Team USA routs Venezuela, 80-45, in sloppy exhibition

By Mark Bacon

The USA took on Venezuela Friday night at the United Center in Chicago, coming away with a convincing 80-45 triumph. Despite the margin of victory, the U.S. team was anything but a smooth functioning unit, as the team struggled to shoot the ball consistently against the overmatched Venezuelans.

"Tonight, I thought Venezuela played very hard against us,” noted Team USA Coach Mike Krzyzewski. “They did something that we need to be ready for, that is, they make you play defense for 20 seconds on every exchange. They are trying to take away more possessions, and trying to take time off the clock. It was that type of game… Obviously we didn't hit shots or complete plays as well as we could, but you have to give them credit for that. The way they tried to use the tempo of the game. They’re very smart and very well coached. I’m proud of my team. We played hard for 40 minutes. We’re playing defense right to the very end. That is what I am looking for. The fact that the ball wasn't going in, and they were playing good defense against us didn’t stop us from giving a really quality effort, especially on the boards and the defensive end."

Carmelo Anthony, until now, one of the team’s go-to shooters in Rio next month, struggled finding his range on the floor. Anthony made just 2-of-10 shots from the floor and missed all four of his shots from beyond the arc. Anthony finished with seven points, and added nine rebounds, one assist, one blocked shots and one steal.

Chicago Bulls star Jimmy Butler, who earned a starting role, also had a rough day on his home court. He made his first shot of the night when he hit a long jumper and he also brought the crowd to its feet when he finished off a volleyball series of taps by the USA and slammed home a spectacular dunk on his last shot of the game. However, Butler missed the six shots he took between those two and finished with four points, while securing eight rebounds.

While the USA struggled from the field,they connecting on just 28 of 66 shots from the field and finished a forgettable 4-of-25 from beyond the arc, the hustle, hard work and defensive prowess was evidence throughout the 40-minute game.

Kevin Durant liked the way his team competed even if the shooting was a problem. “No, we didn’t score well tonight,” Durant said. “But we played great defense. Our shots did not go in, but we got great penetration and we are not lacking in any area. Coach is not going to scream because our shots didn’t go in. They will go in in the future. Our key was the defense and the chemistry. We love playing together.”

Venezuela struggled to get open shots throughout the game as the Americans were constantly deflecting passes, winning the battle for loose balls and contesting nearly every shot. The USA held Venezuela to 16-of-67 shooting, and while the visitors were badly overmatched when it came to overall talent, their effort was there but they just could not get decent looks.

The red, white and blue took charge of this game in the second quarter with a powerful defensive showing that limited Venezuela to six points. Krzyzewski’s team led 20-12 at the end of the first quarter, and that margin grew to 36-18 by halftime.

While the Americans clearly have a lot of work to do to find a more consistent attack, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson provided the most consistent performances. Both players scored 13 points; Irving made 4-of-7 shots from the field, 1-of-2 from beyond the arc and all four of his free throws. Unlike most of his teammates, Irving looked comfortable on the floor throughout the night.

Thompson made 5-of-10 shots from the field and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. He also made a strong showing with his defensive performance as he locked up on Venezuela’s leading scorer John Cox, who was the only member of his team to reach double figures with 14 points.

The USA also showed off its power option at various points in the game with DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan. While Jordan tallied eight points and Cousins added seven, the USA's big men had spectacular dunks during the game.

Cousins has received a lot of attention recently because he's lost weight and he looks completely unstoppable against international competition. I doubt anyone in Rio will match his combination of power and skill in the low post, and teams won't be able to double-team him as much as they do in the NBA. Cousins' scoring isn't the only thing that makes him special here, though -- it's also notable that nobody can box him out.

The American squad dominated Venezuela on the glass to the tune of 54-29, while Jordan and Cousins combined for 18 rebounds, with Cousins snagging a game-high 12 and Jordan adding six more.

The ability of Cousins and Jordan to establish themselves down low, control the ball and finish off the play with power dunks could give the USA a powerful option when the Olympics begin in Rio. If Krzyzewski and his staff can get consistent scoring down low to complement Durant, Thompson, Anthony and Butler, the USA may be on its way to a third-straight gold medal in Olympic men's basketball.

Team USA: Kevin Durant Gets to Work in His New Office

By Mark Bacon

Kevin Durant made his Oracle Arena debut as a member of the Golden State Warriors and his new team (and fans) team were not disappointed in any way.

USA Basketball is now a 3-0 in their five-exhibition warm-up tour around the U.S. leading up to the 2016 Olympic games in Rio. They won by 37 points in the first game against Argentina. In their second game, they beat China by 49 points in Los Angeles. And that left them with a second straight game against China on Tuesday when they played them at Oracle Arena in Oakland.

Team USA didn't disappoint with another huge victory over a China team that was playing this time without former NBA player Yi Jianlin. USA Basketball won 107-57 and ran away with this thing from the outset. They have a game in Chicago (Venezuela) and a final exhibition in Houston (Nigeria) before they head to Brazil.

