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KKR vs PBKS IPL 2026: Varun Chakaravarthy misses out due to injury  Kolkata Knight Riders will miss the services of the spin duo of Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine against Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens on Monday night.KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane confirmed at the toss that Varun sustained an injury while taking a catch during its 65-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday.Follow live updates from the match here.The 34-year-old has endured a tough IPL thus far going for 48 in his four overs against Mumbai Indians and following it up by conceding 31 runs in his two overs against SRH.Rahane also confirmed that Sunil Narine was ruled out due to illness. The last time KKR played without either Narine or Varun was in 2019.Varun and Narine’s places were taking by seamer Navdeep Saini and all-rounder Rovman Powell as KKR surprisingly opted to bat first at Eden Gardens. Anukul Roy is expected to be the team’s lone spinner.Published on Apr 06, 2026  #KKR #PBKS #IPL #Varun #Chakaravarthy #misses #due #injury

KKR vs PBKS IPL 2026: Varun Chakaravarthy misses out due to injury

Kolkata Knight Riders will miss the services of the spin duo of Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine against Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens on Monday night.

KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane confirmed at the toss that Varun sustained an injury while taking a catch during its 65-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday.

Follow live updates from the match here.

The 34-year-old has endured a tough IPL thus far going for 48 in his four overs against Mumbai Indians and following it up by conceding 31 runs in his two overs against SRH.

Rahane also confirmed that Sunil Narine was ruled out due to illness. The last time KKR played without either Narine or Varun was in 2019.

Varun and Narine’s places were taking by seamer Navdeep Saini and all-rounder Rovman Powell as KKR surprisingly opted to bat first at Eden Gardens. Anukul Roy is expected to be the team’s lone spinner.

Published on Apr 06, 2026

#KKR #PBKS #IPL #Varun #Chakaravarthy #misses #due #injury

Kolkata Knight Riders will miss the services of the spin duo of Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine against Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens on Monday night.

KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane confirmed at the toss that Varun sustained an injury while taking a catch during its 65-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday.

Follow live updates from the match here.

The 34-year-old has endured a tough IPL thus far going for 48 in his four overs against Mumbai Indians and following it up by conceding 31 runs in his two overs against SRH.

Rahane also confirmed that Sunil Narine was ruled out due to illness. The last time KKR played without either Narine or Varun was in 2019.

Varun and Narine’s places were taking by seamer Navdeep Saini and all-rounder Rovman Powell as KKR surprisingly opted to bat first at Eden Gardens. Anukul Roy is expected to be the team’s lone spinner.

Published on Apr 06, 2026

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#KKR #PBKS #IPL #Varun #Chakaravarthy #misses #due #injury

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Dexter Lawrence is requesting a trade and these 3 teams should be interested <div><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">To say that Dexter Lawrence’s career has been wasted up to this point would be a massive understatement. The three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro has been with the New York Giants since 2019, languishing for seven long years in an organization that has been constantly rebuilding, now on its fourth coach since Lawrence was drafted.</p></div><div><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1"><a href="https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/2041193382022619174">It’s not wholly surprising that Lawrence is demanding a trade</a>, but the timing is bizarre. This is the first time Lawrence has had a competitive team that could actually win — and now with John Harbaugh at coach, the Giants look actually poised to do something. However, this could be attributed to Lawrence routinely being in trade discussions with contenders, only to see them fall apart at the deadline, coupled with the sides not being able to agree on a new contract.</p></div><div><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Lawrence is currently on a rookie extension he signed in 2023, which is set to run through 2027. He has a cap hit of $27M this season, though it’s probable he would sign a contract extension with a new team, which could reduce his cap number. Let’s look at the teams who could afford this move, and who needs an All-Pro defensive tackle.</p></div><div><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">From one Harbaugh to another, Dexter Lawrence would be an <em>ideal</em> fit to anchor the Chargers defensive line in their 3-4. Right now the team is hoping that short-term free agent pickup Dalvin Tomlinson can hold the middle, and he was atrocious in 2025, rating as one of the worst tackles in the league at the position.</p></div><div><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The Chargers have the cap space and the need to add some superstar talent, which is where Lawrence fits in. He can open up pass rush lanes on the edge for Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu, while adding a much-needed veteran presence.</p></div><div><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The Pats showed how talented they were last season, but we saw in the Super Bowl how a lack of interior pressure hurt them when everything mattered the most. Lawrence would give Mike Vrabel the interior force he needs, and a critical veteran to bring up some of New England’s younger talent.</p></div><div><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">There’s a very good chance that the Pats could be holding their cap space for a potential A.J. Brown trade to bolster the offense, but they might actually be better suited by trying to get Lawrence to complement the already excellent Patriots pass defense.</p></div><div><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Let’s make 31 other teams groan. There aren’t a lot of weaknesses on the Seahawks, but one of them is nose tackle. Jarran Reed is <em>fine</em>, but there’s nothing really impressive about him and adding a pop in the middle like Lawrence would make an already terrifying Seahawks’ defense into an all-consuming black hole.</p></div><div><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">They won a Super Bowl, so now it’s time to try and turn this into a dynasty by giving them one of the best 3-4 nose tackles in the NFL.</p></div> #Dexter #Lawrence #requesting #trade #teams #interested

