Month: May 2020

Finding 3 Warriors backup options for Draymond Green in the NBA Draft

Who could the Warriors find in the NBA draft to fill their depth chart behind Draymond Green?

The end of May has usually signaled the start of another NBA Finals run for the Golden State Warriors. Yet in 2020, the three-time champs are on a different path. Prior to the NBA season getting put on pause due to the coronavirus, the Warriors were the first and only team in the league to be officially eliminated from the playoff picture.

For the first time in years, Golden State’s 15-50 record has set the team up to land a top prospect in the 2020 edition of the NBA draft.

With their championship core still in place, Steve Kerr and Bob Myers can go in a bevy of different directions with their top pick. Instead of drafting the best player available, Golden State could look for a player to complement Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

Behind their veteran All-Star trio, the Warriors depth chart is rather thin. With three selections in the 2020 draft, Golden State could address multiple areas — including a backup for the former Defensive Player of the Year.

After an impressive rookie campaign, Eric Paschall could slide in behind Green on paper. Though, the Warriors could view him as something more than just a backup off the bench. The Villanova product has shown versatility and could be in line for a featured role in year two.

Even if Paschall sticks as the lead option behind Green, the Warriors could still address the frontcourt in the draft. With Green’s ability to contribute in a bevy of ways, Golden State could tap multiple players at different positions to fill his role when the three-time All-Star is off the floor.

Warriors Wire looked at three different draft prospects the Warriors could bring into back up Green in 2020.

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Legendary Alabama quarterback Joe Namath turns 77

During his time at the University of Alabama, Namath led the team to a 29–4 record over three seasons, including a national title in 1964

On this day in 1943, legendary Alabama quarterback Joe Namath was born. Namath grew up in  Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania where he lived until he moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 1962 to play for Bear Bryant and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Joe Namath
Photo Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

During his time at the University of Alabama, Namath led the team to a 29–4 record over three seasons, including a national title in 1964. Namath recorded 2,713 yards, 25 TDs, and 19 INT in his carrer. He also had 655 rushing yards in his career as well.

In 1964, Namath was a first-round draft selection by both the NFL and the upstart AFL. He was selected 12th overall in the NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, while the Jets selected him with the first overall pick of the AFL draft. Namath played for the Jets from 1965- 1976 where he won a Super Bowl in 1969. Namath also played one season for the Los Angeles Rams in 1977.

In his NFL career, Namath recorded 27,663 yards, 173 TD and 220 INT.

After his NFL career, Joe became an actor. Namath has been a part of MANY tv shows and movies such as The Joe Namath show, the Dean Martin show, the A-team, ALF, the Simpsons, Underdogs, and the Wedding Ringer just to name a few.

In 2007, Namath also graduated after he completed an external-program bachelor of arts degree in interdisciplinary studies at the University of Alabama.

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Gus Duggerton defeats Alabama

Gus Duggerton defeats Alabama.

TUSCALOOSA — Gus Duggerton took part in his first Third Saturday in October game as Tennessee’s head coach.

The Vols defeated Alabama, 29-28 in overtime, at Bryant-Denny Stadium to remain undefeated on the season.

Duggerton was named head coach at Tennessee last Wednesday.

Barstool Big Cat started playing the Electronic Arts NCAA Football 14 video game during the coronavirus pandemic and created a coach named Gus Duggerton.

The Vols travel to Alabama in a Week 9 SEC matchup at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Gus Duggerton’s career

Toledo OC 11-2 (MAC Champs)

FSU OC – 12-1 (Fiesta Bowl Champs)

USC OC – 12-1 (Rose Bowl Champs)

Texas Tech HC – 10-3 (Cotton Bowl Champs)

Tennessee HC – 9-0

Boston’s Enes Kanter hears some players won’t play in resumed season

Boston Celtic center Enes Kanter is hearing some players don’t want to risk their health to play in a resumed season.

Not everyone in the NBA is excited about the prospect of a return to action in July, relates Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter.

With many questions yet unanswered about what the resumption of the 2019-20 NBA season will look like, it’s understandable there’s trepidation about the risk that might come with gathering the entire league in Orlando, Florida in the middle of a pandemic.

Of course the NBA may limit the resumption to teams which have a chance to make the playoffs, but even then the question remains about what players’ families are going to be doing for weeks on end.

Speaking to former Celtic and CLNS podcast host Cedric Maxwell on his eponymous podcast, Kanter raised exactly that point.

“Many people have families and … if you put all the players in a bubble what [are] the families going to do?”

“You cannot put them in a bubble for two months and say, ‘Okay, do not leave the hotel’. But, on the other side, if you put the families in that bubble, then you’re putting their life at risk, too,” he added.

