Report: Warriors Turned Down Offer For Rudy Gay

According to a report, the Golden State Warriors had a chance to land recently traded Rudy Gay.

Gay was traded to the Toronto Raptors Wednesday, but NBA TV analyst Peter Vescey is reporting that the Grizzlies offered Gay to the Warriors in
exchange for Harrison Barnes, Jarrett Jack and either Andris Biedrins or Richard Jefferson.

Warriors have eyed Gay 4 couple yrs. Grizz wanted Barnes & Jack & would've assumed final year pact of AB or RJ. GS split decision against
— Peter Vecsey (@PeterVecsey1) February 1, 2013

The Warriors reportedly turned down the offer, and Gay was shipped to Toronto.

Gay does come with an overly hefty contract, but on paper the reported trade at least seemed to favor the Warriors. Gay is a bonified small forward in the NBA, but it just goes to show what the Warriors organization thinks about the future of Barnes and the leadership of Jack.

Barnes has the potential to become a player of Gay's caliber down the road, while Golden State needs the leadership of Jack right now, as the team will be making a playoff run in the coming months.

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Logan Couture Goes Kaepernicking As San Jose Sharks Reach 7-0-0

Logan Couture showed his support for quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers before Sunday's Super Bowl with a tribute to the dual-threat quarterback.


Couture scored his fifth goal of the season en route to the Sharks' 3-2 shootout victory over the Oilers Thursday night. During the celebration, Couture kissed his right bicep, a Kaepernick signature move after scoring a TD. Maybe the 49ers' championship-bound mentality will rub off on the streaking Sharks in the South Bay.

The win for the Sharks moved the team to 7-0-0 on the season, the only undefeated team left in the NHL.

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Poor Alex: Smith's Toughest Week as a 49er?

Alex Smith had to fend off questions surrounding the latest report that he will request his release from the 49ers before the March 12 start to NFL free agency, as well as deal with the fact he will not be starting for the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.


It has been a week to forget for Smith, who was not given a booth at Media Day on Tuesday, only to be swarmed by reporters out in the open. It got so bad, he had to wear a headset just to hear the questions coming from the masses that numbered close to 60 people at one time.

What has gone unsaid is Smith's help in the growth of starter Colin Kaepernick. Harbaugh said earlier this week that Smith coaches Kaerpernick more than he does, something for Smith haters to take into consideration, as well as the many suitors he is sure to entertain this offseason via trade or free agency.

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Ray Lewis' Baptism Graces Cover of Sports Illustrated

Ray Lewis has been the world's least favorite preacher since he announced he would be retiring after the season. The added motivation for this team led the Ravens to the Super Bowl this Sunday against the 49ers, but Sports Illustrated questioned the need for Lewis' arguably excessive use of sermon-like answers to questions with this week's cover.


The title: "Does God Care Who Wins the Super Bowl?"

*** This is the same issue that contains the article on Lewis' alleged use of a banned substance to speed up recovery from his latest injury.

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49ers Only Have So Many Options When It Comes to Alex Smith, Free Agency

The 49ers are at a crossroads with Alex Smith.  They can thank him for being a good teammate -- despite replacing him as the starter -- and release him before free agency on March 12, or they can trade him to an NFL team in desperate need of a starting quarterback.

            According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Smith is expected to request his release from the 49ers before free agency begins in just over two weeks. It would give Smith and several needy NFL teams the opportunity for the full amount of bargaining time this offseason.

            However, the 49ers do not have to adhere to Smith’s request, nor should they. Smith is a valuable commodity in the NFL right now, and the 49ers intend to take full advantage of that even if they look like a heartless franchise because of it.

            As CSN Bay Area’s Ray Ratto writes, Smith may get the short end of the stick for the second time this season.

“So what do the 49ers actually owe him? Much. What are they compelled to do for him? Not much. And in the NFL, kindness is typically just a prettied-up obligation.”

This has never been more apparent than with head coach Jim Harbaugh, who stood by Smith’s side since he arrived in San Francisco, only to replace him with Colin Kaepernick once given the smallest window of opportunity.

When the 49ers’ situation with Smith really gets down to it, the NFC Champions really do not have many options here. Smith will be owed a $7.5 million bonus on April 1, and the 49ers are not expected to pay him that amount of money, especially for a back-up quarterback they have relatively no need for. NFL teams understand this and surely will anticipate Smith being at the top of the trade block as soon as the Super Bowl ends.

However, trading Smith is another whole different challenge for the 49ers.