KL Rahul’s scintillating unbeaten 152 against Punjab Kings in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season has once again brought to the fore the paradox posed by the 34-year-old in 20-over cricket.

Often criticised for his slow strike, Rahul has also shown glimpses of his aggressive avatar with knocks such as the 67-ball 152 on Saturday, which is the highest individual score by an Indian in the league’s history.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Rahul possesses the skills to excel in the shortest format at any position, provided he doesn’t put too much of a premium on his wicket.

“KL Rahul has the ability to make an impact at any position. And I believe that if he thinks too much, the opening position is slightly risky because then he starts thinking that in these 20 overs, I’m a crucial player in the side,” Manrekar said on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.

“And that’s when he has those 20 balls, you know, (slow) start. And that’s a dangerous one. I’m saying that today, and come the playoffs, if he does that and gets out in trying to accelerate, that’s a lot of damage done.

“Down the order, he doesn’t have to think. He just has to go and start hammering, as he does for India in 50-over cricket. So, I like him down the order, at the top of the order, provided he doesn’t think that his wicket matters.”

After batting in the middle order for the bulk of the last season for Delhi Capitals, Rahul has played as an opener in all games this year. Though he started this season with scores of 0 and 1, he bounced back with two fifties before smashing a scorching hundred.

Manjrekar believes Rahul has also been at the receiving end of some role-clarity confusion at Delhi Capitals.

“… With KL Rahul, there’s been some sort of role-clarity confusion for him as well. So, he originally was at number four for DC. Now he’s opening,” Manjrekar said, while acknowledging that DC’s lower-order firepower has allowed Rahul to play with more freedom.

Though Rahul has struck at an impressive 187.89 this season, Manjrekar highlighted the batter’s slow starts.

“So, he plays these kinds of innings, but the very next innings could be 20 of 20 balls. Starts off very slow for some reason… Even when he got a 90 recently, his first 20 balls, he got 20, 25 runs. The problem with that approach is that when you decide to change gears, OK, you’ve got 24 off, say, 21 balls or 32 of 24 balls. OK, now the time has come for me to accelerate. You’re taking a risk always. And if you get out at that time, trying to take a risk, and that has happened a lot with KL Rahul, more when he was batting for Punjab Kings. Then you’ve done your team harm because you can’t recover 20 balls or 30 balls; 30 balls is 25 per cent of the entire innings. And if you’ve gone at a strike rate of 110, you’re done, you’re finished. You won’t get as many runs on the board. So, that’s a very dangerous ploy.”

The likes of Rahul have often been termed ‘anchors’, a role that Manjrekar believes has no place in modern-day T20 cricket.

