#like is orlando probably going to beat utah?

[debinhas-bicycle]

is it too selfish of me to delay game night w/my brother and his friends bc I want to watch the prime night game at 8 tonight?

[thecollegefootballguy]

2018 Top Games of the Week: Week 14

It’s Championship Week! Aside from a smattering of weather-related makeup games this week is chock full of high caliber matchups. With the Sun Belt splitting into divisions, this is also the first time that all 10 FBS conferences are holding a Championship Game. It’s time to see who is the ultimate champion of every conference.

The Top Ten Games of the Week

10. Louisiana-Lafayette 7-5 (5-3) at Appalachian State 9-2 (7-1)

It’s the first ever Sun Belt Championship game, congratulations to the inaugural squads for making their debuts. Appalachian State is going to be a heavy favorite. No offense to ULL, but the Mountaineers are the best team in the conference and the Ragin’ Cajuns might be 4th or 5th best overall.

9. Northern Illinois 7-5 (6-2) vs Buffalo 10-2 (7-1) (Detroit, MI)

The MAC Championship is the oldest of the five G5 conferences, with this being the 22nd CG. Buffalo has been the best team in the MAC and are definitely the favorites, but Northern Illinois is very familiar with Ford Field. The Bulls are making their second ever appearance, but NIU has played in 8 of the past 13 championships. The Huskies don’t have a particularly good record but they’ve acquitted themselves nicely after a very rocky start and should give Buffalo a challenge.

8. UAB 9-3 (7-1) at Middle Tennessee 8-4 (7-1)

It’s the 14th Conference-USA Championship Game and the first to feature UAB or Middle Tennessee. It’s slightly anticlimactic, as these two teams squared off just last week in the same exact venue. Middle Tennessee completely snuffed the fight out of UAB, taking a bit of the shine out of the Blazers’ dream season. Can the Blue Raiders repeat the feat?

7. #25 Fresno State 10-2 (7-1) at #22 Boise State 10-2 (7-1)

It’s the 6th Mountain West Conference Championship Game, and the only G5 CG with two ranked teams participating. Fresno State peaked in October, destroying every team they faced before falling short against rival Boise State. The Broncos had been flying under the radar after losses early in the season, but BSU reentered the race by downing Fresno. With their win over Utah State, Boise managed to secure yet another division title. Fresno State is making their 4th appearance and Boise State is playing in their third CG. It’s a rematch of last year’s contest, which the Broncos won 17-14. 

One point of interest, if Memphis somehow beats UCF, the winner of this game will undoubtedly play in the NY6 as the G5 representative.

6. Memphis 8-4 (5-3) at #8 UCF 11-0 (8-0)

For the second straight year, Memphis travels to Orlando with the hope of defeating UCF in the AAC Championship Game and ending the Knight’s undefeated streak. The Tigers have had a good year, but all interest is in Central Florida’s corner. UCF hasn’t lost in two years and the Knights are trying the damndest to make the Playoff. It probably won’t happen, but here’s to trying. The American has only held four conference championships and both teams have played in the most recent two games.

5. #17 Utah 9-3 (6-3) vs #11 Washington 9-3 (7-2) (Santa Clara, CA)

The 8th ever PAC-12 Championship Game is the only Power 5 CG with absolutely no Playoff relevance. Does that mean it won’t be a good game? I don’t think so, in fact this one might be more competitive than most of the other P5 games this weekend. Utah is playing in their first ever Championship Game, and is the last of all six South Division teams to make it. It’s quite a feat given how new the PAC-12 CG is. The Utes are down some of their best players, but their defense has kept them abreast of the rest of the division. Washington is playing in their second Championship Game, having appeared two years ago on their way to the Playoff. The Huskies certainly aren’t going to the Playoff this year, but they’ll be aiming to play in their first Rose Bowl since the 2000 season. The North Division representative won every year for the first six seasons until USC beat Stanford last year, will the Utes continue the swing and win their first ever PAC-12 title?

4. #2 Clemson 12-0 (8-0) vs Pittsburgh 7-5 (6-2) (Charlotte, NC)

The 14th ACC Championship Game is the scene of the biggest mismatch of championship week. I know Pittsburgh has a weird knack for winning games against heavy favorites, but this Clemson team just doesn’t seem like it’ll get upset by the Panthers again. Since their scare midway through the season against Syracuse, the Tigers are absolutely dominating everybody they play and should steamroll Pitt. Congratulations to Pittsburgh for making their first ever ACC Championship. Congrats I guess to Clemson, the Tigers are in their sixth ACC CG and fourth in a row. The Atlantic has won seven in a row against the Coastal.

3. #21 Northwestern 8-4 (8-1) vs #6 Ohio State 11-1 (8-1) (Indianapolis, IN)

It’s the eighth Big Ten Championship Game and it features a heavily favored old hand against a newbie underdog. Northwestern has had a strangely charmed season. The Wildcats looked dead in the water in September but somehow pulled off a complete sweep of the West Division to make their first ever Championship Game. We’re used to seeing the Buckeyes in Indianapolis, OSU has made 3 trips already and would’ve made a fourth if they had been eligible. Ohio State should demolish Northwestern if they play even half as well as they did against Michigan last week, but the Buckeyes have been glitchy all season and the Wildcats seem to play up to their competition (at least in conference play). OSU will need to win big if they want to give themselves the best shot to make the Playoff, their bid is still in doubt even with only 1 loss.

2. #14 Texas 9-3 (7-2) vs #5 Oklahoma 11-1 (8-1) (Arlington, TX)

It’s the second year of the revived Big 12 Championship and the 17th overall. It’s the first time that Texas and Oklahoma have played their heated rivalry game in somewhere outside of the Cotton Bowl since 1923. Oklahoma has had a very strong season, showing off by far the best offense in the country. The Sooners’ only loss, of course, happened at Red River against their hated antagonists. The Longhorns haven’t had a perfect season, but they’ve done enough to earn their spot. Oklahoma is playing in their 10th Big 12 CG, easily the leader in number of appearances. UT is tied with Nebraska (lol) for second with 6 all time appearances.

OU is in a very precarious position as the #5 team in the Playoff rankings. They have to hope Alabama knocks down #4 Georgia and that they can hold off #6 Ohio State from leaping over them. The Buckeyes draw the easier opponent and can make an example out of Northwestern. Perhaps just beating the only team they lost to in the regular season will be enough for Oklahoma to get the nod, but they should try to bury Texas in order to guarantee their place.

1. #1 Alabama 12-0 (8-0) vs #4 Georgia 11-1 (7-1) (Atlanta, GA)

Of course. The oldest of all Championship Games, the SEC is once again the king of championship week. In the 28 years of the SEC Championship, Alabama and Georgia have made 19 appearances, though they’ve only played each other once. The Tide have tied Florida for the most appearances with 12, Georgia holds 3rd place with 7. The West had won eight straight until last season, when the Bulldogs beat Auburn to win their first conference title since 2005.

The Playoff implications are clear. This is a quarterfinal game. Win and you’re in. However, if UGA manages to beat the Crimson Tide, 12-1 Alabama can make a great case against Oklahoma and Ohio State to take that 4th spot.

-

FCS Games of the Week

1. Southern 7-3 (6-1) at Alcorn State 8-3 (6-1)

The FCS Playoffs are underway, so they should get their own post. One game to note is the SWAC Championship Game, fittingly held in championship week. Alcorn State is making their fifth straight appearance as the East champion while Southern is making their sixth total appearance. The winner faces North Carolina A&T in the Celebration Bowl.

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/news-scores-as-bubble-basketball-underway-at-disney/

News, scores as bubble basketball underway at Disney

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SportsPulse: Need a refresher on where we left off with the NBA before play was halted? Mackenzie Salmon hits the rewind button and gets us up to speed.

USA TODAY

The first two days of the NBA’s restarted season tipped off Thursday and Friday, with two overtime thrillers highlighting the second night of action.

What does Day 3 have in store for NBA fans? There are five games on tap, and Miami defeated short-handed Denver 125-105 in the first game of the day. The Nuggets played without three starters and are in danger of losing control of third place in the Western Conference.The Oklahoma City Thunder took care of the Utah Jazz 110-94.

The Los Angeles Clippers made a franchise-record 25 three-pointers in their easy 126-103 victory against New Orleans.

The Indiana Pacers handled the Philadelphia 76ers 127-121, and the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) capped the night. 

Remember, playoff spots and seeding are on the line in the final stretch, no matter how much it feels like the beginning of a season.

Keep it here for updates throughout the day and into the night from Jeff Zillgitt, Mark Medina — on the ground at Disney — and the USA TODAY Sports NBA team, including analysis, news and highlights:

POPOVICH:Spurs defend coach for not kneeling during national anthem

EASTERN PREVIEW:Do the Celtics have the talent to beat the Bucks?

Saturday’s key performances

Indiana’s T.J. Warren scored a career-high 53 points, the first 50-point game of the restart. He had 29 in the first half and helped negate Philadelphia center Joel Embiid’s 41-point, 21-rebound performance. If the Pacers can play like that, count them as another team that can outperform its seed.

Oklahoma City guard Chris Paul proved why he is still an All-NBA caliber point guard. He had 18 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and the Thunder outscored Utah by 27 points while he was on the court. He just dominated the game, and the Thunder are another team that could surprise teams in the playoffs.

Miami forwards Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each scored 22 points with Adebayo adding nine rebounds and six assists and Butler contributing seven assists and three steals.

Paul George had 28 points and made 8-of-11 three-pointers for the Clippers, and teammate Kawhi had 24 points, six rebounds and five assists. Leonard had 18 points in the first half, and George had 15 in the second half.

Sixers teammates exchange heated words

The Philadelphia 76ers are a trendy sleeper pick to make a deep playoff run, but their first game of the restart got off to a rocky start against the Indiana Pacers.

After the Sixers jumped out to a quick 14-7 lead, the Pacers responded with a 17-0 run to take control. Indiana led 35-29 at the end of the first quarter when tempers appeared to boil over a bit on the Sixers bench.

Joel Embiid and Shake Milton were seen exchanging some heated words during the timeout. Matisse Thybulle had to hold Milton back from engaging Embiid after some initial shouting.

Joel Embiid and Shake Milton exchanging some heated words at the end of the first quarter 😬 (via @gifdsports) pic.twitter.com/fCm6r839cR

— matt eppers (@meppers_) August 1, 2020

The Pacers took a 61-55 lead into halftime behind 29 points from T.J. Warren. Embiid led the Sixers with 15 points and nine rebounds.

Embiid is key to the Sixers’ playoff hopes after he missed the final two scrimmages with a sore right calf for “precautionary” reasons. Indiana and Philadelphia entered the restart tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference, with the Pacers holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Thunder kneel despite OK lawmaker threat of tax penalties

In a statement Friday, Rep. Sean Roberts (R-Hominy) threatened to pull tax benefits for the Oklahoma City Thunder if players were to kneel during the national anthem before Saturday’s game.

The Thunder played their first game of the restarted season against the Utah Jazz in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. During the national anthem, every Thunder player, coach and staff member on the sideline kneeled.

In the statement, Roberts equated the Black Lives Matter movement to “Marxism” and said it tried to “destroy nuclear families.” 

— Jeff Patterson, The Oklahoman

Thunder players kneel for the national anthem before playing the Jazz. (Photo: Ashley Landis, Pool photo via USA TODAY Sports)

Oladipo will play in the bubble

Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo didn’t want to risk re-injuring his ruptured quad tendon so he indicated earlier this summer he would not be part of the NBA’s restart.

However, after multiple practices and feeling more comfortable, Oladipo will play for the Pacers and play no more than 30 minutes against Philadelphia Saturday. As recently as Friday, he had not committed to playing. He finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in the Pacers’ victory against the Sixers.

McMillan on Oladipo: “He is in the lineup. He’ll be starting tonight. He’s playing and ready to go…. There is a minute restriction. We want to keep them around 28, no more than 30 minutes tonight. ” #PacersSixers

— J. Michael (@ThisIsJMichael) August 1, 2020

Stand or kneel for anthem?

Miami’s Meyers Leonard, whose brother Bailey is a Marine and served at least two tours in Afghanistan, stood for the national anthem but wore a Black Lives Matter T-shirt.

“Some of the conversations I’ve had over the past three days, quite literally, have been the most difficult,” Leonard told The Associated Press. “I am with the Black Lives Matter movement, and I love and support the military and my brother and the people who have fought to defend our rights in this country.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the team understood and respected Leonard’s reasoning after having “a great team meeting about it where everybody expresses their support for him.” 

“He has the backing of everybody in the locker room and everybody knows where his heart is. He’s fully behind this movement just like everybody else in our organization and the association,” Spoelstra said. “This is not a political discussion. This is not an either/or discussion. This is an ‘and’ discussion. This is about fighting for basic human rights and equality. I truly do feel it is an ‘and’ proposition. He wanted to peacefully protest and support this cause and honor the flag and how he respects that.”

Denver’s Michael Porter Jr., who praised Orlando forward Jonathan Isaac’s decision to stand and not wear a Black Lives Matter T-shirt on Friday, knelt and wore a Black Lives Matter shirt.

In 2 now-deleted posts last night, Michael Porter Jr. supported Jonathan Isaac’s decision not to kneel for the national anthem. This is important because Michael Malone reiterated to his players that the decision is a personal choice and they’d have support of org. either way. pic.twitter.com/D7y4UM6ii1

— Mike Singer (@msinger) August 1, 2020

Not everyone is kneeling, including Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon.

NBA ensures Butler changes jersey

Miami All-Star Jimmy Butler wanted to leave the back of his jersey blank even though that wasn’t an approved option for players wishing to put a message on the back of their jerseys.

Butler tried to start Saturday’s game against Denver with no message or name listed on his jersey, but league officials made him change into a jersey that had his name on it.

Why?

I don’t know. I don’t care. I didn’t have a name on the back of the start. But I decided to change because my teammates probably need me tonight.

Butler wanted a blank jersey to be a representation that society gives him name value because of his ability on the basketball court but without the jersey he is a representation of every person who looks like him and until everyone has equal value, no one does. 

“Displaying no name or message on the back of a player’s jersey was not an option among the social justice messages agreed upon by the Players Association and the NBA as modifications to the rules regarding uniforms,” an NBA spokesperson said in a statement. “Per league rules, the uniform may not be otherwise altered and anyone wearing an altered jersey will not be permitted to enter the game.”

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[junker-town]

What to expect during the NBA’s return, in a 5-minute read

A quick scan of where all 22 teams stand ahead of the league’s return.

The NBA is almost officially back, kicking off its season on July 30. Teams have been playing in scrimmages over the last week and we are already drooling over Bol Bol balling (nods to the Pun Master Prada) and shaking our heads at Lou Williams “dining” decisions. This is your standard mix of on-court small sample size overreaction and off-court drama stories providing some measure of normalcy in these un-normal times. Thank you, NBA!

To figure out where the league stands after a four-month hiatus, we checked in with our NBA team sites from around the SB Nation network. Their intimate familiarity with their franchises, gives us an inside look about what to expect when the league kicks back off.

Eastern Conference:

The Bucks’ time has arrived

Everything in the East starts in Milwaukee which is so much fun to say after years and years of everything in the East starting in LeBron. And, of course, everything in Milwaukee starts with the MVP Giannis. But as Brew Hoop points out, the real strength of this team is its league-leading defense that dominates at the rim, hates committing fouls and gobbles up defensive rebounds. And yeah, if they turn you over good luck stopping Antetokounmpo in transition. If they have an Achilles heal (obligatory greek reference) on that end it’s allowing three-point shots. They are 13th in opponent accuracy from deep but third in attempts allowed. The Celtics, Raptors and Sixers are 3rd, 4th and 5th in three-point percentage so that might be a real problem for the Bucks.

The Raptors are still confident

The reigning NBA Champion Raptors beat the Bucks in the playoffs last year and think they have the identity, cohesion and team defense to compete again if they can muster enough offensive punch. Daniel Reynolds from Raps HQ explains the identity advantage:

There are likely to be some kinks to work out as every team retakes the floor after a months-long lay-off. Players will have to get back into their shooting groove, get their conditioning up, remind themselves of what they’re doing at any given time. The Raptors? Well, they’ve been playing this kind of defense for some time now — I’m of the opinion it won’t take as much or as long to bring it all back.

What about the Celtics and the Sixers?

