TOPICS:
49ERS: THE DIVIDE BETWEEN CHIP AND TRENT COULD COME DOWN TO THIS - BAALKE CAN'T DRAFT SKILL GUYS:
49ers need skill guys - Trent can't pick the right skill guys:
2012:
Jenkins (30) - WRs after: Alshon Jeffery 45, Mohamad Sanu 83, TY Hilton 92 , Travis Benjamin 100, Marvin Jones 166,
2015: DeAndre Smelter Wr Ga. Tech 132 - Stephon Diggs 146 Maryland
2014: Bruce Ellinton 4-106, Martavius Bryant 4-118,
Skill guys since 2011:
QB (3) Kaepernick, BJ Daniels, Jeff Driskell
RB (7) Kendall Hunter , Anthony Dixon, LaMichael James, Marcus Lattimore, Carlos Hyde, Mike Davis, Kelvin Taylor
WR (5) Ronald Johnson , AJ Jenkins, Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington, DeAndre Smelter
TOTAL: (15)
*14 DBS
*13 OL
*10 DL
-Will Redmond activated, DeAndre Smelter added to PS - knee injury guys
-Carlos Hyde (shoulder) & Rashard Robinson (concussion) not practicing; Will Redmond, Jimmie Ward are wp.me/p7ShJJ-h4AE
NFL:
IS IS JUST BAD NOW?
WHY THE NFL RATINGS DROP: GOODELL SAYS THEY ARE TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT
THE POPULAR THEORIES:
-Too much of it (Thursday, Sunday, Monday plus all the college games)
-Product not as good
-Bad prime time games
-An election year
-Kap kneeling
-Streaming options for younger demo
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday that the league does not think it has lost viewers despite a 10 percent drop in television ratings this season.
At the same time, however, he acknowledged that league officials are trying to understand what has caused the drop and how to address it.
Speaking after the league's fall meeting in Houston, Goodell said it is important not just to get viewers tuned in but also to "get them to stay tuned in" to game broadcasts.
"There a lot of factors to be considered. We don't make excuses. We try to figure out what's changing."Roger Goodell, on drop in NFL's ratings this season
"When you look at ratings you have to go deeper than that," Goodell said. "It's viewers, but also how long they're engaging for, and a lot of times, people will leave a game for whatever reason, whether it's to go to other programming or whether the game is not that competitive."
Goodell said neither he nor the league's broadcast partners believe player protests of the national anthem have played a role in the drop. But he did note a relative lack of competitive games in prime time and the contentious presidential election and debate schedule as partial explanations.
LATEST ON THE RIADERS:
Also at the meeting, Goodell heard what he called a "factual" presentation of the Oakland Raiders' interest in relocating to Las Vegas. Goodell, however, said "there is still a great deal of information that we need to gather with respect to the circumstances in Oakland and also the challenges," indicating that resolution of the issue shouldn't be expected quickly.
Nevada lawmakers recently approved $750 million in public money to be used toward a domed stadium that would open in 2020. Billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson has pledged $650 million toward the project, but Goodell said NFL owners have not been briefed on the structure of that offer. The Raiders could apply for relocation as early as January 15, 2017.
There will be follow-up discussion "maybe as early as December but more likely later than that," Goodell said.
MORE DAVIS ON VEGAS:
His eyes on Las Vegas, Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis says he hasn't shut the door on anything. Oakland, though, might have shut the door on itself as home for his team.
"Oakland was in the driver's seat if they could've put together anything," Davis said Wednesday at the NFL's fall meetings, after updating his fellow owners on his desire to relocate to the gambling capital. "They came up with nothing.
"Las Vegas has already done what it is supposed to do and we have to bring it up to the National Football League and get permission to move to Las Vegas."
Multiple sources told ESPN's Jim Trotter that during a presentation to his fellow owners, Davis said that, barring an unexpected surprise, he plans in January to file papers to move the Raiders from to Las Vegas.
"Mark Davis said that he was committed to Las Vegas 100 percent, and that there were several market studies being done by the Raiders," said one source who was present when Davis made his presentation at the league meetings in Houston.
Another source familiar with the Raiders' presentation told Trotter: "I don't know what there is to say other than, 'Congrats, Raiders on getting the largest public subsidy ever and cleaning up our L.A. [mess]. They've busted their ass to get something done. I respect that. ... Once you've stepped up and produced something, you deserve better."
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell supported Davis' assertion there has been no movement toward keeping the franchise in the Bay Area, saying "we have been working to see if there are alternatives and we don't have one" in Oakland.
Any relocation needs approval from three-fourths of the 32 NFL owners. There's also the potential for the Raiders to join the Rams in Los Angeles, where a new facility is being built; they would have that option should the Chargers, who have the first option, remain in San Diego, a decision that team must make by mid-January.
But those scenarios also have the possibility of being put on hold -- the Chargers could request a delay, something the owners also would need to vote on.
