When The Going Gets Tough, Pete Carroll Gets Going...

Everybody has an opinion on Pete Carroll's shocking move back to the NFL. It appears that unless Carroll pulls a Billy Donovan, then he will be named the Seahawks HC as soon as tomorrow. He leaves behind one of the great college football dynasties of all-time, but his lightning quick departure brings more questions than answers. Is this just a case of Carroll addressing unfinished business in the pros, or is he leaving Troy as it comes tumbling down? Here's Brother Yohey's take...

If it indeed happens that Pete Carroll has left USC for the Seahawks job, then Pete has lost any sliver of respect he had in my eyes. Why leave now, after building a college empire at USC? Something just doesn't sit right about the abruptness and timing of this move. Well, he appears to be fleeing the oncoming tidal wave of NCAA sanctions and punishment for his football program. The 300k Reggie Bush scandal is slowly coming to bear for USC, the revelations of Joe McKnight's use of a Land Rover, and Dwayne Jarrett getting free rent from the Leinarts should put the program under some serious sanctions. Pete obviously was not man enough to work under conditions he no doubtedly helped come to fruition. Noticing the speed with which John Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky in the midst of looming scandals, Pete couldn't resist.

There will be many in the LA area who will need to go through The Stages of Grief to help them get through these times (especially with ho-hum Mike Riley in line). However, those in the LA area can't see the forest through the trees. Pete Carroll has shown himself to be a petty man - a bully who could pick on the smaller children on the playground, but when someone stood up to him and returned the favor, he ran home with tears streaming down his face. Sure, Pete can run the score up on all the teams they play during the football season (UCLA this past year), but when someone does it to him (Jim Harbaugh's Stanford team) he cries foul. (Ed. note: see our article about that situation here)

One has to wonder if Pete was contemplating this move going into this past season when he named Matt Barkley, a true freshman, his starting QB over. With hindsight being 20/20, Carroll put himself in a win-win situation. If they were successful and made a BCS bowl he knew he would have a few years of great success with Barkley at the helm. If they had a down year (as they had this year, going 9-4 with a visit to the Emerald Bowl) then he could use an excuse that he had a freshman QB, or jump ship to the NFL as on and off-field troubles arose. The allegations and scandals, coupled with the disappointing year, make it all too easy for Pete Carroll to flee to Seattle.

Much like Nero fled his empire when it was falling apart, Carroll has fled Troy as the walls were closing in. Way to be a stand up man and screw all the people who believed in you and looked up to you. You have to wonder if the retrospectives on Pete Carroll's USC empire will be as rosy if heavy sanctions are enforced and victories and trophies are ultimately stripped away. Pete, your true colors are showing clearly. You never bled cardinal and gold - only yellow, and the streak is running down your back as you travel up the coast.

Let's Make a Deal

Pictured from Top Clockwise:

Ron Artest - Houston to LAL

Richard Jefferson - Bucks to Spurs

Shaquille O'Neal - PHX to Cavs

Rasheed Wallace - Detroit to Boston

The NBA offseason has proven to be as exciting as this past year's playoffs were. Here is some quick analysis of whether the biggest movers and shakers are moving closer to the promised land, or closer to Clipperland.

EAST

Cavs - Made the biggest splash, (pun intended) by trading for Shaq while only giving up mothballs in Pavlovic and a rusty Big Ben. They missed out on top-level wings Ariza & Artest but did sign underrated Raptors SG Anthony Parker which should help some of the size mismatches in the backcourt. However, one can question the steep financial commitment they just made to Anderson Varejao (6 years, $50million), a hustle player with no apparent offensive upside. Verdict - UP

Celtics - The biggest additions for the C's will come with a healthy Kevin Garnett throughout the season and playoffs. They pushed East finalists Orlando to the max without KG and now add Rasheed Wallace to the mix. If Big Baby Davis can be resigned at a reasonable price, their frontcourt depth should be restored. However, they are still lacking a veteran off the bench to back up Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, both of whom will need substantial rest during the regular season. If Grant Hill accepts less money to rejoin Doc Rivers, banner number 18 could be on its way. Verdict - WAY UP

Magic - First of all, trading Hedo Turkoglu for an aging, notoriously selfish Vince Carter already downgrades the Magic. Much of their unconvential offense revolved around putting the ball in Hedo's hands and letting him create for teammates, something Vinsanity isn't exactly known for. Second, to make this switch, they had to give up a capable big man (Marcin Gortat), a starting-quality point guard (Rafer Alston) and a promising two-way backcourt player (Courtney Lee). Unless Dwight Howard suddenly does become Patrick Ewing, this team won't come close to the success it had last year. Verdict - WAY DOWN

Pistons - Detroit lost Rasheed Wallace and AI but added Ben Gordon and tweeter Charlie Villanueva at the dawn of free agency. However, the biggest move this offseason is not signing Avery Johnson and instead choosing Cavs assistant John Kuester to run the show on the bench. A rookie head coach won't win next season, especially with this collection of role players; they'll again exit the playoffs in the first round. Verdict - PUSH

Bulls - Sure, Luol Deng will be healthy and Derrick Rose will only get better, but they let their biggest go-to scorer leave for a division rival. The Bulls can't count on their youth growing up fast under Vinnie Del Negro to overcome the other juggernauts in the East, at least not next year. Once again, the Baby Bulls will scrap just to make the playoffs. VERDICT - DOWN

WEST

Lakers - Picked up Ron Artest, but lost underrated glue guy Trevor Ariza. While it may seem like a great move, will Artest's combustibility be the demise of the Lakers? As long as he stays somewhat sane and refrains from stalking Kobe in the shower, they should be a better team. However, the most intriguing Laker subplot will be the development of Andrew Bynum, who's shown flashes of greatness, but not for an entire season. If he makes a big leap and stays healthy, expect a repeat. Verdict - UP

Rockets - Also basically traded Artest for Ariza, who may not find the same success out of the triangle offense. They have also yet to deal with the loss of Yao and Dikembe Mutombo, leaving a gaping hole on the inside. I love Chuck Hayes, but if he's your starting center in the playoffs, you're team has issues. Some may expect the return of a healthy and motivated Tracy McGrady could lead Houston on a march through the playoffs, but don't hold your breath! Verdict - WAY DOWN

Spurs - Added Richard Jefferson, DaJuan Blair, and Antonio McDyess this offseason while getting rid of some dead weight. While none of them may singularly catapult the Spurs to the top, each person will inject some new blood to the elder statesmen of the West Elite. If the bodies of Parker, Ginobli, and Duncan can hold up, expect the Spurs to at least return to the West Finals. Verdict - WAY UP

Mavs - Signed Marcin Gortat to an offer sheet and added Shawn Marion while also dumping Devean George, Jerry Stackhouse, and Antoine Wright. They did hold on to Jason Kidd, but there's no way this roster will jump the Spurs or Lakers. At best they'll reach the Conference Semis. Verdict - PUSH

Clippers - Ironically, the Clips may have had one of the best offseasons in the NBA. Adding Blake Griffin and dumping perennial malcontent Zach Randolph is the best thing this franchise may have ever done. As long as Mike Dunleavy lets Baron Davis play up-tempo they will be way up, and could possibly sneak into the postseason. Although, with Mike Dunleavy in charge, don't expect any miracles. Verdict - UP