VIDEO: NBA Draftee Larry Nance Jr. deletes tweet; New York Islanders Select First Chinese Born Player in 6th Round of Draft; and On the Bench: ESPN for giving Caitlyn Jenner Arthur Ashe Award
In this episode of What's The 411Sports, host Glenn Gilliam is leading the discussion with reporters Jason Schott, and Naomi Grey about the:
• 2015 NBA Draft
• U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Beats China in Quarter Finals
• NYC Football Club and Red Bulls Square Off
• New York Liberty
• Andong Song; and a whole lot more.
In this episode of What's The 411Sports recorded on June 29, 2015, host Glenn Gilliam is leading the discussion with reporters Jason Schott, and Naomi Grey about the 2015 NBA Draft; the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team; NYC Football Club; the Red Bulls; the New York Liberty; and a whole lot more:
The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team beat China 1-0 and at the time of this taping was on its way to play German in the World Cup semifinal on Tuesday evening in Montreal, Canada.
The NHL hockey season may be over, but the New York Islanders made a historic move at the 2015 NHL Draft. The Islanders drafted Andong Song, the NHL’s first Chinese-born hockey player.
The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Larry Nance Jr., which sent Nance scrambling to delete a Twitter post he made three years ago about Kobe Bryant.
Larry Nance Jr. tweeted when Kobe Bryant was on his way to Denver, “Gee I sure hope Kobe can keep his hands to himself in Denver this time… #rapist.”
Kobe Bryant took the high road, saying, “We’ve all done things we regret.”
The Rookies Show Out as the Liberty Beat the Los Angeles Sparks 79-70
Carmelo Anthony is the owner of a soccer team in Puerto Rico. At a recent press conference In Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Carmelo Anthony, announced that his new soccer team called Puerto Rico FC, an expansion team, will be playing in the NASL starting in the 2016 fall season.
This week, Indiana University football player, Antonio Allen, is on the bench.
Reports state that Indiana State Police recorded Allen selling drugs to an informant.
A subsequent search of his apartment resulted in the finding of a colt .45 handgun, 47 grams of cocaine, 13 grams of heroin and three half-smoked blunts. The police also found $920 in cash which included money paid to Allen by the informant during the drugs purchases.
Allen, 20, was charged with dealing cocaine, dealing heroin over 10 grams while possessing a firearm – both of which are level 2 felonies – as well as a lesser charge of dealing methamphetamines.
Ironically, prior to his arrest, Allen posted a photo on Instagram showing him being featured on the cover of Big Ten 2015 Preview magazine. He had captioned it: “If you knew (where) I came from and all the trouble I was in when I was younger you can see I did a 360 and I am blessed thank you god.”
After failing its fans during this past NBA regular season, the New York Knicks saved its best disappointment for last. In yesterday’s 2015 NBA Draft Lottery, the Knicks, who owned the second-best percentage to obtain the no.1 overall pick with 19.9 percent, fell out of the top-three selections, settling for the fourth overall pick. Of course, it had to be them. The Minnesota Timberwolves, who had a 25 percent chance of picking 1st overall, landed the top pick, the Los Angeles Lakers finished 2nd and the Philadelphia 76ers landed the 3rd.
The last team to finish with the highest percentage in picking no.1 was the Orlando Magic in 2004, and tonight, the Timberwolves overachieved.
“We were jumping up and down,” Wolves head coach and team president, Flip Saunders told the media following the lottery. “This gives us flexibility…every spot you move up, you have more control of what’s going to happen, you have more people talking to you, cause they’re trying to find out what you’re going to do and where you’re going.”
And it’s the flexibility that the Wolves are enjoying right now, a feeling the Knicks have coveted since the 2014-15 NBA regular season ended. With the 4th pick now a reality, the Knicks may have to change its focus. In early March, reports stated that the NBA fined Phil Jackson, the president of basketball operations for making a comment that could be construed that the Knicks were interested in Ohio State freshman, D’Angelo Russell. Basketball savants consider Russell to be a top-3 pick.
With the Sixers and Lakers both expressing interest in Russell, and the point guard position in general, according to multiple reports, the Knicks may need to look elsewhere and prepare for the reality that Russell might not be there when it is time for the Knicks to make their pick. They can also forget about Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, who shouldn’t slide past the 2nd pick. What seems more likely is Emmanuel Mudiay, the guard who decided to play in China, skipping that one-year college rule.
Mudiay was a highly regarded prospect, like Russell entering college and was slated to play for former NBA head coach, Larry Brown at SMU. But due to personal reasons regarding his family, Mudiay took the Brandon Jennings route and had to grow up quicker than the average 18-year old. In addition to Mudiay, Kentucky big, Willie Cauley Stein, a 7-footer who was honored as the NABC Defensive Player of the Year and Justise Winslow, fresh off of winning the NCAA National Title will be available, all targets of the Knicks as well.
Earlier this month, Winslow sat next to Carmelo Anthony at a New York Yankees game and who knows what was discussed between the current Knick and the soon to be NBA employee. The fact is, the Knicks still have options with the 4th pick. It can’t get any worse.
The 4th pick just hurts because of who the Knicks are and it seems like not winning the lottery and having to settle for the 4th overall pick, sums up the ineptitude the franchise has experienced for the last five years. According to, CBSsports.com, the Knicks are open to trading their 1st-round pick.
Although you can attract some suitors for this pick and maybe pick a player for a team with a substantial player coming in return, this is not encouraging news. The first overall pick could haul a franchise player while the 4th could also yield the type of player that could change the Knicks fortunes for brighter days. Keep the pick.
Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Mike Conley and Russell Westbrook were all former no.4 overall selections and have made significant contributions to the league that has made them household names. The Knicks can do the same here. They just have to pick the right guy. At the end of the day, the NBA Draft is a lottery in itself.