off Page 89 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Three teams that could be next in line to improve drastically in a short amount of time like the Memphis Grizzlies
In the NBA, teams with stars and veteran leadership usually make waves in the postseason and win championships. It’s rare to see a team of young inexperienced players going deep in the postseason, no matter how talented they are. Of course, there are outliers to everything....

The NFL ‘reinvested’ in its diversity efforts the same week FOX passed on promoting Gus Johnson — go figure
The people that thought Brian Flores was lying have gone predictably silent....

The Ja Morant/Allen Iverson comparisons are actually kind of legit
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant is having a sensational season. Morant has led his team to the second-best record in the NBA and they’ve eclipsed 50 wins for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign. And Memphis still has the chance to set a franchise record for regular season wins (56) with seve...

Fictional Hooper Bracket: The Round of 16
Bugs is the best bunny left in our Sweet 16...

It’s always easy to blame the refs, but this time they’re truly awful
Complaining about officiating after a loss is one of the more annoying things that a sports fan can do. Coming from a coach or player who has just suffered a tough loss that they feel was unfairly called, the complaint may be easier to stomach, but it still doesn’t really sit right. It comes across ...

Fictional Hooper Bracket: Western U. Region - Round 2
The Western University Region is strictly for hoopers, and the matchups reflected that. Love & Basketball’s Monica Wright McCall and White Men Can’t Jump’s Sidney Dean adore the game, and people clearly rewarded them for it. The talent and force of Grandmama and Ty Crane were too much for Deacon Mos...

This Kyrie situation is starting to feel like the Mayor of New York is trying to beat him in a game of one-on-one
I know this is March Madness and NFL Free Agency season, but the NBA Playoffs start in less than 30 days. That last, and most entertaining, mile of the NBA season, but maximum entertainment value is only achieved if all of the stars are playing. That appears to still be in jeopardy with Kyrie Irving...

Mike McCarthy is taking a more hands-on approach to the draft process in Dallas, but will it matter to the man upstairs?
Now that we’re past the initial frenzy phase of NFL free agency, it’s time to focus on the draft. The Dallas Cowboys weren’t heavily involved in the free agent-free for all because they never really are, so once again, they’ll be looking to the draft to fill some holes in their roster. Like the one ...

Golden State’s good, bad, and ugly have all been on display
The Golden State Warriors’ penchant for losing games they have in hand is almost becoming legendary. They’re the fastest gunslingers in the West, but they could teach a masterclass in shooting themselves in the foot on too many occasions this season. On Sunday night, these Warriors had a victory in ...

The Cavs have again swept up the ashes left by LeBron’s departure, and built something impressive
They did it again, damn it. The Cleveland Cavaliers have somehow avoided the hellish purgatory typically levied against small-market teams in between superstar stints. The first time LeBron James left, after an initial seven-year stretch with Cleveland, it only took four seasons and four top-four Lo...

<i>Winning Time</i> Episode 3: 'The Best Is Yet To Come'
Damn, even legendary Chick Hearn is a bastard? Winning Time is hell-bent on tearing down all the NBA totems. Even the adored voice of the Lakers for 40-plus years, Hearn, is caught calling black security guards “gorillas.” Writers Max Borenstein and Rodney Barnes show us the circus behind the curtai...

Fictional Hooper Bracket: Hickory Region
Welcome to the old-head section of the bracket. There’s a lot of striped socks and short shorts in this region, so it’s only right that these games are played in the dusty gym in Hickory, Ind. JImmy Chitwood catches a break getting to play at home, but he’s not the upset that is looming in this regi...

Baker Mayfield’s not as bad as you think
If there’s one thing you can rely on with the Colts, it’s that they’ll have a high draft pick as their quarterback....

The Golden Knights are running out of racetrack
Normally, a team five seasons out from its creation fighting for a playoff spot would be a mark of success. They’ve built and grown over four years, taken their lumps, accrued draft picks and developed their own, and were starting to see the first signs of something real. But nothing is normal about...

Tennessee Titans’ proposal aims to change NFL overtime rules
The NFL Rules Committee’s sluggish acceptance of progressive ideas is analogous to another legislative body in the United States. Someone presents a grand notion and five, 10 or 20 years later, some lawmaker digs it up and gets praised as a visionary....

Randy Gregory flipped on Jerry Jones and the Cowboys faster than a coin toss
The new NFL year officially begins tomorrow at 4 p.m. EST, but free agency is already on and popping with many big moves, trades, and releases being confirmed. When you woke up this morning, you may have heard that the Dallas Cowboys had retained the services of defensive end Randy Gregory, agreeing...

Will Wade has been fired — free Christian Dawkins
Christian Dawkins is in federal prison. Will Wade is at home. This is a story about sports, money, college basketball, a corrupt justice system, and racism. It’s an American saga. ...

Jerry Jones brings back Michael Gallup on $62 million deal
Well, here we go again. ...

Texas A&M got jobbed
Did the NCAA Tournament selection committee watch the SEC Tournament? There’s no way it paid proper attention. Otherwise, its messaging to Texas A&M — as well as ACC Tournament Champion Virginia Tech, should the Hokies have not upset No. 2 Tournament seed Duke on Saturday night — is their resumes we...
