October 31, 2024

VIDEO: Manny Pacquiao loses Nike endorsement and fans; Will Peyton Manning be able to weather his alleged college sexual harassment episode?; Will Sean Marks, the new Brooklyn Nets general manager lure Tom Thibodeau?; Ronda Rousey faces her demons; and more

In this episode of What's The 411Sports, the panel of Keisha Wilson, Bianca Peart and Mike McDonald, are talking about:

Ronda Rousey's comment about having suicidal thoughts
Sean Marks, former Assistant Coach, San Antonio Spurs, becomes new General Manager of the Brooklyn Nets

Sean Marks Brooklyn Nets General Manager 750x422 2016 2Sean Marks, Brooklyn Nets General Manager


Peyton Manning's checkered past: what’s in the future for Manning given the sexual harassment allegations against him stemming from University of Tennessee
Jenrry Mejia gets lifetime ban from Major League Baseball
• Brooklyn Nets new training facility

Brooklyn Nets Training Facility 2 750x422 02172016 Kathleen Malone Van DykeBrooklyn Nets new Training Facility. Photo Credit: Kathleen Malone Van-Dyke

• Outlook for Brooklyn Nets west coast swing not looking good, but the team’s two standouts continue to be Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young
• New York Knicks interim head coach Kurt Rambis’ Twitter account gets hacked
• Professional boxer and Floyd Mayweather nemesis, Manny Pacquiao, gets dropped by Nike after his disdainful homophobic comments

 

Edited by: Ruth J. Morrison

Other names mentioned include: John Calipari, Danny Ferry and Bryan Colangelo

The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly interested in pursuing former Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau to fill its vacancy at the head coach position.

Thibodeau, affectionately known as Tibs, coached the Bulls for five seasons winning 65% of his games and reaching the playoffs all five seasons. The Nets are not expected to make a move to fill the coaching vacancy until a new general manager is named. Possible candidates for the GM role are Danny Ferry formerly of the Atlanta Hawks and Bryan Colangelo formerly of the Phoenix Suns and the Toronto Raptors. Both Ferry and Colangelo were general managers at their former organizations.

Tony Brown will continue to act as the interim head coach.

VIDEO Discussion: Would Tom Thibodeau or John Calipari be a good fit as Brooklyn Nets Head Coach?

 

Despite Nets’ loss to Trailblazers, Donald Sloan and Thomas Robinson injected much-needed energy

On Wednesday night, the Brooklyn Nets caught a break when Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony didn’t suit up. They took advantage of the Knicks lacking their star player and defeated their surging rivals, 110-104, their second game since general manager Billy King and head coach Lionel Hollins were relieved of their duties. On Friday night against the Portland Trailblazers, the Nets weren’t afforded the same luck.

Damian Lillard, a star in his own right, suited up and showed the Nets exactly how a star manages his game. Lillard poured in a game-high 33 points, with 10 assists leading the Blazers to an 116-104 win over the lowly Nets. Lillard scored throughout the game but did most of his best work when it counted the most.

In the 4th quarter, Lillard scored more points than he scored in any other quarter with 14 points and made big plays down the stretch that inevitably sealed the Nets to their fate. With just under eight minutes left in the 4th, Lillard drained a jump shot that cut, what was a brief four-point Nets lead, 92-88 to 92-90. Minutes later, Lillard hit a three to give the Blazers a one-point, 93-92 advantage with a little over seven minutes left till the end of regulation.

“I’m just in one of those grooves where the game is just in flow,” Lillard said. “I just feel good out there and the way we’re playing as a team only makes it easier.”

Lillard’s three would spark a 10-2 Blazers run over the next three minutes featuring five points by Lillard and a three by Allen Crabbe who finished with 19 points. The Blazers laid down the ground work to coast till the buzzer sounded and once again, the Nets tasted defeat. Under interim head coach Tony Brown, the Nets have played inspiring basketball, so far, and tonight was no different.

The Nets competed and were in this game. They gave themselves an opportunity to win but like the majority of their games this year, late game execution, whether it’s defending or scoring, continues to be the Nets biggest issue.

“Down the stretch, we just struggled defending.” Brown said post-game.

And the evidence is proven by the Blazers shooting 42 percent from three (15-35) and 50 percent from the field (47-93).

The Nets actually shot the same percentage from deep but only made eight threes and from the field, the Nets shot 44 percent. On a night where every starter for the Nets reached double-figures including two bench players, the Nets still came up short. Brook Lopez led all Nets players with 25 points and seven rebounds and Joe Johnson scored 15 points with four assists. The most encouraging performances came from Thomas Robinson and Donald Sloan.

Robinson gave the Nets the much-needed energy and fire the team lacked. He made the hustle plays on the boards and had some great moments, especially early in the fourth when Robinson scored five straight points which put the Nets up by four, 90-86, forcing a Blazers timeout with 9:18 left in the 4th.

“Thomas Robinson had a wonderful night,” Brown said. “His energy really helped us get back in the ballgame.”

Sloan on the other hand, gave the Nets great play from the lead guard position. The former Aggie almost posted a triple-double, 15 points, nine rebounds and nine assists and seemed to be the answer as the Nets starter going forward opposed to Shane Larkin who struggled all night long, finishing with two points.

There are a lot of things the Nets need after losing their G.M. and head coach all in the same week and recent reports state that the Nets are looking to fill the void. The Nets are linked to Bryan Colangelo and coach, Tom Thibodeau, known for running his players into the ground. In Thib, the Nets will have one of the best coaches in the NBA. They would have an identity, and that’s something worth investing in.

Nets Still Underachieving; Cavaliers Poised to take Round 1

The NBA playoffs are on and poppin'!!! In this segment, Glenn Gilliam and Gregory Alaca are discussing the status of primarily the Eastern Conference in Round 1: Atlanta Hawk vs. Brooklyn Nets; Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics; and Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls. Lastly, the two talked about Tom Thibodeau and Scott Brooks' job security.

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