Following are thoughts from the latest blowout victory by Team USA on this exhibition tour:

Kevin Durant's Oakland debut as a Warrior had a great start
Kevin Durant scored the first 10 points of the game for Team USA in his new home arena. This was the first time Durant played a game at Oracle Arena as a member of the Golden State Warriors. His teammates in the red, white, and blue made sure he got used to his new office right away. After winning the tip, they got the ball to KD immediately and he hit a 3-pointer from the left wing.

He got a dunk shortly after that. Next thing you know, he's up 10-6 on China all by himself. He only ended up finishing with 13 points in 19 minutes, but he looks pretty comfortable on that court.

Olympic Melo is back and he's spectacular
Carmelo Anthony is probably the greatest scorer in USA Basketball history. He once scored 37 points in 14 minutes against Nigeria. He scored 16.3 points per game in just 17.7 minutes per game in the 2012 Olympics. He doesn't need a lot of time on the court with the shorter 3-point line in order to throw a scoring flurry that another country can't seem to handle. This is what happens when Melo is on a “super-team,” so I guess Derrick Rose is pretty excited watching these exhibitions.

In the victory over China, Melo destroyed once again. He started getting hot from midtown (which is actually downtown in international play). He went 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-8 from deep. You knew he was getting going when he started pulling up for jumpers off the dribble and pulling his hands back quickly instead of flicking with the follow-through. That's when you know Melo is getting stupid hot with his shooting. He finished with 20 points in just under 15 minutes of play. It wasn't quite the performance against Nigeria, but it feels like he has another one of those in him. The truth is, Carmelo may be one of the greatest players to ever don the USA Basketball uni. His comfort level with FIBA rules is evident.

DeMarcus Cousins is going to devour another player at some point this summer
Despite the flurry from Carmelo, DeMarcus Cousins was the leading scorer for Team USA last night. He put in 21 points on 7-of-8 from the field and 7-of-11 from the free throw line. He chipped in with 11 rebounds and five of them coming on the offensive end. He was too big and strong for Argentina. He was too big, strong, and agile for China in this third exhibition game. When it gets to the real games in Rio, I'm not sure which country even has the size to truly contest, much less stop him.

If that defender exists, Cousins is going to foul him out and then eat his backup for lunch. We even had moments in this game in which he was running the floor and trying to tear down the rim. The only way to stop him was to foul him and hope the ball slipped as he went up for the And-1. Good luck with that, rest of the world. Meet the U.S.’s Godzilla.

DeRozan also looked pretty comfortable at Oracle. 
DeMar DeRozan tried to throw down a 360 dunk with a defender at the rim
Toward the end of the game with the outcome long decided. He nearly tried to start an international incident. He came down the left side of the floor, saw a defender who was rising to meet him at the rim, and he decided to try to one-up the Vince Carter posterization of Frederic Weis many years ago. DeRozan attempted a 360 dunk on someone's head like this was just something regular you do in a basketball game.

The USA Basketball bench ended up getting a technical foul after the play. I think they are comfortable giving up a technical free throw attempt though.

The only dramatic thing about these exhibitions might be the point spread
Vegas knows things. The 50-point win by the U.S. gave them their second close cover against China in as many games. When they played on Sunday, the point spread was USA Basketball minus-48.5 for the game. They won by 49 points. The point spread for Tuesday's exhibition was Team USA 49.5 points. They won by 50. Vegas is terrifyingly good at setting these lines. They know things.

Meu Rio: Thoughts on The 2016 Rio Olympics

By Mark Bacon

The morning of July 25th, Haven Harrington III informed me via text that an Olympic athlete was kidnapped in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brasil, site of the 2016 Summer Olympics. News of a forthcoming Athletic Apocalypse 2016 is not news—it's a constant refrain this year regarding the Rio Olympics. The Games begin August 5th and run until the 22nd; the voices will get louder.

Here's the kidnapping report, via Deadspin:
New Zealand MMA fighter Jason Lee says men in police uniforms kidnapped him in Rio de Janeiro, forcing the jiu-jitsu specialist to withdraw money from two ATMs and hand it over, or be be arrested.

That’s according to the New Zealand Herald, citing Lee’s social media posts: On Facebook, Lee wrote “yesterday I got kidnapped in Brazil.” Lee said he was kidnapped by people in police uniforms, “not by some random people with guns.”

He added “I was threatened with arrest if I did not get in their private car and accompany them to two ATMs to withdraw a large sum of money for a bribe. I’m not sure what’s more depressing, the fact this stuff is happening to foreigners so close to the Olympic Games or the fact that Brazilians have to live in a society that enables this absolute bullshit on a daily basis. This place is well and truly f***ked in every sense of the word imaginable.”

Lee appears to have been living in Brazil long enough to integrate himself into a jiu-jitsu gym; his YouTube page has videos as recent as this week featuring his fellow fighters. The Olympics begin in less than two weeks; Rio police are already warning visitors that they are not safe.

July 5, 2016: Eduardo Paes, mayor of Rio de Janeiro, told CNN that the state is, “Completely failing at its work of policing and taking care of people.” His comments come on the heels of the Rio de Janeiro state, which is responsible for the region’s military and police force, requesting emergency funds in order to distribute back pay to police officers. That request was made weeks ago, and judging by they protests that were staged yesterday, those funds still have not been received.

