Cavs' Anderson Varejao out for the season

The Cleveland Cavaliers have endured their share of injuries this season. For starters, point guard Kyrie Irving missed a chunk of time to start the season. Now after missing power forward Anderson Varejao for about half of the first half this season due to knee surgery, they'll be missing him altogether.

The team reported that Varejao developed a blood clot that will keep him out for the remainder of  the season.

Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao recently developed a blood clot (small right lower lung pulmonary embolism) and was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic last Thursday (January 17th). He is being treated with blood thinners (anticoagulants) and is expected to stay at the Clinic for several days, while undergoing treatment and observation. He will need to remain on blood thinning medication for approximately three months. While Varejao is expected to fully recover, he will miss the remainder of the current Cavaliers season.

It's a shame because Varejao had  been playing at a high level. He was a borderline All-Star and would've brought back a nice haul had he stayed healthy and the Cavs were to trade him. More important is his health and hopefully he'll be able to return to the with a clean bill of health.

Matt Ryan has a sprained AC joint

After playing up to their history and blowing another big lead in a playoff game, the Atlanta Falcons received a bit of bad news on top of today's loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game.

After being hit by San Francisco's Ahmad Brooks, quarterback Matt Ryan looked in a bit of pain. A report by ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed that Ryan suffered a sprained Ac joint. The team believes that surgery may not be needed.

I'm sure this isn't the way the Falcons or their fans envisioned the season ending.

Charles Barkley says none of Kentucky's players are ready for the NBA

Former NBA and Auburn star, Charles Barkley was in attendance for the Kentucky-Auburn basketball game Saturday. While the Tigers got hammered by their superior SEC foe, Barkley went on the telecast for a few and explained why he doesn't like the one and done rule and that none of Kentucky's are ready for the NBA, while slamming the agents and family members that steer kids to go pro.


"John Calipari's a friend of mine. I love him as a friend. There ain't one player on this Kentucky team who should go pro early. I hate the one-and-done rule in college basketball. Just 'cause there's a rule does not mean you have to do it. Listen, Anthony Davis played well enough for him to go pro. ... I wish some of these parents would talk to their kids."

"I would love for guys to stay three years," Barkley said. "I think the best we can really get is two years. ... The family members are greedy, the agents are pigs, also. So they tell these kids, 'Go to college for one year.' ... It's driven by the agents, to be honest with you, and listen, it's a corrupt system. ... These agents are such scumbags, and yo know that, they just want their percentage of the money. Matt (Doherty), you know that. They don't care about these kids, how well they do in the NBA."


Are you listening Nerlens Noel, Alex Poythress and Archie Goodwin?

Shaquille O'Neal came out and said that a player should be removed three years from his high school class to enter the NBA draft, similar to the NFL draft rule.

Personally there should be a two year rule, that way you can see if a kid is all potential or possibly the real deal. Currently, this draft class is looking pretty weak, so Noel, Poythress, and Goodwin are looked at as possible top 10 picks this year. I just don't see a surefire star coming out. There are good players out there but no difference makers to help an NBA team.  Maybe when the NCAA tournament starts we'll see the cream rise  to the top.

'It girl' of the week: Mena Monroe

Just Sports & Just Us' 'It Girl' of the week is Mena Monroe

Nash thinks it's good that Gentry was let go by Suns

Players or coaches are generally sad to see a coach go when he's fired. There's always someone within the organization that marks this as a happy occasion. The Phoenix Suns recently fired Alvin Gentry from his post  and I'm sure that there were some sad to see him go. Former Suns guard and current Los Angeles Laker, Steve Nash is glad that Gentry was set free.

Nash and Gentry got along well and reached the Western Conference finals back in 2010. The franchise has gone in a different direction since then and haven't been a threat to make the playoffs since the run they had two years ago. Nash was traded prior to the start of the season and says it's actually a good thing that the Suns fired Gentry.


"Obviously, I'm sad for Alvin (Gentry), but in some ways maybe this is a good thing for him," Lakers guard Steve Nash said after practice Friday. Nash was coached the last four years by Gentry, reaching the Western Conference Finals together against Los Angeles in 2010. "He's a great coach, a really good coach and any club would be lucky to have him as a coach, that's for sure. He'll land on his feet for sure because he can really do a good job." 

"I think the writing's been on the wall," Nash said. "It looks like it to me ... They wouldn't extend his contract. They just gave him the year to kind of play it out. It looked like they wanted to get their own guy in there." 

That statement is more of an indictment of the Suns' franchise and their decision making. The team that is currently constructed has no chance to win right now or anytime in the near future.

I kind of feel sorry for Gentry, since he seems to be a good guy, he always get stuck coaching bad teams.

Selanne hopes Ducks are "pissed" off about their low predictions

Predictions are hardly ever accurate. Unless your team is so bad that you can't help but to finish dead last. Or a team is so much of a sure thing that you can' miss. I'm no hockey expert, but I wouldn't classify the Anaheim Ducks as neither. But the experts are saying the Ducks won't be a contender this season and veteran Teemu Selanne isn't taking it lightly and hopes his teammates won't either.

“That can’t be the only motivation. But hopefully we’ll get pissed off here,” Selanne said.

With this being a shortened season as well as the final season for Selanne, maybe that can act as a form of motivation. The season is only 48 games so anything can happen.  

Syracuse to retire Carmelo Anthony's jersey

The man responsible for Syracuse's only national championship will finally be properly honored. ESPN New York has reported that former Orange star, Carmelo Anthony will have his jersey retired.

SU spokesman Pete Moore said the university has been "working to arrange that for a couple of years" and that the school hopes to make an official announcement about the details of the Carrier Dome ceremony soon.

The current New York Knick led Jim Boeheim's 2003 team to the national championship in his first and only season suiting up for the Orange. The team practices in the Melo Center, named after Anthony when he donated $3 million to the school to complete the facility.

Anthony will be the 10th Syracuse player to have his jersey retired, joining the likes of Sherman Douglas, Rony Seikaly, and Billy Owens among others.