Good morning, it’s Anthony Bennett’s revenge tour
Today in GMIB: Bennett goes nuts (for Bennett), Durant and LeBron stay winning, Mark Jackson blames the media for his tiff with Andrew Bogut, The East standings In Haiku and more.
Good morning. Let’s basketball.
ANTHONY BENNETT’S WORLD: The maligned rookie broke out with a career-best in both points (19) and rebounds (10). He hit all three triples he shot. Chris Grant’s Revenge! Oh, and the Cavaliers destroyed the Kings for a third straight win in the post-Grant era.
MORE SCORES: Rapid-fire style. Kevin Durant stays winning and the Thunder beat the Blazers. LeBron did work too, leading the Heat over the Suns in the Thermodynamic Bowl. The Bobcats beat the Mavs to stay in the playoff bracket (!). Joakim Noah with the triple-double as the Bulls beat the Hawks. Bradley Beal went nuts, but the Grizzlies held off the Wizards in Memphis. The Lakers and Jazz played and someone had to win, it’s in the rules, we checked.
PIERRE IN RECOVERY: The Pelicans released a photo of Pierre in recovery, with his new beak bandaged. This turned out to be amazing grist for Photoshop. Do read the comments, too.
COLD WATER ON CONSPIRACY THEORIES: Carmelo Anthony claims players do not actually plot free agency moves and trade demands during All-Star break. THAT’S WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO BELIEVE. Stay vigilant.
PARSING PARSONS: The Rockets have a weird contract situation ahead with Chandler Parsons. How should they resolve it? The Hook advises that they should put it off as long as possible.
THE EAST PLAYOFF BRACKET AS OF TODAY IN HAIKU: Pacers, Heat at top / Then Raps, Bulls, Hawks, Wiz and Nets / No. 8? Bobcats!
WARRIORS LURKIN’: The great Sam Amick reports that the Warriors are ready to make a deal, and could use one of their trade exceptions.
SMOOVE MASS: Is Josh Smith in Boston a good idea for anyone?
TRADE PARTY: Zach Lowe matches up buyers and sellers.
AIR BABIES: MJ’s wife Yvette gave birth to the couple’s twins on Tuesday. Coming to a WNBA Draft near you in 2035.
HAND DOWN, MAN DOWN: Mark Jackson said something inelegant about Andrew Bogut’s shoulder the other day. When Bogut reacted appropriately, instead of owning it and retracting it, Jackson blamed the media for twisting his words. Another day at the office.
LEBRON DUNK CONTEST CONTINUES: King James drops the most casual breakaway windmill ever. He has also declared he will be on the NBA’s Mt. Rushmore some day. (Someone should totally build/carve an NBA Mt. Rushmore.)
OH KNICKS: New York is still trying to swap Shump for Faried. Surely that will fix the team.
THIS DAY IN OPEN LETTERS: A plea from Cavs fans requesting that Detroit native Dan Gilbert not hire Joe Dumars this offseason.
INJURY PARTY: Kevin Martin is out 2-3 weeks with a busted thumb. Larry Sanders won’t be back this week.
SMH ALERT: Spencer Hall’s dog rankings are all horribly wrong. Labs below chihuahuas? Rotties at 170 out of 171? What a joke. #StickToSports.
Happy Wednesday. See you next time.
