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IPL 2026: RCB coach Flower confident ‘all-weather’ bowling attack can thrive in all conditions  Tone-setting batting performances in the PowerPlay are non-negotiable to success in T20 cricket. But Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) also excels in something else – taking bucketloads of wickets in the first six overs to peg its opponents back.In the previous match, RCB had Delhi Capitals at eight for six in 3.5 overs, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood wreaking havoc.“We’ve been very good at taking PowerPlay wickets, and we did that well last season also,” said head coach Andy Flower, ahead of the encounter against Gujarat Titans.“[Against DC], things came together so quickly and so well that the game was over in the blink of an eye. It was great to watch those two greats, Bhuvi and Hazlewood, bowl.”Thursday’s contest, in Flower’s own words, will be on a surface “that plays well”. But the former Zimbabwe captain said that RCB had an all-weather attack.“We’re playing on a 75 per cent red-soil pitch. It’s the same that we played the final on last year. But we’re comfortable with whatever conditions are put in front of us.”Flower also stated that it was important to forget that RCB had six wins in eight games and start afresh. “It’s really important that philosophically you don’t try to hold on to stuff. It’s better to embrace the vagaries and the unpredictability of the game.”GT too has a capable set of bowlers, and assistant coach Parthiv Patel, like Flower, opined that the pitch wouldn’t matter.“We are well-rounded with our bowling options,” the former India wicket-keeper said. “We had Manav Suthar bowl. There is the option of Washington Sundar, and there’s Rashid Khan.“So, we have seven bowlers [along with Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Holder, Prasidh Krishna / Arshad Khan] who can bowl four overs each. It’s not like we have to make do with part-time bowlers.”Published on Apr 29, 2026  #IPL #RCB #coach #Flower #confident #allweather #bowling #attack #thrive #conditions

IPL 2026: RCB coach Flower confident ‘all-weather’ bowling attack can thrive in all conditions

Tone-setting batting performances in the PowerPlay are non-negotiable to success in T20 cricket. But Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) also excels in something else – taking bucketloads of wickets in the first six overs to peg its opponents back.

In the previous match, RCB had Delhi Capitals at eight for six in 3.5 overs, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood wreaking havoc.

“We’ve been very good at taking PowerPlay wickets, and we did that well last season also,” said head coach Andy Flower, ahead of the encounter against Gujarat Titans.

“[Against DC], things came together so quickly and so well that the game was over in the blink of an eye. It was great to watch those two greats, Bhuvi and Hazlewood, bowl.”

Thursday’s contest, in Flower’s own words, will be on a surface “that plays well”. But the former Zimbabwe captain said that RCB had an all-weather attack.

“We’re playing on a 75 per cent red-soil pitch. It’s the same that we played the final on last year. But we’re comfortable with whatever conditions are put in front of us.”

Flower also stated that it was important to forget that RCB had six wins in eight games and start afresh. “It’s really important that philosophically you don’t try to hold on to stuff. It’s better to embrace the vagaries and the unpredictability of the game.”

GT too has a capable set of bowlers, and assistant coach Parthiv Patel, like Flower, opined that the pitch wouldn’t matter.

“We are well-rounded with our bowling options,” the former India wicket-keeper said. “We had Manav Suthar bowl. There is the option of Washington Sundar, and there’s Rashid Khan.

“So, we have seven bowlers [along with Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Holder, Prasidh Krishna / Arshad Khan] who can bowl four overs each. It’s not like we have to make do with part-time bowlers.”

Published on Apr 29, 2026

#IPL #RCB #coach #Flower #confident #allweather #bowling #attack #thrive #conditions

Tone-setting batting performances in the PowerPlay are non-negotiable to success in T20 cricket. But Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) also excels in something else – taking bucketloads of wickets in the first six overs to peg its opponents back.

In the previous match, RCB had Delhi Capitals at eight for six in 3.5 overs, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood wreaking havoc.

“We’ve been very good at taking PowerPlay wickets, and we did that well last season also,” said head coach Andy Flower, ahead of the encounter against Gujarat Titans.

“[Against DC], things came together so quickly and so well that the game was over in the blink of an eye. It was great to watch those two greats, Bhuvi and Hazlewood, bowl.”

Thursday’s contest, in Flower’s own words, will be on a surface “that plays well”. But the former Zimbabwe captain said that RCB had an all-weather attack.

“We’re playing on a 75 per cent red-soil pitch. It’s the same that we played the final on last year. But we’re comfortable with whatever conditions are put in front of us.”

