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Barnes’ mother: He ‘wants to fulfill’ goals

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On Feb. 26, 2008, Harrison Barnes lost for the last time in his high school career.

A heartbreaking, last-second shot gave Iowa’s Marshalltown the 51-50 win against Barnes-led Ames in the state playoffs when he was a sophomore. The Little Cyclones would go on to win their next 53 straight games and two state titles.

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The North Carolina freshman forward said after losing 76-69 to Kentucky on Sunday in the Elite Eight that he felt just like he did three years ago.

“That hurt for three months,” his mom, Shirley Barnes, said on Tuesday. “And that was the last time he lost. He has goals and I think he wants to fulfill those goals.”

Harrison Barnes, who has yet to decide whether to forgo his remaining three years of collegiate eligibility and enter the NBA Draft, said Sunday it was sad the Tar Heels did not reach their full potential.

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“We could have gone so much further and done so many better things, and just to end the season the way that we did, that’s what hurts the most,” he said.

Barnes sobbed with his head draped with a white towel in the Prudential Center locker room Sunday. He raised his head to speak with the media with watered eyes and a softer-than-normal voice.

When asked if he had played his final game in a North Carolina uniform, Barnes gave no indication which way he was leaning, only that he was living in the moment that visibly consumed him.
“I’m not thinking about the NBA,” he said.

Shirley Barnes said when the time is right, her son will make his decision.
“Harrison needs to heal from this loss,” she said. “We haven’t really talked about it, honestly. It’s not pressing to us. It’s what it is.”

Barnes can declare for the draft as late as April 24, which is the deadline for all underclassmen to apply early. NBAdraft.net has Barnes going No. 2 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves, while DraftExpress.com has the Washington Wizards selecting Barnes at No. 4.

Barnes was the first freshman ever to be named an AP preseason All-American. He finished the season as ACC Rookie of the Year, averaging 15.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game on 42.3 percent shooting.

A player in the Roy Williams era interested in testing NBA waters typically meets with the coach, who speaks with pro team representatives to assess his draft stock.

Williams will go to Houston this weekend for the National Association of Basketball Coaches Convention, held annually at the Final Four site.

Along with Barnes, sophomore John Henson and junior Tyler Zeller have been listed on draft sites as possible early entrants, with Henson being listed as a lottery pick on DraftExpress.

“I’m going to … give them the information that I can get from my friends in the NBA … and try to tell them what their evaluation would be,” Williams said on his weekly radio show Monday.

“And then I’m going to sit back and then tell them to tell me what they want to do. I will give them my opinion about what I think would be best for them, but I want them to tell me what they want to do and allow them and their families to make a decision.”

Gabbert undecided about draft ceremony

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As one of the top draft prospects of 2011, University of Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert has been invited to New York for the NFL's draft spectacular. But will he go?

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And if he goes, will he attend the official made-for-TV NFL event? Or take part in some sort of alternate NFL Players Association event if the lockout is still under way April 28?Gabbert handled the topic like he might a blitzing linebacker — he didn't want to take it head-on.

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"I'm not really educated on the subject," Gabbert said, following his pro day workout Thursday at Mizzou. "And we've got a month and half for them to work things out. They're going to reach an agreement. There's too much money on the line for them to lock out the whole season."But what if there isn't an agreement by then? What would Gabbert do if the players association asked him not to attend the official NFL draft festivities?"I don't know. What would your answer be?" Gabbert said, turning the tables on a reporter.It would be a tough decision, was the reporter's response."It would be difficult," Gabbert concurred.But at this point, with all the preparation for his pro day, and in the midst of meetings and private workouts with teams, Gabbert said he hasn't given the subject much thought.On the one hand, the opportunity to hear your name called on live television, head onstage, shake hands with Commissioner Roger Goodell, and hold up your new NFL team jersey is a once-in-a-lifetime moment."I mean, it'd be special for anybody," Gabbert said. "That's a kid's dream, going to the draft."On the other hand, you'll have the feelings of dozens of new teammates to consider — veterans involved in a legal battle with the league. And you'll be shaking hands with a commissioner whose league wants you to take less money because of a rookie wage scale that is one of the negotiation issues in the current labor impasse.First things first, says Tom Condon of the St. Louis-based CAA Football sports agency, which represents Gabbert."Where will he go in the draft?" Condon said. "We don't want him sitting around (on draft night)."It may seem like a sure thing that Gabbert will go top 10, or top five, but Condon and CAA know it's still a little early to get a true feel for that. Once it seems more certain that Gabbert will go very high in the draft, it must first be determined if he'll go to New York, then if he'll attend the official NFL event or an NFL Players Association event.Condon says CAA will make a recommendation to Gabbert, but adds, "The final decision is up to the player."Gabbert was one of four potential first-rounders to take part in pro days at Mizzou and Illinois this week. Among the others, Tigers teammate Aldon Smith says he's undecided about whether he would go to New York. Then again, he hasn't gotten an invitation."So I think whenever that happens, I'll kind of consider everything," said Smith.At the same time, he also realizes the emotional and sentimental value of walking out on stage for that handshake."Everybody who went there before you shook hands with Roger Goodell and everything like that," Smith said. "So I think that's a special moment for anybody who's making that transition."At Illinois, defensive tackle Corey Liuget said he would go to New York; running back Mikel Leshoure said he wouldn't."I'd love to go," Liuget said. "I am going if I get invited.""No, I don't think I would go to New York," Leshoure said.