Cheery, no? That may only be the tip of the iceberg, according to many pundits and news agencies. There's the Zika Epidemic—which is very real in the impoverished state of Pernambuco, in Brasil's equatorial north east—which was the cause of many an athlete to withdraw. Golfers, too. (I'm sorry, I couldn't resist.) The Russian Doping Scandal. A brand new subway system fraught with problems (like DC's Metro). Venues decried for all they lack. Guanabara Bay's pollution, the site of rowing and sailing events. The Australian Delegation's refusal to move into the Athlete's Village due to unsafe conditions. (The US Team will be staying in "luxury ships" offshore.)

Additionally, Brasil has been embroiled in an impeachment process against their President, Dilma Rousseff. The impeachment process against Dilma began in late 2015 and continued through the first half of 2016. The impeachment request against the President was accepted by Eduardo Cunha, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, on 2 December 2015. The charges against Rousseff include administrative misconduct and disregarding the federal budget, in violation of Article 85, items V and VI, of the Brazilian Constitution. The scandal's net includes Petrobras, the national oil company, and improper funds received. The former (and until now, beloved) former President, Lula, is named in the scandal as a recipient of the ill-gotten gains.

Need a break from the good news yet? Maybe I can help? I love Rio, and have spent time there. Extended time. I won't say I lived there, but long stays affording me to meet many unforgettable Cariocas (a native of Rio is a Carioca. Think Tom Jobim's "Ela é Carioca".)

Cariocas are THE MOST friendly and welcoming people I have encountered. Their sense of joie de vie is unsurpassed, including the French.

The city is a Samba. It's a Bossa Nova. It sways and moves to the waves and breeze through the trees. You can hear it, if you just tune in. It's unique. It is not going to bend to you, you bend to it. Much was made of trains running on time in Mussolini's Fascist Italy. Rio could not be more far removed from Fascist Italy, although Brasil has suffered under the hands of several dictators. Things in Rio run on Rio Time. It's not rude, it just is the norm. Want a 16:00 meeting? Schedule it for 13:00.

Sports are huge in Brasil. Futebol, or Soccer, is of course the national obsession. O Jogo Bonito. The beautiful game. It's an Olympics sport this year, and Brasilian futebol star, Neymar, is under a microscope. Maybe more than USA Basketball will be.

Back to the main issue, the "sh*tshow." Infrastructure and readiness of the Games' various venues. And safety. It IS a country in economic turmoil. It's been that way for a while now, after a modest boom under former President Lula.

Chicago, who bid on these Games, has some very mean streets and one of the highest homicide rates in the USA. Would people be safer there, if they wandered "off the path"? No. No more than people who decide to ignore solid advice about where they can safely go and how to comport themselves. Like flashing an iPhone. Or wearing a ju-jitsu shirt looking like a bad ass? Just a thought...?

Rio is a blast. Fantastic beaches, people, night life, street cafes, the best MUSIC in the world (my take, admittedly; Chicago Jazz and Hip Hop are pretty great, too!) and a wonderful climate. Most people I know react to the inconveniences, delays, break downs, pollution, poor conditions in housing, crime, poverty, bad breaks, setbacks, and the intimidating law enforcement on first "brush" with them. It quickly vanishes.

People usually come to Rio, have the time of their lives, and negative impressions disappear. My take is that people who attend, inconveniences and all, will remark they have never had a better time. Maybe ever.

There are the Games themselves, of course, and I believe, with NBC's help, it will all go off without a hitch. (If you expect a corpse to wash ashore at the beach volleyball venue, I'm sorry to disappoint, but it's not going to happen.) The 2016 Olympics offers the best collection of returning Olympic stars in decades, from Michael Phelps to Usain Bolt to Kerri Walsh to the U.S women’s basketball team and many more. Rio de Janeiro is one of the world's most beautiful cities, some of the world's most beautiful people in their hearts and unforgettable beauty will quickly capture the most resistant individual. The people of Brasil are incredibly warm and welcoming, and go out of their way to make sure visitors to their country feel comfortable. Rio will steal your heart and live in you the rest of your days. I bet some of that alegria, that felicidade, will become part of their fabric, and I hope yours, in the coming weeks.

If not, qualquer coisa... Vai O Brasil!!!

Team USA Rolls to Second Straight Blowout; Defeats China 106-57

By Mark Bacon

Two games into the US basketball team's pre-Olympic exhibition tour, coach Mike Krzyzewski already sees the start of something big.

Kevin Durant scored 19 points, Klay Thompson added 17, and the Americans rolled to a second straight blowout exhibition victory 106-57 over China on Sunday. DeMar DeRozan scored 13 points in his hometown, and DeMarcus Cousins had 12 points and seven rebounds in the second stop on the five-city swing leading Team USA to Rio de Janeiro.

After opening their exhibition swing by trouncing Argentina on Friday in Las Vegas, the U.S. team posted another rout at a packed Staples Center. The victory over an overmatched opponent was impressive, but Krzyzewski liked it more for the composed, cohesive manner in which the new teammates worked together.

