Welcome to Wednesday, friend! We’re back in the saddle this morning with lots to get to as you start your day.
I hope you’re ready for some more basketball because we’ve got March Madness and NBA trade deadline stuff to discuss here in a second, but first I want to touch on an embarrassing incident in the NHL last night. An official in last night’s Predators-Red Wings game was caught on a hot mic essentially admitting to calling a BS penalty as a make-up call for the Wings. Of course, “game management” and make-up calls from officials are nothing new, but rarely do you actually hear a referee admit to calling a game unfairly.
The NHL is apparently looking into the incident and, as a huge hockey fan, I’m hoping this incident might serve as a catalyst for change. I’d love to see the league take a page from the NBA’s playbook and incorporate some sort of “Last Two Minute Report” evaluation for officials in every game. As it stands, there’s no accountability or transparency from officials despite the fact that there have been countless embarrassing (and influential) incidents from the past few years alone. At the very least, it’d be nice to see the league admit when they get things wrong and offer more consistency in the way the game is called on the ice.
OK, hockey rant over. Let’s get on with the good stuff — including a mailbag!
📰 What you need to know
1. An early look at every Sweet 16 matchup 🏀
We’re still days away from the Sweet 16 getting underway in Indy so let’s use this buffer time wisely, shall we? I’m torn between looking back on what’s already happened and looking forward to what’s still to come, so why don’t we do a little of both this morning?
First thing’s first … let us celebrate the standout players through the first couple of rounds. Our David Cobb put together an “All-First Weekend Team” that highlights the stars that deserve recognition for their big-time performances so far. Here’s the First Team lineup:
Cobb also compiled a Second Team and some honorable mentions, so you can check out the full list of standouts right here. Of course, being a standout in the first couple of rounds is nice, but the really memorable standouts make their name in the later rounds.
So, with that in mind, now’s a good time for an early look at this weekend’s Sweet 16 matchups. Here are a couple that I’m particularly looking forward to:
- No. 12 Oregon State vs. No. 8 Loyola Chicago: This is a matchup featuring two of the better stories in this year’s tournament, so it’s a shame that one of them has to lose. Oregon State was picked to finish last in the Pac-12 ahead of this season and now here they are — one of the final 16 teams standing in college basketball. Meanwhile, Loyola-Chicago is once again looking to make a deep run after beating Illinois — the first No. 1 seed to be eliminated this year
- No. 15 Oral Roberts vs. No. 3 Arkansas: There’s arguably not a team in the country with more eyes on it right now than Oral Roberts. They’re just the second No. 15 seed in history to advance to the Sweet 16 and they tout the nation’s leading scorer in Max Abmas. But Abmas and the Golden Eagles will have their work cut out for them as they face a defensive juggernaut in Arkansas, led by NBA lottery prospect Moses Moody
You want a succinct scouting report on each of the 16 teams left in the tourney? We’ve got you covered. You want me to speed up time so that you don’t have to wait as long for action to start back up? I only wish I could help you there.
2. Players who should be dealt at the NBA trade deadline 🏀
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The NBA trade deadline is more than just a milestone on the calendar that provides fans with a little mid-season drama and entertainment. It’s also an opportunity for teams to assess their current standing and make sensible and necessary deals to build toward a better future, whether it be this season or years down the line.
The deadline also offers an opportunity for players to get a fresh start somewhere new. Perhaps a veteran player on an expiring contract gets to go somewhere where he has a better shot to win a title, or some young players get to go to a club that will offer ample opportunity to develop and be part of a long-term vision.
So, which players should be dealt by tomorrow’s 3 p.m. ET deadline? Our Sam Quinn named five prime candidates, so here’s a few of them:
- Victor Oladipo, Rockets: He’s in the final year of his contract and has struggled in Houston since being acquired in a deal accompanying the James Harden trade. The Rockets probably won’t get what they’re asking for Oladipo (a good first-round pick or a valuable young player) but they either have to trade him now or watch him walk away for nothing this offseason
- Montrezl Harrell, Lakers: Harrell will become expendable this postseason when Anthony Davis, Markieff Morris and Marc Gasol eat up minutes in LA’s frontcourt. They desperately need shooting talent, especially from the perimeter (they rank 22nd in 3-point percentage), and there’s a chance they could lose Harrell this offseason anyway. Flipping him for a player that better suits the need of the team makes sense
- DeMar DeRozan, Spurs: LeMarcus Aldridge is on his way out and DeRozan shouldn’t be far behind. He’s on an expiring contract, is in his 30s and the Spurs have a number of younger perimeter players who could use his shots and minutes. The Spurs are almost a lock to make the play-in round, so if San Antonio doesn’t plan on re-signing DeRozan they should explore the trade market and get assets
You can find a few more candidates highlighted by Quinn right here.
