http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/players/dajuan_wagner/5591 Recent articles about Dajuan Wagner en-us The Belizean basketball player Milt Palacio was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1978. Palacio played ball at Junípero Serra High School, commonly referred to as just Serra, in Gardena (Side note: Serra has recently produced USC Wide Receiver tandem Robert Woods and Marqise Lee who both played basketball there too. It’s also important to note that Montell Jordan went there….*This is how we do it*). The athletic guard ended up following the similar paths of Spud Webb and Mookie Blaylock by playing for Midland College in Texas. After one year there, Milt went to play for Colorado State. In his first season as a Ram, Palacio quietly contributed 7.9 ppg. The following year Palacio improved to nearly 10 ppg (37.7 3PT%) with 5.1 apg and 3.6 rpg. In his final season Milt broke out.  In 35 mpg the point guard was averaging 18.4 ppg, 4.3 apg, 5.1 rpg, and 2.0 spg. That season he set career highs with six three-balls and 31 points against UNLV. Milt Palacio entered the 1999 NBA Draft but didn’t hea... Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:55:54 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/random_athlete_of_the_day_milt_palacio/13364785 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/random_athlete_of_the_day_milt_palacio/13364785 Random Athlete Of The Day- Milt Palacio http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/random_athlete_of_the_day_milt_palacio/13364785 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Kentucky’s disappointing season hit a new low when the Wildcats lost to Robert Morris in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday night in, of all places, John Calipari‘s hometown of Moon Township, Pa. No more games appear on the schedule, but there is still trouble ahead for Calipari and Co. Heralded freshmen recruits Archie Goodwin and Alex Poythress didn’t pan out as expected in their first season and, along with fellow freshman Willie Cauley-Stein, announced they intend on returning to Kentucky for another season. The only problem is that Calipari is bringing in arguably the greatest recruiting class in college basketball history — a six-man class headlined by Julius Randle and Andrew and Aaron Harrison. That class could become seven if the nation’s top player, Andrew Wiggins, pledges to Big Blue Nation. For the first time, the one-and-done culture Calipari had benefited from has backfired on him. Too much talent is coming in and not enough is going out. ... Thu, 21 Mar 2013 22:31:58 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/john_caliparis_one_and_done_culture_could_be_spoiled_by_julius_randle_harrison_twins_possibly_andrew_wiggins/13203661 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/john_caliparis_one_and_done_culture_could_be_spoiled_by_julius_randle_harrison_twins_possibly_andrew_wiggins/13203661 John Calipari’s ‘One and Done’ Culture Could Be Spoiled by Julius Randle, Harrison Twins, Possibly Andrew Wiggins http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/john_caliparis_one_and_done_culture_could_be_spoiled_by_julius_randle_harrison_twins_possibly_andrew_wiggins/13203661 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/4/c4b231c8f93bb1224fcbda6d9c8f6f149ce8817d/mini/NCAA_Basketball_Tournament_54fe.jpg With the Cavaliers having two rookies playing prominent minutes, WFNY thought it would beneficial to see how the fresh meat around the league is faring in comparison with the Cavalier rookies. Each week, we’ll have NBA rookie power rankings where we’ll rack and stack the freshman class of the NBA. The rankings will be weighted with the most recent games carrying the most importance, but the whole body of work will be taken into account. Great beards and great celebrations may also play a large factor. 1. Damian Lillard (Last Week: 1) The mid season rookie of the year had another strong week, averaging just over 21 points and 7 assists in 3 games, including a win against Indiana that snapped the Blazers’ 6 game losing streak. Lillard has received praise from the media, coaches, and even LeBron, but now we can add future hall of famer, Gary Payton to that list. In an interview with Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk, Payton gave his endorsement of Lillard for Rookie of the Year. “I like ... Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:30:16 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/nba_rookie_rankings_lillard_vs_kidd_and_payton_waiters_cant_finish/12753286 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/nba_rookie_rankings_lillard_vs_kidd_and_payton_waiters_cant_finish/12753286 NBA Rookie Rankings: Lillard vs. Kidd and Payton, Waiters can’t finish http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/nba_rookie_rankings_lillard_vs_kidd_and_payton_waiters_cant_finish/12753286 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/6/a68ceaf77aa975db6d3d3f87b84d578f6e4297fe/mini/6921748.jpg When you think of Cleveland Cavalier Legends your list would have to include Austin Carr, Mark Price, Larry Nance, Brad Daugherty, and ….. DaJuan Wagner, right?  