"We should have won, but the way we won was excellent," Krzyzewski said. "We're really growing together as a group."

Krzyzewski is finding it difficult to hide his early optimism, and he praised his players' work in their brief practice time together. Although still learning teammates' tendencies and solidifying player rotations, the U.S. squad looked remarkably cohesive for long stretches against China, which has no current NBA players.

Durant noticed, as did Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who started the evening off by blocking a shot on China's first possession and throwing down an alley-oop dunk on the Americans' first possession.

"We've only been together a week, but it seems like we've been teammates for years," Jordan said.
Jordan scored 12 points and led a strong defensive effort with three blocks for the Americans, who held the Chinese to 30.9 percent shooting. Krzyzewski believes the American team will excel at defensive switching because of its abundance of versatile players.

"I think we're learning more about one another, and our defense was there pretty much the whole game," Krzyzewski said.

"We're young, but we've got a bunch of seasoned pros," said Kyrie Irving, who had 10 points and four assists. "We've been on a lot of journeys, and we've crossed paths before, but now we're all coming together at the right time."

Carmelo Anthony was the only holdover from the Americans' starting lineup Friday in Las Vegas while Krzyzewski works on chemistry and coordination. He put Paul George in with the starters, alongside Anthony, Jordan, Kyle Lowry and DeRozan.

Both teams had early shooting struggles, but the Americans took charge with impressive speed late in the first quarter.

Durant, one of the two returning American gold medalists from London, quickly found his outside stroke with 14 points and four assists in the first half, and Cousins overpowered the Chinese down low for 12 first-half points on the way to a 55-29 halftime lead.

Yi Jianlian led the Chinese with 18 points. Zhou Qi, the 7-foot-2 center drafted by theHouston Rockets in the second round last month, scored two points on 1-for-6 shooting. Guard Zhao Jiwei scored 14 points.

The teams meet again Tuesday in Oakland, where Durant will play in front of his new home fans for the first time since he defected from Oklahoma City to the Golden State Warriors earlier this month. They'll also meet Aug. 6 in the opening game of Olympic competition in Brazil.

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Team USA Demolishes Argentina In First Exhibition & The GWU Scandal

By Mark Bacon

Team USA Basketball began its journey to what it hopes will be a third straight Olympic gold medal Friday night with a blowout; a 111-74 victory over Argentina at T-Mobile Arena.

Here are several takeaways from the game, the first of five exhibition games for Team USA before it departs for Rio de Janiero next month.

The Debut of the New Warriors Troika
When Team USA was unveiled a few weeks ago, it boasted three members of the Golden State Warriors: Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes. Since then, of course, Barnes has been replaced by Kevin Durant.

For a brief stretch in the second quarter — exactly 105 seconds — Thompson, Green and Durant played together for the first time, although both Green and Durant said they didn’t even realize it as it was happening.

“It definitely was [fun],” Green said. “When you’re out there right now, you don’t even think about the fact that we’re teammates. We’re all teammates right now.… Honestly, if you want me to be quite frank with you, I didn’t even notice me, Klay and KD were out there together. That’s not something you think about right now.”

It will be hard not to think about it Tuesday, when Team USA plays the third leg of its exhibition tour in Oakland at Oracle Arena — the regular season home of the Warriors. Durant admitted that was something he’s looking forward to experiencing.

Paul George’s Sensational Return
A little less than two years ago, Paul George took the court not far from T-Mobile Arena, at the Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV’s campus and suffered a horrific broken leg as part of Team USA’s scrimmage before it selected its roster for the FIBA World Cup that fall.

Friday marked the first time George was back on the court in a game in Las Vegas since the injury, and his first competitive game for Team USA, as well. Understandably, George had some emotions about the moment, calling it “eerie” to be back here playing again. But it wasn’t clear that was the case for anyone watching George play, as the 6-foot-10 forward put on a spectacular show, finishing with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting to go with two rebounds, an assist and two steals.

“I just wanted to come out here and play well and get this win,” George said. “There were a lot of emotions, I’m not going to lie.
“The guys in the locker room did a great job of making sure I was good when I came out on this floor.”

Four starting spots — Kyrie Irving, Durant, Carmelo Anthony and DeMarcus Cousins — appear locked up, and Klay Thompson is almost assuredly going to be the team’s starting shooting guard. But even if George doesn’t replace Thompson in the starting five, he’s going to play a major role as the squad’s sixth man, and as its third point guard.

“I think he’s playing the best basketball of his life right now,” Team USA Coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

“He’s a very good guy to coach, because we can play him anywhere. When we had the two point guards pick up two fouls quickly, we had him bring the ball up and we’d like, every once in awhile, to take a look at that, too.”

Nobody in the World Wants to Rebound with DeMarcus Cousins
Marc Gasol might have been the world's only hope against DeMarcus Cousins. He's one of the few big men in the game of basketball who can stand next to Cousins and not be completely dwarfed. Gasol isn't a great rebounder, but he's big enough to tango with Cousins in the paint; additionally, he isn't going to play in the Olympic games. Quite a few really talented big men will miss the games in Rio.

