#or third option i roster as sub and go in ad needed

[lupismaris]

Apparently "you know I'll just do what you tell me" is not the appropriate answer to your captain asking if you feel up to being rostered for a match

[cannedbabs]

Here’s the whole post explaining this thought process. Was gonna wait awhile to write it out but the brainrot for this guy is real. He’s seeped into my life into deep crevices not a lot of other fixations have and I’m simply his meat puppet typing to spread his name so he truly never dies.

Anywho, big explanation post under the cut :]

The fandom seems to place a bunch of emphasis “oh look at me I won the first place trophy and these other two lost as always 👍”

This is definitely an important part of his character. He obviously gloats according to the flashback scene in WIR, shoving the trophy and his hand in the twins’s faces and making them noticeably recoil. Though I was ruminating on the idea of: what if he didn’t place first?

In the very beginning of the movie (the 30 years ago bit) when we see Turbo Time if you manage to pause you can see all types of kids playing his game. One of which is a kid who can barely see over the poor wheel. What if someone played it didn’t know how to play at first or some other reason? What if turbo placed second, or worst third? Honestly I don’t think he’d care. It’s 100% happened before. It’s a bruise on his ego, but he won’t die without placing first (and most definitely wasn’t the reason for going Turbo)

In terms of King Candy there is one race he is concerned with “winning” however, and that is the Random Roster Race. This isn’t for any points or gloat (at least outwardly) and it’s simply to be an option that the players can choose from. Who wouldn’t want to win it?

We can probably assume due to Turbo’s nature he has never not once been included in this roster (he probably justifies his position as king to be partly reason if anyone dares question him). Not to mention he is ALWAYS smack Dab in the middle, both in ‘real life’ when the roster is seen resetting before people put their coins in to qualify (not to mention his picture is the last to disappear… attention hog) and in his “What If” flashback when he’s talking to Ralph about Vanellope not being able to race.

This comes with its set of own other obstacles. Unlike Turbo Time, you can play as any character you chose out of the 9. Sure, King Candy looks most odd out of all of the younger, more specifically themed candy racers, and that may come with some curiosity but… if your ALWAYS included in the roster people won’t want to play you (unless you got some die hard KC racer fans who likes how he plays LOL). If you’re a staple people are gonna wanna try to pick racers they’ve probably never seen before to get the chance to race as a cool new character that hasn’t been added to the roster in a while.

Sooo let’s say Turbo, this man who is used to being played by the racers in every instance has to grasp at straws to get even an ≈11% chance at getting picked. Fine. He’s settled with that for what? 15 years? No biggie.

I’ve compiled a dumb list of what I believe his priorities are in regards to sugar rush going from ‘most desired outcome’ to ‘meh it’s okay’ to downright ‘won’t let it happen.’

1. King Candy is added to the roster. King Candy is picked by the players. King Candy wins the race.

2. King Candy is added to the roster. King Candy is picked by the players. King Candy DOESNT win the race (ofc each place after first would be sub categories of this entry)

3. King Candy is added to the roster. King Candy is NOT picked by the players. King Candy wins the race

4. King Candy is added to the roster. King Candy is NOT picked by the players. King Candy DOESNT win the race

5. King Candy is NOT added to the roster.

Turbo can handle loss. He can’t handle the spotlight not being on him, even inadvertently, and he can’t deal with not being *involved*. He went Turbo when he felt like he was being abandoned, even in that brief moment those kids turned heel (I don’t know who made it but someone made a theory that I agree with wholeheartedly that he was abandoned in the middle of a race and thats AUGH) to look at Road Blasters he needed to get involved.

And what did involved look like? Getting them to talk about him. Appearing as part of the game, part of the track, part of the race. We can’t say for certain if he was trying to replace the main car with his (Felix does say he tried to “…take over the new [game]” though I view Turbo as a deeply complex character and Felix as a slightly unreliable narrator for this flashback, so I don’t think it was exactly what Felix THOUGHT it was but yeah. Very similar, at least), but we can say It was to get the attention back on himself at least. Controlled or not, main racer (at first) or not.

((Small footnote that idk where to put it also: KC needing to be on the roster may be some compensation for Sugar Rush not being a cabinet with his likeness on it unlike TT… contrasting Vanellope in some aspects, or something something idk filler thoughts here))

Do I think Turbo values winning? Yes. It’s engrained in his character as a protagonist of his own cabinet. Do I think he’s a sore loser? Oh most definitely. Though I wish more people focused on his need to be talked about, looked at, etc. more. Funniest thing is King Candy (and Turbo) are never truly ever seen alone in any instance, only brief bits (When Turbo is game jumping in the cords… or when KC goes solo to confront Ralph about Vanellope not being able to race: “I come alone!”). Even when silently panicking he has sour bill by his side to fan him (if he was worried about Bill finding out his identity or even getting remotely suspicious he could shoo him away, it’s obvious, but he’s trusting of him enough to even let him ‘help’ with accessing the code room).

Idk!! Lots of things that rattle in my brain. I’m always up for discussions on Turbo. I have conversations with my friends on the daily about stuff like this. Would enjoy hearing other thoughts too :]

Would anyone agree with me in the WIR/Turbo fandom that Turbo doesn’t care about winning as much as people perceive him to or should I see myself out 🫢 /j

(I’ve been doing NUMEROUS character studies on this guy for awhile. Always willing to discuss anything. But this is my main thing I think is commonly misconstrued about his character… and it ofc bleeds over into King Candy as well)

[awildgingeishere]

https://equalizersoccer.com/2021/03/05/christen-press-forward-position-training-profile-uswnt/

Christen Press is known for scoring world-class goals. The onlooking public swoons over the final product which is so often a picturesque finish bent into the side netting or hammered into the upper corner. Press often does this with such confidence that she makes the extraordinary look easy, even though it is anything but.

That final product, though, is in some ways the simpler part of the process. Press’ training habits and approach to the game embody the notion that most of an athlete’s work is done away from the public eye, on training fields and when nobody else is watching. Her unique approach to the game starts with individual training, where her focus on off-ball movement and manipulating tight spaces — rather than shooting for the sake of it, or individual dribbling drills — develops her ability to distinguish herself from any other forward. More than most, she can seamlessly transition between wide and center-forward roles.

“I think especially in the U.S., we don’t have as many players that manipulate space with off-ball movement,” Press said in an interview last year. “[It’s] something I learned in Europe and I think all European forwards do this, but we don’t often have players who do that. We typically have had players who are using strength to create space. So, I think when I play in the nine specifically, but even wide, my strength is off-ball movement, being very unpredictable, hard to mark, being dynamic and being kind of like blindside, off-ball so that I’m always stretching the line. And I think that’s a huge strength because it gives the midfield more room to play.”

All goal-scorers require a certain level of selfishness to be successful, which Press recognizes. What sets her apart is the execution in those moments. To paraphrase her teammate, Megan Rapinoe, you can always make a selfish decision to shoot and not pass… as long as you score.

“In the final third, I think I’ve always had a goal-scorer’s mentality,” Press said. “Once I’m in range of shooting, I don’t think about anything else. If I happen to pass, it’s because I couldn’t have shot. And I think that there’s a breed of players that are just wired that way. And then there’s a breed of players that play the same position that aren’t. I am wired like that, and there’s also pros and cons to it, but my first thought is always setting my feet to score, setting my feet to take a touch and then score. And then anything else that happens in that space is just a second option, honestly.”

***

Press blazed her own path to being a United States women’s national team regular. She left the U.S. club scene in 2012 to play in Sweden, feeling as though she needed to make a change after largely being left out of the U.S. picture by then head coach Pia Sundhage. Her back story has been recounted ad nauseam over the past decade, but it is still essential to understanding the person and the player – a do-everything forward who has been shaped by these experiences. Her path is unique among her peers of the same generation, and it shows in her different approach to playing forward.

Press famously thrived in Gothenburg, becoming the first American to win the Damallsvenskan’s golden boot. That move abroad — at a time when U.S. internationals not only were not playing abroad, but were actively discouraged from doing so — ironically solidified her place in the United States team ever since. Her goal in last month’s SheBelieves Cup against Argentina was her 60th, tying her with Shannon MacMillan for ninth in U.S. history.

Press grew up as a pure No. 9, a goal-scorer. She carried on with that through college, lighting up the scoring record books at Stanford, and used that to her advantage during that glorious first stretch of her career in Sweden. Cracking the national team was a different story. Abby Wambach was the incumbent No. 9 at the time, often alongside Amy Rodriguez, and Alex Morgan — who graduated college the same year as Press — burst onto the scene as the U.S.’ up-and-coming No. 9, meaning Press was often relegated to wide positions.

For a long time, Press’ place there felt shoehorned, no doubt a contributing factor to a relatively quiet World Cup in 2015, when she was pegged by so many to be the breakout star. Slowly, however, she adapted, choosing to accept whichever role she was given if it meant playing for the best team in the world. Now, she thrives in both wide and central roles. The difference was tangible at the 2019 World Cup, where the wide role which once looked so uncomfortable for Press was the one which she stepped into for the semifinal against England, due to Megan Rapinoe’s injury. Press scored 10 minutes into that impromptu start, helping the U.S. reach (and win) a second straight final.

“I think that I have more of a responsibility than any other forward to play in all the roles as needed and I think that’s historically been because I’ve been a substitute coming on,” she said. “So, you kind of have to be ready for whoever’s coming out; you’re the first sub on. And now, I think it’s just flexibility because I’ve done it and I’ve done it okay in several positions that everyone’s like, ‘oh, well she can.’ So, I think that’s a blessing and a curse. It gets you on a roster to be versatile, but I feel like having a stake on the field is like you’re in one position and you’re always going to show up in that position. I think that that has its pros as well.”

Today, it is accepted as fact that Press can play across all three positions on the front line: center forward, wide left and wide right. For years, that versatility was a burden she carried, a struggle through the purgatory of being an elite player without a defined position. Now, however, she has leveraged this to her advantage. Press has for so long juggled different forward positions that she has mastered each of them. Her lack of a defined position contributes to the outside world’s inability to explicitly qualify her greatness, but it is also the very thing which makes Press such a singular talent.

Her shift throughout the front line illustrates how the forward position varies between certain roles, even if in nuanced ways. Press said the definitions are a little more blurred in this system, and that each forward shares the responsibility to get in behind and score, but the physical difference in where each position lines up on the field affects how she plays each position.

“I think technically it is very different playing in the different positions, because your orientation is just completely changed,” she said. “And I think my whole career, I played with the offside line behind me. That’s a nine. So, playing wide for the first time was really hard because you see the whole game through one eye. And your dominant foot and your mobility of your hips — I know it sounds crazy — really affects what you can and can’t do on each side. But now I’ve been passed around so many times, I feel like I’m like, okay, my second eye is — I can still see out of this one.”

***

Press views each offseason as a little book of its own. In past years, she would write a draft of what those figurative chapters would be, listing the things she wanted to improve in her game and designing drills to achieve those goals. Press said that she has had trainers in the past, but nobody knows what she needs better than her.

She tries to balance the design of her training sessions to work on skills she thinks she is exceptional at and areas where she thinks she is not very good. Anything in between gets lost. This is where those subtle foundations are formed daily.

“I have a very regimented way that I train, a flow of when I control practice, this is how it flows,” Press said. “Within each segment of my training, I’ll have specific things that I’m working on, and always starting in the beginning of training with the most simple drills that you would never actually see a professional do —really, really childish and then just working on the mechanics and growing from there.”

Press points to quick-release shooting as one of these simple things she trains: she starts as basic as lining up a bag of balls on the six-yard line and quickly shooting with only one step, to work on generating power. Press executes this better than any other teammate and that is because she has, through the years, taken what is seemingly a disadvantage and figured out a way to create an advantage out of it.

