11/8: Hoops Galore!

Greetings all! Let's take a look at Wednesday night, which was headlined by a full-fledged slate of NBA action...

• Hawks 89, Pacers 86 - The hometown squad went on an 18-0 run to overcome a 14-point 4th quarter deficit and steal a win over Indy. When Paul George's triple attempt went begging at the gun, the Hawks got the W, but it wasn't all positives. I didn't love the Zaza/Horford/Smith starting lineup in the front-court, but I do understand it from a match-up standpoint against Roy Hibbert and company. It's been clear in the early going that Larry Drew is willingly to toss the lineup on a match-up basis, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It was a balanced win from the Hawks, with Horford, Smith, Korver, and Teague scoring between 11 and 16 points. The biggest key? Atlanta won the rebounding battle 51-41. 
• The Heat are pretty good. A 30-point victory over Brooklyn last night is the latest indication. I can't remember a season where a team was this big of a favorite in their conference. Simple as that.
• James Harden is exceedingly human! I still believe that he's a #1 option, but if you're a member of "First Take" culture, get ready for the debate after his 5-of-15 performance on Wednesday. I hate everything.
• The MLB Award "finalists" were announced last night. I can't fathom this being an actual news story, but apparently it is. Wake me up when the award winners are announced.
• NBA Round-up - The Lakers are 1-4... I repeat, the Lakers are 1-4... Kobe had 29 points, and Dwight added 19/9 but the Mike Brown-led Lake-show fell in Utah by a score of 95-86. I'm really high on Utah, so this isn't a bad loss at all, but compounded with the first 4 games, it's not pretty in LA. San Antonio took their first loss of the season, getting blown out by the Clippers 106-84. No one (!) played over 24 minutes last night for San Antonio, and this was a typical instant of Pop punting the game late. LA had 7 guys in double figures and got 20/10's from both Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan. And finally, Dallas is 4-1 without Dirk after knocking off Toronto 109-104. OJ Mayo had 22/6/5 and Chris Kaman added 22 points and 8 rebounds for the Mavs.
• The Colorado Rockies are a joke. The bumbling organization has hired Walt Weiss to be their new manager. On the surface, this isn't absurd as Weiss played for a long time and is well-respected in the industry. And then... you find out that he was currently managing high school baseball. When are people going to realize that this stuff doesn't work?

What to watch for on Thursday...

• NBA - Thunder @ Bulls - 8:00 TNT - No Derrick Rose, no James Harden.... no problem! At any rate, this should be an interesting match-up as we see what Luol Deng can do against Durant, and Westbrook should be able to roam freely against a weakened Bulls backcourt.
• NBA - Clippers @ Blazers - 10:30 TNT - The Chris Paul show goes to Portland. Lillard should be focused on here as he encounters the brilliance that is Paul, and that's must-see TV.
• NFL - Colts @ Jaguars - 8:20 NFL - The bright side is Andrew Luck. The dark side? Jacksonville is completely unwatchable.
• NCAAF - #10 Florida State @ Virginia Tech - 7:30 ESPN - I'm sure the ACC was thinking a lot bigger than this game is actually playing up when they scheduled it because VT is in the toilet, but road games for FSU are always an adventure.

Enjoy!

11/6: MNF, Spurs, etc.

Greetings! Trying something new and setting up the post for a bit later deployment in the day (traffic, son!) so bear with me...

