#pro tip: blame it on kyle

[midnightcandygoblin]

I would love if you drew Kyle from She-ra, hes my favorite little guy 😔

he's just a little guy :((

[eowynstwin]

For the gaz request thing, how about a latina! Reader whose teaching him how to dance but hes failing miserably (the reader is supportive and patient but also cant help but tease him little) and hes getting flustered over all the spanish petnames the reader calls him (amor, corazón, precioso, principe)

Maybe gaz wanted to learn how to dance so he can make a good impression on the reader parents and family on Next week's family bbq/get toghether. And maybe hes feeling a little bit bad and ashamed that he cant get the steps right (he does eventually!)

Thanks in advance!

You are not worried in the slightest about this weekend, but Gaz is worrying enough for the both of you.

“Come on, just show me the steps again,” he says, shoulders sloped, annoyed as you grin at him.

All it is is an uncle’s birthday, and not even a special one. Sure, your family doesn’t know how to celebrate anything quietly, and sure, your great aunt may or may not have a band on speed dial, but that was no reason for Kyle to be so nervous.

“You know you’re not gonna get banned from the family just because you can’t dance, right?” you say. “My mom likes you too much, guapo.”

He holds out his hands. “Still.”

You step into position, guiding his hands to the right place. “Baby, no one’s gonna blame you if you can’t salsa like a pro.”

“Doesn’t your cousin compete?” asks Gaz, leading you a little clumsily into the first three steps. He gets the spin right—it’s his favorite part, he’s told you—but somewhere after it he loses the rhythm, and you have to lead him back to it.

“He doesn’t win,” you answer. “Besides, the dancing doesn’t start until after drinks. I promise you’re not gonna embarrass yourself.”

Almost on cue, Gaz nearly trips on his own feet.

You keep a tight grip on his hand so he can’t pull away from you in frustration, and catch his gaze as he tries to stare down at his own feet as you start again.

“Listen, this is how it’s gonna go,” you say. Your feet find the steps easily. “Dad will make way too much food, and mom will try to feed you until you explode. My grandparents will try to ask you too many questions about work.”

He spins you, and this time he doesn’t trip over himself. When you meet his eyes again, they’re fixed on you, gorgeously dark and still filled with anxiety. You smile, and let the music carry you along as you put a hand on his cheek.

“My cousins will try to pour you too many drinks. Don’t drink Alberto’s tequila, it’s awful. Tio Miguel will want to cut the cake early, so we will, and then Alma will get the music started because she doesn’t know how to sit still.”

You can feel it when Gaz starts to step to the rhythm—one, two three, pause, one, two, three. All of his attention is on you, and the nervous energy that has suffused him all evening is visibly dissipating.

You pull him into a turn. “And then, as long as we’re dancing, I’ll get to have you all to myself.”

The furrowed line of his brow softens. “You always have me.”

You lean in to flick the tip of your nose with his—something that had happened on accident, the first time he kissed you, that had sent you both into nervous giggles. The last of the tension keeping Kyle’s spine unusually straight leaves his body, and he kneads his fingers into your back.

“And since I know you can do it now,” you say, as the two of you make it back to the dance’s beginning, “I won’t be afraid of getting stepped on.”

Kyle’s brows lift. “Oh!” He looks down at his feet, then back at you. “Oh. Huh.”

You grin. “Next thing you know, we’ll be sweeping competition season.”

“Wouldn’t go that far, doll.”

[dailynewswebsite]

Why hard-core Trump supporters ignore his lies

Supporters cheer as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a Nevada rally on Sept. 13. (AP Photograph/Andrew Harnik)

The USA is in a multitude.

COVID-19 is raging uncontrolled in lots of areas of the nation. Black Lives Matter protests are disrupting cities, in some circumstances themselves disrupted by counter-protesters. Debates over gun management proceed throughout the nation, tornadoes, hurricanes and wildfires appear to extend in numbers and measurement annually.

Might issues worsen? Sure, they may, in massive measure attributable to Donald Trump’s core supporters.

Who’re these individuals and why is it doable, certainly probably, that they are going to make the scenario worse?

The 20 per cent or so of Individuals who observe Trump it doesn’t matter what, versus the opposite 20 plus per cent who vote for him as a Republican or as a result of they consider he’ll lower their taxes, are largely the forgotten, the ignored, the disrespected.

Within the early 20th century, these within the southern and western United States resented the federal authorities, largely managed by politicians from the northeastern reaches of the nation.

The West was underpopulated and felt ignored; the South was offended over the lack of the Civil Battle, the cruel phrases of Reconstruction and the tip of slavery, which had fuelled the southern financial system.

The West, particularly California and Texas, is now an financial powerhouse, and now not feels ignored. Within the South, nonetheless, there’s nonetheless a level of resentment that southern views should not mirrored in nationwide insurance policies. Trump has been making an attempt to amplify this resentment together with his defence of statues of Accomplice heroes and of protecting the names of Accomplice officers on army bases.

Evangelical Christians

Trump’s followers are a various alliance. Southerners who really feel ignored are only one faction inside a broad alliance of residents who really feel that the nationwide authorities doesn’t serve them. One different simply identifiable group are evangelical Christians.

Non-Individuals have a tendency to not notice the scope of evangelical Christianity in america and are sometimes puzzled by the numerous references to God in speeches by politicians, particularly federal politicians.

On this January 2020 picture, religion leaders pray with President Donald Trump throughout a rally for evangelical supporters on the King Jesus Worldwide Ministry church in Miami. (AP Photograph/Lynne Sladky)

These are references to the concept Individuals are God’s chosen individuals. That is, nonetheless, not a homogeneous group, regardless of media generalizations. Not all are anti-abortion and anti-gay, however many have a way that America is sliding backwards morally.

That explains why a phase of the motion helps a president who is nearly actually a serial adulterer — his speeches and his actions correspond with their considerations.

Trump was the primary president to attend the annual March for Life this previous January, and supporters additionally welcomed his appointment of social conservatives to the Supreme Courtroom, bringing it nearer, they consider, to overturning Roe vs. Wade, which legalized abortion.

Xenophobes, the economically deprived

One other phase of hard-core supporters really feel strongly that America is below assault by foreigners, together with Central Individuals crossing the southern border. Additionally they falsely consider the Chinese language despatched COVID-19 to kill Individuals.

Sixty years in the past, these supporters would have been within the “my nation proper or mistaken” camp supporting American involvement within the Vietnam Battle. They consider they’re supporting conventional American values, free enterprise, exhausting work and white society in opposition to damaging change.

For these supporters, Trump promised the wall alongside the southern border to maintain out “rapists,” talks usually about “the Chinese language virus” and says sort issues about counter-protesters, even excusing the actions of the younger man, Kyle Rittenhouse, accused of killing two individuals at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Wisconsin.

A sizeable phase of Trump supporters, and those who usually get probably the most consideration, are the economically deserted. When Trump was elected, some within the media had been fast to dismiss his supporters as missing training, and subsequently unable to know that Trump lied, embellished the reality and stoked bigotry.

Supporters watch for Trump to talk at a Nevada rally on Sept. 13, 2020. (AP Photograph/Andrew Harnik)

That’s unfair on a number of ranges.

For one, as companies transfer their manufacturing offshore and the U.S. financial system depends extra on high-tech jobs, the much less educated have misplaced their jobs, whether or not within the coal mines of West Virginia or the economic areas of the Midwest.

Understandably, they’re drawn to a president who slapped tariffs on international nations, together with China and Canada, within the hopes manufacturing jobs will return to America.

Not surprisingly, individuals who consider they’ve watched the American dream of “work exhausting and you’ll succeed” vanish have misplaced persistence with politicians on Capitol Hill who appear solely to care about energy. And they also’ve turned to a populist, somebody who appears to know. Lots of them don’t care about Trump’s lies; they solely care that he talks about their issues.

And never all of these struggling economically are manufacturing or industrial staff service with poor training. There are middle-income earners who’ve been damage by the flight of trade, which resulted in regional downturns within the financial system.

The information trade

Fifty years in the past, a sizeable portion of the American inhabitants would tune in each night to the nightly information on considered one of three networks and hearken to a trusted anchor ship the information. Now many select both CNN or Fox, throwbacks in some ways to newspapers of the 19th century that supported one political social gathering and framed the information to favour that social gathering.

This mixture picture reveals, from left, Fox Information personalities Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity. The three attain three million to 4 million individuals per weeknight with a full-throated defence of Trump. (AP Photograph)

Not surprisingly, this method reinforces current views of what’s going on in america. The normal networks have misplaced the big audiences of earlier years and native information in most markets has develop into infotainment.

Many individuals, even those that didn’t hassle watching information in previous, now get a fast repair from the web, the supply of a lot of the “pretend information” that Trump claims the mainstream media flow into, however actually originates within the minds of web fraudsters.

What number of instances, for instance, have we heard that COVID-19 is a Chinese language organic weapon, despatched to destroy the American inhabitants?

Learn extra: There is no such thing as a proof that the coronavirus was created in a laboratory

Can we blame lack of training for Trump assist when even well-educated people have their views of the world strengthened by what they see on the web or on a cable information channel?

Throw in various militant supporters of small authorities and decrease taxes, and you’ve got the hard-core Trump supporters.

Violence an actual risk

Many who establish with these totally different teams might fall into a couple of class; as an illustration, evangelical Christians who’re offended concerning the de-industrialization of America.

Why are Trump supporters prone to make the scenario worse this election?

The reply ought to be apparent. When a bunch feels that one thing vital has been denied them for a very long time, its members will protest. If the protest nonetheless doesn’t result in change, some or all will resort to violence to attempt to pressure change.

Among the many staunch Trump supporters are those that will merely vote for him, those that will exhibit for him — one thing Trump encourages — and people who will use violence so as to make sure the re-election of the person they see as their solely potential saviour. Violence is an actual risk because the marketing campaign progresses.

