Tag: vote

‘LeBron’s Greatest Season’ bracket: Vote in the second round

LeBron Wire asks NBA fans to vote in the second round to determine the zenith of King James’ storied professional career.

The ballots for the first round have been cast, and now we move to the second round of our “LeBron’s Greatest Season” bracket.

The results were mostly true to form by seeding, with a couple notable exceptions. The No. 12 seed, 2015-16, bounced the No. 5 seed, 2005-06 – perhaps fans were sentimental about the Cavs’ earning the top seed in the East on their way to the NBA title. Also, the No. 11 seed, 2011-12, eliminated the No. 6 seed, 2004-05 – as fans opted for the Miami era over his sophomore emergence.

The season in which LeBron won his only NBA scoring title, No. 4 seed 2007-08, squeaked by No. 13 seed 2016-17 by a single vote.

Again, a bit about our methodology: Like the NBA MVP award, postseason is not included – otherwise, there wouldn’t be much suspense. Seedings are ranked by win shares, as determined by basketball-reference. The suspended 2019-20 season is not included, as we all remain optimistic it will resume at some point.

On to the second round. Cast your votes and check back Monday, April 20, shortly after noon ET for the semifinals.

Second round: April 16 – April 20 (noon ET)
Semifinals: April 20 – April 23 (noon ET)
Finals: April 23 – April 26 (noon ET)

Round 2: 1) 2008-09 vs. 9) 2013-14

No. 1 seed: 2008-09 season – Cavaliers

LeBron James Cavaliers
(Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
G MPG PPG RPG APG
81 37.7 28.4 7.6 7.2

LeBron earned his first MVP award while leading the Cavaliers to a franchise-record 66 victories. A year after winning the NBA scoring title, he finished second in that category to future teammate Dwyane Wade (30.2 ppg). LeBron led the NBA with 594 free throws made and won conference Player of the Week honors seven times – a single-season league record that still stands.

No. 9 seed: 2013-14 season – Heat

LeBron James Heat
(Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
G MPG PPG RPG APG
77 37.7 27.1 6.9 6.3

In LeBron’s final season with the Heat, he ranked second in the league in field goals (767), third in points (2,089) and third in points per game despite attempting a career-low 17.6 field goals per game. All that was possible because he shot a career-best 56.7% from the field, and his 27.1 points per game was his best average during four seasons with the Heat.

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VOTE: What was LeBron James’ greatest NBA season?

LeBron Wire asks NBA fans to vote and determine whether the zenith of King James’ career occurred with the Cavaliers, Heat or Lakers.

LeBron James greatest season
(USA TODAY Sports Media Group illustration)

At age 35, LeBron James is already on the short list of the greatest players in basketball history.

In reflecting on his career to this point, it’s interesting to compare and contrast his performances at different stages of his development. Is experienced LeBron is better than young LeBron? Was LeBron better with the Heat or the Cavaliers?

Let’s get even more specific: What was LeBron’s greatest NBA season?

LeBron Wire aims to answer that question with your help. Below is the first round of our “LeBron’s Greatest Season” voting bracket.

A bit about our methodology: Like the NBA MVP award, postseason is not included – otherwise, there wouldn’t be much suspense. Seedings are ranked by win shares, as determined by basketball-reference. The suspended 2019-20 season is not included, as we all remain optimistic it will resume at some point.

Without further ado, let the balloting begin. Vote early and often!

First round: April 13 – April 16 (noon ET)
Second round: April 16 – April 20 (noon ET)
Semifinals: April 20 – April 23 (noon ET)
Finals: April 23 – April 26 (noon ET)

Round 1: 1) 2008-09 vs. 16) 2003-04

No. 1 seed: 2008-09 season – Cavaliers

LeBron James 2009
(Harry How/Getty Images)
Age G MPG PPG RPG APG
23/24 81 37.7 28.4 7.6 7.2

LeBron earned his first MVP award while leading the Cavaliers to a franchise-record 66 victories. A year after winning the NBA scoring title, he finished second in that category to future teammate Dwyane Wade (30.2 ppg). LeBron led the NBA with 594 free throws made and won conference Player of the Week honors seven times – a single-season league record that still stands.

No. 16 seed: 2003-04 season – Cavaliers

LeBron James rookie season
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Age G MPG PPG RPG APG
18/19 79 39.5 20.9 5.5 5.9

LeBron was only 18 when he debuted as a professional, so his rookie stats should be viewed in that context. He shot 41.7% from the field that season, the only time in his career below 47%. Nevertheless, he was named Rookie of the Year, joining Amar’e Stoudemire as the only winners who went directly from high school to the NBA.