That is bad news for the rest of the world when Cousins is on the floor. He showed Argentina big men like Luis Scola, Marcos Delia, and Roberto Acuna just how futile it is to try to keep him off the offensive boards. Seven of Cousins' 15 rebounds in just 16 minutes came on the offensive end of the floor. He had two more offensive boards than the entire Argentina team. It helped the USA create a 26-6 advantage on second chance points.

And that's just how it's going to be for a lot of frontcourts. Cousins is going to wear them out. DeAndre Jordan is going to be easier to deal with when it comes to rebounding and he's going to wear them out too. Watching Cousins battle for offensive boards against Argentina was like watching Dwayne 'The Rock ' Johnson rearrange bags of potatoes in a walk-in pantry. He's just too big for the rest of the world.

Good luck with that, rest of the world.

Even Without All of the Overwhelming Athletes, USA Still Forces a Ton of Turnovers
In the past, USA Basketball would have guys like LeBron James and Russell Westbrook out there to completely overwhelm the opposition with this alien athleticism. They don't have quite that same level of insanity when it comes to pure speed and size with the 2016 roster as they have in the past. That's not keeping this team from wreaking havoc in the passing lanes and in pressuring the ball. With "just" Paul George, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, and Harrison Barnes (among a few others) hawking the ball and stalking passing lanes, they forced 23 turnovers in 40 minutes of action.

Those 23 turnovers were turned into 36 points -- treating a lot of defensive possessions as transition drills you'd run in practice. George had breakaway dunks. Cousins was even ripping the ball from a ball handler and starting the break. Durant was harassing initiators for Argentina's offense and making them pay for the littlest mistake or lapse in concentration.

Team USA may not win a lot of track meets like they have in the past but it doesn't mean they won't turn all of these mistakes into easy opportunities the other way. Forcing a 17-23 assist-to-turnover ration is pretty good.

Kevin Durant is Still Unguardable
Durant is still someone the rest of the world struggles to defend. Almost everybody in the NBA struggles to defend the guy with the third highest scoring average in NBA history, so it makes sense that wings for Argentina or any country wouldn't know what to do against him. Durant went 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-9 from the shorter 3-point line. But he didn't let that extra foot or so of space behind the 3-point line be a factor for him. It seemed like he kept shooting it from deeper and deeper every time.

He hooked up with Draymond Green on several buckets to finish with 23 points overall. He also had four rebounds, three assists, a steal, and two blocks all in just under 21 minutes. A big stretch of his scoring came in the second half after Argentina had cut the lead a bit to possibly wake Team USA up. It awoke KD and he made sure to put everybody to bed well before the final buzzer.

Argentina’s Ageless Old Guard
Twelve years ago, Argentina won an Olympic gold medal with a team headlined by Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola, Carlos Delfino and Andres Nocioni. As Argentina prepares for the 2016 Olympic games, those same four players, remarkably, remain the team’s backbone.

No, Argentina didn’t see a new golden generation of talent follow its previous one, but the four old hands still can be successful on the international stage. Argentina’s best stretch in this game was when the four of them were on the court together in the third quarter, and the familiar ball movement and shooting that’s made this group so dangerous over the years briefly came back to life.

It will still be tremendous fun to see Ginobili, Scola, Nocioni and Delfino take the floor one final time together on the international stage. It’s the right way for one of the most distinct and memorable collections of players in international basketball history to go out.

A second “Golden Age” for Argentine basketball stars hasn’t transpired, but one new player stood out, to me at least. Former George Washington University (GWU) star forward Patricio Garino. Garino scored 6 points, with no rebounds, in 20 minutes of action, but exhibited some defensive prowess at times.

I mention Garino and GWU because GWU is my alma mater. A small private university, located blocks from the Watergate in DC’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood is now embroiled in an Abusegate scandal involving their men’s basketball coach, Mike Lonegan.

GWU will hire outside counsel to help conduct a Title IX investigation into allegations by some men’s basketball players that they were victims of verbal and emotional abuse committed by Coach Lonergan.
“The George Washington University is undertaking a Title IX review of allegations against men’s basketball coach Mike Lonergan,” the university said in a statement. “Some of the reported allegations go beyond the scope of Title IX, and the university is bringing in outside counsel to assist in its investigation. The university expects full cooperation and will not tolerate retaliation during the course of the investigation. We will also continue to inform the student-athletes on our men’s basketball team of the university’s support and of the resources available to them.”

A George Washington spokesman said Friday that school officials had no further comment on the matter.

The announcement of the investigation came in the wake of a story published by The Washington Post that detailed the complaints of five former and current players that Lonergan was abusive and used graphic and inappropriate language in rants about Patrick Nero, the school’s athletic director.

The current and former George Washington players and staffers requested anonymity because they feared reprisals that could affect their careers.

Several people with knowledge of the situation said school officials fielded complaints about Lonergan’s behavior after the 2014-15 season and took steps internally to address the issue. Athletic department officials addressed his language and requested practice tapes for review, people within the program said.

Former IU and GWU star Maurice Creek, who played one season under Lonergan, said in an interview that Lonergan “never crossed the line with me; he never crossed the line with any of the guys. He just wanted to win.”