Instead of viewing the ball as stuck under her feet, Press sees an opportunity to catch a defender between steps or a goalkeeper flat-footed. Whereas many forwards are especially dangerous when barreling down the field at speed, Press might be the best goal-scorer in the world from a standing-still position in open play. She trains that — again, by beginning simply. Press will line up a bag of balls on the six-yard line and shoot in quick succession, taking only one step back to reset. This is the foundation of generating power.

“I think that if I look through the years [at] the space I train in, it’s in that exact ‘D,’” she said, referencing the arch at the top of the 18-yard box. “And I think the way that you most often score there is using your defenders as a shield and a little bit into negative space, and then bending the ball. I think that’s absolutely my best way of scoring.

“And I think that’s because of my strengths. I can get into the pocket with speed often. I don’t actually like dribbling around defenders very much. I don’t practice dribbling so I’ve got one way to get by them, but I often work on manipulating my defenders so they can’t block my shot, rather than working on manipulating them so I can get by them. And I think that’s why then I developed a shot that I can take basically with the ball under my feet and generate a lot of power, because it’s unexpected for the goalkeeper and it’s out of reach for the defender.”

Training this type of skill is very intentional. Even on a field by herself, with no active defenders, Press knows that if she takes four steps before a shot, she has failed. In a game, with real defenders, she will have been tackled or her shooting window will have closed.

Soccer is about a feeling, Press says. U.S. Soccer sends film to players after each training session so they can self-evaluate. Press says she does not look at how she performed technically, but rather what her body language said about her approach to a given training session.

She has not gone without dry spells or rough patches, from the more subtle grind of transitioning to wide roles and changing teams, to the more obvious and overt moments, such as the penalty-kick shootout miss in the 2016 Olympic quarterfinal against Sweden.

There is a notion that forwards need short memories, to not dwell on such misses. Press said she views things slightly differently, borrowing some inspiration from fellow teammates.

“I think instead of even a short memory, I always told myself since I was a young person: the more I miss, the closer I am to my next goal,” she said. “Because it’s almost like once you play long enough, you’ve missed so many times that it’s no longer emotional. I guess a certain miss in a certain moment might be, but even those, I’ve done it; I’ve missed as bad as you can miss and I’ve let the team [down]. So, life goes on and I feel like if I’m in a game and I’ve missed an easy goal, that means the next one, I’m gonna score. Because I’ve missed a million easy goals before, and I’ve always scored again. So, that’s kind of how I approach it and I actually think I see this a bit in Carli [Lloyd]. If she ever misses an easy chance, she kind of becomes ravenous. She hunts and hunts because she wants to replace that memory with something else, and I try to even embody that a bit, where I’m even more hungry in the final part of that field.”

Lloyd and Press combined for a goal against England at the 2020 SheBelieves Cup. The play was a microcosm of all these things: Press intentionally drifting into open space on the opponent’s back line before receiving the ball, opening her hips to face up to goal in one fluid motion, and firing a quick shot which caught England’s defenders and goalkeeper by surprise. The camera angle from behind Press showed just how much the ball bent to tuck into the side netting. ESPN announcer Sebastian Salazar screamed a phrase which quickly made its way to a t-shirt: “Christen Press, what have you done?!”

It was another spectacular goal from Press, one worthy of all the plaudits it received. What had she done? Well, it was the same she has been doing for a long time, drifting between forward positions and scoring a noteworthy goal from skills she has developed away from the public eye."

[stanley73z562-blog]

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[junker-town]

9 Ben Simmons trade packages that might actually make sense for both sides

If the 76ers are really going to trade Ben Simmons soon, we have nine trade packages both sides should consider.

Ben Simmons’ days in Philadelphia have felt numbered ever since his woeful offensive performance contributed to the 76ers’ surprising second round loss to the Atlanta Hawks in 2021 NBA Playoffs. It was painful to watch Simmons at times during the series as he consistently bricked free throws and refused to attempt almost any fourth quarter shot — even a wide open dunk. As the Hawks finished off Philly in six games, head coach Doc Rivers and superstar teammate Joel Embiid essentially threw Simmons under the bus in the final postgame press conference.

The NBA waited for Simmons to be traded all summer, but it never happened. 76ers GM Daryl Morey reportedly asked for the moon for the 25-year-old All-Star, and no team was willing to meet his demands. It was easy to speculate that Morey wanted to hold on to Simmons as long as possible to see if a superstar guard like Damian Lillard would eventually hit the trade market.

Simmons has now taken matters into his own hands. He wants to be traded to a new team, and he’s threatening to hold out of training camp until it happens. With Simmons’ trade request hanging over the start of the season, we came up with nine possible deals and asked the corresponding SB Nation NBA communities how they felt about the proposed trade. These were the parameters for the deals:

I came up with each potential trade. They had to work on ESPN’s trade machine

The SB Nation communities gave their feedback on each deal. Sometimes that meant a thumbs up, sometimes it meant a thumbs down, sometimes it meant a counteroffer.

Every trade includes draft compensation of some kind. Since that’s where most of the negotiation on these deals will take place, we chose to keep it vague rather than come up with specific pick protections.

At the bottom of this story, Paul Hudrick from our 76ers community Liberty Ballers ranked his favorite proposed trade packages.

This was a fun exercise when we did it with James Harden a year ago, but the polarizing nature of Simmons’ game made this an even bigger challenge. As we learned, it isn’t easy to find a deal that satisfies the 76ers’ win-now desires while also making sense for the other side.

Here are nine deals we thought could make sense.

Pacers

Framework of the deal: Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. Warren + a pick for Simmons.

Why it might work: The Pacers finished ninth in the Eastern Conference last year, and their big addition of the offseason was head coach Rick Carlisle. This team is positioned to “win-now” with most of the rotation in its prime, but their ceiling isn’t all that high. Simmons is the type of player a franchise like the Pacers would be unlikely to land in free agency. It could be worth it to cash in a few pieces for a 25-year-old All-Star who is under contract long term, and then figure out the rest of the roster around him later. While the Pacers get a new foundational star, the 76ers get a starting point guard who can shoot and a wing bucket-getter who can immediately help Embiid in the playoffs.

What Indy Cornrows says:

This is so tough because A.) I love what this does for Philadelphia B.) Ben Simmons is the most talented player in the deal, the youngest, and on a long term contract; all things that would behoove the Pacers’ braintrust to make this trade. While I normally am talent over everything, the fit is just so wonky with a frontcourt of Sabonis/Turner/Simmons. If there were a subsequent deal with one of the bigs to bring in more perimeter talent, I think it makes sense, but the team can already struggle in halfcourt or late clock scoring situations. On top of that, Brogdon and Warren are both sub All-Star talents who the Pacers have no real replacement for. Again, it’s wonky, but worth thinking about.

As dynamic and good of a player as Ben is, he isn’t an elite driver at the moment (11.4 drives per 75) and Malcolm Brogdon is (15.2 drives per 75). We don’t talk about the rim finishing. But, in all seriousness, the Pacers would really struggle without Malcolm’s consistent ability to get to the rim. Getting there causes the defense to tilt even if you’re not finishing at an elite rate, so you’re banking a great deal on Ben and Caris LeVert getting to the cup with more consistency.

Simmons and Sabonis operate from similar spaces as high or mid post playmakers using their height and court vision to pick apart a defense. What does that look like with two players who aren’t being respected past the free throw line? Playmaking is probably the most important offensive skill in the league, you can never have enough, but the fit is certainly odd.

I would ultimately be in on this for Indiana, but admit that the team would probably not feel similarly. They view themselves as a win now team, and I think it would require a one step back two steps forward approach trying to restructure a younger team around Simmons after trading two of the three best perimeter options in the organization, while knowing more moves are happening in conjunction here.

If I could, I would counter with something involving the same players, but adding in Tyrese Maxey and a conglomeration of Pacers picks to make that trade worthwhile for the Sixers. Maxey would provide another building block towards a younger team with a brighter future and the Sixers would acquire more draft capital for subsequent moves to tweak the roster. It’s not perfect and I wouldn’t want to part with Maxey if I’m Daryl Morey, but I would certainly try and make it happen. — Mark Schindler

Spurs

Framework of the deal: Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Devin Vassell + a pick for Simmons.

Why it might work: The Spurs finished No. 10 in the Western Conference last year, and lost their best player in free agency when DeMar DeRozan went to the Bulls. San Antonio has collected some solid young pieces in recent years, but no true star. Simmons would immediately become the face of the franchise, and his long-term deal would give the Spurs a few years to try to add talent around him. In return, Philly would get a dynamic offensive guard in White, an awesome defensive wing with shooting ability in Vassell, and a capable point guard in Murray.

What Pounding the Rock says:

Parting with their presumptive starting backcourt, in addition to the promising Vassell, is a hard pill to swallow for a team that’s invested so much in their development. But the Spurs have entered asset acquisition mode this summer for a reason: the roster as constructed probably doesn’t top out as a world-beater. Simmons doesn’t get them all the way there, but he should raise their ceiling and complement many of the remaining pieces’ strengths and weaknesses. — Bruno Passos

Cavaliers

Framework of the deal: Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, and Ricky Rubio + a pick for Simmons.

Why it might work: The Cavs have been collecting top-five lottery picks ever since LeBron James bounced to LA, but the team is still far away from contention. Evan Mobley could be the face of the franchise moving forward, but it’s hard to tell exactly how good Cleveland’s other young players are. Like the Pacers, Simmons is the type of player the Cavs likely would never get in free agency. A team with Mobley and Simmons could have incredible defensive potential. The Cavs would have a log jam in the front court, but Simmons is under contract long enough for the team to reshape the rest of the roster around him in coming years. The 76ers would get an exciting young point guard in Garland who could be set for a breakout third year. Okoro is an awesome young wing defender who needs to improve offensively, and Rubio could help Philly at point guard right now.

What Fear the Sword says:

Maybe the Cavs do this as a talent play because Ben Simmons is no doubt better than anyone the Cavs currently have. But this is also a tricky deal because Garland is their best young creator and would fit well with Simmons. Okoro, meanwhile, is a standout defender just starting and they got Rubio. Simmons is also a tricky fit with a Evan Mobley-Jarrett Allen frontcourt. In reality, I think the Cavs probably do this because it’s a talent play and they have to take those. But I don’t really know why the 76ers would do this?

I also think the Cavs would want to try and move off of Kevin Love in any trade they make here, but that wouldn’t seem to fit with what the 76ers would want to do here. Simmons to Cleveland might just be too complicated to do unless a third team gets involved. — Chris Manning

Trail Blazers

Framework of the deal: C.J. McCollum and Robert Covington + a pick for Simmons and Thybulle.

Why it might work: The Sixers might dream of trading Simmons for Lillard, but it’s possible his backcourt mate is the best they can do right now. The 30-year-old McCollum would give the team a new lead guard in the backcourt who can score from all three levels and pairs well with Embiid. Covington is already a fan favorite for starting his career in Philly. Losing Thybulle in this might be a tough for the Sixers, but seems necessary for the contracts to match. From Portland’s perspective, an all-in move for Simmons could keep Lillard around long-term and give the Blazers the defensive stopper they’ve been missing.

What Blazer’s Edge says:

For the trade in question, the BE staff would accept that trade. Our only counter would be to make this trade less noisy. Let’s remove all the additional pieces and make this a straight CJ-for-Ben swap.

Simmons might not love the idea of Portland, but Klutch would unite one of their marquee players when one of their top coaching clients. With Larry Nance Jr. and Simmons in the fold, the Blazers’ defense would finally have the tools to compete with true contenders. — Steven Dewald

Grizzlies

Framework of the deal: Steven Adams, Dillon Brooks, and DeAnthony Melton + Jazz and Lakers 2022 first round picks for Simmons.