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Report: NFL owners to vote on expanded playoffs next week

In what is the biggest fait accompli in the history of the NFL, owners will vote on whether to expand the playoffs to 14 teams next week. This will obviously be done through a conference call or digital means since the NFL – much like every other …

In what is the biggest fait accompli in the history of the NFL, owners will vote on whether to expand the playoffs to 14 teams next week. This will obviously be done through a conference call or digital means since the NFL — much like every other major company in the United States — is currently essentially shutdown and practicing social distancing. There’s no way they will get a bunch of owners — many of whom are in the demographic most affected by Covid-19 — in one room at one time.

Once the owners vote in the expanded playoff system, there will be other things they need to address. They need to decide how they will structure the first weekend of playoffs, although that seems to have an easy answer where they put three games on Saturday and three games on Sunday. Maybe they try and add an extra day, but logistics will be very difficult if they choose to go that route.

The next major question to answer will be how to open up the television rights. The league will want to get their new TV deals done now, but there are some business issues since the economy has slowed down since novel coronavirus became an issue in the U.S.. If content distributors don’t want to sign the long-term deals the NFL is interested in, then there must be a bridge from this season to the next season when new deals will be agreed upon. That means the league could find itself selling a two-game playoff package — which is fine, people will still pay.

Voting isn’t the final step. There are a lot of moving parts here and that will have to be discussed even though it’s pretty obvious that the league will choose to expand the playoffs. There’s no reason not to and possibly billions of reasons to do so.

NFLPA ratifies new CBA in narrow vote; how Saints are affected

The New Orleans Saints and every NFL team are affected by the NFL Players Association vote to approve a new collective bargaining agreement.

The NFL Players Association voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement on Saturday night, with the final tally clocking in at 1,019 votes for approval against 959 votes to decline — a margin of just 60 votes, or about 2% of union membership. Because this CBA proposal was already confirmed by NFL ownership, it will go into effect immediately and is expected to run through the next decade. And it’s introducing many new changes and challenges for every team, including the New Orleans Saints.

First and foremost: the new CBA removes the one-year 30% rule, which would have severely hamstrung the Saints’ usual contract structure strategies. Now that the 30% rule is abolished, the Saints can finalize contract extensions with pending free agents like Drew Brees — who may be up for accepting another below-market deal. They will also begin to negotiate in earnest with the rest of their 27 players set to test the open market.

Minimum salaries will be given a pay raise, and the NFL salary cap is expected to rise dramatically in future offseasons. Rosters will increase from 53 players to 55, and require just five inactive players on game days. Practice squads will also grow to 12 members per team.

Beyond those immediate concerns: the NFL regular season will be extended to 17 games, with just three preseason exhibition games, no sooner than the 2021 season. The playoffs will also be expanded with seven teams representing each conference, and just the top-seeded team earning a first-round bye week.

So how will the Saints respond to this? We might finally see some movement from them in regards to re-signing their own players, especially with the start of the new league year around the corner. But Saints coach Sean Payton anticipates that date to be moved back in response to the coronavirus spreading nationally, though the NFL has not yet made a decision. So check back soon for updates.

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The “other” Michael Thomas is up for NFLPA president

The NFLPA is voting on a new union president, which may be Giants safety Michael Thomas, not to be confused with the Saints wide receiver.

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Michael Thomas is a top candidate to be named president of the NFL Players Association, but it’s not the Michael Thomas that New Orleans Saints fans may be thinking of. The 30-year-old safety for the New York Giants made his first Pro Bowl appearance in 2018, and he’s received endorsements from prominent voices including Richard Sherman and Russell Okung.

The NFLPA counts 2,400-plus active players within its membership, with more than 8,700 former players relying on the labor union to negotiate benefits for them in retirement. Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Eric Winston has served as NFLPA president since his election back in 2014, replacing Dominique Foxworth; the union president works with executive director DeMaurice Smith to spread information and coordinate votes within the sprawling union membership.

Thomas has been nominated against three other candidates, including Okung, who withdrew his candidacy and stumped for Thomas. The remaining two options are Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Sam Acho and Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter. If Thomas wins, expect some light confusion among fans mistaking him for the 27-year-old Saints wide receiver.

However, there shouldn’t be any immediate impacts on the in-progress NFLPA membership vote on a new collective bargaining agreement. The union’s board of representatives agreed to extend the voting deadline to 11:59 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 14, giving all players opportunity to make an educated decision before casting their ballot. Whether it’s Thomas, Acho, or Tretter in the president role, they’ll be charged with managing the transition to a new era should the CBA be ratified.

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4 challenges with the CBA vote

Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports The deadline for the CBA vote is set for March 12. That’s only a week away. That presents some obvious challenges for the NFLPA and its players. It’s not like everyone is in camp or teams are close to each other. …

Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The deadline for the CBA vote is set for March 12. That’s only a week away. That presents some obvious challenges for the NFLPA and its players. It’s not like everyone is in camp or teams are close to each other. There are a lot of people who need to get educated on the deal. These challenges aren’t huge roadblocks, but they are something to keep an eye on over the next week. Let’s get to them.