“I believe, in T20 cricket, no batter has the right to anchor the innings. When you have eight pure batters of a certain quality and just 20 overs, you just don’t have the right, especially when you’re batting first. You see a lot of teams get 190, 200 and lose games because there’s been somebody at the top who’s got 20 of 20 balls and went on to maybe accelerate later. But those 20, if they were 35, 40, you’ve got those 10, 15 extra runs. And with the impact sub, even more reason for nobody to start off getting 20 or 20, unless it is chasing 140, 150.”

Drawing a parallel between Rahul and Virat Kohli, Manjrekar said the latter had evolved his game and had started scoring more briskly by shunning the idea that he was indispensable to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lineup.

“Someone like KL Rahul and Virat Kohli’s style is similar in the way they sort of master and structure their innings. And I’ll say this, very methodical. And Kohli often talks about how he calculates when to attack, when to take that single… It’s only that he’s decided that he’s going to bat quicker. And why was it decided? Because you could see the pressure building and people talking about him batting a little too slow. This 150 strike rate was 125, 133 four years back.

“And it was only because Virat Kohli would hit a boundary and then pick up a one or two, because he wanted to extend his innings and play longer, because he felt that he had to be the man batting most of the innings and didn’t quite trust the batters down the order. RCB changed when Virat Kohli at the top started batting a little quicker and didn’t make himself sort of almost indispensable. And that’s when the others also blossomed under him.”

Published on Apr 27, 2026

#Sanjay #Manjrekar #Rahul #bat #position #providedhe #doesnt #wicket #matters">Sanjay Manjrekar: KL Rahul can bat at any position, provided he doesn’t think his wicket matters   KL Rahul’s scintillating unbeaten 152 against Punjab Kings in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season has once again brought to the fore the paradox posed by the 34-year-old in 20-over cricket.Often criticised for his slow strike, Rahul has also shown glimpses of his aggressive avatar with knocks such as the 67-ball 152 on Saturday, which is the highest individual score by an Indian in the league’s history.Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Rahul possesses the skills to excel in the shortest format at any position, provided he doesn’t put too much of a premium on his wicket.“KL Rahul has the ability to make an impact at any position. And I believe that if he thinks too much, the opening position is slightly risky because then he starts thinking that in these 20 overs, I’m a crucial player in the side,” Manrekar said on        Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.“And that’s when he has those 20 balls, you know, (slow) start. And that’s a dangerous one. I’m saying that today, and come the playoffs, if he does that and gets out in trying to accelerate, that’s a lot of damage done.“Down the order, he doesn’t have to think. He just has to go and start hammering, as he does for India in 50-over cricket. So, I like him down the order, at the top of the order, provided he doesn’t think that his wicket matters.”After batting in the middle order for the bulk of the last season for Delhi Capitals, Rahul has played as an opener in all games this year. Though he started this season with scores of 0 and 1, he bounced back with two fifties before smashing a scorching hundred.Manjrekar believes Rahul has also been at the receiving end of some role-clarity confusion at Delhi Capitals.“… With KL Rahul, there’s been some sort of role-clarity confusion for him as well. So, he originally was at number four for DC. Now he’s opening,” Manjrekar said, while acknowledging that DC’s lower-order firepower has allowed Rahul to play with more freedom.Though Rahul has struck at an impressive 187.89 this season, Manjrekar highlighted the batter’s slow starts.“So, he plays these kinds of innings, but the very next innings could be 20 of 20 balls. Starts off very slow for some reason… Even when he got a 90 recently, his first 20 balls, he got 20, 25 runs. The problem with that approach is that when you decide to change gears, OK, you’ve got 24 off, say, 21 balls or 32 of 24 balls. OK, now the time has come for me to accelerate. You’re taking a risk always. And if you get out at that time, trying to take a risk, and that has happened a lot with KL Rahul, more when he was batting for Punjab Kings. Then you’ve done your team harm because you can’t recover 20 balls or 30 balls; 30 balls is 25 per cent of the entire innings. And if you’ve gone at a strike rate of 110, you’re done, you’re finished. You won’t get as many runs on the board. So, that’s a very dangerous ploy.”The likes of Rahul have often been termed ‘anchors’, a role that Manjrekar believes has no place in modern-day T20 cricket.“I believe, in T20 cricket, no batter has the right to anchor the innings. When you have eight pure batters of a certain quality and just 20 overs, you just don’t have the right, especially when you’re batting first. You see a lot of teams get 190, 200 and lose games because there’s been somebody at the top who’s got 20 of 20 balls and went on to maybe accelerate later. But those 20, if they were 35, 40, you’ve got those 10, 15 extra runs. And with the impact sub, even more reason for nobody to start off getting 20 or 20, unless it is chasing 140, 150.”Drawing a parallel between Rahul and Virat Kohli, Manjrekar said the latter had evolved his game and had started scoring more briskly by shunning the idea that he was indispensable to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lineup.“Someone like KL Rahul and Virat Kohli’s style is similar in the way they sort of master and structure their innings. And I’ll say this, very methodical. And Kohli often talks about how he calculates when to attack, when to take that single… It’s only that he’s decided that he’s going to bat quicker. And why was it decided? Because you could see the pressure building and people talking about him batting a little too slow. This 150 strike rate was 125, 133 four years back.“And it was only because Virat Kohli would hit a boundary and then pick up a one or two, because he wanted to extend his innings and play longer, because he felt that he had to be the man batting most of the innings and didn’t quite trust the batters down the order. RCB changed when Virat Kohli at the top started batting a little quicker and didn’t make himself sort of almost indispensable. And that’s when the others also blossomed under him.”Published on Apr 27, 2026  #Sanjay #Manjrekar #Rahul #bat #position #providedhe #doesnt #wicket #matters