Wagner will always been remembered for his vaunted 100 point game in High School but in his rookie campaign he struggled to score 100 points, the whole season! A 13.4 ppg average followed by a superb campaign of 4 ppg in 11 games.  But fear not the backcourt combo of him and Ricky Davis, yes that Ricky Davis, helped the 2002-2003 Cavs to the worst record in the NBA and winners of Lebron James and a whole new winning era.  See, you knew he was going to be a legend and he proved it. His career was cut short by ulcerative colitis, unfortunately.  His comeback with the Warriors lasted all but 2 months.  Imagine had he been healthy the Cavs could have landed Dwight Howard instead of Luke Jackson the following year.  Hey, you can’t blame the front office. This guy is clearly looking around as if fans everywhere c... Tue, 18 Sep 2012 09:02:40 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/thank_you_for_lebron_james_dejuan_wagner/11743645 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/thank_you_for_lebron_james_dejuan_wagner/11743645 Thank you for Lebron James DeJuan Wagner http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/thank_you_for_lebron_james_dejuan_wagner/11743645 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Former Sydney Kings centre Julian Khazzouh has inked a three year deal with Polish team, Asseco Prokom Gdynia. As well as playing in the Polish Basketball League, the team also competes in the Euroleague. The club, which has been relatively successful since it's founding in 1995, has won nine Polish Championships and four Polish Cups. A number of NBA names have seen time with Prokom over the years, including one-time Sydney King Drew Barry, and the likes of Travis Best, Bobby Brown, Todd Fuller (another name known to NBL fans), Dajuan Wagner and Qyntel Woods. Khazzouh will be the biggest player on the roster and will potentially have an opportunity to show off his soft touch around the paint, abililty to grab rebounds and block shots against a range of other Australian players in the Euroleague. Australian Boomers captain Matt Nielsen plays for Khimki Moscow, AJ Ogilvy is with Brose Baskets, Nathan Jawai and Joe Ingles play for Spanish Champions FC Barcelona, and Aron Baynes h... Tue, 28 Aug 2012 06:35:06 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/julian_khazzouh_signs_3_year_polish_deal/12448423 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/julian_khazzouh_signs_3_year_polish_deal/12448423 Julian Khazzouh signs 3 year Polish deal http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/julian_khazzouh_signs_3_year_polish_deal/12448423 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Former Sydney Kings centre Julian Khazzouh has inked a three year deal with Polish team, Asseco Prokom Gdynia. As well as playing in the Polish Basketball League, the team also competes in the Euroleague. The club, which has been relatively successful since it's founding in 1995, has won nine Polish Championships and four Polish Cups. A number of NBA names have seen time with Prokom over the years, including one-time Sydney King Drew Barry, and the likes of Travis Best, Bobby Brown, Todd Fuller (another name known to NBL fans), Dajuan Wagner and Qyntel Woods. Khazzouh will be the biggest player on the roster and will potentially have an opportunity to show off his soft touch around the paint, abililty to grab rebounds and block shots against a range of other Australian players in the Euroleague. Australian Boomers captain Matt Nielsen plays for Khimki Moscow, AJ Ogilvy is with Brose Baskets, Nathan Jawai and Joe Ingles play for Spanish Champions FC Barcelona, and Aron Baynes... Tue, 28 Aug 2012 02:35:06 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/julian_khazzouh_signs_3_year_polish_deal/11566111 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/julian_khazzouh_signs_3_year_polish_deal/11566111 Julian Khazzouh signs 3 year Polish deal http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/julian_khazzouh_signs_3_year_polish_deal/11566111 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Dion looks a bit shocked too Despite all the late info swirling around the Cavs picking Syracuse SG Dion Waiters, it was still a surprise when David Stern called his name for the Cavs with the fourth pick. Really? A guy who didn’t start for his college team? 1 .  A guy the Cavs didn’t even work out? WHAT?! Waiters has been compared to Dwyane Wade, which sounds a bit nuts (although it sounded nuts last year when Kyrie Irving kept being compared to Chris Paul) but he’s a 6-4, athletic two-guard who can get to the hole and finish inside. The Cavs certainly need more playmakers (as they currently have one) but an undersized scoring shooting guard? Forgive me for having Dajuan Wagner flashbacks. I knew I was getting myself too worked up for the draft. After months of having “what if the Cavs land the first pick and get Anthony Davis??” conversations followed by weeks of pitching “Cleveland trades up for Beal and then flips Varejao to get back into the lottery for Drummond” scenarios, see... Sat, 30 Jun 2012 12:37:14 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/talking_myself_into_dion_waiters/11124395 