Another former star under Lonergan, forward Isaiah Armwood, wrote on his Twitter account that he and Lonergan “bumped heads often, but this story is ridiculous.”

Patricio Garino, George Washington’s second-leading scorer as a senior this past winter, also expressed his “shock” at learning of the allegations made against Lonergan and took issue with former teammates complaining anonymously.

“Coach is very old-school,” Garino wrote in part on Twitter, “and he’s gonna push you to the limits to reach your potential.”

GWU is rarely in basketball related news. There was former Coach Mike Jarvis, who led GWU to some prominence in his early days before moving to St. John’s. the late Yinka Dare, Allen Iverson briefly committing to GW before moving over to the Hilltop in Georgetown, and the recent, moderate successes of Coach Lonergan. Now it remains to be seen if Lonergan survives this latest scandal.

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Hogs 2.0

By Mark Bacon

Trent Williams wants to bring the “Hogs” mentality back to the Washington Redskins’ offensive line this season. The original Hogs during the 1980s has been historically considered one of the best offensive lines in NFL history. Williams isn’t declaring Washington’s offensive line, nicknamed Hogs 2.0, will be historically considered in that same realm, but the four-time Pro Bowler is striving for the unit to be the best in the NFL this season.

“We’re not saying in any way that we’re capable of filling those shoes, but we are saying that we want to carry that bond and that type of tenacity they played with,” Williams said. “That’s why we’re saying 2.0 instead just the Hogs because we could never be the original Hogs, but we can try to carry out that demeanor and that camaraderie they played with.”

Williams gathered the entire offensive line in Houston this week for four days to train and bond together before players report to training camp on July 27. All but Brandon Scherff and Kory Lichtensteiger, who had prior commitments, were able to attend. Williams paid for it all out of pocket, including the flight, lodging, training and matching Hogs 2.0 apparel.

It’s common for Williams to invite Redskins players to work out with him in Texas. There’s typically position groups that will link up to train during the offseason as well, but it’s rare to see an entire offensive line gather in such a manner.

Spurs Icon Tim Duncan Retires After 19 Seasons

By Mark Bacon

You knew it was coming. Still, it impacts and shocks. Tim Duncan retired from The San Antonio Spurs and the NBA Monday. Without taking a bow. Without making a peep. Just the way he played. What else was there to say?

Duncan always did his talking between the lines, and when he walked off the floor, he left it all there.

Like May 12, after a 119-93 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder that ended the Spurs' season -- and, as it turned out, Duncan's career. He played just under 35 minutes that night, scored 19 points and had five rebounds. He made 7 of his 14 shots from the field, 5 of 6 from the free-throw line, committed two turnovers and blocked one more shot.

As he shook hands with the victors -- Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant chief among them -- you wondered if this was the last time we'd see Tim Duncan on a basketball court.

Now we know that it was. He was a gentle giant who was also fierce, yet never had the ego or inclination to boast about it. He was an eternal portrait of class and competitiveness that will never be replicated.

The inevitable end, which the Spurs always knew was coming but could never predict, arrived.

The Spurs drafted him No. 1 overall out of Wake Forest in 1997, they won 71 percent of their games -- the best 19-year stretch in NBA history and better than any team in any other North American team sport, too. The Spurs never once had a losing record during Duncan's career; never once missed the playoffs.

Only once did they win fewer than 50 games, and that was during the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, when they went 37-13 (.740) and won the first of five championships.

Duncan leaves in his wake an unprecedented era of team success that in some ways detracted from his own individual greatness. They'll never talk about points, rebounds or dunks when it comes to the Big Fundamental. They'll talk about winning, and they'll talk about championships. There can be no greater testament to excellence.

The Spurs were so good in the Duncan era that it's a wonder even to those who rode shotgun through history, right alongside him.

"I wish I could put time in a box and relive it down the road in 10 years," Manu Ginobili said recently. "We know it's impossible. Yes, we think about this, how it has a deadline. It's going to end sooner or later; sooner than later. Once it's over and you've got time to step back and see the whole picture, you really appreciate it. I'm going to be 50, 60, even 70 and look back and say, 'This was amazing. What an amazing run.'"

Ginobili, who turns 39 this month, will be back with the Spurs for one more season. Tony Parker, the other foundational piece of the dynasty, will be back, too. The team now turns to a future with Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge leading the way. All these years, they've just kept pushing -- kept winning. And now, for the first time in two decades, they'll have to do it without the man who was the catalyst for it all.

They never lamented the inevitable end of an era, because that just wasn't the Spurs' way.

"We know that it can't continue forever, because that's not the nature of the beast," Gregg Popovich once said. "But to look ahead and mourn when that day comes is kind of a waste of time. So we just try to be the best team that we can each year; and that doesn't mean you're going to win a championship every year. Those are pretty tough to win. A lot tougher than most people think."

A lot easier, though, when you have a foundation like Duncan, just putting in the work day after day, year after year, while barely saying a word.

The greatest power forward of all time walked away for good on Monday, and he didn't get a farewell tour or a parade. He didn't need one. Tim Duncan's farewell tour lasted 19 years, and wow, it was beautiful.