I’ve seen the future of the NBA. It’s part Caitlin Clark, part Waymo and, of course, a heaping helping of IT.

There have been 30 NBA playoff games to date. And there have been – according to no better source than players on the losing team – 30 poorly officiated boat races.

Coincidence? Hardly.

For years, perimeter play in the NBA postseason has resembled that of the NFL, complete with the chucking, hand-fighting and illegal picking.

If you’re wondering why Stephen Curry shoots more 30-footers now than ever before, it’s because apparently bear-hugging is legal inside 25 feet. So what’s a little guy to do?

Clark has received this kind of hands-on treatment since Day 1 of her miserable WNBA life. She’s bumped endlessly attempting to dribble around screens and held constantly while simply trying to use picks to free herself without the ball.

To its credit, the WNBA has created (they don’t call it this, but let’s be honest) the “Clark Compromise” this season. If you watched the preseason games over the weekend, you undoubtedly heard the broadcasters complaining about it.

I applaud Cathy Engelbert, and that’s hard to do. The league has instructed its refs to clean up the perimeter mess – from the clutching and bumping of defenders preventing offensive players from legally utilizing screens, to the hip-checking and general bullying screen-setters routinely employ on undersized defenders.

The constant whistles made Saturday’s games hard to watch, as the broadcasters noted. But that’s missing the point.

The goal is to use otherwise meaningless exhibitions to make the fast-approaching regular-season openers more enjoyable to watch. You know, by actually calling fouls now so that players are hard-taught to play by the book by the time the finicky viewers start tuning in.

Imagine that, NBA.

The premier men’s league has half-heartedly attempted to take this type of approach in the past couple of seasons, and clearly it’s not working. Ask Curry. Ask Devin Booker. Ask anybody trying to guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, James Harden or Jaylen Brown.

Let ‘em play has become the unofficial motto of the NBA postseason. And what has it given us?

In general: Less entertainment, poorer shooting opportunities, frustration, more extra-curriculars among players and an inordinate number of key injuries.

Specifically: There have been 30 playoff games so far. In those games, three of the 60 teams have been held under 90 points. That’s 5%. In the regular season, it was 1.7%.

Same with scores under 100. There have been 16 of them so far in the postseason (26.7%). In the regular season: 10.6%.

Sunday was the worst: More teams failed to reach triple figures than did. Number of watchable games: Zero.

That’s letting ‘em play. But play exactly what, I’m not sure.

In fact, with all the fouling that’s going uncalled, they’re not playing at all. They’re moshing.

It’s time to get with the times and take corrective steps. My solution is extreme – gee, imagine that – but when you’ve got people switching off a Thunder-Suns playoff game to watch Day 3 of the NFL draft, you’ve got problems.

The NBA needs to take a Waymo approach. You know, an implanted chip that tells the brain: All contact is bad. Avoid at all costs.

No, I’m not suggesting tattooing a sensor into every player’s forehead. Rather, a simple memory scan of each player’s arms – the major culprits in most of these so-called victimless crimes – so that when someone’s shoulder or elbow or forearm or hand simply touches an opponent, the referee gets buzzed and the actionless action is stopped.

Why? Because touching an opponent should be illegal. Think baseball. Not football.

As Waymo has taught us: All contact is bad.

And if cars can learn it, why can’t humans?

Then it’s IT’s turn.

Within one second, IT has the ability to study every available angle of a “collision” and make the determination: Which player caused this to happen?

Was it Brown pushing off Paul George in order to create space to get off a clean shot? Or was it George sticking a forearm into Brown’s back, stalling his initial move toward the hoop?

In today’s game, it doesn’t matter. More possessions than not resemble DK Metcalf and Carlton Davis wrestling inside the 5-yard, anything-goes NFL passing zone.

Only the NBA has no such thing.

Really. One second. That’s all it would take IT to point its virtual punitive finger.

And then guess what? Brown wouldn’t do it again. Or Harden. Or SGA.

That’s how you clean up and speed up the NBA game. Or at least start to do so.

Imagine an NBA rule in which you’re not allowed to touch your opponent. Yes, it’s hard to envision. But think about it for a minute.

Fifty years ago, when Lester Hayes was literally using stickum to latch onto wide receivers, who would have thought a hands-off rule would revolutionize football?

And that was back when the only IT was Isiah Thomas.

The NBA had hand-checking back then. Remember that thrill-killer?

That was banished and the game became great. But the problem has resurfaced, more so in the postseason than in the regular year, when it was a lesser issue because star players weren’t complaining. They were resting.

It’s time to get with the times, Commissioner Silver. Take the leap.

Thank you Caitlin Clark for saving the NBA.