• Monday Night Football - New Orleans may have put an end to the Vick/Reid era in Philadelphia with a 28-13 victory last night in the Superdome. There was a 99-yard interception return to kick the game off and NO controlled things throughout as a result. Philly actually outgained the Saints by nearly 100 yards, but Drew Brees didn't throw it to the opposition, and New Orleans was able to run the ball effectively by committee with 140 yards on 25 carries. I didn't think Mike played particularly poorly, but it wasn't enough.
• There are 4 undefeateds left in the NBA and two of them held serve last night. San Antonio became the league's first 4-0 team with a 101-79 win over Indiana. It was a typically balanced offensive effort from the Spurs, with no player having more than 17 points (Gary Neal, of all people) and defensively, the Spurs held Indiana to 34% shooting on the night. I was all-in on the Spurs preseason and I'm holding to that as the Western conference favorite. In the East, New York got their 3rd straight win by a 110-88 margin on the road in Philly. There were 7 players in double-digits for the Knicks, and what I take from this one is that Ray Felton isn't the same fat guy that was in Portland last year. He's averaging 14 and 6 with nearly 2 steals a game through 3 games, and if he's even solid, the Knicks could be pretty good. 
• NBA Round-Up - Minnesota outscored Brooklyn by a crazy 32-10 margin in the 4th quarter to steal a road win after being down 22 points. Nikola Pekovic led the way with 21 points for the T-Wolves. Miami got a ho-hum 23 and 11 from Lebron in blowing the doors off of Phoenix 124-99. OJ Mayo has back-to-back 30 point games for Dallas as they are 3-1 and doing so without Dirk. It's easy to forget how good Mayo was as a prospect, and he's still a mega-talent. Dion Waiters' career-high (young career I know lol) 28 points led the way for Cleveland in upsetting the Clips in LA last night. And finally, DeMarcus Cousins is pretty good. 23 points, 15 rebounds and the Kings got their first win of the year in beating Golden State.

What to watch for on Tuesday...

• NBA - Raptors @ Thunder - 8:00 NBA-TV - Oklahoma City is suddenly "reeling" a bit at 1-2 after the James Harden. I, for one, am not worried at all about them, as I still see an upper-echelon West team. This is also a good time to get a look at the new and improved Raptors featuring Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas.
• Last day of NBA League Pass free preview! - Orlando @ Chicago (8:00) features the surprising 2-0 Magic against the Rose-less Bulls, and the late game is Detroit @ Denver (9:00) as the Nuggets try to avoid a ghastly 0-4 start.
• NCAA Football - Ball State @ #25 Toledo - 8:00 ESPN2 - It's not often you get a ranked team on Tuesday night football, but one fits that bill. The Toledo Rockets are 8-1 as they lead the MAC with a 5-0 record. Their running back (David Fluellan) has already rushed for 1181 yards and 11 TDs in 8 games, so that's the guy to watch. It's not must-see TV but if you're jones-ing for football, this is your answer.

Enjoy!

11/5: Weekend Wrap!

Greetings! Let's take a quick look at what happened this weekend, broken down by sport/league...

College Football

• Bama/LSU was an absolute classic. It looked like Alabama was dead in the water late in the 4th quarter before LSU missed a field goal, and Bama took the subsequent drive and went 72 yards in under a minute for the game-clinching touchdown. Despite my thinking that Alabama was the best team in the country, I thought LSU outplayed them on the field and were really hampered by Les Miles' incompetence. Among other things, I thought he should've gone for it on 4th down late, plus the  fake field goal early in the game was jokingly bad. At any rate, AJ McCarron was brutal for much of the night, but came up with the huge drive late, and he should be commended for that. I firmly believe that this was Alabama's chance to lose, and that they'll run through the rest of the SEC until the National Championship game.
• Kansas State and Oregon held serve. K-State beat Oklahoma State 44-30 behind a 100-yard kick return and a pick-6 caused by the defense. Collin Klein (my Heisman winner as of now) left the game in the 3rd quarter with an undisclosed injury and that's obviously a huge blow to KSU if he's out for any stretch of time, but for now, K-State is still at #2. As far as Oregon is concerned, that offense is devastatingly good. 62 points on the road against a top-20 opponent is ridiculous, and Kenjon Barner's 38 carry, 321-yard rushing performance is the stuff of legend in Eugene. Lost in the craziness of that stat-line (and the eye-popping peformance) was the work of freshman QB Marcus Mariota. He went 20-for-23 for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns with 0 interceptions as well. USC's offense put up a game fight, gaining an equally crazy 615 yards of offense (Matt Barkley threw for 484 yards and 5 TD's) but in the end, the shootout went to Oregon. Obviously, the defense is a concern for the Ducks, but prior to this one, the defense had been fairly good, and USC's offense is an elite one, so the fear level can be lowered a bit.
• Notre Dame held on for dear life in a 3-OT win over Pittsburgh. The play of the game was a missed FG by Pitt in the 2nd OT that would've ended the game and ND's national title chances, but it sailed wide, and the Irish got the win in the 3rd frame. The Notre Dame defense is still elite, but I have real concerns about the offense and I think it would be fairly laughable if they ran into Oregon or Alabama in a potential title game.
• The Rest - Florida eeked out a 14-7 win over Missouri on the strength of 4 interceptions. In short, the UF offense was dreadful, and unless Georgia drops this weekend's game to Auburn (unlikely), they'll be left out of Atlanta. Speaking of Georgia, they got a win over Ole Miss 37-10 to stay on track for the SEC title game. The bulldogs looked mediocre early, but rattled off 37 unanswered and put Ole Miss away. Texas knocked off Texas Tech 31-22 in Lubbock for their 3rd straight win. Nebraska somehow squeezed past Michigan State, which devastated Michigan fans and kept Nebraska firmly in their Big 10 division lead. And finally, West Virginia lost a 2-OT thriller to TCU in Morgantown by a score of 39-38. The Geno Smith for Heisman campaign is firmly off the rails at this point and that's unfortunate. 

