Posted on June 28th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Imagine you’re Doc Rivers arriving home Tuesday night.
“Hi honey, how was work?” asks your wife, Kristen.
“Fine,” you say. “Nothing out of the ordinary … except we traded Austin.”
The Rivers’ next family reunion might be a little awkward when dad bumps into the son he coached with the Los Angeles Clippers. But the business of pro sports respects no bonds, blood or otherwise.
“We experienced a lot of success with Austin and are grateful for his contributions during his four seasons with the club,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “The Clippers wish Brittany and Austin all the best in Washington.
The first father-son, coach-player relationship in NBA history has ended, highlighting the fact that Doc Rivers no longer calls the shots for the Clippers. He was relieved of those duties last summer.
Meanwhile, Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld continues at the helm in D.C., and the Austin Rivers trade joins a long list of moves that follow the same pattern: Misstep. Misstep. Recover. Repeat.
Acquiring Rivers falls between the gaps. The combo guard undeniably creates greater flexibility for a constipated roster that included Marcin Gortat, Ian Mahinmi and Jason Smith. Sending Gortat to the Clippers was a much-needed movement, but the other two blockages remain.
Unfortunately, neither Mahinmi nor Smith can adequately fill the hole at starting center; they’re borderline as effective backups.
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Posted on June 26th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
The Capitals just treated us to a season like none they ever produced, creating a sense of expanded possibilities for Washington sports.
We don’t know where the Nationals will end up. But watching them proceed is tantalizing because, so far, they haven’t given us a season quite like this one either.
The Nats were terrible when they arrived 13 years ago, recording five fifth-place division finishes in their first seven seasons here. They were 16 games behind when they finished fourth (2007) and a whopping 21-1/2 games out when they took third (2011).
They haven’t been bad since then, with four NL East titles in the last six years. They entered this season as prohibitive favorites to win a third consecutive division crown, but it won’t mean much if another first-round exit follows.
That scenario has become way too common and the prospect still looms.
But nothing about the current route looks familiar yet.
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Posted on June 21st, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
A couple of months ago, the NFL unleashed an unprecedented amount of broadcast coverage for its annual draft, flooding the airwaves of ESPN, NFL Network, Fox and ABC, while airing every round on network TV for the first time.
Thirty-two players were selected in the first round, a process that lasted nearly four hours and got its own night. Sheesh!
Thank goodness the NBA doesn’t take the same approach. The league’s draft begins – and ends – on Thursday.
Granted, the NFL can’t wrap up matters in four hours like the NBA. Seven rounds take a lot longer than two rounds, so it’s understandable that the football draft is a multi-day event. But Roger Goodell & Co. drag out their affair in a blatant money grab.
If the NBA operated in similar fashion, its first round would consume the entire broadcast on Thursday and the show would end with a reminder: “Tune in for the second round tomorrow night!”
Instead, Commissioner Adam Silver will welcome 30 first-rounders onstage at Barclays Center, beaming along with the newly-minted millionaires who receive fully guaranteed contracts. Then, if tradition holds, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum will get his moment in the spotlight, welcoming the 30 second-rounders whose NBA fortunes are, literally, less certain.
But a copious amount of intrigue and speculation is something the two leagues have in common regarding their respective choose-em ups.
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Posted on June 19th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
LeBron James is not coming to D.C.
LeBron James is not coming to D.C.
LeBron James is not coming to D.C.
Repeating the mantra over and over should protect our feelings and keep our hopes from rising. That’s the exact opposite of what happened two summers ago as native son Kevin Durant contemplated his next place of employment. Maybe he gave the Wizards a cursory glance, but they didn’t get so much as a courtesy visit.
The free-agent market doesn’t officially open until July 1, but already there’s plenty of intrigue heading into Thursday’s draft. Baseball’s hot-stove league was once the gold standard for leagues’ ability to stay in the news during their offseason. But the NBA has blown it away with a microwave version that commences immediately after the Finals.