Tell us again: Why is there an NFL labour dispute?

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If NFL owners aren't careful, they might just force us to sympathize with guys who make more in a year than most will take home in a lifetime. Chad Ochocinco could come off looking like some sort of modern-day Cesar Chavez.The real world keeps getting lost during all this talk of a possible lost football season.Enough already.

On Monday, as people went back to work for less money than they used to make — or simply out to look for a job — it was abundantly clear this is not the time for the billionaires (a.k.a. the owners) to draw a line in the sand against the millionaires (a.k.a. the players).Not when cheques are smaller and health insurance costs more for so many Americans.

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Not when "Bank Owned" signs are still a common sight in front of foreclosed homes. Not when Wisconsin, home of the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, is paralysed by a dispute between a state government that says it's broke and workers resisting a major whack to their benefits and union rights.Haves versus Have-mores. Give us a break.The owners, especially, should remember the people who are hurting also happen to be their meal ticket.

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Without them paying hefty prices to attend in person or, more importantly, plopping down in front of the television on every given Sunday to produce exorbitant ratings for the networks, those cheques adorned with a minimum of nine zeros would dry right up.The men in suits sure aren't doing much to dissuade their image as fat cats intent on becoming fabulously obese when they stick with their demand for a bigger slice of an enormously profitable pie, right on the heels of an economic meltdown.Settle this thing. Settle it now. And hope everyone forgets it even happened by draft day.

Sure, it's hard to work up much sympathy for either side when there's labour strife in the sports world, which by its very nature means the rich taking on the even-richer. No exception here.The players are making good money.

Real, real good money. But the salaries aren't guaranteed, and the average NFL career is shorter than any other sport. By comparison, Jerry Jones' ownership of the Cowboys is pretty much a lifetime appointment.There are long-term ramifications in play as well. Every week, a sad story seems to emerge of some ex-jock who dies way too young or doesn't recognize his family anymore, likely because of the gruesome toll this sport takes on their bodies.

We can expect to hear more of those stories if the owners get their way on another demand, increasing the regular season from 16 to 18 games.Some other things to consider from the owner's perspective:— The average franchise was worth just over US$1 billion in 2009, according to Forbes, and virtually every owner can count on a huge return from his initial investment. For instance, Jones paid $150 million for the Cowboys in 1989; the team is now valued at $1.8 billion.

The owners say those values don't mean anything until they sell. Tell that to the guy living on a measly unemployment cheque.— The 32 teams made an average operating profit of $33.4 million in 2009, also according to Forbes.

The average return on revenues was 13.3 per cent. What does that mean? Well, consider what you've been paying to fill up your car. Makes you mad at those oil companies, doesn't it? Yet consider Chevron had a margin of 15.6 per cent last year, ExxonMobil 13.8 per cent, Shell 9.6 per cent. Sure, their total profits were much larger, but the NFL's financial house would seem to be structurally sound.

— The NFL keeps saying it needs more money to offset the cost of stadium construction, wanting another billion off the top from what it shares with the players. In an op-ed piece last month, commissioner Roger Goodell wrote that new facilities are needed in Minneapolis, San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego — and Los Angeles? Goodell failed to mention the Atlanta Falcons are pushing for a new stadium financed with at least some public money, even though the Georgia Dome isn't even two decades old. Just be prepared to drive over plenty of potholes getting to the new stadium, because the city is otherwise strapped for cash.

The owners came off looking even worse in a federal judge's decision last week striking down television deals that would have provided a $4 billion revenue cushion during any lockout. Cushy, indeed. Heck, DirecTV would've had to pay the league more money if no games were played than if there was actually a season. A cost that would have undoubtedly been passed on to you know who.

