With Rudy Gay, Hakim Warrick and Stromile Swift these guys can throw it down with anyone. Now with a bunch of young point guards there should be even more highlights next year.

Rudy Gay is turning into a great player in the NBA. So here is a highlight reel of Rudy Gay. Enjoy!

If you don't know who Josh Smith is you might want to know. He is one of the best dunkers in the league. He also get's blocks. He is also an amazing fantasy basketball player. He has amazing talent that is all I can say.

Barring any last-minute snags, LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini will be introduced as the new head coach at Nebraska early next week, multiple sources confirmed Friday.

Pelini will coach the Tigers defense Saturday in the SEC championship game against Tennessee and, according to a source close to the situation, will be in Lincoln for an announcement Monday.

When reached by The Associated Press, Nebraska interim athletic director Tom Osborne refused to comment on the situation.

"I have no comment one way or the other," said Osborne.

Pelini and Buffalo coach Turner Gill were believed to be Tom Osborne's final two choices to replace fired Bill Callahan. Both have Nebraska ties -- Gill as a former player under Osborne and coach under Frank Solich, and Pelini as a former defensice coordinator under Solich.

The move further complicates LSU's postseason. Head coach Les Miles is expected to meet with Michigan Wolverines early next week about its head-coaching vacancy. LSU is making an effort to keep Miles, but he's a Michigan alum who has often voiced his affection for the Wolverines program.

Evel Knievel died at 69. He was the original motorcycle daredevil.

Now with the NBA's rule that every player had to play at least one year of college ball the rookies have all proven they can play. Here is my list of the best rookies in the NBA though the first month of the season.

1. Al Horford F Hawks: Horford is a double double threat every night. He has had his share of big games as well as he had a 15 rebound game against the Suns.

2. Kevin Durant F Sonics: Durant has the most talent of any rookie but when you shoot 20 shots a game and score 19 a game something isn't clicking. He also hasn't been as good on defense as everyone has thought. Once Durant gets it all together though he will be a great player.

3. Yi Jianlian F Bucks: Yi has adjusted way faster to the NBA than Yao did which shows that he could be a pretty good player. He is scoring 10 a night and is also adding 6 rebounds. Plus he has a sweet jumper from 20 feet.

4. Daequan Cook G Heat: Nobody thought that Cook out of all of the Ohio State rookies to come out that Cook would be the best though the first month. Cook is averaging 10 points a game and is shooting 94 percent from the line.

5. Sean Williams C Nets: Williams is everything the Nets wanted Kenyon Martin to be. He is only contributing faster. Williams is averaging 8 points a game along with 2 blocks and 4 rebounds. Look for him to make some spot starts by the end of the year.

Tonight, vs. Ohio State University of North Carolina's Point Guard Ty Lawson may not be able to play. Ty Lawson is pretty much what get's that whole UNC offense going. With out him Hansbrough is still good but not as great. No doubt it will be an interesting game.

It is sad what happened to Sean Taylor. Sean Taylor was a great player and was definitely known as one of the hardest hitters in the league. Here is a tribute to Sean Taylor.

MIAMI -- Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor died early Tuesday, a day after he was shot at home. He was 24.

Family friend Richard Sharpstein said Taylor's father told him the news around 5:30 a.m.

"His father called and said he was with Christ and he cried and thanked me," said Sharpstein, Taylor's former lawyer. "It's a tremendously sad and unnecessary event. He was a wonderful, humble, talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him. Obviously God had other plans."

He said Taylor died early Tuesday at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he had been airlifted after the shooting early Monday.

Doctors had been encouraged late Monday when Taylor squeezed a nurse's hand, according to Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins' vice president of football operations. But Sharpstein said he was told Taylor never regained consciousness after being transported to the hospital and that he wasn't sure how he had squeezed the nurse's hand.

"Maybe he was trying to say goodbye or something," Sharpstein said.

Taylor was shot early Monday in the upper leg, damaging an artery and causing significant blood loss.

