- In the first major NBA trade of the year, Rudy Gay is headed to Toronto as part of a 3-team deal. Detroit has also traded Tayshaun Price and Austin Daye to the Grizzlies, while Toronto has shipped Ed Davis to the Grizzlies, and Jose Calderon to Detroit. Opinions on this deal are wide-ranging, but I don't think it's a "steal" for anyone. Rudy Gay is obviously the main piece on the move, but he's having the worst season of his career, shooting 40% from the field and seeing general decline in his numbers on that team. The big question is: Did Memphis get enough? I actually like Ed Davis (a lot), but on a team with Z-Bo and Gasol (not to mention Darrell Arthur), it wasn't a need area, and the Prince/Daye combo doesn't inspire a parade. For Toronto, they've now committed 8 figures a year to both Gay and DeRozan to form a solid but unspectacular wing tandem. Eesh. And in Detroit, they basically rid themselves of two additional contract years of Prince for the expiring contract of Calderon. There's no downside there for the Pistons. Overall, it's kind of a "meh" result, and the winner of the deal lies solely on how you feel about Rudy Gay going forward.
- It occurred to me that we haven't touched on Te'o in this space much, and right when I thought that, this Dr. Phil interview with Ronaiah Tuiasosopo surfaces including that he was "in love" with Te'o. I don't even know what to say about it anymore, but one thing is for sure, it is one of the craziest stories (sports or otherwise) that I've ever followed. Is Tuiasosopo gay? and if yes, is Te'o gay as well? I'm wildly confused... let's move on.
- Green Bay Packers WR Donald Driver is retiring after 14 seasons. This announcement won't make waves nationally, but Driver has over 10,000 receiving yards and is the all-time franchise leader in catches and yards for Green Bay. That's saying something in an organization that has been around that long. Big-ups.
- Too short on time for full "round-ups" in college and the NBA last night, but the most noteworthy results were: The Lakers losing in Phoenix and Dwight Howard getting injured again. I don't even know what to say at this point, but one night they look great, and last night... not so much. In college, Stanford absolutely blasted #10 Oregon 76-52 in Palo Alto. No one seems to win on the road in college this year, but this was an annihilation of a top-10 team.
What to watch for on Thursday...
- 7:00 - NCAAB - Illinois @ #13 Michigan State (ESPN) - Ho-hum. Another battle of two Big 10 tourney-bound teams. I love this group that Izzo has.
- 8:00 - NBA - Grizzlies @ Thunder (TNT) - Two of the West's elite facing off, and it's also a battle of the #1 offense (OKC) against the #2 defense (Memphis). Really, really entertaining game on the horizon. Keep an eye on Mike Conley, however, because if he doesn't play due to injury, that's a huge hit for Memphis.
- 9:00 - NCAAB - #8 Arizona @ Washington (ESPN) - Winning on the road in-conference. Nothing is more difficult in college hoops, and 'Zona will put that to the test here.
- 10:30 - NBA - Mavs @ Warriors (TNT) - We don't know (at least definitively) who we'll see for Golden State, but we know they're better than Dallas at this stage. Also, looking forward to see if Bogut can look as spry in game #2.
- 11:00 - NCAAB - #7 Gonzaga @ Loyola Marymount (ESPN2) - It's not a "tough" game for the Zags, but they are really fun to watch, and, as mentioned above, any in-conference road game is difficult.
Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment