导出博客文章It was a summer the NBA wont soon forget.It went from Kevin Durant leaving
Oklahoma City for Western Conference rival Golden State, to Tim Duncan deciding
to join Kobe Bryant in retirement, to an assortment of high-profile coaching
changes, to the U.S. taking home an Olympic gold in Rio.And we havent even
mentioned the infusion of talent the June draft added to the league, as Ben
Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers), Brandon Ingram (Los Angeles Lakers), Jaylen Brown
(Boston Celtics), Dragan Bender (Phoenix Suns) and Kris Dunn (Minnesota
Timberwolves) comprised the top five picks.Indeed, theres a lot to digest as we
prepare for another season.The good news is theres never been a better time to
play fantasy hoops at ESPN, as the August release of the all-in-one ESPN Fantasy
Sports app now enables you to participate in mock drafts and real drafts for the
first time ever.Here are some of the main takeaways from the updated rankings
heading into the 2016-17 NBA season:The Durant factor: Durants move to the
Warriors might hurt his fantasy value only slightly -- after all, he had already
been playing alongside Russell Westbrook all these years -- but his impact is
significant on the rest of the Warriors stars. Stephen Curry would have been the
sure-fire No. 1 pick had Durant stayed with the Thunder, but Currys usage rate,
shot attempts and minutes are all likely to go down with KD on the roster.That
elevates Westbrook to No. 1 as he now carries the load for the Thunder as the
teams lone superstar. Curry (4) and Durant (5) slip behind not only Westbrook
but also James Harden (2) and Karl-Anthony Towns (3). Meanwhile, fellow Warriors
Draymond Green (17) and Klay Thompson (27) slide down about 10 spots from where
they would have been without Durant.Big risers: Aside from Towns, who put up
ridiculously good numbers (18.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2 APG, 1.7 BPG, 54.2 FG%, 81.1
FT%, 34.1 3PT%) on his way to Rookie of the Year honors last season, a number of
other emerging stars move up the rankings. Rangy Milwaukee swingman Giannis
Antetokounmpo (14) is now a good bet to be an early second-rounder, while Isaiah
Thomas (22), C.J. McCollum (26), Victor Oladipo (28), Khris Middleton (33),
Kristaps Porzingis (36) and Nikola Jokic (47) are others who rank much higher
than theyve been previously.Where art Brow??If Anthony Davis could stay healthy,
hed be right there in the discussion with Westbrook and Harden for the top
overall pick this season. Problem is, the 23-year-old big man has yet to play
more than 68 games in any of his first four NBA seasons and was limited to a
career-low 61 games last season. As great as he is and as much as he stuffs the
box score each night, hes a major risk with these durability issues. He drops to
No. 9 in the rankings, behind not only Westbrook and Harden but also Towns,
Curry, Durant,?Chris Paul
, Kawhi Leonard (7) and LeBron James
.Rookie
impact: Simmons (76), Ingram (113), Dunn (133), Jamal Murray (156) and Bender
(177) are the top-ranked rookies, but you can probably count on Simmons and
Ingram to be drafted higher because of the buzz that comes with their arrival to
the league.The DAntoni influence: The fast pace that new Houston Rockets coach
Mike DAntoni has his teams play always provides a nice fantasy boost, which not
only helps Harden but also every other player in the teams rotation. Trevor
Ariza (51), Ryan Anderson (75), Eric Gordon (137), Clint Capela (140), Patrick
Beverley (150), Michael Beasley (173) and Josh Smith (185) are all worth a
closer look this season with DAntoni onboard.Other new faces in Philly: Simmons
isnt the only big-name rookie to join the 76ers this season. Versatile center
Joel Embiid, the third overall pick in 2014, and 6-foot-10 forward Dario Saric,
the 12th overall pick in 2014, are two others you cant forget about. Weve ranked
them back-to-back, 131 and 132, and they are both intriguing talents who offer
upside in the later rounds.Wheres Bosh??One of the toughest decisions to make in
the rankings was where to put Miami power forward Chris Bosh, who missed parts
of the past two seasons with blood clots. If he manages to stay healthy and
repair his relationship with the Heat, the 32-year-old Bosh is undoubtedly a
top-50 fantasy player. At this stage, though, the risk outweighs the upside, and
that is reflected by his ranking (120) as a late 10th-round pick in 12-team
drafts.Other observations: Devin Booker (78) finished last season looking like
one of the brightest young stars in the league, so why is he ranked so low?
