The Daily Courier, Forest City, NC, Thursday, June 17, 2010 — 7
Inside Scoreboard . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 MLB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 World Cup . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9
Youth Will Be Served Cavaliers’ coaching search confused CLEVELAND (AP) — Tom Izzo’s rejection has left the Cleveland Cavaliers feeling unwanted. Izzo was owner Dan Gilbert’s first choice to replace Mike Brown as the Cavs’ coach, a position that may not be filled until LeBron James signs as a free agent — in Cleveland or elsewhere. Izzo’s decision Tuesday to remain at Michigan State has complicated things for the Cavs, who are now preparing for the NBA draft and July 1 opening of free agency without a coach or a frontrunning candidate. A fallback plan could be Byron Scott. General manager Chris Grant spoke with Scott last week, but the former New Orleans coach may be waiting to see what happens after the season with Phil Jackson and the Lakers.
Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney, above left, and head coach John Fox, above right, share a laugh during a summer training practice session for the NFL football team in Charlotte, Wednesday. Left: Carolina Panthers quarterback Matt Moore (3) throws a pass during a summer training practice session. Associated Press
Rookie Burnett could be Packers’ Plan B GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers rookie safety Morgan Burnett hasn’t looked out of place running plays with the team’s No. 1 defense in recent workouts. And if incumbent starter Atari Bigby sits out next week’s mandatory minicamp because of a contract impasse, Burnett will get an even bigger chance to impress everyone. Bigby is a restricted free agent, and there are no indications that he has signed a tender offer from the team. Packers coach Mike McCarthy says there is “nothing new to report” on his contract situation. It’s an opportunity for Burnett, a third-round pick out of Georgia Tech whose instincts and ability have caught McCarthy’s eye. Burnett says there’s “a lot” to take in, but he feels he has made significant progress.
Hard to predict how young Panthers will fare By MIKE CRANSTON AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers spent the past month focusing on their quarterbacks and passing game, mourned Thomas Davis’ untimely knee injury and spoke with guarded confidence about the upcoming season. With so many unknowns and a roster full of new faces, there was really no other way for the players
and coaches to think as they wrapped up a month of voluntary workouts on Wednesday and began a six-week break before the start of training camp. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, there is no doubt,” coach John Fox said. Added quarterback Matt Moore, the front-runner for starting job despite just eight career starts: “Like everyone has been saying, we’re a young team. But we’re going to try to use that to
Local Sports BASEBALL Coastal Plain League 7 p.m. Asheboro Copperheads at Forest City Owls
On TV 7 a.m. (ESPN) World Cup Soccer Group Stage: Argentina vs. Korea Republic. 9:30 a.m. (ESPN) World Cup Soccer Group Stage: Greece vs. Nigeria. 1 p.m. (ESPN) Golf U.S. Open Championship, First Round. 2 p.m. (ESPN2) World Cup Soccer Group Stage: France vs. Mexico. 3 p.m. (WYFF) Golf U.S. Open Championship, First Round. 5 p.m. (ESPN) Golf U.S. Open Championship, First Round. 7 p.m. (WGN-A) MLB Baseball Chicago White Sox at Pittsburgh Pirates. 9 p.m. (WSOC) (WLOS) NBA Basketball Finals, Game 7 — Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers.
Please see Panthers, Page 9
Trying to survive at Pebble Beach By DOUG FERGUSON
T’wolves to host Favors on Thursday MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves hosted several big men for a predraft workout on Wednesday, but the biggest are yet to come. Georgia Tech power forward Derrick Favors is scheduled to workout on Thursday and the Wolves still hope to convince Kentucky center DeMarcus Cousins to visit before the June 24 draft.
our advantage.” An offseason that saw numerous veterans released, not re-signed or allowed to leave in free agency claimed another starter last week when Davis tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. It marred the beginning of Carolina’s youth movement, leaving a giant hole at weakside linebacker and raising
AP Golf Writer
Associated Press
Ryo Ishikawa walks around the seventh green during a practice round for the U.S. Open Wednesday at the Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif.
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — One shot that stands out from the last U.S. Open at Pebble Beach was the 7-iron that Tiger Woods gouged out of the right rough on the par-5 sixth, a blind shot over the hill and onto the green to turn trouble into birdie. He might not get so lucky if it happens this year. That famous meeting of land and sea is a lot more intimate at this U.S. Open. In a subtle change that could put even Please see Golf, Page 9
Celtics, Lakers shrug weight of history LOS ANGELES (AP) — Even when Lamar Odom was a kid with limitless imagination growing up on New York’s playground courts, he thinks he might have dismissed Thursday’s season finale as a bit too extravagant. When the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA finals, Odom realizes it’s a fantasy come true for any basketball player with the audacity to dream this big. “It’s historic, especially when you talk about these teams and what they stand for, the pride,” the Lakers forward said Wednesday. “This is what you envision when you’re a kid in your backyard. Counting down, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...” Another memorable chapter in the NBA’s best rivalry will end with a coronation at Staples Center, where the defending champion Lakers will try to earn their 16th banner while denying Boston its unprecedented 18th title in the clubs’ second finals meeting in three years. For the fifth time in their 12 finals meetings, Boston and Los Angeles need all seven games to decide it. Each previous time it went to Game 7, the Celtics won — but when the current Lakers and Please see NBA, Page 9
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant shoots over Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo during the first half of Game 6 of the NBA basketball finals Tuesday, June 15, 2010, in Los Angeles. Associated Press