Cross-Border Clash: US, Mexico Fighters Meet In MMA Tournament

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Cross-Border Clash: US, Mexico Fighters Meet In MMA Tournament

By George A. Willis

It was the birth of mixed martial arts, though not exactly as we know it now. On Nov. 12, 1993, at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, UFC 1 debuted as a made-for-TV spectacle. Twenty-eight years later, MMA is a billion-dollar industry with promotional companies worldwide and fighters — male and female — from around the globe.

Purchased in January 2001 for $2 million by Lorenzo Fertitta, his brother Frank Fertitta III and their childhood friend Dana White, the UFC was sold for $4 billion to Endeavor on July 11, 2016. And the sport has only gotten bigger since then.

Backed by a seven-year deal with ESPN, UFC remains the dominant MMA promotion, but others — from spectators to networks looking for live-streaming and pay-per-view content — are benefiting from the sport’s popularity.

The Professional Fighters League concluded its third season two weeks ago with six championship fights and $1 million going to each winner. ESPN televised the bouts, underscoring the attraction networks now have for MMA.

On Friday night, the 28th anniversary of UFC 1, two major promotional companies will stage MMA cards on television. Bellator 271 is being shown on Showtime with MMA veteran Cris Cyborg defending her featherweight title against Sinead Kavanagh in the main event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

A few miles away in Miami, Combate Global will stage a one-night eight-man tournament featuring 155-pound male fighters from the USA and Mexico. This might be the truest homage to UFC 1, as the tournament champion will need to win three fights in one night to capture the crown.

Enrique “Baby Bull” Gonzalez (left) hopes to have his hand raised again when he competes in the eight-man Combate Global tournament Friday night in Miami. (Combate Global)

Live coverage on Paramount Plus begins with a preshow at 9:30 p.m. ET with live action beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Univision’s broadcast begins at 11 p.m. ET. The show will also air in Mexico on TUDN MEX beginning at 10 p.m. local time.

Campbell McLaren was among the original group that produced UFC 1 and nursed it through those early years when the UFC had few rules and was described as “human cockfighting” by the late Senator John McCain. Now McLaren is the founder of Combate Global, which features up-and-coming fighters who appeal to the Latin American market, which is where Univision steps in. The Spanish-language network has taken the unusual step of becoming an equity partner in Combate Global.

UFC 1 headlined with a one-night eight-man tournament, a concept McLaren brought with him when he founded Combate Americas as a Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts sports franchise in 2011 and rebranded it Combate Global in 2021. On Friday night, he has four fighters from the USA in one bracket and four fighters representing Mexico in the other, with the winner needing to defeat three opponents in one night.

Fights in the first round and semifinal consist of one five-minute round. The finals consist of three five-minute rounds. To preserve the fighters physically, no knees or elbows are allowed in the first two rounds.

“The USA-Mexico rivalry has provided some of the most exciting and memorable fights in Combate history,” McLaren said, “and this tournament, loaded with talent from both sides of the border, is sure to deliver much more action and pay tribute to the sport that I launched 28 years ago.”

Royce Gracie, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist, was the last man standing at UFC 1, but there were no weight divisions, no time limits, and no judges. Though the fight poster read: “There Are No Rules,” the only rules were no groin attacks, no eye-gouging and no biting. It proved a modest pay-per-view success, attracting 86,000 buys. The competitors were specialists in Sumo wrestling, kickboxing, karate, jiu-jitsu, taekwondo and boxing. Sumo wrestling is out, but everything else still applies in today’s MMA, with the top athletes skilled in various forms of mixed martial arts.

USA vs. Mexico is always an attraction in any combat sport. In Miami, Mexico’s bracket pits Cristian “Puas” Perez (6–0) of Ensenada, B.C., against Patrick “La Sanguijuela” Lehane (3–0), who was born in Ireland, but is applying for his Mexican citizenship. Hugo “The Hooligan” Flores (9–3) of Guadalajara battles Daniel “Scrappy” Soto (15–5) of Ciudad Jimenez in the other quarterfinal.