Ought to Trump lose to Joe Biden, the brand new president should rapidly present sympathy in direction of the financial points embodied within the pro-Trump motion and empathy in direction of the extra contentious targets of Trump’s supporters, or it’s nearly sure the violence will escalate.

Ron Stagg doesn’t work for, seek the advice of, personal shares in or obtain funding from any firm or group that might profit from this text, and has disclosed no related affiliations past their educational appointment.

from Growth News https://growthnews.in/why-hard-core-trump-supporters-ignore-his-lies/ via https://growthnews.in

[beautytipsfor]

Petrol bombs thrown in Hong Kong as anger flares over 'triad' attack on protest leader

Police and protesters exchanged tear gas and petrol bombs in Hong Kong on Sunday amid anger over an attack on a leading activist by men allegedly linked to triad gangsters.   Clashes broke out as tens of thousands took to the streets for an unsanctioned anti-government march, many also defying a face mask ban introduced in a bid to curb the protests.  Tensions ran high after Jimmy Sham, the leader the Civil Human Rights Front which called the march, was attacked earlier in the week by a group of men wielding metal poles and hammers. Witnesses said that those responsible for the assault were associated with pro-Beijing triads that have been blamed for previous violence against protesters.   On Saturday afternoon, a 19-year-old man was also hospitalised after being stabbed in the abdomen while handing out pro-democracy flyers in Tai Po, a district in northern Hong Kong.  Politically motivated attacks and vandalism have been on the rise as the situation continues to escalate in what is now the twentieth consecutive week of protests.  Protesters are now vandalising and destroying shops, banks, and businesses associated with mainland China. As moderate, peaceful marchers branched off from the more radical, black-clad frontline protesters near Tsim Sha Tsui police station, violence flared. Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon, drenching Hong Kong's biggest mosque with blue dye in what they said was an accident Credit: Kyle Lam/Bloomberg Protesters threw molotov cocktails and set fire to makeshift barricades, while riot police charged with batons and fired volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets.  Throughout the afternoon a water cannon truck chased protesters down Nathan Road, one of the city's busiest shopping thoroughfares, leaving it streaked with blue dye from the vehicle's turrets. The dye, used to identify protesters, also contains a painful pepper solution. The entrance to the city's biggest mosque was painted blue when the truck fired at a handful of people outside. Police said hitting the building was an accident. Vivek Mahbubani, a Hong Kong-born comedian, stood with a group of friends on Nathan Road, handing out water and egg tarts to marchers. “People passing by today shared our smiles and instead of feeling worried when passing. They all agreed that we are all Hongkongers," he told The Telegraph.  “When I heard about the attack on Jimmy Sham, I was horrified. To think that Hong Kong has become a place where something like this can happen was shocking.”

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2P6fq74 via Beauty Tips

from Blogger https://ift.tt/32BQdW0

[thewebofslime]

Home About Privacy Advertise Facebook Twitter Sunday, March 10, 2019 Justice Democrats Confirms Cenk Uygur’s Resignation by Cassandra Fairbanks December 22, 2017 152 Comments 7.6KShare197TweetEmail The Justice Democrats has confirmed that Cenk Uygur and Dave Koller stepped aside from their organization after revelations of the Young Turks’ history of racist, sexist and pro-rape sentiments — and the popular progressive’s subsequent pseudo-apology in which he blamed the fact that he was a Republican when some of the comments were made. They deleted their post after a wave of backlash from Young Turks fans, but republished it within the hour. In the statement posted on Friday, Justice Democrats Executive Director Saikat Chakrabarti and Campaigns Director Alexandra Rojas said that they “welcome Mr. Uygur’s decision to resign from the Board of Justice Democrats and remove himself from any and all involvement in our organization. We have also removed David Koller as treasurer of our organization.” https://twitter.com/AndyBillions89/status/944348165616136192 Justice Democrats is a progressive political action committee that seeks to rebuild the Democratic Party. It was founded by Uygur, Kyle Kulinski of Secular Talk, and former leadership from the 2016 Bernie Sanders presidential campaign shortly after the inauguration of President Donald Trump. “I am disgusted by these posts. We would be hypocrites to not act immediately and ask for his resignation. Leaders must represent and be a symbol for the values of the organization they lead. That is why we have called for the resignation of elected officials and public figures this year who have abused their power and the same will be true for our leaders. Justice Democrats is dedicated to creating a progressive movement that challenges patriarchy, ends systemic racism and stands by the values of our platform. These two men do not represent our organization. The staff who have built this from the ground up and candidates who make up the slate do,” Rojas wrote. Uygur was over 30 at the time of the posts, which included referring to Native Americans as “Redskins” who are always looking to make a buck, stating that Japanese women will sleep with American men for a new purse, and stating that women are “genetically flawed” and “poorly designed creatures who do not want to have sex nearly as often as needed for the human race to get along peaceably and fruitfully.” Uygur then went the Kevin Spacey route with his apology — stating that he is now living as a liberal man — and blamed his disgusting statements on being a conservative at the time. “If someone said that today, I would heavily criticize them on the show and rightfully so, and I have. I’ve criticized myself over the years,” he added. “I had not yet matured and I was still a conservative who thought that stuff was politically incorrect and edgy. When you read it now, it looks really, honestly, ugly. And it’s very uncomfortable to read.” The Gateway Pundit also reported on a post by Young Turks co-founder and senior vice president of operations Dave Koller in 2005, in which he describes himself and Uygur asking 14-16 year old girls if they have ever had sex and referring to them as “whores in training” and “little spoiled brat bitch young American girls on their way to becoming abused porn actresses or dispensable property in a New York City prostitution ring.” He did however, admit that the trip did in fact take place. Koller is currently the head of human resources at the Young Turks, meaning that anyone who experienced sexism or other issues in the workplace would have to report it to this man who referred to children as future prostitutes. When the Wrap called Koller for comment, he declined. “I don’t want to talk about any of that stuff. Thank you for calling,” he said before hanging up on the reporter. 7.6KShare197TweetEmail You Might Like Comments As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. The same applies to trolling, the use of multiple aliases, or just generally being a jerk. Enforcement of this policy is at the sole discretion of the site administrators and repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without warning. Guest posting is disabled for security reasons. You Might Like Join TGP on Facebook * Facebook is censoring conservative content. Our hope that they respect all voices is not realistic. Please like our page on Facebook and PLEASE check The Gateway Pundit homepage here for our latest stories. Thank you. Contact The Gateway Pundit Email Technical Support Report Issues With Website Performance Email Comment Support Send Tips to The Gateway Pundit Email Jim Hoft You Might Like Join The Gateway Pundit Newsletter DONATE FOR TRUTH! Your donations keep theGatewayPundit.com online. Thank you for your support. GP Favorite American Blogs GP Favorite International Blogs GP Favorite Media Democracy & Human Rights Favorite Military & Foreign Service Favorites From Gateway City & Area Great Websites View My Stats Search The Gateway Pundit GATEWAY PUNDIT Where Hope Finally Made a Comeback. © 2019 The Gateway Pundit – All Rights Reserved. Home About Advertise Privacy Facebook Twitter YouTube Terms Contact

[flauntpage]

The Outlet Pass: Dirk Back, AD's Child's Play, and Denver's Enjoyable Mess

1. Dirk Nowitzki Still Matters!

It’s sadly impossible to discuss Dirk Nowitzki without mentioning his age or the lame-duck defense he provides on a crummy team. But that conversation is also boring. So instead of harping on all Dirk can’t do, it’s a lot more informative (and fun) to frame his 20th season in a different way: What's his net value?

Nowitzki is still one of the five most lethal catch-and-shoot three-point threats in basketball. He’s knocking down 44.8 percent of those shots on nearly four tries per game. (Dirk’s overall three-point percentage is at a career high, which, you know, is really saying something.) Only three centers who launch at least 1.5 wide open threes per game are more accurate than Dirk’s 46.3 percent (Kevin Love, Kelly Olynyk, and Kristaps Porzingis).

Miraculously, he's yet to miss a game. And even though he starts at center, units that pit him at the four beside three guards and another big (usually Dwight Powell) have obliterated the league, with a great defense! Nowitzki never could switch out onto the perimeter, and whenever his man runs up to set a ball screen he behaves as if the paint were surrounded by an electric fence. It's considered a win whenever he draws the offense in for an inefficient look with the hope that his anticipation and knowledge of angles will be enough.

More times than not, pure doom is the unavoidable result.

But the Mavs are wise enough to adjust and get out of this predicament whenever an opportunity to do so presents itself. They'll send someone else up with the screener and let Dirk hide.

Even though not every team has someone like Steph Curry or Damian Lillard, an off-the-bounce firecracker who turn immobile bigs into sushi, Nowitzki’s vulnerability on defense remains a back-breaker. So much so that I'm writing about it now even though I swore I wouldn't in the opening sentence of this section.

But that shouldn’t cloud all the benefits he still yields, with a skill-set that has the timeless appeal of a shawl collar. He never turns it over, and his gravity is tattooed inside every opponent's limbic system. Nowitzki needs one dribble to carve up a mismatch, and even though he’s at the stage of his career where getting blocked by Marreese Speights is a shock, his right palm remains one of the most comforting launch pads in the sport.

Including a 1-for-7 clunker against the New York Knicks, numbers from Nowitzki's last nine games have been vintage. He's averaging 15 points with a 61.2 True Shooting percentage, contributing in a way most elderly icons rarely do.

2. “Situation Matters” is Forever the Truest NBA-Related Statement

Malachi Richardson has not provided any reason to believe he'll still be a professional basketball player two years from now. Potentially related: The organization that drafted him has shown no indication they belong in the NBA.

