In his first CFL Draft at the helm of his own football team, Winnipeg Blue Bombers general manager Kyle Walters solidified his offensive line, pulled the trigger on a trade to move back into the second round, and found some value with his late picks.
[b]Bill Walton Jersey[/b] . And while taking highly-touted Simon Fraser offensive lineman Matthias Goossen second overall on Tuesday night will definitely help in an area of need for the club, it was a swap of draft picks that may prove to be his most shrewd move. "When Jesse Briggs started to fall a little bit, you could just see Kyle perk up in his chair. ‘We might have a chance here," said head coach Mike OShea of the Blue Bombers war room on Tuesday night. "And then (hes) working the phone and pulls the trigger and we move up to get a guy that we really value. I think that was a great move. It was fun to be sitting right there watching him work." Winnipeg entered the draft with no picks in the second round, having sent their original along with Alex Hall late last season to Saskatchewan to acquire offensive tackle Patrick Neufeld — a 25-year-old Canadian they hope to be a ratio-breaking starter on the offensive line. The Bombers called up a familiar trade partner Tuesday, Roughriders GM Brendan Taman, and exchanged their two third-round picks (20th and 26th overall) for Saskatchewans second-rounder, taking Briggs 17th overall to add some depth to the linebacker corps. "Jesse Briggs was a guy that we rated high. We were looking for some depth at linebacker. A special teams player. A phenomenal athlete," said Walters of the 6-foot-1, 222-pound McGill product. "And when we had an opportunity — youre in constant talk with all the other teams — if Briggs is here at this number heres what well do. And talking to a bunch of teams. And we were able to get him where we wanted to so we jumped at it." "Briggs, we expect to push. Losing James Green, Pierre Labbe, we needed that role as a special teams guy," added Walters. "Hes going to come in and be given every opportunity to compete and win that role as he pushes." "He played the SAM linebacker position in college so he is comfortable in space, but we view him in our system as a linebacker. An in-the-box guy thats going to be turned loose and run around." But the biggest acquisition made Tuesday is the man who the club hopes will soon start at centre. The 6-foot-4, 294-pound Goossen was one of two O-linemen who came to Winnipeg in the past month for private workouts and interviews. The other was Lavals Pierre Lavertu who went first-overall to Calgary. "I was really impressed by the way that the coaches came across, hearing about how things have changed there," said Goossen in his post-draft conference call. "Its really good to see the changes and I know that itll be a great year this upcoming year." Over the winter, Walters mentioned on a few occasions that the team needed and would land a starter with the No. 2 pick, but Tuesday the GM curtailed those statements slightly when speaking specifically of the 21-year-old lineman. "Im not going to put any undue pressure on him. Hes expecting himself to come in and start," said Walters. "Lets let him get to Winnipeg and lets let him get his feet under (him) before we start putting undue pressure on him." "Given his age, I mean he is a man," said OShea of Goossen. "You see how hes built. His film says that hes got a real good chance at (starting), but being as young as he is I just feel theres a little bit of a difference here. We dont want to stick him in and ruin him, sort of get him shell-shocked and ruin his confidence. "If camp shows us, and he shows us in camp what he believes hes going to show us and what we think he can do, and thats the logical step for us, then hell be in there. And if he needs a bit of time then were quite willing to give him that — afford him that time to develop a little bit. But hes going to be a good player for a long time in this league and its up to me now and the offensive line coach to make sure we dont put him in a position thats going to hurt his confidence." "Im just going to go to camp and try to work as hard as possible and just try to get better every day," added Goossen when asked about potentially starting in his rookie year. "If the coaches want to put me as a starter then that would be great, but right now Im just trying to get into camp and contribute to the team." Winnipeg added another Simon Fraser product in the fourth round in 6-foot-1 defensive back Derek Jones. Jones comes from some impressive bloodlines, as his father Ed won five Grey Cups with the Edmonton Eskimos in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Another intriguing prospect was taken in the sixth round with 305-pound defensive lineman Quinn Everett out of Mount Allison, who Walters says will be expected to learn the nose tackle position as well as along the O-line. The club drafted McMaster linebacker Aram Eisho with their final selection in the seventh round.