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Carmelo Anthony Issues Plea To Fellow Athletes In Wake Of Recent Violence

By Mark Bacon

Most of us are still trying to process the horror of the last week. From the murders-by-police of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by cops in Louisiana and Minnesota, to the retaliatory sniper attack that killed five police officers in Dallas.

The madness has gone on long enough. Thought Ferguson would teach us a lesson? Trayvon? Eric Garner? No. It sadly has not. And police are increasingly more brazen in their violent actions. Too much to process.

New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is finished processing. He is ready to take action, and he wants his fellow athletes to join him.

In a passionate post on Instagram, Anthony paid homage to the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali, and said that he was willing to lead a charge against “the system.”

“These politicians have to step up and fight for change. I’m calling for all my fellow ATHLETES to step up and take charge,” he wrote. “Go to your local officials, leaders, congressman, assemblymen/assemblywoman and demand change. There’s NO more sitting back and being afraid of tackling and addressing political issues anymore. Those days are long gone. We have to step up and take charge. We can’t worry about what endorsements we gonna lose or [who’s] going to look at us crazy.”

Anthony cautioned that we “have to be smart about what we are doing though,” and stressed that retaliating against police officers with more violence was not the answer.

The photo he included in his statement was from 1967, when a collection of top black athletes — including Jim Brown and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — held a news conference to support Muhammad Ali’s refusal to be drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War.

LeBron James, one of Anthony’s closest friends, shared Anthony’s post with a message that it was “on point.”

This is not the first time that Anthony has been outspoken about issues close to the Black Lives Matter movement. Last April, Anthony — who was raised in West Baltimore — joined a march through the streets of Baltimore to protest the death of Freddie Gray at the hands of the police.

In December, he spoke out against gun violence the day after his Knicks teammate, Cleanthony Early, was shot in the knee. He also appeared in a NBA PSA about ending gun violence, which was a collaboration between the league, Everytown for Gun Safety, and Spike Lee.

“You can go around the corner and get a gun, you can go to this person and get a gun — it’s just too easy, too accessible,” Anthony said. “And it’s going to be like that until we decide, as people, to fight against that.”

“I need your voices to be heard. We can demand change,” Anthony said on Instagram. “We just have to be willing to. THE TIME IS NOW. IM all in. Take Charge. Take Action. DEMAND CHANGE.”

Carmelo is taking the right steps, sounding the right call and asking for the right people to help him get the word out. In the halcyon last 9 days of mad spending by NBA teams, and a perception of players only thinking about “money money money, big money money money,” it’s uplifting and fantastic to see Mr. Anthony sound a call of reason and an understanding of the platform his occupation and fame provide him. I personally applaud Carmelo, hell, standing ovation, and hope LeBron, DWade, Curry and other NBA players—and athletes—step up and sound off.

THE FULL TEXT OF CARMELO’S INSTAGRAM POST: “First off let me start off by saying " All Praise Due To The Most High." Secondly, I'm all about rallying, protesting, fighting for OUR people. Look I'll even lead the charge, By Any Means Necessary. We have to be smart about what we are doing though. We need to steer our anger in the right direction. The system is Broken. Point blank period. It has been this way forever. Martin Luther King marched. Malcolm X rebelled. Muhammad Ali literally fought for US. Our anger should be towards the system. If the system doesn't change we will continue to turn on the TVs and see the same thing. We have to put the pressure on the people in charge in order to get this thing we call JUSTICE right. A march doesn't work. We tried that. I've tried that. A couple social media post/tweet doesn't work. We've all tried that. That didn't work. Shooting 11 cops and killing 5 WILL NOT work. While I don't have a solution, and I'm pretty sure a lot of people don't have a solution, we need to come together more than anything at this time. We need each other. These politicians have to step up and fight for change. I'm calling for all my fellow ATHLETES to step up and take charge. Go to your local officials, leaders, congressman, assemblymen/assemblywoman and demand change. There's NO more sitting back and being afraid of tackling and addressing political issues anymore. Those days are long gone. We have to step up and take charge. We can't worry about what endorsements we gonna lose or whose going to look at us crazy. I need your voices to be heard. We can demand change. We just have to be willing to. THE TIME IS NOW. IM all in. Take Charge. Take Action. DEMAND CHANGE. Peace7 #StayMe7o”

Durant pulls a LeBron? Not really.

By: Raashaan Myers

     All-Star forward and future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant shook up the sports world with his decision on the 4^th of July to join forces with the already high powered Golden State Warriors. This choice has of course been met with a ton of push back from players and front office members around the NBA as well as a ton of scrutiny from the court of public opinion as well.  And while on the surface people try to compare this to “The Decision” made by LeBron James in his most defining moment leaving Cleveland back in 2010 this decision to me is completely different.

        When King James made his decision to take his talents to South Beach leaving behind his hometown fans and joining forces with another high level free agent Chris Bosh as well as established elite player Dwyane Wade who was already in place in Miami ready to teach those guys how to win. Together the Big 3 created a brand new team built to do one thing and that was in a title. And while the bold prediction of “Not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4,….” Didn’t really go down as hoped for LeBron and crew it did result in 2 titles and NBA Finals appearances in every year he was in Miami. Most say this was the beginning of the super team era but in all actuality it started back in 2007 when Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen agreed to join an already established superstar in Paul Pierce with Boston that resulted in a title and 2 appearances in the NBA Finals. This is the scenario is the one that most similarly resembles the LeBron decision though the hometown angle added a lot of spice to the latter.

     This move by Durant is much more about fit and need than purely trying to form a completely new super team with other stars. First off the Warriors formula and team are already well established and every player on this team has a role and that will not change with the addition of Durant. And while the Warriors already has one title under their belts the Cleveland Cavs exposed a glaring weakness and chink in the golden armor of the Warriors. When placed in a slowdown half court grinder type game the Warriors really didn’t have a reliable “get a bucket” type scorer and was way too dependent on being able to pass the ball into good shots.  In that respect Durant is a perfect complement to both Curry and Thompson who are much better in the catch and shoot role rather than a shot creator greatly improving floor spacing.  And unlike the erratic offensive situation in Oklahoma City where Durant really had to take turns on offense with fellow superstar Russell Westbrook this brand of basketball fits KD to a glove.  It’s a win-win situation for both parties involved.

     The closest comparison I can make to a future Hall of Famer  joining an already established team with championship pedigree would be when “The Worm” Dennis Rodman decided to join former blood enemy Michael Jordan in Chicago to form the 72-10 Bulls team that of course went on to win 3 straight titles. People asked how Rodman could get along with Jordan and Pippen when they had a very heated and hated rivalry with Detroit and people are asking the same of KD after being ousted by the Warriors. Well like those guys said back then competition build respect and they guys that push you the hardest are a lot of times who you respect the most. And unlike LeBron who made a long drawn out spectacle of his “Decision” complete with hour long special Durant took 3 days to interview his possible suitors and then made a choice via the internet without even holding a press conference as well as telling the OKC brass himself of his choice to leave. Durant handled this with the class and respect that he has with every other move in his career and while his choice may not be popular to some I’m not sure he could not have handled it any better. And while some will say he is just chasing a title which may be true I tend to think he is looking for somewhere he finally feels comfortable and I’d say mission accomplished. 

The Durant Decision

By Mark Bacon

More than $2 billion has been spent on NBA free agents over the weekend. And the basketball universe went to sleep last night knowing it could change forever later today.

For the past two years, at least, the thought of Kevin Durant’s free agency has hung over the league like a low-lying fog. Despite all that’s happened — the Golden State Warriors emerging as a superpower, LeBron James ending Cleveland’s 52-year championship drought, Kobe Bryant exiting the stage after 20 years in Los Angeles and so much more — Durant’s impending ability to test the open market is the dominant conversation.

Even as Durant was leading the Oklahoma City Thunder past the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals, then fighting the Warriors to within a few baskets of a trip to the NBA Finals in an all-time classic series one round later, the topic of where Durant might play next season existed as a subtext of both series.

Now, all of that is in the past. Three days full of meetings between Durant, his team and the five other franchises vying for his services — the Warriors, Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat — have ended with Durant seemingly mulling over the only choice everyone ever thought he would have to make: staying in Oklahoma City or going to Golden State. (Boston is still rumored to be an outlier.)

It’s easy to see why this isn’t be easy for Durant. He has spent his entire nine-year career with this franchise, the past eight playing alongside fellow superstar Russell Westbrook and, for most of that stretch, on a team that’s been one of the NBA’s best under General Manager Sam Presti.

On the other hand, Golden State is coming off a 73-win season and a hard-fought loss to James and the Cavaliers in a seven-game Finals. Playing alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green (AND Andre Iguodala), Durant could be part of as star-studded a team as the NBA has ever seen — even outstripping what James did by teaming up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat back in 2010. Durant would make the Warriors into the biggest show in sports, a traveling circus of winning the likes of which only the storied Celtics and Lakers teams of yore, and those Heat teams will have ever approached replicating.

Durant’s free agency is coinciding with a massive spike in the NBA’s salary cap — thanks to the introduction of the league’s new massive television contract — means the Warriors and the other teams competing for Durant’s services can do so without having to gut their rosters like teams trying to chase stars of his caliber have in the past. That has undoubtedly made it easier for Durant to be possibly poached off of Oklahoma City’s roster.

And if he does wind up leaving for the Bay Area, it could lead to more seismic changes for the league come the next round of collective bargaining. Despite the record amounts of money thrown around the past few days, both the players and owners could find reasons to opt out of the current agreement when both sides have the option to in December. Remember, when the last agreement expired in 2011, the league set about to try to find ways to prevent a super team like the 2010 Heat from ever happening again.

It’s easy to see how a similar situation could happen during the next round of negotiations after this weekend’s money orgy, if the Warriors are able to do the same thing today.

Durant could choose to remain where he’s been his whole career, potentially setting up the start of the NBA’s next great rivalry between two teams with at least five likely Hall of Famers between them.

As the league wakes up today to celebrate the Fourth of July, it will await Durant’s decision. The stakes have never been higher. All that could change is the course of NBA history.

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