data-mm-id=”_8k833n951″>One of the many ripple effects of the NBA deciding to restart its season down in Orlando starting July 30 is that whatever happens will have a much bigger impact on the following season. The league's proposed schedule to begin the 2020-21 season would give very little recovery time in comparison to a regular offseason, and not just for the champions. Every player on the 22 teams set to participate in the bubble playoffs would have a maximum of three and a half months to rest, which is the minimum in regular seasons. This is why Jayson Tatum and other stars still on their rookie deals are working towards some kind of insurance in case they suffer a catastrophic injury that would significantly impact their next contract. For Tatum, Pascal Siakam, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, and De'Aaron Fox, a torn ACL could cost them more than $100 million this summer and going forward. The details of such an insurance plan would be difficult to iron out, even if NBAPA executive director Michelle Roberts is optimistic that an agreement could be reached with the league. Here, I present to you an alternative that would make everybody happy: the NBA should let teams sign players to contract extension before the playoffs start on August 15, and allow for negotiations to begin immediately. It wouldn't be easy. How much money each of these guys can make on their next deal is largely dependent on the All-NBA announcements. Those will presumably come before the start of the playoffs on August 15, but it doesn't sound like the NBA is planning on announcing them any sooner. There are still technically eight regular season games to be played, although I cannot imagine those will have a big impact on the larger body of work the players are judged on. But once that's all said and done, it would be smooth sailing. There are many moving parts that go into a professional contract, and teams wouldn't be able to come to an agreement immediately with their young stars. But the ability to agree to a general outline would be huge. The Boston Celtics, for example, are going to pay Tatum as much as they possibly can. Same with the Jazz and Mitchell, and the Raptors and Siakam. Their respective agents will battle with teams over the i's and t's that must be dotted and crossed, but it would give great peace of mind to those players knowing they have their money locked up, just in case. This is especially true in the current circumstances; if Adebayo goes down with an ACL injury, it is likely he wouldn't be able to play the final season of his rookie deal, leaving him with no negotiating power in the summer of 2021. It would force him, and any of his compatriots from the 2017 draft up for extensions this summer, to sign a prove-it deal in some capacity next year. The biggest issue is that there isn't really a big advantage here for the teams. The Sacramento Kings obviously do not want Fox to go down with a serious injury, but keeping their cap sheet flexible in case he did is important. But it would be a significant gesture to concede this to the players, and something both the union and the public will not forget when the time comes to negotiate labor agreements. Owners would not be pleased with Adam Silver if he did make this happen and someone goes down, leaving their team stuck with a max contract over the next four years with a player who may never be the same. But the benefits outweigh the negatives.
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data-mm-id=”_f7c8wsetk”>The college football industrial complex keeps dealing Dabo Swinney the disrespect card. He keeps playing it for his team. It's a bit pedantic but certainly understandable considering the situation. After all, just many consecutive games does a side have to win before they are given the benefit of the doubt? After all, is this not the defending national champion who trounced Alabama by four touchdowns on the big stage last year?Swinney's whining has earned him the reputation as a whiner. That's what tends to happen, even if the complaints are warranted. All the blowouts and politicking in the world couldn't move the Tigers above the No. 3 seed. Their reward for walloping opponents is a matchup with Ohio State, another program with a reasonable…
data-mm-id=”_w0tippmdj”>Draymond Green and Charles Barkley have been embroiled in an entertaining war of words for some time that has reignited in recent days. Last week, Draymond Green fired back at criticism from the TNT analyst by saying that Barkley never won any rings and that he'd be coming to take Chuck's job. Now, Barkley is returning fire. He told TMZ that Draymond has a face for radio, and subsequently dropped a savage analogy about boy bands on the Dan Patrick Show:"He's the least famous person in the boy band, and he thinks he's a star. And he's not. He's lucky to be in the boy band. He thinks all the girls are screaming for him. No, they're screaming for Justin Timberlake.”-Charles Barkley on Draymond Green (? The Dan Patrick Show)…
