It is 10 p.m. in the Eastern time zone of the United States and the U.S. Men’s National Team will not be in next year’s World Cup. This is the first World Cup that the United States has missed since 1986. This situation is truly depressing, disastrous, inexcusable, untimely, and, yet, entirely predictable. Continue reading WHO EVEN HAS BeIN?!?!?!
With the NBA Draft in the rear view mirror, the NBA offseason is now in full swing. We have already seen one major trade in the Butler/Levine blockbuster, but many more may be on the horizon. Combining that with some major players announcing their intentions of becoming free agents, i.e. Blake Griffin and CP3, tees up these next few months for major moves that could reshape the NBA landscape. Hunter and Zander had a quick take exchange in light of the most recent news.
Z: Now where is Blake trying to go?
H: Memphis. You heard it here first.
Honestly, I think the Cavs should K-Love trade for cap space and maybe a better SG and then sign Blake.
Z: CP3 is also going to opt out.
If the Cavs got CP3, Kyrie could go to the 2, which is closer to his true position.
H: That would be nuts. I think CP3 is set for Spurs though
Z: #rememberthebananaboat
H: Melo coming then? And Wade?
Z: Not Melo, but the Bulls would love to get rid of Wade’s contract and would probably do a trade for KLove. A straight up trade works in the trade machine, but I would expect some more going to Cleveland.
H: Lavine
Z: I do not know the rules on trading a player you just acquired via trade, but him being a defensive minus would make that addition a little less likely.
D-Wade would likely opt out of his contract if he was traded and sign a more friendly deal so that the Cavs have enough room for CP3.
H: Only rule is that you can’t be traded after PLAYING for 2 teams in same season. So he’s fine.
Z: Oh. Well, there is still the option that the Cavs trade KLove for PG13. If they got him and signed CP3. Warriors/Cavs IV would be an amazing series.
H: But if Pacers take that deal (assuming they don’t work a 3rd team on to get some more talent) they would be stupid. K Love stinks.
Z: The Cers would need more, but getting some for PG is better than nothing. Pritchard is getting thrown into the deep end for his tenure.
H: No kidding. Starting to think Bird just didn’t wanna deal with it.
Z: That is entirely possible. I would have gotten out of his position if I saw this coming.
H: There’s no winning here. Unless the Pacers just absolutely trade rob someone, fans won’t be happy.
Z: I think that KLove’s in Indy would be considerably better than in Cleveland. I think a lineup with him and Turner could have some really good spacing and shooting.
Looking at the Cers and there some really bad contracts on here.
H: Need to get a better SG. And someone to replace George’s scoring ability. Trade George for Greek Freak and whatever else they want.
Z: There is a zero percent chance the Greek Freak will be traded. He is still on his Rookie contract.
H: Turner, George, Leaf and bingo we have a deal.
Z: Crazy trade that will never happen, but works mathematically.
H: Would never happen, but honestly… think it would be great for all teams involved.
Z: I think the Pacers and Cavs would say yes, but it goes against the current mindset of the Bucks to do this trade.
I don’t get how every team gets significantly “worse”.
H: That part makes no sense to me either.
Z: I’ll just chalk it up to the ridiculous ESPN power rankings in general.
H: Those are so dumb.
Photo: NBA.com
In the days of tax reform and the talk of investing in the U.S. economy, another long term entanglement of the United States is looking less fruitful. President Trump has stated that he intends to make major cuts in the U.S. United Nations budget. This, like much of everything that he does, garnered the ire of his opponents. They leveled platitudes about the importance of the world body and the good it does against the proposal, claiming that the cuts would lessen the United States’ international reputation and could impede its personal diplomatic efforts. The administration pushed back by pointing at the U.N.’s cost overruns, relative inefficiency, and lack of return on investment. The Trump administrations budget has not been fully released, established, or debated, but the qualms of the administration and of their opponents are both plainly visible. Continue reading Poor Investments: Is the U.S. Getting Their Money’s Worth of the U.N.?
CONCACAF announced that there would be a joint bid for the 2026 World Cup by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Hunter and Zander have already made their feelings on the issue known in Episode Fifteen of the MMITM podcast, but there were some interesting developments that make it better. They had a back and forth on the news and developments. Continue reading Great Textversations: 4/10/17 – The 2026 Joint World Cup Bid
*Editor’s note: This article was largely written before reports that Russia had foreknowledge of the Syrian chemical attack.
After April 30th, Bashar al-Assad appeared to be safe in his position as President of Syria. Nikki Haley, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., said that the United States was not focusing on his removal, and Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, stated that his future would be made by the people of Syria. Those statements made few waves, seeing as it was more or less in line with President Trump’s campaign stance of non-intervention in the Middle East, and it seemed that the Syrian Civil War would continue on without deviation, but Assad had been emboldened. Last Tuesday, Assad called for an chemical air strike on a rebel held town. Continue reading The Syrian Issues
The USWNT and US Soccer settled their wage dispute and CONCACAF is talking about a three country bid for the 2026 World Cup. Hunter and Zander have some feelings about this and let them be known in this episode. Check it out.
Check out the MMITM into/outro music by our friends, Hales Corner, here: Garden Views – Hales Corner
How did you like that game last night? Yeah, us too. Hunter and Zander breakdown that foul-fest of a National Championship game in a pointedly focused episode.
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Check out the MMITM into/outro music by our friends, Hales Corner, here: Garden Views – Hales Corner
Ace 17+ PURECONTROL:
The Ace 17+ headlines the pack with a trio of versions. The Stadium is seen above and the Cage is largely the same. The Street version is considerably different beyond the obvious in that the color is almost entirely grey. There are no outright new techs, but the Purecut sock, full Primeknit upper, and Boost sole have all been updated and further refined. Continue reading New Release: Adidas Turbocharge Pack
Nike released a pleasant new color pack today for four of their most popular boots today. The Motion Blur Pack, released March 30th, includes new vibrant color ways for the Mercurial Superfly, Hypervenom Phantom 3, Magista Obra 2, and Tiempo Legend VI. Continue reading New Release: Nike Motion Blur Pack
Just before the US men’s national team took the field against Panama, Hunter and Zander had a back and forth about the lack of available broadcasting for important qualifiers and how to make American soccer better. Continue reading Great Textversations: 3/28/17 – USMNT & MLS
