry West, the logo, one of the greatest players and GMs in the history of the sport, says not in a million years. Ya. You're hopeless.

Hey, at least we aren't that bad, right Wolves fans?

Anyway, another coach on the hot seat...

The 76ers will "evaluate" head coach Eddie Jordan at the end of the season:

Whatever that means. Although if you ask my opinion, the mere fact Jordan's job is in question at all is another case of some seriously misplaced blame.

The Sixers were so excited when Elton Brand signed with them. But they overlooked a key element that seemingly everyone saw: the team had no shooters. And still doesn't.

There's a reason the Magic overpaid Rashard Lewis to team with Dwight Howard. There's a reason why the Rockets just traded for Kevin Martin to hopefully team with Yao, why the Lakers teamed Glen Rice with Shaq, why the Spurs always have Roger Masons and Matt Bonners on the roster. If you don't balance the floor, you can't win in the NBA. It's that simple.

Yes, the Sixers underachieve on defense. Yes, they are incredibly young in the backcourt. Yes, their backcourt plays at about 10x the speed of their frontcourt (hint hint Timberwolves #2...) But the bottom line is, the roster just isn't built to win. And my feeling is, if you build and inept roster that plays inept, that's on you. Not the coach. Kevin McHale. I mean Ed Stefanski.

Anyway...

Conflicting reports about Rafer Alston's situation with the Heat:

Alston says he left to take care of his twin sister, and admitted, "The way I handled it was wrong. I didn't really tell [team officials] why I was leaving."

But, without intending to make light of his family situation, there is this....

"There was no argument or anything like that," Alston said, after head coach Erik Spoelstra told him he'd be out of the rotation. "I've never been a quitter and I still want to go back and tell them face to face. It's been a tough and long year. I'll be 34 in July. If I can come back and play one more season, that would be great. But if not, I'm still happy with my decision. I played 11 years and had a solid career. Maybe I didn't leave Miami the right way. But I left for the right reason."

But are words just words? Spoelstra says the Heat still haven't heard anything from Alston, and the team officially suspended him this week for that. There's something else going on here, but it's anyone's guess what.

The Grizzlies want to retain Rudy Gay:

I can't tell if that anguished wail is Stop-n-Pop's or my own.

It's amazing what winning will do to a team's mindset. When the year started, it seemed all but certain the lagging, cost-conscience Grizzlies weren't going to be able to afford Gay. After all, Screamin A was screamin about the Gasol firesale for a reason.

Now all the sudden, the Grizz have playoffs on their minds, and are spending big to bolster their bench and apparently keep their starting five intact.

"I feel we're going to sign him," owner Michael Heisley said. "I don't know what else you want me to say. Rudy is an outstanding player. He fits our team well. We've got the best front line in basketball."

Well, best frontcourt is something of an overstatement (I mean, any three man combo of Bynum, Gasol, Odom and Artest beats every team in the league in that regard). But certainly Rudy Gay has been exceptional this year, averaging 20-6-2 and 1.5 steals. He's ironing out his shot, getting to the foul line more, and finally becoming an impact player on defense. Just the kind of all around skilled, athletic wing the Wolves need. And seemingly aren't going to get now. Sad...

Speaking of athleticism...

JR Smith, anyone?

Now, this got me thinking. We really need a JR Smith. This Ricky Rubio kid, he has two patented passes in his arsenal: the kickout for an open three, and the allyoop. JR Smith can do both.

Meanwhile, we currently have players that can do....neither of those things, at least on a regular basis. Ellington can sometimes spot up from three. Hollins can sometimes throw it down. That's about it. I don't want to belabor the mismatched roster problem we have, but....well, someone needs to say it, right? It's not like our front office has ever caught on.

And speaking of teams that want to keep their own players...

The Washington Wizards want to keep Josh Howard...?

