The Star Ledger-US PRESSWIRE

More sources are emerging in an effort to out Alex Rodriguez. This time, the statement came from Miami New Times’ Tim Elfrink who reported that the New York Yankees slugger was provided performance enhancing drugs by a clinic in Miami.

T.J. Quinn and Matt Fish released a statement (per ESPN), that Rodriguez received injections in his mansion on Biuscayne Bay from Anthony Bosch, the head of the no longer existing Biogenesis of America clinic. The Yankee star reportedly paid Bosch an estimated $12,000 monthly over four years for the drugs according to the same article.

“Several sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Bosch spoke openly about his relationship with the Yankee All-Star, and two sources said that documents they reviewed detailed the drug regimens and schedules Rodriguez received.”

It hasn’t been the first time Rodriguez’ name has been tied to performance-enhancing drug use. In fact, it was announced in the original report that he was injected with other substances not related to human growth hormone or testosterone.

Per ESPN:

“The visits were every few weeks. One night last spring, a source said, Bosch told associates he had been kicked out of Rodriguez’ home after he had trouble locating a vein and infuriated the player. The sources did not say why Bosch would have been tapping a vein, as HGH and testosterone do not require intravenous injections.”

The Miami New Times came out earlier this week to report documents it had on Toronto’s Melky Cabrera, Washington’s Gio Gonzalez, Texas’ Nelson Cruz, San Diego’s Yasmani Grandal and Oakland’s Bartolo Colon. All were said to have used the PEDs that Bosch had supplied since 2009.

There is little sense in denying these claims as the evidence piles up from various sources. He has been tied to the banned substance since the interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons, in which it was reported that Rodriguez has been receiving steroid injections from 2001-’03 with the Texas Rangers.

Rodriguez has a career 647 home runs and has been called one of the most decorated players in the league due to his multiple MVP awards and World Series runs. Though, with the recent outcry of the public, it remains to be said whether he will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Mark Dolejs-US PRESSWIRE

The No. 5 Duke Blue Devils still look to rebuild from their worst loss since 1984 and they’ll be doing it against a Wake Forest squad that hasn’t faired well against their ACC rivals.

The last time these two teams met was back on Jan. 5, when the Blue Devils failed to cover the 22.5-point spread (per SportsBook) to notch a 80-62 win. In the past three contests, Duke has failed to cover the spread against Wake Forest, but is still a perfect 6-0 SU.

Currently, the Deacons are merely a 12.5-point underdog at home, which could tilt the scales towards the Blue Devils favor, given their recent success against their division foes.

But let’s see how these two teams matchup on the court.

The Blue Devils (17-2, 4-2) have the advantage in most every category, especially from 3-point range. The team knocks down a healthy 7.8 per contest, more than 2 threes better than that of the Deacons.

Rebounding may prove to be an enormous factor in this game. Duke currently ranks No. 113 in Division 1 basketball, notching 36.5 boards per game. Center Mason Plumlee leads the team with a staggering 11.2 rpg (while also scoring a team-best 17.4 ppg). Meanwhile, Wake Forest is struggling with its lack of size, ranking No. 228 in that category. Travis McKie is their biggest impact player on the boards, averaging 8 per contest (while also handling the scoring load, 15.1 ppg).

As a whole, Duke’s defense remains in question. Through the first half of the season, they allow 81.7 points per game on the road, which ranks in the high 200s among NCAA teams. Meanwhile, Wake Forest ranks an impressive 186 in scoring on their home floor (8-2).

“Winning on the road is not passed down,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “You have to be able to be tough enough to win on the road. With us, we usually play in a very upbeat atmosphere. Teams are even more ready to play us.”

The most surprising factor in this game could be the minutes of freshman Amile Jefferson, who is averaging 10 points on 51.5 percent shooting from the floor since Ryan Kelly went down with an injury. If he stays on his average, it will likely be another slaughter for the Blue Devils.

Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The Toronto Raptors are coveting Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay after it was reported that the team placed him on the trading block.

ESPN.com’s Marc Stein first broke the news.

“Although the framework of a workable trade has not yet been established, sources told ESPN.com that Toronto — known to be perhaps Gay’s most determined suitor — has continued to make a hard push for the swingman.”

