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Spurs disbanding all-female dance team in favor of co-ed hype team

By Kurt HelinMay 21, 2018, 8:39 PM EDT
7 Comments

Is this the wave of the future?

Since then newly-minted owner Jerry Buss started the Laker Girls’ in 1979, all-female dance teams have become standard around the NBA. However, with how things are now viewed through the prism of the #metoo movement, and reports on how NFL cheerleaders were treated in places such as Washington and Miami, a lot of professional sports teams are re-thinking the concept of female dance teams.

The Spurs are apparently doing away with theirs, to be replaced by a 35-person co-ed “hype team.”

The Spurs have not said officially that this is the end of the Silver Dancers. “Lack of interest” is an odd reason to give — is there suddenly less interest now than there was five years ago? A number of teams have both female dance teams and co-ed “spirit” or “hype” teams.

Far more likely, this is about perception in what is a conservative state and marketplace.

The question is will this become a trend, both around the NBA and professional sports. As the teams try to evolve and make more dynamic their in-arena experiences, are the dance teams going to fade from view?

Just something to keep and eye on going forward.

Carmelo Anthony on his role with Rockets: “Let’s just let it play out”

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By Kurt HelinAug 14, 2018, 6:40 PM EDT
1 Comment

From the moment it became clear Carmelo Anthony was going to join the Rockets — which was a long time before he actually signed the contract on Monday — the questions started:

Would he accept a reduced role with the Rockets? Maybe come off the bench? Be Olympic ‘Melo and blend in with the team?

Coach Mike D’Antoni said he spoke with Anthony and said the player is open to coming off the bench, but he’s not sure what ‘Melo’s role will be. When ambushed by TMZ trying to walk to his car, Anthony said basically the same thing.

“Let’s just let it play out, though. I don’t even know what’s going on. I just signed, let it start first.”

Anthony coming off the bench, being the fulcrum of the offense when James Harden and Chris Paul are on the bench makes some sense (CP3 and Harden are better and more efficient shot creators than Anthony at this point). It’s a chance for Anthony to get his touches and help the other two rest. However, the idea of Anthony starting the first and third quarters and getting heavy touches then but sitting more later is not out of the question.

At the end of close games, D’Antoni is more likely to lean on James Ennis — a long, switchable defender who can shoot threes in the Trevor Ariza mold — than Anthony. It will be just a better fit. Will Anthony roll with that? Will it cause problems in the locker room?

Let’s just let it play out.

The time Andre Drummond taped Spencer Dinwiddie to a chair under cold shower

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By Dan FeldmanAug 14, 2018, 6:00 PM EDT
5 Comments

Remember when the NBA cracked down on hazing?

It was 2013, and the Miami Dolphins were in the midst of a bullying scandal. The NBA wanted to avoid similar problems.

But enforcement of the NBA’s guidelines was clearly fleeting, a temporary overreaction to the Dolphins’ issues.

By the very next season Andre Drummond and the Pistons were hazing rookie Spencer Dinwiddie.

Kristian Winfield of SB Nation:

Dinwiddie:

Thankfully, Dinwiddie appears to take this in good fun. Context matters, and if the team welcomed him overall, this could be just a harmless prank.

And Dinwiddie has gotten revenge – flourishing with the Nets, including hitting a game-winner at Detroit last season.

Magic Johnson posts low-quality video of his birthday party, Lonzo Ball offers to get him an iPhone

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By Dan FeldmanAug 14, 2018, 4:39 PM EDT
6 Comments

LeBron James sent Magic Johnson an ardent happy-birthday tweet last year. Then, LeBron eventually provided the best gift imaginable – signing with Johnson’s Lakers.

I think Johnson is having a good 59th birthday today. But I can’t say for certain – because the video he posted is pixelated and has distorted audio:

That prompted Lonzo Ball to tweet:

Ha!

That’d be a pretty nice gift. But I don’t think it’ll endear Ball over LeBron.

Jimmy Butler disses agent, trainer, chef, commenter – not Timberwolves teammates – on Instagram

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By Dan FeldmanAug 14, 2018, 3:22 PM EDT
3 Comments

There’s reportedly friction between Jimmy Butler and his Timberwolves teammates, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns.

It’s not hard to see why. Butler pulled himself up from the bottom and has developed an understanding of how he got here. He has shown little patience for those who don’t match his work ethic and competitiveness. The younger Wiggins and Towns are former No. 1 picks who seem too content at times.

Anyway, Butler posted this photo to Instagram:

Butler appears to be talking – almost certainly in jest – about his trainer (Chris Johnson), agent (Bernie Lee) and chef (Christian Bowman). After all, those three are behind him in the picture.

A commenter brought up Wiggins and Towns, saying Butler should lead those two, and Butler shot back:

This has gotten spun into evidence of strife in Minnesota. I don’t see it. That strikes me as a retort to the commenter, not a shot at Wiggins and Towns.

Besides, if you’re looking for evidence of the Timberwolves’ internal problems, there’s more than enough elsewhere.