Why it might work: The Grizzlies have a great young foundation led by Ja Morant, but the team still has a long way to go before they reach contender status even after sneaking into the playoffs last year. Acquiring a blue chip talent like Simmons while keeping Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and a solid young complementary shooter in Desmond Bane would be a major boon. For the Sixers, Brooks could be an immediate starter on the wing, Melton is one of the more underrated players in the league, and Adams would be an elite backup center. The picks could come in handy for a future trade, too.

What Grizzly Bear Blues says:

If the Grizzlies could acquire a player that’s 25 years old and has been a 3-time All-Star, without giving up Ja Morant or Jaren Jackson Jr., they should pull the trigger - even for the oft-criticized Ben Simmons. Grizzlies followers would be reluctant to give up Dillon Brooks, but Simmons would serve as a defensive and playmaking upgrade. Brooks, Kyle Anderson, and De’Anthony Melton sound like a good framework for the deal, and guys like Brandon Clarke or Desmond Bane could replace one of the guys in this deal. The rest will likely revolve around draft compensation, primarily the first-round picks from the Lakers and the Jazz in 2022 and maybe one of their own.

The allure of Ben Simmons is transforming him into a super-charged Draymond Green. What better duo for him to do that with than the electric Ja Morant and the sweet-shooting Jaren Jackson Jr.? — Parker Fleming

Timberwolves

Framework of the deal: D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jaden McDaniels + a pick for Simmons, Tybulle, and Isaiah Joe.

Why it might work: Minnesota reportedly has heavy interest in Simmons, and there are some pathways to a deal. This package would give the Sixers a starting guard in Russell, a high volume shooter in Beasley, and high-upside, young defensive forward in McDaniels. Russell may be a negative team value on his current deal, but Philly could also flip him down the line. For the Wolves, Simmons’ elite defense is a perfect match next to Karl-Anthony Towns in the front court. This trade might come down to what Philly thinks of McDaniels after a promising rookie year.

What Canis Hoopus says:

As a Wolves fan/writer, I wouldn’t do this trade. DLo and Beasly are the two best perimeter shooters on the team and Jaden McDaniels looks like the steal of the 2020 draft. I also don’t think the Sixers are interested in Russell. I think the Wolves big plan is to win with Simmons AND Russell together so I’ll propose this. The Timberwolves trade Malik Beasley, Jaden McDaniels, Taurean Prince, 2022 FRP, and 2024 FRP for Ben Simmons and Isaiah Joe.

The Wolves keep Russell, meanwhile the Sixers get extra pieces they can include in a trade once another star becomes available like Dame or Beal. Prince also cannot be traded until September 27th but teams could agree in principle. — Cooper Carlson

Raptors

Framework of the deal: Goran Dragic, OG Anunoby, Chris Boucher, and Malachi Flynn for Simmons, Thybulle, and Isaiah Joe.

Why it might work: The Raptors are embarking on a new era without Kyle Lowry, and it sure feels like they want a full team of big, athletic forwards with multi-dimensional skill sets. Simmons would fit. While a 1-for-1 swap with Pascal Siakam is possible, Raptors HQ chose to talk about this deal centered around OG Anunoby instead. Anunoby is a tremendous young wing who would be a plug-and-play starter for the 76ers. Boucher is a stretch big off the bench, Flynn is a promising young point guard, and Dragic could play a role right now in the last year of his deal. For the Raptors, a core of Simmons, Siakam, VanVleet, and Scottie Barnes could be the start of something big.

What Raptors HQ says:

This is definitely one of the more creative Raptors-76ers trade ideas that I’ve seen! Here, you’re moving two players who clearly want to be moved in Ben Simmons and Goran Dragic, and that’s a good starting point. The 76ers also need a point guard, and I think Dragic would quickly become a fan-favourite in Philly, assuming he hasn’t lost a step.

Beyond that? Well, OG Anunoby becomes the real sticky point here. Yes, I realize that Anunoby is more highly valued by Raptors fans, including me, than he is anywhere else. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t deserved. For an example of that, look no further than… Matisse Thybulle, who made all-defence last year over the more deserving Anunoby last season!

Still — if we remove the Klutch factor here (Anunoby is a Klutch client) — if you had to move OG to get Simmons, getting Thybulle in return to fill OG’s spot is not a bad thing. Imagine fielding a lineup of Simmons, Thybulle, Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa? I bet Masai Ujiri, Bobby Webster and Nick Nurse would give that one some serious thought. — Josh Kern

Kings

Framework of the deal: Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield for Simmons.

Why it might work: The Kings are already reportedly out on this deal, and it makes sense. Haliburton was awesome as a rookie. He might be the most appealing piece in any of the packages we mention in this article. Still, there’s a case for why the Kings should consider this. Simmons is a young All-Star signed long-term. Trading for arguably the best defensive player in the game is a great way to address what was the league’s worst defense last year. The Kings also have a promising rookie guard in Davion Mitchell who could take Haliburton’s place in the lineup. It’s totally fair if the Kings and their fans don’t like this deal, but it’s at least worth considering.

What Sactown Royalty says:

This is a highly-risky move for the Kings that I would not want to see come to fruition.

Tyrese Haliburton is an essential piece of the young core Sacramento is trying to build around alongside De’Aaron Fox. The Kings would essentially be trading Haliburton, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting last season, and Buddy Hield, the best 3-point shooter in the league, in return for good defense.

The way this is set up, Kings undoubtedly lose the deal. Instead, I would offer Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley III and a future pick in return for Ben Simmons. The relationship between Bagley and Kings brass isn’t quite as hostile as Simmons and the Sixers, but it’s no secret they both want out of their respective markets. Philly would acquire a young wing who wants a fresh start while Sacramento would do the same. — Marina Drab

Warriors

Framework of the deal: Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, Moses Moody + a pick for Simmons.

Why it might work: The Warriors are trying to augment their aging championship core with young, unproven talent taken at the top of the draft. It sounds like a good plan in theory, but Golden State also can’t afford to waste time while Stephen Curry is still playing at an MVP level. Trading young pieces for Simmons would be a major boost in the short-term for Golden State, and immediately improve their chances at coming out of the West this year. For the Sixers, Wiggins could contribute on the wing right away, while Moody and Wiseman are nice long-term pieces. This deal may not give the Sixers the immediate talent infusion they’re looking to add, but the young pieces could be flipped in another deal down the road.

What Golden State of Mind says:

The main concern with Simmons on the Warriors seems to be whether the team can make a non-shooter work next to Draymond Green. But the Warriors have built elite offenses in the past with frontcourts of Green and Kevon Looney, Green and JaVale McGee, Green and Zaza Pachulia, and so on and so forth. The Warriors would have to eschew having a traditional center for it to work, but Simmons is bigger than many traditional centers (including Looney). With Simmons and Green, the Warriors would have a frontcourt starring two of last year’s Defensive Player of the Year finalists, and two of the top 12 assists per game leaders, who would be passing the ball to Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. You have to be mighty high on Wiggins to think this does anything but dramatically increase the team’s title odds in the next few years, and that’s before mentioning how perfect of a fit Thybulle is on the Warriors. Maximizing a title window around a 33-year old Curry is more important than hoping that two draft lottery tickets in Wiseman and Moody pan out. It’s an easy yes for me, though it’s worth noting that Golden State’s front office is reportedly split on Simmons, so it may not be an easy yes for them. — Brady Klopfer

Liberty Ballers ranks the Ben Simmons trade packages

Paul Hudrick from our 76ers community Liberty Ballers stopped by with his thoughts on his favorite potential deals.

1. San Antonio - Murray, White, Vassell + a pick

The reason I like this deal better than most is the addition of Murray. Say what you want about Simmons, but he was the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year and is arguably the most versatile defender in the league. Getting a player like Murray that already has an All-Defensive Team nod would help mitigate the loss of Simmons on that end. At 25, you could talk yourself into Murray’s potential offensive upside — despite him not being a perfect fit playing next to Embiid — while also seeing a big role in helping the Sixers win now.

White would immediately become the Sixers’ sixth man and would be a damn good one. The Sixers’ bench has talent and potential but is awfully young. At 27, White adds maturity and experience. I love Vassell, but he is a tough fit here with wings like Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz and Isaiah Joe that fit a similar mold. You can never have enough good, young wings, but I might prefer another pick or someone like Keldon Johnson, who offers more perimeter shot-creation potential, something the Sixers desperately need. — Paul Hudrick

2. Indiana - Brogdon, Warren + a pick

You could argue this deal makes more sense with the Sixers looking to maximize Embiid’s prime. Brogdon gives the Sixers a traditional point guard that can help space the floor even more for Embiid while also providing solid defense. I love the idea of Warren — especially the bubble version that destroyed the Sixers — as either the team’s starting three or a flamethrower off the bench. Both players offer more perimeter creation than what’s on the current roster.

The reason I like the Spurs deal better is trepidation over the health of both Indiana players. Brogdon, who isn’t the most explosive player to begin with, has missed time with various injuries over the last three seasons. Warren missed all but four games last season after having foot surgery. Both players are 28 and have proven NBA track records — which aligns with what the Sixers want — but their injury histories would make me want more draft compensation. — Paul Hudrick

3. Sacramento - Hield, Haliburton

Adding more shooting in Hield makes a ton of sense. The more shooting around Embiid the better. My only concern is that I’d imagine Hield would come here with the expectation to start. That would mean one of Danny Green or Seth Curry — who were both excellent last season — would have to move to the bench, something I’m not sure Doc Rivers wants to do.

While Haliburton doesn’t necessarily fit the mold of a win-now acquisition, that’d be a strong return. Haliburton replaces Simmons as a big playmaker but with the ability to shoot. Would he be ready for the moment in the postseason? I think it’s 100 percent worth finding out … if Sacramento is willing to move him. — Paul Hudrick

[iloveyoupittsburghpirates-blog]

Keep Moving, Pittsburgh Pirates

My Dearest Pittsburgh Pirates,

That was awesome. You literally couldn’t have scripted it better. Sean Rodriguez was reacquired in a trade on Saturday. He had 72 hours to report but because you are still in this division race he chose to show up today and I couldn’t be happier that he did. SRod entered the game in a double switch in the 8th inning. After Felipe Rivero had a rare blown save in the 9th, SRod came up for his second at bat of the game in the 12th and demolished a homer to deep left field to win the game and win the series against the San Diego Padres. With the Cubs loss today, you are only 4.5 games back in this division. That’s pretty unbelievable especially with how poorly you played earlier in the week. You were embarrassed again by the Reds in the first two games of that series before salvaging it by winning the finale. You split the first two in the Padres series before the dramatic ending highlighted by the SRod homer. I’ll go more into depth what SRod’s return really means to this team but that almost seems pointless given what took place today. You have two months left and you finally added some necessary piecesx to this roster. You still need to continue to improve to really make a run at this thing but these next eight weeks should be very interesting.