Cristian “Puas” Perez (right) will represent Mexico in the eight-man MMA tournament against the USA presented by Combate Global Friday night in Miami. (Combate Global)

In the U.S. bracket, Jim “The Beast” Alers (14–4) of Pembroke Pines, Fla., challenges Enrique “Baby Bull” Gonzalez (9–4) of Laredo, Texas, and Samuel “The Alley Cat” Alvarez (5–4) of Manteca, Calif., takes on Jimmy “Sandstorm” Sandlin (4–3) of Carlisle, Ohio.

Gonzalez, who trains at Valle Flow Striking in Chicago, thinks his background in karate, competing against successive opponents in one day, will serve him well in this MMA tournament format. “When I was in karate growing up you fought somebody, and it was on to the next one, then fight again and on to the next one,” he said. “I’m familiar with it.”

The key to success in this format, according to Gonzalez, is not to focus on an opponent but polish your individual skills to react to anything. “I just keep working on myself,” Gonzalez said. “That’s the best thing you can do, just keep working on yourself.”

Gonzalez faces Alers, a jiu-jitsu specialist, who fought in the UFC from 2014 to 2016.  “He’s probably going to want to take me down and hold me down,” Gonzalez said. “… But I’m going to be sticking and moving on him.”

Compared to UFC 1, MMA is rather tame these days, needing to abide by a variety of state regulations. The elimination of knees and elbows in the first two rounds on the Combate card should make it an interesting strategic battle. “They’re trying to take care of you so the person that makes it to the finale isn’t all banged up and cut up,” Gonzalez said. “It’s like amateur boxing. But I like to take people down, too, and with no legs involved, I can even go lower.”

Piera Valle, who manages Gonzalez, sees this as a prime opportunity for her fighter. “This brings him up another level to be a real contender and a possible champion for Combate at some point,” said the wife of Gonzalez’s trainer, Mike Valle.  “I think the exposure is great, and the fact that it’s the anniversary of UFC 1 is a bonus.”

Edited by Stan Chrapowicki and Matthew B. Hall



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Smarter News Quiz: Country Music, Satchel Paige and Sesame Street

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Smarter News Quiz: Country Music, Satchel Paige and Sesame Street

By Rachel McMahon


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Frank Kaminsky Becoming Surprisingly Key Cog For Suns

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Frank Kaminsky Becoming Surprisingly Key Cog For Suns

By Evan Sidery

If you had Frank Kaminsky scoring a career-high 31 points in the year 2021 on your bingo card, go ahead and pick out your lottery numbers for an automatic winner. Kaminsky’s performance on Wednesday against the Portland Trail Blazers, propelling the Phoenix Suns to a 119-109 win, was awe-inspiring.

Kaminsky was upfront about his recent stretch in the NBA during his postgame media availability. He’s known the opportunities for him in Phoenix, and anywhere else, have been sparse at best. When Kaminsky’s team option from the Suns was declined after the 2019-20 season, he signed a veteran-minimum deal with the Sacramento Kings and was cut during preseason play. Kaminsky thought this could be it for his career — a disappointing result for a former lottery pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

However, the Suns had one open roster remaining and decided to use it on Kaminsky, who they claimed on waivers immediately after his release from Sacramento. Kaminsky sparingly played last season, but he did have that familiarity with the Suns’ system that head coach Monty Williams desired for a reserve big man. Kaminsky even started a stretch of games for the Suns last season alongside Deandre Ayton, actually thriving within that role.

Wednesday was the latest example where Kaminsky’s “stay ready” mentality has continued to pay off in The Valley. Now, Kaminsky is forcing Williams’ hand once Ayton returns from a leg contusion suffered last week.

Excluding the game on Nov. 4 against the Houston Rockets where he only logged four total minutes, Kaminsky has become a vital rotation piece for Phoenix over the last week-plus. Take a look at the four games he’s been relied upon off the bench for Phoenix:

Nov. 2 vs. Pelicans: 17 points, 4 steals, 3 rebounds, 3 assists on 5-of-8 FGA in 29 minutes

Nov. 6 vs. Hawks: 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block on 7-of-10 FGA in 29 minutes

Nov. 8 vs. Kings: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block on 4-of-9 FGA in 22 minutes

Nov. 8 vs. Trail Blazers: 31 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block on 12-of-18 FGA in 32 minutes

It’s a mind-boggling rise for Kaminsky, averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.8 blocks while shooting 62.2% over those four contests. When Kaminsky’s number has been called upon by Williams, he’s delivered with authority every single time. It’s a factor his head coach continues to notice consistently from the veteran big.

