Know Your NBA D-League: The Canton Charge(!)

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By Mike Hanus:

Averaging 41 points, nine rebounds, six assists and 3.5 steals in his last two games, Manny Harris of the Canton Charge was named NBA D-League Performer of the Week. Having starred for the Michigan Wolverines, Harris went undrafted before being signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers last year. He spent most of his time on the bench before being waived this year, where he was signed by the D-League Canton Charge, to recover from his freezer burn (!?!?) injury. He promptly helped the Charge, who went 7-3 in their last ten games…and then Harris was called up by the Cavs on a 10-day contract, and the Charge are back to start.

Such is the life of a team in the NBA D-League, which sits in the back seat and works with the injured stars, developing talent and seasonal journeymen the NBA hopes to develop or doesn’t want in the first place. This is the first of a regular series of articles that helps you get to know your local NBA D-League team. We’ll cover some of their notable stories, give a breakdown of the roster and the upcoming calendar, and what you ought to expect when it comes to the D-League.

Rating Headlines: The Giants/Patriots Super Bowl!

By: Mike Hanus

Really, what were the odds Oakland didn't make the Super Bowl this year? They were pretty much a lock. I guess crazier things have happened.

Anyway, this is the start of a semi-regular column about sports websites and their headlines. Starting today, I'll be posting one of these within a week of the aftermath of a huge sporting event (tennis Grand Slams, the Super Bowl, the World Cup Finals, etc). The goal here is to criticize really highly paid website editors for not making their headline really exciting or using pun abilities to their fullest extent. Headlines are important! They're exciting, and they pull readers in, and they offer a chance for an editor to do some really cool creative wordplay. There really is nothing better than a sweet headline pun.

As such, there will be a very rigorously tested and objective scoring system. Headlines can earn up to 5 points in each of the following categories:

Originality (how many other people are doing this?)

Pun-tastic (Is there a pun? Is it great?)

Epic (Does the headline sum up how awesome whatever the event was?)

So let's start slow. We'll take Sports Illustrated for Kids.

Why Chris Paul is the Best Basketball Player in the NBA (No, Really)

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by Mike Hanus:

There is no one better at the game of basketball than Chris Paul. There are better scorers, better athletes, and better players at other positions, but no one understands and flows within the game like CP3. The guy is a master; there is no one I’ve ever seen who exerts his will on the game like this.

Including LeBron. He exerts his will on other players and other teams, but he can’t control the game like Paul does. If basketball is a flowing stream, Chris Paul is a minnow. He flows within the game. LeBron is a bear who sort of crashes into things and makes a lot of splashes. Yes, he diverts the stream, yes, his sheer brawny power exerts his will on it, but I’m much more impressed with someone whose very DNA is composed of the game and understands it at its highest level.