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2B – Daily News – Thursday, January 20, 2011 Record 56 players bolt college early for NFL draft NEW YORK (AP) — Cam New- ton and Nick Fairley of national cham- pion Auburn are among 56 non-seniors who applied for April’s NFL draft — a record total, but only three more than last year. The uncertainty surrounding the league’s labor situation does not appear to have had a significant effect on underclassmen opting to declare for the draft. The NFL released the list Wednesday, and it’s the fifth time in seven years that more than 50 players were granted what the league calls ‘‘special eligibility.’’ There were 53 players in 2010 and 2008, the previous high; 52 in 2006; 51 in 2005. Newton, a quarterback, and Fairley, a defensive tackle, are joined by three other All-American juniors heading to the draft: Kentucky receiver-returner Randall Cobb, Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers and LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson. The most notable player to announce on Wednesday his decision to go pro was Illinois defensive tackle Corey Liuget, who is projected as pos- sible first-round pick. Still, there weren’t any surprising additions to the list — or omissions. Most underclassmen who were decid- ing whether to enter the draft had made their choices public by Saturday’s deadline to tell the NFL they wanted to leave school early. Players then had 72 hours to withdraw their names, but no notable players changed their minds. One top underclassman not on the list: Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, who had said he would be returning to school. His father, former NFL quarterback and current West Vir- ginia athletic director Oliver Luck, said they discussed the possible lockout in the league but that wasn’t a decisive factor in Andrew’s choice. The draft is April 28-30, even if there is no new collective bargaining agreement to replace the one that expires in early March. If owners lock out the players — as the union expects — rookies wouldn’t be able to sign contracts until a new CBA is in place. Among the factors underclassmen might have considered: — It’s possible there won’t be a 2011 NFL season, so players leaving college could wind up sitting out an entire year. — Even if an agreement is reached in time for next season to be played, the timing of a deal might result in short- ened training camps or no minicamps, so a rookie would have less time to learn his new team’s system and prove he deserves to start — or, in some cases, even make the roster. — Owners are intent on having a rookie wage scale be part of a new CBA. Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote about ‘‘the outrageous sums paid to many unproven rookies’’ in a recent letter sent to fans about the labor situa- tion, and such a change could apply to the 2011 draft class. — Entering the pros sooner starts a player’s NFL ‘‘clock,’’ moving him closer to his second contract and free agency, which could be particularly attractive if a rookie wage scale is cre- ated. Still, in a telephone interview before last weekend’s deadline, agent Peter Schaffer said he didn’t think a potential lockout was affecting decisions. ‘‘I really don’t believe the uncer- tainty of the labor situation is skewing decisions one way or another in any significant proportion,’’ Schaffer said. ‘‘It’s pretty much been business as usual.’’ Derek Lamely leads Bob Hope Classic Bob Hope Classic LA QUINTA (AP) — Even after Derek Lamely strung together the longest streak of birdies and eagles on the PGA Tour in nearly four years, he realized it’s still very early in the Bob Hope Classic. Lamely shot a 9-under 63 in the first round Wednesday, playing a six- hole stretch in 7 under to take a one-stroke lead over J.J. Henry and Jhonattan Vegas. Although Lamely fin- ished fiercely at the Palmer Private course, the second- year PGA Tour player knows first-round scores mean little in the tour’s only five-day event over four fairly generous courses. ‘‘This is going to be def- initely not a sprint,’’ Lamely said after finishing his round under picturesque condi- tions in the Palm Springs area. ‘‘The golf courses are perfect. The weather is just so good. You’ve just got to go out and stay aggressive every hole. Hopefully you can get hot and make a bunch of putts, and I actual- ly got that going today.’’ Lamely had five birdies and an eagle in his six-hole run for the best stretch on the PGA Tour since Brandt Snedeker strung together an 8-under, seven-hole roll in early 2007 at Torrey Pines. The 30-year-old Lamely was the only American rookie to win last year, although the Puerto Rico Open was an opposite-field event. After making major changes to his grip and swing shortly before win- ning in Puerto Rico, his biggest goal this winter is to win again in time to qualify for the Masters. ‘‘At the end of last year, I started hitting it good, and I’ve been hitting it better and better as it goes on,’’ Lamely said. ‘‘I keep get- ting better at the few things I’ve changed, so it’s finally getting to the point where I can think my way around and just make some putts.’’ Boo Weekley led a pack of six at 65. The group NBA NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Cross another superstar off the New Jersey Nets’ wish list, and let the pursuit of Carmelo Anthony begin anew. The megadeal to bring Anthony to New Jersey ended in stunning fashion on Wednesday night when Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov told the team to end the long, drawn-out trade talks with the Denver Nuggets. ‘‘There comes a time when the price is simply too expensive,’’ Prokhorov said in a news conference before the Nets faced the Utah Jazz. ‘‘I am instructing our team to walk away from the deal.’’ In the past two weeks, the talks had taken on a soap-opera feeling and the Russian billionaire felt it had hurt his team. ‘‘Really, I am not happy with the way the deal has gone until now,’’ said Prokhorov, who fielded questions in English and Russian. ‘‘It has taken too long. It has been played out in public. The uncertainty has taken a toll on the play- ers ... and I believe it has cost us several games.’’ The Nets have lost six straight, including all four on a just-completed West Coast road trip that ended in Oakland on Monday. Prokhorov also canceled a planned meeting with Anthony on Thursday and said there was no chance — that’s a big nyet — that the trade would be resurrected. Denver general manager Masai Ujiri declined to answer questions about the Nets’ decision, beyond say- ing the Nuggets have been in talks ‘‘with plenty of teams’’ regarding Anthony and insisting he harbored no ill will toward the Nets for calling off talks. includes Matt McQuillan, who only made it into the Hope field after Donnie Hammond withdrew Wednesday morning. Henry holed a 132-yard wedge shot on his first hole at the Nicklaus Private course, but didn’t get rolling until making six birdies in eight holes around the turn, finishing his season debut with his best round in seven career appearances at the Hope. ‘‘I’ve probably never been this excited to start the year, both mentally and physically,’’ Henry said. ‘‘I really felt refreshed and ready to go. (When) I got on the first hole, I had a perfect number with the wedge. You’re a little nervous, haven’t played a tourna- ment in four months, and I hit this perfect shot that never left the flag.’’ Henry hasn’t won a tour- nament since the 2006 Buick Championship, and hadn’t played since the Deutsche Bank Champi- onships, yet feels re-ener- gized after taking most of Richard Hamilton. Prokhorov decided Tues- day to end talks with the Nuggets, and general man- ager Billy King said he informed them via a text message as Prokhorov was speaking on Wednesday. Prokhorov said the Nets the past four months off from golf while his oldest son started school. Henry also used his fall free time to follow around his beloved TCU football team. Henry graduated from TCU in 1998, and he attended nearly all of the unbeaten Horned Frogs’ games last season — including the Rose Bowl, which he watched from the sideline. Vegas, the 26-year-old Venezuelan rookie, had an outstanding start to his fifth PGA Tour event, beating the previous best round of his short career by three strokes. He made the cut last week in the Sony Open in Hawaii, but still didn’t get to finish after the field was fur- ther trimmed because of weather delays. ‘‘I guess it was a little advantage not playing (in Hawaii) on Sunday, because I was able to get a flight Sat- urday night, and play this course on Sunday,’’ Vegas said. ‘‘I actually got to see all four courses, which I think is huge for a rookie.’ Nets owner tells team to drop Anthony deal ‘‘I am not ready to over- Nuggets coach George Karl said he wasn’t sur- prised that Prokhorov pulled the plug on this deal. ‘‘I think I’ve been one of the guys who have been kind of hinting to you that this is a lot farther away from happening than you all think it’s going to be,’’ Karl said. ‘‘But we’ve got a fun game, a hell of a team to play against tonight ... and I’m more excited about that than my billionaire friend from Russia kind of throw- ing another curveball or knuckleball into the process. ‘‘If it’s true, it’s true. If it isn’t true, it isn’t true,’’ Karl added. ‘‘If it’s a ploy in the negotiation, that’s for the guys upstairs to figure out.’’ There were reports Wednesday that Anthony’s representatives had let the Nuggets know that the 26- year-old forward was inter- ested in playing for the Chicago Bulls. Houston and the Knicks also have been mentioned in trade talks involving Anthony. The deal between the Nets, Nuggets and Detroit Pistons was huge in name power and the number of players. New Jer- sey had offered to ship six players and at least two first- round draft picks to Denver in a three-team deal that would have sent Anthony to the Nets along with former Pistons teammates Chauncey Billups and received permission from Denver to talk with Anthony on Monday night, but he never spoke to the All-Star forward. ‘‘Maybe he sent me an e- mail but I never use comput- er, that’s why, maybe, I missed it or maybe carrier pigeon got lost,’’ Prokhorov said. Since Prokhorov took over the team last year, the Nets have tried but failed to land a superstar. Prokhorov personally led the Nets’ delegation in free agency talks with LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in July, and he said the decision to pur- sue Anthony since the start of training camp was purely based on basketball. How- ever, Prokhorov showed he didn’t make billions waiting for other people to make decisions. When he got fed up, he said enough. NCAA Wednesday’s Top 25 results No. 1 Ohio State 70, Iowa 48 No.4 Duke 92, N.C. State 78 No.6 San Diego State 68, Air Force 55 No. 10 Texas 81, No. 11 Texas A&M 60 No.14 Purdue 63, Penn State 62 No.16 Notre Dame 66 No.25 Cincinnati 58 No. 19 Louisville 88, St. John’s 63 Marshall 75, No. 21 West Virginia 71 No.22 St.Mary’s vs.San Diego, late Today’s Top 25 games No.18 Wisconsin vs Indiana, 6 p.m., ESPN No.20 Wash.vs.Arizona, 7:30 p.m., CSNB Today’s other televised games Florida at Auburn, 4 p.m., ESPN South Florida at Rutgers, 4 p.m., ESPN2 Virginia Tech at Maryland, 6 p.m., ESPN2 pay,’’ Prokhorov said. ‘‘As soon as you make a mistake, you can wait for the next chance for the next five or six years. That’s why I pre- fer to be really patient.’’ Prokhorov even showed a touch of sarcasm when asked if King tried to talk him out of the decision. ‘‘I am not sure that Billy King knows,’’ he said with a wry smile. King, who was hired to replace Rod Thorn in the offseason, said the Nets and Nuggets never reached an agreement at any time dur- ing the negotiations. ‘‘I am not disappointed at all,’’ King said. ‘‘It’s been a long process. In all my years, 16 years in the NBA, I have never seen anything like this.’’ King said he came close to calling off the deal him- self during the talks. PGA Bob Hope Classic At p-PGA West, Arnold Palmer Private Course (6,950 yards) At n-PGA West, Jack Nicklaus Private Course (6,924 yards) At l-La Quinta Country Club (7,060 yards) At s-SilverRock Resort, Palmer Course (7,403 yards) La Quinta Purse: $5 million First Round Leaders Derek Lamely 29-34 — 63 -9p J.J. Henry Jhonattan Vegas 31-33 — 64 -8p Boo Weekley 32-32 — 64 -8n 32-33 — 65 -7p Fredrik Jacobson 33-32 — 65 -7n Gary Woodland 34-31 — 65 -7s Ricky Barnes Matt McQuillan 30-35 — 65 -7p Kyle Stanley 32-33 — 65 -7s 33-32 — 65 -7l John Senden 33-33 — 66 -6s Keegan Bradley 34-32 — 66 -6n Shaun Micheel 31-35 — 66 -6s Peter Tomasulo 31-35 — 66 -6s Chad Collins Bubba Watson 32-34 — 66 -6s Kris Blanks Ryuji Imada 34-32 — 66 -6p 31-35 — 66 -6l Charles Howell III 34-32 — 66 -6n Matt Kuchar 34-32 — 66 -6p 32-34 — 66 -6s Raiders get permission to interview Saunders Oakland Raiders ALAMEDA (AP) — New Oakland Raiders coach Hue Jackson has started the process of putting togeth- er his new staff, getting permission to talk to Balti- more assistant Al Saunders about filling the offensive coordinator vacancy. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday that the team allowed Saunders to talk to the Raiders because he would never want to deny a coach an opportunity. ‘‘We’ll just have to see what happens,’’ Harbaugh said. ‘‘Obviously you never want to lose really good coaches. Al Saunders is a great coach and a great man. He’s tremendous and he’s been huge for us.’’ Saunders has been an offensive consultant for Bal- timore the past two seasons, working on the staff with Jackson in 2009. Jackson went to Oakland last year as offensive coordinator and was promoted to head coach in place of Tom Cable earlier this week. Jackson said Tuesday at his introductory news con- ference that he will remain the primary play-caller in Oakland as head coach. He mentioned Saunders as someone he would like to interview for the coordina- tor job. Saunders has interviewed in the past for head coach and coordinator jobs in Oakland. Saunders has been a coach for nearly three decades in the NFL. He went 17-22 in two-plus seasons as head coach for the San Diego Chargers from 1986-88 and has spent most of his career as a respected offen- sive assistant. He spent eight seasons running offenses in Kansas City, Washington and St. Louis. He spent two years with current Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell with the Redskins. The offensive coordinator job is just one of many the Raiders need to fill. The only assistants still under contract are defensive line coach Mike Waufle and defensive backs coach Kevin Ross. Defensive coordi- nator John Marshall will not be back next season, although some of the other assistants could still be