“I just found that out when we [were] bringing it in and the guys told me that was a career-high for Frank. [I’m] excited for him,” Williams said on Wednesday night. “I felt like a kid in there just cheering for him, because to do what he does every single day, he’s a pro. His ability to mentally stay locked-in, emotionally stay even-keeled and understand that he may not get the call, he may get the call — to do that day-after-day-after-day, come back in the next day get his work in and go home, have a great attitude. It says a lot about him to see him have a night like that when we needed it.”

Without Kaminsky’s scoring explosion, the Suns don’t win that game vs. Portland. In clutch situations, Kaminsky continued to take the game over and do it all for Phoenix. Whether it was scoring inside or out, grabbing key boards or making crucial passes to the perimeter out of traps, Kaminsky showcased why he could deserve extended run within the Suns’ rotation moving forward.

“I still don’t think it’s really hit me yet, but like I said last time it’s just a mindset,” Kaminsky said of his career-best outing. “Go out there and play as hard as you can and be ready for anything. [You] never know when your opportunities are going to come, so you gotta make the most of them. I’m just trying to make the most of my opportunity here. It just goes into preparation and staying ready and keeping the same mental approach everyday. Try to stay level — never too high, never too low. Just keep going with that.”

When the Suns lost Dario Saric in Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Finals to a torn ACL, likely sidelining him for all of the 2021-22 season, they were missing that underrated and valuable reserve off the bench. The Suns did go out sign JaVale McGee to a one-year deal; however, his role wasn’t as a connector who can facilitate the basketball in “0.5” situations, but more of a version closer to Ayton as a rim-rolling big who can defend the paint.

Kaminsky has taken on the role that opened with Saric’s absence and run with it recently, becoming a must-use piece to the puzzle in the second unit. Also, as seen over the last week, Kaminsky can play a vital role alongside Phoenix’s starters as a stretch big who can facilitate from the top of the key, finding cutters or trailing shooters in the corners.

“I don’t think it’s one thing specific, he just knows how to play,” Chris Paul said postgame.

Paul is right on the money with his short and sweet statement. Kaminsky is just a high-IQ basketball player who can seamlessly fit within the role asked upon. Sure, he has some flaws, but within the right system, those can be canceled out by surprisingly-strong strengths.

Williams mentioned to the media that once Ayton returns from his leg contusion, he will try to keep Kaminsky within the Suns’ rotation. Coach will have him potentially split minutes with McGee and keep their former No. 1 overall pick more fresh throughout games with a lighter workload.

Many thought the Suns needed to make one more move for a win-now piece to bolster their bench and playoff rotation to an even higher level. Who knows, they may have just stumbled upon their solution to losing Saric with Kaminsky.

From where Kaminsky was to where he is now, his confidence is reaching entirely new heights we haven’t seen since his days leading the Wisconsin Badgers to the Final Four. It’s a new mentality Kaminsky has honed-in on, and the results over a small sample size have been nothing short of fantastic.

“So proud of Frank,” Williams said. “Glad to be a part of his journey. He’s a pro.”

Produced in association with BasketballNews.com.

Edited by Kristen Butler



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Did Biden Beat Oil Prices?

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Did Biden Beat Oil Prices?

By Daniel James Graeber

Crude oil prices lost ground during the Wednesday session, with overtures on controlling U.S. inflation overshadowing some usual market movers for the day.

West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark for the price of crude oil, closed trading Wednesday at $81.34 per barrel, a 3.3 percent decline from the previous session.

Crude oil prices remain at multiyear highs and, added to other inflationary measures, could undermine U.S. economic growth.

The market on Wednesday typically moves on the usual weekly data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration on commercial storage levels of crude oil and refined petroleum products such as gasoline.

“Crude oil traded a bit softer after the release, primarily I think due to the drop in natural gas prices, both in the U.S. and especially in Europe,” said Ole Hansen, the head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank in Denmark.

