Seattle Sportsnet

What does Will Conroy need to do to get a break? The man is leading the NBDL in scoring right now (24.6 PPG), dropping dimes as if change is going out of style (7.5 APG), burglarizing opponents like his name was Danny Ocean (3.0 SPG), and logging minutes like a phone sex addict on crack (43.5 MPG). Dub-C is killing it right now and you wonder just how long the NBA can pretend they don’t notice.

The Garfield High School grad and the University of Washington’s all-time assists leader (515), Conroy has been bouncing around the globe trying to find a place to play basketball since he left Montlake in 2005. From Tulsa to Charlotte to Los Angeles, Memphis, Italy, and now Albuquerque, the 6’2″ dish delivery man has become all too familiar with barf bags and emergency exits while logging enough airline miles to make Charles Lindbergh jealous. Conroy has signed his share of 10-day NBA contracts, but has yet to solidify a guaranteed deal and a rotation spot in the big show. Which is why he’s now in New Mexico, grinding away for a fourth straight year to show NBA scouts what he can do.

If you’re a Husky fan, you can’t help but feel a little sorry for the former Dawg. Conroy went from former walk-on, to Nate Robinson’s backup, to starting point guard, to Husky legend all in a four-year span. He played under two coaching regimes at UW and stabilized a program in turmoil with his confident demeanor at the point. No player exuded more passion for the Washington program than Conroy, who kissed his hands, patted center court, and acknowledged the student section after being removed in the waning moments of his final home game. There is, perhaps, no individual more deserving of success than Will Conroy, who has dedicated 100% of his heart and soul to the game of basketball only to be shunned by the league he’d do anything to play in.

Ever since David Stern and Clay Bennett came around and ripped Seattle’s heart out, I really haven’t approved of the NBA the way I once did. But the way I see it, if Will Conroy wants to be a part of the NBA, then damn it Will Conroy should get that opportunity. The league is starving for true point guards, and never has there been a better example of a one’s-one than Dub-C. The man can score, he can pass, he can D up, he can endure, he’s tough, he’s physical, he’s a finesse guy, he’s a power guy, he’s gritty, he’s polished, he’s quick, he’s methodical, he’s whatever you want him to be. The only I thing I know for sure is, Will Conroy is not a D-league player. He’s better than that. Will Conroy has NBA written all over him. All he needs is an opportunity.

Okay, Seattle sports fans. Time to vote on your favorite sportscaster. We’ve broken these reporters up into different groups and want you to have your say as to who the very best is. Without further ado, the nominees.

Favorite kid-loving sportscaster: Eric Johnson, KOMO News 4.

No, he’s not the guy that wrote “Cliffs of Dover,” but he is one of Seattle’s longtime broadcasters and the founder of “Eric’s Little Heroes,” a frequent KOMO segment that spotlights youth sports. Johnson has worked for Seattle’s ABC affiliate since 1993 and has received more than 25 local Emmy awards, according to his bio on komonews.com. Johnson also sports the unique ability to multitask, occasionally filling in at the news desk in a pinch and reading the day’s non-sports headlines, as well. Johnson is a former college baseball player at Washington State and has been the Sports Director at KOMO for much of his tenure.

Favorite prima donna sportscaster: Paul Silvi, KING 5 News.

All you really need to know about Paul Silvi is that he has his own Myspace page with a self-taken bathroom shot of his abs. Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but go to myspace.com/paulsilvi and you’ll see that I’m at least telling a half-truth. Silvi is Silvi, and you either love him or hate him. He’s basically a poor man’s Jim Rome with half the pull, all the attitude, and a gigglier disposition. He’s been to known to get into confrontations with other media members and is the host of the High School Sports Blitz on weekends and Northwest Sports Tonight on Northwest Cable News. Like Eric Johnson, Silvi is also a former collegiate athlete, having played football at Bowling Green State University.

Favorite whore of a sportscaster: Gaard Swanson, KIRO 7 News (currently).

It may be no fault of his own, but Gaard Swanson seemingly appears on a new station every time you turn on the TV. When he first came to Seattle in the early ’90′s, Gaard backed up Paul Silvi at KING. When he realized Silvi wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, Swanson returned to his native California to do the sports there. He returned to Seattle shortly thereafter, taking his act to the new Fox Sports Northwest when it came to be in the late ’90′s. Finally, in 2002, Gaard landed at KIRO where he’s been the Sports Director ever since. In his spare time, Gaard branches out, hosting Generation Renovation on the Home and Garden Network.

Favorite under-the-radar sportscaster: Dan Devone, Q13 Fox News.

