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• An Oversight of Olympic Proportion

  Jul 21, 2021 Andrew Williams 0 Comments

  

  

   

  Over the last six weeks as the NBA season slowly wrapped up in an  awe inspiring fashion we were eagerly waiting to see this crop of NBA all stars represent our Country in the Olympics.  Of course once the roster was revealed immediately we as the media and fans started second  guessing the roster. 

   

    My first thought was “what happened to the most exciting player last season , Trae Young . Or better yet Ja Morant or LaMelo Ball.” All 3 very exciting to watch and all have the ability to make players better. So why were they left off?  First before we address the elephant in the room let’s look at the Olympic team.  Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, Jerami Grant, Draymond Green , Zach Levine, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Love all round out the high profile players that makes up the meat of this team.  Some names that we were not so familiar with also were entrusted to bring a gold home back to the US. This includes Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers drafted 2019), Saddiq Bey ( Detroit Pistons drafted 2020), John Jenkins ( last known NBA team Knicks 2019 drafted 2012), Josh Magette ( Orlando Magic undrafted 2012, Dakota Mathias ( Philadelphia 76ers , undrafted 2018) , Cameron Reynolds Houston Rockets undrafted 2018.  All players are very good but I list all the players to say this LaMelo, Trae or Ja was not on the squad. 

   

   Through the first 4 games  USA splitting it 2-2, I couldn’t help allowing myself to wonder would Nigeria been able to handle the explosive athleticism of Ja Morant on a fast break or would Australia be able to keep up with another round of precision full court passing from LaMelo Ball or how would Trae fair on the biggest stage in the world. Certainly he deserves to take a bow.  Not to question the great Coach Pop or the selection committee, they have always put together a team that will represent our country but why not Trae, Melo or Ja.

    I am possibly one of those basketball fans that were ruined by seeing the Dream Team and Redeem Team play in one lifetime. Maybe I was just overly exposed to Olympic Melo and Vince Carter dunking over a grown, competent Center. Maybe it’s my fault, after watching the world admire and fear USA basketball I expected them to put together the 15 best collection of killers that  can work in a cohesive manner.  Or maybe these guys may have something together, so just like Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball, and Trae Young  I will be watching from home as we look on to Tokyo. 

   

   

   

   While Young was named to the 57 man pool last March, Morant and Ball wasn’t even invited. The Hawks guard recently had a cryptic post on Twitter, showing a video of NBA legend Isiah Thomas explaining why he wasn’t named to the Dream Team. Young captioned it with a sad emoji and a USA flag. Of course Morant replied with the message “Keep working dawg”.  The snub was unexplainable, more importantly we all know that  all 3 future stars would have made this Olympic team damn near unstoppable. 

  https://twitter.com/jamorant/status/1415804882192318466?s=21

   

   

  Trae Young , LaMelo Ball and Ja Morant may have been left off Team USA for the Tokyo Olympics, but they’ll surely be center piece in future Olympics to come let’s hope they have a full roster of star talent.

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• Is a Last-Minute Olympics Cancellation Still Possible?

  Jul 20, 2021 SportZ 0 Comments

  Source: Tokyo 2020 chief Muto doesn’t rule out 11th-hour cancellation of Olympic Games (link)

   

  The chief of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee on Tuesday did not rule out a last-minute cancellation of the Olympics, as more athletes tested positive for COVID-19 and major sponsors ditched plans to attend Friday’s opening ceremony.

  Asked at a news conference if the global sporting showpiece might still be cancelled, Toshiro Muto said he would keep an eye on infection numbers and liaise with other organizers if necessary. He essentially stated that though they can't predict future COVID cases, they will discuss moving forward based on the severity of the situation.

  Covid-19 cases are rising in Tokyo and the Games, postponed last year because of the pandemic, will be held without spectators. Japan this month decided that participants would compete in empty venues to minimize health risks.

  There have been 67 cases of COVID-19 infections in Japan among those accredited for the Games since July 1, when many athletes and officials started arriving, organizers said on Tuesday.