Again, NFL teams know the 49ers will need to get rid of Smith by April 1, which leaves free agency as the presumed gateway to acquiring Smith. The only way Smith gets traded at this point is if a team in desperate need of a starting quarterback feels they cannot compete with the big money in free agency. In that case, the 49ers will likely be able to get a first to third round draft pick in return for Smith, setting them up for an even brighter future than they already have.

A trade is obviously the preferred route for the 49ers in the dispensing of Smith, but that may be easier said than done. The only way the 49ers will honor his free agency request is if they cannot find a trade partner before April 1, watching Smith’s preferred release date of March 12 go by.

Smith has done everything asked of him this season, despite having his starting job stripped of him after sustaining a concussion. The 49ers are now in the Super Bowl with Colin Kaepernick, and Smith at least seems like he cannot be happier for his teammates. At the same time, Smith’s time under center in San Francisco may have set back the 49ers’ franchise back several years, only to be resurrected by Trent Baalke, Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff.

The 49ers do not owe Smith the right to be released on his own terms, and certainly will not harm the state of the franchise by doing so.

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Report: Alex Smith Requests Release From 49ers Before Free Agency

The 49ers are in a pickle -- give Alex Smith what he deserves by staying true to the 49ers by granting him release from the team, or trade him to one of several teams dying for a starting quarterback?


Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio is reporting that Smith has requested to be released from the 49ers before the start of free agency on March 12, something the 49ers will be discussing quite heavily post-Super Bowl.

At this point, a trade seems like a longshot for the 49ers. The entire NFL knows that Smith is expendable at this point, and the 49ers must get rid of him before his $7.5 million bonus kicks in on April 1.

The 49ers now have two options:

-Release him and thank him for being a good teammate, despite losing his starting job due to a concussion.

-Trade him.

A trade would realistically only come into play if a team that desperately needs a starting quarterback cannot compete money-wise in free agency with other needy teams. If so, the 49ers could get anywhere from a first to third round pick for the former starter, setting them up for an even brighter future than they already have.

Again, teams know the 49ers have to get rid of him, it's just a matter of when and how.

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Report: 49ers' Moss To Return For One More Year

Randy Moss will not be leaving on a high note if the 49ers win the Super Bowl on Sunday. According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, Moss will return for one more year whether his team wins or loses on Feb. 3.

Moss was expected to retire once again after a rather quiet, yet productive, season with the NFC champions. A season so quiet almost certainly would lead to retirement for the 35-year-old, but evidently he has other plans.

Several 49ers players went out of their way in Monday's press conferences to acknowledge Moss' contributions to the team, not just on the field, but in the locker room as well.

Aldon Smith said Moss deserved to be the MVP of the team this season. How can that not make Moss want to return for one more year?

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Bogut Returns, Warriors Take Down Raptors

Andrew Bogut was back in the lineup after a two month hiatus that saw him encounter yet another setback to his ankle. He played well in his return Monday night without even a hint of an injury.


Bogut tallied 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks against the Raptors. He showed good offensive ability, even on that disastrous ankle, but it was his defense that never seemed to miss a beat. He was a clear presence in the paint, something that had gone missing with the platoon of Festus Ezeli and Andris Biedrins since Bogut's injury.

There were some takeaways from his return, though. Bogut played just 24 minutes in a game where it was said there would be no minute cap for the big man. He also looked awfully winded in the small amount of time played on the court.

In his postgame interview, Bogut said it was unlikely he would play against the Cavaliers in the second game of a back-to-back, so it is safe to assume there is some precautions still being taken with him.

-- It would probably be best if Warriors fans kept an open mind through at least three games before making a decision on whether or not Bogut is back for good this time, although it is obvious his presence in the lineup makes the Warriors a more well-rounded and competitive basketball team.

Golden State

Starters	Pos	Min	FG	3Pt	FT	+/-	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	BS	BA	PF	Pts
Klay Thompson(notes)	G	35:13	7-16	3-7	2-2	+12	1	7	1	3	2	0	0	2	19
Stephen Curry(notes)	G	26:16	7-12	1-3	2-2	0	1	1	5	2	1	0	0	1	17
Andrew Bogut(notes)	C	23:36	6-8	0-0	0-0	+11	1	8	2	2	1	4	0	3	12
David Lee(notes)	F	44:05	10-17	0-0	1-2	+15	2	12	7	3	0	0	0	2	21
Harrison Barnes(notes)	F	32:55	6-11	0-1	2-3	+17	1	5	2	0	0	0	2	2	14

Bench	Min	FG	3Pt	FT	+/-	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	BS	BA	PF	Pts

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49ers Arrive in New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII

The 49ers departed San Jose International Airport around 12 p.m. on Sunday and arrived in New Orleans to an ecstatic welcome from the crowd awaiting their arrival. The 49ers, as a team, will next encounter Super Bowl media day on Tuesday before the 3:30 p.m. PST Super Bowl XLVII start on Sunday, Feb. 3.