Miami-Dade Police were investigating the attack, which came just eight days after an intruder was reported at Taylor's home. Officers were dispatched about 1:45 a.m. Monday after Taylor's girlfriend called 911. Taylor was airlifted to the hospital.

Sharpstein said Taylor's girlfriend told him the couple was awakened by loud noises, and Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection. Someone then broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor, Sharpstein said. Taylor's 1-year-old daughter, Jackie, was also in the house, but neither she nor Taylor's girlfriend were injured.

"It could have been a possible burglary; it could have been a possible robbery," Miami-Dade Police Lt. Nancy Perez said. "It has not been confirmed as yet."

The shooting happened in the pale yellow house he bought two years ago in the Miami suburb of Palmetto Bay. Eight days before the attack someone pried open a front window, rifled through drawers and left a kitchen knife on a bed at Taylor's home, according to police.

"They're really sifting through that incident and today's incident," Miami-Dade Detective Mario Rachid said, "to see if there's any correlation."

Born April 1, 1983, Taylor starred as a running back and defensive back at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami. His father, Pedro Taylor, is police chief of Florida City.

A private man with a small inner circle, Taylor rarely granted interviews. But, behind the scenes, Taylor was described as personable and smart -- an emerging locker room leader.

Especially since the birth of his daughter.

"From the first day I met him, from then to now, it's just like night and day," Redskins receiver James Thrash said. "He's really got his head on his shoulders and has been doing really well as far as just being a man. It's been awesome to see that growth."

An All-American at the University of Miami, Taylor was drafted by the Redskins as the fifth overall selection in 2004. Coach Joe Gibbs called it "one of the most researched things" he'd ever done, but the problems soon began. Taylor fired his agent, then skipped part of the NFL's mandatory rookie symposium, drawing a $25,000 fine. Driving home late from a party during the season, he was pulled over and charged with drunken driving. The case was dismissed in court, but by then it had become a months-long distraction for the team.

Taylor also was fined at least seven times for late hits, uniform violations and other infractions over his first three seasons, including a $17,000 penalty for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman during a playoff game in January 2006.

Meanwhile, Taylor endured a yearlong legal battle after he was accused in 2005 of brandishing a gun at a man during a fight over allegedly stolen all-terrain vehicles near Taylor's home. He eventually pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 18 months' probation.

Taylor said the end of the assault case was like "a gray cloud" being lifted. It was also around the time that Jackie was born, and teammates noticed a change.

"It's hard to expect a man to grow up overnight," said Redskins teammate and close friend Clinton Portis, who also played with Taylor at the University of Miami. "But ever since he had his child, it was like a new Sean, and everybody around here knew it. He was always smiling, always happy, always talking about his child."

On the field, Taylor's play was often erratic. Assistant coach Gregg Williams frequently called Taylor the best athlete he'd ever coached, but nearly every big play was mitigated by a blown assignment. Taylor led the NFL in missed tackles in 2006 yet made the Pro Bowl because of his reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the league.

This year, however, Taylor was allowed to play a true free safety position, using his speed and power to chase down passes and crush would-be receivers. His five interceptions tie for the league lead in the NFC, even though he missed the last two games because of a sprained knee.

"I just take this job very seriously," Taylor said in a rare group interview during training camp. "It's almost like, you play a kid's game for a king's ransom. And if you don't take it serious enough, eventually one day you're going to say, 'Oh, I could have done this, I could have done that.'

"So I just say, 'I'm healthy right now, I'm going into my fourth year, and why not do the best that I can?' And that's whatever it is, whether it's eating right or training myself right, whether it's studying harder, whatever I can do to better myself."

His hard work was well-noted.

"He loved football. He felt like that's what he was made to do," Gibbs said. "And I think what I've noticed over the last year and a half ... is he matured. I think his baby had a huge impact on him. There was a real growing up in his life."

