Bay Area Buzz 11/17: 49ers/Ahmad Brooks, Warriors Win, Raiders, Rudy Gay
Bay Area Topics
49ers/Ahmad Brooks
"San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks wasn’t benched on Sunday. Rather, he benched himself.A source told FOX Sports that Brooks was upset with the coaches’ decision to take reps away from him and give them to Aldon Smith and Aaron Lynch during the team’s 16-10 victory over the New York Giants. The source said Brooks told the coaches and his teammates he believed he should be playing every snap and didn’t care to be part of a rotation, so he pulled himself from the game.Multiple media reports from MetLife Stadium stated Brooks wasn’t standing on the sideline in an effort to get back in the game but was rather sitting on the bench, removing his cleats and getting the tape cut off his ankles.After the game, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said he and Brooks are “working through something” and added: “We need Ahmad Brooks to win a championship. I feel that wholeheartedly and have felt that way.”"
Warriors Win
"The difference in philosophies between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers could not have been more stark than in the game played between the two Sunday night. The Warriors played great defense. The Lakers gave up 136 points. The Warriors pushed the ball in transition. The Lakers made their living in the half court offense. The Warriors shared the ball. The Lakers deferred to Kobe Bryant. The final score of 136-115 makes clear which of these strategies is more successful.I’ll get to Kobe, but first, a bit about the Warriors: the team picked up right where they left off Saturday night, using their speed in transition to get good shots early in the clock. The Warriors had 54 points in the paint and 26 fast break points. Andrew Bogut and Mareese Speights both had big and efficient offensive games and were able to score easy buckets due to good penetration from the Warriors guards. Frankly, the Lakers defense will make any offense look fantastic, but the Warriors’ ability to share the scoring load left the Lakers with nowhere to hide. All five starters for the Dubs scored in double digits."
–Chris Nielsen, Golden State of Mind
Raiders Eliminated from Playoff Contention
"The Oakland Raiders played one of their better games of the season against San Diego Sunday, keeping the contest close until the final drive of a 13-6 Chargers victory.The loss, which brings Oakland’s record to 0-10, officially eliminates the Raiders from the playoffs, not that a seven-game winning streak to end the season would have made a postseason berth all that possible anyway.The Week 11 exit is the earliest a team has been mathematically out of playoff contention since the 2004 Miami Dolphins did so after falling to a 1-9 mark."
Rudy Gay
"Word surfaced early Sunday that Rudy Gay will sign an extension to stay with the Sacramento Kings. According to USA Today, Gay will sign a 3 year deal worth $40 million dollars. The deal will also include a player option for the 2017-18 season. The extension will not kick in until next season. Prior to this season Gay picked up his 19.3 million dollar extension.This deal is a steal for the Sacramento Kings. With the new media deal coming down, the assumption is the NBA’s salary cap will rise around $5 million dollars. The Kings deal with Gay is less than the deals signed by Gordon Hayward (4 year, 63 million) and Chandler Parsons (3 year, 46 million), both of whom signed extensions during the summer."