So long, WaWa. On Monday, the July 31st trade deadline, you traded long time reliever Tony Watson to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two young prospects. It’s easy to be fine with this move given Watson’s mediocre performance over the last two seasons but don’t forget what Watson did for this team in their playoff seasons. He was a machine. From 2013 through 2015, he had ERA’s of 2.39, 1.63, and 1.91 along with WHIP’s of 0.88, 1.02, and 0.96. That’s excellent. It’s no surprise that he burned out a bit considering that since he entered the league he has the third most relief appearances over that span. Watson was going to be a free agent at the end of the year. You weren’t planning to resign him and you wouldn’t make him a qualifying offer so there would be no draft pick for him anyway. Trading him doesn’t weaken your team by much especially with how inconsistent he has been since being placed in the closer role last year. The two prospects you received weren’t top tier prospects but they are certainly interesting. Oneil Cruz is an 18 year old third baseman who stands at 6′6″. He’s a project but he has already crushed a towering homer since joining your minor league system. You also received 21 year old relief pitcher Angel German who throws mid 90′s, has a 1.91 ERA, and has a 10.1 K/9. These guys may not amount to much but I’m fine with rolling the dice on a couple prospects for a guy who was leaving regardless. Either way, a tip of the cap to WaWa. Thanks for all the good years. I won’t feel too bad for you seeing you joined a team who has won 43 of their last 50 games. Good luck to you, sir...

July 31st passed and the only person you acquired was forty year old Joaquin Benoit from the Phillies to just add another arm to the bullpen. His numbers are actually decent this year though he gave up a homer in each of his first two appearances, That looked like it until Saturday when you brought back Serpico. You traded Connor Joe (another high draft pick you wasted because he has no position) to bring back fan favorite and defensive specialist Sean Rodriguez. Obviously I absolutely love this move even more now after his walkoff homer today. SRod is signed through next year and he adds depth at almost every position on the diamond particularly OF, 2B, and 3B. He could start for an injured Polanco, he can give Freese days off, and he can spell JHay or Mercer when needed. The move also meets the requirement of operating as if Jung-ho Kang will never play for you again. SRod is the definition of a super utility player. He’s been hurt most of the year after a bad car crash and since returning he’s struggled hitting but that’s to be expected. He hit 18 homers last year and after that bomb today you know he has pop. He will make over five million next year. Even if he doesn’t hit a bunch of homers, he is well worth that price for his defense. He can literally play every position on the field (he was even the emergency catcher last year). He has the added bonus of hitting lefties well so he could give Bell or Polanco a day off too. Bringing back SRod was a no-brainer and I couldn’t be happier you finally addressed the depth concerns. 

SRod wasn’t the only move you made on Saturday. You claimed relief pitcher George Kontos off waivers from the San Francisco Giants as well. Kontos was almost a Pirates years ago when he was one of the options for you to take from the Yankees in the Xavier Nady deal. Kontos has had an OK season with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. His three prior seasons have been terrific though. In those three seasons, his ERAs were 2.78, 2.33, and 2.53 with WHIP’s of 1.08, 0.94, and 1.16. This adds depth to the bullpen for this year and next year. Kontos is still in arbitration through next season and he’s making 1.75 million this year which means he will be affordable next year too. His walks are up a little this year but his K/9 has jumped from 5.9 last year to 9.6 this year. With Watson gone and Nicasio scheduled to be a free agent, you needed to add to the bullpen for next year. Obviously both SRod and Kontos can help you now but it seems like the front office realizes that with a fully healthy (and not suspended) team, you can compete next year if this year doesn’t work outt. Neither of these are flashy moves but you didn’t really need anything big. You needed to add depth to an already pretty good roster and you did that for an extremely reasonable cost. I’m still confused why you didn’t pull the trigger on moves like this sooner but, as they say, better late than never.

I’m still in shock. I was excited on Saturday when the news came that SRod was back. When I saw that ball soar over the left field wall today, I had chills. I’m not saying that you win the division now because of this but sometimes all it takes is that shot in the arm to propel you into a different stratosphere. Hopefully you take this momentum into this week which will be kind of a weird one. You play four games against the Detroit Tigers starting tomorrow with the first two at home and the next two in Detroit. This is a below .500 team that you need to beat. You follow that with a weekend series in Toronto against the Blue Jays, another sub .500 team. You need to set the standard this week and beat these mediocre teams. After this week, your schedule goes Brewers, Cardinals, Dodgers, Reds, Cubs, Reds, Cubs, Cardinals, Brewers, Reds, Brewers, and Cardinals. That takes you to the last week of the season. Those are all potential playoff teams except the Reds who have owned you this year. That’s a brutal stretch but also an opportunistic one. If you play better baseball, you will have a chance. You’ve shown glimpses of elite play but then your offense disappears for a few games. That can’t happen. Your margin for error is so small. Take it one day at a time and go out and beat two AL teams. Thanks again for a fun Sunday. Have a great week! Love you!

                                                                                         Your Satisfied Sidekick,

                                                                                                          Brad

P.S. Jameson Taillon bounced back in a huge way today. He gave up two runs in the first inning but then blanked the Padres the rest of his outing to go 6 1/3 innings giving up five hits, two walks, and striking out eight. It’s a relief to see after his last two starts had been the worst of his career. In those two starts, he went a total of 6 2/3 innings giving up twenty hits and seventeen earned runs, It raised his ERA from 3.08 to 4.74. If you have any hopes of winning this division, he needs to pitch like an ace. It was only two starts but they were so bad I didn’t understand what was going on. Getting him back on track today was huge. Here’s hoping that continues moving forward. 

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Quinn Hughes Debut, Habs/Jackets, More Hits Options (Mar 29)

Happy Quinn Hughes day!

The seventh overall pick in last summer’s draft made his NHL debut on Thursday. He was paired with the recently resurgent Luke Schenn (more on him shortly) in just over 15 minutes of icetime. For fantasy owners who were lightning-fast in adding Hughes to their lineups, he recorded his first NHL point by assisting on Brock Boeser’s second-period goal.

Hughes did much of the work on the goal, hopefully giving us a preview of things to come:  

BROCK BOESER TALLIES THE REBOUND AFTER QUINN HUGHES MAKES A BEAUTIFUL MOVE! FIRST NHL POINT FOR HUGHES!#Canucks pic.twitter.com/PNPnx5DQEy

— Hockey Daily (@HockeyDaily365) March 29, 2019

  No first-unit power-play duty for Hughes (yet), as the Canucks went with a four-forward first unit with Alex Edler on the point as per usual. However, 3-on-3 overtime with Hughes, Boeser, and Elias Pettersson was a sight to behold. Amazing stuff.

Of course, you can check out Hughes' Dobber Prospects profile, where Cam has lots more to say. 

By the way, Edler has five goals and 11 points over his past 12 games. Hughes will probably supplant him one day on the Canucks' first power-play unit, just not today. 

With Thatcher Demko in net, the Canucks’ roster on Thursday provided a real glimpse into the future. Demko stopped 37 of 39 shots in earning his second win in three games. It looks like the Canucks will alternate between Demko and Jacob Markstrom the rest of the way, so plan accordingly.

After bouncing around with several teams and even a stint in the minors, Schenn may have found a home in Vancouver, at least for next season. He’ll never be an option in pure points leagues, but he might be worth a grab if you are zeroing in on your hits category in roto. Over the past week Schenn has 28 hits in four games, more than any other player. Schenn and Hughes already know each other from Schenn’s Toronto days, when Hughes’ dad worked for the Leafs.

I have to say that if you think Jonathan Quick is washed up, he looked very impressive in this game. Quick stopped 36 of 38 shots, which included some beauty saves. Quick was pulled from his last start on Tuesday after allowing five goals on 11 shots in one period against Edmonton, so this was a nice bounce-back start for him in spite of not earning a win.

*

In the matchup of the night, the Canadiens and Blue Jackets faced off for what might be the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Under a ton of pressure considering what they have to lose this offseason, the Jackets pulled through with a 6-2 win over the Habs. In case you’re already planning your playoff pool, the two teams are now tied for the final playoff spot with 90 points, although the Jackets also have the all-important game in hand.

Oliver Bjorkstrand was the Jackets’ scoring star, scoring twice on four shots on goal. Even though he’s being used on what might be considered Columbus’ third line with Alexander Wennberg and Boone Jenner, Bjorkstrand has been heating up with five goals in his last five games. The Jackets play on both Saturday and Sunday, so Bjorkstrand should be considered a streaming option for those days. As should many other Blue Jackets on what is a fairly deep (at least on paper) scoring attack.

After being held without a goal in 12 consecutive games, Artemi Panarin now has goals in back-to-back games. The Jackets can ill-afford another scoring slump from Panarin.

*

The Panthers might be out of the playoff race, but that isn’t stopping Jonathan Huberdeau. The Panthers’ winger scored two goals on six shots on goal in a 5-2 win over Ottawa. Huby now has eight multipoint games during March to go with nine goals and 21 points over his last 12 games. Too bad I’ve been eliminated in the league that I own him in. Don’t you just hate it when your players cash in after you’ve been eliminated?

Evgenii Dadonov is another Panthers’ forward who has picked up the pace. Over his last 12 games, Dadonov has 17 points (4g-13a). Playing on a line with Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov might have something to do with it. Dadonov has now surpassed last season’s point total and is just four points shy of his first 70-point season.

The Senators certainly can’t blame Brady Tkachuk for this loss. The younger Tkachuk brother scored his 20th goal of the season while firing 12 shots on goal and dishing three hits in 22 minutes of icetime. We’ll have to wait and see what order of pick the 31st-place Senators hand over to the Avalanche. If you believe in the theory of opportunity cost, the Sens would not own Tkachuk had they decided to keep their 2019 pick instead of their 2018 pick as part of the first Duchene deal. Hey, I’m just trying to be positive for Senators’ fans here. We’ll have to wait and see how everything unfolds.

On the other Sens’ goal, Colin White provided some highlight-reel material:  

COLIN WHITE WITH A GORGEOUS INDIVIDUAL EFFORT!#FlaPanthers pic.twitter.com/eQVoyj9dSv

— Hockey Daily (@HockeyDaily365) March 29, 2019

*

Another forward who provided a big boost to shots on goal totals everywhere was Dylan Larkin. The Wings’ forward fired 12 shots of his own, with two of them going in. Larkin now has the first 30-goal season in his career.

Larkin’s linemates also had strong games. Tyler Bertuzzi scored two goals and added an assist, while Anthony Mantha recorded three assists. Mantha now has six points over his last three games. The Wings play on Sunday, which makes Mantha another possible streaming option, likely in the shallower pools.

Rasmus Ristolainen was held out of the lineup for a second consecutive game due to illness. The Sabres’ workhorse defenseman has been held without a point with a minus-9 ranking in his last nine games. Even multicategory single-season leaguers could consider dropping Risto at this point if more immediate help is needed. If this is actually an injury, then the non-playoff Sabres might consider shutting him down.

*

If you own Mathew Barzal, you’ve been waiting for a goal for a while. As in over a month. Fortunately, the Isles’ center broke his goal-scoring slump and added an assist in a 5-4 win over Winnipeg. Barzal had gone without a goal in his previous 19 games. He isn’t one to pile up the goals, as his 18 goals this season is just four fewer than his total last season. However, he is well short of his 85-point rookie season from last season. This could be the result of having to play the tougher matchups this season versus last season, when John Tavares was still in the fold.

Playing on the top line with Barzal, Jordan Eberle scored two goals and added an assist. Eberle might have decent value at this very moment based on where he’s being used, but he’s also staring at his first sub-40-point season (lockout-shortened 2012-13 not included) in his career.

It’s finally happened: Ryan Pulock is on the first power-play unit. At least he’s sharing it with Nick Leddy anyway. Pulock had a nice roto game, recording three assists (one on the power play) while taking seven shots on goal in nearly 26 minutes. He’d been held without a point in his previous eight games, so you might want to get him back for what’s left of the season if you decided to move on.

In a losing cause for the Jets, Adam Lowry and Brandon Tanev each had three points. Lowry had been held without a point in his last nine games, while Tanev had not recorded a point in his previous seven games. Tanev has some sneaky roto value, as he fired six shots on Thursday, and he has 23 hits over the past week (four games). However, whenever I’ve thought about picking him up, he seems to be mired in a point drought.