#Technology #Fix #NBA #Officiating #Bold #Solution #Playoff #Issues #Deadspin.com">Can Technology Fix NBA Officiating? A Bold Solution to Playoff Issues | Deadspin.com   I’ve seen the future of the NBA. It’s part Caitlin Clark, part Waymo and, of course, a heaping helping of IT.There have been 30 NBA playoff games to date. And there have been – according to no better source than players on the losing team – 30 poorly officiated boat races.Coincidence? Hardly.For years, perimeter play in the NBA postseason has resembled that of the NFL, complete with the chucking, hand-fighting and illegal picking.If you’re wondering why Stephen Curry shoots more 30-footers now than ever before, it’s because apparently bear-hugging is legal inside 25 feet. So what’s a little guy to do?Clark has received this kind of hands-on treatment since Day 1 of her miserable WNBA life. She’s bumped endlessly attempting to dribble around screens and held constantly while simply trying to use picks to free herself without the ball.To its credit, the WNBA has created (they don’t call it this, but let’s be honest) the “Clark Compromise” this season. If you watched the preseason games over the weekend, you undoubtedly heard the broadcasters complaining about it.I applaud Cathy Engelbert, and that’s hard to do. The league has instructed its refs to clean up the perimeter mess – from the clutching and bumping of defenders preventing offensive players from legally utilizing screens, to the hip-checking and general bullying screen-setters routinely employ on undersized defenders.The constant whistles made Saturday’s games hard to watch, as the broadcasters noted. But that’s missing the point.The goal is to use otherwise meaningless exhibitions to make the fast-approaching regular-season openers more enjoyable to watch. You know, by actually calling fouls now so that players are hard-taught to play by the book by the time the finicky viewers start tuning in.Imagine that, NBA.The premier men’s league has half-heartedly attempted to take this type of approach in the past couple of seasons, and clearly it’s not working. Ask Curry. Ask Devin Booker. Ask anybody trying to guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, James Harden or Jaylen Brown.Let ‘em play has become the unofficial motto of the NBA postseason. And what has it given us?In general: Less entertainment, poorer shooting opportunities, frustration, more extra-curriculars among players and an inordinate number of key injuries.Specifically: There have been 30 playoff games so far. In those games, three of the 60 teams have been held under 90 points. That’s 5%. In the regular season, it was 1.7%.Same with scores under 100. There have been 16 of them so far in the postseason (26.7%). In the regular season: 10.6%.Sunday was the worst: More teams failed to reach triple figures than did. Number of watchable games: Zero.That’s letting ‘em play. But play exactly what, I’m not sure.In fact, with all the fouling that’s going uncalled, they’re not playing at all. They’re moshing.It’s time to get with the times and take corrective steps. My solution is extreme – gee, imagine that – but when you’ve got people switching off a Thunder-Suns playoff game to watch Day 3 of the NFL draft, you’ve got problems.The NBA needs to take a Waymo approach. You know, an implanted chip that tells the brain: All contact is bad. Avoid at all costs.No, I’m not suggesting tattooing a sensor into every player’s forehead. Rather, a simple memory scan of each player’s arms – the major culprits in most of these so-called victimless crimes – so that when someone’s shoulder or elbow or forearm or hand simply touches an opponent, the referee gets buzzed and the actionless action is stopped.Why? Because touching an opponent should be illegal. Think baseball. Not football.As Waymo has taught us: All contact is bad.And if cars can learn it, why can’t humans?Then it’s IT’s turn.Within one second, IT has the ability to study every available angle of a “collision” and make the determination: Which player caused this to happen?Was it Brown pushing off Paul George in order to create space to get off a clean shot? Or was it George sticking a forearm into Brown’s back, stalling his initial move toward the hoop?In today’s game, it doesn’t matter. More possessions than not resemble DK Metcalf and Carlton Davis wrestling inside the 5-yard, anything-goes NFL passing zone.Only the NBA has no such thing.Really. One second. That’s all it would take IT to point its virtual punitive finger.And then guess what? Brown wouldn’t do it again. Or Harden. Or SGA.That’s how you clean up and speed up the NBA game. Or at least start to do so.Imagine an NBA rule in which you’re not allowed to touch your opponent. Yes, it’s hard to envision. But think about it for a minute.Fifty years ago, when Lester Hayes was literally using stickum to latch onto wide receivers, who would have thought a hands-off rule would revolutionize football?And that was back when the only IT was Isiah Thomas.The NBA had hand-checking back then. Remember that thrill-killer?That was banished and the game became great. But the problem has resurfaced, more so in the postseason than in the regular year, when it was a lesser issue because star players weren’t complaining. They were resting.It’s time to get with the times, Commissioner Silver. Take the leap.Thank you Caitlin Clark for saving the NBA.   #Technology #Fix #NBA #Officiating #Bold #Solution #Playoff #Issues #Deadspin.com

her miserable WNBA life. She’s bumped endlessly attempting to dribble around screens and held constantly while simply trying to use picks to free herself without the ball.

To its credit, the WNBA has created (they don’t call it this, but let’s be honest) the “Clark Compromise” this season. If you watched the preseason games over the weekend, you undoubtedly heard the broadcasters complaining about it.

I applaud Cathy Engelbert, and that’s hard to do. The league has instructed its refs to clean up the perimeter mess – from the clutching and bumping of defenders preventing offensive players from legally utilizing screens, to the hip-checking and general bullying screen-setters routinely employ on undersized defenders.

The constant whistles made Saturday’s games hard to watch, as the broadcasters noted. But that’s missing the point.

The goal is to use otherwise meaningless exhibitions to make the fast-approaching regular-season openers more enjoyable to watch. You know, by actually calling fouls now so that players are hard-taught to play by the book by the time the finicky viewers start tuning in.

Imagine that, NBA.