Flying nice today.Headed to Nola. instagr.am/p/VABskXENen/
— jonathan goodwin (@jgoody59) January 27, 2013

Back of the bus gang ready to head to New Orleans instagr.am/p/U__TsuoQcd/
— Joe Staley (@jstaley74) January 27, 2013

I ain't ever seen a plane seat like this! instagr.am/p/VACrQnNBAC/
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) January 27, 2013

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San Francisco Giants Show Support for Super Bowl-Bound 49ers on Twitter

The 2012 World Series champs are taking sides in Super Bowl XLVII. Coincidentally, they're firmly planted behind the team that so happens to call San Francisco home, as well.  Giants players have taken to Twitter since watching the 49ers defeat the Atlanta Falcons and advance to the Super Bowl on Feb. 3., showing their support for San Francisco and the Bay Area's recent success in sports.

What excitement that the @49ers have brought to this city! Congrats to the whole @49ers organization! #onemore #QuestforSix thats whats up!!
— Sergio Romo (@SergioRomo54) January 21, 2013

Congrats to the 49ers. Looking forward to the Super Bowl!! -Buster
— Buster Posey (@BusterPosey) January 21, 2013

Alex, moonwalk your way down Market St. w an SF hat & Lombardi trophy & i'll take care of the fines you rack up @49ers twitter.com/BrianWilson38/…
— Brian Wilson (@BrianWilson38) September 20, 2012

Niners!!! #SuperBowl #SFWinsChampionships
— Brandon Crawford (@bcraw35) January 20, 2013

Well looks like SF is gonna have to have TWO Champions this year! #SFGiants #49ers
— George Kontos (@G_Kontos) January 21, 2013

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NBA All-Star Reserves Announced Tonight; Curry, Lee Strong Candidates

The NBA will announce the All-Star reserves on TNT at 4 p.m. PST tonight, and Stephen Curry and David Lee are among the viable candidates to have their name called. A Warriors player has not been named to an All-Star team since Latrell Sprewell in 1997.


Curry and Lee both made last minute pushes for All-Star consideration Wednesday night in the Warriors' 104-99 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Curry went for 31 points and seven assists, while Lee went for 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Curry is averaging 20.9 PPG and 6.6 APG, while Lee is averaging 19.6 PPG and 10.8 RPG.

Here are the starters for the NBA All-Star Game, as announced Jan. 17:

2013 NBA All-Star Starters

Eastern Conference

Player	Votes
LeBron James, MIA	1,583,646
Carmelo Anthony, NYK	1,460,950
Dwyane Wade, MIA	1,052,310
Rajon Rondo, BOS	924,180
Kevin Garnett, BOS	553,222

Western Conference

Player	Votes
Kobe Bryant, LAL	1,591,437
Kevin Durant, OKC	1,504,047
Chris Paul, LAC	929,155
Dwight Howard, LAL	922,070
Blake Griffin, LAC	863,832

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San Jose Sharks Lose Their Minds, Score Six Goals in First Period vs. Oilers

The San Jose Sharks cannot ask for a better start to their season, and now they accomplished not having a better start to a game.  The Sharks defeated the Oilers Tuesday night, 6-3, behind six first period goals -- tying the franchise record for most goals in one period.


San Jose is now 2-0, after starting the season on the road in Canada, and now head home for opening night at HP Pavilion vs. the Coyotes on Thursday.

Here is the breakdown of scoring in that epic first period (courtesy of ESPN.com):

3:17		Dan Boyle (2) (Power Play) Assists: Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton	1	0
4:30		Logan Couture (1) (Power Play) Assists: Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski	2	0
8:25		Nail Yakupov (1) (Power Play) Assists: Sam Gagner, Ales Hemsky	2	1
10:02		Patrick Marleau (3) Assists: Joe Thornton, Brad Stuart	3	1
11:07		Patrick Marleau (4) (Power Play) Assists: Joe Thornton, Logan Couture	4	1
18:09		Logan Couture (2) Assists: Martin Havlat, T.J. Galiardi	5	1
19:20		Marc-Edouard Vlasic (1) Assists: Tommy Wingels, T.J. Galiardi	6	1

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Harbaugh Brothers Only Texting, Not Calling Each Other Prior to Super Bowl XLVII

Jim and John Harbaugh, head coaches of the 49ers and Ravens who will be facing off in Super Bowl XLVII, are not speaking at all before Feb. 3. They will stick strictly to texting -- nothing more and nothing less.


