I like Barkley, and I know he’s there, in part, to play the “clown” to Smith’s “straight man” (where Shaq fits in in this equation, I’ll never know). But he really does have some interesting insights here and there, and he’s nothing if not refreshingly honest on occasion.

I think it was pretty obvious from the clip that is what he meant. It doesn’t feel right to watch someone publicly grieve like that and then all of a sudden have to flip a switch and entertain people.

I’m maybe (actually, “probably”) giving Barkley too much credit here, but I took his comments to mean “we shouldn’t be sitting here looking in at his grief. It’s wrong, this guy needs to be with his family, not thrust into being a spectacle for thousands in person, and millions on TV.” Which is how I felt. Maybe he…

Deadspin pal Kyle Wagner has a great piece up over at FiveThirtyEight about how much more absurd and revolutionary Russell Westbrook’s year has been than even partisans like us would have it. Go check it out. [FiveThirtyEight]

And people laughed at me for not dropping him from my fantasy team.

Well now maybe he can move on in peace with his life . . . sentence.

You gotta admit, the change from carrying the helmets to wearing them is probably a net positive.

This was a really special team. They were sitting at 11 and goddamn 30 with no hope of a turnaround and every excuse to quit, in a league that has gotten to the point where tanking on one end and resting players on the other is encouraged. The NBA landscape is ripe for teams to give up individual games and entire…

Hitler didn’t even sink to missing the playoffs.

This wasn’t even the most excruciating press conference in the past two days.

Everytime I see the name Alex Mack

One might say the position they’re worst at selecting is GM.

Sleeper pick for the worst pick of this bunch? Justin Gilbert. Yes, he was bad in the way all Browns picks are bad—he was lousy at football and out of the league before his rookie contract expired—but just look at the next NINE picks in that first round: Anthony Barr, Eric Ebron, Taylor Lewan, Odell Beckham, Aaron…

Remember, Mel Kuiper told you everyone on that list was a can’t-miss NFL starter (at the worst) before the draft.

2008 really sticks out for being the one draft in which Cleveland had no first-round busts.

The most surprising thing about this list is that six of them were good picks. I would never have guessed the number was that high.

By 26 you mean 42.

Having watching this game a ton of calls in the last minutes went Atlanta’s way. Like that push off from lebron