NFL

• The Falcons are 8-0. It took a closer-than-desired effort to hold on for the 19-13 win, but wins are wins in the NFL. Michael Turner had a big 4th quarter to finish with 102 yards on 20 carries, and Matt Ryan played yet another great game, going 24-34 for over 300 yards and throwing zero interceptions. Matt Bryant (aka Mr. Automatic) picked a rough night to miss 2 field goals, but did knock 4 of them down, including a big one to give ATL the 6-point lead late. The march to a 1st-round bye continues.
• Peyton Manning led the Broncos to a 31-23 road win over Cincinnati to take Denver to 5-3. The Broncos are firmly in control of the putrid AFC West with this win, and the Bengals will need to get red-hot in a hurry to stay competitive for a wild-card spot in the AFC. Peyton went for 291 yards and 3 TDs as he continues his comeback/MVP bid.
• The 7-1 Chicago Bears are scorching hot. They put up a crazy fifty-one points on Sunday in their win over Tennessee, and the defense led the way. Five turnovers caused including a blocked punt TD and a pick-six by Brian Urlacher keyed the blowout win, and with the exception of a late 80-yard Chris Johnson touchdown (in complete garbage time), Chicago completely dominated defensively. I'm still wary of Jay Cutler and company on offense, but Brandon Marshall is a beast (9 for 122, with 3 touchdowns here) and the defense is beyond legit.
• The Rest - Doug Martin went absolutely nuts in Tampa's 42-32 road win over Oakland. The Bucs rookie RB went for 251 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns, reaching legendary fantasy status with 51 points in standard scoring. That is absurd, and there's a real argument for Martin as an elite back in the league already. Seattle maintained the montra of their home-field advantage, beating Minnesota 30-20 and going to 4-0 on their home turf. And finally, Pittsburgh went on the road and took care of business over the Giants by a score of 24-20. Out of nowhere, Ike Redman went for 147 yards, and there seems to be a different guy every week for the Steelers.

NBA

Not going to go with a full weekend breakdown (because it's 2 full days of early season games lol), but here are a couple of observations...

• As a homer, seeing the Hawks beat OKC on Sunday in Oklahoma City was tremendous. And to do so without Josh Smith? Even better. Al Horford keyed the win with 23 points and 12 rebounds but the key stat of the night was turnovers. Atlanta held themselves to just 10 turnovers, but forced 20 from the Thunder, and anytime you can create 10 additional possessions, that's huge. 
• First wins! On Saturday, Boston went on the road and beat hapless Washington 89-86. They were led by 27 from Paul Pierce, and got 12 dimes from Rajon Rondo. And on the left coast, the Lakers got off the schneid on Sunday with a 108-79 rout of Detroit. The Lakers (now 1-3) got 28 points on 12-14 shooting from Dwight Howard, and a 15-8-7 from Kobe Bryant (on just 10 shots!). Detroit is pretty bad at times, but this was at least semi-encouraging for the Lakers, who will be without Nash for a bit longer.
• Is Orlando going to be decent? I murdered them all preseason, but they are 2-0 after a 115-94 blowout over Phoenix on Sunday. Glen Davis (22 points) has broken the 20-point barrier in both games, but the bright spot for Orlando was Nikola Vucevic's best game of his career, going for 18 points and 13 rebounds. I still think Orlando will struggle mightily this year, but this is a positive start.
• Denver is a mess at the moment. The Nuggets, who many thought would win 55+ games are 0-3, and they've done so in ugly fashion. There's no shame in losing a tight road game to Miami (119-116 on Saturday), but the first 2 games were ugly. At any rate, Chris Bosh lit them up for 40 on Saturday night, and Denver's D has been woeful.
• The Spurs are 3-0. That is all.