data-mm-id=”_fpyyr2vsn”>Chris Simms created some waves in the football world the other week when he reported the Seattle Seahawks had offered Russell Wilson to the Cleveland Browns for the No. 1 overall pick ahead of the 2018 draft. He went on the Dan Patrick Show on Friday to double down on that report, framing it as a fact rather than a rumor. Starting at the 2:32:00 mark of the video below: "This is something I know. This is not a rumor. This is something I found out about not too long after the 2018 NFL Draft from some people close to the situation. And then had it confirmed on the other side by the other team involved in it," said Simms. "There was talks a little bit between Cleveland and Seattle and Cleveland giving that first pick in the draft for Russell Wilson. …
data-mm-id=”_1ys44dp8t”>The NBA has kicked Houston Rockets forward Danuel House out of the Orlando bubble for a violation of health and safety protocols. Per a release from the league, House had a guest — who was not authorized to be on the campus — in his room for "multiple hours" on September 8.Here is the NBA's statement following his eviction from the bubble:NBA statement on Houston’s Danuel House being kicked out of the bubble. pic.twitter.com/WoNBSLgq24— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) September 11, 2020If that story is true then House absolutely should have been kicked out of the bubble. The league has strict rules for who can and can't enter the bubble and if House violated them there is no reason for him to remain. There's a pretty damn good reason …
data-mm-id=”_mxff1pu4p”>Trevor Lawrence is going to be the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft barring the end of the world or a terrible injury. His first two years at Clemson were just that good. Not even a Joe Burrow-type explosion from a previously unknown player could unseat Lawrence's place as the most coveted quarterback to come along in years. The point is that he doesn't need to do anything to prove to NFL decision-makers that he is the best prospect in this draft. Despite this, Lawrence decided to suit up and play his final college football season in the midst of a global pandemic. Today, he reminded everybody why he was so highly-regarded. Clemson faced off against Georgia Tech. By halftime, Clemson had 52 points. Georgia Tech had seven. Lawrence threw FIVE touchdowns…
data-mm-id=”_e14ggffxp”>LaMelo Ball is a good and fun young player. This is indisputable unless you do not like basketball or hate fun. He's the otherworldly passer that was promised coming into draft night this past fall, an absolute wizard who plays with the type of flair only a 20-year-old used to reality television can muster. Last night, he and the Charlotte Hornets faced off against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. It was a great game that saw the Hornets emerge victorious. Ball had 22 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. He also made three three-point shots. The effectiveness of his long-range jumper was the only serious question about Ball coming into the league, and he's proven everyone mostly wrong as he's shooting 35 percent from deep this year. …
data-mm-id=”_2zqs26u8d”>Super Bowl LVII hinged on a late fourth quarter play where Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry was called for a penalty that gave the Kansas City Chiefs a chance to clinch a win. In the locker room after the game, Bradberry admitted he had committed the penalty and that it was the right call. Withe the game tied 35-35, the Chiefs faced 3rd and 8 from Philadelphia's 15-yard line with 1:54 remaining when Mahomes dropped back and floated a pass to the end zone in the direction of JuJu Smith-Schuster. Immediately a flag came out for defensive holding. Replays showed that Bradberry had grabbed Smith-Schuster twice, including tugging his jersey as the receiver broke for the end zone. The call was controversial because there wasn't a ton of contact…
data-mm-id=”_dx7fvu9ew”>The first Republican Presidential Debate is tonight in Milwaukee. Donald Trump will famously not be there, choosing instead to tape a pre-recorded interview with Tucker Carlson as alternate programming. But that doesn't mean the network isn't pulling out all the stops to give this event all the gravitas it deserves. On America's Newsroom, Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino provided a sneak peek at one of the shiniest of the bells and whistles: a drone. The drone flew around with impressive precision as it entered Fiserv Forum, breezing through security, going up the stairs and greeting debate hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.“Bring on the drone!” Fox News launches first ever drone for debate coverage. (Video: Fox News) pic.twitter.com/9ADDEGUm74…
data-mm-id=”_jgmydinl5″>Ron DeSantis appeared on Newsmax's Eric Bolling The Balance on Thursday night. Because things are going very well for the Florida Governor's presidential campaign, he was asked about the conspiracy theories that he's wearing lifts in his cowboy boots to make him appear taller. His response: "This is no time for foot fetishes. We've got serious problems as a country."DeSantis: This no time for foot fetishes pic.twitter.com/GhQ530Kr4I— Acyn (@Acyn) November 3, 2023If you're trying to get the Internet to stop talking about your feet, don't appear on cable news and make a joke about foot fetishes. Or talk about wearing a boot on your head a short time later. DeSantis: I know Donald Trump and a lot of his people have been foc…
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