This is an endless chicken/egg conundrum when evaluating young prospects. Maybe Richardson just isn’t good enough for this league? And maybe if he was drafted by a more competent team that has more reliable/skilled pieces around him, he’d grow inside an environment more conducive to development.

Nobody will ever know the answer to that question. However, what we do know is that the soil in Sacramento is blood red. For a variety of reasons, it’s long been a place where prospects die. Here’s a snapshot that helps explains why.

A lot of things are happening here, but watch Richardson. The Lakers entered the game playing physical defense. They were into the Kings all over the floor, switching with purpose, locked into Luke Walton’s gameplan.

After a few trips up and down the floor, Richardson responds by jab stepping towards the ball and then back-cutting to the rim. If on any number of different teams, he would continue into the paint, catch a bounce pass, and finish at the basket. Instead Zach Randolph’s presence complicates the play. The 36-year-old can’t space the floor and isn’t much of an offensive threat outside of mid and low-post touches that are ultimately more beneficial to himself than any of his teammates.

Randolph is positioned on the right block when Richardson starts his cut, and Julius Randle is ready to slide over and either contest him at the rim or take a charge. That burns. Even worse? Instead of reading what the defense gives, Cauley-Stein simply runs a play that is all but promised to deny any efficient looks at the cup.

He passes to De’Aaron Fox so the Kings can feed Z-Bo down low. It’s a small, ugly example of why situation really matters when analyzing young players who’re trying to make a name for themselves.

(Richardson was assigned to the G-League earlier this week.)

3. How Can John Collins Fit In?

Five years ago, 13 NBA teams grabbed at least 30 percent of their own missed shots. Four years ago, the number of teams with an offensive rebound rate above that number dropped to 11. Three years ago, it dropped to eight. Last year, it plummeted down to four. And in 2018, only the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers (at 30.4 and 30.0 percent, respectively) are the only two teams grabbing at least 30 percent of their own missed shots.

As pace ratchets up, lineups continue to shrink, big men launch more threes, and piercing defenders as they backpedal to protect their own basket becomes more and more of an offensive priority, the value of transition defense increases while offensive rebounds feel stale. It used to be that sending one or two bigs into the paint was an acceptable strategy, but even that has become a self-defeating approach against most teams.

For big men who’re really good at creating extra opportunities by crashing the glass, this is slightly problematic and may even reduce their worth. John Collins is an intriguing example. Already one of the most active offensive rebounders in the league, the 20-year-old rookie is reckless but also fun. Good things sometimes happen when he races into the paint. But all in all, the bad probably outweighs the good.

According to Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta allows fewer transition opportunities with Collins on the floor, but off live rebounds opponents score 20.7 more points per 100 transition plays when he’s out there. That is...a lot of points.

It's wrong to blame Collins for what happens above, but plays like this aren't out of the ordinary, either. He's trailing the ball as a roll man, prepared to clean up if Isaiah Taylor misses shot. Unfortunately, he gets boxed out by a point guard and, as the only legitimate rim protector on the floor, leaves his own basket naked as Kyle Kuzma sprints ahead for the and-one finish.

Over time he'll hopefully learn how to balance the floor a little better, but to some degree this is who Collins is, a cast-iron tumbleweed down the lane who blitzes pick-and-rolls and plays on a trampoline while everyone else jumps off wood. (Strange stat: he’s missed a league-high 16 dunks this year, per Basketball-Reference.)

The Hawks hope his range can stretch to the corner, where he's 1-for-3 in Atlanta's last four games after going 0-for-2 in his first 31, but time will tell how effective he can be if/when they decide to reel Collins in from attacking the offensive glass as often as he currently does.

4. The Denver Nuggets Are An Enjoyable Mess

I have no idea what to make of this team. The audio technically hasn’t stopped on Mike Malone’s game of musical chairs, but the song feels like it’s about to end. Paul Millsap’s hard cast is off and he should be back around the All-Star break. Until then, fun stuff is happening that may/may not translate to winning basketball.

Gary Harris is behaving in ways that remind Nuggets play-by-play announcer Chris Marlowe of Julius Erving. The Jazz probably don’t feel too bad about forking over Trey Lyles for a pick that became Donovan Mitchell (more on him later), but the third-year pro just turned 22 and in Denver’s last ten games averaged 17 points and eight rebounds while making 53.3 percent of his shots and 40 percent of his threes. He’s a keeper who’s sucked up any minutes Kenneth Faried or Darrell Arthur hoped were theirs after Millsap went down.

Lyles was dominant against his former team last week, feasting on a small frontline that allowed him to showcase the type of physical post game that’ll make him so much more useful than your average stretch four (or five).

This team is treading water with a different look than they began the season with, and it will likely change some more before the end. Nikola Jokic and Mason Plumlee (whose skin tone wafts between ghost and radish) are an awkward albeit effective frontcourt duo. Both can pass, one can shoot, and they do a decent job executing Malone’s blitz-heavy scheme. (Teams that short the pick-and-roll have had success against Jokic, though.)

In his sixth season, Will Barton is playing point guard for the first time, and actually doing a fine job balancing his self-serving (that’s meant as a compliment) nature with traditional duties the position calls for. Denver is really good when he’s on the ball and really bad when he’s off it, per Cleaning the Glass, and as a backup who's often facing second-unit ball-handlers, Barton’s height and length tends to create mismatches that either he or a teammate can take advantage of. (How many backup point guards are 6’6”?)

They should be extremely dangerous once Millsap returns and Malone's rotation stabilizes. A Lyles-Millsap frontcourt will be cool and Plumlee as a backup five playing 10 minutes a night is overpaid but nice to have.

5. Terry Rozier vs. Delon Wright

These two have a lot in common. Both are backup guards on pseudo-championship contenders, were drafted in 2016, and feel like increasingly promising variables for their respective teams. Both are good enough to tip the scales in a close playoff series and each is enjoying somewhat of a breakout season.

Both of these guys are awesome to watch and will be talking points throughout the playoffs. Here's a stat: Wright is shooting 57.8 percent on drives to the rim, which ranks seventh among the 161 players who’ve driven the ball at least 100 times this season. Rozier ranks 157th, shooting just 32.2 percent.

Rozier's obscene athleticism (and lower age) make me feel like his ceiling is slightly higher. The Celtics are untouchable when he's making threes. On the other hand, Wright is wildly efficient, has great size, and plays with more confidence. For the here and now, he's a better option.

6. Kyle Kuzma Has Staples Center in the Palm of His Hand

Over the holiday season, I tried to purchase Kyle Kuzma themed socks for my editor, who is a huge fan of the Los Angeles Lakers. (I own Larry Bird socks from the same company and since Kuzma is to the Lakers what Bird was to the Celtics, this felt like a nice gift.) But for reasons that aren’t clear, Kuzma socks do not exist. I had to order Brandon Ingram socks instead.

It’s not weird for Ingram to have his own socks. He’s a promising stud who deserves them. But it’s a criminal offense that Kuzma socks aren’t manufactured by the hundred thousand every day. He is awesome, and the only benefit to having Kuzma come off the bench (seriously why does he come off the bench) is it gives the Staples Center crowd an opportunity to serenade him with a glorious "KOOOOOOOOZ" rally cry.

Recent slump aside, Kuzma has a decent shot at becoming the greatest Laker ever. Everything about him (except everything he does on defense) is fantastic.

7. The Hassan Whiteside/Bam Adebayo Tandem is Pure Madness

Miami has won six straight games since getting completely annihilated by the Brooklyn Nets on December 29th. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, and Boston Celtics have a better shot at making the playoffs in the East, and since December 1st only the Golden State Warriors and Raptors have more wins.

Miami has the point differential of an average team since then, though. Neither their offense nor their defense ranks in the top 10 and Derrick Jones Jr. (who I adore) has started their last two games at shooting guard on a two-way contract. A few weeks back I wrote about Miami’s bad luck, and it seems like regression to the mean in several categories has been their best friend.

I’m all for experimentation, especially when things aren’t quite right and a few key players are injured, but Erik Spoelstra’s recent call to play Hassan Whiteside and Bam Adebayo at the same time is really out there. But maybe Spoelstra is more “crazy like a fox” than just regular deranged, and I kind of like when a coach catches the opponent off guard with something they had zero time to even consider.

Spoelstra’s used it in three games, all since Whiteside—who does not look good—returned the day after Christmas. In 27 minutes, Miami is -1 when those two centers share the court. Their offense is predictably impotent but they’ve rationalized Spoelstra’s decision with impressive play on the defensive end.

However, watch some film and it’s obvious these two wouldn’t work against a team that's actually outlined a decent strategy to take advantage. Against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, Whiteside’s entire second stint came with Adebayo (who from this moment forth I will exclusively refer to as “Bam”) on the floor. (Miami was +6 in 6:47.) But, honestly, the Pacers could’ve made life much easier for themselves and chose not to.

It starts with poor Bam getting snuffed out on a roll because there’s absolutely no space for him to operate. More disturbing developments soon follow on the other end. Watch Thaddeus Young, who’s being guarded by Whiteside. Instead of shuffling out to the corner and forcing one of the league’s least mobile big men to worry for at least a second about surrendering an open three, Young does Whiteside a favor and stands just outside the paint while Victor Oladipo and Domas Sabonis run a pick-and-roll on the other side of the floor.

The Pacers want to clear out that side and run a two-man game with arguably their most skilled offensive tandem. That’s not a bad idea. If Bam is too focused on stopping Oladipo’s middle drive then it doesn’t matter where Young (who’s below league-average on corner threes this year) stands. But Indy ultimately turns the ball over because Bam knows Whiteside is in position to help on Oladipo, allowing him to step back and cover Sabonis sooner than the Pacers want.

By not spacing the floor as best he can, Young ultimately does Miami a favor. Here’s another example.