Where is James headed? Where will Oklahoma City’s Paul George go? What will Boston do with Kyrie Irving? And the question that gained steam over the weekend: Will San Antonio trade Kawhi Leonard?
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Posted on June 13th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
And on the 19th game, he rested.
Juan Soto’s first trip to Yankee Stadium marked the first time since May 21 that he wasn’t in the Nationals’ starting lineup. Manager Dave Martinez finally gave Soto a day off Tuesday, allowing the phenom to be an observer while soaking in the storied ballpark and fabled pinstripes.
Baseball fans in New York likely were disappointed, eager to see what the left-handed slugger might do with the right-field porch. After Wednesday’s game, Soto might not return to the Bronx for a couple of years unless Sports Illustrated’s World Series prediction proves true.
Martinez was bound to sit him at some point but Soto didn’t make it an easy decision. Opening Day left fielder Adam Eaton has returned from the disabled list and will be a factor moving forward as Martinez decides who plays and where. But this situation isn’t very complicated:
Keep Soto in the lineup.
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Posted on June 11th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Where’s Waldo?
He could be under your bed, but who cares? We’re not concerned about the famous traveler’s location right now. There’s a more pressing question in the DMV, one that should remain at the fore throughout the summer:
Where’s the Stanley Cup?
The Washington Capitals turned a bunch of folks onto hockey over the last two months. Some had never given the sport much of a chance. Others were casual fans who tuned in occasionally throughout each season. Another segment had a history of paying attention only once the playoffs began (and ended just as quickly).
Previous commitment to the Caps and the sport won’t matter Tuesday at 11 a.m., when the city’s first championship parade in a quarter-century begins on Constitution Avenue, near the Washington Monument, and culminates in a rally on the National Mall. Whether attendees have been faithful followers since the team’s years in Landover or got swept up by partying in Chinatown this month, everyone can rock some red and don some championship gear.
The Caps rewarded newcomers who gave hockey a chance this season.
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Posted on June 6th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
“Sometimes I love you, sometimes I hate you. But when I hate you, it’s because I love you.” — Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar
That line from a 1927 song could be part of a new national anthem for those who conscientiously object to certain aspects of life in America.
Take, for instance, the ordeal suffered by Milwaukee Bucks rookie Sterling Brown in January. Video of his disturbing treatment by lying police officers was released last month on the same day Roger Goodell announced a new NFL policy regarding the “Star Spangled Banner.”
The line from the jazz standard “Sometimes I’m Happy” references a romantic relationship between two people. But it also can be applied to the conflicting emotions that bubble inside fair-minded citizens when contemplating the social injustice, police brutality and systemic inequality they observe.
“Show respect for the flag and the anthem,” Goodell said four times in a statement May 23 as the league attempted to douse flames ignited by President Trump’s criticism of players who have knelt during the song. The new policy requires players on the field to stand at attention but allows any who choose to remain in the locker room.
That solution was simple … in the unlearned, ignorant, lacking-mental-acuteness sense of the word.
Unfortunately, that’s the level where Trump lives and he can’t be out-simplified.
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Posted on June 4th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
LeBron James leaped as he ran toward the basket and caught a high pass around the foul line Sunday in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. While still in midair, he was sandwiched by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who hit him from the front, left and back. The contact caused him to stumble and stagger across the baseline with basketball in hand.
A referee directly in front of the Warriors bench was in great position and viewed the entire sequence. He watched James tumble out of bounds and crash into the stanchion. The official paused before giving a quick chirp-chip on his whistle and pointing the other way, awarding possession to Golden State.
“I mean, come on,” broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy said during replays of the blatant foul that wasn’t called. Co-analyst Mark Jackson asked, “What are you watching if you’re not watching that?” Play-by-play announcer Mike Breen stated what we thought was common knowledge: “Gotta give him space to land.”
The worst team on the floor through two games of the Finals has been the referees.
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