The premier men’s league has half-heartedly attempted to take this type of approach in the past couple of seasons, and clearly it’s not working. Ask Curry. Ask Devin Booker. Ask anybody trying to guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, James Harden or Jaylen Brown.

Let ‘em play has become the unofficial motto of the NBA postseason. And what has it given us?

In general: Less entertainment, poorer shooting opportunities, frustration, more extra-curriculars among players and an inordinate number of key injuries.

Specifically: There have been 30 playoff games so far. In those games, three of the 60 teams have been held under 90 points. That’s 5%. In the regular season, it was 1.7%.

Same with scores under 100. There have been 16 of them so far in the postseason (26.7%). In the regular season: 10.6%.

Sunday was the worst: More teams failed to reach triple figures than did. Number of watchable games: Zero.

That’s letting ‘em play. But play exactly what, I’m not sure.

In fact, with all the fouling that’s going uncalled, they’re not playing at all. They’re moshing.

It’s time to get with the times and take corrective steps. My solution is extreme – gee, imagine that – but when you’ve got people switching off a Thunder-Suns playoff game to watch Day 3 of the NFL draft, you’ve got problems.

The NBA needs to take a Waymo approach. You know, an implanted chip that tells the brain: All contact is bad. Avoid at all costs.

No, I’m not suggesting tattooing a sensor into every player’s forehead. Rather, a simple memory scan of each player’s arms – the major culprits in most of these so-called victimless crimes – so that when someone’s shoulder or elbow or forearm or hand simply touches an opponent, the referee gets buzzed and the actionless action is stopped.

Why? Because touching an opponent should be illegal. Think baseball. Not football.

As Waymo has taught us: All contact is bad.

And if cars can learn it, why can’t humans?

Then it’s IT’s turn.

Within one second, IT has the ability to study every available angle of a “collision” and make the determination: Which player caused this to happen?

Was it Brown pushing off Paul George in order to create space to get off a clean shot? Or was it George sticking a forearm into Brown’s back, stalling his initial move toward the hoop?

In today’s game, it doesn’t matter. More possessions than not resemble DK Metcalf and Carlton Davis wrestling inside the 5-yard, anything-goes NFL passing zone.

Only the NBA has no such thing.

Really. One second. That’s all it would take IT to point its virtual punitive finger.

And then guess what? Brown wouldn’t do it again. Or Harden. Or SGA.

That’s how you clean up and speed up the NBA game. Or at least start to do so.

Imagine an NBA rule in which you’re not allowed to touch your opponent. Yes, it’s hard to envision. But think about it for a minute.

Fifty years ago, when Lester Hayes was literally using stickum to latch onto wide receivers, who would have thought a hands-off rule would revolutionize football?

And that was back when the only IT was Isiah Thomas.

The NBA had hand-checking back then. Remember that thrill-killer?

That was banished and the game became great. But the problem has resurfaced, more so in the postseason than in the regular year, when it was a lesser issue because star players weren’t complaining. They were resting.

It’s time to get with the times, Commissioner Silver. Take the leap.

Thank you Caitlin Clark for saving the NBA.

#Technology #Fix #NBA #Officiating #Bold #Solution #Playoff #Issues #Deadspin.com">Can Technology Fix NBA Officiating? A Bold Solution to Playoff Issues | Deadspin.com

I’ve seen the future of the NBA. It’s part Caitlin Clark, part Waymo and, of course, a heaping helping of IT.

There have been 30 NBA playoff games to date. And there have been – according to no better source than players on the losing team – 30 poorly officiated boat races.

Coincidence? Hardly.

For years, perimeter play in the NBA postseason has resembled that of the NFL, complete with the chucking, hand-fighting and illegal picking.

If you’re wondering why Stephen Curry shoots more 30-footers now than ever before, it’s because apparently bear-hugging is legal inside 25 feet. So what’s a little guy to do?

Clark has received this kind of hands-on treatment since Day 1 of her miserable WNBA life. She’s bumped endlessly attempting to dribble around screens and held constantly while simply trying to use picks to free herself without the ball.