Bam is guarding Al Jefferson and Whiteside is on Young, so the Pacers bring Thaddeus up to set a ball screen. So far, so good...until you realize Al Jefferson is Al Jefferson, drifting towards the same spot where Oladipo wants to finish. Instead of crossing Whiteside up and going left, Oladipo goes in-and-out, stays on the right side, and careens straight into a cluster of terrible.

The Heat are doing the Pacers a favor here, but they politely decline the opportunity to take advantage. It’s a good example of how numbers in a small sample size can be manipulated to say whatever you want. Miami has been excellent on defense when Whiteside and Bam share the floor, but so far that says far more about their opposition than themselves.

Spoelstra knows this, of course. And there’s a difference between trotting those two out against Jefferson and Young than Horford and Tatum or Kawhi and Aldridge. There’s a reason any combination of two pick-and-roll centers that can’t space the floor don’t spend a lot of time together in today’s NBA.

8. Serge Ibaka, Doing Stuff Off The Bounce

For nearly his entire career, Ibaka’s function on the offensive end was to make open shots created by All-Star teammates. His jumper grew to become a lethal weapon from the mid-range before it stretched out behind the three-point line, allowing him to operate as an ideal complementary piece who didn’t need the ball in his hands to positively impact the game.

On the other end, he covered more ground than confetti.

This year we’re seeing a different player, and one the Raptors absolutely need if they want to diversify their attack and punish defenders who load up to stop DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. One way to measure it is how Ibaka creates for himself after his initial shot gets taken away. Here’s a review of his recent work on drives to the basket, per NBA.com:

2013-14 season: 94 total drives; shot 41.2 percent,

2014-15 season: 77 total drives; shot 41.5 percent

2015-16 season: 70 total drives; shot 48.6 percent

2016-17 season: 115 total drives (with Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors); shot 41.8 percent

Everything is different this year. We’re still over a month away from the All-Star break and Ibaka has already logged 110 total drives. Even more impressive is the fact that he’s shooting 62.7 percent on them, which ranks second among all players in the entire league who’ve tallied at least 100 so far.

This is a critical development for Toronto, and speaks more to Ibaka’s evolution than the situation he’s in. The Raptors are dominant when he’s at the five, but the 28-year-old still plays a majority of his minutes with another big who doesn’t stretch the floor by his side, be it Jonas Valanciunas, Jakob Poeltl, Bebe Nogueira, or Pascal Siakam.

Ibaka isn’t Horford. He doesn’t pump-and-go with his mind on finding an open corner three-point shooter or drawing the other big man’s defender in so he can softly lob the ball towards the rim. But his refined aggressiveness (and touch in traffic) is partially responsible for Toronto’s top-five offense.

9. Nobody Makes Basketball Look Easier Than Anthony Davis

Approximately 95 percent of Anthony Davis’s time on a basketball court is spent with him being far and away the best player out there. None of his teammates—sorry Boogie—come close. Nobody on 25 other teams appears near the same conversation. Davis’s true rival on most nights is decision fatigue. There are so many different ways for him to savage the opposition that it eventually bogs down what he should actually do.

As a rule of thumb: Good things happen when he’s around the basket. Two years ago, Davis shot 67.7 percent in the restricted area. The league average was 60.2 percent and they accounted for just under a third of all his field goal attempts. This season, his accuracy and volume have both increased by 10 percent.

He is so dominant that defenses still fall for Rajon Rondo’s “Rajon Rondo Move” even though he’s literally been doing it for 10 years.

The Pelicans understand this, and one reason they play at a faster pace is so Davis can catch a throw-ahead pass from Rondo or Jrue Holiday, then immediately go to work against his man, or isolate on a mismatch. There isn’t a defender alive who can stop Davis one-on-one.

Often, the most convenient way to show off Davis’s dominance arrives in the simplest ways, which might explain why—Ron Baker’s broken face aside—he slides just below the radar in casual discussions about the league’s very best players.

It is 25 times more difficult to change a lightbulb than design a play that results in Davis catching the ball above the rim and dropping it through the net. There’s nothing fancy about this sideline out of bounds action, and minus the part where Anthony Tolliver turns into a fluttering plastic bag the moment Holiday back screens him, the Detroit Pistons actually do a decent job defending it.

Avery Bradley recognizes they want to throw a lob to Davis so he immediately switches onto him, gets low and tries to drive Davis out of position. A for effort. Rondo responds by throwing a pass well out of Bradley’s reach, and the Pelicans trot down the floor two points richer. It’s straightforward and clean. A play that isn’t complicated because it doesn’t have to be. There’s no dummy action or misdirection. Let’s just throw the ball up to our best player and let him take care of it.

The Pelicans are 20-20. FiveThirtyEight gives them a 63 percent chance of making the playoffs and if the season ended today they’d have a delightful first-round re-match (of sorts) against the defending champs. It’s so freaking weird to say it like this, but Davis is quietly having the best season of his career. An endless reserve of knick-knack injuries have caused him to miss five games and leave two or three others early, but at the end of the day nobody’s points are accumulated with less strain than his.

Not everyone can win MVP or even be in the conversation, but look at AD’s on-off numbers (in an environment where Cousins is usually on when he isn’t, the Pelicans are a 55-win team with Davis and a 25-win team that doesn’t play defense without), then glance at his stats (is 64 percent True Shooting good?). It’s not his fault that E’Twaun Moore is integral when his play should be more of a luxury, or that New Orleans’ front office plugs DeAndre Liggins in for Tony Allen, who was in for Solomon Hill, and think that’s totally reasonable.

Davis is a legend before his 25th birthday.

10. Manu Ginobili Should Be An All-Star Because He’s Manu Ginobili

Results from the NBA’s first All-Star fan vote were released last week, and only nine players (four in the backcourt) tallied a larger demand than Ginobili in the Western Conference. He is 40 years old, which makes that amazing.

After an unnatural dip last season in which only 24 percent of his shots were attempted at the rim—understandable to those who would not dare to even look at a basketball ever again after suffering through all Ginobili has—he’s attacking with the spryness of a 35-year-old once again. (Alex Len isn’t Joel Embiid, but come on.)

On the very next play, Ginobili cut off Danuel House’s drive then blocked the two-way player’s shot without fouling or knocking the ball out of bounds. Ten seconds after that, Ginobili trailed the fast break for an open three. The Spurs are demonstrably better when he’s on the floor, including in smaller lineups that feature LaMarcus Aldridge at the five.

Somehow, Ginobili—one of the most unique, memorable, and effective geniuses in NBA history—has only qualified for the All-Star game twice (for those counting at home that’s five fewer appearances than Joe Johnson!). Even if Gregg Popovich recently joked about Ginobili’s career lasting at least another five years, let’s assume (and be wrong) that 2018 is his last run in a relevant role. All-Star games were created for people like him.

11. Donovan Mitchell’s Hands Are His Life

Utah’s new franchise priority makes at least three incomprehensible plays every game. Whether it’s a whiplash-inducing skip pass, a right-handed finger roll on the left side of the rim, launching a casual 30 footer, or violently finishing a lob after the pass forces him to reach back beyond the glass’s lower corner to punish the rim.

Mitchell is a marvel, and I think his hands might be responsible. At last year’s NBA combine, they measured in at the same length and width as Frank Kaminsky’s. (Kaminsky is seven-feet tall. Mitchell is 6’3” in shoes.) They aren’t Kawhi Leonard-esque meat cleavers, but larger than the average primary ball-handler (Michael Carter-Williams’s hands measured an inch shorter both ways); useful tools that help him complete some of his more complex and creative action. Look at this freaking pass!

Obviously, a lot more goes into plays like this than the length of Mitchell’s middle finger, but from how he yo-yo’s the ball in traffic to perfectly manipulating its trajectory on passes like the one seen above, Mitchell’s large hands don’t hurt. Teams care about this sort of thing more than you think.

12. The Phoenix Suns Are Huge Fans of Self Mutilation

This team’s margin for error can glide through a keyhole, but for all the excuses about their lack of talent, they're so bad because they commit more preventable mental errors (some because they're lazy, others thanks to inexperience) than anybody in the league.

Some mistakes are larger than others, but each one affects their bottom line. Look at this droopy pass Devin Booker makes to T.J. Warren that leads him to bobble it.

Instead of Marquese Chriss ending the possession with an open corner three (where he’s 2-for-12 on the year, but still), Warren reverses the ball back to Booker for another side pick-and-roll that Denver’s defense is already loaded up to stop. (Chriss’s arms go limp at his side once he realizes he isn’t getting the ball. I laughed.)

This play reminds me of an extremely zen thing Phil Jackson once said. I’m paraphrasing here, but “everything matters” is essentially it. Throwing even the most routine pass off target can have an avalanche effect on everything that follows. Open corner threes turn into contested fadeaways. It’s devastating precisely because it’s preventable.

Here’s another play from the same game that touches on a different type of mistake. I can’t tell if this sideline out-of-bounds play drawn up by Jay Triano fell apart because of poor execution or just a dumb rookie mistake, but either way it’s the type of problem Phoenix can and should nip in the bud.

Tyler Ulis runs a high pick-and-roll with Greg Monroe that draws Lyles and Harris into the paint. Once again, Chriss is left alone in the corner, so Ulis beelines a cross-court pass that should result in another efficient shot. Instead, as Monroe rumbles through the paint, Josh Jackson runs in from the perimeter to, um, I’m not exactly sure what he's doing. More likely than not, he’s trying to set a screen on Lyles that will ensure Chriss enough time to shoot. But if that's his plan he had a funny way of pulling it off.

All Jackson does is lead Harris towards the corner and let him switch onto the ball. Now Chriss is out of options. He can’t drive because Jackson is clogging the lane, and he can’t shoot because Harris is inside his jersey. Another promising possession is ruined.