Boston Exceptionalism is still very much a thing and CelticsBlog is putting their high hopes on the now broader shoulders of Jayson Tatum who reportedly from a couple of Zoom calls, is noticeably bigger and defined in the upper body area. #NBAMuscleWatch lives! Health is once again a concern for the C’s with Kemba Walker’s knee and front court size is an issue to watch.

The young Sixers benefited from the long break to rest Joel Embiid who, according to our friends at Liberty Ballers, has a “long … storied … frustrating injury history towards the end of the season” and even more notably saw Ben Simmons use the time to fully recover from a back injury suffered in February and move to power forward. The mismatches he’ll create will be pure NBA gold.

Okay, now for the rest of the East?

When you get past the top four teams in the East things get...less virulent (too soon?). And by top four we clearly are leaving out the Miami Heat who hold the actual fourth seed. Maybe we’re disrespecting Spoelstra’s squad but it’s hard to see how that roster makes much noise in the playoffs. Per Hot Hot Hoops, the Heat had success throughout the regular season by being a tough defensive team with great three-point shooting and will stick to that plan.

As for the rest, the Nets are in Orlando missing eight (8!) roster players so get ready for a lot of Caris LeVert and Jamal Crawford playing with G-league guys. At least expectations are low. Orlando is in Orlando with slightly higher hopes thanks to their depth and Aaron Gordon’s improved playmaking which, per Orlando Pinstriped Post, showed great improvement before the pause. The Pacers roster has been in flux with the maybe healthy Victor Oladipo and the sore-footed Domantas Sabonis among the many questions Indy Cornrows has for the restart. And then there’s the Wizards. They are fourth-best at forcing turnovers so that’s good but there’s everything else like having the worst NBA defense this season and other interesting facts you can read about at Bullets Forever should you be a Wizards fan or one of Bradley Beal’s large siblings.

Western Conference:

Welcome to the battle of Los Angeles

I’m a “journey is better than the destination” person but the one thing that I dislike the most about the NBA is how predictable the playoffs usually are. And this year we are on a predetermined course to the Battle of LA featuring two amazing basketball teams. It really is a shame this inevitable series won’t be played in front of a gazillion rabid Lakers fans and noted Clipper celeb Billy Crystal. But before we get to that series there are games to be played and the Lakers, according to Silver Screen and Roll, have three glaring weaknesses. 1) Team LeBron has been a below average team in the half court and 2) ranked 20th in three-point shooting accuracy (35.8%). Those could be real issues against a good defensive team like the Clippers and even more so in a Finals matchup against the Bucks. Oh, and 3) the Lakers are not great (73%) at the free-throw line but I wouldn’t lose sleep over that. On the plus side, of course, is the star power for both of these teams which is the oil that lubes the NBA machine.

For the Clippers the difference could be their depth and front court versatility with centers Ivica Zubac if they want to play big and Montrezl Harrell if they want to go small and athletic. Plus they now have Joakim Noah if they want to play a bit crazy. Combine that with noted playoff overachiever Kawhi Leonard and a fully healthy Paul George on the wing and it’s pretty easy to see how the Clips make their first conference finals in franchise history. All that depth could be a problem though. Sabreena Merchant at Clips Nation explains:

More talent is always a good thing, but Rivers will have to keep a lot of egos in check to manage his rotations.

The next four teams in the West are good. Really good.

...But they all have significant questions. Denver brings a top-ten offense lead by Nikola “Skinny” Jokic and a host of young talent. It should be a big progression year for the Nuggets but as Denver Stiffs explains they are lacking in big defensive wings to matchup with the Los Angles stars. The Rockets are famously small but The Dream Shake thinks they also suffer from a case of hot/cold shooting which doesn’t bode well for a team that can’t rebound. Chris Paul has exceeded every and any expectation in OKC but even Welcome to Loud City is worried about rust for a Thunder team with a new look and lack of three-point shooting. This brings us to the Utah Jazz who saw their two stars feuding, lost a key player to injury and per SLC Dunk aren’t exactly stable:

The Jazz apparently decided to spend 2020 doing their best audition for the title character in a stage play production of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Utah’s heavily inconsistent nature, going from great team to league bottom feeder was giving fans serious tonal whiplash.

Our friends at Mavs Moneyball, Grizzly Bear Blues and The Bird Writes will probably not enjoy being lumped together in this category of “others” but that’s just the reality in the West. Ja Morant, Luka Doncic and Zion Williamson are great fun but they do not (yet!) make great basketball teams. Sorry, friends. Meanwhile, the mature Spurs and Blazers have been pushed below the cutoff line for the playoffs but Blazers Edge rightly isn’t ready to give up on Dame Lillard, “With the Blazers’ sights set on the playoffs, their backcourt will go down fighting.” I’m sure that’s true. Also, there’s Suns and Kings who are easy to mock but never forget either of these teams in the East would be very much in the playoff hunt and fans of bad teams do interesting thing.

[notorgazmo-blog]

Δ all of them obviously

opinions of your muse meme | open

❤️  - Opinion of your muse

The first words that come to mind when Joe thinks of Kevin are: brave, confident and strong. 

Joe had heard a lot of things about Kevin at the MTC before he was flown to California; first about the amazing and wonderful missionary he would be, and then how he would change everything in Kitguli, then how their District was the most successful in all of Uganda, and then ultimately, of his failure. 

Joe listened to unkind banter and lots of garbage talk from the other young men and women, and honestly, he couldn’t stand it. He would berate his fellow missionaries-in-training, and practically preach to them about second chances, reminding them of Jonah from the very book they were preparing to teach to others, who was given a second chance by God himself... 

“If we’re all striving to be more like Him... we sure aren’t acting like it. Elder Price deserves a second chance just as much as anyone else.” And that sure shut them up, since Joe never used a tone like that before.

He’s always known Kevin was confident, from when they knew each other briefly as teens at Youth Conference in SLC and Kevin took it upon himself to steal his first kiss from Joe, to when they met again in LA at their mission apartment (having completely forgotten they knew each other prior)... Kevin had asked which bed was his, and without waiting for an answer, plopped his suitcase over the mattress closest to the AC. Joe was quick to observe that his companion knows what he wants and takes it, and quickly grew to admire that about him, among (many) other things. 

As he got to know Elder Price more, and learned the things he had gone through, his admiration only grew. And of course, that feeling grew into adoration, which evolved into a deep regard, which blossomed into intense love. Joe himself has put Kevin through some hardships, and he’s watched Kevin stick it out with his pride and his hair intact; Joe’s never admired someone more in his life. Heck, he loves him. 

“You’re the strongest, most brave person I’ll ever know, Kevin.”

Those were the words he said to him at his wedding, and he meant it with every fiber of his being.

In addition to all that, he thinks he’s entertaining with his snark, handsome as all heck, slick as a snake, a terrible cook, too stylish for his own good, way smarter than Joe, the cutest, sloppiest eater, a little dramatic, and very honest. 

😀  - Best memory of your muse

Probably when Kevin had to emergency-fill-in for Ben on the set of Orgazmo 3... When he put that costume on, all bets were off. Joe couldn’t keep it together, and the look on Kevin’s face was priceless, from the moment he saw the costume to when he put it on. That, and he sure looked good in those tiny shorts. But man... that dildo helmet. It may have ruined the hair, but it really ties the whole costume together. 

Joe asked Dave for prints of the costume designer’s photos that day. One is framed on the back of the bathroom door. 

But not just because of the funny costume - that was the moment Joe remembered what it was like to be happy again, or to feel anything at all. It was the day he decided he couldn’t continue on without Kevin Price.

Also, every moment with Kevin is a gift, so like, it’s hard for Joe to think of a time he spent with Kevin that wasn’t a total blast. Except...

🙁 - Worst memory of your muse 

By far, his worst memory is when towards the end of Kevin’s mission, Joe told him they couldn’t continue their relationship the way they were. Everything about that conversation was heartbreaking. It’s the hardest thing Joe has ever (thought he) had to do, and he never, ever forgot the look on Kevin’s face or the way his voice broke when he called Joe a coward. He cursed himself for physically pushing Kevin away from him, and even though he thought it was the right thing to do at the time, he has never forgiven himself for the pain and hurt he caused his lover.

🌠  - Wishes for your muse

Joe prays for Kevin every day. He prays for him to always be okay, to be guided in love and have trust in himself. He prays for Kevin’s health, he prays for his family’s acceptance and love. But, he also prays for Kevin to be able to be accepting of life even when it’s painful and beating him down. He prays for Kevin to never feel alone, to always have the things he needs, He prays for him to do well in school, when he has exams, when he has track meets, for him to be able to fulfill his purpose and help his friends back in Uganda... 

Basically, 90% of Joe’s prayers revolve around Kevin.

🗝  - Secret they’re keeping from your muse

He still has your missionary journal, Kevin. Sorry bout it. He says Kevin definitely didn’t leave it at the apartment, that he never found it, but he did, and Joe totally had it the whole time, and he still does.

One time, Lisa found it when they were packing up to leave LA... she flipped open to a random page, and what she read must have been pretty threatening to her relationship with Joe, because five minutes later she did a 180 and told him she wanted to stay in LA instead of going back to Utah. 

🔮  - Future plans involving your muse

What was once Joe’s idealistic, fantasy life-goal list is now reality!

He first wants to move out of the apartment he shared with Lisa. He wants to get a dog, maybe, and then introduce Kimmy to Kevin properly, as his boyfriend and not his kind-of-ex-boyfriend-former-companion. And obviously, he wants to marry that fool and have a couple kids with him.

He wants to take a thousand more picture on his disposable cameras. And go on a road trip. And see Uganda, and meet all of Kevin’s friends. And he really, really wants to take Kevin to Orlando.

🌌  - Best dream involving your muse

I know where y’alls minds probably went. Well, Joe has had lots of exciting dreams about Kevin, sure, but I’m not going to go into any of those.

It was during a really stressful time, when Joe was suing Maxxx Orbison for what he did to Lisa and all the threats he had made. For whatever reason, the trial was pushing Joe and Lisa further apart, and after Lisa made her testimony, and the video Orbison had forced her to make was shown in court, she insisted on driving to her parents for the weekend (or longer), leaving Joe alone in the apartment to finish out the case by himself. 

He was having trouble sleeping, longing for company, for something to make him feel less alone, when he had the most realistic dream he’s had to date. It was Kevin, sitting on his bed beside him, combing his hair back, telling him it would be okay. It brought Joe to tears, just to have a gentle, loving touch of comfort, and Kevin had gathered him into his arms and just held him. Over and over, he repeated it would be okay, that he would get through it, and that Orbison would get everything he deserved. 

It was funny, Joe thought, when he woke up, because Kevin knew nothing about that any of that Orbison or Orgazmo stuff, but in his dream, he didn’t question it. It calmed him down so much, and it was the best night’s sleep he’d had in weeks. 

👹  - Worst dream involving your muse

After reconnecting with Kevin via telephone one day, Joe was out in LA and swore he saw Orbison on the street. Turns out it was just some other schlub with dark, oily hair, but it was enough to spook Joe’s thoughts into having a nightmare when he went to bed.

It was sort of a flashback to the night Lisa was kidnapped, only instead of Lisa, it was Kevin. Dreams are strange in the sense that they’re hardly ever a fluid, chronological story, so he only remembered bits and pieces when he woke up, but the parts that stood out were nauseatingly upsetting to him. 

He got a call from a blocked number, and when he answered, it was Kevin shouting for him, and he could hear the struggle and fear in his voice. And when Orbison took the phone, it was so realistic... Next, he remembers getting to the house, and since Kevin’s a six foot tall grown man, there was more than just Clark and Rodgers and Orbison holding him there. It was all of them - Bilbo, Guppy, Fish and Shark too, and Kevin was tied up, and tape over his mouth, and his eyes were so frightened and Joe didn’t have the Orgazmorater and Ben wasn’t there and his legs wouldn’t move...

He was helpless. Kevin was helpless. Everyone came at him, and he couldn’t remember karate, and they left with Kevin, and Joe just couldn’t move, like he was paralyzed or something.

He woke up in cold sweat, panting, and when Lisa asked him what was wrong, he just told her he needed some air. 

Instead, he slipped on his shoes and hurried out the door to make a rushed, midnight phone call to Kevin, just to hear the sound of his voice and assure himself that he was okay. 

[fuccilloautomotive-blog]

Billy Fuccillo, Kia Soul transform driving in Southwest Florida

The man who transformed the cars people buy, drive or see on the roads of an entire region wore dark slacks and a red Tommy Bahama shirt.

Billy Fuccillo beckoned.

“Come and check out mine,” Fuccillo said of his white Kia Soul, similar to the 96 new ones available on his lot. His car featured an upgraded, 201 horsepower engine, leather seats, a navigation system and a panoramic sunroof.

“Of all the manufacturers I’ve represented in more than 30 years, the Soul is the only car that appeals to 18- and 19-year-olds and 78- and 80-year olds,” Fuccillo said. “People who are 52 like the Soul. People who are 32. People who are 18. People who are 80.”

Prior to Fuccillo Kia opening in December, 2010 at 404 NE Pine Island Road, in Cape Coral, no Kia-branded cars made the top 10 list of new, registered cars in the combined areas of Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties.

 Every year since 2011, at least three and sometimes four – the Soul, Optima, Forte and sometimes the Sorento – have made the top 10 for new cars registered in those six counties, according to data gathered by IHS Markit, a Michigan-based marketing firm.

Between opening more than six years ago and mid-July, Fuccillo Kia has sold 36,850 new cars. Of those, 24 percent, or 8,965, have been Souls. Kia corporate verified Fuccillo’s claim that the Cape Coral dealership is in fact the world’s largest Kia dealer in terms of volume.

Consider: Kia Soul ranked 29th of the nation’s top 398 new cars sold in 2016. The Kia Optima ranked 36th. But in Southwest Florida, those cars ranked sixth and fifth, respectively, according to IHS Markit.

 Gender-wise, 53 percent of the region's Soul drivers are female, and 47 percent are male, according to IHS Markit.

“Younger people like the car because it’s cute,” said Greg Hood, general manager of Galeana Kia, which also sells the Soul. “Older people like the car because it’s practical.”

Greg McCarter, 52 and from Cape Coral, stands 6 feet and weighs 450 pounds. He and his wife, Calondra, rented a Soul for a 2015 cross-country trip to California instead of their Toyota Sequoia, which gets 17 miles per gallon on the highway to the Soul’s 30-31.

“I didn’t think I was going to fit in it, because I’m a really big guy,” McCarter said of the Soul. “But once I got in it … I’ve got all kinds of pictures of every state that I was in with that Kia.”

This year, McCarter bought a 2017 Soul from Fuccillo for $20,000.

The Kia Soul demographics also include the 6-foot-3 Fuccillo, 61, who declares ad nauseam in numerous television and radio commercials and flyers that his cars are: “HUUUUU-JA!”

The marketing major, psychology minor and former tight end for the Syracuse University football team, drives his Soul when visiting Cape Coral from his Tampa home. He owns five Florida dealerships with a sixth in the planning stages for Clermont. He also owns 24 dealerships in upstate New York, where he sells more than a dozen brands of cars, including the Kia.

“You have an exceptional dealer in one area who does an exceptional job with one brand,” said Tom Libby, an automobile analyst for IHS Market. “That can raise the volume for a model or brand. It might be a part of the country that gravitates to a certain concept. Four-wheel drive vehicles traditionally do very well in mountain areas, for example.

“In the case of the Kia Soul, it’s most likely related to an exceptional dealer performance. Now I will say that the Kia Soul does well across the country, but it’s not in the top 10.”

 The beginning

In the fall of 2010, Fuccillo and Percy Vaughn, now the executive director of the southern region for Kia corporate, had dinner in Orlando. They discussed Fuccillo entering the sales market for the Korean brand in Southwest Florida, having had success in upstate New York.

At the time, Cape Coral was at the epicenter of the nation’s housing crisis. The economy was in shambles. Kia and Fuccillo took a gamble during a critical time at a location that had been an out-of-business Saturn dealership.

“He’s one of the most unique guys in the entire automotive industry,” Vaughn said. “He said, ‘I think I can make a big splash in this market.’ He came in and never looked back.

“With Billy, when he does these promotions, people come from as far away as Miami or Tampa. They would drive down to buy a car from him, even though we had other dealerships in those areas.”

In May of 2012, less than two years after opening, Fuccillo had a concert on the Cape Coral lot. He hired the classic rock band, Styx, which had top 40 hits such as "Come Sail Away."  The event drew thousands of fans. Fuccillo said he sold dozens of cars.