What to watch for on Monday...

• NFL - Eagles @ Saints - 8:30 ESPN - The final night of the Mike Vick era in Philly? I think it will be if he doesn't lead the Eagles to win. I may be in the minority, but I think he goes nuts here and carves up that putrid Saints' secondary for a 400 total-yard, 4-touchdown type of game. At any rate, it'll be interesting.
• NBA - Twolves @ Nets - 7:30 NBA-TV - I honestly have no idea why NBA-TV went with this game, but it's on so I'll recommend it. Brooklyn is an intriguing team this season, and this is a good chance to take a look at them.
• NBA - League Pass Free Preview! - This is still going through Tuesday night and there are a few games to watch. Knicks @ Sixers (7:00), Jazz @ Grizzlies (8:00), Pacers @ Spurs (8:30), and Cavs @ Clippers (10:30) are all intriguing games, even for casual observers as they feature 7 good teams out of 8, and the 8th (Cleveland) has one of the best young players in the league in Kyrie Irving going against the incumbent best PG alive in Chris Paul.

Enjoy!

11/3: The Harden Show, etc.

Greetings!

• First of all, we have to address the Hawks season opener. James Harden went absolutely ballistic in Philips Arena last night, scoring 45 points on just 19 field goal attempts (insanity) and leading the Rockets to a 109-102 win. Jeremy Lin added 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in a supporting role, but the story is certainly the ease by which Harden did whatever he wanted offensively. On the Hawks end, I thought the results were fairly unsurprising. Josh Smith took repeated forced jump shots, finally culminating in what I thought was the biggest possession of the night. With 2:30 left and the Hawks down 3, both Lou Williams and Jeff Teague passed up open threes to swing the ball to Smith (who was admittedly open) for a three that had no chance from the time it left his hand. Houston scored on the other end, and the game was never in doubt again. Now that I've crapped on Josh, he did go for 18 and 10 despite just 9 of 21 shooting. Lou Williams led the Hawks in scoring with 22 off the bench, and I think he's the go-to-guy in late game spots offensively. Al Horford was neutralized by Omer Asik, who may be the best defensive center this side of Dwight Howard, but still played well in spots. Speaking of Asik, the Houston center is worth every penny of that deal from what I saw, as he grabbed 19 boards and absolutely locked the paint down for stretches. The Hawks rotation is going to be interesting to watch, and there's a full post coming from me on Soaring Down South about this. Stay tuned.
• David Ortiz is headed back to Boston. He and the Red Sox have reportedly agreed to terms, and I like this. Big Papi should retire as a Red Sox player, and this should take him to that point. Well played.
• In a weird MLB trade story, there was a Cubs/Angels swap of Carlos Marmol and Dan Haren reportedly "done" early on Friday, but by the end of the night, the deal was off. If it happens, I love it for Chicago, as Haren is a buy-low coming off of a rough season, and I've never believed in Marmol. 
• NBA Round-Up - The Lakers are 0-3 and there is panic in the streets.... despite 40 points from Kobe Bryant, LA's defense couldn't hold up and they dropped a 10-point decision to the Clippers. It's way, way too early for panic, but it's the defensive end that's the issue, no matter what the mainstream media is painting for a picture. Orlando and Charlotte both won their season openers in nice fashion. A pure illustration of how little of an indication the opener can be on the season as whole. And finally, The Knicks absolutely blitzed Miami 104-84 in an emotional season opener following the Hurricane. NYK got 30 and 10 from Carmelo Anthony, but the biggest story was them shooting 19 for 36 from three-point distance, and that carried them to the blow-out win. 

What to watch for on Saturday...

• For the full slate of college football action, check out my weekend football preview post (up Friday afternoon). In this space, I'll remind you about the top-5 matchup between LSU and Alabama live from Baton Rouge tonight. 8:00 pm. Must-see TV.
• NBA - League-Pass only on Saturday, but the free trial is still in effect! I'd recommend Nuggets @ Heat (7:30), Jazz @ Spurs (8:30), and Warriors @ Clippers (10:30). Plenty to go around!

Enjoy!

Weekend Football Preview (11/3-11/4)

Greetings! Wait a minute.... is this football content?! Anyway, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, and that includes football previews, so let's get it!

COLLEGE

• #1 Alabama @ #5 LSU - 8:00 CBS - The undisputed game of the weekend, and really, the game of the year so far in college football. Alabama has been dominant since the jump (and I'm a Michigan fan, I'd know), but they're going on the road to that ridiculously tough environment in Baton Rouge, and that's not a small task. LSU has serious offensive issues and Alabama isn't a cure for that, but they do have a stable of running backs, and their defense could keep Bama in check here. I definitely like Alabama in the game, but this is their best opportunity to lose until at least the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. 
• #24 Oklahoma State @ #2 Kansas State - 8:00 ABC - I feel bad for ABC because no one is going to watch this... at least unless OSU has a lead late in the game (if they do). For all of the talk about undefeateds, I've seen a surprising number of people that think K-State is running the table. I don't agree. I don't necessarily think they're losing here, but with this game plus road games at TCU and Baylor, and a closing game against Texas, I think they're dropping one somewhere. 
• #4 Oregon @ #17 USC - 7:00 FOX - They couldn't put one of the games in the afternoon!? Anyway, Oregon/USC is a battle of the Pac-12 elite and Oregon's biggest test of the year. I do think they are a superior team, and they could score 50 on USC, but I can't rule out the Trojans for one reason. If Matt Barkley plays his best game, with those receivers, they can win. Period. I'm taking Oregon, however.
• Ole Miss @ #6 Georgia - 3:30 CBS - I'm pandering to my audience by even including this game, but I will. This isn't the Ole Miss of the last few seasons, as they're a real opponent, and maybe even the biggest test for UGA until Atlanta. It would shock me if the Bulldogs lost this game, but it isn't a walk-over either.
• #16 Texas A&M @ #15 Miss. State - 12:00 ESPN - It's funny that a match-up of two top-16 teams can have zero ramifications on even an SEC title picture... but that's the case here. Purely a bowl position game!
• #23 Texas @ #18 Texas Tech - 3:30 ABC/ESPN2 - Another in-state matchup of ranked teams, and that can't be ignored. Texas Tech can flat-out score, but Texas has some legit NFL guys on that defense. A fun afternoon tilt. 
• #20 Nebraska @ Michigan State - 3:30 ABC/ESPN2 - The Big 10 is a disaster outside of Ohio State. I hate my life. 

NFL

• Denver @ Cincy - 1:00 CBS - Must-win for the Bengals to have a prayer at the 6 seed in the AFC, while Denver is firmly in control (at the moment) of the AFC West. Not an awesome game, but a watchable one. 
• Arizona @ Green Bay - 1:00 FOX - The last-chance for Arizona. Green Bay is just better and I think Aaron Rodgers and company put the final nail in the coffin of the once 4-0 Cardinals. 
• Miami @ Indy - 1:00 CBS - This could be a game with huge playoff implications... what?! really?! Yes! Miami's defense is stout, Indy has a real quarterback, and both teams are 4-3 in an awful AFC. Tune in.
• Minnesota @ Seattle - 4:00 FOX - Seattle is a bear at home, and I like them in this game. This is a virtual must-win for Seattle, as a loss would take them to 4-5 and they aren't going to win the division without a disaster from the Niners. 
• Pittsburgh @ NY Giants - 4:25 CBS - Maybe the best game of the day. The Steelers' offense is suddenly playing really well, and the Giants aren't as good at home (which makes no sense, but still). With a gun to my head, I think I'd still take the Giants over anyone in the NFC in a one-game spot, and that applies here. 
• Dallas @ Atlanta - 8:20 NBC - National TV in Atlanta! Isn't this such a spot for Dallas to show up and have everyone buy back in? I'm not ruling it out. Atlanta is just better than Dallas, but the Cowboys' secondary is really, really good and that's an issue. This should be a game where we see some more Michael Turner than normal, and Tony Gonzalez should be a factor as well. I think it'll come down to who makes less mistakes between Romo and Ryan, and that leans toward Atlanta at this stage.