Though there were no specifics on who would be involved in the trade, he did mention that Jose Calderon and Ed Davis are the likely centerpieces in the deal.

The Grizzlies opted to move Gay to the trading block for one sole purpose: to save money. Currently, the All-Star forward is due $37 million over the next two seasons. If he came off the books, Memphis would be slotted under the luxury tax, a big step forward for a small market team.

Memphis’ first move to offload some payroll was trading Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby and Marreese Speights to the Cleveland Cavaliers in order to hold onto Gay through the Feb. 21 trade deadline. As a result, the team won’t feel as much pressure in moving Gay until they can find a suitable trade that will help improve their team and gain them some financial flexibility in the long haul.

The reason the Grizzlies could afford to move Gay is largely due to their postseason run two seasons ago with the injured Gay watching from the sidelines. The team managed to bounce the San Antonio Spurs out of the first round as the No. 8 seed. Moreover, Gay’s numbers are down this season. He’s shooting only 40 percent from the field, down from 45 percent in his career and his 3-point percentage is down by more than 3 percentage points.

Unfortunately, the Grizzlies still can’t afford to remove one of their best players. In 42 games this season, he is averaging 17.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest. And why change a team that already boasts a 29-15 record (fourth in the Western Conference).

Another teams also mentioned in the rumors to acquire Gay is the Boston Celtics. But the team may have changed their minds since the season-ending knee injury to Rajon Rondo.

Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

With the Feb. 21 NBA trade deadline fast approaching, the Brooklyn Nets still have their eyes set on the offseason target they couldn’t land — Dwight Howard, per Real GM’s Jarrod N. Rudolph.

“Playing in Brooklyn with Deron Williams and Joe Johnson was at the top of Howard’s list last summer and the Nets are convinced that he still has a strong desire to make the Barclays Center his home office. The Nets have played well under P.J. Carlesimo and feel like the addition of Howard could be the piece that gets them to the NBA Finals.

“Nets general manager Billy King has closely monitored the struggling Lakers and quietly searched for a third team with an attractive piece that would help facilitate a trade that would deliver Howard to the Nets.”

It’s been no secret that Howard isn’t fitting in with the Los Angeles Lakers, even though his statistics might show otherwise (17.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per contest). If he were to move cities, especially to one that has exponentially less expectations than Los Angeles (as does Brooklyn), he could serve on a team that has faired well with its own set of superstars.

But first, the pieces need to fall perfectly in to place in order for a deal to go down. In the last few weeks, King was harkening for the Minnesota Timberwolves to put up Kevin Love, but he unfortunately broke his hand. The proposed offer would have sent Love to LA, Lopez to Minnesota and Howard to Brooklyn. The move would make the contentious Love happy by pairing him with a number of different superstars, including Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace.

The question still remains if the Nets are ready to part ways with Lopez, who’s upped his game this season. The 7-foot-1 big man nets 18.5 points, grabs 7.6 rebounds and posts 2.1 blocks per contest. It also needs to be said that Brooklyn is surging after the team fired Avery Johnson. In fact, the Nets are on a hot streak and riding an 11-2 record since coach Carlesimo has taken over. As a result, it may not be the best time to breakup a team that is firing on all cylinders and heading into the dreaded dog days of the long NBA season.

And who is to say that the Lakers would listen?

Our inkling is (and has always been) that the Lakers will retain their lineup and hope some mid-season in-game tweaks are all that is needed in order to right the ship. And as of now, it starts on the defensive end with Howard leading the way.

The 49ers come into the game with a record of 11-4-1 SU while they are 10-7 ATS, while the Falcons are 13-3 SU and are 9-7-1 ATS. Last week the 49ers offense ran wild and defeated Green Bay 45-31. In that game, Colin Kaepernick the 49ers quarterback contributed to 4 touchdowns for the 49ers and 444 yards of offense.

Atlanta reached the NFC Championship thanks to a last second Matt Bryant field goal for a 30-28 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Atlanta led in the game by 20 points in the third quarter, but allowed the Seahawks to fight back to take the lead 28-27 with only seconds left to play.

Matt Ryan the Falcons quarterback had 250 yards passing last week and connected on three passes for touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions in the game.

Even though Kaepernick threw an interception early for a touchdown against Green Bay, he was able to maintain his cool and finished the game with 181 yards rushing and two touchdowns, including one for 56 yards. The former quarterback at Nevada also has 263 yards through the air and two passing touchdowns.