Billy Fuccillo said at the start of each year, he sets a marketing budget, usually about $350,000 to $850,000 a month.

“He’s very aggressive,” Libby said. “He’s motivated. He’s very shrewd. That concert you mentioned probably drew an audience that was a good fit for the Soul.”

In 1996, Fuccillo had Robbie Knievel, son of daredevil Evil Knievel, jump his motorcycle over 19 cars outside his Adams, New York, dealership. Fuccillo said he sold a record 523 cars in one day.

“When I got out of college, I went to a Chevy dealer in Buffalo, looking for a job in sales,” Fuccillo said of 1978. He was turned down three times.

“The fourth time I went back, they finally hired me.”

 Big man, big personality

Fuccillo worked his way into buying dealerships. He once bought a Hyundai store in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he went by the handle “Billy Fernandez” and did his “H-U-G-E!” catchphrase. He said he bought the bankrupt store for $25,000 and sold it two years later to Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller for $7 million.

Xavier Villarreal, a Fort Myers High School graduate and Hall of Fame football player there, worked in sales and then as a manager at Sam Galloway Ford in Fort Myers. In late 2010, he applied to be the general manager of Fuccillo Kia.

Fuccillo told Villarreal he wanted him to train in Rochester, New York, and to pack his bags.

Villarreal said he hadn’t had time to book a flight yet.

“Who do you think I am?” Fuccillo told Villarreal. “I’ve got my Lear jet waiting for you at the airport.”

“Thirty minutes later, I’m 10,000 feet in the air, taking off and heading to New York,” Villarreal said. “I spent four weeks there. I never saw all of this coming. I know a lot of people in the community. I know what this community is about. But I never foresaw it being on the scale that it became on a day-to-day basis.

“He has a heart of gold. I know sometimes people wish he could do more. There’s always somebody in need. But with what he does for our customers – 70 to 80 percent of our customers come back and buy another car from us.”

The competition

The Kia brand already existed in the region prior to Fuccillo’s arrival. Galeana Kia, at 14483 S. Tamiami Trail in Fort Myers and Airport Kia at 3325 Westview Drive, Naples, each opened in 1996.

Both dealerships compete for sales against Billy Fuccillo but appreciate him as well.

“I love him,” said Greg Hood, general manager of Galeana Kia for the past two years. “When I was offered this job, my boss said, ‘The No. 1 Kia dealer in the world is about 8.5 miles from you.’ When I came to the store, I knew that Kia products were so well-branded in our market that I couldn’t fail. Billy Fuccillo came to town and raised awareness. He spent an enormous amount of money. We’ve also been a beneficiary of that.

“He has a tried-and-proven formula. He floods the market, and they respond to it. The difference between him and me is, first of all, it’s not my money.”

Hood said at first, Fuccillo outsold Galeana Kia at a 10-to-1 clip. That has been narrowed, he said, to about 2.5-to-1.

But Galeana Kia doesn’t have to beat Fuccillo Kia to be successful, Hood said.

“His method was to focus on new car sales,” Hood said. “He didn’t care as much about used cars. We don’t do it that way. Our desire is to sell both, because they’re both good markets.”

Lots of Soul

The Soul base model starts at $16,100 with a manual transmission and $18,795 with an automatic, although the dealership has various incentive programs that could drop those prices. The new, fully loaded, “Exclaim” model Fuccillo drives goes for about $26,500, minus incentives.

“I love the car,” said Francesca Simonelli, 46, a Cape Coral yoga instructor. She has bought two Souls from Fuccillo, a green one in 2012 and then a gray one last summer. “I love the look of it. It’s all very practical for me.

“My credit was shot. I had filed for bankruptcy. I knew if anybody was going to get me a car, it was going to be that guy. He’s in it for the money, obviously. He was going to make it work. It was like a dream come true.”

Lisa Terrill, 44, and the manager of the Bayfront Bistro restaurant on Fort Myers Beach, bought her green Soul from Fuccillo four years ago. Her Volkswagen Passat had been totaled in an accident, hence the need for a new car. Her Soul from Fuccillo included a trip to Miami Beach with a one-night stay in a resort and a party, another of the dealership’s many promotions.

“At first, I was kind of annoyed by all the commercials,” Terrill said. “But when it came down to it, they had a good reputation or so many wouldn’t be purchasing it from them.

“I will tell you this, I would take that car a million times on a road trip. It’s a smooth ride. It’s very roomy on the inside. It’s like a SUV, really, but with great gas mileage.”

McCarter, Simonelli and Terrill all said they had poor credit at the time of their purchases. Billy Fuccillo Kia found them loans ranging from 72 to 75 months at interest rates between 4.9 and 6 percent.

The business of buying and selling cars worked out for all parties.

Working the room

When Billy Fuccillo visits his Cape Coral dealership, he does not keep a low profile. He works the showroom, posing for pictures with potential buyers. He hams it up with the sales staff.

In his office, Fuccillo, a New York Yankees fan, has some sports memorabilia and posters and a framed photograph of Robbie Knievel’s motorcycle jump.

Fuccillo defended his dealership’s practice of selling cars to customers with low credit scores. He’s aware of a negative article about that practice that has been floating around on Facebook.

“How are you going to get people financed?” Fuccillo said. “I think we did a lot of things to get the community turned around, and they in turn, helped us. Sell cars, that’s what we’re here to do.

“We don’t know what transpires in their life. We work real hard to get them financed. So many people are living week-to-week. We find them the best rates we can.”

Fuccillo finished a photo shoot and then an on-camera interview. At the end, he was asked to do his famous catchphrase.

“Catchphrase? What catchphrase?” Fuccillo said, before looking into the camera and getting back into character. “Southwest Florida, it’s gonna be HUUUUU-JA!”

 Source: http://www.fdlreporter.com/story/news/2017/07/26/billy-fuccillo-kia-soul-transform-driving-southwest-florida/472714001/

[ravensong67-blog]

NBA Power Rankings: Week 18

The Sixers jump into the top-five, bumping the Nuggets down to No. 6, while the Warriors retain the top spot in this week’s updated NBA Power Rankings.

1. Golden State Warriors Record: 40-15 The Warriors are so talented, you get the sense they could spot their opponents 20 points at the start of each game and still win most nights. On Friday, they were down 17 to the Suns before cruising to an easy victory. On Sunday, Golden State continued its trend of falling behind big early on, only to come out victorious, as the Dubs trailed the Heat by 19 in the first quarter but eventually won 120-118. It was the Warriors 11th double-digit comeback of the season. Golden State has won 15 of their last 16 contests and has scored at least 100 points in 26 straight games.

2. Milwaukee Bucks Record: 41-14 Milwaukee decided to sit Giannis Antetokounmpo on Saturday and it served as a solid reminder why the Greek Freak is considered by many to be the league's most valuable player this season. After a dominant stretch in which they won 12 of 13 games, the Bucks finally came back down to earth on Saturday when they got blown out by Orlando at home. Dating back to Christmas Day, Milwaukee is 19-2 when Giannis plays, and they’ve won 17 of those 19 games by double-digits. They are 0-2 without him, losing those two games by a combined total of 27 points.

3. Toronto Raptors Record: 41-16 The Raptors surprisingly added a former All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year in Marc Gasol at the deadline. Now it’s on coach Nick Nurse to figure out how to best utilize his new addition. Big Spain came off the bench in his first game with Toronto on Saturday, but will he be content as a reserve long-term? If not, would Nurse risk disrupting the chemistry Serge Ibaka or Pascal Siakam have developed with the other Raptor starters? It will be one of the more interesting subplots to keep an eye on over the second half of the season and into the playoffs.

Editor's Note: Looking for an edge when it comes to fantasy hoops? Our new NBA DFS Toolkit has a Lineup Optimizer, Customizable Projections, Next Man Up tool and more for FanDuel, DraftKings and Yahoo! And for season-long, the NBA Season Pass provides weekly projections, rankings, Pickups of the Day and more.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder Record: 36-19 Russell Westbrook recorded his ninth consecutive triple-double in Saturday’s impressive comeback victory over the Rockets in Houston. Russ scored 21 points, grabbed 12 rebounds an dished out 11 dimes. The nine straight trip-dubs ties Wilt Chamberlain for the longest streak in league history. During this nine-game stretch, Russ is averaging a mind-boggling 14.1 assists and 13.1 rebounds. Just an important, the Thunder are 11-1 in their last 12 contests.

5. Philadelphia 76ers Record: 36-20 As of Thursday morning, the Philadelphia was the only team in the league with four players averaging at least 17 points per game. Then they added Tobias Harris to the mix, who was averaging 20.9 points a night for the Clippers. The Sixers have only played two games since acquiring Harris at the trade deadline, but after beating the Nuggets on Friday and demolishing the Lakers on Sunday, Philly undoubtedly has the look of a team that can make a serious postseason run.

6. Denver Nuggets Record: 37-18 The Nuggets have lost three straight games and are still dealing with injuries to important players. Gary Harris (right adductor strain) has missed each of Denver last five contests and will likely be held out until after the All-Star break. Coach Mike Malone said that resting Harris through the break is "probably the most prudent decision." Paul Millsap (ankle), who has missed three straight games, was "very limited" at Sunday's practice. However, over the weekend, Isaiah Thomas (hip) was able to participate in a 5-of-5 practice for the first time all season.

7. Portland Trail Blazers Record: 33-22 On Sunday, the Blazers began a stretch in which they ten of 11 games away from home. Their first stop was in Dallas, and it appeared they were well on their way to securing a road victory, as they were up by 15 points with less than ten minutes remaining. However, Luka Doncic spearheaded a remarkable comeback by the Mavs, leading to a 102-101 win for Dallas.

8. Boston Celtics Record: 35-21 After an uninspiring 10-10 start, the Celtics were 25-9 in their subsequent 34 games. However, last week was an awful one for the C’s. First, they blew an 18-point lead at home to the Lakers on Thursday. Then, on Saturday night, they somehow went from up 28 on the Clippers to losing by 11. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Kyrie Irving exited the game with a knee injury. Fortunately, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Sunday that Irving’s right knee sprain isn’t serious and he’s day-to-day going forward.

9. Utah Jazz Record: 32-24 Rudy Gobert has been a beast for Utah over the last month. Dating back to January 12th (13 games), Gobert is averaging 17.1 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.8 blocks, while shooting a scorching 66.9 percent from the field. The Jazz are 12-3 over their last 15 contests.

10. Houston Rockets Record: 32-23 Incredibly, James Harden has scored at least 30 points in each of the Rockets' last 29 games. He is now just two games shy of matching Wilt Chamberlain for the second-longest streak in NBA history. During this remarkable 29-game run, Harden is averaging a whopping 41.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.5 assists 5.7 triples and 2.2 steals.

11. Indiana Pacers Record: 37-19 Someone forgot to tell the gritty Pacers that they were supposed to lay down and die after they lost superstar Victor Oladipo for the season. Indiana won all four games they played last week and have won five in a row overall. The Pacers are currently sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference, ahead of both the Sixers and Celtics. In addition, they signed sharpshooter Wesley Matthews over the weekend, after the Knicks waived him.

12. San Antonio Spurs Record: 32-26 The Spurs began the dreaded “Rodeo Road Trip” last week, and it has not gone well. San Antonio lost all four games they’ve played thus far, and still have four more consecutive road games (Memphis, Toronto, New York, Brooklyn). The Spurs don’t play again at home until Wednesday, February 27th, when they host the Pistons.

13. Sacramento Kings Record: 30-26 The Kings won for the fifth time in six outings on Sunday when the beat up on the Suns. Marvin Bagley scored a game-high 32 points, and in the process became the youngest player in franchise history to score more than 30 points. However, Sacramento now faces a problematic portion of their schedule. Their next four games are all on the road, with trips to Denver, Golden State, Oklahoma City and Minnesota, before heading home to take on the Bucks.

14. LA Clippers Record: 31-26 Garrett Temple, Ivica Zubac, JaMychal Green and Landry Shamet all made their Clipper debuts in Saturday’s thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Celtics in Boston. The C’s were up 68-40 in the second in the second quarter and led 74-53 at halftime, before L.A. came storming back. The Clips got a big lift from Shamet, who finished with 17 points, two rebounds, three assists, one steal and four 3-pointers in 27 minutes.

15. Los Angeles Lakers Record: 28-28 Even with their miraculous comeback victory over the Celtics in Boston last Thursday, the Lakers have still dropped three of their last four games, and all three losses were embarrassing defeats. They lost to the Warriors by 14, the Pacers by 42 (the most lopsided loss of LeBron James’ career) and the Sixers by 23 points.

16. Brooklyn Nets Record: 29-28 The Nets have lost four of their last five games, including a very disappointing defeat to the Bulls in Brooklyn on Friday night. However, they did welcome back Caris LeVert to the lineup in that contest. LeVert scored 11 points with two rebounds, four assists, one turnover and matching a career-high five steals in 15 minutes. Brooklyn will also get Spencer Dinwiddie back after the All-Star break, as they hope to make a push into the playoffs.

17. Charlotte Hornets Record: 27-28 Unsurprisingly, Kemba Walker has been carrying the Hornets, as he’s averaging 31.8 points, 5.2 boards, 7.2 dimes, 1.4 steals and 5.2 treys over the last month. However, Kamba and the Cats have also gotten a significant boost from Jeremy Lamb of late. Over Charlotte’s past four games, Lamb is averaging 18.5 points, 6.0 boards, 2.5 dimes, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 treys, while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 92.3 percent from the charity stripe.

18. Detroit Pistons Record: 25-29 At this time last week, the Pistons were in the doldrums. However, Detroit has won three in a row to climb back into the postseason race. The Pistons also certainly benefit from playing out East. Despite being four games under .500, Detroit is currently sitting in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Kings (30-26) are four games over .500 and are in ninth place in the Western Conference, on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.

19. Dallas Mavericks Record: 26-29 Rookie sensation Luka Doncic was at it again on Sunday night. With Dallas trailing Portland by 15 points in the final frame, Doncic put the Mavs on his back, scoring 13 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, to carry his team to a 102-101 victory. Maverick fans probably shouldn’t have been shocked, as Luka has been hitting big shots all season. According to NBA.com/stats, Doncic is one of only two players in the league to score more than 80 total points and shot at least 50 percent from the floor in the clutch this season.

20. Miami Heat Record: 25-29 The Heat gave the Warriors all they could handle, before losing a 120-118 nailbiter on Sunday night. Unfortunately, moral victories are not what Miami needs right now. The struggling Heat have lost five of their last six games, and still have three games left on their current road trip (at Denver, at Dallas and at Philadelphia).

21. Washington Wizards Record: 24-32 The Newest Wizards, Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis, we're looking to settle some outstanding debts on Saturday night. Washington was playing in Chicago, which meant it was the first time both players squared off with the team that traded them just a few days earlier. Not only did the Wiz get the win, but Parker also scored 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting, with six assists, five rebounds, two blocked shots and one steal in 35 minutes and Portis tallied ten points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.

22. Orlando Magic Record: 25-32 Many pundits believed the Magic would trade away either Terrence Ross and/or starting center, and pending unrestricted free agent, Nikola Vucevic by Thursday’s deadline. Instead, Orlando decided they’d build towards the future by trading for Markelle Fultz, and also make a run at the playoffs this year. Winners in four of their last five games, the Magic have crept back within six games of .500 and are just 2.5 games behind Miami and Detroit for the eight seed in the East.

23. Minnesota Timberwolves Record: 25-30 Losers of six of their last seven games, the Wolves are heading in the wrong direction. However, to be fair, they’ve been extremely shorthanded at point guard of late, with Jeff Teague (foot), Derrick Rose (ankle), Jerryd Bayless (sore right big toe) and Tyus Jones (ankle) all missing time. Fortunately, Teague was a full participant in Sunday's practice and is expected to play Monday night. D Rose also practiced on Sunday. He and Bayless are listed as questionable for Monday. Jones is likely to return after the All-Star break.

24. New Orleans Pelicans Record: 25-32 After the Pelicans decided to hold onto Anthony Davis past the trade deadline, there was much speculation as to whether New Orleans would choose to sit AD the remainder of the season to protect his health. After commissioner Adam Silver and the league office reportedly threated to fine the Pels $100,000 for each game, Davis was benched, AD was in the starting lineup on Friday night. Most folks assumed he would not suit up for the second night of a back-to-back on Saturday, but Davis did play and even logged 34 minutes. The Pels have another back-to-back in their first two games after the All-Star break, so it will be interesting to see if he plays both legs of the B2B once again.