[b]Portland Trail Blazers Pro Shop[/b] . Former San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds made his longshot request of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit upheld Bonds conviction in September.
[b]Kermit Washington Jersey[/b] . -- Kenneth Faried made a turnaround hook shot over Draymond Green with a half-second remaining, and the Denver Nuggets made Golden State wait at least one more game to secure a playoff berth with a stunning 100-99 win over the Warriors on Thursday night.LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Clippers hadnt even digested the final loss of their tumultuous season before they had to consider the growing possibility that owner Donald Sterling wont leave the club quietly. After a month of playoff pressure and incredible off-court drama, a 104-98 loss to Oklahoma City on Thursday night ended the Clippers best season in franchise history. Their summer could match the tumult of the last few weeks, given Sterlings apparent determination to fight his lifetime NBA ban for racist remarks. "I dont think thats an ideal situation for us to start next season with that still going on," All-Star forward Blake Griffin said Friday. If Sterling and his long-estranged wife, Shelly, manage to postpone their ouster with legal manoeuvrs, several Clippers arent sure whether they would play for the team in the fall. They hope they dont have to find out. "Personally, I think the longer it lasts, the worse its going to be," Griffin said. "I think something should happen, and I think it should happen quickly. I think guys need to make decisions. I dont think anybody wants this to drag out -- except for, you know, one or two people. I think it just needs to be swift. We can make our decision, they can make their decision, and make a change." A few weeks after the players dumped their warm-up jerseys at centre court in Oakland in a gesture of solidarity against Sterling, the Clippers are clearly hoping they wont have to return in the fall with the saga still hanging over the franchise. "I dont anticipate that being how its going to be," Griffin said. "And if it still is, Ill make a decision then, but its not something thats ideal." Guard J.J. Redick predicts the process of removing Sterling will be lengthy, saying the Clippers realize "things will be in flux for a while." "I cant imagine a scenario where we start the season next year and hes the owner and all is kosher," Redick added. "He may be the owner when we start the season next year still, but I would imagine that there would be some legal proceedings ongoing if thats the scenario." Coach Doc Rivers didnt speak to the media on Friday, but the franchises shepherd through the last few weeks made it clear Thursday night that he planss to return to the Clippers.
[b]Cliff Robinson Jersey[/b]. "I told them were going to have our day," Rivers said. "This is not the end. This is the beginning for us. ... Like Ive said before, Im under contract. I have no plans of going anywhere, as far as I know." Although Griffin, Chris Paul and their teammates were devastated by their final losses to the Thunder, Los Angeles will have plenty to savour. Although the Clippers had legitimate dreams of NBA title contention after acquiring Rivers from Boston last June, theyll have to settle for another division title and another learning experience on their path to a championship. "We definitely have to go through this," Griffin said. "Winning -- nobody has the formula. The more I lose, every time I lose, every time we lose as a team, its like I figure out how not to do it. I dont want to keep this up, but it is a necessary adversity that you have to go through as a player to get to where you want. Ive heard guys say that makes it that much sweeter when you do win." The Clippers 57-25 record was the best in franchise history, and their 113 wins over the last two years dwarf any other two-year stretch for a long-struggling franchise. Los Angeles won the Pacific Division for the second straight year and the second time in franchise history. Their first-round series against Golden State would have been taxing even without the distraction of Sterling, but Los Angeles hung on in the fourth quarter of Game 7 at home to finish off the Warriors. Paul and Griffin got the Clippers to the brink of a breakthrough win in Game 5 in Oklahoma City, leading by 13 points with less than four minutes to play -- but Pauls turnovers and fouls in the final seconds allowed the Thunder to grab an astonishing comeback victory. Los Angeles again failed to execute late in Game 6, leading to their ouster and a disappointed crowd at Staples Center. The Clippers earned just their third playoff series victory since Sterling bought the franchise 33 years ago, but couldnt advance to the conference finals for the first time in club history. "You wait your whole life to play with a group of guys like that, and you hope thats the group you end up winning with," Redick said. "When it doesnt happen, its devastating." ' ' '
