Ben Simmons is getting paid, but LITERALLY doesn’t know how to shoot a basketball!!
Say bye-bye to J.R. Smith.
Giannis said, “Get your MVP chants out of your system.”
NL MVP?? Christian Yelich or Cody Bellinger??
R.I.P. Pernell Whitaker, one of the best pound-for-pound boxers of all-time.
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When all four major sports collide, special things happen in the universe.
Special, this week, is an understatement.
MLB suspensions, a new Monday Night Football crew, NBA playoffs, NBA awards, and NHL playoffs. Could this week get any better?!
Robinson Cano Suspension
Everybody cheats. No revelation here, just simple fact. The professional athlete, by definition, seeks a competitive advantage. On the field or at home. Robinson Cano chose the latter. It was announced Tuesday that Cano had tested positive for the banned substance, furosemide. Furosemide is a diuretic, and MLB determined Cano used it as a masking agent and doled out an 80 game suspension. Cano has chosen not to appeal but made the following statement:
“Recently I learned that I tested positive for a substance called Furosemide, which is not a performance enhancing substance,” Cano said in a statement released by the MLB Players Association. “… For more than 15 years, playing professional baseball has been the greatest honor and privilege of my life. I would never do anything to cheat the rules of the game that I love, and after undergoing dozens of drug tests over more than a decade, I have never tested positive for a performance enhancing substance for the simple reason that I have never taken one.”
While Cano’s suspension will begin immediately, the timing of his “punishment” infuriates me to no end. Cano broke a bone in his right hand after being hit by a pitch this past Sunday. So, while Cano will lose $11.85 of his $24 million salary (boohoo!), he’ll have the privilege of serving his suspension from the DL. HOW DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?! Suspension time should not count during DL stints. That’s common sense!!
NBA Awards Finalists
The NBA announced the finalists for their prominent awards Wednesday. On Monday, June 25th, the NBA will host the ultimate money grab, award show in Los Angeles. They will announce the winners of the following awards:
MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Most Improved Player, and Sixth Man of the Year.
MVP: LeBron James (Cavaliers), James Harden (Rockets), Anthony Davis (Pelicans)
Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons (76ers), Donovan Mitchell (Jazz), Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
Defensive Player of the Year: Davis (Pelicans), Joel Embiid (76ers), Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
Coach of the Year: Dwane Casey (Raptors), Quin Snyder (Jazz), Brad Stevens (Celtics)
Most Improved Player: Clint Capela (Rockets), Spencer Dinwiddie (Nets), Victor Oladipo (Pacers)
Sixth Man of the Year: Eric Gordon (Rockets), Lou Williams (Clippers), Fred VanVleet (Raptors)
Check back with DaveTalksSports.com to see my winners.
New MNF Crew
Monday Night Football is getting a much needed makeover. Fresh off retirement, Jason Witten (analyst) will headline the new MNF crew. He’ll be joined by Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Booger McFarland (field analyst), and Lisa Salters (sideline reporter).
No one knows if Witten will be any good, as he has ZERO broadcasting experience, but he’s well liked (he’s got that going for him). Joe Tessitore will be an ENORMOUS upgrade over the most monotone voice in sports, Sean McDonough. Lisa Salters, a consummate professional, will be a nice addition to a program in need of professionalism. As for Booger McFarland, your guess is as good as mine….
NHL Playoffs
Yes, hockey is still being played. Both conference finals stand at 2-1. Now is the time casual fans wonder into a bar, pretend they like hockey, and watch the Stanley Cup Finals. Let’s Go Vegas!!
What is your favorite major sport?? Tell me in the comment section below.
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The Knicks made a 4th quarter comeback?!
“We’re on the air right now??….I don’t believe you.”
Is There Any Space Left On Tim Hardaway Jr.’s Back????
The New York Knicks hosted the Utah Jazz Wednesday night. Despite coming off a 51-win season, the Jazz have struggled mightily early on this season. They’re averaging just 98.5 points per game (2nd worst in the Western Conference). Well, that didn’t stop them from jumping out to a 10-point lead at halftime (60-50). Hitting 10 three-pointers in the 1st half didn’t hurt. They finished with 17 three’s and actually shot better from three (48.6%) than from the field (43%). Rodney Hood led all scorers with 30 points, off the bench, including 6 three-pointers.
However, it would be the Knicks, led by Tim Hardaway Jr., who would storm back from a 12-point deficit to claim victory. Hardaway led the way for the Knicks with 26 points, 14 in the 4th quarter.
I like the way this Knicks team plays. They hustle. They give effort. And they PLAY DEFENSE!! That’s why they’re winning games. And so far, Frank Ntilikina has impressed. His defense is extremely sound for a 19-year old rookie. He still has his rookie moments, committing 4 fouls in just 20 minutes. Ntilikina is tied for 2nd in the league with 2 steals per game, despite averaging just 20.5 minutes per game. Did I mention he’s 19??
