Bay Area Buzz 4/16: Cuonzo Martin, Andrew Bogut, 49ers Issues

Cuonzo Martin has tools to make Cal a perennial force

"There’s no telling whether Cuonzo Martin will actually pan out as the men’s basketball coach at Cal. But his hiring, announced out of nowhere Tuesday, signals an important goal has been established in the athletic department.Make Cal basketball a perennial force.“Why not?” AD Sandy Barbour said. “Why not?”Cal basketball can be, should be, a formidable program. In the Pac-12. In the nation. Anything less is a failure in decision making or a shortcoming in desire. The ingredients are here for Cal to be regulars in the NCAA tournament and prone to a deep run here and there.Step 1 was hiring the guy to lead the program in that direction. By most accounts, Cal made out all right by landing Martin — choosing him over Eric Musselman, UC Irvine’s Russell Turner and current assistant Travis DeCuire.Martin’s already got a few good indicators he’ll be good for the gig. Perhaps the biggest came in the form of a tweet.A day after announcing he was taking his talents to Tennessee, 7-footer Kingsley Okoroh tweeted he was following Martin to Cal. He’s no blue-chip prospect, but the English-born big man’s commitment to Martin speaks to the coach’s recruiting ability.And that’s where the battle to make Cal a big-time program will be won or lost.“The Bay Area has a tremendous amount of talent,” Martin said. “You’ve got to protect your home base … If local talent is there, you want to get it. Certainly local talent is here, so you want to do everything in your power to keep the guys home.”Martin is no doubt a presence. He comes off as smooth in demeanor and yet demanding in tone. Most important, he’s got a story. The kind of story that makes parents and guardians and recruits feel something.He played big time college basketball, alongside Glenn Robinson at Purdue, and got his degree. He’s heard his name called in the draft, and subsequently played overseas after a seven-game NBA career. He’s a cancer survivor, his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has been in full remission since the late 90s.And last month, he added a Sweet 16 berth to his resume — after 36,000 people signed a petition to oust him as the coach of Tennessee. The cherry on top after stabilizing a Vols program that Bruce Pearl left mangled by the NCAA.That’s the kind of story that works in the living room of touted recruits.Martin’s message of family, community and education pricked the ears of Cal’s selection committee. It sounds as if the same message won over the incumbent players, namely the freshmen who lobbied for the school to hire DeCuire."

–Marcus Thompson II, San Jose Mercury News

Andrew Bogut injury severely crimps Warriors’ style

"The “no-excuses basketball team,” as Mark Jackson likes to call his Warriors, suddenly has a big excuse. A fate-changing excuse.The Warriors learned Monday that Andrew Bogut has a fractured rib and is out “indefinitely.”As in the first round of the playoffs.Which might mean the Warriors won’t see the second round of the playoffs.That’s not the type of news the Warriors wanted to make on Fan Appreciation Night, as they prepare for their second consecutive playoff appearance, something the franchise hasn’t achieved in almost a quarter century. The Warriors want to celebrate winning 50 games in a season for the first time in 20 years, having the most entertaining player in the league in Stephen Curry, their crazed fans who create an intimidating home environment.But there’s no downplaying what a blow the loss of Bogut is. Especially considering that the Warriors’ probable first-round opponent will be the Los Angeles Clippers. With their win against the Timberwolves, the Warriors clinched the No. 6 slot in the Western Conference and will face either the Clippers or, less likely, the Oklahoma City Thunder.Their regular-season games with the Clippers have been physical and nasty and fueled by the angry Australian. Bogut has been a huge presence against Los Angeles, defending and annoying Blake Griffin, keeping center DeAndre Jordan at bay, mixing it up with everyone, giving the Warriors a physical edge.Without Bogut, the Warriors are at a huge disadvantage.“It certainly is disappointing,” Jackson said, “but we’ve prepared for this all season long. It’s going to be a great opportunity for other guys. … We move forward.”Bogut, who has a long history of injuries, was obviously upset about the latest news. He’s in pain, unable to breathe deeply or sneeze. Bogut said he has been told the injury is to his fifth rib, and that a further break could puncture his lung. Understandably, he didn’t sound willing to take that risk.Broken ribs usually take about six weeks to heal. Silver lining: Bogut might be available for the NBA Finals. Dark cloud: The Warriors probably won’t be.“We hope a miracle happens with Andrew,” Curry said, “but we’re focused on the challenge ahead.”Bogut’s injury doesn’t seal the Warriors’ fate – Curry’s outrageous output in the past two games (79 points) has made that clear. But it certainly makes the road ahead more difficult. Festus Ezeli hasn’t played all season and isn’t ready. Jermaine O’Neal has been effective off the bench, but can he carry the load as a starter? David Lee will have to play some center. Playoff basketball is physical and tough, and having a tough, physical center is an advantage.“It’s all about matchups,” Jackson said.All about matchups. The Clippers already were going to be a difficult matchup, even before the loss of the Warriors’ most effective defender. A playoff series with the Clippers, something no NBA fan could even envision a few years ago, holds the promise of pure entertainment. Two franchises that have morphed from league embarrassments to contenders, two All-Star point guards, buckets of bitterness – don’t forget the Christmas night game with two ejections, two flagrant fouls and three technical fouls.The Warriors’ chances will be severely diminished without Bogut, the player who so clearly gets under the Clippers’ collective skin. More than a few people think that, without Bogut, the Warriors would be better off facing Oklahoma City instead of the big, physical front line of the Clippers.In a strange way, Monday’s development could end up working in Jackson’s favor. Suddenly his situation – the soap opera with the assistant coaches, the tension in the Warriors’ office, the poor performances against mediocre teams – is all cast in a new light. Owner Joe Lacob and Jackson might not always see eye to eye, but if the Warriors lose their opening-round series, it will look a lot different without Bogut than it would if everyone on the team were healthy. What owner would fire a head coach who doesn’t have his starting center?On the flip side, if the Warriors do advance past the first round without Bogut, it will be considered a somewhat remarkable accomplishment. One that could secure Jackson’s job for a while."

–Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle

High-flying 49ers hitting heavy turbulence; key decisions ahead

"The 49ers are at a crossroads.It’s a strange thing to say about a robust franchise coming off three consecutive seasons reaching at least the NFC championship game, and it may not be something anyone in that organization wants to consider, but I believe it to be true. From the frayed relationship between coach Jim Harbaugh — whose hiring ushered in this return to glory for San Francisco — and GM Trent Baalke and other members of the front office, to the necessity to figure out a long-term deal with quarterback Colin Kaepernick, to the continued legal missteps of pass-rushing savant Aldon Smith — considered a franchise cornerstone not long ago — to the advancing age of some key players to the uncertainty about when all-world linebacker NaVorro Bowman will be back from the devastating injury he suffered in the postseason, these are indeed strange times in the city by the Bay.Add in the fact the NFC West, already the best division in football, may in fact be getting even better, and the fact that is so incredibly difficult to maintain the rarified success the 49ers have had under Harbaugh — finishing annually among the league’s final four teams — and one can’t help but wonder if perhaps the pendulum might indeed be swinging a bit in the other direction. Don’t get me wrong, the 49ers have grown and evolved from the pre-Harbaugh era, from ownership on down, with the bizarre days of cycling through coaches and the failed Mike Singletary experiment feeling like something on ancient history, though in fact we are not all that far removed from it. But success is never guaranteed in this league.With a sparkling state-of-the-art stadium about to open, new revenue streams available, and the opportunity to host Super Bowl 50 less than two years away, the 49ers won’t be falling back into the dark ages right away. But given all that has already gone on this offseason, dating back to the Bowman injury and their elimination from the playoffs in Seattle, is it is still fair to expect this team to live up to the lofty expectations set the past three seasons? Might there be a decline ahead?More than any other team in the NFL, the next three months could shape the future of this franchise. It starts with Harbaugh and trickles down throughout vital spots on the roster. If the team’s brass can navigate through a cauldron of inter-personal dynamics with their coach, uber-tricky negotiations with their emerging franchise quarterback, and pull off a successful draft — the 49ers have six picks in the first three rounds — the next three months might just propel the Niners to even greater heights.And if they can’t, or won’t, reward Harbaugh with a big extension, and if they can’t sort through some of the power struggles that have taken place, and if they have Kaepernick playing out his rookie deal in 2014, and if father time catches up to guys like Frank Gore and Justin Smith and Anquan Boldin, and if the rest of the NFC West remains in ascent, well, then all of a sudden the short and long term future of the franchise gets a lot more nebulous."

–Jason La Canfora, CBSSports.com