And now this happened
Enes Kanter declared for the WNBA draft. So did Royce White.
Saddle up.
Both were NBA journeymen. Each would be Michael Jordan times Kareem to the power of Shaq in the WNBA.
Women’s basketball legend Cheryl Miller referred to it as a “hijack” and told TMZ, “It’s horrible energy.”
She’s not wrong, but are Kanter and White?
Yes, it has all the feel of a stunt from two dudes who have been out of the meaningful basketball realm for more than a moment.
But look at the math.
NBA G-League players make on average of 45K. The average WNBA salary is north of $550K.
Stunt or not, this is what the WNBA has campaigned for through the years, no?
And yes, we are getting to the point where the comically awful “Juwanna Mann” could be a viewed as a documentary.
Whether this is a cash grab for Kanter and White or a political play, who knows.
Does this not make the WNBA draw some sort of definitive line on its transgender policies?
The league issued a strongly worded statement against “bad-faith” efforts from those attempting “demean or demoralize others” regarding this issue.But there were no indications about crafting or crystallizing a policy on this matter.
It seems crazy, but sometimes the best way to challenge illogical thinking is with even more illogical actions.
So congratulations, I guess, to Ms. Kanter and Ms. White for their decisions in a difficult time.
Do what?
An iconic franchise across all of sports was flipped liked a fixer-upper on some random HGTV show.
The Los Angeles Lakers were sold to a group that includes Bob Iger and Josh Kushner for the tidy sum of $12.5 billion. Yes, billion with a “b.”
There are so many layers to this.
First, majority owner Mark Walter bought the Lakers 14 months ago for $10 billion. So his “franchise flip” netted him and his partners almost $200 million a month in returns on the original investment. Yeah, that’ll do, pig. That’ll do.
Also know this: The Boston Celtics — the only franchise comparable to the Lakers in terms of all-time iconic status — sold less than two years ago for less than half that $12.5 billion.
And this: The Dallas Cowboys were again ranked as the most valuable NFL franchise, according to Sportico. The site has Dallas valued at $15.5 billion, which seems wicked low in that the Lakers are going for $12.5 billion, no?
But the layers extend even further.
Kushner’s brother is President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
Iger was the long-time CEO of Disney until March of this year.
And Walter is being investigated by multiple federal agencies. From The Athletic on the deal: “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Securities and Exchange Commission have been investigating insurance companies owned by Walter. According to the Wall Street Journal, federal investigators took interest in Walter’s companies last year after an internal whistleblower complaint about how Walter’s asset-management firm, Guggenheim Investments, booked revenue it received from the insurance companies.”
Hmmmmm.
And no matter the wink-wink, nod-nod of possible “coincidence,” there is simply no way anyone in the NBA will say a single word about this sale.
Regardless of politics, this is fiscal. Every NBA franchise just increased in value by at least $500 million dollars with the announcement of this sale.
Yes, Spy, even the Hawks.
Gator baiting
So we are taking requests and looking around the college football landscape.
We mentioned some of our higher-than-most hopes on Tennessee this fall.
We had two requests for our next stop, so let’s blend these natural rivals and interchangeable programs — Florida and Notre Dame.
Kidding, of course, but, hey, we’re here to serve.
First for JTC’s Gators.
We have always said being the guy who replaces the guy is dang near impossible. Ask Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer.
But getting to replace the guy that was the goof makes everything smell better. Ask Jon Sumrall, because that applies. In Gainesville.
In truth, Sumrall has said all the right things this offseason. In fact, he’s downright motivational, and I would have been 100% on board if he had been the guy who Auburn had hired.
Plus, he has added Buster Faulkner as his OC, and that dude knows ball. Side story. Covered Faulker as a senior QB1 at Parkview High when he was a senior and headed to their second straight state title with a WR1 named Jeff Francoeur. Formerly of Georgia Tech, Faulkner knows his stuff and will be an HC sooner rather than later, in my mind.
As for his pieces, well, Florida’s skill positions are pretty dang great. Dallas Wilson (if he can stay healthy), Eric Singleton (one of the dozen or so talented Auburn portal defections) and Vernell Brown give the Gators as good a trio of WRs as anyone in the league.
Yes, there are QB1 questions, but add in Jadan Baugh as maybe the most talented running back in the league not named Kewan Lacy, and above average QB play should be enough for the Gators to be markedly improved.
If they get good QB1 showings, well, buckle up.
One side note: There are a slew of high-impact, high-profile SEC games on the slate this year. Which is to be expected. It just costs more, right MC?
But the week three game when Florida goes to Auburn is such a divergent launching point for two first-year coaches and emotional vulnerable fan bases.
As for Notre Dame, well, Spy is going to pleased. The Irish are loaded.
Wait, that may come across as offensive and stereotypical. (HICCUP.)
But hot potato or no — yes, that was an Irish potato joke, too (Sorry, Clint) — Notre Dame is stacked.
How lofty are the expectations for Marcus Freeman (a top-five HC nationally) and CJ Carr (a top-five QB1 nationally)?
Let’s explore the analytics.
Notre Dame’s win total is over/under 11.5. Yes, you are betting whether the Irish run the table or not, because that number is regular season only.
Notre Dame’s the betting favorite to make the CFP quarterfinals at a staggering minus-280 (bet $280 to win $100).
Notre Dame’s Carr is the Heisman favorite at plus-700.
Notre Dame has the second-shortest odds to win the whole thing at plus-650. THE Ohio State is at plus-550, according to FanDuel.
This and that
> Rules, people. Here’s Paschall with a UGA football report that details the Bulldogs’ hopes for a breakthrough season for Gunner Stockton. I think Stockton is a dude and going to have a big season. In fact, I join the SEC16 crew to break down Georgia game by game right here. Check it out.
> Russell Westbrook retired Wednesday. He spent 18 years in the NBA, won an MVP and two scoring titles as well averaging a triple double in four separate seasons. Wanna know the definition of Hall of Fame career? Yeah, when Michael B. Jordan narrates your good-bye highlight video, that feels HoF-certified.
> Braves played. Braves won. That’s 11 wins in their last 12 games at Truist Park.
> Damien Woody is the next name to be reported in the continued ESPN layoffs/non-renewals. Woody will finish the month on the network.
> Interesting that Texas Tech is having trouble scheduling opponents in the aftermath of the Brendan Sorsby saga this offseason.
Today’s questions
It’s the ol’ AGT — Anything Goes Thursday — so fire away from today or for tomorrow’s mailbag.
We’ll start the ball rolling with Notre Dame over/under 11.5 wins. Whatcha got?
We’ll continue with: What would a 34-year-old Enes Kanter — who averaged about 3 points per game in his multi-year NBA career — average in the WNBA as a rookie? I say it’s 30 points and 20 boards a game as a baseline.
Is Russell Westbrook a top-10 guard all-time in NBA history?
As for today, Aug. 13, let’s review.
“Bonnie and Clyde” was released on this day in 1967.
Michael Phelps won three gold medals on this day in Beijing on this day in 2008.
Fidel Castro would have been 100 today.
DeMarcus Cousins is 36 today. Wow, thought he would have been older. Rushmore of cousins, and be creative. And remember the mailbag.