When owners selected Cedric Benson in the 2nd round of most fantasy drafts,I don't think they were expecting numbers like 674 yards and 4 touchdowns. Well thats all they got. Benson is out the rest of the season and will be replaced by the lesser known Adrian Peterson and to back him up is rookie Garrett Wolfe. Neither should be starting in most formats but Peterson could be a solid no.2 if the matchup is right.

I may be a little late but this is another classic from Bradyfan83. It was just announced the other day that Pacman wouldn't be allowed back in the league this year. Make it rain Pacman, make it rain.

NEW YORK -- Paula Radcliffe outlasted Gete Wami to win the New York City Marathon on Sunday, her first marathon in two years after giving birth in January.

Martin Lel of Kenya won the men's title, making his kick in the final mile to edge Abderrahim Goumri of Morocco in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 4 seconds in the first race without a pacesetter. Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa finished third in 2:11:25.

Radcliffe, the world-record holder, ran almost the entire race with Wami on her heels before pulling away over the last mile. She finished in 2:23:09 in cool, sunny conditions. It's her second NYC Marathon title, having won in 2004 after a dropping out of the Athens Olympics marathon.

"I was nervous at the start, but not that nervous because I was so happy to be back here," Radcliffe said.

Wami, running her second marathon in only 35 days, finished in 2:23:32 and won the inaugural $500,000 World Marathon Majors title.

Two-time defending champion Jelena Prokopcuka was a distant third in 2:26:13, a day after elite runner Ryan Shay collapsed and died at the U.S. men's marathon trails in Central Park. There was a moment of silence for Shay before the start of the men's race.

Lel and Goumri reprised their finish at the London Marathon in April, when Lel won by 3 seconds in Goumri's first marathon.

Lel won his second NYC Marathon, adding to his 2003 title.

Olympic champ Stefano Baldini of Italy was fourth, and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong finished 698th in 2:46:43.

The 33-year-old Radcliffe was greeted by her husband Gary Lough and daughter Isla at the finish line. She hadn't run a marathon since the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, but ran during her pregnancy, including 12 days after she gave birth.

Radcliffe and Wami made it a two-woman race early. They extended their lead to 2 minutes at the 10-mile mark ahead of Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia, Catherine Ndereba of Kenya and Prokopcuka.

Wami, of Ethiopia, was right behind Radcliffe the entire race.

"I felt quite relaxed," Radcliffe said. "I knew she was behind me, but she was alongside so it wasn't so annoying."

By the 20-mile mark, they led by 3:33. Radcliffe pulled away as she entered Central Park at mile 24, but Wami took a brief lead with about a mile to go. Radcliffe then bolted past her and kept going, pulling away for the victory.

"This is mine, this is mine," Radcliffe chanted to herself down the stretch.

Boston winner Lidiya Grigoryeva was fourth in 2:28:37 and Ndereba followed in 2:29:08. The top five women finishers have a combined 20 major marathon titles.

Without a pacesetter, the men were bunched in a pack of 13 runners at the 10-mile mark. Baldini joined the pack at the 12-mile mark.

Defending champion Marilson Gomes dos Santos finished eighth in 2:13:47.

The race included 39,085 runners at the start.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Bengals receiver Chad Johnson was carted off the field late in the fourth quarter of Cincinnati's game at Buffalo on Sunday.

Johnson was hurt when he was sandwiched by Bills defenders Donte Whitner and Coy Wire, while attempting to make a diving catch over the middle with 1:53 remaining. Johnson dropped the ball and lay face down on the field at the Bills 37 as the game was delayed for about 10 minutes.

Johnson, who has been bothered by an ankle injury, was able to move his legs as team trainers attended to him.

Before being carted off, members of both teams gathered around Johnson, who had his neck immobilized. Johnson had taken a big hit earlier in the game, when he was knocked face first into the sideline by cornerback Terrence McGee.

Johnson had three catches for 48 yards.

NEW YORK -- Ryan Shay and Ryan Hall hoped to celebrate together with their wives after the U.S. men's marathon Olympic trials.

Now Hall, the trials champ, faces a future of all he dreamed about and what he never imagined: the glory of the Olympics, the heartbreak of a funeral.

