It's actually been pretty impressive how some people around the NBA comment-sphere STILL insist on saying Russ is an irresponsible gunner while ignoring 40 efficient points and 10 assists. He's an insane person, and the definition of unconventional, but how you can see that stat line, and watch how big he gets in…

Question from just last week: a group of five kids of three races and both genders in high school jackets with those white-face masks (like, they are a full-face, with nose and mouth, otherwise featureless, with slits for the eyes and no other openings) pushed up atop their heads in a position where they could be…

This one is easy: a guy who doesn't write about hip-hop and doesn't know much about the genre (but owns every Roots record! and has opinions on Jay-Z!) tried desperately to work out an insightful thought about a popular band he can't automatically put in a rock critic box. The Roots have been around for years and…

Watch that clip without the sound on. The combo of his awful voice and melty-face feels weird when you can hear the words, but it's just hilarious without any. He looks like a seven-year-old telling some wild, bald-faced lie with a wide-eyed enthusiasm at the prospect of getting away with it, and the nearby adults…

I defend the Harden trade vociferously, but not getting someone back to fill in for this exact situation here is where it gets them in trouble. So long as their three best players stay healthy, the Thunder can beat pretty much anybody. But last year and what's about to happen here show that if one of them goes down,…

An important distinction on the "questionable out of bounds call" in the OKC-LAC game: that call was made correctly. They changed the rule recently to a "hand is part of the ball" situation, where if Matt Barnes slaps Reggie Jackson's hand to jar a ball loose, but Jackson touches the ball last as a matter of…

Doesn't qualify because the contract was signed after the lockout. Detroit never used it in the first place, and no longer have any players on whom they may use it. There are only ten remaining players available for amnesty, and pretty much the only one that a team might use is the Bulls on Carlos Boozer. Maaaaaaybe…

There's no way Lebron boycotts the season, but I wouldn't be too shocked if he boycotts games against the Clippers. Even if it took a fake injury he went over with Spo and Riles beforehand. No one's telling that guy what to do, probably ever again.

Ah, rock and roll. You motherfuckers get awful deep sometimes down here...

What else would he call them?

I like Monroe, but I just don't see how someone like SVG, given a blank check and clean slate, will look at the big man log-jam and say, "You know what? I'm cool with this." It would make more sense to get rid of Smoove, but a team has to be willing to take him first. For Monroe, on the other hand, they could clean…

My guess is Monroe ends up somewhere like Phoenix, Josh Smith slides to the four full-time, and Brandon Jennings ends up either as the backup PG or manning the controls for a team not trying to be very good. SVG excels at turning dudes without a lot of baggage or expectation into solid contributors. Monroe's probably…

After what happened at the end of that one Golden State game where he fouled Curry (hand on elbow and hip check on potential game-winning three), I wouldn't be shocked to find out referees are now watching him with greater detail on this specific type of play. He does all kinds of random cheap shit throughout a game…

Was in the building for this one. We expected it to be dead, but the building was actually half-full and the crowd surprisingly live (they have a fun give-away going now where you get a ticket to any of the last three home games and a Giannis t-shirt for $15). Entertaining in the way low-level punk and garage rock can…

The error in that first sentence an ironic leave-in?

Incorrect. Calipari is a waiter saying, "The special is Halibut, but don't get it, it's only on special because it's about to turn. The heavy sauce is to hide the spoiled taste. Get the pork chops instead, they're always good."

Brandon Knight should be seen as a noble warrior for attempting that challenge, something a guy like James Harden wouldn't do in a million fucking years. He's been great in Milwaukee this year (somewhere north of 10K times more worthy of attention and affection than Brandon Jennings), and, though he's still got a lot…

That is an almost-exact description of Archie's. Best place ever.

Agreed. Happened to my all-time favorite bar, this place in Nashville my wife and I used to live by. Cheap beer, free darts, great jukebox, but then it became where you had to be in there by 6 PM or there wasn't any point. Total bullshit.

Fuck yes, my friend. I don't live there any more, but the only places I could stand to be in my three years of living in Chicago were small, old bars with people there to do something other than what everybody else was doing. My favorites: Archie's (lived across the street), The Chipp Inn, Club Foot, Innertown Pub,…