*

Connor McDavid scored his 40th goal of the season in style:  

CONNOR MCDAVID! ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS, BETWEEN-THE-LEGS BEAUTY! HE IS NOT HUMAN!#LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/w4Ix4CelYD

— Hockey Daily (@HockeyDaily365) March 29, 2019

Leon Draisaitl also scored goal number 47, which puts him just two behind Alex Ovechkin in the Rocket Richard Trophy race and of course the race to 50 goals. Both McDavid and Draisaitl have now hit 100 points and are in the top 5 in scoring. You’d think that would set the Oilers up nicely for a playoff spot, right? Of course not. You need an entire team, not just a couple of top-end players. The same theory applies in fantasy.

*

With two more goals on Thursday, Alex DeBrincat has 40 goals. That places him in the top 10 in goal scoring. Not bad for a 21 year old in his second NHL season who many teams thought was too small. DeBrincat is not averse to slumps, though, as he entered this game without a point in five consecutive games.

Tomas Hertl scored a goal and added two assists, giving him 34 goals and 68 points in what has been a true breakout. A 70-point season is easily within reach.

*

If you’re also into baseball, hope you enjoyed Opening Day and the start of fantasy baseball! For more fantasy hockey information, or to reach out to me directly, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-quinn-hughes-debut-habsjackets-more-hits-options-mar-29/

[365footballorg-blog]

Fantasy: Loading up on New York Red Bulls for Heineken Rivalry Week

August 22, 201810:50AM EDT

Reid and Mike get together with New York Derby expert Tim Shaw to talk about all of the exciting rivalry action in Round 26. They start the show with a short review of the important fantasy takeaways form Round 25 including the latest injury news before the big El Trafico match. Things get a little silly during the Round 26 previews but top fantasy match ups and players are identified and options are given in case lineups don’t go as expected. It’s a great preview and a must listen before Round 26 starts on Wednesday.

It’s Heineken Rivalry Week and that mean a lot of players have a shot at big fantasy point totals thanks to the added motivation that goes along with important games. At the top of this list is practically every starting New York Red Bulls player thanks to their double-game week which includes two rivalry matchups. I recommend going all in with the Red Bulls for this double derby double-game week but that still leaves you with 11 spots to fill. Below is a list of some of my favorite players to help you find a balance between the double and single-game week teams.

Double-Game: New York Red Bulls

Bye Round: None

Keepers

Robles is the clear goalkeeper pick for this week | USA Today Sports

DGW Pick: Without a doubt, the number one ‘keeper for this round is New York Red Bulls’ Luis Robles ($ 7.5) because he has a shot at two clean sheets. This chance comes from the Red Bulls’ top notch defense which is currently in the top three when on the road and at home. This point potential does come at a high price, but Robles should be well worth it.

SGW Option: If you’re just not feeling a DGW player, then consider Sporting Kansas City’s Tim Melia ($ 7.5). He has clean sheets in his last three games and could extend it to four as Minnesota’s (8:30 pm ET | TV & streaming info) top goalscoring threat, Darwin Quintero, is still only listed as day-to-day.

Defenders

Castillo has averaged 5.8 points per game over his last five games | USA Today Sports

Value Rise: Still working on increasing your team value? You might consider switching over to a points focus soon. However, you can get the best of both worlds this week with Colorado’s Edgar Castillo ($ 7.5). He’s been a magnet for value increases over the past four weeks and has also earned a lot of points thanks to three assists and one goal over the same time. This weekend’s match against Real Salt Lake (9:00 pm ET | TV & streaming info) will offer the opportunity for both as the Rocky Mountain Cup usually means goals.

Budget Friendly: If you need a solid defender but at a cheaper price, then go with Seth Sinovic ($ 6.5). He started the last three games for Sporting Kansas City and has earned a clean sheet each time. Sinovic is a no frills players but his sub seven million price tag does make him the cheapest way into the high scoring SKC defensive system and gives you a shot at a potential clean sheet against Minnesota.

Midfielders

Lletget could be the best option in El Trafico | USA Today Sports

Switcheroo Derby: Round 28 marks the third and final El Trafico of 2018 (10:30 pm ET | ESPN — TV & streaming info). I give the advantage to LAFC due to the injuries suffered by the LA Galaxy but both previous meetings were high scoring so you may want to have a player from each team on your bench. My top targets are Eduard Atuesta and Sebastian Lletget. Both players are reasonably priced as $ 7 million and both play in the midfield so they should have the opportunity to be involved in the buildup to goals.

Reliability: If you’d rather go with a player who returns more consistent point totals then consider Tyler Adams ($ 8.2). He’s one of the most skilled Red Bulls players and this skills gives him access to both offensive and defensive bonus points each week. These reliable points will quickly add up during this big double-game week especially against a D.C. United (7:00 pm ET | FS1 — TV & streaming info) team that has struggled on the road.

Forwards

Top Dollar: The two most popular forwards for Round 28 are Atlanta’s Josef Martinez ($ 12.5) and the New York Red Bulls’ Bradley Wright-Phillips ($ 10.4). Both have made scoring look easy this year and have the potential for multiple goals this week. Martinez will be looking to break the single-season goalscoring record against an Orlando (8:00 pm ET | TV & streaming info) team that has yet to keep a home clean sheet all season. Wright-Phillips, on the other hand, has a promising double-game week that starts against a New York City FC (7:00 pm ET | FS1 — TV & streaming info) team that will be missing several starting players.

Hey New Guy: If you’re worried that BWP might see some rotation, then consider LAFC’s Christian Ramirez ($ 8.7). He bagged a brace during his first start for LAFC and has the potential for more points against a weakened LA Galaxy. Just keep an eye on the roster because Bob Bradley has several options for that center forward spot.

WHICH PLAYERS are you considering for Round 26?

FOR MORE fantasy advice, be sure to check out the articles and charts posted at MLSFantasyBoss.com.

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MLSsoccer.com News

Fantasy: Loading up on New York Red Bulls for Heineken Rivalry Week was originally published on 365 Football

[go-fish-floof-daily-blog]

Woah, Skullgirls!? I haven't played that in a while but it was fun! Got a favourite fighter in that one? I'd probably go with Peacock.

(I used the Cable color because that’s the color I play, but the Georges are those of normal Peacock)

I run a trio of 

Peacock(Point) - LK George, Big Band(Middle) - LP Beat Extend, Double(Anchor) - HK Hornet Bomber

I started with a duo of Peacock and Big Band, because they’re both fantastic, lovable characters! Seriously, I don’t understand how you can’t love these two, especially their chemistry together. Plus, I like zoning, so Peacock was the perfect fit with all her projectiles.

Peacock and Big Band have really nice synergy with each other too! Argus Agony and Supersonic Jazz DHC(delayed hyper combo) really nicely into each other, which is great because SSJ’s damage is really good for a one-bar super. Being able to cancel or DHC into Lenny, which is completely safe in almost all scenarios,(the most common exception being when they can cancel or DHC into Cerebella’s Ultimate Showstopper :( ) whenever a point character does something unsafe is really nice too.

Their assists also complement each other nicely! Big Band has plenty of good options. Originally I ran HP Brass Knuckles because it almost covers the whole screen and has armor, making it really nice for zoning. I later switched to Beat Extend because I wanted a Shoryuken-esque assist for stronger close-range defense, and it’s a safer alpha counter if you know they’re gonna try something because of its invincibility and faster startup. I added Double with HK Bomber, which is also a really nice assist, but we’ll get to that later.

Shoryuken assists are really nice for Peacock because her close-range options are pretty much the weakest in the game, so forcing your opponents off of you with an invincible move is ideal.

Peacock also has a really good assist for Big Band in the form of LK George, which walks along the ground slowly and explodes(1 hit) upon contact with an opponent. This is really neat for close range scenarios where you want to ensure safety after a failed mixup, for assist-exclusive combos and resets, and for covering an approach or a frame disadvantage.

Moving onto Double, the Hornet Bomber assist is by far the best reason to use her alongside Peacock. It’s fantastic for zoning. It’s 3 hits total, covers the whole length of the screen, at its peak it covers IADs in between Peacock’s projectiles, and drags them all the way back to a full screen’s distance away if it hits. 

Double also has some neat perks, like having another safe super to DHC into in the form of Catellite Lives(although admittedly I have no clue how to get the most of the cat heads it spawns, aside from mental damage induced by having to block a lot of stuff), and an SSJ-esque(although the damage isn’t as good) super in Bandwagon Beatdown so Peacock always has something to DHC into.

(but uhhhhh if someone has a guide for playing Double please send it to me because my Double neutral pretty much consists of “jump in and try to make stuff happen”) 

To wrap it up, please consider buying Skullgirls! Granted, the scene isn’t so large, but that’s nothing we can’t change! (this is not a sponsored advertisement i don’t know why lab zero would bother to hire me in particular)

Why buy Skullgirls? Well…

For starters, it’s really cheap, only $10 off sale! And with the holidays approaching, surely you can snatch it for sub-5! (I got it during Summer sale for 3, not counting the dlc) The DLC isn’t even really that offensive, considering you have plenty of options for team composition even with only 8 characters. 

Second of all, it’s all wonderfully hand animated at 30 fps, which is pretty crazy for a fighting game, especially an indie company! Every character took over 1000 frames of animation. Even deep in the woodwork of the game, the hitboxes and hurtboxes are very accurate to what you see. A true testament to a very dedicated team(that you totally should support)

Third of all, the game has an incredibly balanced roster and system. Nothing silly or broken anywhere to complain about. It’s just you, your opponent, and your skill.

Fourth of all, its tutorial is really really good. Play through it all. You won’t regret it. (except maybe the annoying throw tech segment) So is its training mode! Not only can you practice combos like crazy(disclaimer: you’ll need it), the game gives you hitboxes, framedata, and more right at your fingertips. It even lets you slow the game down to observe interactions in depth, which is way more useful that it sounds at first.

Alright, that’s it for this incredibly long post! Thanks for sticking with me if you got to the end! I really appreciate it!

TL;DR: I talk about building my team, Skullgirls is great, go buy it

[junker-town]

4 winners and 3 losers of the 2019 MLB trade deadline

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The trade deadline has come and gone, and MLB rosters have been reloaded for the post-season push. Despite the change to roster rules this year which removed the possibility of post-deadline waiver trades, we still got a flurry of moves after the supposed window had closed. A former Cy Young Award winner was the biggest name involved. Let’s start with him.

Winner: Zack Greinke

We didn’t get word of Houston landing Zack Greinke until 13 minutes after the 4 p.m. ET deadline:

BREAKING: #Astros get Greinke.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 31, 2019

If you want to label the Astros as the winners here I won’t quibble, but they were already a World Series favorite without him. Yes, Houston improved an already wonderful rotation by adding the veteran right-hander, but Greinke is a big gainer here too.

Greinke left a perennial contender in the Dodgers to take record money from the Diamondbacks. Arizona had designs on winning but only made the playoffs once in his first three seasons and are only on the fringes of contending this year. Now, Greinke is back with a loaded team, one expected to seriously for the World Series through the end of his contract in 2021.

The playoffs are better with Zack Greinke, so maybe we are the real winners.

Winner: Mets(?!)

Given that the Mets are the Mets, it feels weird to associate them with any sort of success, but the fact that they nabbed one of the most coveted starting pitchers on the block in Marcus Stroman is a win. Stroman is one of 12 qualified pitchers in MLB with a sub-3.00 ERA. His peripherals are solid, too: his 78 DRA- (anything below 100 is better than average) is better than fellow rumored trade subjects Robbie Ray (84) and Madison Bumgarner (89), to name a few.