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/talking_myself_into_dion_waiters/11124395 Talking Myself into Dion Waiters http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/talking_myself_into_dion_waiters/11124395 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Last week, we shared with you an unbelievable Kate Upton GQ cover and photo-shoot somebody wonderful green-lit even after Terry Richardson showed up with nothing but “wet t-shirt, popsicle” written in his Ideas Notebook. We assumed this would be the finest piece of sports (related) reporting in 2012, but we were mistaken. That honor will go to Felesia M. Jackson of Cleveland’s The Plain Dealer for her real-time news piece entitled ‘About the NBA draft: PDQuotient’. I can’t add anything to it, so here’s the epic work reproduced in its entirety: That’s it. That is seriously it. It took me a few minutes to figure out that the numbers under the story weren’t another Kayak add and were a “by the numbers” style rundown of draft info, with gems like “10 – Years ago the Cavs drafted Dajuan Wagner in the first round from Memphis.” Keep in mind, I run a comedy sports blog that is 80% pro wrestling, Taiwanese animation clips and Kate Upton titty galleries and this is upsettingly bad to Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:25:22 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/congrats_in_advance_to_the_plain_dealer_for_stealing_gqs_pulitzer/11095292 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/congrats_in_advance_to_the_plain_dealer_for_stealing_gqs_pulitzer/11095292 Congrats In Advance To The Plain Dealer For Stealing GQ’s Pulitzer http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/congrats_in_advance_to_the_plain_dealer_for_stealing_gqs_pulitzer/11095292 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Things are rarely looking up in the Cleve, but the local paper, the Cleveland Plain Dealer really outdid itself in its NBA pre-draft coverage; if this isn't Pulitzer worthy reporting I don't know what is.Of course, that's not the FULL coverage, the Plain Dealer also has a handy top ten of "interesting" facts like: "10 years ago the Cavaliers drafted DaJuan Wagner," and "'06 The year an overall No. 1 choice (Italy’s Andrea Bargnani) went to a player from another country and to a non-U.S. based NBA team. He was drafted by Toronto." Who says newspapers don't inform? That's some straight plain dealing there. [Cleveland Plain Dealer]  Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:26:59 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/the_cleveland_newspaper_is_dominating_the_nba_draft_coverage/11094527 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/the_cleveland_newspaper_is_dominating_the_nba_draft_coverage/11094527 The Cleveland Newspaper is Dominating the NBA Draft Coverage http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/the_cleveland_newspaper_is_dominating_the_nba_draft_coverage/11094527 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The calendar now reads June. In the NBA that means it’s time to crown an NBA Champion. However among the biggest of NBA nerds, it also means it’s time to get ready for the NBA draft. We’re only two weeks and a few hours away from the 2011 NBA Draft. This year, it’s preparing for the likes of Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams, Enes Kanter and Brandon Knight to join the greatest basketball league on the planet that has us basketball geeks totally psyched. Wait, what? By Peter Christian OK, so maybe the 2011 NBA Draft class lacks a true superstar and has the luster of a hungover morning in which you wake up next to Kathy Bates wearing clown make-up but that’s no reason to get discouraged. No, actually it is a perfectly good reason to get discouraged. But, it is a perfectly good reason to go back and make a list of the 10 worst NBA Draft Classes in the Lottery Era. You know, since this one is bound to be in it. #10 – 2001 The 2001 NBA Draft class is generally given much more disrespe... Tue, 26 Jun 2012 07:12:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/the_10_worst_nba_drafts_in_the_lottery_era/11091443 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/the_10_worst_nba_drafts_in_the_lottery_era/11091443 The 10 Worst NBA Drafts in the Lottery Era http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/the_10_worst_nba_drafts_in_the_lottery_era/11091443 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Listen, I have as much disdain for John Calipari as the next person. Do I agree with the “One and Done rule?” Nope. But, is John Calipari really the NCAA’s version of the devil just because he recruits a ton of “One and Dones?” Allow me to rewind for a moment back to the year 2000. The University of Memphis was coming off a three year run of its worst basketball in the program’s history. The athletic department wanted to make a “splash” hire to bring the basketball team back to relevancy. In steps John Calipari. As someone that grew up in the city of Memphis, I of course am a huge Memphis fan. Was I happy as a pig in, well you know where I was going with that, when he was hired? Yes, of course I was. I also knew what that would bring along as well. Cal had his fair share of “One and Dones” during his tenure at Memphis. DaJuan Wagner, Shawne Williams, Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans just to name the big ones. So what is the difference in what he is doing at Kentucky? Is it he has ... Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:28:52 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/is_john_calipari_the_one_and_done_devil/10473436 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/is_john_calipari_the_one_and_done_devil/10473436 Is John Calipari the "One and Done" Devil? http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/is_john_calipari_the_one_and_done_devil/10473436 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/5/3/538d0d8e1a4e41897851a0e69f49a75da2430888/mini/calipari.jpg INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- People who say the Cavaliers shouldnt make the playoffs apparently think Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson, over even Alonzo Gee, will never get any better. They think the lottery is the ticket to greatness -- and in some cases, they might be right. But they might be wrong, too. Ever hear of Kwame Brown, Greg Oden, DeSagana Diop, Hasheem Thabeet or Jay Williams? Granted, those are a select few, and your odds of finding immediate help increase the higher you pick. At least, again, thats supposed to be the theory. But people who dont want the Cavs to make the playoffs also need to be aware of another reality. Namely, that this years Cavs are likely to draft near the bottom of the lottery if they qualify. Lets say the Cavs record stays about the same, they miss the playoffs and dont move up in the lottery. Today, they would be drafting in the 8-12 range. That could garner them a good player, for sure. It could also mean the next Dajuan Wagner, Luke Jackson, Trajan Langdon or Diop -- Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:06:55 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/playoffs_a_wise_push_for_cavaliers/10293628 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/playoffs_a_wise_push_for_cavaliers/10293628 Playoffs a wise push for Cavaliers http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/playoffs_a_wise_push_for_cavaliers/10293628 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Philly Daily News recently caught up with the reclusive Dajuan Wagner — his once-promising career was cut short by injuries — who says that he’d like to give the NBA another shot. This would be an amazingly awesome comeback story for the soon-to-be 29-year old: “If you want to find Dajuan Wagner, go to a Camden basketball game. Duh. [...] I approached him at halftime, while his son went to the concession stand. If Wagner didn’t want to talk, he didn’t act like it. He was soft-spoken and polite, shy even. He told me he’s on the court almost every day, alone in empty gyms and or playing in pickup games that have become profoundly meaningful to him. His skills, his dead-on radar for the basket, haven’t left, but he did say he needs time to feel right before he thinks about coming back. He needs to be confident that his body can do what it once did without question. ‘My goal is to be out there playing basketball someday,’ he says. ‘No one’s ever had the problems I’ve had and come b Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:30:03 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/dajuan_wagner_hopes_to_eventually_resume_his_basketball_career/9707449 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/dajuan_wagner_hopes_to_eventually_resume_his_basketball_career/9707449 Dajuan Wagner Hopes to Eventually Resume His Basketball Career http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/dajuan_wagner_hopes_to_eventually_resume_his_basketball_career/9707449 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png This is the first time in my life where I actually feel like a bad fan. The Memphis-Louisville rivalry is considered to be one of the best college basketball rivalries of all time. However, I only know that because of what people have told me. I wasn’t fortunate enough to live through the glory days of the Denny Crum era. In fact, the last time these two teams played, I was 16 years old. When people ask me who I consider to be Louisville’s biggest rival, Memphis isn’t the first, second, or even third program that comes to mind. You can probably blame that on my youth, but either way, I can’t help but feel like a bad fan not realizing how intense this rivalry was at one time. Dana Kirk is a name that I’ve heard quite a bit this week. Kirk was a former Louisville assistant under Denny Crum and became the head coach at Memphis State in 1979. That only made the rivalry much more intense. Louisville played the Tigers three times during the 1980 season. The Cards won all three match-ups,... Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:18:22 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/what_the_memphis_game_means_to_me/8771806 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/what_the_memphis_game_means_to_me/8771806 What The Memphis Game Means To Me http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/what_the_memphis_game_means_to_me/8771806 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png