Davis also said he believes having a new stadium ready in Las Vegas by 2019 "would be really quick." He admitted the Raiders could play a preseason game as soon as next summer in the existing Sam Boyd Stadium, but that that facility isn't anywhere near up to NFL standards for regular-season games.
Besides, Davis plans to play the next two years in Oakland because the team has a lease with two one-year options there. He cited "stability" for the players and front office, insisting he doesn't envision a "scorched earth policy" from the fans.
Houston Texans owner Robert McNair noted he was impressed with all the work done in Las Vegas at this point to get the Raiders.
"I'm pleased they've made as much progress as they have," he said. "We'll look at it when it is finally presented in total. These things are still so fluid until they nail everything down we don't know what we're looking at. We'll wait until we have a full package."
Goodell also reaffirmed the league's long-standing opposition to legalized gambling on sporting events, while noting there has been a societal shift in the way people view gambling and lotteries.
MLB:
INDIANS @ JAYS
DODGERS @ CUBS - I THINK CHICAGO IS DONE - CAN'T HIT
NBA:
-Has 10 year $300M deal w/ nike
-His line sells $500M a year
Injury gave him perspective:
"All my life, I've been a pleaser," he says, "put everyone else ahead of me." He'd been a "basketball robot" in a "basketball trance," trudging head-down with his hoodie cinched tight, never asking for what he wanted or even asking himself that question for fear of hurting teammates and fans. Then suddenly, two seasons ago, the hamster wheel stopped when he fractured a small bone in his foot. Unable to play or get off his couch for months, he picked his head up, opened his big eyes wide – and loathed what he saw of his world. He was 25 and had never gone anywhere or done anything that wasn't in the service of his game. He needed to make some changes, and not the small-bore kind. No, what was called for was a top-down redo, a blank-slate reassessment of his soul. It would begin – and end – with one fundamental question: What are the things in life that give me pleasure?
wouldn't have gone had they won:
"It felt like that whole thing was set up for me to leave," he says, "especially after they blew a lead in the finals, because I damn sure wasn't going there if they'd won. But after Game Seven, I called up my agent and said, 'Damn, dude, Golden State – what if?' "
Golden State presentation malfunctioned:
Golden State trotted out all its weapons: Curry, Thompson and Green, to be sure, but also Steve Kerr, the coach of the year in 2016, Bob Myers (executive of the year, 2015) and a mind-blowing virtual-reality tour of Oracle Arena when it's rocking. Alas, the VR goggles malfunctioned, an epic stumble out of the gate. "We all thought, 'There goes the deal' – we went from the best presentation to the worst in 15 seconds," says Kerr. But then his players piped up, particularly Curry. "He told Kevin, 'I don't need the ball and that many shots – I just need another title, man.' "
DURANT FINALLY HAD FRINEDS W WARRIORS:
Meanwhile, Durant studied the body language of the players at his table. "They just liked each other so much and were so relaxed," he says. "I thought, 'These are some chill-ass dudes I wouldn't mind hooping with.' I wasn't even asking, 'How do we play together?' I was asking, 'Where do y'all go eat, do y'all hang out together?'" These were salient questions for Durant. As close as people presumed he and Westbrook had been, they were never much more than work friends, he says. "We had our own cliques that we hung with on the road. Russell had his guys, I had mine. It was never a bad thing. Just how it was." For the guy who'd grown up friendless through grade school and preps, the pull of those stars and their shared affection must have felt like a welcome banner. All his life, he'd been walking alone, a party of one in the desert. Now, at last, his tribe called out to him. Who among us could have said no?
THIS DRAYMOND THINGS -- WHICH IS THE HEART OF THE TEAM OR TROUBLE?
ESPN: WARRIORS DRAYMOND GREEN PROBLEM - IS THE HEART OF THE TEAM OR NOT?
ALL IN ALL, it was not the best few months for Draymond Green. On June 10, during Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Cavaliers, some 20 million viewers caught him in the act of trying to slap LeBron James in the groin. Three days later, after being suspended for that act, he watched his Warriors lose by 15 before dropping Games 6 and 7 in the greatest collapse in Finals history. In early July, he was arrested in East Lansing, Michigan, on an assault charge resulting from a scuffle in a college bar. Later that month, Green accidentally sent out a photo of his penis to the world.
By universal decree, the 2016-17 Warriors are a juggernaut. And if this juggernaut has a foundation, Green is it. Steph Curry is the reigning MVP; new acquisition Kevin Durant is one of the NBA's greatest scorers. But multiple Warriors staffers share the opinion that Green is their most important player. Nobody replicates his set of contributions. As one team official puts it: "The guys might be frustrated by his antics, but they had an opportunity to prove themselves without him in Game 5 and they played like a bunch of [cowards]."
Herein lies the paradox of the perfectly constructed squad: It's built on ground that roils with lava -- and on the back of a man who has become increasingly unpredictable, emboldened and unaccountable.