Higher oil prices are a growing concern for a White House wary of inflationary pressures. (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

Natural gas prices, which have been on an exponential rise for weeks, have been moderating on assurances of more supplies. So-called fuel switching, where power generators, for example, look to crude oil or other fuels when natural gas prices are high, has led to a surge in commodity prices across the board.

Meanwhile, the federal energy data was a bit of a mixed bag. Oil storage level increases usually point to lackluster demand, while the opposite holds for decreases. For the week ending Nov. 5, crude oil in commercial crude oil inventories increased by 1 million barrels from the prior week, while gasoline inventories decreased by 1.6 million barrels.

“Crude prices extended declines after a surprise build and on growing expectations the Biden administration will do something after inflation hit a 30-year-high,” said Edward Moya, a senior market analyst at OANDA.

The federal government reported prices for U.S. consumer goods increased 6.2 percent in October from year-ago levels. That’s the highest inflation rate since 1990. For just energy, inflation over the 12-month period ending in October rose a steep 30 percent.

Even with recent builds, U.S. commercial crude oil inventories remain at the low end of the historic average. (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

Elsewhere, federal energy data showed there was a sizable withdrawal from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Often used in emergency situations such as hurricane-related outages, oil refiners can borrow crude oil from the reserve and replace that later with additional quantities.

U.S. President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has suggested tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to counter higher prices. But a monthly report from the Energy Information Administration released earlier this week showed supplies will outweigh demand next year, pointing to lower prices in the future. That could negate the need of tapping into strategic reserves.

Al Salazar, the managing director at energy data firm Enverus, said it was the petroleum reserve that was the star of the show.

“President Biden has been exploring all options to ease gasoline prices, including tapping SPR reserves in a more material manner,” he said.

“The acceleration in pace of SPR draws this past week as reported by the EIA, suggests that perhaps President Biden is already testing the SPR option and its impact on prices,” Salazar said, referring to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and the Energy Information Administration.

The Energy Information Administration’s November monthly market report said it expected crude oil prices would hold around current levels for the remainder of the year.

Edited by Bryan Wilkes and Kristen Butler



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Companies Join In Creating A Decarbonized Economy

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Companies Join In Creating A Decarbonized Economy

By Rachel Barr

Israeli innovation is seemingly everywhere. Hardly a week goes by without a new company from the Startup Nation ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Peruse a list of successful tech companies and you’re bound to find a few Israeli firms among them.

But there is one list that Israeli companies have yet to join: the Race to Zero Campaign.

Organized by the United Nations, the Race to Zero brings together public and private entities from around the globe who have pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest. By this date, companies must release no more carbon to the atmosphere than the carbon we can remove through either natural or technological means.

Many believe companies must move even more quickly than this if they are to halt the consequences of catastrophic climate change.

As long as atmospheric concentration of CO2 keeps rising, so will temperatures. Emitting net-zero carbon is necessary to achieve a sustainable future.

Thousands of businesses, along with hundreds of cities and educational institutions, have already committed to participating. Race to Zero has become the largest global coalition to unite for the singular purpose of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, November 1, 2021. (Haim Zach/Government Press Office)

Together, these players account for almost 25 percent of global CO2 emissions and more than 50 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

The shared goal of these businesses, cities, investors and others who have committed to the Race to Zero is to build a decarbonized economy. With the UN’s climate summit taking place in Glasgow right now, companies have an invaluable opportunity to advance this vision and build on momentum.

The heat is on

The scientists behind the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are highly confident that human activities have contributed to this warming trend.

As demonstrated in this interactive climate projection tool from the World Bank, the severity of the warming we experience throughout the rest of the century will be tied to the amount of greenhouse gases we emit.

The effects of climate change will be dangerous and expensive. The World Bank estimates that the cost of the predicted changes, if no action is taken to prevent or adapt to the impacts, will amount to 5 percent of Israel’s annual GDP.

UBQ Materials: Lone Israeli racer?

To date, only one entity from the Startup Nation is listed in the Race to Zero coalition – UBQ Materials.

UBQ is an Israeli cleantech company that has developed a patented solution to convert unsorted household waste, including all organics, into a climate-positive thermoplastic.

By diverting food scraps, greasy pizza boxes and dirty diapers from landfills, UBQ prevents the production of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is gaining more and more infamy for its role in climate change.