Because Eric Bledsoe (24) and Brandon Knight (56) are both back in the fold, and
unless one is traded, the same opportunities might not be there for the
up-and-coming shooting guard. ... In Minnesota, the early returns indicate that
Dunn is expected to be one of the favorites for Rookie of the Year this season.
If thats the case, you can count on him taking away some of Ricky Rubios playing
time, which is why Rubio is ranked down at 79. ... Harrison Barnes (94) has
never been a very strong fantasy player, as his game revolves around mostly
scoring, 3-pointers and rebounding, but hes now on a max contract on a new team
in Dallas and will be a more prominent part of the offense than he ever was in
Golden State. He enters his fifth NBA season and is still only 24.
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Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference
semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with
several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi
Sarkodie.
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Shipping . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the
league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch
and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of
conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned
performance-enhancing substances. HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Jimmie Johnson attempts a
drive into NASCAR history.Kyle Busch would love to spoil Johnsons record run
with a racing milestone of his own and win back-to-back Sprint Cup
championships.Joey Logano and Carl Edwards just want to join the championship
club.The four finalists have raced each other for 35 weeks -- and rode bikes,
played video games and shared laughs in the lead-up to the finale Sunday at
Homestead-Miami Speedway.The top finisher among the four contenders will be the
NASCAR Sprint Cup champion. Under the one-race elimination format, Kevin Harvick
in 2014 and Busch in 2015 both won the finale to take the title.Johnson, one of
NASCARs greats, would stamp himself in the record book with a record-tying
seventh championship. Johnson would match Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty as
the only drivers with seven Cup championships.I know that Im as close to this
opportunity as Ive ever been, but Im not climbing in that car Sunday saying,
`Ive got to win seven, Johnson said. Im saying, `Ive got to win a
championship.Johnson, Busch, Logano or Edwards could leave Florida a
champion.Tony Stewart is simply ready to walk away.Stewart, the three-time Cup
champion, ends of one racings great careers when he retires following an almost
two-decade NASCAR stint.There hasnt been any part of my career that I didnt
enjoy, Stewart said.Here are some other items of note for Sundays race
PONSOR
DISCONNECTThe championship is decided on the Sprint stage for the final
time.Sprint disconnected with NASCAR, ending its title sponsorship of the top
series following this season. NASCAR heads into the offseason without a sponsor
announcement, a troubling sign for the series already faced with dwindling
attendance and sagging TV ratings.Sprints exit means NASCAR will enter a new
entitlement agreement for just the fourth time since 1971, when RJ Reynolds
began its 33-year sponsorship of the top series through its Winston brand. RJR
pulled out after the 2003 season and Nextel stepped in until Sprints corporate
merger.If you look at whats going on in the NFL and the viewership, all the
sponsors watch that, team owner Rick Hendrick said.dddddddddddd The good news is
we have not slipped as much as some of the other folks.FORD, FIRST?Logano is
trying to become the first Ford driver to win the championship since Kurt Busch
in 2004.Theres a heck of an investment we all make in this sport, said Dave
Pericak, director of Ford Performance. We wouldnt be doing that if we werent
getting a return on our investment.Stewart-Haas Racing will field Fords next
season, ending an eight-year run with Chevrolet.Weve been so proud of what weve
accomplished, not to mention an incredible run with Tony Stewart, said Jim
Campbell, VP of performance vehicles and motorsports for GM.BYE BYE, BOWYERClint
Bowyer finishes the worst season of his 11-year career in his lone season at
HScott Motorsports.Bowyer drove a stop-gap season at HSM before he takes
Stewarts ride in the 14 in 2017. Bowyer had vowed to reshape to team and leave
it as winning organization. Bowyer failed to post a top-finish for the first
time and trudges into the finale 27th in the standings.Homestead also could mark
the final race for HSM, which fielded cars for Bowyer and Michael Annett this
season. Annett failed to record a top 10, is 36th in the standings and has been
shifted to the second-tier Xfinity Series for 2017.Without a driver, team owner
Harry Scott could shutter HSM and sell its charter.Harry is considering a number
of options for 2017. He has not made a final decision yet but will do so in the
coming weeks, the team said Saturday.OUTTA HEREBrian Scott makes the final start
of his 52-race career following his retirement announcement. Team owner Richard
Petty said he was still looking for a driver in the No. 44 Ford next season. ...
Tommy Baldwin Racing sold its charter this week and faces an uncertain future.
Regan Smith, with one top five this year, is considering other options for
2017.---More AP auto racing:
www.racing.ap.org ' ' '
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