Lunch Links: Chatting with James Harden and Terrelle Smith

James Harden wants to get a strange tattoo, Terrelle Smith is done losing money on the Sun Devils, and newspaper coverage of ASU athletics is about to be cut in half.

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Count Athlon Sports among those on the ASU basketball bandwagon. In their annual college basketball preview issue this month (pictured above), they predicted that James Harden and the Sun Devils would finish second in the Pac-10 and reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995.

They also sat down for a Q&A session with Harden. There’s nothing terribly earth-shattering here unless you’re new to following the hoops team. Most of the questions surround his decision to attend ASU and his growth as the focal point of a team.

Oh, and he said that he’s waiting until he gets “a decent job” before he gets his first tattoo—and it’s going to be of his grandmother. Now, that’s hardcore.

Speaking of questions and answers, the Arizona Republic asked some and got some from former Sun Devil and current Arizona Cardinals fullback Terrelle Smith. He seems as burned as the rest of us.

When asked if he intended to bet on this week’s game against teammate Matt Leinart, Smith said, “I gave up on it, man. I could put a down payment on a new vehicle with as much money as I’ve lost on ASU. I’m a die-hard Sun Devil, and we have to get it going over there.”

And finally, the East Valley Tribune yesterday announced that in January it plans to cut 140 jobs and begin publishing only four days per week. The cutbacks include all of the newspapers pro sports beat writers and ASU beat writer Dan Zeiger.

In a market dominated the last two decades by professional teams, the Tribune has consistently provided the best coverage of ASU athletics available—beginning with Bob Moran, continuing with Zeiger and supplemented by a number of contributors and columnists.

Less Sun Devil coverage is bad for all Sun Devil fans.

New to Echo from the Buttes? Don’t miss:
Our unveiling of the Wildcats’ silly new billboards.
Our assessment of Omar Bolden’s struggles.
Our lively debate on Tempe’s top five bars.
Our reminiscence on our favorite NFL Sun Devils.

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