LEFTOVERS: Thomas’ draft stock tough call

Playing hard to get is something Deshaun Thomas might regret if his cellphone is quiet on NBA Draft night.

Thomas, a former Ohio State star and the Big Ten’s leading scorer last season as a junior, is projected as a second-round pick on June 27. He didn’t help his cause by making an odd impression at last week’s draft combine in Chicago.

When a representative of the San Antonio Spurs asked for his phone number and email address, Thomas refused the first request and revealed only his email. That, college kids, is how you fail a job interview.

“I can’t go around giving it out to everyone,” Thomas said. “Now if they want to draft me, I’d be happy to give it to them.”

Now, if an Ohio State cheerleader or a hot girl at a club asked for his cell number, Thomas probably would be happy to give it out.

It’s unlikely Thomas will hear the Spurs call his name on draft night.

■ THE PULITZER GOES TO … Tony Allen of the Memphis Grizzlies, for his acting job that drew a flagrant foul against San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.

Confused? So is ESPN analyst Jalen Rose.

Late in Tuesday’s game, Allen fell to the floor after a hard foul and rolled over, flopping like a fish out of water, while holding his head as if he had been clobbered by a baseball bat. But replays showed Allen’s head never hit the floor.

ESPN host Michael Wilbon said, “He went Denzel Washington here.”

Rose took the acting analogy a step further, adding, “Whether it was a flagrant foul or not, Allen (is) a Pulitzer Prize winner.”

The Pulitzer is an award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition.

Rose is an Oscar nominee for playing the role of a clueless commentator.

■ ONE-MAN SHOW — It’s not easy to top Mike Trout this week. The 21-year-old outfielder is swinging a hot bat, highlighted by his performance Tuesday, when he hit for the cycle.

But Trout is not doing it all for the Los Angeles Angels. He’s not pitching, for one thing.

David Martinelli of Waxahachie (Texas) High School made Trout’s big game look almost mundane. In the Class 4A regional playoffs, Martinelli threw a no-hitter and blasted a homer in a 1-0 win over McKinney North High, the top seed in the state playoffs.

“It was a great team win,” Martinelli, a senior, told the Waxahachie Daily Light in a story relayed by USA Today. “I couldn’t ask for anything more from my teammates. We definitely couldn’t have done it without all our fans out here supporting us, either.”

After winning the game by himself, the kid gave the credit to his teammates and the fans? He’ll never make it as a selfish pro athlete.

■ LIAR AND A WHINER — The feud between golfers Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia goes back years and gets more interesting every day.

Garcia, reflecting on their verbal battle at The Players Championship, told the media this week, “He called me a whiner. That’s probably right. It’s also probably the first thing he’s told you guys that’s true in 15 years. I know what he is like. You guys are finding out.”

COMPILED BY MATT YOUMANS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL