This is the December 31, 2012 news archive. View today's Arizona Sports news and rumors.

Arizona Sports News and Rumors

Westbrook returns from cut, propels Thunder

Associated Press, ESPN.com

Kevin Durant scored 30 points, Russell Westbrook returned from a cut above his eye to finish with 24 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Phoenix Suns 114-96 on Monday night.

Kevin Zimmerman, valleyofthesun.com

Until the clock struck 5:00 in the fourth quarter on Monday, the fans in Chesapeake Energy Arena and the Oklahoma City Thunder team itself appeared bored with the Phoenix Suns. When the clock hit...

ESPN.com

ESPN's John Clayton points to Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley, among others, as a potential head coaching candidate in Arizona. Haley, the Cardinals' offensive coordinator during their Super Bowl season, would come to the Cardinals …

ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com

The Arizona Cardinals have fired coach Ken Whisenhunt after six seasons that included the long-suffering franchise's only Super Bowl appearance.

Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com

Current defensive coordinator Ray Horton was established as a candidate for the Cardinals head coaching job already. But team president Michael Bidwill just said during a press conference that he was also going to interview former Eagles coach Andy Reid…

ESPN.com

Longest-tenured Head Coaches Ken Whisenhunt, hired by the Arizona Cardinals in 2007, had outlasted all but eight NFL head coaches when the team fired him Monday. Bill Belichick, Marvin Lewis, Tom Coughlin, Mike McCarthy, Gary Kubiak and Sean Payton were…

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com

The Cardinals have in-house candidates to replace just-fired general manager Rod Graves and head coach Ken Whisenhunt if they want them. But if personnel man Steve Keim and defensive coordinator Ray Horton hang around, they’ll need to fill an offensive …

CNNSI.com

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) The Arizona Cardinals have fired coach Ken Whisenhunt after six seasons that included the long-suffering franchise's only Super Bowl appearance.

Kevin Zimmerman, valleyofthesun.com

On the last day of the year, the Valley of the Suns team takes a look back at five of the top storylines from 2012. Most of the stories hinge on a year involving significant change; 2012 represented...

Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com

We have five confirmed head coaching vacancies around the NFL at the moment and we’re still waiting to find out whether the Cardinals and Chargers will make it seven by parting ways with Norv Turner and Ken Whisenhunt respectively. Patriots offensive co…

ESPN.com

The facts: The Arizona Cardinals finished the 2012 season with a 5-11 record thanks to a 27-13 road defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17. The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two. The Cardinals emerged with the sev…

ESPN.com

The Seattle Seahawks ended their 2011 season with an overtime loss to John Skelton and the 7-8 Arizona Cardinals. They ended their 2012 regular season with the winning 90-yard touchdown drive against 7-8-1 St. Louis. Around the NFC West: Dec. 31, 2012 T…

Kevin Zimmerman, valleyofthesun.com

Time: 6 p.m. MST TV: FSAZ It’s one thing for the young Suns, who are 2-13 on the road, to end a five-game losing streak away from U.S. Airways Center but quite another to do it against the...

ESPN.com

Nothing has changed for the Arizona Cardinals in weeks. The organization has had ample time to plan for an offseason that began when San Francisco backup quarterback Alex Smith knelt on the ball one final time during the 49ers' 27-13 victory over Arizon…