UBQ developed a patented solution to convert unsorted household waste, including all organics, into a climate-positive thermoplastic. (Courtesy of UBQ)

For every ton of UBQ material produced, 1.3 tons of landfill waste are diverted, and 11.7 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent are prevented from polluting the atmosphere.

This makes UBQ material the most climate-positive thermoplastic on the market, able to substitute oil-based plastics, wood or concrete in thousands of applications.

Addressing the climate emergency is central to UBQ’s work. In 2020, the company took this commitment to the next level by pledging to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030  across its entire supply chain.

One country, one planet, one goal

The Race to Zero is not a competitive event. UBQ envisions building a robust community of Israeli businesses working toward the same goal, inspiring and learning from one another.

Supporters say there is not a better time for Israeli companies to get on board, with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog launching Israeli’s Climate Change Forum and recruiting policymakers to ensure that climate action is at the top of Israel’s agenda.

For more information, go to Race to Zero.

Produced in association with Israel21C.



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The Hawks Should Look Into A Ben Simmons Trade With The 76ers

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The Hawks Should Look Into A Ben Simmons Trade With The 76ers

By Nekias Duncan

Let’s talk about passed-up layups.

The scene has been set, explored, revisited, psychoanalyzed. You name it, it’s been done.

Ben done, if you will.

Ben Simmons, in a high-pressure situation against the Atlanta Hawks, had a layup opportunity. Instead of taking it, he dished the ball off to Matisse Thybulle, who would eventually earn a trip to the free-throw line. It was an inexplicable choice by a player as talented — and even more simply, as large and open — as Simmons, but it was just that. An inexplicable choice.

But it’s a choice that began (or accelerated, depending on your priors with Simmons) the downward spiral of his status as a star-caliber player. It set the stage for the mess we’ve had the (dis)pleasure of reading about for months.

The Philadelphia 76ers lost the series to the upstart Hawks. Doc Rivers said things that he later said he didn’t say. Simmons didn’t take too kindly to it.

Simmons asked out. The Sixers made it clear they would only move him for a bounty. Teams weren’t — and, as of this writing, still aren’t — willing to give up said-bounty.

Simmons didn’t report to training camp, and was fined. The fines stopped once Simmons did report, but before expressing his bout with mental health issues. The mental health element permeating throughout the entire ordeal is a sensitive one — one that has made me incredibly uncomfortable to see dissected and speculated about in real time.

Meanwhile, the Hawks are in their own sort of spiral.

Their playoff run ended with a loss to the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, but things were looking upward.

Trae Young (further, officially) announced himself to the world as a bona fide star. His supporting cast, highlighted by John Collins, Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic, proved to be impactful in its own right. Skilled. Versatile.

It was hard not to be excited by this Hawks team. Star talent, strong coaching, a deep roster.

Whew, buddy, is this a deep roster!

Whew, buddy… this is… a deep roster.

So deep, in fact, that head coach Nate McMillan mentioned during Media Day we’d see some all-bench units in an effort to spread the wealth.

Those lineups haven’t done very well.

The Hawks have dealt with lineup questions, a lack of “oomph” defensively (27th in defensive rating), an adjustment period to let-’em-play officiating, a who-gets-to-the-rim-besides-Trae problem, a tough opening schedule and a stronger conference overall.

They are currently the losers of five straight, tied with the Hornets for the longest skid in the conference. Words like “sacrifice” and “boredom” have been uttered; that ain’t what you want to hear less than a month into a new season.

I have a theory. A question, really: What if the Hawks are passing up a layup of their own?

What if the Sixers and Hawks have the answer to each other’s problems?

Why haven’t we explored the possibility of Simmons as a Hawk?

On the Sixers’ side, they haven’t missed Simmons too much. They’re 8-4, sporting a top-five offense and defense in the half-court, per Cleaning The Glass. A COVID outbreak has Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris out of the lineup, so a slide wouldn’t come as a surprise. But when upright, this team has been good.

You can thank The Others™ for that. Seth Curry is the best shooter in the league right now. Tyrese Maxey has taken a step as a shot-creator. The bench, headlined by Andre Drummond and Georges Niang, has been stellar.

