The Dugout – February 25
NBA Players, We Got NBA Players, Who Wants ‘Em?
So the NBA trade deadline passed, and lots of stuff happened. It was a serious thing, so many teams went hard at trades and for the most part it looks like most of them came out as better sides too.
The Phoenix Suns are the obvious exception. They gave up more than they got back in downgrading point guards from Goran Dragic to Brandon Knight. A pretty sure sign that they don’t back themselves to hold onto the eighth seed (heck, they’ve already lost it since Deadline Day).
Anyway, if you wanna read about what actually happened, click here.
Of the teams that made moves for aggressive, championship reasons, Oklahoma City look dangerously good. Even with Kevin Durant still nursing injuries, Russell Westbrook has continued to catapult himself into MVP consideration with what he’s doing, while Enes Kanter celebrated his first couple games for the Thunder with double-doubles. D.J. Augustin seems like a great addition on the bench, a much better fit than Reggie Jackson ever was, and suddenly Serge Ibaka has gotten back to his best with Kendrick Perkins gone.
Over in Minnesota, Kevin Garnett has already stamped his fearfully intense foot back in the ol’ T-Wolves locker room. Zach LaVine, best know now as a dunking extraordinaire, fully freaked out at the fact that he is now using KG’s old locker. So he offered it back to him, but KG declined. Instead the Wolves all-time leading scorer went and chose the one directly next to LaVine. Just in case Zach ever wanted to relax again.
In Detroit, Reggie Jackson posted 17-5-5 in his debut, an impressive win over the Wizards. Amar’e Stoudemire had a fine time off the bench in limited minutes for Dallas (scoring 14 points). While Goran Dragic had a nice go of it with 23 & 10 in a win over Philadelphia after a slightly rusty 12 point Heat debut. Some very shrewd dealing it seems.
NBA Power Rankings
- Golden State Warriors
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Atlanta Falcons
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- LA Clippers
- Chicago Bulls
- Dallas Mavericks
- Toronto Raptors
- Houston Rockets
I’m Just Paraphrasing So I Don’t Get Sued
Marshawn Lynch, running back supreme and difficult interview, has filed a trademark on his notorious media day quote: “I’m just here so I don’t get fined”. That was the answer he used to over 20 different questions, before the journos finally got the idea. It’s been so widely used since then that he’s planning on using it on t-shirts and other merch for his Beast Mode brand.
Rough Returns
Two superstar sportsmen who’ve both found themselves cast as villains after some awful decisions are both sitting at an odd crossroads now. Alex Rodriguez has reported early for Yankees Spring Training – three days early – despite club officials not wanting anything more to do with him than necessary. This after a heartfelt but kinda stupid handwritten apology to Yankees fans last week. He’s just served a season-long PED suspension, but says he’s excited and looking forward to the adventure. Expect A-Rod to be thoroughly booed by 99% of the people who see him live this season. It’s gonna be weird, seeing A-Rod back out there. Really, really weird.
Adrian Peterson is in an even tougher situation. Despite rumours that the Vikings might still want to bring him back after he was suspended for child abuse in 2014, his agent apparently confronted a Vikes official in what was described as a ‘heated exchange’. The pair had to be separated with AP’s agent telling him that his client would never again play for this team. Ooh, drama.
Major League Paceball
The MLB offices have unveiled new rules to speed up the game of baseball in order to make it more exciting and hopefully keep audience’s attention spans. Because let’s face it, when a regular season game, one of 162, takes three and a half hours for a 2-1 loss, on a weeknight, you can hardly blame fans for giving it a miss.
The new rules include timers that limit the length of pitching changes, stricter guidelines on hitters leaving the batter’s box, alterations to the manager’s challenge system and they’ve also laid the groundwork for a future pitch clock, though that’s not something that’ll happen this season.
There was also talk of shortening the season to 154 games, but there’s one unbreachable wall there: TV rights. Y’know, the thing that’s boosting the league into unprecedented financial luxury? Yeah, that thing.
Colin Kapernick Ain’t Playin’, Yo
(For the record, the guy’s now got over 3000 followers)
Pau Gasol’s Screams Will Haunt Your Dreams
Kevin Durant Debuts His New Kicks
Quote(s) of the Week:
“One of our veteran guys told our young guys yesterday: 'Hey, listen, when KG walks in the locker room, your phones better be tucked away because if they're not, they're going to get thrown in the toilet on game night,'" – Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders.
Good Week:
James Harden (Houston Rockets) – After a couple of good but not great games, Harden reminded everybody of his calibre with a triple-double against Minnesota, 30p/11r/10a. It was his second trip-dub of the season and fourth of his career. Only MCW & Rondo have 3 in 2014/15. Oh, and there’s that small thing of him still leading the league in points per game with 27 and change.
Oklahoma City Thunder – This is what everyone expected, to be honest, but it’s still turning out pretty impressive. Most of the guys are healthy now, bar Steven Adams and some guy called Kevin Durant, and they’ve rolled off 7 wins on the trot.
Bad Week:
Chris Bosh (Miami Heat) - Man, that sucks. But we can only wish Bosh the best after his discovered blood clot pretty much ended his season. There are more important things than ball, after all. Get well soon, you barnstorming velociraptor, you.
Phoenix Suns – Do you wanna dwell on the 5 straight losses or the fact that the team traded away their shot at the playoffs? They’ll come good soon, but this season could become a slog.
Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls) – More surgery. This time a torn meniscus in his right knee needs attention. It remains to be seen how long he’ll be out for, but it could be a season thing. Gutted.
Player of the Week:
Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) – Yep, him again. There honestly are few words that do justice to Rusty’s Rampage. These are his lines since the ASG:
That’s undeniable. Is it too late to make an MVP run?