Shay, one of America's top distance runners, collapsed and died not even six miles into Saturday's race. Minutes after Hall crossed the finish line in record time, his arms raised in triumph, he heard the unthinkable news.

Shay was 28. He was one of Hall's former training partners, and his wife was Hall's college teammate at Stanford.

"That just cut me straight to the heart," Hall said. "It makes you forget what you just did."

What was supposed to be a glorious weekend for the sport became instead a wake. And that somber mood is sure to carry over to Sunday's New York City Marathon, in which 38,000 runners will compete.

"It's a big loss for the running community," said 2004 Olympic women's marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor, who used to train with Shay in California. "It's a day we should be celebrating. It has cast a pall."

Organizers had decided to pair the trials with the storied annual marathon, hoping the timing would attract large crowds. The plan worked, as fans fought gusty winds to line the compact 26.2-mile course, which began in Rockefeller Center and traipsed through Times Square before heading to Central Park for five loops.

They witnessed a potentially historic day for American marathon running. Hall, a 25-year-old who had never raced the distance before April, established himself as a contender in Beijing, with a trials record time of 2 hours, 9 minutes and 2 seconds. He was followed by Dathan Ritzenhein (2:11:07) and Brian Sell (2:11:40), who will join him in China.

Meb Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, was hobbled by cramps in both calves and fell back to eighth.

But back about 5½ miles into the race Shay had collapsed. He was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 8:46 a.m., according to New York City police.

"He was a tremendous champion who was here today to pursue his dreams," said Craig Masback, CEO of USA Track & Field. "The Olympic trials is traditionally a day of celebration, but we are heartbroken."

No immediate cause of death was announced, and the medical examiner's office said an autopsy will be performed Sunday.

Shay's coach, Joe Vigil, said he wasn't aware of any health problems.

"He was the epitome of athleticism," Vigil said. "I don't know what caused it."

A recreational runner died during last month's Chicago Marathon, the warmest in that event's history. But the death of an elite athlete during a major competition is a rare and startling occurrence.

On Friday, Hall and his wife, Sara, and Shay and his wife, Alicia, went for a run in Central Park. Shay seemed fine, Sara Hall said.

"I've had a few downs -- since 2004, I've had injuries here and there, but I've come back and I've been able to get in the training that I feel I need," he said at a news conference. "This is the best U.S. marathon field we've had in a long time, but I guess that's why you run the race -- to see who has it in the end."

Saturday, Shay hit the ground near the Central Park boathouse, a popular Manhattan tourist spot. New York Road Runners president Mary Wittenberg, whose organization hosted the event, said Shay received immediate medical attention but would not elaborate on what steps were taken. A statement from USA Track & Field said Shay immediately received CPR.

"He crossed right in front of me and stepped off the course," said runner Marc Jeuland of Chapel Hill, N.C., who did not see Shay collapse. "He nearly tripped me. He would not have been taxed at that point."

Shay was born May 4, 1979, in Ann Arbor, Mich., one of eight children in a running family. His parents are the cross country and track coaches at Michigan's Central Lake High School.

Joe and Susan Shay were not in New York on Saturday, because they had two runners competing in the Michigan cross country state championships, said Central Lake athletic director Quinn Barry.

At Notre Dame, Shay earned the school's first national individual track title with his victory in the NCAA 10,000 meters. There, he often ran with Wittenberg, who was attending law school. Shay went on to become a five-time national road racing champion, winning the 2003 U.S. marathon, 2003 and 2004 half-marathon, 2004 20k and 2005 15k.

He trained in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., with the Halls, Keflezighi and Kastor before moving to Flagstaff, Ariz.

"If you probably asked him if there was any way he wanted to go, it was out on the race course," said Terrence Mahon, who coached him in Mammoth.

Abdi Abdirahman, who dropped out of the marathon because of injury, trained with Shay for the past 3½ months in Flagstaff.