The owners claimed those contracts were merely loans that would've been repaid to the networks, with interest. But the judge had a different take, ruling the NFL essentially blackmailed its TV partners by insisting that any resistance to the proposal would be a "deal breaker."There might have been a time when those sort of deals were hailed as good business.This is definitely not that time.

Though he dropped many excess pounds, Haviland no lightweight when club needed leadership

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He lost nine inches off his waistline and now comfortably fits into size 35 pants. His neck size shrunk from 19 to 16.

Mike Haviland never has felt bigger.

Since that day of enlightenment in August 2009 when Haviland finally committed to changing a body that had ballooned out of control, his weight practically has melted away like a pile of snow in a downpour. Haviland has shed 95 pounds, lighter now than two decades ago as a player when he tipped the scales at 215.
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"I didn't think I would lose so much so fast or else I'd have done something for a charity in the city,'' said Haviland, 43, the Blackhawks assistant coach who filled in while Joel Quenneville recovered from an ulcer. "Once I hit a number (on the scale), I said, 'I'm not that guy.' ''

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Gradually, Haviland replaced bad dining habits picked up during his fast-food and pizza days as a minor-league hockey coach with fruits, vegetables and chicken. He stopped eating as if it were a contest to see who could pile the most food on a plate. He resumed working out 45 minutes a day, five days a week.

"I used to get tired in the afternoon,'' Haviland said. "I don't get tired anymore.''
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Who better on the Blackhawks to lighten the heavy burden last week?

If the Hawks overcome a frustrating season full of inconsistency to sneak into the Western Conference playoffs, many will look at the time Haviland replaced Quenneville as the turning point. Quenneville was in the hospital, Patrick Kane was in the headlines for the wrong reasons and the Hawks had every excuse to wilt mentally.

A playoff push for a team that had lost six of eight before Quenneville's ulcer? Fat chance.

Instead a complacent team refocused. The Hawks went 3-1 without Quenneville, who returned to practice Wednesday. Players appear to have taken responsibility and, as significantly, Haviland let them without feeling the need to overplay his authority.

Secure with his place in the organization and a future that likely will include a head-coaching job, Haviland didn't treat his four-game tenure like an audition. He knew the Hawks had more to prove as a team than he did as a head coach.

So when captain Jonathan Toews was ripping into teammates for a lackluster 2-0 deficit after the first period Monday in a game against the Blues the Hawks would rally to win, for example, Haviland saw no reason to add anything.

"I'm a pretty humble guy when it comes to that stuff,'' Haviland said. "This wasn't about me. It's about everybody in this room.''

The best coaches realize getting the most out of a team sometimes requires doing the least. The biggest compliment for the unassuming Haviland perhaps came from several Hawks who acknowledged they couldn't tell much of a difference during the absence of the Stanley Cup-winning coach.

" 'Havi' knows the systems, how calls are made and what guys to use in certain situations,'' Troy Brouwer said. "I'd say 3-1 is a pretty good start to his head-coaching career.''

Many expect Haviland's head-coaching career to continue as early as this summer. Haviland and the Devils flirted last June and another year of experience and exposure on Quenneville's staff figures to provide more interview opportunities. Being a hot NHL assistant is a far cry from selling cookies 17 years ago as a traveling salesman on the East Coast.

Unfulfilled with the real world after the Devils drafted him and a shoulder injury cut his playing career short, Haviland pursued coaching. One day the father of a kid Haviland coached in the youth league recommended him to the owner of the Trenton Titans of the ECHL and the ascent began. In seven seasons as a minor-league head coach with Trenton and Hawks affiliates Norfolk and Rockford, Haviland won two championships and never finished with a winning percentage lower than .588.

So when Quenneville entrusted Haviland and told him simply to follow his instincts, the reservoir was deep.

"Joel was great saying, 'You've done it before, do what you think is right,' '' Haviland said. "You're going to react to the game, change some lines on the fly, react, whatever's needed to get players to play. It was a lot of fun to go back and do it again.''

Nothing would satisfy Haviland more than seeing the Hawks keep focusing with things back to normal the way they did when things weren't.

"Maybe it took something to get everybody to rally around everything that has happened to us,'' Haviland said. "Sometimes one thing spurs us to realize, 'Whoa, wait a minute.' I think maybe we did turn the corner here. …

"But I don't think I had that much to do with it.''

Slim chance I ever agree with Haviland about that.