It’s NBA trade deadline week!
I’ll say this now and remind you later, but always be sure those tweets you see flying around on your timeline are accompanied by a blue checkmark. Otherwise, you may regret it quickly. Sunday night was a good first test for this week.
West wins highest scoring NBA All-Star Game history
Eventually, a team is going to hit 200 points in an NBA All-Star Game. On Sunday night in New Orleans, the West came within eight points of the elusive 200-point mark in the the highest-scoring NBA All-Star Game in the history of the league. Behind hometown hero Anthony Davis’ record-setting 52-point performance, the West pulled away from the East in a 192-182 victory. Davis, playing before his home crowd in New Orleans, took home the MVP honors.
With a new #NBAAllStar record 52 points, @AntDavis23 of the @PelicansNBA is named #KiaAllStarMVP! pic.twitter.com/DxT0zlrLjX
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2017
AD caps off his record setting night with the #NBAAllStar Play of the Night powered by @JBLaudio! pic.twitter.com/jLFvgIlV8K
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2017
I don’t like to get too carried away with records set in all-star games, because they simply are not played the same way a game should be. I’m not going to rip the lack of defense though (I’ll leave that for the cranky old-school sportswriters who forget Wilt Chamberlain was putting up 40 points in games with 130-150 points being scored by each team too). We all know this particular all-star game is essentially just an opportunity to watch the league’s best players show off their skills each trip down the court without any threat of defense. And of course, there were plenty of highlights to show.
As is often the case in an all-star game, a chance for old teammates to create some killer combos was put on display. Russell Westbrook had a good night reuniting with former Oklahoma City Thunder teammates James Harden…
#JamesHarden connects with #RussellWestbrook for #TeamWEST!@AdidasHoops #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/c5hu969RrA
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2017
… and Kevin Durant, of course.
That Durant-Westbrook combo sure got the West team in an early celebration mood Sunday night. Given the history between those two,
Yes, LeBron James was there too.
What universe is LeBron from? #DefendTheLand pic.twitter.com/fNBMNUfRYu
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2017
They say #LeBronJames is a pass-first superstar. #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/8xZrK4EwJq
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2017
#LeBronJames can ball. #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/rMAWYoJiG7
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2017
The NBA does know how to put on a show, even if the slam dunk contest continues to drag on longer than it should as players attempt to bring DJs and drones into the stunts. When the biggest takeaway from all-star weekend is the fact Kyrie Irving is all in on being a flat Earth truther, either Irving’s point is being proven or the NBA could benefit from spicing things up a bit. The bets part of the weekend had to be the Saturday night fund-raiser for the Sager Strong Foundation in honor of the late Craig Sager.
The all-star game heads to Los Angeles in 2018, and here is the logo for the game…
We're going back to Cali… check out the #NBAAllStar logo for 2018 in Los Angeles! pic.twitter.com/ea09BklBHD
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2017
Sacramento trades DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans
As the all-star game was humming along, so were the trade rumors. With the trade deadline coming up later this week, the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings appeared to be ramping up discussions about a possible trade involving DeMarcus Cousins.
Kings have had recent discussions with New Orleans on Cousins, sources tell @TheVertical. Sac still debating Cousins' future internally.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) February 19, 2017
Sources: Divac delivered to owner Sunday what front office believes are two best Cousins trade proposals. Of course, @Vivek has final say.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) February 20, 2017
The Kings are strongly considering New Orleans' trade offer of two first-round picks and Buddy Hield for DeMarcus Cousins, ESPN sources say
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 20, 2017
Sources: Kings, Lakers discussed parameters on Cousins deal in past 48 hours, but Sacramento ended talks in late afternoon. Pels are focus.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) February 20, 2017
Then, the trade was made and Cousins could forget about having to pack his bags to leave town on Sunday night.
Sacramento has agreed to trade DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans, league source tells @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) February 20, 2017
Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and a future first- and second-round to Sacramento for DeMarcus Cousins, league sources say
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 20, 2017
Pelicans trade Hield, Evans, Galloway, their 2017 1st rnd pick (1-3 protected) 2017 76ers 2nd rnd pick to Kings for Cousins, Casspi I'm told
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) February 20, 2017
Cousins knew something was going on, because he noticed a few more people gathering around him at the all-star game.
Cousins when he sat down postgame: "There must be some good shit going on. I don’t ever get this much media."
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) February 20, 2017
RT @BenGolliver: "Man, give me a break. I just need one All-Star where it's All-Star questions." DeMarcus Cousins on trade rumors pic.twitter.com/ykXSQnZjyM
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 20, 2017
This is a good time to remind you all to look for those blue checkmarks on those Twitter profiles this week. Retweet wisely!
Quick Hits
Meanwhile, in China, Jimmer Fredette scored 73 points in a double-overtime loss in the Chinese Basketball Association. The former first-round draft pick still only managed to score the fourth-highest single-game point total in CBA history.
Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari is not happy with the way some of his fellow coaches are treated by athletic directors, and he may be absolutely correct.
Basketball in Greece is more extreme than any game you’ve been to…
The qualifiers for the Daytona 500 went down on Sunday, with Chase Elliott edging Dale Earnhardt Jr. with a good final lap to take his second straight pole for the race. Regardless of the outcome, Hendrick Motorsports and Chevy get the top two spots in the Daytona 500.
Back in 2014, the Boston Red Sox paid Cuban import Rusney Castillo $72.5 million. Entering the 2017 season, the Castillo gamble has yet to pay off and the outlook continues to look not-so-flattering given the rise of other prospects and a lack of production in the minors.
Former Phillies pitcher Brett Myers has focused on a career in country music, and he’s hoping to play in front of a Philadelphia crowd even if half the crowd came out to see him suck. “That’s the way Philly is and I am perfectly OK with it.”
Speaking of Philly, remember when New Jersey governor Chris Christie took a jab at Philadelphia last week? Well, Mike Trout has come to the defense of the City of Brotherly Love.
Alabama fan creates petition to have offensive coordinator’s name changed.
Nintendo’s new console, the Nintendo Switch, is due for a launch on March 3 but early looks at the user interface and unboxing have been shared on the internet by one person who claimed to have received the console from someone. But Nintendo says the system was stolen and has since been returned to the company.
Fans of comic book movies should be on the lookout for an upcoming trailer for Justice League. Zack Snyder says a new one is “coming soon.” With Wonder Woman due out on June 2 and Justice League coming to theaters on November 17, it makes sense we will get an updated look at DC’s answer to The Avengers soon. In the meantime, we have this awesome scene from Batman v. Superman dubbed over with the new hit song from The LEGO: Batman Movie.
In cool things that happened in science before the United States’ education system went completely down the crapper, this SpaceX rocket booster successfully landed.
SpaceX’s rocket booster successfully lands minutes after lifting off from NASA’s historic moonshot pad. https://t.co/iaN9l0LnVx pic.twitter.com/8nTNMlcRsr
— ABC News (@ABC) February 19, 2017
Ever wanted to be a politician? The University of Washington has just the course for you.
One last gratuitous moment of procrastination
You have to know when you can get away with a little showmanship and when to stop pretending you are the next Muhammad Ali.