The Outlet Pass: Dirk Back, AD's Child's Play, and Denver's Enjoyable Mess published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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The Outlet Pass: Dirk Back, AD’s Child’s Play, and Denver’s Enjoyable Mess

1. Dirk Nowitzki Still Matters!

It’s sadly impossible to discuss Dirk Nowitzki without mentioning his age or the lame-duck defense he provides on a crummy team. But that conversation is also boring. So instead of harping on all Dirk can’t do, it’s a lot more informative (and fun) to frame his 20th season in a different way: What’s his net value?

Nowitzki is still one of the five most lethal catch-and-shoot three-point threats in basketball. He’s knocking down 44.8 percent of those shots on nearly four tries per game. (Dirk’s overall three-point percentage is at a career high, which, you know, is really saying something.) Only three centers who launch at least 1.5 wide open threes per game are more accurate than Dirk’s 46.3 percent (Kevin Love, Kelly Olynyk, and Kristaps Porzingis).

Miraculously, he’s yet to miss a game. And even though he starts at center, units that pit him at the four beside three guards and another big (usually Dwight Powell) have obliterated the league, with a great defense! Nowitzki never could switch out onto the perimeter, and whenever his man runs up to set a ball screen he behaves as if the paint were surrounded by an electric fence. It’s considered a win whenever he draws the offense in for an inefficient look with the hope that his anticipation and knowledge of angles will be enough.

More times than not, pure doom is the unavoidable result.

But the Mavs are wise enough to adjust and get out of this predicament whenever an opportunity to do so presents itself. They’ll send someone else up with the screener and let Dirk hide.

Even though not every team has someone like Steph Curry or Damian Lillard, an off-the-bounce firecracker who turn immobile bigs into sushi, Nowitzki’s vulnerability on defense remains a back-breaker. So much so that I’m writing about it now even though I swore I wouldn’t in the opening sentence of this section.

But that shouldn’t cloud all the benefits he still yields, with a skill-set that has the timeless appeal of a shawl collar. He never turns it over, and his gravity is tattooed inside every opponent’s limbic system. Nowitzki needs one dribble to carve up a mismatch, and even though he’s at the stage of his career where getting blocked by Marreese Speights is a shock, his right palm remains one of the most comforting launch pads in the sport.

Including a 1-for-7 clunker against the New York Knicks, numbers from Nowitzki’s last nine games have been vintage. He’s averaging 15 points with a 61.2 True Shooting percentage, contributing in a way most elderly icons rarely do.

2. “Situation Matters” is Forever the Truest NBA-Related Statement

Malachi Richardson has not provided any reason to believe he’ll still be a professional basketball player two years from now. Potentially related: The organization that drafted him has shown no indication they belong in the NBA.

This is an endless chicken/egg conundrum when evaluating young prospects. Maybe Richardson just isn’t good enough for this league? And maybe if he was drafted by a more competent team that has more reliable/skilled pieces around him, he’d grow inside an environment more conducive to development.

Nobody will ever know the answer to that question. However, what we do know is that the soil in Sacramento is blood red. For a variety of reasons, it’s long been a place where prospects die. Here’s a snapshot that helps explains why.

A lot of things are happening here, but watch Richardson. The Lakers entered the game playing physical defense. They were into the Kings all over the floor, switching with purpose, locked into Luke Walton’s gameplan.

After a few trips up and down the floor, Richardson responds by jab stepping towards the ball and then back-cutting to the rim. If on any number of different teams, he would continue into the paint, catch a bounce pass, and finish at the basket. Instead Zach Randolph’s presence complicates the play. The 36-year-old can’t space the floor and isn’t much of an offensive threat outside of mid and low-post touches that are ultimately more beneficial to himself than any of his teammates.

Randolph is positioned on the right block when Richardson starts his cut, and Julius Randle is ready to slide over and either contest him at the rim or take a charge. That burns. Even worse? Instead of reading what the defense gives, Cauley-Stein simply runs a play that is all but promised to deny any efficient looks at the cup.

He passes to De’Aaron Fox so the Kings can feed Z-Bo down low. It’s a small, ugly example of why situation really matters when analyzing young players who’re trying to make a name for themselves.

(Richardson was assigned to the G-League earlier this week.)

3. How Can John Collins Fit In?

Five years ago, 13 NBA teams grabbed at least 30 percent of their own missed shots. Four years ago, the number of teams with an offensive rebound rate above that number dropped to 11. Three years ago, it dropped to eight. Last year, it plummeted down to four. And in 2018, only the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers (at 30.4 and 30.0 percent, respectively) are the only two teams grabbing at least 30 percent of their own missed shots.

As pace ratchets up, lineups continue to shrink, big men launch more threes, and piercing defenders as they backpedal to protect their own basket becomes more and more of an offensive priority, the value of transition defense increases while offensive rebounds feel stale. It used to be that sending one or two bigs into the paint was an acceptable strategy, but even that has become a self-defeating approach against most teams.

For big men who’re really good at creating extra opportunities by crashing the glass, this is slightly problematic and may even reduce their worth. John Collins is an intriguing example. Already one of the most active offensive rebounders in the league, the 20-year-old rookie is reckless but also fun. Good things sometimes happen when he races into the paint. But all in all, the bad probably outweighs the good.

According to Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta allows fewer transition opportunities with Collins on the floor, but off live rebounds opponents score 20.7 more points per 100 transition plays when he’s out there. That is…a lot of points.

It’s wrong to blame Collins for what happens above, but plays like this aren’t out of the ordinary, either. He’s trailing the ball as a roll man, prepared to clean up if Isaiah Taylor misses shot. Unfortunately, he gets boxed out by a point guard and, as the only legitimate rim protector on the floor, leaves his own basket naked as Kyle Kuzma sprints ahead for the and-one finish.

Over time he’ll hopefully learn how to balance the floor a little better, but to some degree this is who Collins is, a cast-iron tumbleweed down the lane who blitzes pick-and-rolls and plays on a trampoline while everyone else jumps off wood. (Strange stat: he’s missed a league-high 16 dunks this year, per Basketball-Reference.)

The Hawks hope his range can stretch to the corner, where he’s 1-for-3 in Atlanta’s last four games after going 0-for-2 in his first 31, but time will tell how effective he can be if/when they decide to reel Collins in from attacking the offensive glass as often as he currently does.

4. The Denver Nuggets Are An Enjoyable Mess

I have no idea what to make of this team. The audio technically hasn’t stopped on Mike Malone’s game of musical chairs, but the song feels like it’s about to end. Paul Millsap’s hard cast is off and he should be back around the All-Star break. Until then, fun stuff is happening that may/may not translate to winning basketball.

Gary Harris is behaving in ways that remind Nuggets play-by-play announcer Chris Marlowe of Julius Erving. The Jazz probably don’t feel too bad about forking over Trey Lyles for a pick that became Donovan Mitchell (more on him later), but the third-year pro just turned 22 and in Denver’s last ten games averaged 17 points and eight rebounds while making 53.3 percent of his shots and 40 percent of his threes. He’s a keeper who’s sucked up any minutes Kenneth Faried or Darrell Arthur hoped were theirs after Millsap went down.

Lyles was dominant against his former team last week, feasting on a small frontline that allowed him to showcase the type of physical post game that’ll make him so much more useful than your average stretch four (or five).

This team is treading water with a different look than they began the season with, and it will likely change some more before the end. Nikola Jokic and Mason Plumlee (whose skin tone wafts between ghost and radish) are an awkward albeit effective frontcourt duo. Both can pass, one can shoot, and they do a decent job executing Malone’s blitz-heavy scheme. (Teams that short the pick-and-roll have had success against Jokic, though.)

In his sixth season, Will Barton is playing point guard for the first time, and actually doing a fine job balancing his self-serving (that’s meant as a compliment) nature with traditional duties the position calls for. Denver is really good when he’s on the ball and really bad when he’s off it, per Cleaning the Glass, and as a backup who’s often facing second-unit ball-handlers, Barton’s height and length tends to create mismatches that either he or a teammate can take advantage of. (How many backup point guards are 6’6”?)

They should be extremely dangerous once Millsap returns and Malone’s rotation stabilizes. A Lyles-Millsap frontcourt will be cool and Plumlee as a backup five playing 10 minutes a night is overpaid but nice to have.

5. Terry Rozier vs. Delon Wright

These two have a lot in common. Both are backup guards on pseudo-championship contenders, were drafted in 2016, and feel like increasingly promising variables for their respective teams. Both are good enough to tip the scales in a close playoff series and each is enjoying somewhat of a breakout season.

Both of these guys are awesome to watch and will be talking points throughout the playoffs. Here’s a stat: Wright is shooting 57.8 percent on drives to the rim, which ranks seventh among the 161 players who’ve driven the ball at least 100 times this season. Rozier ranks 157th, shooting just 32.2 percent.

Rozier’s obscene athleticism (and lower age) make me feel like his ceiling is slightly higher. The Celtics are untouchable when he’s making threes. On the other hand, Wright is wildly efficient, has great size, and plays with more confidence. For the here and now, he’s a better option.

6. Kyle Kuzma Has Staples Center in the Palm of His Hand

Over the holiday season, I tried to purchase Kyle Kuzma themed socks for my editor, who is a huge fan of the Los Angeles Lakers. (I own Larry Bird socks from the same company and since Kuzma is to the Lakers what Bird was to the Celtics, this felt like a nice gift.) But for reasons that aren’t clear, Kuzma socks do not exist. I had to order Brandon Ingram socks instead.

It’s not weird for Ingram to have his own socks. He’s a promising stud who deserves them. But it’s a criminal offense that Kuzma socks aren’t manufactured by the hundred thousand every day. He is awesome, and the only benefit to having Kuzma come off the bench (seriously why does he come off the bench) is it gives the Staples Center crowd an opportunity to serenade him with a glorious “KOOOOOOOOZ” rally cry.

