D'Angelo's Decision
D'Angelo Russell was thought to be the next Lakers star. He is a multi-tool star who was the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft. He is 20 and unbelievably athletic. He's also an athlete who is acting far younger than 20.
Russell video-taped teammate Nick Young talking about his relationships with women that were not his fiancee. Russell - or one of his associates - released the video on social media and now has learned lesson No. 1 about the locker room.
What happens there, stays there. Forget Vegas, the locker room has to be a sanctuary for players and the team to flourish.
How's this for proof of that: This happened over the weekend, and on Monday, the Lakers lost by 48 points to match a franchise worst. Young did not play. Russell has become persona non grata among the team. Not a good spot for a once-proud franchise.
(Side note: The Lakers have the second-worst record in the NBA, and could very well get the No. 1 pick. That said, if the ping-pong balls fall against the Lakers, and the team's pick falls outside of the top 3, it goes to Philadelphia. Ouch-standing.)
Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James smiles as he watches from the bench as he sits out the game during the first half of an NBA basketball game between the Miami Heat and the Cavaliers, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, in Miami. Cavaliers coach David Blatt says he made the decision in part because James logged 45 minutes in Cleveland's overtime loss at New Orleans on Friday night. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) Coach James
LeBron James sat out Tuesday night and the Cavs surrendered a 20-point lead in a come-from-behind loss against Houston.
That is what it is.
Here's the next sideshow in the traveling circus that has become LeBron James.
James looked like a full-blown assistant coach on the sideline last night. Is there anything wrong with that? No, for a lot of folks, it would be viewed as good leadership from the best player on the team being involved with his teammates on a rare night off.
That's cool. But with all the background noise involving James and his relationship with his teammates and the coaching staffs, this is tone deaf at best and full-blown insubordinate at its worst to head coach Tyronn Lue. Remember, David Blatt was R-U-N-N-O-F-T despite getting to the NBA Finals in his first full season and having the best record in the East at the midway point this season.
Why, because the Cavs are in win-it-all-or-it's-a-loss mode.
James knows it, too. And maybe that pressure has warped King James into this, which kind of reverses the process since for most of his career James has been the diamond and the last couple of weeks, he's been a lump of coal.
U.S. defender Tim Parker, center, watches as Colombia celebrates a 2-1 win in an Olympic qualifying soccer match Tuesday, March 29, 2016, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade) Good day/bad day for US soccer
OK, the U.S. men's national soccer team delivered in a must-have moment. That deserves our praise. Kudos for that.
Well, the under-23 team lost to Colombia and will miss the Olympics. That deserves the opposite of praise.
In fact, it's an oft-asked question, but another one worth pondering here this morning considering the juxtaposition of those results:
Why is U.S. men's soccer - considering the population, the facilities, the opportunities and all the other advantages - so less-than-mediocre on a global scale?
Think of it this way: We are high-fiving our national team for beating a Guatemala team that was playing a couple of bald dudes and is drawing from a country smaller in size than the state of Tennessee.
Name another sport on a global scale we would be this happy about beating a country of 14 million people? (And don't even mention the fact that Trinidad and Tobago pushes us around, and that Trinidad and Tobago has roughly the population of the city of Dallas, Texas.)
Remember, this is a national team that becomes rock stars if they can manage to finish in the top two of four-team pool play in World Cup action.
Now add in the fact that our under-23 team can't even qualify for the Olympics and it's puzzling, right?
So it goes, and remember kids, that they will have cold Co-Colas at the FC games at Finley. War Kickball.
FILE - This 2014 file photo, shows Von Miller of the Denver Broncos NFL football team. The Broncos have placed their exclusive franchise tag on Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller. (AP Photo/File) This and that
- Kudos to Jacob Huesman, who shined at UTC's pro day on Tuesday. Huesman ran a 4.52 40-yard-dash, a time that would have been the fastest among quarterbacks at the combine. It's a time that will get Jacob several offers to try to make a team. He may get drafted late, but that seems like a long shot at this point. But who knows? And with speed like that - and his size - there could be a lot of folks who have different position ideas for him as well.
- Jalen Ramsey believes he's the top overall talent in the NFL draft. We concur. Will the FSU defensive back be the Titans pick at No. 1 overall? It's unlikely since the last No. 1 overall pick who was a defensive back was in the mid-1950s. Still, we think Ramsey is a game-changing-type talent in the mold of Troy Polamalu, and looking back at non-quarterback-needy teams, redrafting a lot of the drafts of the last decade plus would mean giant moves for guys like Polamalu or Ed Reed and others.
- Babe Ruth's high school baseball glove is going for auction next month. The minimum bid starts at $125,000 if your are interested, and expectations are around $500,000 according to experts.
- We talked a bit about this on Press Row on Tuesday, but thought you guys deserved a look here. Well, deserve may not be the right word. So, here unfiltered, is the story about Super Bowl MVP Von Miller being a notorious farter, and how the cast at "Dancing With the Stars" has started using the Denver Broncos' plan of fining him $100 for each toot.
- How's this for a bargain? The U.S bought Alaska today for a little more than $7 million. It worried out to be about 2 cents at acre.
Today's question
OK, the mailbag is open, so fire away.
In honor of Von Miller, what's the Rushmore of flatulence? (Yeah, we think Rodney Dangerfield's memorable scene in Caddyshack is a definite frontrunner, here.)