  Japan, whose vaccination program has lagged that of most other developed nations, has recorded more than 840,000 cases and 15,055 deaths and Games host city Tokyo is experiencing a fresh surge, with 1,387 cases recorded on Tuesday. As Muto said, the COVID development going forward will be difficult to predict, and anything could happen in the next few days leading up to the Olympics

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• People Arrested Over Racial Abuse of England Players

  Jul 15, 2021 SportZ 0 Comments

  Source: Police arrest 4 over racist abuse of England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka (link)

   

  Four people have been arrested over online racist abuse aimed at members of the England team after Sunday's Euro 2020 final, British police said on Thursday.

  A specialist team is looking into the offensive comments, police said, after three Black players -- Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka -- were targeted with racist abuse on social media sites Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. All three missed penalties in the penalty-shootout defeat against Italy at Wembley stadium in London.

  The abuse has been widely condemned, and the U.K. government has promised action against social media companies if they do not remove offensive material more quickly. A hate crime investigation led by the UK Football Policing Unit is underway; police said dozens of data applications had been submitted to tech firms and that four people have been arrested so far.

  Even before the finals, England players had previously highlighted the issue of racism by taking a knee before their matches, a protest that some fans booed. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to tackle online abuse, but he and other ministers have been accused of hypocrisy for not condemning those who booed the players at the start of the tournament.

  Police also said there were 897 football-related incidents and 264 arrests in the 24 hours around the final, a big increase on previous soccer tournaments in 2016 and 2018.

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• Stephen A Smith Apologizes For Controversial Shohei Comment

  Jul 13, 2021 SportZ 0 Comments

  

  Source: ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith apologizes for controversial comment about Angels’ Shohei Ohtani (link)

   

  At this point, Stephan A and controversy go hand-in-hand - if it isn't, I would be very surprised. But here’s something you don’t hear about very often: Stephen A. Smith apologizing for comments he made on television.

  Smith landed in hot water following his appearance Monday on ESPN’s “First Take” when he made a controversial observation about Los Angeles Angels slugger and ace Shohei Ohtani.

  "I understand that baseball is an international sport itself in terms of participation," he said. "But when you talk about an audience gravitating toward the tube or to the ballpark to actually watch, you, OK, I don’t think it helps that the number one face is a dude that needs an interpreter so you can understand what the hell he’s saying.”

  Hours later, Smith took to Twitter to walk back his comments, basically saying “I’m sincerely sorry.”

  Ohtani is the starting pitcher and the leadoff hitter for the American League in Tuesday’s All-Star Game. Ohtani, who leads MLB with 33 home runs and is a potential generation player (even garnering Babe Ruth comparisons), lost in the first round of Monday’s Home Run Derby to Washington Nationals slugger Juan Soto.

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• Johnny Juzang Withdraws from NBA Draft

  Jul 8, 2021 SportZ 0 Comments

  Source: Breakout NCAA tournament star Johnny Juzang pulls out of NBA draft in favor of returning to UCLA Bruins (link)

   

  UCLA guard Johnny Juzang made a name for himself as the breakout star of the NCAA tournament as the Bruins advanced all the way to the Final Four. Some fans and media (me included) recognized him a potential sleeper in the 2021 draft due to his performance. But Wednesday, Juzang announced he was withdrawing from the NBA draft and returning to the Bruins.

  Juzang helped lead UCLA on a Cinderella run in the NCAA tournament in March, winning five games to go from First Four to Final Four. He had 23 points in the opening win over Michigan State, followed by 27 points against BYU. He was at his best in the final two games, a win over Michigan and a loss to Gonzaga. Juzang went for 28 points in the victory over the Wolverines, and his 29 points nearly led UCLA to an upset of the top-seeded Bulldogs in the Final Four.

  In the Bruins' six NCAA tournament games, Juzang averaged 22.8 points and shot 50.9% from the field. His 137 points were the second-highest NCAA tournament total in UCLA history. On the season, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard averaged 16.0 points and 4.1 rebounds.

  Despite the breakout postseason, Juzang was only projected as a late second-round pick in the NBA draft. He was ranked No. 53 in ESPN's latest draft rankings.

  Juzang's return likely cements UCLA as a preseason top-five team for the 2021-22 campaign. Cronin returns every player from the Bruins' NCAA tournament run, while also adding five-star prospect Peyton Watson, ESPN 100 guard Will McClendon and Rutgers graduate transfer Myles Johnson. Chris Smith, who missed the second half of the season, opted to leave for the NBA draft, while Cody Riley announced Wednesday he planned to return to UCLA.

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