Of course, just because a player SHOULD be traded doesn’t guarantee they will be traded. Foolishness and bad decisions (two things I am very familiar with) will always exist in front offices, and laughing at the stupid teams is half the fun of the trade deadline (and sports in general, if we’re being honest.)
3. Ranking the top five MLB players at every position ⚾
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We are just over a week away from Opening Day in Major League Baseball, which means you better start thinking about what you’re going to put on your celebratory hot dog (if you don’t eat at least one hot dog every Opening Day — even in quarantine — you’re doing it wrong.) By the way, I’m a ketchup, mustard and relish guy.
Opening Day on the horizon also means that now might be a good time to take stock of the best players from around the league. Opinions and evaluations can shift over the course of a long season, so it’s always good to take note of where players stand ahead of a new campaign.
As such, our Dayn Perry has ranked the top five players at every position. I’ve got some takeaways from his choices…
- He ranks Jose Ramirez ahead of Nolan Arenado on the list of the best third basemen. I’m not sure I agree with that, but only one of us is a baseball expert!
- Jacob deGrom, Gerrit Cole and Shane Bieber comprise the three best pitchers in baseball, which seems fair. DeGrom has posted a ridiculous 2.10 ERA and a 5.81 K/BB ratio over the last three seasons (!). Reigning NL Cy Young Trevor Bauer doesn’t crack the top five
- There’s an absolutely loaded group at shortstop (all from the NL) and Fernando Tatis reigns supreme
The whole list is worth checking out, so feel free to browse … and don’t be afraid to disagree with Dayn. He can handle it. Also, our baseball crew will be putting out a list of the top 100 players later this week, so stay tuned for that.
4. Washington Football Team might be here to stay 🏈
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The Washington Football Team is the only franchise in the four major American sports leagues without an official nickname attached to the club, and it sounds like it may stay that way. That’s right … you may have to get used to referring to them as Football Team.
- Team president Jason Wright says the team is strongly considering making the name permanent, saying “there are a set of folks that have warmed to the Washington Football Team”
- Wright says it’s important for the permanent name to “feel that this is a continuation of something versus a complete reset”
- The franchise will keep the WFT name for at least another season but will decide on a permanent moniker ahead of the 2022 campaign
- Washington will continue to accept fan submissions on the new name and logo until April 5 (they will keep the burgundy and gold color scheme no matter what)
Personally, not a huge fan of keeping the WFT brand long term. It’s lazy and uninspiring, not to mention awkward and clunky to refer to when talking/writing about the team. What do you think … for or against? If not WFT, what do you think the team should be called?
📝 Odds & Ends
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📺 What to watch today
🏀 NCAAW: No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 3 Georgia, 3 p.m. | TV: ESPN2
🏀 Celtics vs. Bucks, 7:30 p.m. | MIL -3.5 | TV: ESPN
🏀 Nets vs. Jazz, 10 p.m. | UTAH -6 | TV: ESPN
🥇 The best thing I saw yesterday
These Thanos-themed hockey jerseys and gloves from the Jacksonville Icemen — the Winnipeg Jets’ ECHL affiliate
Mailbag!
We’ve all been having a great time with the tournament, but isn’t it true that the bracket busters are mostly due to the fact that the people who do the seedings have really made a mess of it this year? -Pieter
I think that could definitely be part of it. It stands to reason that the selection committee would have had a tougher time deciding seedings based on the wacky pandemic season. However, I also believe the pandemic itself and some of its effects/disruptions could be a contributing factor to some of these upsets (just look at how a well-rested Oregon beat Iowa.) There’s just so much more unpredictability this year.
Earlier this week you pleaded for your Bruins to trade for scoring help. Who would you like to see them get at the deadline? And do you think they should keep Jake DeBrusk? -Emily
I will take ANY offensive upgrades at this point … they’re such a one-line team it’s painful. Kyle Palmieri and Rickard Rakell are two of the more obvious candidates, but Conor Garland’s name has come up this week and he’s a guy I’d love to see in Boston. As for DeBrusk, I like him a lot but he’s extremely inconsistent and I don’t think he should be considered untouchable.
Do I need to see ‘Paddington’ before watching ‘Paddington 2?’ -James
No, it’s definitely not a necessity. I actually saw “Paddington 2” first and enjoyed it so much that I was inspired to go back and watch the original (the first isn’t nearly as good, but it’s still very much worth the time.) Also, this is the Pete Blackburn Promise: I will answer a “Paddington 2” mailbag question 100% of the time.