“Until they find the cure, [or a] vaccine, I think it’s going to be tough, man. The NBA’s forgetting about — if a player gets sick and somebody had to, they could sue the NBA big time. There’s so many folks out there, man, I have no idea.”

“But Adam [Silver, NBA Commissioner] said, all the team owners want to compete, and go out there and compete.

That’s no question. It’s all going to come to him [on] how they’re going to do it,” offered the Turkish big man.

“I have no idea how they’re going to do it, because I’m hearing that — not from the Celtics, but there are some other team’s players out there, that they don’t want to play. They’re like, ‘It’s just a game. I’m not going to risk my life. I’m not going to risk my family’s lives and put their lives on the line to just go out there and play a game. I’m not playing'”.

“We want to go out there and compete,” Kanter noted, emphasizing this was not coming from players on the Celtics.

“But when we had that NBPA [National Basketball Players’ Association] a meeting, and they said it they said ‘Hey, there’s other team players that … don’t want to play.”

For the non-playoff teams, this makes nothing but sense.

And with all the chaos coming from the pandemic, protests over George Floyd’s death and more, we may well see more players become vocal about wanting certain assurances in place for their own and their families’ safety before we get firm commitments out of them to play.

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WATCH: Enes Kanter addresses crowd at Boston Floyd protest

Celtics center Enes Kanter addressed a crowd of protesters demonstrating against the death of George Floyd in Boston Sunday.

Boston Celtics big man Enes Kanter followed teammate Jaylen Brown’s lead by joining protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minnesota this week, addressing a protest taking place in Boston.

Brown had driven 15 hours from the greater Boston area to his home state of Georgia to help lead a peaceful protest against the death of Floyd, while Kanter himself had just driven nearly as long from Chicago to arrive in Massachusetts.

The outspoken center made a point of protesting with locals once he arrived in Boston, at one point even taking the mic to address the crowd of protesters while wearing his Celtics jersey.

“Listen everybody, my name is Enes Kanter and I play for the Boston Celtics. First of all, I want to thank you all for what you are doing. I really, really appreciate it. The second thing I want to say, man, is we need change. And change cannot wait!

“I get emotional, but we are on the right side of history, man,” he added. “You know what? Black lives matter, right? Let’s go!”

Kanter, Brown, Karl-Anthony Towns and all the other players joining citizens in demanding equal treatment before the law are doing so at great personal risk.

Let’s hope it sparks a political will to solve this age-old problem once and for all.

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LOOK: Derrick Henry shows off muscles in shirtless Instagram challenge

Former Alabama running back took to Instagram to post a shirtless picture of his muscles in an Instagram competition.

Most everyone remember Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle, Aaron Donald’s shirtless picture is 2019. People were amazed that a defensive tackle could be so ripped.

But earlier this week, former Alabama, and current Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry decided to challenge Donald, and let’s just say, Henry doesn’t look like a running back, in a good way.

Most would say Henry looks like a defender himself.

Henry is 6′ 3″, and weighs around 247 lbs. To give you perspective, most NFL running backs are just around (most are under) 6 feet tall, and weigh around 215 pounds.

For example, Mark Ingram is 5’9″ and 215 pounds, Josh Jacobs is 5’10” and 220 pounds, Ezekiel Elliot is 6’0 and 228 pounds, and Alvin Kamara is 5’10” and 215 pounds just to give a few examples.

Henry has been putting in the effort this offseason and it’s showing.

2020 might just be Henry’s best season yet.

Henry led the NFL with a career-best 1,540 rushing yards on 303 carries, and also was the only running back in the NFL to average more than 100 rushing yards per game last season.

He had 446 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 83 carries during the playoffs.

And that’s not all. Henry is ranked third in NFL history averaging 126 yards rushing in the postseason.

While at Alabama, the former Heisman trophy winner recorded 3591 yards and 42 touchdowns while also racking up 285 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in the air.

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NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed …

NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed league employees on the protests seen across the country this week, resolving to use the NBA’s platform to fight racial injustice in an internal memo obtained by Yahoo Sports. Directly mentioning the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, Silver said the league shared in the outrage and offered condolences to their families and friends. Silver drew direct lines between the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the current injustice seen by the black community.

“Just as we are fighting a pandemic, …

“Just as we are fighting a pandemic, which is impacting communities and people of color more than anyone else, we are being reminded that there are wounds in our country that have never healed,” Silver said. “Racism, police brutality and racial injustice remain part of everyday life in America and cannot be ignored. At the same time, those who serve and protect our communities honorably and heroically are again left to answer for those who don’t.”

“Together with our teams and players, …