NBA
Please let JaVale McGee make the Warriors
He’s legit one of the most entertaining players in the NBA
4:30 PMEver since JaVale McGee stepped in to the NBA in 2008, he’s been an up-and-down enigma who most people felt only really played basketball because he sort of had to. He was a lovable enough goofball, who occasionally did something sensational on the court, but was largely too much of a knucklehead to be considered an actual franchise cornerstone.
He’s bounced around the league for a variety of teams, but now, he’s tearing through the preseason with the Golden State Warriors, and for the sake of everyone, we hope he makes this team. McGee’s antics are basically the patron saint of the best segment in all of sports, “Shaqtin’ A Fool.” If he’s paired up with the best team in all of basketball, the results are destined to be glorious.
Warriors secret weapon: JaVale McGeehttps://t.co/6gD9VWs5Ea
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 16, 2016
Can you imagine Stephen Curry throwing lobs to this dude? (Getting dunked on in practice by Anderson Varejao doesn’t exactly help his cause.) There’s a small part of me that’s always felt bad for McGee. He’s been getting clowned for some time on national television and, as a result, no one particularly takes him seriously. He’s legit battled injuries throughout his career, but every time he shows up with a new haircut, the immaturity comments come back, even though he’s a 28-year-old man.
He told the The San Jose Mercury News last week that it still bothers him.
Shaqtin’ a Fool became popular. McGee was its unwilling star. It morphed into a label he couldn’t shake. Strangers chided him about it in public. McGee privately seethed, most upset, he said, that it was on the league’s network.
“Fans think it’s real, like that’s real life and they think I’m a dumb person,” McGee said. “It’s just really disappointing that grown men, 50, 40-year-olds are having America’s funniest home videos of a player. And then making it a hashtag and really just trying to ruin someone’s career over basketball mistakes.”
The NBA needs more guys like McGee for more reasons than just bloopers. He’s a young man who’s happy to be where he is and looking to contribute on a squad that he genuinely gets along with. If the Warriors can find a way to make him work, it might be worth getting NBA League Pass just to watch their bench antics, never mind the actual basketball.
Draymond Green, Patrick McCaw and JaVale McGee doing that dance with the Warriors video guy 😁#GoldenStateWarriors pic.twitter.com/OmSR9owKGO
— Ikenna & The People (@IkennaCesar) October 13, 2016
JaVale McGee postgame pic.twitter.com/LNYzGMaRju
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 16, 2016
Long live Pierre.
Daily Dose: 10/14/16
It’s officially cuffing season
2:15 PMHey gang, your boy has been under the weather for the better part of this week, but Cousin Aaron has done a great job filling in while I’ve been gone. Of course, our beloved Washington Nationals found a way to blow it Thursday night, but whatever.
President Obama is making more friends with every step when it comes to Cuba. First, he eased relations with the island nation that was a long overdue step in many minds. Then, they had a baseball game there, which was cool, too. Now, in a move that will ultimately result in a lot more luggage being carried on to planes, he’s eliminated the limit to the amount of cigars and rum you can bring back to the U.S. after a visit. Anyone want to take a flight to Havana? That trip just got a lot more fun.
Donald Trump is still doing the absolute most. Now that more women are coming out to say that he at some point engaged in some level of sexual misconduct, the Republican presidential nominee is melting down and claiming a global conspiracy is to blame for his campaign’s current situation. Think about that for a second. A guy who on one hand claims to wield so much power through his real estate activities is now saying that there is a worldwide plan to keep him down. Now he’s threatening to sue everyone, as well. What a mess.
If you didn’t know, it’s officially cuffing season. If you find yourself in a pumpkin patch or picking apples, best believe you’re about to get chose. There are fun parts about this time of year. When it’s a tad too cold outside to talk trash and drink beer with the squad, you can knock out those Netflix episodes that you were too cool to watch when the weather was nice. Or, if you just want someone to sleep next to with the window open at night, tis the season to find that person. Here’s VICE‘s official guide to navigating this time of year.
FIFA is poised to ruin the World Cup. No. 1, the next two venues are likely to be a bit of a disaster, with Russia’s major problems with racism and Qatar’s temperature, never mind human rights concerns. Now, for whatever reason, they’ve decided that neither Europe nor Asia should be hosting another world tournament anytime soon, which basically means that 2026 is pretty well destined to come to the United States. They’re also considering expanding the tournament, which is the worst idea ever.
Free Food
Coffee Break: If you didn’t see Ben Carson on television Friday morning, it really was a sight to behold. He got involved in a row with Katty Kay and Joe Scarborough, and decided that he was going to make a bunch of ridiculous comments about what our true priorities should be, not what’s actually happening on the campaign trail.
Snack Time: Kevin Hart stays winning and keeping his portfolio diversified. He recently got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and now for his new film, he actually dropped a mixtape, too, which is hilarious.
Dessert: If you fell in love with Ken Bone this week, you might want to reconsider that.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 10/13/16
Russell Westbrook thinks the ‘selfless’ Warriors are ‘cute’
1:00 PMIn my 23 years of life, I’ve never seen a professional Washington, D.C., sports team advance to the final four of anything. Thursday night, the Washington Nationals will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. If they win, they’ll be one of four teams left chasing the World Series. Hope they don’t blow it.
Accusations of sexual assault have been made against Donald Trump. The jarring comments about women Trump made during a 2005 conversation with Billy Bush, and his recent defense of those comments as “locker room talk,” have given a few women the courage to speak out against Trump, based on past experiences they say they had with the Republican presidential nominee. A People magazine reporter alleges she was physically attacked by Trump, also in 2005, while two other women have claimed he inappropriately touched them. ABC News’ David Caplan and Meaghan Keneally report.