This is where they stand while getting zero production from Simmons’ roster spot; one would think that replacing that spot with someone who actually wants to play there would be a positive.

And for the Hawks, Simmons could solve a bit of their squad’s on-court issues.

Young is averaging 20.8 drives per game, and is taking 9.2 shots via drives per NBA.com tracking data. Bogdanovic is second on the team in drives… at 6.8. Simmons has averaged north of 10 in all but one season of his career; he averaged 9.9 during the 2018-19 campaign, operating in a phone booth while splitting ball-handling duties with Jimmy Butler.

Simmons, despite his own self-creation limits, is an elite creator of offense for others. From 2018 to 2021, only Russell Westbrook (747) has assisted on more three-pointers (694) than Simmons. Young ranks No. 6 in that time frame with 650 helpers. That drive-and-kick dynamic would be a nice complement to Young, who leads NBA in rim-assists (947) during that stretch.

It’s fun to imagine a Young-Simmons pick-and-roll tandem. Simmons has the finishing and playmaking chops to be a devastating short-roll guy. On one hand, he’s never had a ball-handler as dynamic as Young to set him up. On the other, he hasn’t consistently screened hard enough to maximize his opportunities as a roll-man.

As the Hawks have seemingly leaned into more switching this season, is there a better fit for that kind of scheme than Simmons? Having Simmons in the frontcourt could open up a world of grab-and-go sequences that can’t be replicated by anyone else in their frontcourt.

(Well, there’s rookster Jalen Johnson, but he isn’t on the main roster right now, much less in the big-boy rotation.)

And to that point: the Hawks are 19th in transition frequency this year after ranking 20th the season before.

The Sixers have ranked seventh, eighth, 15th (the Al Horford season) and fifth in transition frequency over the past four seasons, mostly off the strength of Simmons pushing the pace.

There are half-court questions to be had, dependent on lineups. What would a potential Simmons-Collins-Capela frontcourt look like, especially when Simmons isn’t involved in ball-screens?

Luckily, Simmons has experience navigating tight quarters. He’s had to operate around the dunker spot (subscribe!) when necessary. He’s also adept at making slot cuts from the perimeter if defenders cheat off of him.

Of course, that’s making the assumption that all three would play together.

If the Hawks are intent on switching as much as they have been this season, they could opt to start Simmons and Collins up front and really lean into that style. If Capela — off to a slow start on both ends this year — becomes the odd man out entirely, there are teams (DAL, CHA, BKN, TOR) that make sense as suitors when he’s trade-eligible this offseason.

The real question is one I admittedly don’t have a great answer to, that question is: What would the Sixers want from the Hawks?

Aside from the optics of trading with the team that just beat you in the postseason, it would take some creativity from Atlanta’s side to appease Daryl Morey. The good news is the Hawks have the salary and pieces necessary to put together intriguing packages.

Even if we were to work under the assumption that Young and Collins are off the table, the Hawks have three young pieces (De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, Onyeka Okongwu) who could potentially serve as a headliner, mid-to-high salary vets that could bolster Philadelphia’s rotation and most of their future picks moving forward.

An example — example, people! — of something that works salary-wise:

  • Hawks get: Ben Simmons, Shake Milton
  • Sixers get: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Cam Reddish, Delon Wright, Jalen Johnson

Just eye-balling it, I’d imagine the Sixers would want more in terms of draft capital. They might push for Okongwu over Johnson if they’d prefer a young big in the pipeline behind Embiid. Have your own fun with the trade machine if you must.

The important thing here is that there’s a conversation to be had between the two sides.

Simmons and the Sixers are primed for a divorce. The Hawks are primed for a consolidation deal. It’s at least worth exploring if these two can make magic.

Produced in association with BasketballNews.com.

Edited by Kristen Butler



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Stats Notebook: Kevin Durant Is On Pace For His Best Offensive Season Ever

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Stats Notebook: Kevin Durant Is On Pace For His Best Offensive Season Ever

By Ethan Fuller

LeBron James and Chris Paul represent the faces of the fight against Father Time in today’s NBA. Kevin Durant deserves more praise for his Luke Skywalker-esque brush-off of aging and injury.