25. Memphis Grizzlies Record: 23-34 The Grizzlies drafted Pau Gasol in June of 2001. He was the first ever draft pick by the organization after they moved from Vancouver to Memphis. They traded him in February of 2008, but received his brother Marc in the deal from the Lakers. Marc was a cornerstone of the team until the Grizz traded him at the deadline on Thursday. That means that Saturday’s contest vs. New Orleans was the first time Memphis had played a game without a Gasol on their roster in 18 years (1,427 straight games).

26. Atlanta Hawks Record: 18-38 The Hawks began a seven-game homestand last week, but have lost each of their first three contests. They take on the Lakers on Tuesday and Knicks on Thursday, before wrapping up their homestand against the Pistons and Suns after the All-Star break.

27. Chicago Bulls Record: 13-43 The Bulls were able to knock off the Nets in Brooklyn on Friday, but are just 3-17 in their last 20 games. However, Chicago did make a major move before the deadline, trading Bobby Portis, Jabari Parker and a second-round pick to the Wizards in exchange for Otto Porter Jr. Otto has a hefty salary but is a solid all-around player that Chicago felt would serve as a significant upgrade to its rebuilding roster.

28. Phoenix Suns Record: 11-47 Devin Booker (right hamstring tightness) returned from a two-game absence on Sunday and tallied 27 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three 3-pointers in 35 minutes. However, the Suns still lost their 14th straight game. Phoenix is now one game shy of matching its franchise record of 15 consecutive defeats, set last season.

29. Cleveland Cavaliers Record: 11-45 Larry Nance Jr. continues to find ways to stuff the stat sheet. Nance has recorded double-doubles in each of Cleveland’s last five games and is averaging 12.2 points (on 50 percent shooting), 12.8 rebounds, 3.0 dimes, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocks, 1.0 treys and just 0.8 turnovers during this current five-game stretch.

30. New York Knicks Record: 10-45 Through his three games with New York, Dennis Smith Jr. is posting a 30% Usage Rate and is averaging 19.3 points and 6.5 assists. He is the first player in Knicks franchise history to tally more than 75 points and 25 assists in his first four games with the team. On the negative side of the ledger, DSJ is struggling from the charity stripe. Smith is 18-for-31 (58.1 percent) from the free throw line since his trade to the Big Apple. Oh, by the way, the Knicks have lost 16 games in a row.

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-power-rankings-week-18-174500174--spt.html?src=rss

[thecollegefootballguy]

The Real 2020 Season: Week 1

Hey everybody, welcome to Week 1 of The Real 2020 Season! We’re imagining how things would have gone in the 2020 football season if COVID hadn’t ruined everything.

Week 0 was fun just because football was back on but it didn’t offer a whole lot. Week 1 is when things really get going. We have a big matchups featuring some blue bloods right off the bat. Of course this is balanced out by most other teams hosting bodybag games against scrub opponents from the G5 or the FCS. But hey, let’s look at the fun parts. There aren’t as many ranked games as other past Week 1′s, but football is being played so it’s all good.

If you want to check out my Week 0 post first click here.

-

The Rankings

Preseason AP Poll

1. Clemson 0-0 (0-0) 2. Ohio State 0-0 (0-0) 3. Alabama 0-0 (0-0) 4. Georgia 0-0 (0-0) 5. Oklahoma 0-0 (0-0) 6. LSU 0-0 (0-0) 7. Penn State 0-0 (0-0) 8. Florida 0-0 (0-0) 9. Oregon 0-0 (0-0) 10. Notre Dame 1-0 11. Auburn 0-0 (0-0) 12. Wisconsin 0-0 (0-0) 13. Texas A&M 0-0 (0-0) 14. Texas 0-0 (0-0) 15. Oklahoma State 0-0 (0-0) 16. Michigan 0-0 (0-0) 17. USC 0-0 (0-0) 18. North Carolina 0-0 (0-0) 19. Minnesota 0-0 (0-0) 20. Cincinnati 0-0 (0-0) 21. UCF 0-0 (0-0) 22. Utah 0-0 (0-0) 23. Iowa State 0-0 (0-0) 24. Iowa 0-0 (0-0) 25. Tennessee 0-0 (0-0)

We’re still working with the preseason AP poll so nothing changed since last week. The SEC and Big Ten are still well represented in the polls, and are followed by the Big 12. The ACC and PAC-12 only managed to fit in three teams each although Clemson being the #1 team certainly helps the ACC’s image. Notre Dame claims the #10 spot which feels pretty spot on for the Irish coming out of 2019.

The G5 is represented only by Cincinnati and UCF of the AAC. Pretty standard stuff for a preseason poll.

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The Narrative

I wrote out a much more in-depth preseason 2020 narrative last week so check it out to get the big scoop. The short version is that the usual suspects are once again the most serious contenders. Alabama and Georgia are favored to win their divisions and once again and then duke it out for the SEC title. Ohio State is favored for the Big Ten ahead of PSU, Michigan, and Wisconsin, Oklahoma is the favorite in the Big 12, and Clemson winning the ACC shouldn’t even be a question. These five favorites from these four conferences will most likely make up the Playoff field, or at least 3 of the 4 spots. What can I say? We’ve been in a bit of a rut regarding putting new teams in the Playoff since that first 2014 season.

The PAC-12 is the only Power conference without a clear favorite and without a real clear path to the Playoff. The G5 of course will probably never be let into the Playoff but the AAC champ is once again favored to snag the auto-bid for the NY6. UCF is the money favorite based on the past several seasons but Cincinnati had a good showing in 2019 and is set to challenge the Knights.

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The Games

Week 1 features several high profile matchups and a bunch of uninteresting bodybag games. I’ll list all of the games and then break down the big matchups.

Winning teams are highlighted in bold.

Austin Peay at #20 Cincinnati Rice at Houston Arkansas State at Memphis SMU at Texas State South Florida at #14 Texas Temple at Miami FL Southeastern Louisiana at Tulane Toledo at Tulsa #18 North Carolina at #21 UCF Syracuse at Boston College #1 Clemson at Georgia Tech Florida State vs West Virginia (Atlanta, GA) NC State at Louisville Wake Forest at Old Dominion Middle Tennessee at Duke Miami OH at Pittsburgh #4 Georgia vs Virginia (Atlanta, GA) Liberty at Virginia Tech Baylor vs Ole Miss (Houston, TX) South Dakota at #23 Iowa State New Hampshire at Kansas Buffalo at Kansas State Missouri State at #5 Oklahoma Oregon State at #15 Oklahoma State TCU at California Texas Tech at UTEP Indiana at #12 Wisconsin Towson at Maryland #16 Michigan at Washington Michigan State at Northwestern Bowling Green at #2 Ohio State Kent State at #7 Penn State Monmouth at Rutgers Illinois State at Illinois Northern Iowa at #24 Iowa Florida Atlantic at #19 Minnesota Purdue at Nebraska Charlotte at #25 Tennessee Jacksonville State at FIU Chattanooga at Western Kentucky Louisiana Tech at UNLV Houston Baptist at North Texas South Alabama at Southern Miss New Mexico State at UAB UTSA at #6 LSU Youngstown State at Akron North Carolina Central at Ohio Maine at Ball State San Jose State at Central Michigan Eastern Michigan at Kentucky Rhode Island at Northern Illinois Colgate at Western Michigan Duquesne at Air Force Georgia Southern at Boise State Colorado at Colorado State New Mexico at Mississippi State Washington State at Utah State Weber State at Wyoming UCLA at Hawaii Nevada at Arkansas Sacramento State at San Diego State North Dakota State at #9 Oregon William & Mary at Stanford Portland State at Arizona Northern Arizona at Arizona State #3 Alabama vs #17 USC (Arlington, TX) BYU at #22 Utah Eastern Washington at #8 Florida Central Arkansas at Missouri Coastal Carolina at South Carolina Mercer at Vanderbilt Nevada at Arkansas Alcorn State at #11 Auburn Abilene Christian at #13 Texas A&M Morgan State at Appalachian State Murray State at Georgia State Arkansas Pine-Bluff at Troy McNeese State at Louisiana Cal Poly at Louisiana-Monroe Bucknell at Army Massachusetts at Connecticut

Nobody came close to upsetting the Top 5, though the games weren’t all severe beatdowns either. #1 Clemson of course stomped rival Georgia Tech in Atlanta and #2 Ohio State and #5 Oklahoma handled their business against patsy opponents. #3 Alabama once again thoroughly torched #17 USC in Dallas. #4 Georgia beat Virginia in Atlanta but the Bulldogs’ offense didn’t exactly look promising.

The other kickoff games saw West Virginia defeating Florida State in the other Chick-fil-A matchup and Ole Miss edged out Baylor in Houston. Boy, don’t you wish both of those games were being played in 2015 and not 2020? The other ranked vs ranked game of the week featured #21 UCF outpacing #18 North Carolina in Orlando, it wasn’t unexpected but it’s still an important symbolic win for the Knights and for the AAC.

A few other games had consequential results for the Big Ten in particular.  Indiana pulled off a shocking upset of #12 Wisconsin, a crippling blow for the Badgers who were once again the favorites to win the Big Ten West. Out West, #16 Michigan lost handily to Washington, likely ruining the Wolverines’ Playoff hopes.

More than a fair share of home teams won against easy opponents, it’s more or less a Week 1 tradition, but there is always intrigue and surprising results on a chalky week like this. Liberty scraped past Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, embarrassing the Hokies in their home opener. Buffalo beat Kansas State with surprising efficiency while Coastal Carolina gutted out a win over South Carolina in Columbia. As usual, a few FCS teams were able to dish out some damage. Jacksonville State beat FIU while Youngstown State was able to down rival Akron and keep their old travelling trophy, the Steel Tire.

A couple other rivalry games to note before moving on. #22 Utah was able to fend off rival BYU in another fierce chapter in the Holy War. AAC squads Houston and Memphis were able to shut down Rice and Arkansas State respectively in their regional rivalry matchups. Colorado travelled to Fort Collins for the first time since 1996 and beat their little brothers in the 92nd Rocky Mountain Showdown. Finally, a bad UConn team eked out a win against a worse UMass squad.

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The Standings

There were only a few conference games played in Week 1, mostly in the ACC and Big Ten. We won’t see full conferences playing until at least Week 4 when the Big Ten, Big 12, and PAC-12 begin their 9-game league schedules. There isn’t much to say about the standings this early in the season, but then again it’s fun to see Nebraska leading the Big Ten West.

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The Big Picture

Week 1 sometimes sees a few earth-shattering outcomes with all of the Kickoff Games and the odd crucial upset. That didn’t happen this year with so few high profile games. It’s not like Alabama curb-stomping USC was unexpected. Probably the most significant events were Michigan and Wisconsin losing to Washington and Indiana. That leaves Ohio State and Penn State as the only real Big Ten teams with a serious shot at the Playoff only a week into the season.

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The New Rankings

Following Week 1 the AP Poll didn’t change a whole lot in the top 15 thanks to a very chalky week. Alabama’s win over USC helps the Tide leap over Ohio State into 2nd place but not yet to first because Clemson did of course completely humiliate their own P5 opponent. Wisconsin and North Carolina fall out of the rankings. USC’s loss to Alabama is more or less forgiven because, hey, basically everybody loses to the Tide so the Trojans only fall a few spots. Michigan nearly tumbled out of the poll but just barely cling on after falling 9 spots to #25. Washington and Indiana both climb into the polls, though of course the Huskies are treated with a bit more respect than the Hoosiers, whose presence is treated more like a novelty.

1. Clemson 1-0 (1-0) 2. Alabama 1-0 (0-0) 3. Ohio State 1-0 (0-0) 4. Georgia 1-0 (0-0) 5. Oklahoma 1-0 (0-0) 6. LSU 1-0 (0-0) 7. Penn State 1-0 (0-0) 8. Florida 1-0 (0-0) 9. Oregon 1-0 (0-0) 10. Notre Dame 1-0 11. Auburn 1-0 (0-0) 12. Texas A&M 1-0 (0-0) 13. Texas 1-0 (0-0) 14. Oklahoma State 1-0 (0-0) 15. Washington 1-0 (0-0) 16. UCF 1-0 (0-0) 17. Minnesota 1-0 (0-0) 18. Utah 1-0 (0-0) 19. Indiana 1-0 (1-0) 20. USC 0-1 (0-0) 21. Cincinnati 1-0 (0-0) 22. Iowa State 1-0 (0-0) 23. Iowa 1-0 (0-0) 24. Tennessee 1-0 (0-0) 25. Michigan 0-1 (0-0)

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Week 1 is in the books. The 2020 college football season is finally under way! And don’t worry if this is somewhat less interesting than you expected one week in, Week 2 will be much more interesting! Stay tuned!

[nbatrades]

Milwaukee Bucks Acquire Jiri Welsch from Cleveland

On June 28th, 2005, the Cleveland Cavaliers traded guard-forward Jiri Welsch to the Milwaukee Bucks for a 2006 second round draft pick (Lior Eliyahu).

Jiri Welsch became a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers after he was acquired for a 2007 first round pick in a 2005 trade deadline deal with the Boston Celtics. Cleveland was 31-21 and in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. Welsch was expected to provide perimeter shooting and versatility to Cleveland’s bench. Though he shot just 32.3% from three with Boston during the 2004-05 season, Welsch was coming off of a 2003-04 campaign that saw him can 69 of his 181 three-point attempts (38.1%).

The Welsch-Cavaliers partnership was a failure from the beginning. After acquiring Welsch, Cleveland went into a tailspin, dropping their first six games. After falling to 34-30, the Cavs fired head coach Paul Silas and replaced him with assistant Brendan Malone. 

The coaching change didn’t do much for Cleveland. The Cavs went 8-10 to finish 42-40. They were tied for eighth with the New Jersey Nets, but New Jersey held the head-to-head tiebreaker (3-1). Cleveland went from third in the East in late February to out of the playoff picture at the regular season’s end. 

Welsch struggled shooting immediately in his start with Cleveland. After his poor performance, Welsch fell out of the Cavs rotation. He missed seven of the team’s final eight games due to coach’s decision. Welsch ended up playing in 16 games for the Cavaliers. He averaged 2.9 PPG on 23.5% shooting overall, 1.8 RPG and 1.2 APG in 12.0 MPG.

Going into the 2005 offseason, the Cavaliers were looking to make a big splash in free agency and surround young star LeBron James with top shelf talent. The team had $28 million cap space. Looking to free up even more cap space, the Cavs traded Welsch to the Milwaukee Bucks for a second round pick in 2006. To offload Welsch’s contract, Cleveland agreed to pay all of the wing’s $2.2 million salary for the 2005-06 season.

Welsch joined a Bucks team deep in transition. After a 30-52 record during the 2005-06 season, Milwaukee had won the number one overall selection in the draft lottery. The Bucks used the pick on Utah center Andrew Bogut from Australia. Milwaukee re-signed All-Star Michael Redd and a made a major commitment in free agency, signing reigning Most Improved Player Bobby Simmons to a five-year, $47 million deal. 

Going into the season, the Bucks dealt starter Desmond Mason to the New Orleans Hornets for former All-Star center Jamaal Magloire. The new look Bucks began the season 3-0. After 28 games, Milwaukee was third in the East with a 17-11 record. The Bucks would hover around .500 for much of the season, but a 3-6 finish to the season caused the team to fall to eighth in the East with a 40-42 record. 

Welsch saw time at both wing positions, but had inconsistent playing time behind the likes of Redd and Simmons as well as reserves Toni Kukoc and Charlie Bell. Welsch finished up his season in Milwaukee with 4.3 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.1 APG and 0.6 SPG in 58 games and 14.9 MPG.

The Bucks made the postseason and faced the 64-18 Detroit Pistons in the opening round. Detroit took the first two games by double digits. Facing a 2-0 deficit, Redd had 40 points in Game Three to lead the Bucks to a 124-104 rout. The Pistons took the next two games to win the series 4-1. Every game in the first round series was decided by double digits. Welsch only appeared in garbage time of the playoff series. He appeared in four of the five games, scoring seven points in 15:23 of total playing time.

The Bucks opted not to re-sign Welsch when he became a free agent in the summer of 2006. Though there was interest from NBA teams, Welsch decided to sign overseas and play for Unicaja Malaga of the Spanish League, citing playing time as a reason for his move. Though he was 26 when he left the NBA, Welsch would never play another NBA game.