Pretty odd-sounding, considering Howard's history of....stuff....and the fact the Wizards traded for him with the express intent of him being an expiring contract for salary cap relief. But multiple sources have said this week the Wizards are strongly considering resigning Howard.

Now obviously, "retaining" Howard does not and will not mean picking up his $11 million contract option.What the Wizards are probably thinking is Josh Howard is frequently injured, has a history of off court misbehaviors, and doesn't exactly impact the game nearly as much as his production would lead one to believe. The market on him is ice cold. If it stays that way, the Wizards might be able to bargain his price all the way down to where it's actually underpaying him. 

Howard, for his part, is at least saying the right things.

"I feel like I'm in a good place right here in Washington if they give me a shot. Great city, fans support. Another top-notch organization. Can't beat it. And I'm close to home. The Wizards "gave me a fresh start. Being able to come to an organization that's great, leaving another great one where I learned a lot. I'm hoping that I can still teach people what I learned there."

"I had my opportunities to go through rebuilding before, in college [at Wake Forest]. It's nothing new to me. I'm looking forward to the challenge, if it's for me. You never know. Just got to wait and see. One way or another, I'm going to try to play somewhere, if not here, somewhere. It's up in the air right now.

"I guess we'll wait until after the season is over. Right now, that's not something I'm concerned about. Right now, my No. 1 focus is this knee."

Hmmmm.....

Well, one last piece of NBA news here.

Larry Hughes has signed with the Charlotte Bobcats:

The Bobcats were originally going to do this two weeks ago when Hughes was released by the Kings, but got cold feet over his broken finger. But a medical exam showed it was healing better than expected, and the Cats are badly hurting for guard depth with Flip Murray traded and DJ Augustin struggling to contribute.

As I mentioned in a previous update, Hughes has a short history with Larry Brown from their days together in Philadelphia. He's a very streaky shooter, certainly, but he has enough of an all around game to fill the roll Murray played, and Brown should know him well enough to get him moving to the hoop rather than taking jump shots. And for Wolves fans, anything the Cats do to get better also improves our chances of cashing in on their draft pick.

And yes, the draft...

Draft Watch:

It's championship week in the NCAA, and we've got plenty to talk about.

The Gophers:

Yes, our Gophers will be playing for the Big Ten title and an automatic entry into the NCAA tournament tomorrow. We're 1-1 against the Buckeyes this year....73-62 win in early January behind Blake Hoffarbar's 27 points, then a 63-85 loss January 31 as Turner and Diebler scored 19 apiece and Will Buford put in 26.

Both games were won by the home team, but the championship is on a neutral court. The Gophers have an enormous size (and theoretically, a enormous defensive) advantage in Ralph Sampson and Colton Iverson. Sampson is 6'11", 240 lbs, Iverson 6'10" 260 lbs. The Buckeyes have no one in the rotation taller than 6'8". But they do have Evan Turner, who is a lock to be this year's college player of the year (seriously, if he doesn't win the award, the system is rigged).

So tune in to CBS tomorrow at 2:30. Should be a hell of a game.

Evan Turner:

Well, he's been something else, hasn't he? Granted he didn't have the best performance today...a triple double with 31 points, 10 rebounds....and 10 turnovers....but still dragged his team into overtime and to a win with a clutch performance at the end.

There's not much more that needs to be said about Turner at this point. He's averaging (in round numbers) 19 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and a block...given his supporting cast, he's as close to a one man show as there is in college basketball. Maybe even more than Stephen Curry was for Davidson last year.

And, as Chad Ford said yesterday, Ohio State should be a No. 1 seed. Only 4 losses with Turner all season.

John Wall:

Kentucky leveled Tennessee today in the SEC semifinals....74-45, behind 19 points and 15 rebounds from DeMarcus Cousins, and 14-6-9 from Wall.

Wall is an athlete. Lightning quick, great lateral speed, excellent first step. He has a tendency to go out of control when he goes top speed, which leads to a lot of unforced turnovers. But he has a natural facilitating ability that leads one to believe he can get better with that given time and a more disciplined coaching staff.