There are questions about Stroman’s fit with the Mets. His 56.3-percent ground ball rate is second among MLB qualified starters, while New York’s infield defense is atrocious. The Mets rank in the bottom six teams in FanGraphs defense at second base, third base, and shortstop., and are in the bottom five in Defensive Runs Saved by infielders, per Sports Info Solutions.

But once you factor in that the Mets’ only cost was two minor leaguers that weren’t rated very highly, this trade becomes more favorable for New York.

Other teams selling pitchers are very annoyed at the Blue Jays return for Stroman, which one rival called “dogs*it.” If that’s all it took to get Stroman, fear is the price goes down for other pitchers unde control

— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) July 30, 2019

Text from an American League executive: "The Blue Jays' return for Stroman is embarrassing compared to what the Indians just got for Bauer."

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) July 31, 2019

That the Mets also kept Noah Syndergaard means they are at least set up well for 2020, with a rotation headed by Jacob deGrom, Syndergaard, Stroman, and Steven Matz. An improvement at minimal cost makes this an easy win for the Mets.

Loser: Dodgers

For weeks it has been obvious that the Dodgers needed a bullpen upgrade — not to make the playoffs, which a lock at this point, but to improve their chances in October. They didn’t get Felipe Vazquez from the Pirates, they didn’t get Will Smith from the Giants, and they didn’t even Ken Giles from Toronto. None were traded. But Jake Diekman and Shane Greene were, and the Dodgers didn’t bite. Maybe the price was too high, who knows?

Los Angeles did get a left-handed reliever in Adam Kolarek, but had an otherwise underwhelming trade deadline. The Dodgers must be betting big on their internal options, perhaps planning on moving hard-throwing young starters Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May to the bullpen, along with Kenta Maeda and Julio Urias playing major relief roles down the stretch.

Winner: Indians

On its face, the idea of Cleveland trading one of its best starting pitchers while holding the top American League wild card spot seems absurd, even coming from a team that seemed so complacent about its playoff chances that it’s sleepwalked through two straight offseasons.

But then we see the return for Bauer, and it makes much more sense. Five players came to Cleveland in the deal: Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes immediately help an Indians offense that ranks just 10th in the AL in runs per game (they’re third in runs allowed per game). Cleveland can slot Reyes at designated hitter, where his bad defense won’t hurt them, and the Indians added long-term plays in pitcher Logan Allen, a top-100 prospect before this season, Victor Nova and Scott Moss.

Losing Bauer, MLB’s leader in innings pitched in 2019, is a blow for Cleveland, but with this trade it’s clear the Indians are betting on the returns of ace Corey Kluber (limited to just seven starts this season with a broken forearm), Danny Salazar, and Carlos Carrasco, in order to shore up a rotation currently headed by Shane Bieber and MacGyver’s paper clip and gum wrapper. If the (likely) playoff-bound Indians can get any kind of pitching this October, they’ll now have a better offense to go with it.

Loser: Yankees

Like the Astros and Dodgers, the Yankees’ berth in October is all but secured. But with injuries mounting and a struggling starting rotation, New York sought pitching. Then they saw two of their reported targets in Stroman and Bauer went to non-contending teams. The Yankees did make one trade on July 31, but it was boring as hell.

The Yankees have acquired LHP Alfredo Garcia from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for RHP Joseph Harvey.

— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) July 31, 2019

That’s not going to move the needle.

Winner: Yasiel Puig

Throughout his career, Yasiel Puig has been a must-watch player. You just never know what you’ll see.

In 2015 we thought we had the definitive post-trade reaction of a player on the field when Wilmer Flores was crying when he learned he was headed to Milwaukee. That trade ultimately didn’t happen which made the moment even more bizarre, but that image of Flores has been usurped by a ready-to-duel Puig on Tuesday night:

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

This is Puig playing a starring role in a mass brawl on behalf of his Cincinnati teammates after being traded to Cleveland. He was only with the Reds for four months, but he leaves a legend.

Loser: Tanner Roark

Roark was driving ahead to Cincinnati’s next stop, in Atlanta, when he learned he had been dealt to the A’s. His delicious processed meat was rudely interrupted with the news of his new destination.

Tanner Roark learned of his trade in an @arbys parking lot. He wanted a beef and cheddar (and curly fries). He was driving to Atlanta, where he lives in the off-season. @JonHeyman approves. He will not be driving to Oakland

— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) July 31, 2019

By sending minor league outfielder Jameson Hannah to the Reds, the A’s were able to meat Cincinnati’s demand. It’s just too bad that Roark’s roast beef quest was interrupted, even briefly.

[Ed note: we’re sorry. Eric insisted]

[packernet]

New Post has been published on https://www.packernet.com/blog/2017/09/04/pn-podcast-94-preseason-mock-draft/

PN Podcast 9/4: Preseason mock draft

In this episode of the Packernet Podcast, I’ll take a look at the Packers in their current state, as well as the mental state of the fan base and roll it all together into one big overreaction mock draft.

To listen to previous podcasts and more in the future, click here and be sure to subscribe.

https://packernet.s3.amazonaws.com/podcast/PN%20Podcast%2094.mp3

    The NFL draft order has begun to be set and the 2018 draft big boards are far from being set but if you look hard enough you can find enough general information to make it work. For my efforts I simply assume the Packers won’t draft in the top 10. Other than that I gave the Packers 1 selection in each of the 7 rounds, plus a bonus pick in the 7th thanks to Mr. Jayrone Elliott.

As an interesting side note, and something I may take into consideration in future mock drafts, the Packers are expected to receive 4 compensatory picks on top of the additional 7th. If that holds up, the Packers look to have 12 picks in the upcoming draft (1,2,3,3,4,5,5,6,6,6,7,7). That could be kind of awesome.

Remember, this is an overreaction, NOT a prediction. So calm yourselves.

Stats provided by Pro Football Focus via PFF Edge and PFF Elite. Find PFF stat definitions HERE.

Round 1 Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

If not for the fact that this was such a deep quarterback draft, Lamar Jackson would never fall to the Packers in the second half of the draft. Fortunately for the Packers he does.

With Hundley set to depart next year and Taysom Hill getting signed by the Saints, the Packers have 2 options, settle for Joe Callahan or get serious about finding a backup.

In his 2 years, Jackson completed 364 of 659 passes (52.2%) for 5,371 yards and 42 touchdowns. He added 423 carries for 2,531 yards and 32 touchdowns. Yes, you read that correctly.

So far in 2017, Jackson has played 1 game (@Purdue) in which he completed 30 of 46 passes (65.2%) for 378 yards and 2 touchdowns, adding 21 rushing attempts for 107 yards. If he keeps this up, he won’t be falling anywhere.

For a team that loves quarterbacks that can move, there quite possibly has never been a better one. In just a matter of seconds watching some of Jackson’s game film, there is only one name that comes to mind. Michael Vick.

Not only does Jackson have similar speed (Jackson 4.34, Vick 4.33) but the arm strength is truly unbelievable. With a flick of the wrist, with his feet not set, Jackson can sail the ball half way down the field.

If there is an area of concern it’s his accuracy. He tends to let the ball sail on him and his adjusted completion percentage of 69.5% would rank him 25th in the NFL (Just behind Bortles).

Best PFF Stat: 49 scrambles for 504 yards(10.3 Y/A) Worst PFF Stat: Adjusted completion % for passes between 21-30 yards, 37.5%

Round 2 Will Hernandez, G, UTEP

Offensive line is not a problem for the Green Bay Packers. Depth at offensive line? Well that’s just downright horrifying. With that in mind, there’s no real way to overreact without drafting a lineman and early.

Considering the biggest issues on the line are at guard, I figured that would be the best place to look. Furthermore, since the only real reason to panic is the image of Rodgers being carted off the field, a premium has to be placed on pass protection.

Enter Will Hernandez, the ultimate overreaction for the fan looking for a guard whose sole purpose in life is to keep the quarterback upright. In his 3 years at UTEP, Hernandez has allowed just 3 sacks, 4 hits, and 7 hurries in 2,498 snaps (1,162 passing snaps).

Surprisingly, Hernandez was also ranked 4th in positively graded run block percentage so he isn’t just 1 dimensional. The issue for Hernandez is his significant drop in performance against top level competition and how well his skills will translate to the NFL.

Best PFF Stat: Pass blocking efficiency, 99.8 Worst PFF Stat: Ranks 31st in snaps per bullrush pressure

Round 3 Rashaan Evans, EDGE, Alabama

Another area of immense concern is at outside linebacker. Even if you ignore the lack of depth, even if the injury issues don’t bother you, you still have to ask the question, who can get to the quarterback?

In terms of solutions, I really REALLY like this option. Everything about Evans screams Packers. Not only does he fit the Josh Jones mold of fast and physical, Evans also is a dual threat playing both outside and inside linebacker.

A player like Evans would give the Packers even more versatility, come from a program with incredibly good defenses, and as far as getting the quarterback, Evans was ranked #1 by PFF in pass rush productivity.

In terms of concerns, there are a few but the largest in my eyes are the missed tackles.

The intensity, speed, and power are all there but the production doesn’t match. Far too often, Evans uses his incredible tools to get where he needs to be but isn’t able to finish.

Best PFF Stat: Pass rush productivity, 22.9 (highest in the NFL is 15) Worst PFF Stat: Missed 11 of 52 tackles (21%)

Round 4 Jeremiah Kolone, G, San Jose State

We got 1 guard. That’s great. It’ll provide some depth and a possible replacement. But does everything have to be about Aaron Rodger all the time? The Packers have 4 young stud running backs, when do we put the spotlight on them? When do they become the priority.

Allow me to introduce to you, Jeremiah Kolone. The answer to all of our run game concerns. If Hernandez is going to replace Taylor on Rodgers blind side, Kolone would replace the aging Evans on the strong side.

Why would he be replacing Evans on the strong side? Perhaps it’s the fact that he was ranked 5th in the nation for run block success percentage. Not bad for a prospect expected to be drafted on the third day.

In terms of concerns, Kolone is also going to need to prove he’s able to play at a high level against top tier competition.

Best PFF Stat: Run block success percentage, 93% Worst PFF Stat: Ranks 93rd in pass blocking efficiency in 3 step drops

Round 5 Josey Jewell, ILB, Iowa

Is anyone panicked about inside linebacker? For the first time in a long time, not really. But nothing has changed at the position which leads me to believe the panic will once again rise as the season wears on.

There are a few reasons Jewell fits. Most of it is shallow surface level stuff that doesn’t relate to anything but seriously, google Jake Ryan, Blake Martinez, and Josey Jewell. It fits.

A.J. Hawk, Ohio State. Jake Ryan, Michigan. Josey Jewell, Iowa. It fits. Also, at 6’2 236, he matches up pretty perfectly with the Jake and Blake tandem. Inside linebacker for the Packers is like an exclusive country club and Jewell fits the mold.

Beyond the completely unnecessary and not too helpful comparisons, Josey does seem to be a pretty good linebacker and one that could help the Packers. Jewell is ranked in the top 10 in run stop percentage as well as top 20 in pass rush productivity, something Capers would be fond of.

The glaring issues are his coverage grades. Something he will likely need to get cleaned up if he’s going to play for the “everyone has to do everything” Green Bay Packers.

Best PFF Stat: 4th highest percentage of positively graded plays against the run Worst PFF Stat: Ranks 121st in coverage snaps per target

Round 6 Tim Settle, NT, Virginia Tech

Are we too light along the defensive line? I don’t mean in terms of bodies, I mean in terms of BMI. The guys are too trim. What is this 301 pounds nonsense. Where are all the Gilbert Browns? To make matters worse, Brian Price got shipped off. Now what do we do?