The 2006 draft pick that Cleveland acquired from Milwaukee was dealt on the same day to the Orlando Magic for the draft rights of forward Martynas Andriuskevicius. Orlando had the pick by the 2006 NBA Draft and selected Israeli forward Lior Eliyahu with the 44th pick in the draft.

Jiri Welsch on joining the Bucks team in training camp interview (via Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel):

“I think I have a chance to be part of a very good team. I say a chance, because good players and good names don’t always make a good team. Michael Redd is a great story, a great inspiration to everybody. Everyone knows the story, from playing behind Ray Allen, not playing at all his rookie year, working hard on his game and making the all-star team. Hopefully I will find a way to get out there as well, behind him or with him, even though it’s going to be tough.”

On what went wrong in Cleveland:

“I think it didn’t work out well at all. I had a big expectation for myself, too, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. There was so much pressure on making the playoffs and keeping that spot. I came in, I didn’t play well in the first three or four games, and from that point I was sitting on the end of the bench.”

On questions that he lost confidence in Cleveland:

“I didn’t lose confidence. It’s not going to be up to making or missing shots whether I’m going to be on the court. Playing defense is going to be big, and I will try to get involved in rebounding as well. If I want to be on the floor, I have to focus on all those things.”

Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry on dealing Welsch to create cap room (via Marysville Journal Tribune):

“Our mantra was cap flexibility.”

Milwaukee Bucks general manager Larry Harris on acquiring Welsch (via Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel):

“He has great size, and he can play a couple different positions. We needed some shooting and scoring off the bench.”

Bucks head coach Terry Stotts on Welsch’s versatility (via Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel):

“He has a great sense for the game, and he moves well without the ball. He’s a good shooter, and his defense is probably underrated. He can play the 2 or 3 (shooting guard or small forward), but he can also play point forward. There are situations where he can handle the ball and get T.J. (Ford) off the ball a little bit.”

Bucks assistant coach Lester Conner on coaching Welsch in Boston (via Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel):

“He got off to a bad start, actually, when we left Boston. Guys started beating him down mentally, and he lost a little bit of his confidence. Here he seems to be the old Jiri that we had in Boston. He’s shooting the ball well [in 2005 Bucks training camp], making good decisions. He’s a tough kid, too. He’ll stick his nose in there and take a charge. I just think in Boston his teammates kept riding him.”

Image via Getty Images/Gary Dineen

[fingerrate9-blog]

Bulls fall to Jazz

Bulls Executive Vice-President of Basketball Operations John Paxson Saturday confirmed Chandler Hutchison officially will join fellow rookie Wendell Carter Jr. who is out for the rest of the season. Plus, Paxson said Otto Porter Jr. with shoulder and neck issues possibly will not play these last three weeks, and Zach LaVine, who sat out Saturday night against the Utah Jazz, also could be out the final nine games.

Though coach Jim Boylen said it is not a ploy to enhance draft lottery positioning.

"That's not what we think is going to help this franchise the most," Boylen told reporters before the game. "We're trying to build a competitive spirit, a team that's going to honor Bulls across their chest and play for the city. We don't feel shutting people down is a way to build that. I understand the fans (some favoring losing); I understand that part of it. I was in Houston when we got Yao (Ming with the No. 1 draft pick). So I get it. But we feel for this group of guys that we're going to keep pushing us to compete and play for each other and honor the principles we're trying to establish. I know that's disappointing to some, but that's what we're doing."

Still, it means you're going to see plenty of Shaquille Harrison and Antonio Blakeney, the latter who started against the playoff bound Jazz, along with Wayne Selden Jr., Cristiano Felicio, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and a dash of Brandon Sampson.

Bulls vs. Jazz game recap

The Jazz didn't seem to mind as they dominated the Bulls 114-83 in a game that was pretty much concluded by a 17-0 Utah second quarter run that gave the Jazz a 68-30 lead shortly before halftime. Not that it ever was particularly competitive with Boylen calling two timeouts in the first seven minutes of the game with the Bulls in full lollygag mode and Utah leading 33-18 after one quarter.

"Obviously, when you dig a 36-point hole or whatever it was, it's kind of hard to come back from that," said Lauri Markkanen, who led the Bulls with 18 points and 10 rebounds. "You gotta compete every night no matter who you're playing against, and I don't think we did that in the first half. And that's pretty much the storyline. I think we can beat anybody when we play a full 48 minutes that well. We haven't done that too many times this year. We just gotta pull together, and I think we did a pretty good job in the second half."

The Jazz pretty much were coasting after making their point, and their points, in the first half. Not that it should have been unexpected with the Jazz in a narrow competition with three other Western Conference teams to at least avoid the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. The Jazz, Thunder, Clippers and Spurs are virtually even in the race for the Nos. 5 through 8 places. They're pretty much assured of making the playoffs with the Kings in ninth six games behind.

But the Jazz was taking no chances with a Bulls team, though now 21-53, that had won two straight, including overtime against Washington. What the Jazz demonstrated is what a playoff team looks like. And for the Bulls, at least for now, what a primarily G-league team looks like.

"Obviously, when you dig a 36-point hole or whatever it was, it's kind of hard to come back from that. You gotta compete every night no matter who you're playing against, and I don't think we did that in the first half. And that's pretty much the storyline. I think we can beat anybody when we play a full 48 minutes that well." - Lauri Markkanen

Other than Markkanen, the Bulls got 10 points each from Robin Lopez, Blakeney and Felicio, the latter with his third consecutive game scoring in double figures. Kris Dunn was listed as questionable with a back problem, but he asked to play with Porter and LaVine out.

"I love the fact that he tried it. He had more kinesio tape on him than a damn mummy," said Boylen. "He tried to play and give us what he could. I love the fact that he just said, 'Coach, I'm gonna give you everything I have. I'll do the best I can.' And he tried. I like guys like that."

But the Bulls never really had much of a chance against one of the league's best defensive teams with defensive anchor Rudy Gobert leading seven players in double figures—and no one playing 30 minutes—with 21 points and 14 rebounds. And not only by the defensive numbers for Utah, second in the league in defensive efficiency to the Bucks. The Jazz don't switch as much as most teams, playing an aggressive, physical man to man defense and fighting over screens. Boylen before the game likened the Jazz to a 90s type NBA team, and it's not something teams see often. The Bulls clearly were overwhelmed.

They repeatedly tried to go at Gobert early with indifferent scoop shots, which he swatted away. The Bulls also would equal a league low this season with just two three pointers made. The Jazz play a defense similar to the way the Bulls played with Tom Thibodeau, funneling drivers to the baseline to their big man. The idea is the baseline and sideline provide a form of a trap and the Bulls players seemed flummoxed with 31 percent first half shooting. It seemed to take the fight out of them with that 17-0 run filled with layups and lobs as Utah also is excellent, if somewhat star deprived, at moving the ball with precise extra passes.

"I thought Gobert and their defense shut down the paint," said Boylen. "We were two for 16 from three, so obviously we didn't help ourselves there. I thought they made some contested shots early and then the dam kind of broke in that second quarter. We were not scoring and they were scoring. That's a bad combination against a good team. If you want a bright spot, we won the second half."

Though the news, if not so bright, came prior to the game with Paxson, who admitted Hutchison could not make it back from his toe injury with so few games remaining, and perhaps not Porter, either, considering the time needed to practice. Plus, Paxson indicated it's possible LaVine doesn't make it back from some knee issues, though he and Porter aren't ruled out for the season yet. This, of course, raises questions about draft lottery positioning, though it could be moot by now. With Atlanta's surprising win over the 76ers Saturday, the Bulls are now five games from the Hawks, who have the fifth poorest record. With just eight games remaining, the Bulls almost certainly cannot end with a better record than Atlanta. That leaves the Bulls in that fourth spot. The three poorest teams get the identical 14 percent odds for the No. 1 draft pick. No. 4 has odds of 12.5 percent. The Knicks and Suns have pretty much clinched the bottom two records. The Bulls are one and a half games better than Cleveland, which is in the third spot. Though six of the Cavaliers last nine games are against teams in playoff positioning. The Cavaliers have one more loss than the Bulls. If the teams tie, there is a procedure to average the number of combinations of the two teams and then a coin flip if it's not a full number. Last year, the Bulls "won" the coin flip with the Kings to get the No. 6 spot and Sacramento No. 7. Then No. 7 came up to move into the top three, the Bulls good luck turning bad as the Kings moved to No. 2 and selected Marvin Bagley.

"We're trying to build a competitive spirit, a team that's going to honor Bulls across their chest and play for the city. We don't feel shutting people down is a way to build that." - Coach Boylen on shutting players down

Which also suggests all that maneuvering could be for naught if a team is not lucky, which the Bulls were not last season despite "winning" the coin flip.

"Chandler had another scan and he continues to progress really well, but we're officially ruling him out. We've kind of run out of time where it makes any sense to bring him back to try to play at the end of the year," Paxson admitted. "Wendell has amped up his activity and we've mentioned it, but we're officially ruling him out for the year as well."

Hutchison, the No. 22 pick last June, finishes the season playing 44 games, averaging 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds. But he finished the season averaging eight points and six rebounds in January. Carter averaged 10.3 points and seven rebounds, also playing 44 games after being drafted No. 7 overall.

"The only other two guys we are monitoring are Otto and Zach," Paxson said. "Otto has had a lot of little nagging injuries that we're trying to pay attention to and Zach has that patellar tendinitis that he's been dealing with. We're going to monitor them on a day-to-day basis. The discouraging thing (with Hutchison) he was kind of coming into his own a little bit when he got hurt. The things Chandler does well are his ability to rebound and push the ball. He's another creator. He's going to have to spend time in the gym shooting the ball this summer to become a better shooter because we know that's an important component. But he has size and length to defend. We're encouraged. The summers are always important for him, and for Wendell it will be a huge one. Wendell has to work on his body, get stronger, more physical. What he probably learned as a starter this year is some of the big bodies he goes up against every night can be difficult. (Orlando's Nikola) Vucevic comes to mind for a couple of games that were physically difficult for him. He's 19 years old. We need him to be in the weight room working. We're anxious to see how he works this summer.

"Otto has so many little things going on that we won't push him," Paxson acknowledged. "We may run out of time with him, too. For Zach, I think it's important for him to try to fight through some of these little things. Last year, we shut him down toward the end (last 14 games). If Zach's patellar tendinitis doesn't get appreciably better in the next week, then you start looking at the reality of it and it doesn't make any sense (to return). But we're not there yet.

"We're going to be adding at least one player in the draft, probably two (with a second round pick from Memphis)," Paxson added. "It's going to be a huge summer. You factor in other guys. Denzel (Valentine) has been out the whole year, so it's going to be a big summer for him, too. (Porter) has had some nagging things throughout his career. We're aware of that and we're going to monitor it. Right now, he hurt his shoulder and his neck has been bothering him. It seems like it's been one thing after another. For a guy like Otto and his longevity as a player, the offseason becomes important as far as establishing a base with your strength and conditioning. We're not ruling him out completely yet, but it's kind of trending that way."

Source: https://www.nba.com/bulls/gameday/bulls-fall-jazz

[woundtwine39-blog]

NBA Power Rankings: Week 18

The Sixers jump into the top-five, bumping the Nuggets down to No. 6, while the Warriors retain the top spot in this week’s updated NBA Power Rankings.

1. Golden State Warriors Record: 40-15 The Warriors are so talented, you get the sense they could spot their opponents 20 points at the start of each game and still win most nights. On Friday, they were down 17 to the Suns before cruising to an easy victory. On Sunday, Golden State continued its trend of falling behind big early on, only to come out victorious, as the Dubs trailed the Heat by 19 in the first quarter but eventually won 120-118. It was the Warriors 11th double-digit comeback of the season. Golden State has won 15 of their last 16 contests and has scored at least 100 points in 26 straight games.

2. Milwaukee Bucks Record: 41-14 Milwaukee decided to sit Giannis Antetokounmpo on Saturday and it served as a solid reminder why the Greek Freak is considered by many to be the league's most valuable player this season. After a dominant stretch in which they won 12 of 13 games, the Bucks finally came back down to earth on Saturday when they got blown out by Orlando at home. Dating back to Christmas Day, Milwaukee is 19-2 when Giannis plays, and they’ve won 17 of those 19 games by double-digits. They are 0-2 without him, losing those two games by a combined total of 27 points.

3. Toronto Raptors Record: 41-16 The Raptors surprisingly added a former All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year in Marc Gasol at the deadline. Now it’s on coach Nick Nurse to figure out how to best utilize his new addition. Big Spain came off the bench in his first game with Toronto on Saturday, but will he be content as a reserve long-term? If not, would Nurse risk disrupting the chemistry Serge Ibaka or Pascal Siakam have developed with the other Raptor starters? It will be one of the more interesting subplots to keep an eye on over the second half of the season and into the playoffs.

Editor's Note: Looking for an edge when it comes to fantasy hoops? Our new NBA DFS Toolkit has a Lineup Optimizer, Customizable Projections, Next Man Up tool and more for FanDuel, DraftKings and Yahoo! And for season-long, the NBA Season Pass provides weekly projections, rankings, Pickups of the Day and more.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder Record: 36-19 Russell Westbrook recorded his ninth consecutive triple-double in Saturday’s impressive comeback victory over the Rockets in Houston. Russ scored 21 points, grabbed 12 rebounds an dished out 11 dimes. The nine straight trip-dubs ties Wilt Chamberlain for the longest streak in league history. During this nine-game stretch, Russ is averaging a mind-boggling 14.1 assists and 13.1 rebounds. Just an important, the Thunder are 11-1 in their last 12 contests.

5. Philadelphia 76ers Record: 36-20 As of Thursday morning, the Philadelphia was the only team in the league with four players averaging at least 17 points per game. Then they added Tobias Harris to the mix, who was averaging 20.9 points a night for the Clippers. The Sixers have only played two games since acquiring Harris at the trade deadline, but after beating the Nuggets on Friday and demolishing the Lakers on Sunday, Philly undoubtedly has the look of a team that can make a serious postseason run.

6. Denver Nuggets Record: 37-18 The Nuggets have lost three straight games and are still dealing with injuries to important players. Gary Harris (right adductor strain) has missed each of Denver last five contests and will likely be held out until after the All-Star break. Coach Mike Malone said that resting Harris through the break is "probably the most prudent decision." Paul Millsap (ankle), who has missed three straight games, was "very limited" at Sunday's practice. However, over the weekend, Isaiah Thomas (hip) was able to participate in a 5-of-5 practice for the first time all season.

7. Portland Trail Blazers Record: 33-22 On Sunday, the Blazers began a stretch in which they ten of 11 games away from home. Their first stop was in Dallas, and it appeared they were well on their way to securing a road victory, as they were up by 15 points with less than ten minutes remaining. However, Luka Doncic spearheaded a remarkable comeback by the Mavs, leading to a 102-101 win for Dallas.

8. Boston Celtics Record: 35-21 After an uninspiring 10-10 start, the Celtics were 25-9 in their subsequent 34 games. However, last week was an awful one for the C’s. First, they blew an 18-point lead at home to the Lakers on Thursday. Then, on Saturday night, they somehow went from up 28 on the Clippers to losing by 11. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Kyrie Irving exited the game with a knee injury. Fortunately, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Sunday that Irving’s right knee sprain isn’t serious and he’s day-to-day going forward.

9. Utah Jazz Record: 32-24 Rudy Gobert has been a beast for Utah over the last month. Dating back to January 12th (13 games), Gobert is averaging 17.1 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.8 blocks, while shooting a scorching 66.9 percent from the field. The Jazz are 12-3 over their last 15 contests.

10. Houston Rockets Record: 32-23 Incredibly, James Harden has scored at least 30 points in each of the Rockets' last 29 games. He is now just two games shy of matching Wilt Chamberlain for the second-longest streak in NBA history. During this remarkable 29-game run, Harden is averaging a whopping 41.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.5 assists 5.7 triples and 2.2 steals.

11. Indiana Pacers Record: 37-19 Someone forgot to tell the gritty Pacers that they were supposed to lay down and die after they lost superstar Victor Oladipo for the season. Indiana won all four games they played last week and have won five in a row overall. The Pacers are currently sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference, ahead of both the Sixers and Celtics. In addition, they signed sharpshooter Wesley Matthews over the weekend, after the Knicks waived him.