retained. Harbaugh adds to staff Oakland Raiders SANTA CLARA (AP) — New San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh further filled out his staff Wednesday, hiring Ed Donatell as secondary coach, Geep Chryst as quar- terbacks coach and Jim Leavitt as linebackers coach. Donatell was secondary coach for the Broncos the past two seasons, while Chryst served as tight ends and offensive quality control coach with the Carolina Panthers from 2006- 2010. Leavitt spent more than 30 years as a college coach, most recently as head coach at South Florida, where he was fired last January. Last Friday, a week after he was hired, Harbaugh added three coaches from his former Stanford staff: Greg Roman as offensive coordinator, Vic Fangio as defensive coordina- tor and Tim Drevno as offensive line coach. Giants, Casilla reach deal Oakland Raiders SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants and right-handed reliever Santiago Casilla have reached agreement on a $1.3 million, one-year contract that avoided arbitration. The World Series champions finished Casilla’s deal Wednesday. They already reached agreement Tuesday with outfielder Cody Ross, starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez and reliever Ramon Ramirez. Casilla went 7-2 with a 1.95 ERA in 52 appearances last year in his first season with San Francisco following six years across the bay with the Oakland Athletics. He pitched four times during the team’s postseason run, once in the World Series against the Texas Rangers. He made $750,000. In addition to his salary, he can earn $25,000 bonuses for appearing in 55 and 60 games. NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division Lakers WL Pct GB 31 13 .705 — Phoenix 19 21 .475 10 WARRIORS 17 23 .425 12 Clippers 15 25 .375 14 KINGS 930 .231 19.5 Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 36 6 .857 — Dallas 27 14 .659 8.5 New Orleans27 16 .628 9.5 Houston 20 23 .465 16.5 Memphis 19 23 .452 17 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Okla. City 27 15 .643 — Utah 27 15 .643 — Denver 24 17 .585 2.5 Portland 22 20 .524 5 Minnesota 10 32 .238 17 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL Pct GB Boston 32 9 .780 — New York 22 19 .537 10 Philadelphia 17 24 .415 15 Toronto 13 29 .310 19.5 New Jersey 11 31 .262 21.5 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 30 13 .698 — Miami Atlanta 28 15 .651 2 Orlando 27 15 .643 2.5 Charlotte 16 24 .400 12.5 Washington 12 28 .300 16.5 Central Division WL Pct GB Chicago 28 14 .667 — Indiana 16 22 .421 10 Milwaukee 15 24 .385 11.5 Detroit 15 27 .357 13 Cleveland 8 33 .195 19.5 ————————————————— Wednesday’s results Indiana at Golden State, late Portland at Sacramento, late Boston 86, Detroit 82 Dallas 109, L.A. Lakers 100 Denver 112, Oklahoma City 107 Houston 104, New York 89 Milwaukee 100, Washington 87 Minnesota at L.A. Clippers, late New Jersey 103, Utah 95 New Orleans 103, Memphis 102, OT Orlando 99, Philadelphia 98, OT Phoenix 106, Cleveland 98 San Antonio 104, Toronto 95 Today’s games Philadelphia at Charlotte, 4 p.m. Dallas at Chicago, 5 p.m., TNT L.A. Clippers at Portland, 7:30 p.m., TNT Dallas Ducks NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA 28 13 5 61 135 120 26 19 4 56 131 136 Phoenix 23 15 9 55 136 135 SHARKS 23 19 5 51 131 131 Kings Central Division Detroit 24 21 1 49 134 117 WL OT Pts GF GA 28 12 6 62 158 135 Nashville 25 15 6 56 124 111 Chicago 25 18 4 54 150 130 St. Louis 22 17 6 50 121 129 Columbus 22 20 5 49 123 147 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 29 10 7 65 152 113 Colorado 24 16 6 54 152 146 Minnesota 24 18 5 53 123 128 Calgary 20 21 6 46 126 143 Edmonton 14 24 7 35 113 155 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA Philadelphia 30 11 5 65 158 122 Pittsburgh 29 14 4 62 150 110 N.Y.Rangers 27 18 3 57 139 115 N.Y.Islanders 14 23 7 35 108 148 New Jersey 13 29 3 29 90 140 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 26 13 7 59 142 103 Montreal 26 17 4 56 118 113 Buffalo 20 20 5 45 123 132 Toronto 18 22 5 41 114 139 Ottawa 17 23 7 41 103 144 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Tampa Bay 27 15 5 59 140 150 Washington 25 14 8 58 133 124 Atlanta 23 18 7 53 146 153 Carolina 22 18 6 50 137 145 Florida 21 20 4 46 123 119 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. ————————————————— Wednesday’s results Columbus 3, Florida 2, OT Minnesota 6, Calgary 0 N.Y. Rangers 7, Toronto 0 Today’s games San Jose at Vancouver, 7 p.m.,CSNC Anaheim at Toronto, 4 p.m. Buffalo at Boston, 4 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Carolina, 4 p.m. Ottawa at Philadelphia, 4 p.m., CSNC Pittsburgh at New Jersey, 4 p.m., NHLN Tampa Bay at Atlanta, 4 p.m. Washington at N.Y. Islanders, 4 p.m. Detroit at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Dallas at Edmonton, 6 p.m. Nashville at Colorado, 6 p.m. Phoenix at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m.