Flower also stated that it was important to forget that RCB had six wins in eight games and start afresh. “It’s really important that philosophically you don’t try to hold on to stuff. It’s better to embrace the vagaries and the unpredictability of the game.”

GT too has a capable set of bowlers, and assistant coach Parthiv Patel, like Flower, opined that the pitch wouldn’t matter.

“We are well-rounded with our bowling options,” the former India wicket-keeper said. “We had Manav Suthar bowl. There is the option of Washington Sundar, and there’s Rashid Khan.

“So, we have seven bowlers [along with Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Holder, Prasidh Krishna / Arshad Khan] who can bowl four overs each. It’s not like we have to make do with part-time bowlers.”

Published on Apr 29, 2026

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#IPL #RCB #coach #Flower #confident #allweather #bowling #attack #thrive #conditions

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Deadspin | Fresh off offensive outburst, Cards vie for series win vs. Pirates <div id=""><section id="0" class=" w-full"><div class="xl:container mx-0 !px-4 py-0 pb-4 !mx-0 !px-0"><img src="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28834411.jpg" srcset="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28834411.jpg" alt="MLB: St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates" class="w-full" fetchpriority="high" loading="eager"/><span class="text-0.8 leading-tight">Apr 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matt Svanson (49) and catcher Pedro Pages (43) shake hands after defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images<!-- --> <!-- --> </span></div></section><section id="section-1"> <p>St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol spoke Sunday of the team’s need to display resilience after absorbing a weekend series sweep at home against the Seattle Mariners.</p> </section><section id="section-2"> <p>It’s safe to say that Marmol has liked his team’s response.</p> </section><section id="section-3"> <p>After 4-2 and 11-7 victories in the first two contests of a four-game set at the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis can earn a series win on Wednesday night.</p> </section><section id="section-4"> <p>“In spring, you have to create some framework for how you want this group to operate mentally,” Marmol said. “What you have to build into that framework is we can’t care about gut punches and let them last longer than a night.”</p> </section><section id="section-5"> <p>In this series, the Cardinals have been throwing all of the important punches. </p> </section><section id="section-6"> <p>After scoring four runs in the ninth inning on Monday night for a stunning comeback, they enjoyed their first double-figure scoring output of the year by getting 12 hits on Tuesday.</p> </section><section id="section-7"> <p>There was production up and down the lineup, including three RBIs each for Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman. Walker has gotten off to an encouraging start this season after struggling the last two years, getting more balls in the air to properly use his tremendous power.</p> </section><section id="section-8"> <p>Burleson was mired in a slump until delivering an RBI single and a two-run double Tuesday, while Gorman started the scoring in the second inning with a long homer to right field.</p> </section><section id="section-9"> <p>It’s the type of progress Marmol and St. Louis are seeking in what many claim is a rebuilding year.</p> </section><br/><section id="section-10"> <p>“Now you stack those on top of each other over time,” Marmol said. “That’s what’s important.”</p> </section> <section id="section-11"> <p>Right-hander Andre Pallante (2-2, 4.26 ERA) will take the mound for the Cardinals, hoping to bounce back after a 3-2 loss Friday at home against Seattle. He was charged with three runs, four hits and three walks while striking out eight in 5 1/3 innings.</p> </section><section id="section-12"> <p>Pallante is 1-2 with a 3.33 ERA in 18 career games against Pittsburgh, five of them starts.</p> </section><section id="section-13"> <p>The Pirates will turn to right-hander Bubba Chandler (1-2, 4.88 ERA) on Wednesday in an effort to halt a three-game skid. </p> </section><section id="section-14"> <p>Chandler is coming off a 6-1 defeat Thursday vs. Texas, permitting seven hits and six runs in four innings with three walks and four strikeouts. He won his only prior outing against St. Louis, throwing four shutout innings in relief last August.</p> </section><section id="section-15"> <p>Chandler said a lack of execution hurt him against the Rangers.</p> </section><section id="section-16"> <p>“They hit the ball well,” he said. “Flush it. Don’t care about it. Move on. That’s about all I can do. I didn’t execute a lot of pitches.”</p> </section><section id="section-17"> <p>After winning three straight road series against National League Central opponents in the first two months of the season, Pittsburgh must bounce back on Wednesday to have a chance at a series split. Manager Don Kelly said he hopes to see some of the same push-back that Marmol talked about with the Cardinals.</p> </section><section id="section-18"> <p>“We’ve been able to do that after tough days,” Kelly said. “We’ve been able to bounce back. We’re in the middle of a tough stretch … they continue to work.”</p> </section><section id="section-19"> <p>The Pirates did get Oneil Cruz’s ninth homer of the year Tuesday, as well as three RBIs from Ryan O’Hearn.</p> </section><br/><section id="section-20"> <p>–Field Level Media</p> </section> </div> #Deadspin #Fresh #offensive #outburst #Cards #vie #series #win #Pirates