Best Individual Performance In Nearly A Decade
Trust the process they say. Well, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have my trust. I’ll tell you that right now. Simmons, as a rookie, is averaging nearly a triple-double. But last night, wasn’t about Simmons. It was about Joel Embiid. HOLY CRAP!! This was the best individual performance the NBA has seen since Kevin Love dropped 31 points and 31 rebounds on the world in 2009.
Joel Embiid’s Evening: 46 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 7 blocks (in just 34 minutes)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If Embiid had played another 10 minutes, he might have joined the exclusive quadruple double club. There have been just 4 men, since blocks and steals became statistics, to record a quadruple double.
Oh yeah, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 115-109.
Something Stinks….
There are good teams in the NBA. And there are some REALLY bad teams in the NBA. The latter was on full display last night. Of the 22 teams in action, 10 failed to reach triple-digits, and 3 didn’t crack 90 points.
The Chicago Bulls have won just 2 games this season, and last night wasn’t one of them. They had just 3 players in double digits, scoring a putrid 79 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They should probably trade Jimmy Butler away….
The Sacramento Kings aren’t much better. They have 3 wins on the season, and dropped just 80 points against another bad team, the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks put 126 POINTS on the Kings last night. The Kings had just 2 players in double figures, and only scored over 20 points in 1 quarter. Yikes!!
Which NBA game did you watch Wednesday night?? Tell me about it in the comment section below.
You can now find me on the Radio too. Download the TuneIn Radio App and search OWWR. I’ll be on live every Wednesday from 6:10 P.M. – 8:00 P.M EST. I also broadcast every show on Facebook Live via my DaveTalksSports.com Facebook Page: http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports .
Since you enjoy my writing, follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like my page on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. You can also Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading!! Now go tell all your friends!!
Two teams couldn’t wait for draft-day to make some noise. The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers got the ball rollin’ today, finalizing a trade. A high-profile pick swap if you will. The Celtics will trade the 1st overall pick to the 76ers for the 3rd overall pick and their 1st-round pick for 2018. The 76ers pick is actually courtesy of the Los Angeles Lakers (but is protected). Meaning, if this pick falls outside of the top-5 in 2018, the Celtics will receive a 1st-round pick in 2019. Either way, the Celtics are moving in the right direction, yet again, days before the draft.
The 2017 NBA Draft, aka The Right to Draft Markelle Fultz, is on Thursday, June 22nd. Barclays Center in Brooklyn will play host for the draft this year. The 76ers will pick #1 overall for the 2nd consecutive year and will mark the 5th time they’ll select in the top-10 in the last 3 years. Which begs so many head-scratching questions:
I could keep going, but my head is starting to hurt. All I keep hearing out of Philadelphia is “Trust the Process”, “Trust the Process”. Yeah, well how about you trust me when I say, “fire everyone”. It is time to start fresh in Philadelphia. If you don’t know who to hire, give me a call. I’ll have you in the playoffs in 2 years, and I’ll win you a championship within 5 years. I guarantee it!!
Anyway, enough of the stupidity, let’s talk about the genius that is Danny Ainge. See, I can be positive. I’m not always negative and critical all the time..just most of the time.
Danny Ainge is the General Manager and President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics. He continues to make all the right moves. Granted, he took advantage of the Brooklyn Nets in ways I can’t describe here, but I guess it’s true what they say, ‘there’s a sucker born everyday’. Danny Ainge’s Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference Finals this past year. At the same time, they still owned the #1 overall pick in the draft. I’d say Ainge deserves a raise.
The question now is: Who will Ainge draft at #3?? My guess is they’ve liked Josh Jackson of Kansas this whole time. And since they don’t ‘need’ a point guard like Fultz, they’ll get ‘their’ man anyway. This is exactly the same as what John Lynch and the 49ers did to the Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft. They traded down for extra picks and got the guy they wanted anyway. As the old Guinness Beer commercials used to say, “Brilliant!!”
As for my team, the Knicks, they don’t often collide with the word brilliant very often. I imagine they will draft the best point guard available at #8, but at this point, who knows what the hell that egomaniac Phil Jackson will do. Man, I can’t wait to see him pack his bags. Hey Danny Ainge, after you finish bringing an NBA Championship to Boston, you wanna come on down to New York and help us out?? That’d be great, thanks!!
Tune into ESPN on Thursday night @ 7:00 P.M. to see how the draft plays out.
Who do you think the Celtics will take at #3?? Who should the Knicks take at #8?? Share your wisdom in the comment section below.
Since you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. You can also follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!
Dave Talks Sports 