We draft Tim Settle, that’s what we do. At 6’3 328 pounds, there’s no point in calling him a defensive tackle, this guy is a nose tackle all day every day.

But Settle isn’t simple a lane clogging, two gapping, run stuffer. Oh no, that would never get him on a Packers roster. To have a shot in Green Bay you have to be able to generate pressure up the middle. Settle can.

https://giant.gfycat.com/BarrenWastefulEnglishpointer.webm

Settle, despite his massive frame, is ranked 10 among all defensive interior lineman in pass rush productivity. Couple that with the fact that he has the 13th highest percentage of positively graded plays against the run.

Best PFF Stat: 6th in pressures per inside pressure Worst PFF Stat: Missed 4 of 19 tackles (21%)

Round 7  Justin Lawler, EDGE, SMU

We already got an edge guy, and one that could rack up a lot of sacks but what if Capers likes him more as an inside guy? Did we really just draft 2 inside linebackers? We can’t have that.

Quick, find the guy with the second best pass rush productivity! Oh, here he is. Justin Lawler. At 6’4 266 pounds, Lawler is built like a Packers outside linebacker with similar dimensions to Nick Perry, Chris Odom, and Ahmad Brooks.

Lawler primarily plays as a 4-3 defensive end but he’s simply not being utilized correctly. In his 3 years and 656 pass rush snaps, Lawler is ranked 143rd in pass rush productivity from the 3-point stance. He needs to stand up.

His biggest issue from what I can see is consistency. He racked up almost all his sacks in two games in 2016. A player that can disappear for several games at a time simply isn’t going to cut it as an OLB in the NFL.

Best PFF Stat: Ranks #1 in snaps per outside pressure Worst PFF Stat: His pass rush productivity is 0 on sub 2.5 second plays

Round 7 Jared Cornelius, WR, Arkansas

I know what you’re thinking, great another wide receiver. We just cut both of our receiver draft picks this year, we’re stacked, enough already. That’s fair, but I’m also hearing a lot of fans talking about trading or otherwise offloading Randall Cobb. Although I can’t say I understand it myself, it’s a classic overreaction so lets address it.

So Cobb gets traded for some elite corner and Geronimo Allison continues to have problems with the law. Now what do we do? Those two are the only two receivers that primarily play in the slot. Janis is the next closest with 30% of his snaps coming in the slot. Does anyone really want to see Janis in the slot?

It’s alright everyone, I found a solution. We trade away Cobb and found his replacement in Jared Cornelius. Although he doesn’t have all the attributes to replace Cobb, it isn’t going to be possible to find a Randall Cobb in the 7th round. So what did I focus on? His hands

Randall Cobb had 0 drops from the slot last year. If you’re going to Replace Cobb you better have some good hands and be a target that Aaron Rodgers can rely on. In Cornelius’ 3 years at Arkansas, he caught 74 of 113 targets. In all that, he totaled 2 drop. 2 Drops in three years. The guy is solid.

Best PFF Stat: Deep pass catch percentage, 72.7% Worst PFF Stat: 113 targets in 3 years isn’t a great sample size

[emblem-333]

Danny Ainge's Gamble On Kyrie Irving

I’m becoming more disenchanted with this stupid sport by the day. All the preconceived notions of sports I conjured in my youth have been disproven in the last few years. whisked away the illusion I had of loyalty still remaining prevalent in sports. The Spurs being the lone exception - players, coaches, general managers look out for primarily themselves. It’s why Gordon Hayward refused to take $500,000 less to make room on the roster without having to trade anybody. It’s why Paul George is in OKC, his old team is trying to throw a monkey wretch in their former player’s plan to return home to Los Angeles.

We don’t like it, even as fans benefit from it, the NBA is a business where childlike wonder doesn’t thrive. Old men go ring chasing, teams casually fire GMs and coaches every summer and trade players they don’t like regardless of how much they mean to fans and the team’s identity.

The Isaiah Thomas trade makes sense for the Boston Celtics in a computer. Kyrie Irving isn’t yet the superior point guard, but is younger, under contract for an extra season and will be cheaper to retain once a free agent in 2019 (he has a player-option for 2019 he’ll most definitely exercise). For all what Thomas was in Boston, he isn’t the ISO threat Irving is. He’s yet to hit his ceiling, while the 5-9 wonder hit his already and will only decline - coming off a server hip injury that’s derailed careers in the past, it isn’t unreasonable to believe we’ve seen the best of Isaiah Thomas.

Obtaining Gordon Hayward made the talented and prickly Jae Crowder expendable. You may disagree, certainly Ainge didn’t. It’s an armchair observation, but how far was your team going if Jae Crowder was your second best scoring option? He’s a wonderful player, he hasn’t been able to be the two-way threat he once was prior to J.R Smith slashing him in the playoffs in 2015. Still, Jae hit nearly 40% of his threes, hit an inordinate of twos (54%), and can get to the rim when his knees are healthy. In theory he should help your team defensively, yet for the last two seasons his DRtg jumps from 102 to 108, which isn’t scary, then you factor in his last two playoffs, against Atlanta in 2016 a hobbled Crowder put up a 99 DRtg. The next season, a healthy Jae, with defensive Swiss-army knife Al Horford, his rating jumped fifteen points.

Course, it isn’t easy guarding LeBron James. That can overemphasize anyone’s shortcomings. His DRtg rating was a solid 109 prior to the Cavs series for the postseason. Of course DRtg isn’t the definitive stat to accurately account someone’s worth on defense.

To me, Crowder is a solid two-way threat, when the offensive burden isn’t on him. If he is playing 27.5 minutes a night for you, as opposed to the 32.4 he played for Boston in 2016-‘17, his knees won’t wear down like they did and his jump shot may become more of a consistent threat in the playoffs. Outside of an explosive Game 1 vs Washington, Crowder shot 32.3% from beyond the arc in the post season prior, and 35% after. I’ve been of the unpopular opinion that he should take more TWOs than threes. The importance given the 3-point line been emphasized so much, a large chunk of the court has gone untouched. San Antonio exploited the glitch in the system against Houston, I wouldn’t mind seeing other teams try to do the same.

Ante Zizic in four-years will be Timofey Mozgov…

Evaluating the final Nets pick by the Celtics is most likely not of an opinion widely thought. Ainge believes the Nets aren’t a dumpster fire - and weren’t one last year, only when competent guard Jeremy Lin suited up for only 36 games did the Nets fail to crack more than 20-wins; 13-23 in games in where Lin started.

Newly acquired D'Angelo Russell has potential, is in dire need of a change of scenery. His basic stat line and per 36 are similar to Lakers favorite Kobe Bryant. Only in Laker Land was the second overall pick considered a bust upon arrival, never mind his first season being sacrificed to the Kobe Farewell Tour. His own coach threw him under the bus because D'Angelo caught a teammate cheating on his significant other. His second season things were more tame. Glimmers of a three-point shot showed, in a large sample between November 2016 and March of 2017, Russell hit 35.5% of his long-range attempts. 15.6 ppg, 4.8 asp, 3.5 rpg, and 1.4 steals per game. Keep in mind, Russell has had to make die with Julius Randle (an athletic forward without much of anything else), Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng taking up most of the cap room and clogging the lanes.

Jeremy Lin is an average backup pushed into a starters role because of the Nets depleted roster. Nonetheless he is still an actual basketball player. Prospects Caris LeVert and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson are at least better than Randle. The gigantic elephant in the room is Brook Lopez - the second best player in Nets history is no longer starting at center. Subbing Lopez for Mozgov certainly is a downgrade. The complete roster of the Brooklyn Nets despite this is still superior to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Brooklyn added DeMarre Carroll when healthy is a decent starting forward, that’s loss a step from his days in Atlanta, but can still defend his position. And though I despised the trade, Allan Crabbe is a better player than Andrew Nicholson. Crabbe cannot do much but shoot. It is debatable whether he’s any better than Lin to start at SG. Both aren’t positive forces on defensive, their impact limited to their ability to shoot the ball. Except Lin can run the offense, where Crabbe cannot. But having D'Angelo makes Lin expendable.

Factoring in the laughable top-heaviness of the league, teams are undoubtedly tanking for next year’s draft. Atlanta, Indianapolis, Chicago, Orlando, New York, Phoenix are purposely going to lose fifty-plus games. New Orléans did not try to lose last season and were bad enough to stay in the latter parts of the lottery. Sacramento has time and time again appeared in the middle of the lottery, even without trying. There is no reason to believe the Kings won’t duplicate that result this upcoming season. In Los Angeles, if Danilo Gallinari and Blake Griffin aren’t ever healthy, the Clippers are out of the playoff race by Christmas, they could shut down their roster to get a high draft pick.

Perhaps the Nets are one of many teams who’ll win twenty-five to thirty games and by the fate of the ping-pong balls will land outside of the top-5. This is the gamble Danny Ainge is making. The package of Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and Ante Zizc is enough for Irving - a top-5 lottery pick means he wildly overpaid for a player not better than IT.

As for Irving…yes, he isn’t better than Thomas…for now. I am probably being generous when assuming if he is healthy Thomas will still be better than Irving for the 2017-‘18 season. After that however, Thomas will never be an All-Star caliber player again. Thomas is on the back-9 of his career, his game relying on explosive speed, athleticism to get his shoots. Often he finds himself knocked to the ground, his wrist getting slapped, body being smacked around adds wear and tear to his body. Opposing teams running him off screens, making it impossible to get his shot off without it getting blocked. Yet, all that swarming of Isaiah for 2.5 years hasn’t deterred him from playing at a high-level.

Irving doesn’t need to worry about the same limitations Thomas does. But his game is far from altruistic. He’s an unwilling passer, and yearns to be the next Kobe Bryant; believes strongly in “Mamba Mentality”.

I can understand Kyrie wanting to leave LeBron. The third-greatest player of all-time is an asshole. There’s no need for nuance. Irving values a franchise that is stable. Well, he’ll get that in Boston. He wants to be the straw that stirs the drink, all of the assists coming from him. Is Irving the best player on the Celtics? Probably not. Does he give a fuck? No.

It’s frustrating because Irving has shown he can pass, hit his man off the cut, showing off his court vision. Unfortunately he doesn’t wish to play that way all the time, only in short spurts. He’s going to dominate the ball, and I worry he thinks the only way to silence his critics is to have an impeccable stat line even if the loses pile up.

We can point to him and LeBron’s disappointing regular season, finishing 23-23 en route to an underwhelming 51-win total. But keep in the mind the massive upheaval the roster went under mid-season and the age of the core role-players. Richard Jefferson, Kyle Korver, J.R Smith are in their mid-30s, and the unimaginative offense helmed by LeBron and Ty Lue did little to get worth out of them.

When push came to shove, on the grandest of stages Irving showed he can single handily destroy all your hopes and dreams. Everyone points to his Game 4 throat-stomp of the Celtics. Let’s not forget after Irving hit 48.6% of his shots, 43.6% of his threes, and averaged 28.5 points and nearly 5 assists.

Irving is a mixed bag. For all the talent he possesses he just wants to score. That’s all he wants to do. But the fact he’s going from Ty Lue to Brad Stevens has to count for something right? Name one player that’s passed through the Stevens vortex and hasn’t improved? Even Tayshaun Prince’s corpse hit 55.9% of his field goal attempts.

In two-years Kyrie Irving can become the best point guard in the N.B.A. It’s only a matter of if he wants to do it his way or not.

For now, he’s fourth best in the East - eighth best in the entire league. He’s played for four overmatched coaches, before James’ return, Irving’s best teammates were Jarret Jack and Seth Curry. He is moving into a situation where All-Stars Gordon Hayward and Al Horford are his best two guys. The tools are on the Celtics roster for Kyrie to be great.