Recent slump aside, Kuzma has a decent shot at becoming the greatest Laker ever. Everything about him (except everything he does on defense) is fantastic.

7. The Hassan Whiteside/Bam Adebayo Tandem is Pure Madness

Miami has won six straight games since getting completely annihilated by the Brooklyn Nets on December 29th. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, and Boston Celtics have a better shot at making the playoffs in the East, and since December 1st only the Golden State Warriors and Raptors have more wins.

Miami has the point differential of an average team since then, though. Neither their offense nor their defense ranks in the top 10 and Derrick Jones Jr. (who I adore) has started their last two games at shooting guard on a two-way contract. A few weeks back I wrote about Miami’s bad luck, and it seems like regression to the mean in several categories has been their best friend.

I’m all for experimentation, especially when things aren’t quite right and a few key players are injured, but Erik Spoelstra’s recent call to play Hassan Whiteside and Bam Adebayo at the same time is really out there. But maybe Spoelstra is more “crazy like a fox” than just regular deranged, and I kind of like when a coach catches the opponent off guard with something they had zero time to even consider.

Spoelstra’s used it in three games, all since Whiteside—who does not look good—returned the day after Christmas. In 27 minutes, Miami is -1 when those two centers share the court. Their offense is predictably impotent but they’ve rationalized Spoelstra’s decision with impressive play on the defensive end.

However, watch some film and it’s obvious these two wouldn’t work against a team that’s actually outlined a decent strategy to take advantage. Against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, Whiteside’s entire second stint came with Adebayo (who from this moment forth I will exclusively refer to as “Bam”) on the floor. (Miami was +6 in 6:47.) But, honestly, the Pacers could’ve made life much easier for themselves and chose not to.

It starts with poor Bam getting snuffed out on a roll because there’s absolutely no space for him to operate. More disturbing developments soon follow on the other end. Watch Thaddeus Young, who’s being guarded by Whiteside. Instead of shuffling out to the corner and forcing one of the league’s least mobile big men to worry for at least a second about surrendering an open three, Young does Whiteside a favor and stands just outside the paint while Victor Oladipo and Domas Sabonis run a pick-and-roll on the other side of the floor.

The Pacers want to clear out that side and run a two-man game with arguably their most skilled offensive tandem. That’s not a bad idea. If Bam is too focused on stopping Oladipo’s middle drive then it doesn’t matter where Young (who’s below league-average on corner threes this year) stands. But Indy ultimately turns the ball over because Bam knows Whiteside is in position to help on Oladipo, allowing him to step back and cover Sabonis sooner than the Pacers want.

By not spacing the floor as best he can, Young ultimately does Miami a favor. Here’s another example.

Bam is guarding Al Jefferson and Whiteside is on Young, so the Pacers bring Thaddeus up to set a ball screen. So far, so good…until you realize Al Jefferson is Al Jefferson, drifting towards the same spot where Oladipo wants to finish. Instead of crossing Whiteside up and going left, Oladipo goes in-and-out, stays on the right side, and careens straight into a cluster of terrible.

The Heat are doing the Pacers a favor here, but they politely decline the opportunity to take advantage. It’s a good example of how numbers in a small sample size can be manipulated to say whatever you want. Miami has been excellent on defense when Whiteside and Bam share the floor, but so far that says far more about their opposition than themselves.

Spoelstra knows this, of course. And there’s a difference between trotting those two out against Jefferson and Young than Horford and Tatum or Kawhi and Aldridge. There’s a reason any combination of two pick-and-roll centers that can’t space the floor don’t spend a lot of time together in today’s NBA.

8. Serge Ibaka, Doing Stuff Off The Bounce

For nearly his entire career, Ibaka’s function on the offensive end was to make open shots created by All-Star teammates. His jumper grew to become a lethal weapon from the mid-range before it stretched out behind the three-point line, allowing him to operate as an ideal complementary piece who didn’t need the ball in his hands to positively impact the game.

On the other end, he covered more ground than confetti.

This year we’re seeing a different player, and one the Raptors absolutely need if they want to diversify their attack and punish defenders who load up to stop DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. One way to measure it is how Ibaka creates for himself after his initial shot gets taken away. Here’s a review of his recent work on drives to the basket, per NBA.com:

2013-14 season: 94 total drives; shot 41.2 percent,

2014-15 season: 77 total drives; shot 41.5 percent

2015-16 season: 70 total drives; shot 48.6 percent

2016-17 season: 115 total drives (with Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors); shot 41.8 percent

Everything is different this year. We’re still over a month away from the All-Star break and Ibaka has already logged 110 total drives. Even more impressive is the fact that he’s shooting 62.7 percent on them, which ranks second among all players in the entire league who’ve tallied at least 100 so far.

This is a critical development for Toronto, and speaks more to Ibaka’s evolution than the situation he’s in. The Raptors are dominant when he’s at the five, but the 28-year-old still plays a majority of his minutes with another big who doesn’t stretch the floor by his side, be it Jonas Valanciunas, Jakob Poeltl, Bebe Nogueira, or Pascal Siakam.

Ibaka isn’t Horford. He doesn’t pump-and-go with his mind on finding an open corner three-point shooter or drawing the other big man’s defender in so he can softly lob the ball towards the rim. But his refined aggressiveness (and touch in traffic) is partially responsible for Toronto’s top-five offense.

9. Nobody Makes Basketball Look Easier Than Anthony Davis

Approximately 95 percent of Anthony Davis’s time on a basketball court is spent with him being far and away the best player out there. None of his teammates—sorry Boogie—come close. Nobody on 25 other teams appears near the same conversation. Davis’s true rival on most nights is decision fatigue. There are so many different ways for him to savage the opposition that it eventually bogs down what he should actually do.

As a rule of thumb: Good things happen when he’s around the basket. Two years ago, Davis shot 67.7 percent in the restricted area. The league average was 60.2 percent and they accounted for just under a third of all his field goal attempts. This season, his accuracy and volume have both increased by 10 percent.

He is so dominant that defenses still fall for Rajon Rondo’s “Rajon Rondo Move” even though he’s literally been doing it for 10 years.

The Pelicans understand this, and one reason they play at a faster pace is so Davis can catch a throw-ahead pass from Rondo or Jrue Holiday, then immediately go to work against his man, or isolate on a mismatch. There isn’t a defender alive who can stop Davis one-on-one.

Often, the most convenient way to show off Davis’s dominance arrives in the simplest ways, which might explain why—Ron Baker’s broken face aside—he slides just below the radar in casual discussions about the league’s very best players.

It is 25 times more difficult to change a lightbulb than design a play that results in Davis catching the ball above the rim and dropping it through the net. There’s nothing fancy about this sideline out of bounds action, and minus the part where Anthony Tolliver turns into a fluttering plastic bag the moment Holiday back screens him, the Detroit Pistons actually do a decent job defending it.

Avery Bradley recognizes they want to throw a lob to Davis so he immediately switches onto him, gets low and tries to drive Davis out of position. A for effort. Rondo responds by throwing a pass well out of Bradley’s reach, and the Pelicans trot down the floor two points richer. It’s straightforward and clean. A play that isn’t complicated because it doesn’t have to be. There’s no dummy action or misdirection. Let’s just throw the ball up to our best player and let him take care of it.

The Pelicans are 20-20. FiveThirtyEight gives them a 63 percent chance of making the playoffs and if the season ended today they’d have a delightful first-round re-match (of sorts) against the defending champs. It’s so freaking weird to say it like this, but Davis is quietly having the best season of his career. An endless reserve of knick-knack injuries have caused him to miss five games and leave two or three others early, but at the end of the day nobody’s points are accumulated with less strain than his.

Not everyone can win MVP or even be in the conversation, but look at AD’s on-off numbers (in an environment where Cousins is usually on when he isn’t, the Pelicans are a 55-win team with Davis and a 25-win team that doesn’t play defense without), then glance at his stats (is 64 percent True Shooting good?). It’s not his fault that E’Twaun Moore is integral when his play should be more of a luxury, or that New Orleans’ front office plugs DeAndre Liggins in for Tony Allen, who was in for Solomon Hill, and think that’s totally reasonable.

Davis is a legend before his 25th birthday.

10. Manu Ginobili Should Be An All-Star Because He’s Manu Ginobili

Results from the NBA’s first All-Star fan vote were released last week, and only nine players (four in the backcourt) tallied a larger demand than Ginobili in the Western Conference. He is 40 years old, which makes that amazing.

After an unnatural dip last season in which only 24 percent of his shots were attempted at the rim—understandable to those who would not dare to even look at a basketball ever again after suffering through all Ginobili has—he’s attacking with the spryness of a 35-year-old once again. (Alex Len isn’t Joel Embiid, but come on.)

On the very next play, Ginobili cut off Danuel House’s drive then blocked the two-way player’s shot without fouling or knocking the ball out of bounds. Ten seconds after that, Ginobili trailed the fast break for an open three. The Spurs are demonstrably better when he’s on the floor, including in smaller lineups that feature LaMarcus Aldridge at the five.

Somehow, Ginobili—one of the most unique, memorable, and effective geniuses in NBA history—has only qualified for the All-Star game twice (for those counting at home that’s five fewer appearances than Joe Johnson!). Even if Gregg Popovich recently joked about Ginobili’s career lasting at least another five years, let’s assume (and be wrong) that 2018 is his last run in a relevant role. All-Star games were created for people like him.

11. Donovan Mitchell’s Hands Are His Life

Utah’s new franchise priority makes at least three incomprehensible plays every game. Whether it’s a whiplash-inducing skip pass, a right-handed finger roll on the left side of the rim, launching a casual 30 footer, or violently finishing a lob after the pass forces him to reach back beyond the glass’s lower corner to punish the rim.