Both coaches are incredibly focused on the Super Bowl, as they should, although i doubt sports could find another brother combo this uniformly focused on one goal.

The Harbaughs are a unique family, starting from their father Jack on down.  While both have rather outgoing personalities, business time is business time and the Super Bowl just happens to be the pinnacle of getting down to business.

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Jim Harbaugh Is Going To Lose His Mind With the Media Before Super Bowl XLVII

It has been one day since the 49ers defeated the Falcons in the NFC Championship, and already you can hear the angst in Jim Harbaugh's voice with the media. No, he does not want to talk about the Super Bowl matchup with his brother, John. He wants to talk about the players on the field. Good luck, Jim.


Harbaugh plays his hand close to the vest, which is a solid reason for why he has had so much success in his two seasons as a head coach in the NFL.

Unpredictability.

However, these next two weeks are different, and he is about to find out why -- as excruciating as it may be for him and entertaining as it will be for us.

Harbaugh can barely stand the local media here in the Bay Area. Wait until ESPN and the rest of the big league media that could not care less about Harbaugh's personal teeth-pulling ways of doing press conferences.

Super Bowl Media Day, an entire day literally devoted to the media, is quite possibly the worst thing that could ever happen to Harbaugh, and it will occur during the week before the Super Bowl. Fasten your seat belts for that one and count the awkward transitions -- there will be many.

Below is Day 1 of media questioning (per CSNBayArea.com) before the Super Bowl. It can only go down from here, Jim.

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Harbaugh: Akers Will Be the 49ers' Kicker in the Super Bowl

David Akers missed a 32-yard field goal with the 49ers down three points to the Falcons in the second half of the NFC Championship, and all hell nearly broke loose.

No, the 49ers cannot bring back free agent kicker Billy Cundiff. Waiver wire pick-ups are over with, and San Francisco literally has no other option at
this point in the playoffs. Akers will be the 49ers' kicker on Feb. 3 in New Orleans.

Jim Harbaugh said as much at Monday's presser:

"The decision's already been made," he said. "David Akers is our kicker."

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Mark Jackson: Stephen Curry's Latest Ankle Injury Not Serious

Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson stopped by the unofficially titled "Ratto and Mr. T Show" on KNBR Thursday to talk all things Dubs, and the never-ending fragility of Stephen Curry's ankle.

Curry was nursing an injured knee after the loss to the Nuggets on Sunday, and while practicing Wednesday before the matchup against the Heat, rolled his ankle. It caused him to be sidelined for arguably the biggest game on the Warriors' schedule this season.

Jackson seemed rather optimistic about the severity of the injury when talking to Tom Tolbert and Ray Ratto.

"I'm not a doctor, first of all, but I don't see it lingering on. I see it as a freak play that happened during shoot around."

As is well documented, Curry has had his share of ankle injuries in his career that has caused him to miss many a game, so it is no overreaction to anticipate the worst for Curry.

He will be a solid candidate for the Western Conference All-Star team in early February.

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Report: Pablo Sandoval Hospitalized in Venezuela

Pablo Sandoval was reportedly taken to a Venezuelan hospital on Thursday, according to his brother's Twitter account.

The San Jose Mercury News' Alex Pavlovic is reporting that Michael Sandoval, who last played for the San Jose Giants in 2010, tweeted that his brother Pablo has been taken to the hospital for an
abdominal issue and was diagnosed with colitis. He will be able to rejoin Team Venezuela for WBC preparation within 24-48 hours.

"Colitis is inflammation of the inner lining of the colon and is associated with diarrhea, pain, and blood in the stool." 

Here is an excerpt from Pavlovic's article:

"Michael Sandoval tweeted that Pablo had been diagnosed with colitis, but he is expected to return to his Winter League club soon. Sandoval had been playing for Navegantes del Magallanes in the Venezuelan League. According to the club's official twitter account, Sandoval could return to the team within 24 to 48 hours." 

La salida del partido de @kfp48 es debido a problemas estomacales.. Para quienes preguntan
— MICHAEL SANDOVAL (@Mik3Sand0vAl) January 17, 2013

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