March 14, 2014
Best/Worst: Five Laws of Free Agency, the Goddamn Patriots, and the Hammer
The biggest story in sports this week was NFL free agency, and it was actually kind of great to have football back in our lives. Making fun of the Raiders and Browns, hating the Patriots out of blind jealousy, wondering how much methamphetamine it takes to keep Adam Schefter running on a daily basis. It […]
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Steve Nash at ‘The Finish Line’
Watch all the episodes of this exclusive Grantland series chronicling Steve Nash’s trying season with the Lakers, from grueling rehab and the frustrations of being a salary-cap figure to the glory of returning to the court and the reality of a devastating setback. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f60uvx2v_Ys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo7f93MlvEE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baR57TLvxhc Bill Simmons on Steve Nash approaching ‘The Finish Line’ […]
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Triangle Cheat Sheet: NCAA Tournament Sleepers
Looking at the tournament hopes of Texas, Southern Methodist, Nebraska, Arizona State, and Stephen F. Austin.
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NHL Grab Bag: Drop the Mike
Welcome to a weekly grab bag of thoughts and observations from the past few days and/or decades of NHL hockey.
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Liverpool: The ‘Seven Seconds or Less’ Suns of Soccer
This season, Liverpool have become as faithful a re-creation of those Suns teams as cross-sports comparisons will allow. Pair of dynamic scoring forwards? Check. Veteran creator and long-distance shooter with questionable defensive abilities running the team? Check. Entertaining, fast-paced style? Check.
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Who’s That Guy? Florida’s Chris Walker!
This top-15 player in 2013’s loaded recruiting class stepped on the court as a Gator for the first time on February 4. He hasn’t played big minutes in Billy Donovan’s deep rotation, but I wouldn’t put a Tyrus Thomas–esque tourney run past him, if we are dreaming the golden dreams of March.
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Spring Snapshot: ACC Football Check-in
Spring football is here! What’s new with defending champion FSU? How is Clemson preparing to replace Tajh Boyd? Has Bobby Petrino done anything awful at Louisville yet? Find out in the ACC edition of the Spring Snapshot.
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The Zen Master of Puppets: What Phil Jackson Can Do and the Knicks Must Do to Succeed
The Knicks don’t necessarily need a starry name. They need normalcy. They need a top-down shift in priorities and temperament, which is not the same thing as saying they need massive turnover in their front office and scouting staff. The Knicks are a national punch line, a caricature — the bumbling fat cat blowing someone else’s fortune on irrationally exuberant purchases that never work. But here’s the dirty little secret about the Knicks: They’re not dumb.
Read more“That Was Huge for Duke’s Street Credibility”
Mike Dunleavy Jr. will forever be known as “Dun-Dun.”
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NFL Free Agency, Day 3: Breakin’ Up
Two franchise stalwarts made their way toward the exit doors on Thursday, as Panthers wideout Steve Smith was cut after 13 seasons with the team, while 10-year Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork publicly requested to be released after the team reportedly asked him to restructure his contract.
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B.S. Report: Steve Nash (With Video!)
Steve Nash sits with Bill Simmons to talk about his difficult season with the Lakers, what went wrong last year with Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant, and what is next for him.
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About Last Night: A Madness Preview
In case you were out telling your clients not to use March Madness as a legal defense again this year, here are the six biggest stories you missed in sports on Thursday.
Read moreMarch 13, 2014
Margin Call: Analyzing College Basketball Teams Based on Their Win Projections
Analyzing the regular-season performance of college basketball teams has always been difficult. The vexing problem is how to determine whether a team performed below or above its abilities. It’s a question that seems to exist in a vacuum, because really, what standard could we hold a team to besides our preconceived notions from October, which […]
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MLB 19-Day Warning: Finally, It Looks Like Moose Season
As fellow homegrown talents like Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez broke through for Kansas City in 2013, Mike Moustakas continued to lag behind. If Moose can finally deliver this season, though, it’ll be a fun run for the Royals. And it’s looking like that might be the case.
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NO JUSTICE NO PEACE, TAKE TO THE STREETS, BRING BACK STEVE SMITH
For the record, we’re not technically out in the middle of the Charlotte streets picketing the Panthers for cutting Steve Smith today, but I promise you, everyone at Grantland is there in spirit.
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Who’s That Guy? Arizona’s Nick Johnson!
Johnson’s the linchpin for Arizona’s offense and was named Pac-12 Player of the Year, but he was also a candidate for the conference’s defensive player of the year award.
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Evaluating Teams on the NHL Playoff Bubble
It’s a little early to definitively declare anybody in or out — nobody has actually mathematically clinched anything. But there are 15 teams on the so-called bubble, which seems ridiculously excessive.
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NBA Shootaround: The Flying Lion!
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is back to help you keep track of it all. You’ll find takes on moments you might’ve missed from the previous night, along with those you will remember forever. #TheClippersWillWinTheWest Chris Ryan: I don’t know if I’ve fully come over to Sharp’s way of thinking on […]
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Men in Blazers: With Special Guest John Green!
The gents celebrate Wigan shocking Manchester City again and launch a search for a U.S. World Cup song. Nerdfighter John Green returns to guest.
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NFL Free Agency, Day 2: An Island Unto Himself
After Tuesday’s year-opening spending spree indiscriminately heaped barrels of cash on large, athletic men, Day 2 of free agency saw the league’s franchises begin to target the best remaining players available and pick off the last star-caliber player at a number of positions.
Read more‘The Finish Line,’ Episode 3: Steve Nash Reacts to the Backlash
In the third episode of an exclusive Grantland series chronicling Steve Nash’s trying season with the Lakers, he reveals his feelings about the media members and fans calling for his retirement, questioning his motives, and accusing him of being greedy.
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About Last Night: Speak the Truth
In case you were busy debating the difference between rebuilding and tanking, here are the top five stories you missed in sports on Wednesday.
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