Mitchell is a marvel, and I think his hands might be responsible. At last year’s NBA combine, they measured in at the same length and width as Frank Kaminsky’s. (Kaminsky is seven-feet tall. Mitchell is 6’3” in shoes.) They aren’t Kawhi Leonard-esque meat cleavers, but larger than the average primary ball-handler (Michael Carter-Williams’s hands measured an inch shorter both ways); useful tools that help him complete some of his more complex and creative action. Look at this freaking pass!

Obviously, a lot more goes into plays like this than the length of Mitchell’s middle finger, but from how he yo-yo’s the ball in traffic to perfectly manipulating its trajectory on passes like the one seen above, Mitchell’s large hands don’t hurt. Teams care about this sort of thing more than you think.

12. The Phoenix Suns Are Huge Fans of Self Mutilation

This team’s margin for error can glide through a keyhole, but for all the excuses about their lack of talent, they’re so bad because they commit more preventable mental errors (some because they’re lazy, others thanks to inexperience) than anybody in the league.

Some mistakes are larger than others, but each one affects their bottom line. Look at this droopy pass Devin Booker makes to T.J. Warren that leads him to bobble it.

Instead of Marquese Chriss ending the possession with an open corner three (where he’s 2-for-12 on the year, but still), Warren reverses the ball back to Booker for another side pick-and-roll that Denver’s defense is already loaded up to stop. (Chriss’s arms go limp at his side once he realizes he isn’t getting the ball. I laughed.)

This play reminds me of an extremely zen thing Phil Jackson once said. I’m paraphrasing here, but “everything matters” is essentially it. Throwing even the most routine pass off target can have an avalanche effect on everything that follows. Open corner threes turn into contested fadeaways. It’s devastating precisely because it’s preventable.

Here’s another play from the same game that touches on a different type of mistake. I can’t tell if this sideline out-of-bounds play drawn up by Jay Triano fell apart because of poor execution or just a dumb rookie mistake, but either way it’s the type of problem Phoenix can and should nip in the bud.

Tyler Ulis runs a high pick-and-roll with Greg Monroe that draws Lyles and Harris into the paint. Once again, Chriss is left alone in the corner, so Ulis beelines a cross-court pass that should result in another efficient shot. Instead, as Monroe rumbles through the paint, Josh Jackson runs in from the perimeter to, um, I’m not exactly sure what he’s doing. More likely than not, he’s trying to set a screen on Lyles that will ensure Chriss enough time to shoot. But if that’s his plan he had a funny way of pulling it off.

All Jackson does is lead Harris towards the corner and let him switch onto the ball. Now Chriss is out of options. He can’t drive because Jackson is clogging the lane, and he can’t shoot because Harris is inside his jersey. Another promising possession is ruined.

The Outlet Pass: Dirk Back, AD’s Child’s Play, and Denver’s Enjoyable Mess syndicated from http://ift.tt/2ug2Ns6

[junker-town]

Patriots vs. Broncos live stream: How to watch 'Sunday Night Football' online

Is the Broncos defense no longer terrifying?

The Patriots-Broncos rivalry doesn’t quite have the same appeal it used to, and there’s only one man to blame for it: Peyton Manning.

Manning’s retirement — and if we’re being honest, his declining play beforehand — has sent Denver into an offensive spiral. The Broncos have cycled through quarterbacks like Brock Osweiler, Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, and then Osweiler again in search of a game manager who can do just enough to allow his monster defense to win games. On Sunday night, they’ll turn to the former Bronco, Texan, and Brown in hopes he can topple a 6-2 New England team. The two meet on Sunday Night Football, broadcast live at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC (live stream).

The Patriots have rebounded from a 2-2 start to win four straight and creep back into the AFC’s upper echelon. They can strengthen their hold on a first-round bye by beating a Denver team last seen giving up 51 points to the Eagles.

Time, TV channel, and streaming info

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

Location: Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colo.

TV: NBC

Streaming: NBC Sports Live

Odds: New England is favored by 8 points.

Patriots at Broncos news:

The Broncos are sticking with Osweiler Sunday, which means a guy who the Browns cut has to face the Patriots:

After the game, Osweiler questioned some of the decisions he made.

“Looking back on it, I [threw] it to Emmanuel [Sanders] in the red area,” Osweiler said. “Well, if I throw it to [Demariyus Thomas], maybe we have a touchdown. But that’s football. It’s easy to second-guess yourself after the plays happen. We just have to clean it up.

The Patriots added some veteran help to address their defensive line issues in the season’s second half.

The New England Patriots signed DL Ricky Jean-Francois, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The 6’3, 300 pound Francois has played 115 games over the past nine seasons and should provide depth to the Patriots defensive interior as Malcom Brown continues to recover from an injury.

Facing the Broncos questionable offensive line could be just the thing to get the New England pass rush back on track.

The Denver Broncos had a really rough game against the Philadelphia Eagles, but the picture of that game became a little clearer in reviewing the Pro Football Focus grades for the team.

What shocked me the most was the number of times Brock Osweiler was under pressure when he dropped back to pass. The number was more than half of all drop backs. Half!

Kyle Van Noy’s willingness to step up in Dont’a Hightower’s absence has made him the Patriots’ most-improved player.

A mid-season acquisition last year, it took Van Noy some time to get used to his new environment. But get used to it he did. Van Noy has grown into one of the Patriots' core defenders; a player who rarely ever leaves the field and is vital against the pass and the run. Quite the leap forward for the former role player.

How long until Vance Joseph turns the offense over to Paxton Lynch?

Denver spent a first-round pick on the Memphis product in 2016, knowing full well the big-armed passer would be a project. Lynch has appeared in spot starts in his career, but the raging tire fire known as the Broncos’ depth chart is gearing up to give him another shot. The second-year passer has been held out of action this fall due to a shoulder injury, but has been progressing back to normal health. If he’s feeling good Sunday — and Osweiler remains ineffective — he could make his season debut against the Pats.

Patriots at Broncos prediction:

SB Nation’s experts tipped heavily in favor of the Patriots on this one in their Week 10 picks. Seven of eight — all but Adam Stites — think New England wins this game.

[melindarowens]

Bannon plots primaries against GOP incumbents

The following newsletter is an abridged version of Campaign Pro’s Morning Score. For an earlier morning read on exponentially more races — and for a more comprehensive aggregation of the day’s most important campaign news — sign up for Campaign Pro today. (http://www.politicopro.com/proinfo)

BANNON’S INSURGENCY — “Bannon plotting primaries against slate of GOP incumbents” by Alex Isenstadt: “President Donald Trump’s closest allies are planning a slate of primary challenges against Republican senators, potentially undermining the party’s prospects in 2018 and further inflaming tensions between GOP leaders and the White House. … Leading the target list is Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, an outspoken critic of the president who recently published a book lamenting the rise of Trump. Bannon is intent on unseating Flake, and David Bossie, the president’s 2016 deputy campaign manager and the president of the influential conservative group Citizens United, has embarked on an effort to recruit several potential primary challengers, including former Rep. Matt Salmon. The former congressman, however, has expressed reluctance to enter the contest.” Full story.

Story Continued Below

SPEAKER RYAN WATCH — “Trump’s deal with Democrats bolsters Ryan — for now” by Politico’s Rachael Bade and Kyle Cheney: “Donald Trump’s deal with Democrats last week — the latest setback for House Republicans in a year filled with disappointment — has opened a new rift within the GOP Conference over whether their president or their speaker is to blame. Some House conservatives have begun questioning Paul Ryan’s leadership after Republicans were forced to swallow a vote to increase the debt ceiling without corresponding spending cuts. Freedom Caucus leaders, already upset that Congress wasted months on the failed bid to repeal Obamacare, cornered Ryan (R-Wis.) after the House vote on the debt ceiling to tell him he needed to change his approach. … While most Republicans say Ryan’s hold on his post is secure, it’s unclear how long he can maintain his grip in the age of Trump. The GOP’s right flank is starting to agitate against Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). And the speaker is caught in an often-impossible position between a fractious conference and an unpredictable president.” Full story.

CALIFORNIA DREAMING — “How California could jolt the 2020 presidential race” by Politico’s David Siders and Gabriel Debenedetti: “California is pushing forward with a plan to change the state’s primary date from June to March, a move that could scramble the 2020 presidential nominating contest and swing the early weight of the campaign to the West. … By hosting an earlier primary, California could immediately gain significant clout in the party’s nominating process, since the state’s proportionate delegate haul could prove decisive in a 2020 field that’s likely to be historically crowded.” Full story.

DAILY WAR EAGLE — “Trump promised Sen. Strange a rally, but it hasn’t happened yet” by Campaign Pro’s Daniel Strauss and Josh Dawsey: “President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Sen. Luther Strange was supposed to be the whole package: a tweet, a robocall and, at the right time, a packed campaign rally in Alabama like the one Trump enjoyed during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump himself promised Strange that type of rally in a recent phone call the two had, according to people familiar with the call. … On Tuesday, he and Trump talked on the phone, during which the president reiterated his support and said he was aware that former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was actively supporting [Roy] Moore.” Full story.

Days until the 2017 election: 57.

Days until the 2018 election: 421.

Thanks for joining us! You can email tips to the Campaign Pro team at sbland@politico.com, eschneider@politico.com, krobillard@politico.com, dstrauss@politico.com and mseverns@politico.com.

You can also follow us on Twitter: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @danielstrauss4 and @maggieseverns.

