While We’re Waiting… Ferry in Philly, Kipnis’ stance and get on the Cribbs bus

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Former Cavs’ GM a possibility in Philly– “Danny Ferry, a front-office executive with the San Antonio Spurs, met with 76ers owners in Philadelphia over the weekend to discuss a president/general manager’s job, sources said. Ferry has emerged as the frontrunner for the position, but still hasn’t been sold that the possible job structure makes sense for him to depart a comfortable situation under Spurs GM RC Buford. Collins has been a strong advocate for Ferry’s candidacy, sources said.” [Wojnarowski/Yahoo]

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Another NBA draft prospect primer– “Nicholson completed his senior year at St. Bonaventure and turns 23 in December. With barefoot height of 6’ – 8.5” and carrying 234 lbs, he possesses fine size for an NBA power forward. Utilizing a bevy of post moves, solid face-up skills, and a jumper that netted 43% of his threes, Nicholson’s per-forty-minute pace-adjusted scoring ranks 2nd of 21 power forwards in draftexpress’s 2012 database. Combined with 78% free throw shooting, his highly-efficient 64% true shooting ranked 2nd in the Atlantic Ten; impressive for a player that uses nearly 3 in 10 possessions. Despite improvement this year, his rebounding remains marginal, with defensive rebounding percentage ranked 84th in the NCAA and offensive rebounding rate falling at 233rd; relatively disappointing for a first-round-prospect Senior against a non-elite schedule. He utilizes his outstanding 7’ – 4” wingspan to block two shots per game in 30 minutes. Due to middling ball-handling, he turns it over on 18% of his possessions, made even more disappointing by his total of 33 assists in 32 games. Other than his size and length, limited explosiveness and agility pose defensive concerns against the world-class athletes waiting in the NBA.” [Hetrick/Cavs the Blog]

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The ‘Maize’ team. Not where you want to be at Ohio State– “It doesn’t look like suspended Buckeyes tight end Jake Stoneburner and offensive lineman Jack Mewhort aren’t getting off Urban Meyer’s bad side any time soon. Ohio State senior Justine Boggs, a journalism student, tweeted a picture of the Ohio State depth chart that featured several players on the “Grey” team and Stoneburner and Mewhort as the only members of the “Maize” team. Maize is one of the colors of hated rival Michigan.” [Watson/Dr. Saturday]

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On Jason Kipnis’ stance– “Kipnis does have a reason for his swing style. A few years ago, Kipnis was having issues with bringing his hands around the back of his head during his load, which created a problem. Before attacking a pitch, Kipnis would have to bring his hands back out front to his swing position, and he had lost valuable time with that extra step. One trick for helping Kipnis keep his hands in the right position was to start with the bat horizontal. From there — with his hands essentially in the right spot already — he could simply lift the bat to the proper starting point and initiate his swing. It worked for Kipnis in the Minors and has helped now in the Majors.” [Bastian/MLB.com]

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Finally, Josh Cribbs and Usama Young are two Kent State alums that are driving the bus to Omaha. Almost literally. If that’s possible. [News Herald]