12. San Antonio Spurs Record: 32-26 The Spurs began the dreaded “Rodeo Road Trip” last week, and it has not gone well. San Antonio lost all four games they’ve played thus far, and still have four more consecutive road games (Memphis, Toronto, New York, Brooklyn). The Spurs don’t play again at home until Wednesday, February 27th, when they host the Pistons.

13. Sacramento Kings Record: 30-26 The Kings won for the fifth time in six outings on Sunday when the beat up on the Suns. Marvin Bagley scored a game-high 32 points, and in the process became the youngest player in franchise history to score more than 30 points. However, Sacramento now faces a problematic portion of their schedule. Their next four games are all on the road, with trips to Denver, Golden State, Oklahoma City and Minnesota, before heading home to take on the Bucks.

14. LA Clippers Record: 31-26 Garrett Temple, Ivica Zubac, JaMychal Green and Landry Shamet all made their Clipper debuts in Saturday’s thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Celtics in Boston. The C’s were up 68-40 in the second in the second quarter and led 74-53 at halftime, before L.A. came storming back. The Clips got a big lift from Shamet, who finished with 17 points, two rebounds, three assists, one steal and four 3-pointers in 27 minutes.

15. Los Angeles Lakers Record: 28-28 Even with their miraculous comeback victory over the Celtics in Boston last Thursday, the Lakers have still dropped three of their last four games, and all three losses were embarrassing defeats. They lost to the Warriors by 14, the Pacers by 42 (the most lopsided loss of LeBron James’ career) and the Sixers by 23 points.

16. Brooklyn Nets Record: 29-28 The Nets have lost four of their last five games, including a very disappointing defeat to the Bulls in Brooklyn on Friday night. However, they did welcome back Caris LeVert to the lineup in that contest. LeVert scored 11 points with two rebounds, four assists, one turnover and matching a career-high five steals in 15 minutes. Brooklyn will also get Spencer Dinwiddie back after the All-Star break, as they hope to make a push into the playoffs.

17. Charlotte Hornets Record: 27-28 Unsurprisingly, Kemba Walker has been carrying the Hornets, as he’s averaging 31.8 points, 5.2 boards, 7.2 dimes, 1.4 steals and 5.2 treys over the last month. However, Kamba and the Cats have also gotten a significant boost from Jeremy Lamb of late. Over Charlotte’s past four games, Lamb is averaging 18.5 points, 6.0 boards, 2.5 dimes, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 treys, while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 92.3 percent from the charity stripe.

18. Detroit Pistons Record: 25-29 At this time last week, the Pistons were in the doldrums. However, Detroit has won three in a row to climb back into the postseason race. The Pistons also certainly benefit from playing out East. Despite being four games under .500, Detroit is currently sitting in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Kings (30-26) are four games over .500 and are in ninth place in the Western Conference, on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.

19. Dallas Mavericks Record: 26-29 Rookie sensation Luka Doncic was at it again on Sunday night. With Dallas trailing Portland by 15 points in the final frame, Doncic put the Mavs on his back, scoring 13 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, to carry his team to a 102-101 victory. Maverick fans probably shouldn’t have been shocked, as Luka has been hitting big shots all season. According to NBA.com/stats, Doncic is one of only two players in the league to score more than 80 total points and shot at least 50 percent from the floor in the clutch this season.

20. Miami Heat Record: 25-29 The Heat gave the Warriors all they could handle, before losing a 120-118 nailbiter on Sunday night. Unfortunately, moral victories are not what Miami needs right now. The struggling Heat have lost five of their last six games, and still have three games left on their current road trip (at Denver, at Dallas and at Philadelphia).

21. Washington Wizards Record: 24-32 The Newest Wizards, Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis, we're looking to settle some outstanding debts on Saturday night. Washington was playing in Chicago, which meant it was the first time both players squared off with the team that traded them just a few days earlier. Not only did the Wiz get the win, but Parker also scored 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting, with six assists, five rebounds, two blocked shots and one steal in 35 minutes and Portis tallied ten points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.

22. Orlando Magic Record: 25-32 Many pundits believed the Magic would trade away either Terrence Ross and/or starting center, and pending unrestricted free agent, Nikola Vucevic by Thursday’s deadline. Instead, Orlando decided they’d build towards the future by trading for Markelle Fultz, and also make a run at the playoffs this year. Winners in four of their last five games, the Magic have crept back within six games of .500 and are just 2.5 games behind Miami and Detroit for the eight seed in the East.

23. Minnesota Timberwolves Record: 25-30 Losers of six of their last seven games, the Wolves are heading in the wrong direction. However, to be fair, they’ve been extremely shorthanded at point guard of late, with Jeff Teague (foot), Derrick Rose (ankle), Jerryd Bayless (sore right big toe) and Tyus Jones (ankle) all missing time. Fortunately, Teague was a full participant in Sunday's practice and is expected to play Monday night. D Rose also practiced on Sunday. He and Bayless are listed as questionable for Monday. Jones is likely to return after the All-Star break.

24. New Orleans Pelicans Record: 25-32 After the Pelicans decided to hold onto Anthony Davis past the trade deadline, there was much speculation as to whether New Orleans would choose to sit AD the remainder of the season to protect his health. After commissioner Adam Silver and the league office reportedly threated to fine the Pels $100,000 for each game, Davis was benched, AD was in the starting lineup on Friday night. Most folks assumed he would not suit up for the second night of a back-to-back on Saturday, but Davis did play and even logged 34 minutes. The Pels have another back-to-back in their first two games after the All-Star break, so it will be interesting to see if he plays both legs of the B2B once again.

25. Memphis Grizzlies Record: 23-34 The Grizzlies drafted Pau Gasol in June of 2001. He was the first ever draft pick by the organization after they moved from Vancouver to Memphis. They traded him in February of 2008, but received his brother Marc in the deal from the Lakers. Marc was a cornerstone of the team until the Grizz traded him at the deadline on Thursday. That means that Saturday’s contest vs. New Orleans was the first time Memphis had played a game without a Gasol on their roster in 18 years (1,427 straight games).

26. Atlanta Hawks Record: 18-38 The Hawks began a seven-game homestand last week, but have lost each of their first three contests. They take on the Lakers on Tuesday and Knicks on Thursday, before wrapping up their homestand against the Pistons and Suns after the All-Star break.

27. Chicago Bulls Record: 13-43 The Bulls were able to knock off the Nets in Brooklyn on Friday, but are just 3-17 in their last 20 games. However, Chicago did make a major move before the deadline, trading Bobby Portis, Jabari Parker and a second-round pick to the Wizards in exchange for Otto Porter Jr. Otto has a hefty salary but is a solid all-around player that Chicago felt would serve as a significant upgrade to its rebuilding roster.

28. Phoenix Suns Record: 11-47 Devin Booker (right hamstring tightness) returned from a two-game absence on Sunday and tallied 27 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three 3-pointers in 35 minutes. However, the Suns still lost their 14th straight game. Phoenix is now one game shy of matching its franchise record of 15 consecutive defeats, set last season.

29. Cleveland Cavaliers Record: 11-45 Larry Nance Jr. continues to find ways to stuff the stat sheet. Nance has recorded double-doubles in each of Cleveland’s last five games and is averaging 12.2 points (on 50 percent shooting), 12.8 rebounds, 3.0 dimes, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocks, 1.0 treys and just 0.8 turnovers during this current five-game stretch.

30. New York Knicks Record: 10-45 Through his three games with New York, Dennis Smith Jr. is posting a 30% Usage Rate and is averaging 19.3 points and 6.5 assists. He is the first player in Knicks franchise history to tally more than 75 points and 25 assists in his first four games with the team. On the negative side of the ledger, DSJ is struggling from the charity stripe. Smith is 18-for-31 (58.1 percent) from the free throw line since his trade to the Big Apple. Oh, by the way, the Knicks have lost 16 games in a row.

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-power-rankings-week-18-174500174--spt.html?src=rss

[junker-town]

Bracketology 2020: The Selection Committee’s preview bracket goes up in smoke

Kansas was the Selection Committee’s No. 2 team on Saturday. The Jayhawks remain in place in Tuesday’s revised bracket. | Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Five of the committee’s top 16 teams lost over the weekend, so today’s bracket projection differs significantly from what you saw Saturday.

In both 2018 and 2019, the top four seed lines in my post-preview bracket were identical to those revealed by the Selection Committee over the previous weekend.

It’s a different story in 2020, as six of the committee’s top 16 teams lost after Saturday afternoon’s show ended. Just two of those defeats, Villanova Wildcats’ home loss to Seton Hall Pirates and the Florida State Seminoles‘ at Duke on Monday, came against a fellow top team.

Considering the committee’s picks for seed lines three and four already differed significantly from what I forecast Saturday morning, that made this projection just a little more difficult to build than I anticipated.

Sure, the top of the bracket was easy, as seven of the top committee’s top eight teams, remain in place, though their order now reflects the panel’s ranking. Plus, these squads comprised the top seven of last Tuesday’s bracket, That means the Baylor Bears (South) and Kansas Jayhawks (Midwest) are a Big 12 one-two punch, with the Gonzaga Bulldogs (West) and San Diego State Aztecs (East) completing the top line. While Duke, the Dayton Flyers and Louisville Cardinals continue to lead off seed line No. 2, the committee’s eighth-ranked team, the West Virginia Mountaineers, lost to the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday afternoon. Their replacement is a Maryland Terrapins squad I suspected would get the nod in the preview special, particularly after they recorded an impressive Friday win at Illinois Fighting Illini.

West Virginia finds itself among a reshuffled quartet of three seeds, ahead of Florida State, Seton Hall and the Auburn Tigers. The new SEC co-leader, who were the committee’s top No. 4 seed, replaces Villanova. As for the Wildcats, they lead off a four line that’s quite different than what the committee offered up on Saturday. The Kentucky Wildcats and Iowa Hawkeyes, considered for the final spots in the preview top 16 along with an LSU Tigers squad that lost a thriller at Auburn, find themselves on line No. 4 today. They replace the Oregon Ducks, losers at Oregon State, and the Michigan State Spartans, an odd choice for the final protected seed after consecutive losses. The Spartans are definitely out now, as they dropped a third straight game on Saturday — to arch-rival Michigan. On the other hand, the Butler Bulldogs remain a four even after Sunday’s loss at Marquette.

Thanks to some hellacious cable and internet issues, I was unable to write a bubble post on Friday as planned. That was probably for the best because it seems like things have settled down a bit since then. I’ll have more on the cut line picture after today’s full bracket and rundown.

Note: New entrants are marked with an asterisk (*) and arrows indicate a team’s movement up or down the bracket.

Full seed list

1. South Region (Houston)

St. Louis (Thu./Sat.)

1. Baylor (Big 12) vs. 16. Robert Morris (NEC)/NC Central (MEAC) 8. Michigan vs. 9. Arkansas

Sacramento, California (Fri./Sun.)

↓5. Creighton vs. 12. Stephen F. Austin (Southland) ↑4. Iowa vs. 13. New Mexico State (WAC)

Albany, New York (Thu./Sat.)

↓6. LSU vs. ↑11. Virginia 3. Seton Hall (Big East) vs. 14. Wright State (Horizon)

St. Louis (Thu./Sat.)

↓7. Illinois vs. ↑10. Oklahoma 2. Louisville (ACC) vs. ↓15. Bowling Green (MAC)

4. East Region (New York)

Sacramento (Fri./Sun.)

1. San Diego State (MW) vs. 16. North Florida (ASUN) *8. Purdue vs. ↑9. Saint Mary’s

Spokane, Washington (Thu./Sat.)

↑5. Colorado (Pac-12) vs. 12. Furman (SoCon) 4. Butler vs. 13. UC Irvine (Big West)

Cleveland (Fri./Sun.)

6. Marquette vs. ↓11. Florida/Indiana ↓3. West Virginia vs. 14. Colgate (Patriot)

Greensboro, North Carolina (Fri./Sun.)

7. Ohio State vs. ↓10. USC 2. Duke vs. 15. Little Rock (Sun Belt)

2. Midwest Region (Indianapolis)

Omaha, Nebraska (Fri./Sun.)

1. Kansas vs. *16. Prairie View A&M (SWAC)/Rider (MAAC) 8. Houston (American) vs. 9. Rutgers

Omaha (Fri./Sun.)

↓5. Oregon vs. *12. Yale (Ivy) ↑4. Kentucky vs. 13. North Texas (C-USA)

Tampa, Florida (Thu./Sat.)

↑6. BYU vs. 11. Northern Iowa (MVC) 3. Florida State vs. 14. Winthrop (Big South)

Cleveland (Fri./Sun.)

7. Wisconsin vs. ↓10. Stanford 2. Dayton (A 10) vs. 15. South Dakota State (Summit)

3. West Region (Los Angeles)

Spokane (Thu./Sat.)

1. Gonzaga (WCC) vs. *16. Montana (Big Sky) ↑8. Texas Tech vs. ↑9. Rhode Island

Albany (Thu./Sat.)

5. Penn State vs. ↓*12. Wichita State/Arizona State ↓4. Villanova vs. 13. Vermont (Amer. East)

Tampa (Thu./Sat.)

↓6. Michigan State vs. *11. VCU ↑3. Auburn (SEC) vs. *14. Hofstra (CAA)

Greensboro (Fri./Sun.)

↓7. Arizona vs. ↑10. Xavier ↑2. Maryland (Big Ten) vs. 15. Murray State (OVC)

Rundown

Note that I had to shift BYU up to a six seed and Illinois down to a seven seed to ensure the Cougars were placed in both a Thursday/Saturday regional and first weekend site.

Bids by Conference: 11 Big Ten, 6 Big East, 6 Pac-12, 5 Big 12, 5 SEC, 4 ACC, 3 A 10, 3 WCC, 2 AAC, 23 one-bid conferences

Last Four Byes: Xavier, Stanford, VCU, Virginia Last Four IN: Florida, Indiana, Wichita State, Arizona State First Four OUT: ETSU, Cincinnati, Alabama, Mississippi State Next Four OUT: Utah State, Georgetown, Richmond, Minnesota

Lowest-Ranked NET At-Large: Indiana (61) Highest-Ranked NET Exclusion: Minnesota (40)

New Today (7/68): Arizona State, Hofstra, Montana, NC Central, Purdue, Rider, VCU Leaving Today: Eastern Washington, Memphis, Mississippi State, Monmouth, North Carolina A&T, Tulsa, William & Mary

Three new at-large teams

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Purdue dominated Iowa on Wednesday, and that 104-68 romp contributed to their return to the field. Saturday’s big win at Indiana sealed the deal.

The Purdue Boilermakers return to the field, and they’re safely in as an eight seed after winning four of their last five. The VCU Rams also snuck back in, though their at-large hopes are likely to come down to a three-game stretch that begins with Saturday’s crosstown rematch with the Richmond Spiders, who have their own bid hopes to worry about. But it’s the Arizona State Sun Devils who claimed today’s final at-large spot, thanks in no small part to a thrilling last-minute home win over the USC Trojans on Saturday night.

Two of the three departures are from the American Athletic Conference. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane dropped from first to third following back-to-back defeats, first to the UConn Huskies at home, then to the UCF Knights in Orlando. The Memphis Tigers also picked up a loss to a Sunshine State squad, as they followed a midweek win over the Temple Owls with a disappointing home loss to the South Florida Bulls. The third team leaving today’s bracket, the Mississippi State Bulldogs, managed to beat the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday, but Ben Howland’s club really needed to record an unlikely win at Kentucky to remain.

The shape-shifting bubble

With a little less than five weeks to go before Selection Sunday, the bubble hasn’t exactly shrunk, though there are currently three teams in the NET top 75 that are at or below .500 and, therefore, out of the picture for now. But many of the names have changed. Gone are the DePaul Blue Demons and Virginia Tech Hokies, thanks to serious struggles in conference play. The same can almost be said for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who are the highest-ranked NET exclusion. They’re currently 40th in the metric with a 12-11 record that needs a few more wins to get them into the field.

But a few teams, long thought of as NIT material, suddenly have new life. We’ll start with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who now rank 50th in the NET. Theoretically, that ranking means they’ll get a look in the committee room. However, Mike Brey’s squad has just one Quad 1 victory, which came against 65th-ranked Syracuse Orange. That means the Irish don’t yet have a win over a team in the field, and that deficiency means Notre Dame is not quite in true bubble territory yet.

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Oregon State has a better record in Quad 1 games than many current at-large teams.