Can Donald Trump still win, though? It’s been quite the week for him, and quite the campaign, if we’re being honest. It seems like every day some of his dirty laundry gets aired, which makes some think, “Should this guy really lead our country?” But obviously Trump still has a plethora of supporters, though he remains down in the polls. According to FiveThirtyEight, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is leading by about 7 percentage points in the polls. Is there precedent for a comeback? Harry Enten has the answer.
A cop’s decision to pull out a gun has always terrified and fascinated me. My dad is a retired cop, and based on the relations police have had this past year with African-Americans, I asked him in July what’s the proper way — by the textbook, at least — to handle a high-pressure situation. He provided some interesting insight, unlike anything we’ve heard from the officers who’ve taken the lives of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and others. As we learned, there’s no single answer to the question, “When should cops go for their guns?” VICE‘s Robin Washington provides his take.
We’re definitely here for this Russell Westbrook-Kevin Durant beef. Remember when Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder last summer in free agency and decided to join the Golden State Warriors — the same the team that knocked the Thunder out of the 2016 NBA playoffs? Well, that didn’t sit too well with Westbrook, Durant’s former Thunder teammate. Durant’s recent comment that the loaded Warriors squad is “selfless” also didn’t sit well with Westbrook. His response? “Cute.” ESPN’s Royce Young reports.
Free food
Coffee Break: Ever since Trump made his “locker room talk” comment, reporters around the country have been asking professional athletes for their thoughts about the validity of the statement. On Tuesday, LeBron James and Tom Brady were the latest to get questioned, and they had very different responses.
Snack Time: A man in the U.K. has been chasing down killer clowns while dressed as Batman. He’s the hero the world both deserves and needs right now, tbh.
Dessert: There’s a new “joggling” world record holder.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 10/12/16
Terence Crutcher’s autopsy released
2:00 PMOn Tuesday, The Undefeated hosted A Conversation with The President: Sports, Race and Achievement, a town hall discussion with President Barack Obama, on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University, which you can watch here. There was also a podcast Tuesday, which you can listen to here.
Terence Crutcher’s autopsy was released, revealing that the 40-year-old had phencyclidine, known more commonly as the drug PCP, in his system at the time he was shot and killed by police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in September. Crutcher’s family called the finding “unfortunate,” which only makes you wonder how it will affect the case against Betty Shelby, the officer who shot Crutcher. Regardless of what was in his system, Crutcher acted with compliance, put his hands up and still was killed. ABC News’ Clayton Sandell and Enjoli Francis report.
Can another presidential candidate like Donald Trump be prevented? The video footage of Trump’s crude 2005 conversation with Billy Bush and the Republican candidate’s “locker room talk” justification at the most recent presidential debate only remind us of whirlwind of campaign Trump has had, during which he’s lacked a filter to say the least, and that he’s still one of the last two standing. The election is in a few weeks and he could be our country’s next leader. Regardless, going forward, it’s up to the Republicans to prevent the rise of candidates like The Donald. VICE‘s Mike Pearl writes.
The latest development in the Derrick Rose rape lawsuit is odd. Hours after a judge rejected to declare a mistrial or dismiss the rape lawsuit against the New York Knicks point guard and his two friends, even bigger — and weirder — news broke. Nadine Hernandez, the 44-year-old Los Angeles Police Department detective investigating Rose’s case, was found dead of a gunshot wound at her home in Whittier, California. At the time, it is uncertain whether Hernandez’s death was a result of a homicide or suicide. The Los Angeles Times’ Richard Winton and Hailey Branson-Potts report.
The Dallas Cowboys are in a pickle, or at least will be in a couple of weeks. As injured quarterback Tony Romo’s understudy, rookie Dak Prescott has led Dallas to a 4-1 record. However, Romo will available to return to the field in a few weeks after sitting out for this entire season. The speculation is the Cowboys will ditch the hot hand of Prescott and roll with Romo, whom Father Time has been mighty cruel to. But until that happens, let’s revel in the success of Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliot, who is also a rookie. FiveThirtyEight’s Chase Stuart breaks down how the duo has the Cowboys back on top.
Free food
Coffee Break: The impact of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest is the gift that keeps on giving. Leah Tysse sang the national anthem before a Sacramento Kings preseason game Monday, and knelt while doing so.
Snack Time: You know the country’s clown problem is getting out of hand when McDonald’s decides to limit Ronald McDonald’s appearances “for the time being.” #FreeRonald
Dessert: President Obama wants Americans on Mars by the 2030s. Sign me up, fam.
All Day Podcast
All Day Podcast: 10/11/16
The Undefeated and Barack Obama in N.C., the next step for Tiger Woods and what is ‘locker room talk’
1:00 PMWith staff writer Justin Tinsley in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Tuesday for The Undefeated’s A Conversation with The President: Sports, Race and Achievement, a town hall with President Barack Obama, senior writer Domonique Foxworth was the next man up, joining host Clinton Yates and senior style writer Jill Hudson for this week’s All Day Podcast.
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We kick things off by addressing the recently released 2005 comments of current Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, regarding grabbing women without consent. Trump recently justified his words during a presidential debate as “locker room talk,” to which many professional athletes responded by voicing their opinions. Domonique, a former NFL player and The Undefeated’s Locker Room Lawyer, weighs in on the notion of “locker room talk.”
Justin then joins the podcast by phone to preview Tuesday’s town hall, which you can watch here, before the crew wraps things up with a segment on golfer Tiger Woods, who hasn’t played since August 2015 and recently withdrew from the Safeway Open. If this is the end for Woods, what’s next? Clinton and Domonique tackle the question.
Give it a listen, and if you have any feedback or show ideas, feel free to email us at allday@andscape.com.