MINNESOTA POLITICS — “Republican women consider runs for Minnesota office — but so far, few pulling trigger” by the Minnesota Star-Tribune’s Erin Golden: “A handful of Republican women considering major political bids in Minnesota in 2018 would be looking to buck a daunting historical trend: Their party has never chosen a woman to run for governor or U.S. senator. So far, the nine Republicans to join the open race for governor in 2018 are men. So is the one candidate so far for U.S. Senate, seeking to challenge DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Both of the party’s candidates for attorney general are men, as are the state’s three members of Congress and all the declared GOP contenders so far for the other five House seats. That could still change — two Republican women told the Star Tribune they still might join the governor’s race, along with at least one considering a congressional bid. But it’s in notable contrast to the DFL, where three of the six declared candidates for governor next year are women.” Full story.

NOTHING TO SEE HERE — “US Sen. Elizabeth Warren says Democratic party is united, ‘ready to fight’” by The Springfield Republican’s Shannon Young: “Pushing back against claims that Democrats remain divided following the 2016 presidential contest, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., this week said the party is united and ‘ready to fight’ as it heads into the 2018 mid-term elections. … Instead, she argued, the real divisions exist between Democrats and Republicans. ‘One party in America said it was OK to roll back health care coverage for 25 million Americans and one party in America thinks that health care is a basic human right — I’m ready to go on that one,’ she said in an interview with the editorial board of The Republican on Friday.” Full story.

DISCUSSION TOPICS — “Not on the agenda at Michigan Republican Party Mackinac conference: President Donald Trump” by The Detroit Free Press’s Paul Egan: “Controversies surrounding the Republican president are captivating the country — and the world — and have some Republicans worried about how they will affect party fortunes in congressional midterms and other elections in 2018. But don’t look for those topics to be on the agenda when about 2,000 Republicans from Michigan and across the nation gather on Mackinac Island Sept. 22-24 for the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference — a major policy confab held every two years. … Tax reform, repeal and replace of Obamacare, immigration and infrastructure ‘are important and worthy of conversations,’ said state party spokeswoman Sarah Anderson. But ‘unfortunately, we have a limited time for the conference, so there wasn’t a space for panels on those issues.’” Full story.

ADMINISTRATION SPEED READ — “A Month Has Passed Since Trump Declared an Opioid Emergency. What Next?” by The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman: “When President Trump announced in early August, following a presidential commission’s recommendations, that the opioid crisis was a “national emergency,” he called it “a serious problem the likes of which we have never had. A month has now passed, and that urgent talk has yet to translate into urgent action. While the president’s aides say they are pursuing an expedited process, it remains to be seen how and by what mechanism Mr. Trump plans to direct government resources. … In an interim report issued on July 31, Mr. [Chris] Christie’s commission recommended a declaration of a national emergency. In a statement that caught most of his advisers by surprise, and which contradicted what Mr. [HHS Secretary Tom] Price had said days earlier, Mr. Trump told reporters on Aug. 10 that he was moving forward.” Full story.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “You don’t want to be in that path. That’s a path you don’t want to be in. We tried to warn everybody. For the most part, they’ve left, but that’s a bad path to be in.” — President Donald Trump in response to a question on Sunday about what message he would give to people in Hurricane Irma’s path.

Original Source link

source https://capitalisthq.com/bannon-plots-primaries-against-gop-incumbents/ from CapitalistHQ http://capitalisthq.blogspot.com/2017/09/bannon-plots-primaries-against-gop.html

[everettwilkinson]

Bannon plots primaries against GOP incumbents

The following newsletter is an abridged version of Campaign Pro’s Morning Score. For an earlier morning read on exponentially more races — and for a more comprehensive aggregation of the day’s most important campaign news — sign up for Campaign Pro today. (http://www.politicopro.com/proinfo)

BANNON’S INSURGENCY — “Bannon plotting primaries against slate of GOP incumbents” by Alex Isenstadt: “President Donald Trump’s closest allies are planning a slate of primary challenges against Republican senators, potentially undermining the party’s prospects in 2018 and further inflaming tensions between GOP leaders and the White House. … Leading the target list is Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, an outspoken critic of the president who recently published a book lamenting the rise of Trump. Bannon is intent on unseating Flake, and David Bossie, the president’s 2016 deputy campaign manager and the president of the influential conservative group Citizens United, has embarked on an effort to recruit several potential primary challengers, including former Rep. Matt Salmon. The former congressman, however, has expressed reluctance to enter the contest.” Full story.

Story Continued Below

SPEAKER RYAN WATCH — “Trump’s deal with Democrats bolsters Ryan — for now” by Politico’s Rachael Bade and Kyle Cheney: “Donald Trump’s deal with Democrats last week — the latest setback for House Republicans in a year filled with disappointment — has opened a new rift within the GOP Conference over whether their president or their speaker is to blame. Some House conservatives have begun questioning Paul Ryan’s leadership after Republicans were forced to swallow a vote to increase the debt ceiling without corresponding spending cuts. Freedom Caucus leaders, already upset that Congress wasted months on the failed bid to repeal Obamacare, cornered Ryan (R-Wis.) after the House vote on the debt ceiling to tell him he needed to change his approach. … While most Republicans say Ryan’s hold on his post is secure, it’s unclear how long he can maintain his grip in the age of Trump. The GOP’s right flank is starting to agitate against Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). And the speaker is caught in an often-impossible position between a fractious conference and an unpredictable president.” Full story.

CALIFORNIA DREAMING — “How California could jolt the 2020 presidential race” by Politico’s David Siders and Gabriel Debenedetti: “California is pushing forward with a plan to change the state’s primary date from June to March, a move that could scramble the 2020 presidential nominating contest and swing the early weight of the campaign to the West. … By hosting an earlier primary, California could immediately gain significant clout in the party’s nominating process, since the state’s proportionate delegate haul could prove decisive in a 2020 field that’s likely to be historically crowded.” Full story.

DAILY WAR EAGLE — “Trump promised Sen. Strange a rally, but it hasn’t happened yet” by Campaign Pro’s Daniel Strauss and Josh Dawsey: “President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Sen. Luther Strange was supposed to be the whole package: a tweet, a robocall and, at the right time, a packed campaign rally in Alabama like the one Trump enjoyed during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump himself promised Strange that type of rally in a recent phone call the two had, according to people familiar with the call. … On Tuesday, he and Trump talked on the phone, during which the president reiterated his support and said he was aware that former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was actively supporting [Roy] Moore.” Full story.

Days until the 2017 election: 57.

Days until the 2018 election: 421.

Thanks for joining us! You can email tips to the Campaign Pro team at sbland@politico.com, eschneider@politico.com, krobillard@politico.com, dstrauss@politico.com and mseverns@politico.com.

You can also follow us on Twitter: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @danielstrauss4 and @maggieseverns.

MINNESOTA POLITICS — “Republican women consider runs for Minnesota office — but so far, few pulling trigger” by the Minnesota Star-Tribune’s Erin Golden: “A handful of Republican women considering major political bids in Minnesota in 2018 would be looking to buck a daunting historical trend: Their party has never chosen a woman to run for governor or U.S. senator. So far, the nine Republicans to join the open race for governor in 2018 are men. So is the one candidate so far for U.S. Senate, seeking to challenge DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Both of the party’s candidates for attorney general are men, as are the state’s three members of Congress and all the declared GOP contenders so far for the other five House seats. That could still change — two Republican women told the Star Tribune they still might join the governor’s race, along with at least one considering a congressional bid. But it’s in notable contrast to the DFL, where three of the six declared candidates for governor next year are women.” Full story.

NOTHING TO SEE HERE — “US Sen. Elizabeth Warren says Democratic party is united, ‘ready to fight’” by The Springfield Republican’s Shannon Young: “Pushing back against claims that Democrats remain divided following the 2016 presidential contest, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., this week said the party is united and ‘ready to fight’ as it heads into the 2018 mid-term elections. … Instead, she argued, the real divisions exist between Democrats and Republicans. ‘One party in America said it was OK to roll back health care coverage for 25 million Americans and one party in America thinks that health care is a basic human right — I’m ready to go on that one,’ she said in an interview with the editorial board of The Republican on Friday.” Full story.

DISCUSSION TOPICS — “Not on the agenda at Michigan Republican Party Mackinac conference: President Donald Trump” by The Detroit Free Press’s Paul Egan: “Controversies surrounding the Republican president are captivating the country — and the world — and have some Republicans worried about how they will affect party fortunes in congressional midterms and other elections in 2018. But don’t look for those topics to be on the agenda when about 2,000 Republicans from Michigan and across the nation gather on Mackinac Island Sept. 22-24 for the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference — a major policy confab held every two years. … Tax reform, repeal and replace of Obamacare, immigration and infrastructure ‘are important and worthy of conversations,’ said state party spokeswoman Sarah Anderson. But ‘unfortunately, we have a limited time for the conference, so there wasn’t a space for panels on those issues.’” Full story.

ADMINISTRATION SPEED READ — “A Month Has Passed Since Trump Declared an Opioid Emergency. What Next?” by The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman: “When President Trump announced in early August, following a presidential commission’s recommendations, that the opioid crisis was a “national emergency,” he called it “a serious problem the likes of which we have never had. A month has now passed, and that urgent talk has yet to translate into urgent action. While the president’s aides say they are pursuing an expedited process, it remains to be seen how and by what mechanism Mr. Trump plans to direct government resources. … In an interim report issued on July 31, Mr. [Chris] Christie’s commission recommended a declaration of a national emergency. In a statement that caught most of his advisers by surprise, and which contradicted what Mr. [HHS Secretary Tom] Price had said days earlier, Mr. Trump told reporters on Aug. 10 that he was moving forward.” Full story.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “You don’t want to be in that path. That’s a path you don’t want to be in. We tried to warn everybody. For the most part, they’ve left, but that’s a bad path to be in.” — President Donald Trump in response to a question on Sunday about what message he would give to people in Hurricane Irma’s path.

Original Source link

from CapitalistHQ.com https://capitalisthq.com/bannon-plots-primaries-against-gop-incumbents/