Another very slow sports day on Tuesday (get here please, Spring Training and March Madness), but we’ll still cover some NBA trade deadline chatter, Ronda Rousey’s heartbreaking revelation on ‘Ellen’, and much more here at the Wednesday Cheat Sheet.
The NBA trade deadline is tomorrow, which of course means there are crazy rumors left and right
We’re one day away from the February 18th NBA trade deadline, and on Tuesday we had two trades to get the ball rolling.
The Orlando Magic traded Tobias Harris to the Detroit Pistons for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova. It was a very puzzling trade for Orlando, as The Comeback’s Alex Putterman writes:
On Tuesday, the rebuilding Magic traded the 23-year-old Harris for the expiring contracts of the 26-year-old Jennings and the 28-year-old Ilyasova. Harris, who is averaging 13.7 points and seven rebounds a game this season, is not only the youngest but also the best player in the deal, and reviews of the Magic’s end of the deal were pretty universally negative.
We also had the Charlotte Hornets getting veteran swingman Courtney Lee in a three-team trade.
But the big stories on the NBA trade deadline front are in regards to rumors about a couple superstars potentially getting dealt, in Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard.
We’ll start with Griffin… since his head coach Doc Rivers is already shooting down those rumors:
Doc Rivers said “We’re not trading Blake.”
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 16, 2016
Fair enough! Orlando Magic reporter David Baumann reported Tuesday night that the Magic had made an offer for Griffin that included Nikoa Vucevic and Aaron Gordon, but the Clippers said no:
*EXCLUSIVE* Source: @OrlandoMagic recently offered Vucevic & A. Gordon for @LAClippers‘ Blake Griffin (other assets involved). Offer denied. — David Baumann (@DavidBaumannORL) February 17, 2016
And then there’s Dwight Howard. ESPN’s Marc Stein reports that the Hornets have had “exploratory talks” with the Houston Rockets about Howard, but it doesn’t look like anything will get done there:
The Charlotte Hornets are among the teams to have expressed trade interest in Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Hornets and Rockets have held exploratory talks on a potential Howard deal since Houston made him available last week. But one source close to the talks expressed pessimism Tuesday that the sides will be able to find common ground on a deal.
These are just a couple of the many rumors out there right now, and it will be interesting to follow it all over these next two days. Odds are we won’t see any blockbuster trades, but there are definitely more notable players rumored to be being shopped — or that are least very much available — than is usually the case at the deadline.
Ronda Rousey says she considered suicide following loss to Holly Holm
Appearing Tuesday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ronda Rousey revealed that she had suicidal thoughts after her UFC 193 loss to Holly Holm (video in the link):
Rousey said, “I was literally sitting there and thinking about killing myself and that exact second I’m like ‘I’m nothing, what do I do anymore and no one gives a s–t about me anymore without this.’”
Yahoo Sports’ Eric Aldeson put it well in his column about Rousey’s revelation:
It’s heartbreaking. And it’s important. Few famous athletes are willing to describe the depths of despair after losing, and fewer still are willing to admit thoughts of suicide. Rousey has changed the standards of toughness in the sports world, earning admirers for winning in stunning fashion.
And Aldeson wonders if Rousey is returning to fighting too soon:
Rousey noted in the interview Tuesday that she had fought three times in the nine months leading up to the Holm fight, and here she is again scheduled for a rematch later this year. Why so soon?
Rousey isn’t the only one to face these kinds of demons. A lot of athletes, specifically Olympians, deal with depression or depression-like symptoms after the emotional rush of a lifetime challenge is over. Many roar back after considerable time off and some even rise to new career heights. That’s certainly Rousey’s plan, and many want to see her triumphant again.
But there’s a more important fight she has to wage every day, before and after she meets Holm. And for that, she deserves all the time and support she needs.
Bingo. No rush, Ronda.
Quick Hits
– College basketball action on Tuesday:
No. 25 Baylor beat No. 13 Iowa State 100-91 in overtime.
No. 24 Texas beat No. 10 West Virginia 85-78. Shaka Smart’s Longhorns are now 3-0 vs top-25 teams at home this year, and are 5-3 vs ranked teams overall on the season.
The play of the night in college hoops came in an SEC game between Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs’ Quinndary Weatherspoon hit a three at the buzzer to take down Vandy, and people in attendance very much enjoyed it:
– New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo is retiring at the age of 29. Mayo was a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker who had a damn solid NFL career, but was a likely cap casualty of the Patriots this offseason, and had dealt with injuries over the last few years.
– Manny Machado wins Best of Breed at Westminster Dog Show. No, not the actual Baltimore Orioles star third baseman, but a dog named after him.
– Welp, this is certainly being honest: Manu Ginobili says “I don’t know if there’s a way” to beat the Warriors. And he plays on the team (San Antonio Spurs) we’ve thought would have the best chance to challenge the Warriors in the playoffs.
– Aaron Gordon has Olympic high jump medal hops.
– Holy crap: 14-year-old girl impaled by basketball court after diving on floor. This story is nuts, and thankfully it appears the girl will be okay.
– Trampoline dunk accidentally destroys church backboard.
– Ruben Tejada is still waiting for an apology from Chase Utley after the dirty slide that broke Tejada’s leg in the Mets-Dodgers National League Division Series.
– This is the most blatant hockey dive you’ll ever see.
– Texas Rangers offer season tickets to fans who can hit home run.
– The intramural basketball game that saved Bill Walton’s career.
– Pee-wee Herman returns in the Pee-wee’s Big Holiday trailer. I don’t know how to respond to this news, and especially after seeing the trailer of this Netflix-only movie. And I was borderline obsessed with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure as a kid.
– The beer fountain of your dreams is being built in Europe.
One last breath of gratuitous procrastination
This is biking down an abandoned bobsled track (apparently from the 1984 Olympics), and it looks awesome.