In a computer this trade made sense. The cynical side of me likes this trade because Thomas is of no use to us beyond next season - he may not even be of use this season if his hip injury sidelines him. But Celtics Nation had reached a point up until the trade they’d rather lose with Isaiah Thomas than win with anybody else.

[iloveyoupittsburghpirates-blog]

Get Some R & R, Pittsburgh Pirates

My Dearest Pittsburgh Pirates,

I guess that could have gone worse. The week started out brilliantly with you winning three of four games in Detroit against the Tigers. What more could I ask for? A sweep is too much especially on the road. If you could have taken two out of three from Toronto, the week would have been a major success. However, you didn’t do that. Instead you lost two out of three and are now four games back of the first place Cubs. It’s still hard to be too upset over a 4-3 road trip even if it is against two sub .500 teams. You resorted back to your early season problems and played some sloppy baseball. On Saturday, two errors cost you four runs. Chad Kuhl came back to Earth yesterday with a subpar performance that included five walks. That won’t do. The rest of your schedule is mostly filled with NL Central teams so you will have an opportunity to catch up. That opportunity won’t mean much if you play like you did these last two games. You can’t give up five runs in the first inning, you can’t have one hit over the final eight innings, and you can’t make defensive mistakes. Regroup and go into this week focused. Every game from here on out is vital. Take a breather today and get back on track tomorrow. 

Seriously, Gregory Polanco?!? Saturday you came up limp after charging a fly ball and went down with your third hamstring injury of the season. We don’t know yet if this one will necessitate a DL stint but this is already getting old. This has been an issue for him throughout his career so far. That is why you still need to add a free agent outfielder this offseason. I love the addition of SRod and he could play outfield if you needed him to but, in case Polanco can’t stay healthy next year, you need another guy who can fill in on a more regular basis. Your bench of SRod, Osuna, Frazier, and either Stewart or Diaz as the backup catcher looks pretty good. You let Jaso leave in free agency because he doesn’t have a real position and you add another competent outfielder. It’s a no-brainer. If you sign someone up for a couple years, they could also help fill in the gap when Cutch leaves in case Austin Meadows isn’t ready. (Yes, I have accepted that Cutch won’t be resigned after next year.) This is a move you dragged your feet on far too long this season and, while the SRod trade helps a whole hell of a lot, I could argue that you should have added even another outfielder. Beggars can’t be choosers. Don’t get complacent. It’s a necessary piece you can add for a very reasonable price. Small market teams need to take advantage of those opportunities.  

We saw the future. Andrew McCutchen tweaked his knee on Friday and had to leave the game. All Pirates’ fans collectively waited with bated breath to find out the diagnosis. It was a weird pain in his knee cap. Does Cutch have a chronic knee problem? I don’t know. If he does, it could be a contributing reason why he would take a more reasonable contract than he would get on the open market to stay or it could also be your excuse for not offering him a contract extension at all. It is telling that when he went down my first thought was that you have no chance without him. That’s true and that’s scary. There is not much that will change on this roster other than his departure come 2019. The starting pitching could be more mature but it’s a staff that will also lose Gerrit Cole after that year. The window is closing. Without Kang, Cutch, Cole, and Polanco never living up to his potential, this is a concerning situation. You have already had plenty of games this season where your offense is non-existent and that’s with Cutch in the lineup. What does it look like when he’s gone? It’s early to start worrying about this but it’s valid. Cutch is a generational player and once he’s gone we might not see another one like him for a long time. Enjoy him while you can!!

Cervelli is hurt now too? You have got to be kidding me. That’s not as devastating as losing Polanco or obviously Cutch but I don’t like what I’m hearing. This guy always seems to have some ailment that might not even keep him out of the lineup but it does affect his performance. That’s a killer. His offensive numbers this year are mediocre at best. He claims this hand injury has been bothering him for a while and it’s finally reached a breaking point. No one knows yet if this means a DL stint for him but the way he was talking it sounds very possible. I’m one of the few people who still likes the extension you gave him. Good catchers aren’t easy to come by. Most of them don’t provide much offense anyway and Cervelli has always been praised for calling good games and for his pitch framing (even though that’s way down this year.) We knew he had a history of odd, nagging injuries and it’s reared it’s ugly head again. He broke his hamate bone last year and missed about six weeks. Who knows how long this injury will keep him out. If he does go on the DL, Elias Diaz will surely be recalled. Between him and Chris Stewart, you have OK depth at that position so this shouldn’t make or break the season. It’s still frustrating having guys like Cervelli and Polanco, both recently given extensions, who can’t seem to stay on the field. 

I know it seems like I say this a lot but this is a huge week. Enjoy the day off today because you will need it. Tuesday and Wednesday you will be in Milwaukee to take on the third place Brewers. They are currently two games out of first and two games ahead of you. They have stayed in it so they are obviously no slouch. They also added our old friend Neil Walker in a trade this weekend so we will get to play him as well. After Milwaukee, you will head home to start a very important, four game series with the St. Louis Cardinals. They have won eight of their last ten and are a game out of first place. They were tied for first before losing yesterday. They are the hottest team in the division right now so winning that series will be paramount. It’s unfortunate that Gerrit Cole will be the only starting pitcher not to pitch in that series but you need him against the Brewers just as much so no use complaining. This week is even more important because next Monday you begin a four game series with the super human Los Angeles Dodgers who basically don’t lose baseball games anymore. You play the next sixteen days in a row so use today’s day off wisely. This is the stretch of games that could make or break your season. No pressure. Good luck and don’t blow it. Love you!!!

                                                                               Your Always Accepting Amour,

                                                                                                     Brad

P.S. I assume you are strongly considering resigning Juan Nicasio after this year. He will be a free agent and he’s performed admirably in his eighth inning role this whole year. He has a 2.53 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and 53 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings pitched. He doesn’t have the saves total to necessitate a huge contract on the open market.  I imagine a 3 year, 15 million dollar contract would be enough to bring him back. You don’t really have another good eighth inning option behind Rivero so bringing him back makes a lot of sense. You already filled Watson’s spot with Kontos. You will need to replace Benoit so sign Nicasio so you don’t have to replace him too. Make it easy on yourself...

[iloveyoupittsburghpirates-blog]

This Is Getting Serious, Pittsburgh Pirates

My Dearest Pittsburgh Pirates,

I really didn’t think you would do it. I knew there was a chance but I truly didn’t expect it. In arguably the most important series so far this season, four games against the first place Brewers, you swept them. Each game you had to make a comeback to win, one of them was even in the ninth inning. It was the most fun fans have had in two years. You kept it going by winning game one in Colorado 13-5 and suddenly you were two games out of first. Wow! Unfortunately, you basically got smoked in the next two games. Neither of your best pitchers pitched in the series, it was on the road, and you took two out of three from Colorado last time. A season split with one of the best offenses in baseball is good enough for me. That still gives you a 5-2 week and you are only three games out of first place. If you told me at the beginning of the week you would be three out, I would have been thrilled. I still am. The team I watched this week can compete with almost anyone. They can win a division. Maybe even more than that. I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I have a tendency to move too fast in these situations. I just know that I’m excited about you again and that’s a welcomed feeling.

This week did have some bad news. Gregory Polanco strained his hamstring and was placed on the ten day disabled list. After getting Marte back in the lineup at the beginning of the week, we finally saw the potential of this lineup with everyone in it. Obviously having Kang would make it even better but that’s not happening. It’s crazy to think how good this lineup would be if we had him. It’s scary, With no real backup outfielder on the roster, Polanco’s injury actually comes at a convenient time. It forces the front office to pursue an outfielder before the trade deadline. He could fill in until Polanco returns and then he could start for Marte if we somehow make the playoffs because he will be ineligible. Osuna, Jaso, and Frazier are all decent bench players but if Polanco is out for any significant amount of time, it’s going to be a big problem. Polanco was finally coming on too. Over the last month, he has a .966 OPS. It’s not a coincidence you were a much better team over that span. You need more offense and you need someone with more experience defensively. None of your other three options have ever played the outfield with regularity. Acquiring an outfielder not only helps with that but it gives you an insurance policy for Polanco and Marte. Win-Win.

Speaking of more offense, there’s another position you might want to address at the deadline: third base. Let me preface this by saying I like David Freese a lot. He seems like a good team leader, he always gives you a professional at bat, and his .384 OBP is very impressive. He should be your ninth guy. That means you start eight everyday and he’s the 9th. He could always start against lefties or give guys days off. Even if he’s splitting time with someone, that would be an improvement. He’s older now and Hurdle has already admitted he needs to scale back the amount of innings he plays. He’s a very good ninth guy to have. He’s performed admirably and I couldn’t be happier that you gave him that extension especially considering what’s happened with Kang. You need to address the position moving forward because you have to operate under the assumption that Kang will never play for you again. You don’t have any third base prospects on the horizon so now seems like as good as time as any to acquire a starter. The J.D. Martinez trade to the Diamondbacks set the market for position players and the cost does not seem high. Not the way starting pitching will be. That’s why getting a third baseman and an outfielder should very much be in the realm of possibility. You’re in this thing now. Act accordingly.

Anyone who is expecting you to add a legitimate starting pitcher at the deadline is likely to be very disappointed. Every contending team is looking to add pitching so the price is expected to be astronomical. That might actually be OK. Trevor Williams and Chad Kuhl haven’t been lights out but they have each pitched well enough to feel comfortable starting them. Honestly, you’re not likely to find anything on the trade market as good as them that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Jameson Taillon has pitched mostly like an ace since his return from testicular cancer. Even Gerrit Cole has pitched like his old self lately. In his last three starts, he has pitched nineteen innings giving up seventeen hits, five earned runs, he’s walked one batter, and struck out twenty-two. That comes to a 2.37 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP, and over a strikeout per inning. Those are ace like numbers. Ivan Nova has regressed out of ace mode which has people in a mild panic. Nova isn’t the type of pitcher who will have an ERA in the high twos. He’s will usually be in the mid threes and right now his ERA is 3.62. That’s fine for a number three pitcher. Everyone better get used to this rotation because it looks like this is what it will be for a while which is good enough.

This week begins your stretch of playing sub .500 teams. This is where you need to take advantage of a weak schedule. You start it off with two series on the west coast against two of the worst teams in the NL. Today you play game one of the three game series against the San Francisco Giants. They embarrassed you on your home field a couple weeks ago so payback is necessary. You get a day off Thursday before heading to San Diego to play the rebuilding Padres. There is no reason you can’t take two out of three from both of these teams. Actually, it’s basically mandatory. The Chicago Cubs have come out of the break hot as a firecracker and now they are tied for first. You know how talented their roster is and they already added Jose Quintana to sure up their rotation. I’m sure they will add something else before the July 31st trade deadline a week from today. That’s why you need to add too. You need to keep pace with them if you want to win this division. Shake off those last two games in Colorado. It’s over. You have lesser opponents right in front of you so that’s where you focus need to be. I’m proud of you for fighting this entire season to stay close enough to get back into it and you finally did. Keep the momentum going this week and catch those Cubbies. Love you always!!

                                                                               Your Suddenly Psyched Suitor,

                                                                                                    Brad                     

P.S. Everyone needs to calm down about fans applauding Starling Marte’s return. It’s OK. You might as well forgive him because he’s going to be around for a while. We aren’t going to trade him which was one bad idea I saw this week. Milwaukee fans applauded Ryan Braun when he came back from his suspension. That’s what hometown fans do. Marte made a terrible mistake. He cheated and there’s no way around that. He deserves another chance so why is it such a problem to give him a small clap. If he screws up again, he and his reputation are gone. For now, we accept what happened and move on.