Page 24 - Florida Sentinel 7-13-18

Sports
Sterling Brown Is
Thrilling Kevin Knox Makes It Hard To Listen To Knicks GM
Suing Milwaukee Over
Stun Gun Arrest
New York Knicks general manager Scott Perry tried to downplay the success of his team’s two draft picks, Tampa Catholic standout and first round pick Kevin Knox and center Mitchell Robinson, before Tuesday’s showdown against the Lakers.
“I think it’s way too early to make an assessment after two summer-league games,’’ Perry said. “You have to measure it. Excitement or dis- appointment? Do we see en- couraging things? Yes. But we know these aren’t the guys they’re playing against or not playing against in the fall.’’
And yet Knox continued to make Knicks fans dream big with a 16-point third quar- ter that carried the team back from a 25-point deficit into a 78-78 tie entering the fourth. The Lakers pulled away late for a 109-92 victory.
Pelicans Coach Denies Reports Of Davis- Cousins Rift
ALVIN GENTRY
Alvin Gentry is standing up for his star player in the wake of whispers that he may have been partially responsible for DeMarcus Cousins’ de- parture.
Addressing the media on Monday, the New Orleans Pel- icans coach responded to re- cent reports suggesting Anthony Davis did not want Cousins back. Gentry said that it “couldn’t be further from the truth.”
After Cousins agreed to sign with the Western Confer- ence rival Golden State War- riors last week, rumblings indeed emerged that Davis liked the Pelicans’ style of play (among other things) without his fellow All-Star big man.
Gentry, who has coached Davis for the last three sea- sons, does have incentive to come out and defend the honor of his remaining superstar. But if anybody would know the truth about the Davis- Cousins dynamic, it’s proba- bly Gentry.
Robinson, the Knicks’ second-round pick whom the Lakers considered drafting, racked up 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting with eight rebounds and three blocks — but was a minus-33.
Selected ninth in the draft, Knox hit two late 3-pointers during the splurge as the Knicks’ monster run cut the deficit to 76-70. He then bagged another trey to tie score at 78.
Knox had scored 22 points and 19 points in his first two summer games.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown is suing the city and its police department because officers used a stun gun on him during his arrest for a parking violation in Jan- uary.
Brown’s attorney Mark Thomsen filed the lawsuit in federal court Tuesday alleging excessive force and unlawful arrest.
Brown had been talking with officers while waiting for a citation for illegally parking in a disabled spot outside a Walgreens. Officers swarmed Brown and took him down because he didn’t immediately remove his hands from his pockets as ordered.
STERLING BROWN Morales apologized to
Brown last month when body-camera video of the ar- rest was released. Brown wasn’t charged, and three offi- cers were disciplined, with suspensions ranging from two to 15 days.
Eight other officers are un- dergoing remedial training in professional communications.
KEVIN KNOX
Knox finished with 29 points on 9-of-20 shooting, including 5-of-7 from beyond the 3-point line, and nine re- bounds.
Warriors’ Next Addition Is Steph Curry’s Future Brother-In-Law
Police Chief Alfonso
Adam Silver: NBA
Just in case the Warriors needed more winning chem- istry, they added someone Tuesday with future family ties to Stephen Curry.
Golden State agreed to a deal with free-agent guard Damion Lee, the fiancé of Curry’s younger sister, Sydel. The 25-year-old Louisville product is expected to sign a two-way contract with the back-to-back NBA champions.
Lee, whose only NBA ex- perience came in 15 games with the Hawks last season, appeared to get engaged to Sydel Curry last November, with the two sharing the news on their Instagram accounts the same day.
Planning To Get Rid Of The One-And-Done Rule
DAMION LEE AND STEPH CURRY
Lee, known for his scoring ability, should fit right in with the offensive-minded War- riors. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard averaged 10.7 points on 40.8 percent shooting with the Hawks. He spent the ma- jority of the 2017-18 season playing for the Warriors’ Santa Cruz G-League affiliate.
The NBA is closing in on eliminating two equally befud- dling things: The one-and- done rule and midnight free agency.
Commissioner Adam Sil- ver, speaking after the Board of Governors meeting, told re- porters he thinks the league is about to eliminate its age limit and let 18-year-olds declare for the NBA draft.
“My personal view is that we’re ready to make that change,” said Silver. “Given that Condoleezza Rice and her commission has recom- mended to the NBA those one- and-done players now come directly into the league, and in essence the college community is saying we don’t want those players anymore, that tips the scale in my mind that we should be taking a serious look at lowering our age to 18.”
As of now, players either must be 19 or must have fin- ished their freshman year in college to enter the league. And while Silver’s personal view isn’t enough by itself to change that, it’s a pretty clear indica- tor this is going to happen. The current collective-bargaining agreement doesn’t expire until 2024, but draft eligibility rules can be renegotiated before the next collective-bargaining agreement.
Another mainstay that could go by the wayside is the midnight July 1 start to free agency.
ADAM SILVER
Silver said that, starting next season, he expects free agency to begin at a “more rea- sonable” time. He’s clearly aware of the buzz free agency generates. Between LeBron James jumping from the Cav- aliers to the Lakers and the Warriors’ Kevin Durant and the Thunder’s Paul George staying put, free agency is made for TV.
Speaking of the Warriors and their dominance, Silver didn’t seem overly concerned about any perceived lack of competitive balance.
“I don’t think it’s per se bad that the Warriors are so domi- nant,’’ he said. “We’re not try- ing to create some forced parity. What we really focus on is parity of opportunity.”
Silver hasn’t spoken with the Bucks’ Sterling Brown since he has been in Las Vegas, but expressed shock that Mil- waukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales claims he hasn’t seen the body-camera footage of Brown’s arrest and tasing last month. Silver also praised his players for their efforts toward social change.
FRIDAY, JULY 13, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 15-A