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NBA Draft lottery changes are shortsighted, confusing, and create new problems <div id="zephr-anchor"><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1"><a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba/1103241/nba-tanking-standings-odds-every-slot-bulls-mavs-2026-draft">Adam Silver heard the outcry over tanking</a> ahead of a <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba/1112669/nba-mock-draft-2026-update-after-college-basketball-early-entry-deadline-final-odds">loaded 2026 NBA Draft</a> and was determined to find a solution. The league has now settled on its preferred system of lottery reform, and it essentially reduces the distribution of top young talent entering the league to complete randomness.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">ESPN insider <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48619907/sources-nba-eyes-new-anti-tanking-proposal-draft-lottery?referrer=scribe">Shams Charania revealed the NBA’s new “3-2-1” lottery system</a> on Tuesday night. Here’s what you need to know:</p></div><div class="duet--article--block-placement jgpyd51 jgpyd50 duet--article--article-body-component"><ul class="duet--article--unordered-list _1nfb3k4i feuejx0 ls9zuh1"><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">The three worst teams in the league are in the “relegation zone,” which means they lose ping-pong balls.</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Teams that finish 4th through 10th in the reverse standings get three lottery balls in the drawing.</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Teams in the “relegation zone” get two lottery balls, and can’t fall further than the 12th pick</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">“The Nos. 9 and 10 play-in seeds in each conference receive two lottery balls each, and the losers of the 7-8 play-in games receive one lottery ball each.”</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">The lottery is expanded from 14 to 16 teams.</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Under the current system, lottery balls are only drawn for the top-4 picks. Now, the first 16 spots in the draft will be up for grabs in the drawing.</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Teams can’t land the No. 1 pick in back-to-back years, and they can’t pick in the top-5 three times in a row.</span></li></ul></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Got all that? Probably not, because it’s pretty complicated. When Adam Silver was weighing multiple options to reform the NBA Draft lottery last month, <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba/1108433/nba-anti-tanking-proposals-bad-no-good-trades-picks-lottery-hate-it">I wrote</a> “in rushing to find a medicine to cure tanking, the NBA risks giving itself bigger problems from the side effects.” While this system likely will curb tanking to some extent, it opens up a ton of new problems for the league.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">It’s pretty wild that Silver rushed this system through so hastily with it slated to take effect for the 2027 NBA Draft. Teams already made long-term roster decisions based on the incentives of the old rules. The Chicago Bulls traded Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White at the deadline after years of floundering in mediocrity to increase their chances at finding a star. This system <em>rewards</em> mediocrity. It would have been nice if Chicago actually knew the rules before making its February deals. The Memphis Grizzlies traded away Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane because they felt like they couldn’t get out of the middle of the Western Conference standings. Would Memphis had made the same decisions if they knew the lottery format would change like this?</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">It’s no surprise the league is giving itself the option to opt out of this plan after the 2029 NBA Draft, per Charania’s report. This lottery format feels like an extremely slippery slope for a few reasons. Let’s get into it.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p><h2 class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">The new lottery system kills hope for diehard fans of bad teams</h2></p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Teams had the ability to go from worst-to-first under the current lottery system despite the fact that the worst team in the league literally never won the lottery since the last round of reform went into effect in 2019. The Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves all made the worst-to-first jump in the 2020s.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Those are all small market teams who used the draft to land their franchise player. They still had to get lucky to land the top pick. It’s just going to require way more luck for bad teams to get good under this system.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1"><strong>The risk of this system is that it creates a permanent NBA underclass</strong>. Now the worst team in the league can fall to the 12th pick. Given how rarely good players change hands in free agency these days (more on that later), it feels like bad teams could get stuck in a cycle of being bad for a long, long time.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">If teams can’t sell wins, they need to sell hope. What hope would fans of bad teams have now knowing they could fall out of the top-10 in the draft? The risk here is that diehard fans of bad teams just choose to give up because there’s no path forward.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p><h2 class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Lottery reform feels like it should be coupled with free agency changes</h2></p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">How are bad teams supposed to get good players if they can’t do it through the draft? Free agency and trades are the only other options, but the prospect of bad teams overpaying free agents to land them only offers more downside, especially in this more punitive CBA.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">It feels like the league needs more good young players to hit free agency if it doesn’t want teams to tank for the draft. One idea I saw elsewhere that I liked was eliminating restricted free agency. Under the current system, the Pistons still have the ability to match any contract offer to Jalen Duren even after failing to reach an extension with him. What if Duren was just an unrestricted free agent this year, and could be had for any team?