If you’re getting your news from Q13, then you’re not really getting your news at all. If KING, KIRO, and KOMO are the major leagues of local news, Q13 is their Double-A farm club, relying on gimmicks (9 PM news), antics (Top 40 music playing during commercial wraps), and a laid-back approach to reporting in order to separate themselves from those conservative stiffs on the other stations. Dan Devone, then, is arguably the Crash Davis of sports reporters in the Emerald City. He’s been bringing you Q It Up sports for nearly a decade, but chances are you don’t know who the guy is. Neither does anyone else. A Google search on Devone reveals little about the enigma he truly is, and a full-scale scrubbing of the Q13 website leads nowhere. Devone is a mystery to most Seattleites, but he remains loyal to the city and the local sports scene.

Favorite local cable sportscaster: Angie Mentink, FSN.

The former Husky softball player has been a fixture at FSN since its inception in 1999. She has seemingly endured millions of on-air pregnancies and yet has always remained upbeat in reporting news on the local teams. Even after being paired with the likes of Jason Gesser and Bob Weiss during her tenure, Mentink has managed to remain a stalwart on the local Seattle sports scene. Despite bad on-air partnerships, numerous losing seasons, and all the bumps in her lap, Mentink has remained as the lone bright spot on an otherwise subpar sports broadcast.

Favorite national sportscaster: Erin Andrews, ESPN.

Picture Rosie O’Donnell, the anti-boner. Now picture the exact opposite of that. You have Erin Andrews, ESPN sideline reporter and certifiable bombdotcom sportscaster. Andrews is a 30-year-old University of Florida grad, who first appeared on our TV sets in 2004 when she started working at ESPN. Since then, she has reached a level of stardom that few sideline reporters will ever achieve, making news despite interviewing players’ parents at the College World Series and assistant coaches on losing basketball teams. Women love her attitude, men love her other features.

In a male-dominated profession, Andrews has received her fair share of criticism, be it for attiring herself in too-revealing fashion, or for taking indecent liberties when conducting interviews. Fair or unfair, Andrews has been a lightning rod for attention ever since she first hit the mainstream airwaves and as of right now, her star only continues to rise.

Those are the choices. Now it’s your turn to pick your favorite. Check out our poll on the lefthand sidebar to make your selection. Thanks for voting!

Brandon Roy single-handedly lifted the Portland Trailblazers over the Phoenix Suns last night, scoring 52 points en route to a 124-119 Blazers victory. In the final six minutes of the third quarter, B-Roy recorded 14 straight points for his team, contributing to a 26-9 Portland run that gave the Blazers a 98-93 lead. That turning point ultimately led them to their five point victory, as each team notched 26 points in the fourth quarter.

Roy’s previous career high was 38 points, set less than a week ago on Friday, December 12th against the Los Angeles Clippers. His 52-point performance last night was the latest in a five-game stretch that has seen him post scoring totals of 52, 29, 38, 33, and 30 points (an average of 36.4 PPG over that span). What’s made this burst more amazing is that B-Roy has shot 52.2% (58-111) from the field over those five games, and 87.7% (57-65) from the line, both above his season and career averages and nothing like the numbers you’d expect from a scoring machine (just ask Gilbert Arenas or Kobe Bryant, who require 50 shots for their 50 points). In last night’s game, Roy went 14-27 from the floor and an impressive 19-21 at the line.

Roy was serenaded with chants of “MVP! MVP!” at the Rose Garden last night, and the Blazers fans are beginning to have a legitimate claim. Take, for instance, the comparison between Brandon Roy and Kobe Bryant. Currently, B-Roy is averaging 23.4 PPG to Kobe’s 25.0 PPG. Roy, however, has posted a better field-goal percentage (47%, to Kobe’s 46%), better three-point percentage (36.4%, to Kobe’s 29.5%), better assist-to-turnover ratio (2.59 A/TO, to Kobe’s 1.70), and has committed fewer personal fouls (45, to Kobe’s 57), all while logging more playing time than the NBA’s reigning MVP (Roy’s 37.1 MPG, to Kobe’s 34.7). Kobe does have a slight edge in blocks (0.5 BPG, to Roy’s 0.4), free-throw percentage (87.3%, to Roy’s 84.8%), and steals (1.54 SPG, to Roy’s 1.00).

All of which leads me to conclude that Brandon Roy is in fact a better player right now than Kobe Bryant. Meaning B-Roy may very well be the best player in the NBA. He may not have the pizzazz of a Chris Paul, or the sheer force of a Dwight Howard, or even the raw sex appeal of Kobe himself (just ask that girl in Denver), but Brandon Roy, smooth as silk, has taken over the league and is in my opinion the best player the league has to offer. MVP!

For those of you sports fans who also double as aeronautic fans, you’re in for a treat today. SSN has captured video footage, via YouTube, of a small plane hitting a wayward cow upon landing in a field shortly after takeoff. The plane suffered an engine stall seconds after ascending, forcing the pilot to bring his aircraft to an abrupt descent. The two men on board, as well as the cow, were uninjured in the collision. Note: The video also features a slow-motion replay.