Enjoy!

11/2: Parker's Dagger, Chargers, etc.

Greetings!

• There was exactly one NBA game last night (thanks to the Hurricane) and it didn't disappoint. Tony Parker sunk a buzzer-beating jump shot to lift the Spurs to an 86-84 win over Oklahoma City. The most impressive part? Serge Ibaka (the league's #1 shot blocker last season) was flying at Parker when he calmly sunk the game-winner. Tim Duncan led 5 Spurs in double-figures with 20 points and 8 rebounds, while Parker (14 points, 11 assists) led the way on the perimeter. OKC got a "bad Russ" game from Westbrook, as he shot 6 of 21 and made 6 turnovers, while Durant was efficient (9 of 18) but unspectacular with 23 points, although he did add 14 rebounds. I did like what I saw from Kevin Martin off the bench, as he sparked the offense with 15 points and 5 assists in 33 minutes.
• Philip Rivers is alive. The much-maligned Chargers QB went 18 of 20 for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns last night as the Chargers cruised to a 31-13 win over the lowly Chiefs. Rivers had been awful for a few weeks and really hadn't been himself this season, but this was a flash (even against a bad defense) that he isn't to be written off yet. For the Chiefs, what do you even say? They finally realized J. Charles was alive in the 2nd half (12 carries, 3 catches on the night) but it was too late by then, and they couldn't get a stop when they needed it. It's bad times in KC. 
• The NFL trade deadline was yesterday... did you know!? At any rate, there was only one deal that was consummated. Aqib Talib, the Bucs CB with tons of off-field issues, was sent to New England along with a 7th-rounder in the 2013 draft in exchange for a 2013 4th rounder. This is an absolute pillaging for New England if Talib ever gets his head on straight, but it's certainly a risk as Talib is currently suspended. I do think it's worth the risk for the ghastly Pats secondary to add a top-tier talent like this, and I like the gamble. 

What to watch for on Friday...

• NBA - Heat @ Knicks - 8:00 ESPN - Our first look at the Knicks aging roster... and they get the joy of taking on Lebron and company. Speed vs. molasses! Young vs. old!
• NBA - Clippers vs. Lakers - 10:30 ESPN - The battle of LA! These two teams don't like each other at all, and the Lakers have looked pretty bad in their 0-2 start.
• NBA - Rockets @ Hawks - 7:30 SportSouth - The Hawks opener! The James Harden traveling road show comes to town, and we'll get our first glance at the new-look Hawks in full effect. There's some debate on the opening night starting lineup (on the wing at least) and that'll be settled here. 
• NBA League Pass! - Bulls vs. Cavs (7:30), Jazz @ Hornets (8:00), Blazers @ Thunder (8:00), Kings @ T-Wolves (8:00), Grizz @ Warriors (10:30)... and more! Take advantage!
• NCAAF - Washington @ Cal - 9:00 ESPN2 - Live football on a Friday night. Cal has been a major disappointment this season at 3-6, but if you're tired of hoops (I have no idea how you would be, but still), this is an option.

Enjoy!

11/1: Contract Extensions and Live Hoops

Greetings! Back for our second straight "daily" post despite being under the weather this morning... I'm suddenly back in the groove, let's go!