Kentucky as a whole is prone to 4-5 minute stretches of incredibly undisciplined basketball.  But they have a sheer talent edge that is impossible for most teams to overcome.

I think everyone knows I'd prefer Turner over Wall, but in the end there's only fine details to quibble over. The Wolves will be extremely lucky to get either one.

Greg Monroe:

Monroe played what I felt was his best stretch of basketball to date this past week. Georgetown upset #3 Syracuse in the first round of the Big East Tournament, then ran over Marquette before losing a close one to #6 West Virginia.

In those three games, Monroe put on a clinic in big man skill, averaging 16 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.3 blocks. He's not a great athlete or defender, and I doubt he's really as tall as his 6'11" listing....so there's legitimate questions about how effective he can be physically in the NBA. But he's incredibly skilled, with a passing ability that would fit perfectly into the triangle.

I'd put his passing ability on par with Garnett's and Duncan's, and maybe a half a step below Pau Gasol. It's not like Chris Webber or Arvydas Sabonis, but it's very very good...and he's got a great post scoring game to boot. If the Wolves do decide to blow up the frontcourt, we could do a lot worse than having Monroe as a building block for it.

And ya, Webber's passing was really that good. There were times he'd make passes that'd put Jason Kidd to shame. Speaking of Chris Webber, does anyone know where the Wolves can get a Chris Webber? I mean, you talk about the perfect big man for the triangle...

Anyway...

My thoughts on March Madness as we head into the first week of games:

The top three seeds are Kansas, Kentuckey and Ohio State in my mind. And in that order.Ohio State though, might lose out on a top seed because of the losses they suffered when Turner was out.

I love Evan Turner, but the realistic line is Ohio State's not going to make it far. I'd be shocked if they reach the Elite Eight. One man shows aren't good for any postseason of any team sport.

There are three things that I've always believed a college team needs to reach and win a college basketball championship.

1) A proven coach
2) Great guard play
3) At least 2 NBA level talents

This is where Kansas and Kentucky really shine. Bill Self and John Callipari are both prominent, battle-tested coaches. (yes, I'm having a hard time resisting making a Cal = proven cheater joke here...) Their teams are led by John Wall and Sherron Collins, two of the best point guards in college basketball. And both teams have not two, but three NBA level players on their rosters: Wall, Cousins and Patrick Patterson for Kentucky, Collins, Xavier Henry and Cole Aldrich for Kansas.

Further, both teams have a balance with that talent: one point guard, one swingman, one big man apiece.

All of this basically means I'd be surprised if the title game isn't Kansas versus Kentucky. It's a heavyweight battle. Certainly I'm not saying either can't or won't be beaten. But if you were to put bets on the odds-on favorites, those two teams are at a level higher than anyone else.

If it does come to the Cats and Hawks....just throwing my two cents out here....I'd favor the Jayhawks. More balance, better depth, more maturity and discipline. Collins and Aldrich are both "been there done that" players in terms of competing in March Madness....the Wildcats are led by all freshman.

As Corey Brewer and Florida definitely proved to Oden, Mike Conley, and Dequan Cook, that year of experience means everything when the chips are down.

Was I the only one who thought Florida was going to win that game? I sure felt like the only one...

There will be a lot more NCAA hoops to talk about next week.

Selection Sunday is....well, tomorrow, then the games get under way the 16th. I'm sure everyone will have plenty to talk about as we watch the top prospects have it out.

Be sure to watch the Gophers take on the Buckeyes for the Big Ten title. Turner got mixed up in a little trash talking this past week with former St. Joseph's teammate Demetri McCamey, but tomorrow is all about basketball. Said Lawrence Westbrook: "He’s a competitor and I’m a competitor." And the game will be competitive. And with any luck, a glimpse of the future as well.

So until next week....