Good morning, the Spurs keep on winning
That and much more in Wednesday’s NBA newsletter.
Good morning. Let’s basketball.
OF COURSE THE SPURS: San Antonio hired retiring WNBA star Becky Hammon as an assistant coach. She becomes the league’s first full-time female coach. (In 2001-02, Lisa Boyer, a current South Carolina assistant, who a volunteer part-time assistant with the Cavaliers.) Paul Flannery explains this as an example as to why the Spurs are so progressive.
SPOILER ALERT: Mark Cuban doesn’t like FIBA. Here’s why. (I think Harvey Araton also knocked it out of the park.)
GOOD GRAVY: Actually, “no gravy” is more like it. LeBron committed to arriving in Cleveland much lighter than he’d been in Miami. The photo evidence is stunning.
WHAT THE SIXERS WANT: Philly could help facilitate the expected Love-to-Cleveland trade. Here’s what they could get out of it.
FREE ASSOCIATION BRANDING: There’s some merit to Joe Mande’s idea of free associating new team names based on the geographic identifier each franchise uses. I’m a big fan of Memphis Ribs, Chicago Buildings and Minnesota Malls, for example.
WHEN MASCOTS GO WRONG: I’m all for mascot japes, but this whole thing -- in which Wizards mascot G-Wiz does a send-up of a Wizards Girl audition during the Wizards Girl auditions -- is pretty yeesh, especially when the blue thingamajig faux primps himself in front of a fake mirror. The big reveal at the end is just ... what?! Bad mascot. (Via Steinberg.)
DID YOU KNOW: Scottie Pippen believes himself to be the greatest ever. (In a commercial.)
AWESOME: A group of fifth-graders tell the media that the media doesn’t know Chicago. The letter is great.
Happy Wednesday. See you next time.