Draymond Green had a very bad summer. But that weekslong meltdown was a year in the making. And to understand the tensions that could undermine this season's presumptive champion, you must first understand the untold story of what undid the Warriors a season ago.
*MENTIONS SLURIRNG AT VICTRY PArade in 2015 --
*descirbes a sometimes sketchy relationship with steve kerr over shot slection , 3's -" they are also treated to a glimpse of the often tense relationship between Green and his coach, Steve Kerr. "
-Mentions Green wanted to go back in vs. Suns to complete a triple double, a rebound short in a blow out win
-SPEIGHTS SAYS DRAYMOND AND KLAY CLASHED A LOT DURING SEASON:
After the Boston win, Golden State's coaches had met to assess the situation. Together, they had decided to rest starters the next night in Milwaukee. But that plan was dashed after they walked in on the end of an impassioned speech by Green to teammates about the once-in-a-lifetime chance they had to chase the all-time record for wins. This team is on the edge of history! Green was yelling.These moments only come along so often! This was not uncommon. Throughout the season, Green, in the guise of motivation, would berate his co-workers during games and practices; on multiple occasions he had to be separated from teammates.
"Draymond f---ed up practice and s---," then-Warriors center Marreese Speights says. "Draymond's a good guy, but I think at the end of the day, it hurt the whole chemistry of the year." One player in particular, he says, took much of the heat: "Draymond and Klay got into it a lot." (Thompson declined to comment for this story.)
A NIGHT IN PHILLY GREEN AGAIN GOING FOR TRIPE DOUBLE AFTER TOLD HE'LL ONLY PLAY 3 QTRS:
Green, with 10 points, 10 boards and 6 assists at the end of the second quarter, has another triple-double in his sights. But at halftime, with the Warriors up 19, Kerr informs Green that if he's angling for a triple-double tonight, against the consensus worst team in the NBA, it will have to come by the third quarter. No more of this playing-in-garbage-time-for-stats nonsense. That edict will lead to an unintended consequence.
On the first play of the second half, Green gets the ball with an open lane to the rim but stops short in favor of setting a ball screen and trying to lead a cutting Klay Thompson with a pass. Turnover. Green begins spraying passes all over the court on his way to seven turnovers. A 19-point fourth-quarter lead dissolves to nothing. On the game's second-to-last play, with the score tied, the Warriors avert disaster only when Green finds Barnes in the corner for a 3 with 0.2 of a second remaining. It's Green's ninth assist.
Green will confess after the game to his role in what went wrong: "We started turning the ball over due to my selfish unselfishness, and it was all downhill from there." When asked later about Green's comments, Kerr will commend his honesty. But though the Warriors continue to win -- 20 victories in their first 22 games following Kerr's return -- something has changed. Green goes into a shooting slump, or perhaps a shooting shrink. Under Walton, he had attempted 3.6 3s per game, making 41.4 percent of them. After Kerr's return, he's averaged 0.6 3-point attempts and made 28.6 percent.
Kerr is back. Green is diminished. And the correlation cannot be ignored.
FRB 27 OKC:
IT'S FEB. 27 in Oklahoma City, during halftime of a nationally televised game, and Green is losing his holy mind. Inside the visitors locker room, he's hollering"I am not a robot!" at Kerr. When Kerr tells him to sit down, Green screams,"Motherf---er, come sit me down!" When he goes after Kerr, his teammates, including Curry and Thompson, step in to stave off disaster.
ll of which leaves Kerr in a suboptimal situation. As much as he might want Green to stop making the wrong kind of news, he's wary of sabotaging Green's id, the part of him he most needs as the coach of a team that won 73 games last season. "The dangerous thing is," Kerr says, "if you try to temper him too much, are you taking away his edge?" And should Kerr attempt to counter Green's excesses, there's seemingly little organizational support. "He's on an island," one Warriors official says of Kerr.
Indeed, ask most team officials about how Green approaches life off the court and they routinely answer with a go-to phrase that's one part scouting report, one part absolution: "He gets after it." Despite the arrest (for which he ultimately reached a plea deal), despite the penis pic, despite Green's Snapchat of a 118 mph drive toward Oakland's heavily trafficked Caldecott Tunnel, how much, they note, can teams credibly focus on off-hours behavior in a league that has routinely seen players who "get after it" bring more energy than their opponents?
There is, to be sure, a "boys will be boys" ethos in the NBA that condones a high level of hedonism, as long as the player produces. Still, the chorus of murmurs around Green is growing -- not because his production is suffering but because his discretion is. As one Warriors official says, "There's an a--hole in every bar. The question is, why are you winding up in that situation?" And as one NBA team executive says of Green's behavior, and its potential to subvert a potential dynasty, "He's what will ultimately prevent them from having long-term success."
The good: He sees the game, he's the bad guy, the tough guy, does the dirty work,
No comments:
Post a Comment