San Francisco has played five times this season on the road as the favorite and is 3-2 ATS. Atlanta, in the past five seasons, is 4-2 ATS in six matchups as an underdog at home.

The current line has the 49ers favored by 4 points with the over under point total at 49. Take San Francisco to cover and take the OVER to cash out.

Chicago comes into the game with a record of 22-15 SU and 14-23 ATS. Boston’s record thus far is 20-18 SU and 14-20-4 ATS. The Bulls are 11-5 AU on the road, while Boston is 13-7 SU at home.

Boston had a six game winning streak ended on Wednesday against New Orleans at home and will try to end Chicago’s current road winning streak at four when they meet tonight for Boston’s fifth consecutive home game. In Boston’s loss to New Orleans, they missed 10 of their 16 shots from the foul line, their worst performance from the free throw line since November of 1994 against Houston.

The Celtics have won 9 of their past 12 games at home. Boston has also won 11 of their past 14 games head to head against Chicago at home including during the postseason. However, Chicago has won nine of the past 11 games on the road versus Boston and this season owns the best road record at 11-5.

Chicago defeated Toronto 107-105 on Wednesday when Luol Deng sank a jumper with only 3 second left in overtime. Deng had 26 points in Chicago’s last game against Boston a 101-95 loss in Chicago on November 12.

Chicago is getting great production out of Carlos Boozer who is averaging 24 points and almost 11 rebounds during January and has helped the Bulls to a January record of 6-2. To stop Boston, the Bulls will have to stop Rajon Rondo who is averaging 21 points per game in the past five games head to head with Chicago and scored 26 the last time the two teams played.

The line has not been given in this game as of yet, but smart money takes Boston at home to cover the point spread and for the total points to cash out to those taking the under.

The Thunder have a record this season of 30-8 SU, which is the best in the league and 23-14-1 ATS. The Thunder has won their last four games. Denver has a record of 24-16 SU and 23-17 ATS. The Nuggets have won six consecutive games. However, at home the Thunder is a tough opponent for anyone as the team is 18-2 SU.

The Thunder is averaging 105 points per game on offense, while the Nuggets are averaging nearly 103. Over their last 15 home games, the Thunder has won 14 and is averaging over 109 points scored. On Monday, the Thunder defeated Phoenix 102-90 and the team’s high scorer Kevin Durant and teammate Russell Westbrook carried the offensive load. The duo combined for 47 of the 51 points the Thunder scored during the second half.

Even though the Thunder are known for their offense, the defense has stepped up of late and over their last 7 games is allowing only 91 points a game to opponents on just 41% shooting from the field. However, the team’s best defensive player Serge Ibaka is day to day with a chest contusion and will be a game time decision.

The Nuggets had to go into overtime to extend their consecutive game win streak to six on Tuesday night. Denver defeated Portland 115-111 in that game. Ty Lawson is the court general for the Nuggets at the point and scored 24 points while dishing out 12 assists in the win over Portland. During the team’s winning streak of six games, the offense is scoring 110 points per game.

Odds makers have not released the current line but rest assured that the Thunder will cover the spread and the total points will cash out to those taking the over.

Byron Hetzler-US PRESSWIRE

One more coaching vacancy has filled in the NFL.

The San Diego Chargers named former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy as their new head coach following the team’s playoff overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

McCoy and the Chargers are firming up details in the contract and are hoping to have the deal completed by end of day Tuesday, according to ESPN NL insider Adam Schefter.

McCoy shopped around the NFL before finally landing with the Chargers. In fact, he met with the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, the only serious suitor being the Cardinals.

The biggest upside for the McCoy is that he won’t have to deal with the troubling quarterback situation in Arizona (Kevin Kolb vs. incumbent), considering the Chargers already have a solid play-caller in Philip Rivers for the last half decade.

McCoy has been with the Broncos since 2009 and re-emerged as a top coaching candidate after his stellar season in 2012. In fact, he led an offense that ranked second in points per game (30.1) and fourth in yards per game (397.9). And while many believed he had the luxury of utilizing quarterback and future Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning in his offensive scheme, others believed that Manning couldn’t have blossomed in his incredible comeback season without McCoy leading the way.