</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Something like that would open up more avenues for talent acquisition outside of the draft. For now, it feels like bad teams that don’t get lottery luck are simply screwed.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p><h2 class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">The NBA already killed free agency. Will these changes kill trades, too?</h2></p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Silver heard the outcry over Kevin Durant signing with the Golden State Warriors, and essentially made rule changes that kept superstars away from free agency. The last true superstar to change teams in free agency was Kawhi Leonard signing with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019. Since then, the biggest player to change teams in free agency is … washed Paul George in 2024?</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The NBA gets a lot of attention from offseason player movement. I wonder if these changes will make teams more reluctant to trade their future first-round picks, thus diminishing the trade market, too.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">First-round picks are the currency of trades. A team that was around .500 was more incentivized to trade a future first because it had a lower probability of turning into a premium pick. Now that’s been flipped on its head.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">This is all pretty speculative for now, but it’s something to monitor. This new lottery system will have unintended consequences, and it would be a net-loss for the NBA if it resulted in fewer trades.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p><h2 class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Tanking will still happen under these lottery rules, just in different ways</h2></p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">This lottery system should curb tanking, but it won’t eliminate it entirely. If the goal of these changes is to preserve the sanctity of March and April games, I’m not sure that’s going to happen.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Let’s say a team enters the All-Star break in 10th place in their conference. They might not want to risk losing a ping pong ball by making the 7/8 play-in game, so they will still rest players as long as they have a big enough cushion not to finish in the bottom-3. The sweet spot in this reform is the 4-10 range. Given how often injuries play a factor in team performance — and given how many significant injuries there are in the modern game — it feels likely a team can still rest players/try to lose on purpose from an organizational perspective and still enter the lottery sitting pretty.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p><h2 class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Tanking was never the NBA’s biggest problem anyway</h2></p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Adam Silver is a reactionary. He reads online criticism, and he acts quickly. My complaint with rushing through this tanking reform is that fans of teams that are tanking aren’t the ones doing the complaining. It’s usually coming from football fans after the Super Bowl who will just find another way to criticize the NBA even if tanking was solved.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1"><strong>The NBA’s biggest issue is that the regular season lacks anything resembling meaningful stakes</strong>. Silver thinks that these lottery reforms will fix that problem, but I’m extremely dubious. If the NBA wants to give the regular season more stakes, it needs to reduce the number of games. Play every team twice and call it a season. Once the NBA adds its two expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle, that would create a 62-game schedule. It gives the players more rest in between games, and cancels a lot of the end of season games where tanking tomfoolery is happening.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The point of the draft is to give the worst teams the best young players. The NBA apparently doesn’t see it that way, and they’re instead leaving it all up to chance.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1"><a href="https://draft-lottery-simulator.figma.site/">This lottery simulator shows how much randomness is in the new system</a>. Play with it yourself:</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">On my first spin, the Miami Heat drew the No. 1 pick and the Washington Wizards fell to 12th. Is that the type of system the NBA really wants?</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The biggest winner of these lottery changes feel like … the Oklahoma City Thunder. <a href="https://fanspo.com/nba/teams/oklahoma-city-thunder/21/draft-picks">Check out all of the future first-round picks OKC owns here</a>. Now their future picks coming from the Nuggets and their swap rights with the Clippers could be even more valuable, as those teams likely wouldn’t have been near the bottom of the standings, but could be in the middle ground that is now more fruitful.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Back in 2017, <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2017/3/26/14973314/kill-the-nba-draft-rookies-ncaa-free-agency">the great Tom Ziller wrote a column at this site titled “Kill the NBA Draft</a>.” <a href="https://www.teamziller.com/">Subscribe to Tom’s newsletter here for more great NBA coverage</a>.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Given how much randomness is in this new system, I find myself far more open to just killing the draft entirely starting in 2030. Give every team a rookie exception they can offer top players. Let teams with cap space offer them more money beyond that. It would make sense if a bad team has more open cap space and could hypothetically offer the next Cooper Flagg a max deal out of college. If Flagg prefers to sign with his childhood favorite Boston Celtics instead, so be it.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The NBA is opening up a whole new can of worms with this lottery system, and the people it hurts the most are loyal fans of hopeless franchises. The NBA really does not want a world where those people check out of the league entirely. I feel like it could happen after these changes.</p></div></div> #NBA #Draft #lottery #shortsighted #confusing #create #problems