"I'm speechless. I still don't believe it," he said. "I probably was the last person to talk to him. We ate breakfast together, we ate lunch together, went to bed at the same time."

The post-race news conference with the three Olympic qualifiers was a surreal experience for Hall. He started to say something about Shay, not realizing the death hadn't been announced, and was cut off by an official. After several questions about the race, a shaken Wittenberg finally interrupted to announce Shay's death.

For Hall, Saturday culminated a reluctant route to the marathon. Neither Hall nor the second-place finisher, 24-year-old Ritzenhein, had run a marathon as of a year ago. Saturday marked the second career race at the distance for both.

Hall broke away from the leading pack of five runners at about the 17th mile Saturday. He looked relaxed and fresh the entire race and was pumping his fist and bellowing over the final miles.

Too soon, those bellows became hushed words of shock and sympathy.

Back in Michigan, the Central Lake athletic director's voice cracked over the phone as he reminisced.

"This is a little town," Barry said. "People really rally around people like Ryan. ... He did things the right way for the right reasons."

Sophomore tailback LaMarcus Coker, who'd shown flashes of brilliance on the field during his brief Tennessee career, has run out of chances off the field.

Coker was dismissed from the team Friday after failing his fourth drug test, sources told ESPN.com. Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer first announced Coker's dismissal in a statement issued by the university and later expressed remorse that Coker had chosen this path despite an outpouring of support from several different people at Tennessee.

"I'm disappointed for him," Fulmer said following the Vols' practice. "This is his life, and I hope he gets straightened out and succeeds in whatever he chooses to do. I can lay my head on my pillow and know that, within the rules, we have done everything we can to help LaMarcus overcome his challenges.

"I take that very seriously when I sit in the living room with a family. I have spoken to his mother, and she is appreciative to everyone as is LaMarcus.

"I have regrets that he screwed it up."

Coker, one of the Vols' most explosive playmakers, had been suspended on Wednesday for this weekend's Louisiana-Lafayette game after missing multiple drug counseling sessions as required for offenders of Tennessee's drug-testing policy. As a result, he was ordered to submit to a drug test with the knowledge that he would be dismissed if the test came back positive. Those results were delivered to Tennessee officials today, and Coker was subsequently dismissed.

Fulmer and offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe were planning to meet with Coker Friday to discuss his playing options elsewhere, perhaps at the Division I-AA level. Coker had backed up junior Arian Foster at tailback this season and was the Vols' leading rusher in 2006. His 37-yard kickoff return last week against South Carolina set up the tying field goal to send that game into overtime.

"As a coach, my first obligation is to the growth of the young men with whom I'm entrusted," Fulmer said. "Sometimes, that means encouragement and mentoring. Sometimes it means helping them understand the consequences of their decisions. LaMarcus is a talented young man with a lot of life in front of him. It is my hope that he will look back at this one day as a life lesson that helped him get things straight for his future."

Tennessee earlier this year revamped its drug-testing policy, and in doing so, added a fourth strike for a positive marijuana test before an athlete was dismissed. The old policy stipulated that an athlete was booted on the third positive test. Marijuana is the only drug an athlete would be able to reach a fourth strike for under UT's new policy. Cocaine, heroin or anabolic steroids would be dealt with more harshly.

Coker was suspended for two weeks in the preseason and for the opener against California after testing positive a third time for marijuana, sources told ESPN.com. He spent time at an off-campus treatment center before returning to the team in late August. Under Tennessee's drug policy, athletics director Mike Hamilton has the final say on an athlete's reinstatement.

Fulmer said at the time that Coker was down to his last chance and understood that "a line has been drawn in the sand."

Coker was also suspended for part of the practices leading up to the Outback Bowl last year, although he was allowed to play in the game.

With Coker gone, the Vols' once deep tailback stable has suddenly thinned. Foster will remain the main cog, but sophomore Montario Hardesty is coming off an ankle injury suffered last week against South Carolina. True freshman Lennon Creer will also see his role increase, although he's experienced some recent soreness in his knee.