Then you have Oregon State, now 66th in the NET. The Beavers had fallen completely off the radar thanks to a 1-5 stretch. But Saturday’s home win over arch-rival Oregon was their fourth Quad 1 win and third victory over a team in the NET top 25. So why isn’t Wayne Tinkle’s squad among the “First Eight Out?” Well, Oregon State also has four losses to teams ranked 99th or worse, which is problematic. Still, with six straight games against Pac-12 contenders, the Beavers are very much alive.

So are the Utah Utes, the first of those opponents. Last week, the Utes swept the Bay Area teams at home, Thursday’s victory over the enigmatic Stanford Cardinal being the most vital. The Utes have three Quad 1 wins and a quartet of top 40 ones — and, troublingly, two losses to teams ranked 185th or worse. In other words, Larry Krsytkowiak’s team still has a lot of work to do, but they’ll play five of their final seven over contenders, so don’t write them off either.

However, the weirder this season gets, the better the chances get for a surprise on Selection Sunday. Last season, the Southern Conference’s UNC Greensboro Spartans ended up as the first team out of the field. In today’s bracket, one of UNCG’s conference rivals, the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, find themselves in the same spot. Steve Forbes’ squad recorded an impressive 74-63 victory at LSU on Dec. 18, a result that boosts its profile significantly. However, a pair of sub-100 losses, including a shocking home setback against the 220th-ranked Mercer Bears, weigh the Bucs’ profile down a bit. And while ETSU shares the SoCon lead, a 65-56 loss to the Furman Paladins means they currently hold the league’s auto bid over the Buccaneers. They’ll meet again in Johnson City, Tennessee, on Feb. 19 and perhaps for a third time in the SoCon final on Monday, March 9.

I’ll be back on Friday with a full bubble update. In the meantime, you can check out my nightly TV previews on Blogging the Bracket and listen to my bracketology interviews on the College Basketball Coast to Coast podcast.

[spiderbird7-blog]

Bulls fall to Jazz

Bulls Executive Vice-President of Basketball Operations John Paxson Saturday confirmed Chandler Hutchison officially will join fellow rookie Wendell Carter Jr. who is out for the rest of the season. Plus, Paxson said Otto Porter Jr. with shoulder and neck issues possibly will not play these last three weeks, and Zach LaVine, who sat out Saturday night against the Utah Jazz, also could be out the final nine games.

Though coach Jim Boylen said it is not a ploy to enhance draft lottery positioning.

"That's not what we think is going to help this franchise the most," Boylen told reporters before the game. "We're trying to build a competitive spirit, a team that's going to honor Bulls across their chest and play for the city. We don't feel shutting people down is a way to build that. I understand the fans (some favoring losing); I understand that part of it. I was in Houston when we got Yao (Ming with the No. 1 draft pick). So I get it. But we feel for this group of guys that we're going to keep pushing us to compete and play for each other and honor the principles we're trying to establish. I know that's disappointing to some, but that's what we're doing."

Still, it means you're going to see plenty of Shaquille Harrison and Antonio Blakeney, the latter who started against the playoff bound Jazz, along with Wayne Selden Jr., Cristiano Felicio, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and a dash of Brandon Sampson.

Bulls vs. Jazz game recap

The Jazz didn't seem to mind as they dominated the Bulls 114-83 in a game that was pretty much concluded by a 17-0 Utah second quarter run that gave the Jazz a 68-30 lead shortly before halftime. Not that it ever was particularly competitive with Boylen calling two timeouts in the first seven minutes of the game with the Bulls in full lollygag mode and Utah leading 33-18 after one quarter.

"Obviously, when you dig a 36-point hole or whatever it was, it's kind of hard to come back from that," said Lauri Markkanen, who led the Bulls with 18 points and 10 rebounds. "You gotta compete every night no matter who you're playing against, and I don't think we did that in the first half. And that's pretty much the storyline. I think we can beat anybody when we play a full 48 minutes that well. We haven't done that too many times this year. We just gotta pull together, and I think we did a pretty good job in the second half."

The Jazz pretty much were coasting after making their point, and their points, in the first half. Not that it should have been unexpected with the Jazz in a narrow competition with three other Western Conference teams to at least avoid the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. The Jazz, Thunder, Clippers and Spurs are virtually even in the race for the Nos. 5 through 8 places. They're pretty much assured of making the playoffs with the Kings in ninth six games behind.

But the Jazz was taking no chances with a Bulls team, though now 21-53, that had won two straight, including overtime against Washington. What the Jazz demonstrated is what a playoff team looks like. And for the Bulls, at least for now, what a primarily G-league team looks like.

"Obviously, when you dig a 36-point hole or whatever it was, it's kind of hard to come back from that. You gotta compete every night no matter who you're playing against, and I don't think we did that in the first half. And that's pretty much the storyline. I think we can beat anybody when we play a full 48 minutes that well." - Lauri Markkanen

Other than Markkanen, the Bulls got 10 points each from Robin Lopez, Blakeney and Felicio, the latter with his third consecutive game scoring in double figures. Kris Dunn was listed as questionable with a back problem, but he asked to play with Porter and LaVine out.

"I love the fact that he tried it. He had more kinesio tape on him than a damn mummy," said Boylen. "He tried to play and give us what he could. I love the fact that he just said, 'Coach, I'm gonna give you everything I have. I'll do the best I can.' And he tried. I like guys like that."

But the Bulls never really had much of a chance against one of the league's best defensive teams with defensive anchor Rudy Gobert leading seven players in double figures—and no one playing 30 minutes—with 21 points and 14 rebounds. And not only by the defensive numbers for Utah, second in the league in defensive efficiency to the Bucks. The Jazz don't switch as much as most teams, playing an aggressive, physical man to man defense and fighting over screens. Boylen before the game likened the Jazz to a 90s type NBA team, and it's not something teams see often. The Bulls clearly were overwhelmed.

They repeatedly tried to go at Gobert early with indifferent scoop shots, which he swatted away. The Bulls also would equal a league low this season with just two three pointers made. The Jazz play a defense similar to the way the Bulls played with Tom Thibodeau, funneling drivers to the baseline to their big man. The idea is the baseline and sideline provide a form of a trap and the Bulls players seemed flummoxed with 31 percent first half shooting. It seemed to take the fight out of them with that 17-0 run filled with layups and lobs as Utah also is excellent, if somewhat star deprived, at moving the ball with precise extra passes.

"I thought Gobert and their defense shut down the paint," said Boylen. "We were two for 16 from three, so obviously we didn't help ourselves there. I thought they made some contested shots early and then the dam kind of broke in that second quarter. We were not scoring and they were scoring. That's a bad combination against a good team. If you want a bright spot, we won the second half."

Though the news, if not so bright, came prior to the game with Paxson, who admitted Hutchison could not make it back from his toe injury with so few games remaining, and perhaps not Porter, either, considering the time needed to practice. Plus, Paxson indicated it's possible LaVine doesn't make it back from some knee issues, though he and Porter aren't ruled out for the season yet. This, of course, raises questions about draft lottery positioning, though it could be moot by now. With Atlanta's surprising win over the 76ers Saturday, the Bulls are now five games from the Hawks, who have the fifth poorest record. With just eight games remaining, the Bulls almost certainly cannot end with a better record than Atlanta. That leaves the Bulls in that fourth spot. The three poorest teams get the identical 14 percent odds for the No. 1 draft pick. No. 4 has odds of 12.5 percent. The Knicks and Suns have pretty much clinched the bottom two records. The Bulls are one and a half games better than Cleveland, which is in the third spot. Though six of the Cavaliers last nine games are against teams in playoff positioning. The Cavaliers have one more loss than the Bulls. If the teams tie, there is a procedure to average the number of combinations of the two teams and then a coin flip if it's not a full number. Last year, the Bulls "won" the coin flip with the Kings to get the No. 6 spot and Sacramento No. 7. Then No. 7 came up to move into the top three, the Bulls good luck turning bad as the Kings moved to No. 2 and selected Marvin Bagley.

"We're trying to build a competitive spirit, a team that's going to honor Bulls across their chest and play for the city. We don't feel shutting people down is a way to build that." - Coach Boylen on shutting players down

Which also suggests all that maneuvering could be for naught if a team is not lucky, which the Bulls were not last season despite "winning" the coin flip.

"Chandler had another scan and he continues to progress really well, but we're officially ruling him out. We've kind of run out of time where it makes any sense to bring him back to try to play at the end of the year," Paxson admitted. "Wendell has amped up his activity and we've mentioned it, but we're officially ruling him out for the year as well."

Hutchison, the No. 22 pick last June, finishes the season playing 44 games, averaging 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds. But he finished the season averaging eight points and six rebounds in January. Carter averaged 10.3 points and seven rebounds, also playing 44 games after being drafted No. 7 overall.

"The only other two guys we are monitoring are Otto and Zach," Paxson said. "Otto has had a lot of little nagging injuries that we're trying to pay attention to and Zach has that patellar tendinitis that he's been dealing with. We're going to monitor them on a day-to-day basis. The discouraging thing (with Hutchison) he was kind of coming into his own a little bit when he got hurt. The things Chandler does well are his ability to rebound and push the ball. He's another creator. He's going to have to spend time in the gym shooting the ball this summer to become a better shooter because we know that's an important component. But he has size and length to defend. We're encouraged. The summers are always important for him, and for Wendell it will be a huge one. Wendell has to work on his body, get stronger, more physical. What he probably learned as a starter this year is some of the big bodies he goes up against every night can be difficult. (Orlando's Nikola) Vucevic comes to mind for a couple of games that were physically difficult for him. He's 19 years old. We need him to be in the weight room working. We're anxious to see how he works this summer.

"Otto has so many little things going on that we won't push him," Paxson acknowledged. "We may run out of time with him, too. For Zach, I think it's important for him to try to fight through some of these little things. Last year, we shut him down toward the end (last 14 games). If Zach's patellar tendinitis doesn't get appreciably better in the next week, then you start looking at the reality of it and it doesn't make any sense (to return). But we're not there yet.

"We're going to be adding at least one player in the draft, probably two (with a second round pick from Memphis)," Paxson added. "It's going to be a huge summer. You factor in other guys. Denzel (Valentine) has been out the whole year, so it's going to be a big summer for him, too. (Porter) has had some nagging things throughout his career. We're aware of that and we're going to monitor it. Right now, he hurt his shoulder and his neck has been bothering him. It seems like it's been one thing after another. For a guy like Otto and his longevity as a player, the offseason becomes important as far as establishing a base with your strength and conditioning. We're not ruling him out completely yet, but it's kind of trending that way."

Source: https://www.nba.com/bulls/gameday/bulls-fall-jazz

[spearsilk0-blog]

Bulls fall to Jazz

Bulls Executive Vice-President of Basketball Operations John Paxson Saturday confirmed Chandler Hutchison officially will join fellow rookie Wendell Carter Jr. who is out for the rest of the season. Plus, Paxson said Otto Porter Jr. with shoulder and neck issues possibly will not play these last three weeks, and Zach LaVine, who sat out Saturday night against the Utah Jazz, also could be out the final nine games.

Though coach Jim Boylen said it is not a ploy to enhance draft lottery positioning.

"That's not what we think is going to help this franchise the most," Boylen told reporters before the game. "We're trying to build a competitive spirit, a team that's going to honor Bulls across their chest and play for the city. We don't feel shutting people down is a way to build that. I understand the fans (some favoring losing); I understand that part of it. I was in Houston when we got Yao (Ming with the No. 1 draft pick). So I get it. But we feel for this group of guys that we're going to keep pushing us to compete and play for each other and honor the principles we're trying to establish. I know that's disappointing to some, but that's what we're doing."

Still, it means you're going to see plenty of Shaquille Harrison and Antonio Blakeney, the latter who started against the playoff bound Jazz, along with Wayne Selden Jr., Cristiano Felicio, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and a dash of Brandon Sampson.

Bulls vs. Jazz game recap

The Jazz didn't seem to mind as they dominated the Bulls 114-83 in a game that was pretty much concluded by a 17-0 Utah second quarter run that gave the Jazz a 68-30 lead shortly before halftime. Not that it ever was particularly competitive with Boylen calling two timeouts in the first seven minutes of the game with the Bulls in full lollygag mode and Utah leading 33-18 after one quarter.

"Obviously, when you dig a 36-point hole or whatever it was, it's kind of hard to come back from that," said Lauri Markkanen, who led the Bulls with 18 points and 10 rebounds. "You gotta compete every night no matter who you're playing against, and I don't think we did that in the first half. And that's pretty much the storyline. I think we can beat anybody when we play a full 48 minutes that well. We haven't done that too many times this year. We just gotta pull together, and I think we did a pretty good job in the second half."

The Jazz pretty much were coasting after making their point, and their points, in the first half. Not that it should have been unexpected with the Jazz in a narrow competition with three other Western Conference teams to at least avoid the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. The Jazz, Thunder, Clippers and Spurs are virtually even in the race for the Nos. 5 through 8 places. They're pretty much assured of making the playoffs with the Kings in ninth six games behind.

But the Jazz was taking no chances with a Bulls team, though now 21-53, that had won two straight, including overtime against Washington. What the Jazz demonstrated is what a playoff team looks like. And for the Bulls, at least for now, what a primarily G-league team looks like.

"Obviously, when you dig a 36-point hole or whatever it was, it's kind of hard to come back from that. You gotta compete every night no matter who you're playing against, and I don't think we did that in the first half. And that's pretty much the storyline. I think we can beat anybody when we play a full 48 minutes that well." - Lauri Markkanen

Other than Markkanen, the Bulls got 10 points each from Robin Lopez, Blakeney and Felicio, the latter with his third consecutive game scoring in double figures. Kris Dunn was listed as questionable with a back problem, but he asked to play with Porter and LaVine out.

"I love the fact that he tried it. He had more kinesio tape on him than a damn mummy," said Boylen. "He tried to play and give us what he could. I love the fact that he just said, 'Coach, I'm gonna give you everything I have. I'll do the best I can.' And he tried. I like guys like that."

But the Bulls never really had much of a chance against one of the league's best defensive teams with defensive anchor Rudy Gobert leading seven players in double figures—and no one playing 30 minutes—with 21 points and 14 rebounds. And not only by the defensive numbers for Utah, second in the league in defensive efficiency to the Bucks. The Jazz don't switch as much as most teams, playing an aggressive, physical man to man defense and fighting over screens. Boylen before the game likened the Jazz to a 90s type NBA team, and it's not something teams see often. The Bulls clearly were overwhelmed.

They repeatedly tried to go at Gobert early with indifferent scoop shots, which he swatted away. The Bulls also would equal a league low this season with just two three pointers made. The Jazz play a defense similar to the way the Bulls played with Tom Thibodeau, funneling drivers to the baseline to their big man. The idea is the baseline and sideline provide a form of a trap and the Bulls players seemed flummoxed with 31 percent first half shooting. It seemed to take the fight out of them with that 17-0 run filled with layups and lobs as Utah also is excellent, if somewhat star deprived, at moving the ball with precise extra passes.

"I thought Gobert and their defense shut down the paint," said Boylen. "We were two for 16 from three, so obviously we didn't help ourselves there. I thought they made some contested shots early and then the dam kind of broke in that second quarter. We were not scoring and they were scoring. That's a bad combination against a good team. If you want a bright spot, we won the second half."

Though the news, if not so bright, came prior to the game with Paxson, who admitted Hutchison could not make it back from his toe injury with so few games remaining, and perhaps not Porter, either, considering the time needed to practice. Plus, Paxson indicated it's possible LaVine doesn't make it back from some knee issues, though he and Porter aren't ruled out for the season yet. This, of course, raises questions about draft lottery positioning, though it could be moot by now. With Atlanta's surprising win over the 76ers Saturday, the Bulls are now five games from the Hawks, who have the fifth poorest record. With just eight games remaining, the Bulls almost certainly cannot end with a better record than Atlanta. That leaves the Bulls in that fourth spot. The three poorest teams get the identical 14 percent odds for the No. 1 draft pick. No. 4 has odds of 12.5 percent. The Knicks and Suns have pretty much clinched the bottom two records. The Bulls are one and a half games better than Cleveland, which is in the third spot. Though six of the Cavaliers last nine games are against teams in playoff positioning. The Cavaliers have one more loss than the Bulls. If the teams tie, there is a procedure to average the number of combinations of the two teams and then a coin flip if it's not a full number. Last year, the Bulls "won" the coin flip with the Kings to get the No. 6 spot and Sacramento No. 7. Then No. 7 came up to move into the top three, the Bulls good luck turning bad as the Kings moved to No. 2 and selected Marvin Bagley.