• The Lakers are 0-2. Steve Nash is hobbling. And they lost a game where they shot 50% and out-rebounded Portland 45-30. I'd say we have issues in LA! It's way too early for panic, especially when Dwight (33 and 14) and Kobe (30 points) look fine, but the bench is still non-existent, and they need to run things through a healthy Nash more. 
• James Harden made a big-time splash in his debut with the Rockets. 37 points, 12 assists and a monster run in the 4th quarter to topple Detroit. I think Jeremy Lin is a huge beneficiary of the Harden show, and that will continue.
• Anthony Davis scored 21 points in his debut.... but the Hornets lost to the Spurs. Tim Duncan was Tim Duncan with 24 and 11 for San Antonio, and they dominated the 2nd half to secure a comeback victory.
• And finally from the box score world, Utah used a 37-13 3rd quarter advantage to blitz Dallas by a score of 113-94. Marvin Williams and Mo Williams each led the way with 21 points, and Utah got double-digit rebounding games from the Jefferson/Millsap/Favors trio in the win. 
• There have been several contract extensions in the last couple of days in the NBA. 
• First, Ty Lawson inked for 4 years and $48 million with Denver. I love this deal for the Nuggets as Lawson is a budding star who has improved every season. He averaged 16 points and 7 assists a year ago with efficient percentages and at 24 years, a 4-year deal is perfectly safe for him. $12 million a year isn't small, but even if he simply maintains the production from last season, that's enough to justify it. 
• The second deal is more interesting to me and it surrounds Steph Curry. The Warriors guard received a 4-year, $44 million deal and if you simply look at his numbers (career 18 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 48/44/90 percentages) and age (24), you're thinking this is an absolute steal... and you'd be right. But, Curry played only 26 games last season due to ankle issues and he's already hurt this season with another ankle issue on his right side. I absolutely love Curry's offensive game, and I think he's one of the most efficient guards in the entire league on that end while obviously being an elite shooter. If he can even play 60-70 games a season, he's worth this money, but it's a pretty bold move to guarantee 4 years at this kind of rate given his serious durability concerns. That said, Eric Gordon just signed for THE MAX(!) with even longer injury track record and I actually think Curry is a comparable (if not better) player. Should be interesting to follow. 
• Thirdly, Demar Derozan inked a 4-year, $40 million contract last night with Toronto. This one strikes me as a pretty serious overpayment. I actually like Derozan as a player, but he still can't shoot (at all), and $10 million wing players need to be your primary wing option (at least), and I'm not sure he's that. The potential/athleticism is there, but he'll need to improve a decent amount to match that contract.
• James Harden got his 5-year, $80 million max contract from Houston. We've covered this deal ad nauseum, but just know that a) I think he's worth it, and b) he would've gotten it from at least 10 different teams in the off-season anyway.
• Jrue Holiday received 4 years and $41 million from Philadelphia in another deadline deal. The good? Holiday is only 22 years old and he's been a starter for nearly all of his first 3 seasons. That said, this is a purely speculative deal in the same line as Derozan. Holiday's PER was actually below league-average last season (14.74) and had a ghastly true shooting % of under 50%. The system in Philly doesn't necessarily augment his skills, but he doesn't have a great "strength" other than his pure athleticism. He's not a great shooter, not a pure point guard, and doesn't finish particularly well. If he refines even one of those areas? He could be worth it, but he's going to have to improve his play to justify the deal. 
• Finally, Taj Gibson got 4 years and $38 million from Chicago. First, I absolutely love Gibson and think he's worth this deal in a vacuum... except for the fact that Carlos Boozer is still employed by the Bulls. At any rate, if given the opportunity, I think Gibson will play up to the deal and I'd much rather have him for 38 than Derozan for 40. Done and done.
• In baseball, the Royals acquired Ervin Santana from the Angels for a minor-league lefty. This is the type of move that KC has to make to try and secure some effective pitching, and I've always been a Santana believer (to a fault, admittedly). Love this move for the Royals. 

What to watch for on Thursday... One thing to note is the cancellation of the Nets/Knicks game that would've been the opener of the Barclays Center... prayers to everyone in the Northeast affected by the hurricane...

• NBA - Thunder @ Spurs - 9:30 TNT - Our first look at the Harden-less Thunder in a rematch of the Western conf. finals. I'm all-in on the Spurs this year and I can't fathom how everyone has suddenly forgot about them. Remember when Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins went nuts in that playoff game? That's all that stood between the Spurs and the Finals, and I think they could be better this year with improvements from Leonard and Splitter, and a full season of Boris Diaw. I'm fired up. 
• NFL - Kansas City @ San Diego - 8:20 NFL Network - This is a really bad Thursday night game. Kansas City is the worst team in the league and they haven't led for a single snap all season (the one game they won was an OT victory that they never led). San Diego, on the other hand, has a disaster season from Philip Rivers going and Norv Turner still coaching. Eesh. The Chargers should win here, but if you like both sports, everyone should be watching basketball once that game tips off. 
• NCAAF - Virginia Tech @ Miami - 7:30 ESPN - I'm gonna imagine that the ACC thought this might be a bigger game at the beginning of the season. Both teams are 4-4 and really have not a lot to play for except bowl consideration, but hey, two big name schools!

Enjoy!