Deadspin | Report: UConn, Duke finalizing Thanksgiving Eve clash  Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) dribbles the ball against UConn Huskies guard Malachi Smith (0) in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images   UConn and Duke are finalizing plans to clash on Nov. 25 — Thanksgiving Eve — at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, CBS Sports reported on Wednesday.  It would be a rematch of last month’s Elite Eight showdown in Washington, D.C., where the Huskies knocked out the Blue Devils in a 73-72 thriller.   Freshman Braylon Mullins’ desperation 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left lifted No. 2 seed UConn over top-seeded Duke in the NCAA Tournament East Region on March 29. The Huskies went on to lose to Michigan, 69-63, in the national championship game.   Duke leads the all-time series between the perennial powerhouses 6-5, including the Huskies’ 77-74 victory in the 1999 NCAA Tournament title game in St. Petersburg, Fla.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Report #UConn #Duke #finalizing #Thanksgiving #Eve #clashMar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) dribbles the ball against UConn Huskies guard Malachi Smith (0) in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

UConn and Duke are finalizing plans to clash on Nov. 25 — Thanksgiving Eve — at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, CBS Sports reported on Wednesday.

It would be a rematch of last month’s Elite Eight showdown in Washington, D.C., where the Huskies knocked out the Blue Devils in a 73-72 thriller.


Freshman Braylon Mullins’ desperation 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left lifted No. 2 seed UConn over top-seeded Duke in the NCAA Tournament East Region on March 29. The Huskies went on to lose to Michigan, 69-63, in the national championship game.

Duke leads the all-time series between the perennial powerhouses 6-5, including the Huskies’ 77-74 victory in the 1999 NCAA Tournament title game in St. Petersburg, Fla.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Report #UConn #Duke #finalizing #Thanksgiving #Eve #clash">Deadspin | Report: UConn, Duke finalizing Thanksgiving Eve clash  Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) dribbles the ball against UConn Huskies guard Malachi Smith (0) in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images   UConn and Duke are finalizing plans to clash on Nov. 25 — Thanksgiving Eve — at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, CBS Sports reported on Wednesday.  It would be a rematch of last month’s Elite Eight showdown in Washington, D.C., where the Huskies knocked out the Blue Devils in a 73-72 thriller.   Freshman Braylon Mullins’ desperation 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left lifted No. 2 seed UConn over top-seeded Duke in the NCAA Tournament East Region on March 29. The Huskies went on to lose to Michigan, 69-63, in the national championship game.   Duke leads the all-time series between the perennial powerhouses 6-5, including the Huskies’ 77-74 victory in the 1999 NCAA Tournament title game in St. Petersburg, Fla.  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Report #UConn #Duke #finalizing #Thanksgiving #Eve #clash

A destructive assault from Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma helped the Sunrisers Hyderabad overhaul Mumbai Indians target of 243 at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday evening.

With the win, SRH extended its winning streak to five matches, while MI’s Playoff hopes were further dented.

Earlier in the evening, MI captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to bowl first. It was a one man show from Ryan Rickelton as the South African brought up his first IPL century (123* off 55 balls) to help MI post a mammoth 243 on the board.

Rickelton’s innings was the highest individual score and also the fastest century (off 44 balls) by an MI batter.

A total of 243 is a tall ask for any team but Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head made it look simple as the pair took the Mumbai Indians bowlers to all parts of the park.

Head and Abhishek said the tone early before Klaasen (65* off 30 balls) added the finishing touches to secure a memorable win for the visitor.

Published on Apr 29, 2026

#SRH #IPL #Rickelton #century #vain #Klaasen #blow #Mumbai #Indians">MI vs SRH, IPL 2026: Rickelton century goes in vain as Head, Klaasen blow away Mumbai Indians  A destructive assault from Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma helped the Sunrisers Hyderabad overhaul Mumbai Indians target of 243 at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday evening.With the win, SRH extended its winning streak to five matches, while MI’s Playoff hopes were further dented.Earlier in the evening, MI captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to bowl first. It was a one man show from Ryan Rickelton as the South African brought up his first IPL century (123* off 55 balls) to help MI post a mammoth 243 on the board.Rickelton’s innings was the highest individual score and also the fastest century (off 44 balls) by an MI batter.A total of 243 is a tall ask for any team but Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head made it look simple as the pair took the Mumbai Indians bowlers to all parts of the park.Head and Abhishek said the tone early before Klaasen (65* off 30 balls) added the finishing touches to secure a memorable win for the visitor.Published on Apr 29, 2026  #SRH #IPL #Rickelton #century #vain #Klaasen #blow #Mumbai #Indians

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