"We're trying to build a competitive spirit, a team that's going to honor Bulls across their chest and play for the city. We don't feel shutting people down is a way to build that." - Coach Boylen on shutting players down

Which also suggests all that maneuvering could be for naught if a team is not lucky, which the Bulls were not last season despite "winning" the coin flip.

"Chandler had another scan and he continues to progress really well, but we're officially ruling him out. We've kind of run out of time where it makes any sense to bring him back to try to play at the end of the year," Paxson admitted. "Wendell has amped up his activity and we've mentioned it, but we're officially ruling him out for the year as well."

Hutchison, the No. 22 pick last June, finishes the season playing 44 games, averaging 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds. But he finished the season averaging eight points and six rebounds in January. Carter averaged 10.3 points and seven rebounds, also playing 44 games after being drafted No. 7 overall.

"The only other two guys we are monitoring are Otto and Zach," Paxson said. "Otto has had a lot of little nagging injuries that we're trying to pay attention to and Zach has that patellar tendinitis that he's been dealing with. We're going to monitor them on a day-to-day basis. The discouraging thing (with Hutchison) he was kind of coming into his own a little bit when he got hurt. The things Chandler does well are his ability to rebound and push the ball. He's another creator. He's going to have to spend time in the gym shooting the ball this summer to become a better shooter because we know that's an important component. But he has size and length to defend. We're encouraged. The summers are always important for him, and for Wendell it will be a huge one. Wendell has to work on his body, get stronger, more physical. What he probably learned as a starter this year is some of the big bodies he goes up against every night can be difficult. (Orlando's Nikola) Vucevic comes to mind for a couple of games that were physically difficult for him. He's 19 years old. We need him to be in the weight room working. We're anxious to see how he works this summer.

"Otto has so many little things going on that we won't push him," Paxson acknowledged. "We may run out of time with him, too. For Zach, I think it's important for him to try to fight through some of these little things. Last year, we shut him down toward the end (last 14 games). If Zach's patellar tendinitis doesn't get appreciably better in the next week, then you start looking at the reality of it and it doesn't make any sense (to return). But we're not there yet.

"We're going to be adding at least one player in the draft, probably two (with a second round pick from Memphis)," Paxson added. "It's going to be a huge summer. You factor in other guys. Denzel (Valentine) has been out the whole year, so it's going to be a big summer for him, too. (Porter) has had some nagging things throughout his career. We're aware of that and we're going to monitor it. Right now, he hurt his shoulder and his neck has been bothering him. It seems like it's been one thing after another. For a guy like Otto and his longevity as a player, the offseason becomes important as far as establishing a base with your strength and conditioning. We're not ruling him out completely yet, but it's kind of trending that way."

Source: https://www.nba.com/bulls/gameday/bulls-fall-jazz

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What Is Jim Boylen Planning on Bringing to the Bulls?

There are some eerie parallels to what occurred with the Bulls Monday when Fred Hoiberg, surprisingly considering the injuries to so many of the team’s top players, was fired after just over three seasons as Bulls coach and replaced by top assistant Jim Boylen.

It was 11 years ago in December on a Monday following back to back blowout losses, including to Houston on a Saturday night—as it was for the Bulls this past Friday and Saturday— that Bulls coach Scott Skiles was fired and replaced by Jim Boylan.

The Bulls then went on to beat the NBA draft lottery odds by getting the No. 1 draft pick and Derrick Rose. Which led to the Bulls’ greatest successes since the Michael Jordan championship years.

Could that be the plan?

Probably not even if you do believe in NBA conspiracies.

Bulls Executive Vice-President of Basketball Operations John Paxson said Boylen, who joined Hoiberg as associate head coach when Hoiberg was hired in 2015 to replace Tom Thibodeau, was named head coach and not interim. Like Hoiberg, who will be paid through next season, Boylen has another year left on his contract.

“We want Jim to be our head coach next season,” Paxson said in a hurried morning press conference in the Advocate Center. “We think he’s got the intangibles to be a really good head coach in this league. He’s sat in that seat next to the head coaches for a long time, he has a philosophy, he has a belief system in who he is and how he wants to play. We’ve going to give him every opportunity to succeed.

“We believe Jim has a lot of the intangibles that head coaches have,” said Paxson. “He has a passion and an energy to him that I think our players will respond to. I think he’ll be able to take his personality and get these guys to buy in to what he’s doing. I also think he’s a teacher of the game and when you have a young basketball team you need a coach and a staff that can drill down to the fundamentals we talk about it all the time and teach the right way to play. Those are the things that Jim will bring to the table. Now we recognize it’s very difficult to make changes in-season. You don’t have a training camp, you don’t have a lot of practice time, but we believe Jim will be able to effect change hopefully quickly. We’re not putting a Band-Aid on anything.”

The Bulls have been stumbling this season at 5-19, losers of six straight and 10 of 11. Though the move came as something of a surprise despite speculation about Hoiberg’s job status this season since Markkanen just returned from injury Saturday, Denzel Valentine is out for the season and Kris Dunn and Bobby Portis remain out with injuries. They could return in the next week or so. The speculation was Hoiberg would get a chance to employ his system of play with the team the Bulls anticipated having to start the season, one young, but athletic and more talented. But Paxson said the problems with the team are more endemic, almost something of a disease of indifferent and lethargic play, a torpor that could spread even to the returning players without a change.

"From the experiences that I’ve had and where I’ve been, who I’ve been with, I’m going to try and use all that to make us into a better ball club and to build our culture in a positive way."

- Head Coach Jim Boylen

Paxson insisted it’s necessary, even more important now, to create the appropriate environment not only for the returning core players but for hopes for future personnel moves and significant free agency opportunities this summer.

“We were in a similar situation last year at this time: poor record, we had some injuries, Zach (LaVine) was not playing yet, we had the incident in training camp (fight between Portis and Nikola Mirotic), so we didn’t have a full roster,” Paxson explained. “But the entire energy about this group was different back then. We felt that here in the last several weeks, that something’s different. What we’re lacking is kind of an energy and a spirit about our team, and we need to get that back. It’s not as simple as saying we would have gotten that with healthy players, with Lauri coming back, Kris Dunn coming back, Bobby coming back. It was more than that. This decision was not based on our record, plain and simple. We need to find a spirit to our group that’s been missing and missing for quite some time.

“We talked about a way of playing and, yes, the injuries have played a part in us not being able to do that,” Paxson acknowledged. “You have to be able to get your identity across to your team and we felt we’re not playing with the force that we want our group to play with. You may not win games, but you can get any of your players to play that way. That’s why we decided to do it now with three of our more talented players coming back. For us to sit here and think that just because we’re getting guys back, I think that would’ve masked the problems we’ve seen. Then we wouldn’t have made good decisions going forward. We gave Fred opportunities. And he did a lot of good things for us. But (we’re) tasked with looking at the underlying things in an organization. And if you don’t think competitive spirit is important for an organization or basketball team, then you’re wrong. We were lacking that. I told the players that earlier today. We need a voice and someone who can at least try. You can see how guys compete and how they respond. We felt that we’re not seeing that to the level we need to see it. And a change was needed.

“It was about what we were seeing internally and the vibe and the energy that was in this building,” Paxson added. “We felt we needed a change, and we needed a change sooner rather than later. Over time and especially lately as we’ve all taken the pulse of our group, that spirit and energy just have not been there. For a young team, we need that. I’m sure Fred is disappointed. Fred is a terrific guy. All of us in this organization liked Fred Hoiberg a lot. He’s a great person, handles himself with class, he was respected by everybody. We also acknowledge that Fred had to deal with a lot of difficult circumstances while he was here, dating back to last year. This year obviously with the injuries and not having a full roster. I’m sure he’ll get another chance at some point. He needs to decompress and take his time and see where life leads him. But we can’t look back. We’ve got to look forward.”

And so Boylen—the other Jim Boylan was recently an assistant with the Cavaliers and was a Skiles assistant—becomes the 17th Bulls coach not counting interim coaches. Current assistant Pete Myers was twice an interim coach briefly. Boylen said he will retain the same staff and add G-league assistant Dean Cooper, a colleague from Boylen’s decade as an assistant in Houston to Rudy Tomjanovich. Boylen is the fifth coach for Paxson, who fired Bill Cartwright soon after being named general manager. The Bulls had successes with Skiles and Thibodeau. Vinny Del Negro coached two seasons and Hoiberg just over three amidst varying rosters each season and a rebuild that started with trading Jimmy Butler last year.

Boylen said he will return Markkanen to the starting lineup Tuesday in Indiana and have Jabari Parker back as a reserve as a facilitator. Dunn is scheduled to begin practices with the Windy City Bulls this week in anticipation of a return to play and perhaps Portis soon as well. So perhaps by next week when the Bulls leave to play Orlando in Mexico City, Boylen will have an opportunity to begin seeing the team the Bulls anticipated to start this season.

Paxson Monday deflected a question about whether the team now would think playoffs with discussion about a mood and style of play. Though at least a competitive run toward the playoffs was not out of consideration when the season started. But with the shocking accumulation of injuries and constantly changing lineups, the team got stuck in a quagmire of basketball despair.

The Bulls’ offensive rating is last in the league despite Hoiberg preaching a high pace of play, which was more common last season. The Bulls are 28th in scoring and 24th in opponent shooting, third from poorest in differential, being outscored by almost 10 points per game. Certainly, it would have been different with Dunn, Markkanen, Portis and Valentine.

But Paxson insisted it was deeper than that, intimating it was elements of more isolation play and a slower game that ran contrary to the style the team hoped to play and which the NBA demands in this era. Plus, Paxson alluded to players not seeming to be as concerned with defeat as they perhaps might and should be.

All of which comes with losing, though also the chicken and egg riddle. Did the attitude cause the losing or did the losing cause the attitude. In any case, Paxson said the team needed a change now.

Sports is a zero sum game. When one team wins, the other loses, an athletic financial transition.

So as disappointing as it had to be for Hoiberg, who was not available for comment, it was exhilarating for Boylen and his 30-year journey through the coaching ranks with six NBA teams including the Bulls and a four-year stint as head coach at the U. of Utah.

Boylen said he was informed Sunday night. Paxson told Hoiberg of his decision Monday morning when Hoiberg arrived to run practice because he wanted to tell him in person. Boylen was a candidate after last season for the Charlotte head coaching job.

“I’m very thankful to the Reinsdorfs, for John and Gar’s (Forman) support, their faith in me and who I am as a person, how they want this team coached,” Boylen said following Paxson’s remarks. "They feel I’m the guy and I’m excited about it. And I feel I’m the guy for it. I don’t think anyone has a better vantage point of who this team is, what it was, what it can be than me. And from the experiences that I’ve had and where I’ve been, who I’ve been with, I’m going to try and use all that to make us into a better ball club and to build our culture in a positive way.”

Though it’s often perception because many successful coaches are not excessively animated, like Boston’s Brad Stevens, Boylen said he is more of an excitable figure on the sidelines. Hoiberg often was criticized for being too calm, though Phil Jackson often did just sit through long runs without timeouts. Paxson did concede personnel ultimately makes the difference in talking about the team’s defense. “Tom (Thibodeau), last year in Minnesota, his teams weren’t great defensively. A lot of it is personnel.”

So Boylen, 53, hopes to marry returning personnel with growing personal enthusiasm.

“I think I’m a little more passionate in-game coach than maybe Fred is,” Boylen said. “That might be one difference you might see. You might see a different style of play at the offensive end. As we get going here, it’s hard to change everything right away. Not that a whole bunch needs to be changed, but the emphasis will be on some different things. You have to put your hand print on it and make it yours, but we also have to understand there’s a shock involved with the team. You’ve got a new voice and a new coach. The great thing about it is I have relationships with our guys, I put the time into our guys and I feel like we can make this adjustment together.

“From my seat as an assistant, I tried to bring as much passion and energy as I could,” said Boylen. “And to support Fred, maybe fill in that hole or fill in that situation. I don't think anybody's saying here that Fred did a poor job. The franchise is moving on.”

Source: https://www.nba.com/bulls/features/what-jim-boylen-planning-bringing-bulls

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James Harden continues his domination of the Utah Jazz

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James Harden continues his domination of the Utah Jazz

HOUSTON — The Utah Jazz, a relentless team that fought its way from nine games under .500 in late January all the way to the Western Conference semifinals, had put itself in position to perhaps pull off another amazing rally.

The Houston Rockets’ lead, which swelled to as large as 27 points in the first half of Sunday’s Game 1, had been sliced to 11 early in the fourth quarter. Jazz rookie sensation Donovan Mitchell had heated up after a slow start, a threat to go on the kind of scoring flurry that sent the Oklahoma City Thunder on an early vacation.

“I was sweating,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni admitted.

But D’Antoni had a simple solution: He summoned James Harden off the bench a few minutes earlier than he normally re-enters the game in the fourth quarter. Harden responded as a soon-to-be MVP should. After he snuffed a Jazz fast break with a steal, Harden scored eight points over a span of 2:09.

That was the most important stretch of Harden’s masterpiece performance in the top-seeded Rockets’ series-opening 110-96 victory. He had 41 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, seizing control of the game from Houston’s opening possession and preventing the Jazz from mounting a serious comeback bid down the stretch.

The Jazz, featuring likely Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert as a rim-protecting anchor, are as dominant a defensive team as exists in the modern-day NBA. Harden, however, has been the riddle Utah has been hopeless in attempting to answer.

Whether it was 3s, layups or free throws, James Harden had it all going in Game 1 against the Utah Jazz. Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty

Sure, the Rockets’ regular-season sweep of the Jazz occurred before Utah’s astounding turnaround, but Harden’s numbers from those meetings still jump off the stat sheet. He averaged 34.3 points with a true shooting percentage of .737 in the four games, with the last being played on Feb. 26. That includes a 56-point, 13-assist show on Nov. 5, when Harden was 19-of-25 from the field, which would probably be the best individual performance in the league this season if not for his 60-point triple-double against the Orlando Magic.

How does Harden consistently make it look so easy against such an elite defense?

“Just because he’s that good,” D’Antoni said. “I don’t think I’m telling you anything you haven’t seen with your own eyes. Just what he does with his step-backs — he’s 7-for-12 on 3s — I don’t know how you guard that. I don’t know how you guard him going to the rim with his strength [and] passing ability. He’s got so many ways to beat you, and then the fouls [he draws] if you try to take some of them away. He’s one of the best.

“The defense is really good. Their defense is super, but James is James.”

The Jazz hoped that Russell Westbrook would launch long-range shots off the dribble last series. Those are shots that Harden hunts, his step-back jumper developing into arguably the league’s most lethal weapon this season.

When Harden hits those at a high clip, even the best defenses are helpless against him. There just aren’t sound ways to prevent Harden from dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing with the dribble, darting backward at any variety of angles and dropping rainbows.

Pull-up 6-13 Drive 3-9 Catch-and-Shoot 1-2 Hesitation 1-1 Putback 1-1

According to Second Spectrum, Harden was 0-2 on floaters.

Send a double-team at Harden and he will make the right pass, putting your defense at a disadvantage. Crowd him and he’ll attack on the drive, a threat to finish, draw a foul, feed Clint Capela for an easy bucket (as he did five times Sunday) or find an open shooter.

“For the most part, I’m going to do what I do,” Harden said. “Offensively I think this team, us, we’re different. We’ve seen so many different defenses throughout the year that have prepared us for this moment, whether it’s Gobert being back at the rim or teams switching or whatever. We’ve seen pretty much it all, all year. We watch film and we figure out how we can create 3s and create opportunities for each other and then go out there and play our butts off. Pretty simple.”

The Jazz clearly have plenty of company in their inability to come up with answers to the Harden riddle. He led the league in 3-pointers and free throws made by wide margins this season, winning the scoring title a year after winning the assists title. He’s paired with another future Hall of Fame playmaker in Chris Paul, and they’re surrounded with snug-fitting complementary parts, but Harden is the guy who will keep the Jazz coaching staff up into the wee hours all series.

“He’s a special player,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “It’s hard to give credit to all the things that he does. He impacts the game in so many ways. You have to try to make it harder for him in so many different facets. It requires your whole team to guard him because he’s so capable of finding any weakness in a given situation. … He sees everything. That’s what makes him so unique, that he has the ability to complete all those plays.

“We’ve still got to go out and compete and try to make it hard on him and hopefully guard him, but I don’t think there’s any mystery to what a good player he is.”

The mystery for the Jazz is how to stop Harden.

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