Just as impressive, McCoy developed a successful offensive scheme behind quarterback Tim Tebow in the 2011-12 season, which led to a playoff bid and a postseason victory.

McCoy won’t have the same luxuries in San Diego. The Chargers finished the season 31st in yards per game (297.3) and 20th in points per game (21.9). The team only finished 7-9, which pitted them six games back of the AFC-leading Broncos. And Rivers is approaching the latter years of his career, something McCoy may have to think about before he continues on with the veteran quarterback.

The move gives the Broncos a vacancy for a offensive coordinator, one who will work well with Manning and the passing offense. Yet, no names have been connected to the job.

Robert Deutsch-US PRESSWIRE

The New England Patriots lost one of their biggest offensive targets after tight end Rob Gronkowski refractured his left forearm against the Houston Texans in Sunday’s playoff win, an injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the postseason.

Usually, when a team loses such a matchup nightmare, like Gronkowski, it pays its toll as the season dragss on. But will his absence be a factor to a team that seems to be firing on all cylinders?

Not likely.

While Gronkowski is one of the premier tight ends in the league, he is by no means the linch pin of the New England Patriots’ explosive offensive. In fact, the only change we might see from the team is an uptick in receiving yards from other wideouts, running backs and fill-in tight ends.

We often lose sight of how exceptional Tom Brady, as if we expect it on a week-to-week basis. But give him as much credit as he deserves this season, leading the league’s No. 1 offense with a newer, and frankly more balanced, offensive attack.

Tight end Aaron Hernandez has been utilized much more than any backup should be. He, along with Gronkowski, have combined for 169 catches in the two-tight end scheme this season.

Elsewhere, head coach Bill Belichick bolstered the receiving core this past offseason, signing No. 2 receiver Brandon Lloyd to add as a new downfield threat and open up pockets for Wes Welker. The move helped Belichick steer away from using Gronkowski as the team’s primary target, a scheme that often got the team in trouble as opponents started to figure it out.

The Patriots have also had some practice without their No. 1 tight end in the lineup. Gronkowski was shelved for about half the season with the same forearm injury, which led to a change in their offensive scheme. And the transition was seamless. For one, Brady was able to figure out how to use his new weapons that came out of the backfield.

New England has gained a substantial uptick in their rushing attack this season. The Patriots have quietly crept into the top-10 of rushing teams (currently reside at No. 7) after ranking 20th last season. As a result, the team has logged 109 more plays than it did a year ago, which give the Patriots a healthy ground game to lean on when Brady can no longer force it downfield.

So, while there is no replacing Gronkowski, the Patriots have experienced life without their leading tight end before. And if history is any indication, New England will be able to adapt on the fly with ease.

Atlanta is 21-15 SU and 14-21-1 ATS, while Chicago is 20-15 SU and 13-22 ATS. The Hawks are in fifth place in the conference 3 ½ games behind first place Miami. On the road this season, the Hawks are 9-9 SU and are 4-6 SU over their past 10 games overall.

Chicago is only a half game behind Atlanta in sixth place in the conference. The Bulls are 10-10 SU at home this season and overall are 5-5 SU over their past 10 games played. The Bulls have lost two straight at home, while the Hawks have lost four consecutive on the road.

The Bulls are 8-2 SU in their past 10 games on the road, including defeating the Miami Heat and two in New York after Friday night’s 108-101 win versus the Knicks. However, at home the Bulls have not played with the same confidence as they have on the road. On Saturday, the Bulls lost to Phoenix at home 97-81. The Suns had lost 12 straight road games before defeating the Bulls.

However, Atlanta has played even worse in Chicago. The Hawks are 0-4 SU in their last four games against the Bulls in Chicago. Atlanta started strong and was 20-10 SU, but since then has lost five of their past six games including a 93-83 loss on Saturday to the Washington Wizards, the league’s worst team.

Atlanta’s scoring has fallen off of late. During November and December, the Hawks were averaging 98 points per game, but in January that has dropped to an average of just 90 points per game. The Bulls have one of the best defenses and are third in points allowed at just 92 points per game, but have allowed an average of 100 points over their past three outings.

Odds makers favor the Bulls by 4 points, with the over under points at 185 ½. Smart money takes Chicago to cover and the UNDER to cash out.