To its credit, the WNBA has created (they don’t call it this, but let’s be honest) the “Clark Compromise” this season. If you watched the preseason games over the weekend, you undoubtedly heard the broadcasters complaining about it.

I applaud Cathy Engelbert, and that’s hard to do. The league has instructed its refs to clean up the perimeter mess – from the clutching and bumping of defenders preventing offensive players from legally utilizing screens, to the hip-checking and general bullying screen-setters routinely employ on undersized defenders.

The constant whistles made Saturday’s games hard to watch, as the broadcasters noted. But that’s missing the point.

The goal is to use otherwise meaningless exhibitions to make the fast-approaching regular-season openers more enjoyable to watch. You know, by actually calling fouls now so that players are hard-taught to play by the book by the time the finicky viewers start tuning in.

Imagine that, NBA.

The premier men’s league has half-heartedly attempted to take this type of approach in the past couple of seasons, and clearly it’s not working. Ask Curry. Ask Devin Booker. Ask anybody trying to guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, James Harden or Jaylen Brown.

Let ‘em play has become the unofficial motto of the NBA postseason. And what has it given us?

In general: Less entertainment, poorer shooting opportunities, frustration, more extra-curriculars among players and an inordinate number of key injuries.

Specifically: There have been 30 playoff games so far. In those games, three of the 60 teams have been held under 90 points. That’s 5%. In the regular season, it was 1.7%.

Same with scores under 100. There have been 16 of them so far in the postseason (26.7%). In the regular season: 10.6%.

Sunday was the worst: More teams failed to reach triple figures than did. Number of watchable games: Zero.

That’s letting ‘em play. But play exactly what, I’m not sure.

In fact, with all the fouling that’s going uncalled, they’re not playing at all. They’re moshing.

It’s time to get with the times and take corrective steps. My solution is extreme – gee, imagine that – but when you’ve got people switching off a Thunder-Suns playoff game to watch Day 3 of the NFL draft, you’ve got problems.

The NBA needs to take a Waymo approach. You know, an implanted chip that tells the brain: All contact is bad. Avoid at all costs.

No, I’m not suggesting tattooing a sensor into every player’s forehead. Rather, a simple memory scan of each player’s arms – the major culprits in most of these so-called victimless crimes – so that when someone’s shoulder or elbow or forearm or hand simply touches an opponent, the referee gets buzzed and the actionless action is stopped.

Why? Because touching an opponent should be illegal. Think baseball. Not football.

As Waymo has taught us: All contact is bad.

And if cars can learn it, why can’t humans?

Then it’s IT’s turn.

Within one second, IT has the ability to study every available angle of a “collision” and make the determination: Which player caused this to happen?

Was it Brown pushing off Paul George in order to create space to get off a clean shot? Or was it George sticking a forearm into Brown’s back, stalling his initial move toward the hoop?

In today’s game, it doesn’t matter. More possessions than not resemble DK Metcalf and Carlton Davis wrestling inside the 5-yard, anything-goes NFL passing zone.

Only the NBA has no such thing.

Really. One second. That’s all it would take IT to point its virtual punitive finger.

And then guess what? Brown wouldn’t do it again. Or Harden. Or SGA.

That’s how you clean up and speed up the NBA game. Or at least start to do so.

Imagine an NBA rule in which you’re not allowed to touch your opponent. Yes, it’s hard to envision. But think about it for a minute.

Fifty years ago, when Lester Hayes was literally using stickum to latch onto wide receivers, who would have thought a hands-off rule would revolutionize football?

And that was back when the only IT was Isiah Thomas.

The NBA had hand-checking back then. Remember that thrill-killer?

That was banished and the game became great. But the problem has resurfaced, more so in the postseason than in the regular year, when it was a lesser issue because star players weren’t complaining. They were resting.

It’s time to get with the times, Commissioner Silver. Take the leap.

Thank you Caitlin Clark for saving the NBA.

#Technology #Fix #NBA #Officiating #Bold #Solution #Playoff #Issues #Deadspin.com

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