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NFL players receive ballots, have through March 12 to vote on new CBA

NFL owners have approved a new collective bargaining agreement and ballots have now been sent to players who have until March 12 to ratify.

In February, NFL owners approved terms on a new collective bargaining agreement that will govern through the 2030 season. The next step in the process is player voting for ratification.

The NFLPA issued a statement to that effect on Thursday morning.

“The NFLPA has sent out official ballots to every NFL player who was a dues paying member in the 2019 season to cast their vote on a new collective bargaining agreement,” the statement begins. “As outlined in our constitution, ratification of a new deal is subject to approval by a majority of our members who vote.”

“Player ballots will be confidential and will be received by an independent auditor to ensure the integrity of the process,” the statement continues. “We encourage every NFL player to review the full collective bargaining agreement and exercise their democratic right to vote.”

Because the agreement is 456 pages long, players will have until March 12 at 8:59 p.m. PT to scour the paperwork and cast their ballots. Only a simple majority is required for ratification.

You can read the entire proposed CBA here.

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NFL players set to begin voting on new CBA today

The language of the new CBA has been finalized and the players will now have an opportunity to vote.

The NFL and NFLPA are one step closer toward agreeing upon a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The current CBA is set to expire after the 2020 NFL season and with TV deals looming, the NFL and NFLPA are working to get things done early.

NFL ownership previously voted to accept the terms on the new CBA proposal. There have since been meetings between the NFL and NFLPA trying to hammer out some of the issues in the proposal. Prominent players such as Aaron Rodgers, JJ Watt and others have publicly expressed their displeasure over the new CBA.

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Behind the scenes, the NFL’s legal services have been hard at work finalizing the language to put the CBA into writing. That document has been completed and you can view the 465-page CBA in its entirety here.

The clock starts today for players from the Kansas City Chiefs and other NFL teams to ratify the new CBA with a majority vote. According to numerous reports, ballots officially went out to the players for voting today and they’ll have until March 12 to vote on the new CBA. That date also happens to be the deadline for NFL teams to place franchise and transition tags on players this year.

The NFL hopes to come to an agreement with its players on a new CBA ahead of the start of the 2020 league year, eliminating any potential threat of work stoppage ahead of the 2021 season. Should players be unable to come to an agreement with the league, the two parties still have the summer to hash out a deal. It’s still unknown whether this proposed CBA is the best possible deal that players will see from NFL ownership.

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VOTE: Marshawn Lynch’s ‘Beastquake’ run as NFL’s ‘Greatest Moment’

Vote for Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch’s “Beastquake” run in the 2010 wild-card round vs. the Saints as the NFL’s “Greatest Moment.”

In celebration of the league’s 100 seasons, it’s time to cast your vote for the “Greatest Moment in NFL History.” Since July, NFL.com had been compiling the best of the best from each of the 32 teams to begin the four-round contest.

After the divisional round of voting, Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch and his “Beastquake” run against the Saints in their 2010 wild-card matchup has advanced to the conference semifinals, one of only eight moments still standing.

Voting closes for this round on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 9:00 p.m. PT.

The four winners from this weekend will advance to the Super Bowl round, during which fans will vote for the greatest of all time. The winning moment will be revealed on Super Bowl Sunday during the FOX’s Super Bowl LIV NFL Pregame Show.

Click here to view the eight remaining moments and to vote for Lynch’s “Beastquake” run as the “Greatest Moment in NFL History.”

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UT News: November 29, 2019

An exciting weekend of Volunteers sports is now upon us, with the men’s basketball team traveling to Florida to take on the Florida State Seminoles, while the football team gets geared up for their final game of the regular season on Saturday. …

An exciting weekend of Volunteers sports is now upon us, with the men’s basketball team traveling to Florida to take on the Florida State Seminoles, while the football team gets geared up for their final game of the regular season on Saturday. Meanwhile, a handful of VFL players are on the Twitter NFL Pro Bowl ballot, just waiting for your vote.

Vols basketball face FSU

The Tennessee men’s basketball team takes on the Florida State Seminoles tonight in the 2019 Emerald Coast Classic held in Niceville, Fla. The Vols will face FSU in their semifinal game inside The Arena at Northwest Florida State College.

Tennessee is coming off a strong defensive effort against in a win against the Chattanooga Mocs, and look to keep their season-opening win streak alive. The match will be the ninth time the two teams have faced each other on the parquet, with their most recent meeting coming way back in 1989. The Vols lead the all-time series, 5-3.

A victory on Friday night would improve the Volunteers to 6-0, their best start since 2010-2011, when they came out of the gates with seven-straight wins.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcasted on the CBS Sports Network and can be heard on local Vol Network affiliates.

NEXT: Tennessee wraps up regular season vs. Vandy

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