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Most recently published stories in Unbalanced.
The Veto That Changed the NBA: How the League Would Look with Chris Paul as a Laker — Part II
In this different dimension where David Stern doesn’t play puppet master and lets this trade go through, the Lakers are far from the bottom-feeding laughing stock they currently are. They are able to dump the contracts of Gasol and Odom, leaving them room for Howard. Kobe and Howard would still have the issue of needing touches on a consistent basis, but they finally have the man for the job. If CP3 can make DeAndre Jordan into an 80 million dollar man, then imagine what he could’ve done with Howard. With a team like this, Mike Brown may have been able to last more than 10% of the season. Paul has the record and the statistics to give himself the push he needs to be a legitimate MVP candidate. With the proper facilitator in place, Howard doesn’t bump heads with Kobe, and ends up enjoying the bright lights of LA, ending his short stint as a coach killer with just one body count.
Dan O'SheaPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedChris Sale Is on the Cusp of History
I am touching sacred ground here, but Chris Sale is approaching 1999 Pedro Martinez levels right now. The fellow Boston righty strikes out a lot of people as you are well aware, I’m sure. He’s also incredible at not walking batters either. This year, he’s posted a K% of 36.1% and a BB% of 4.7% for a K-BB% of 31.4%. Were the season to end today it’d be the second highest single season mark (amongst starters) of all time, only behind 1999 Pedro Martinez (33.1% K-BB%).
Owen McGrattanPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedZack Greinke and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year
Zack Greinke had one of the most dominating stretches in baseball history with the Dodgers. In his three-and-a-bit years with the Boys in Blue, Greinke went 51-15 (that’s a .773 W-L%!) with a 2.30 ERA, 2.97 FIP, and a 1.027 WHIP. In his 2015 season, he went 19–3 with a 1.66 ERA — the lowest in a single season since Greg Maddux pitched to a 1.63 ERA in 1995.
John EdwardsPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedDevils At the Deadline
There was a lot of back-and-forth discussion in the Devils community about what New Jersey’s trade deadline approach would be. On the one hand, they don’t seem good enough to be a serious playoff contender. On the other hand, the playoff race in the East has been open, and even with just 62 points the Devils sit seven back of Toronto for the second wild card spot. There could be solid arguments for either buying or selling.
Kyle VandenbergPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedLonnie Chisenhall: Flyball Connoisseur
Flyballs. It’s the sabermetric and baseball buzzword for the year and for good reason. Flyballs can transform careers, making players into offensive juggernauts. But there is always a breaking point and a balance to be found for each and every player.
Owen McGrattanPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedThe Slippery Slope That Is the Start of Lonzo Ball’s Career
There are some years where the first few picks of the NBA Draft are already a foregone conclusion. Whether we see a three person, two person, or even one person draft where only the top pick is the real crown jewel of the draft, we often know how the draft will start. This year, Markelle Fultz is pretty much already buying season tickets at Fenway and bringing up the score “28–3” once a day, as he’s destined to go to Boston. At one point it looked like Lakers’ pick at No. 2 was already written in stone, but Lonzo Ball has been going downhill ever since he lost in the Sweet 16.
Dan O'SheaPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedThis Is What the Dodgers Were Built For
(All stats through 6/18)* Pitchers are ever so delicate beings. There is nothing that should be expected when it comes to pitcher durability. Even the best of them, like Clayton Kershaw, break down or catch some bad luck from time to time.
Owen McGrattanPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedRookies to Watch in 2017
It’s finally that time of the year — baseball season. There’s a handful of rookies in both the American and National League that are sure to make an impact at the big league level in 2017. Let’s take a look at a few of these future stars.
Quinn AllenPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedSo About That Cubs Dynasty
The 2016 Cubs were something remarkable. For everything that the World Series brought to Cubs fans, I’m sure it meant so much more when talk of a dynasty was present from both traditional and saber analysts. And why not? An incredibly young core of position players headlined by the reigning league MVP and a 103 win season is freaking amazing.
Owen McGrattanPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedAdam Eaton is Not a Centerfielder (Or a closer, for that matter)
This offseason, after their trade proposal for Chris Sale fell through, the Washington Nationals decided to pull the trigger on a different deal with the White Sox: OF Adam Eaton in exchange for SP Lucas Giolito, SP Reynaldo Lopez, and SP Dane Dunning.
John EdwardsPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedAndrew Triggs: The Most Underrated Pitcher on the Most Underrated Staff
For most of you reading this I’m sure the last time you said anything about the A’s, you put your GM hat on and concluded that the Josh Donaldson trade wasn't a good one after he won the MVP award. Wow what a great analysis there, you should work in baseball! Or you noticed that Khris Davis hit 42 HRs last year and thought “Huh, neat,” and moved on with your life.
Owen McGrattanPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedWhich NBA Finals Stars Deserve Their Own Team?
It’s hard to figure out what’s more disheartening at this point in the common NBA fan’s life- the fact that there’s no meaningful basketball on until the end of October, or that we just finished a relatively unentertaining NBA Finals that will likely feature the same matchup for the next few years. While you dive into NBA Classics or binge on 30 for 30s, you could console yourself with the thought that these teams might not actually feature the same rosters as early as next year.
Dan O'SheaPublished 7 years ago in Unbalanced