Durant, now 33, should be beginning the conventional decline of his professional career. Except he isn’t. The Brooklyn Nets star returned last season after tearing his Achilles, one of basketball’s most devastating injuries, and came two inches shy of a conference finals appearance in a thrilling playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks.

This season, one of the sport’s greatest players ever is somehow at his peak on a Nets team that has won six of their last seven contests. Durant has been an impossible matchup on a scale that might even surpass his 2013-14 MVP campaign. He’s on pace (small sample size alert!) to have the best offensive season of his life.

According to Cleaning the Glass, Durant is averaging a ridiculous 136.2 points per 100 shot attempts, which is a career-best for him and in the 97th percentile league-wide for his positional group. That number pops further when you realize he’s currently shooting threes at the second-lowest frequency of his career (24%).

We have to get into these shooting numbers to grasp how insane Durant is, so let’s start with various shot distances, per Basketball Reference:

  • 0-3 feet: 81.3% (career high)
  • 3-10 feet: 57.9% (career high)
  • 10-16 feet: 57.7% (career high)
  • 16 feet-3PT range: 71.0% (career high and insane!!)
  • 3P%: 40.4% (not a career high, but still very good)
  • Overall True Shooting Percentage: 67.4% (career high)

So that’s ridiculous.

Among 99 players with at least 30 pull-up shot attempts this season, per NBA Stats), Durant’s effecive field goal percentage (eFG%) of 59.8% is third behind Darius Garland and Seth Curry, and once again, on pace to be a career high. It should be noted, however, that Durant’s 130 pull-up attempts are more than those two have combined.

His mid-range game is killer: Durant’s 63.5% clip from NBA Stats’ mid-range zone ranks second among all players with at least 20 attempts, behind only his Nets teammate LaMarcus Aldridge.

Twenty players have logged at least 30 isolation possesions this season, per NBA Stats (it should be noted that the league’s playtype data is inconsistent). Durant is second behind only Ja Morant in points per possession at 1.19, and he has doubled Morant’s workload in this playtype.

Then there’s the passing. Durant is averaging 5.0 assists per game, which is pretty standard for him in recent years. But his assist percentage (27.5%) is a career best, as is his assist-to-usage rate, according to Cleaning the Glass. This isn’t an offensive stat, but Durant is even grabbing a career-high 8.5 rebounds per game.

Of course, KD also leads the league with 29.5 points per game despite not topping eight three-point attempts in a single contest. His season-low in a game is 22 points. Most recently, he made 11 of 12 shots en route to 30 points in a win over the Magic.

His Instagram, Easymoneysniper, is a pretty apt descriptor.

THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I find in the void):

  • You know who’s been a sneaky good pull-up shooter? Devin Vassell (55.7 eFG%) ranks seventh among all players with at least 30 attempts this season.
  • Per NBA Stats, the Detroit Pistons pass the ball more than any other team with 324.7 per game. They’re also sixth in “wide open” shots generated where a defender was no closer than six feet away. Unfortunately, the Pistons are the worst team in the league (34.8 FG%) at hitting those shots.
  • The Bucks, meanwhile, pass the ball only 263.8 times per game — third-fewest in the NBA. But they’re second in generating those wide-open shot attempts.
  • This… should not be happening:

Produced in association with BasketballNews.com.

Edited by Kristen Butler



The post Stats Notebook: Kevin Durant Is On Pace For His Best Offensive Season Ever appeared first on Zenger News.

Medical Hear-os: Study Finds Simple Body Bacteria Could Help Fight Chronic Ear Infections

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Medical Hear-os: Study Finds Simple Body Bacteria Could Help Fight Chronic Ear Infections

By Martin M Barillas

Researchers have found that the interplay of certain bacteria may actually fight chronic middle ear infections, which is the leading cause of preventable hearing loss in Australia’s indigenous communities.

“We’ve been puzzled for years now, trying to work out why some children never develop chronic ear disease, despite being in a high-risk category for contracting it,” said Seweryn Bialasiewicz of Australia’s University of Queensland.

“By focusing on the microbiomes in the upper respiratory tracts of disease-resistant kids, we could investigate the ecological networks of bacterial interactions that seemed to be working together to protect against the condition,” said Bialesiewicz, co-author of a study on the phenomenon appearing in the journal Microbiology Spectrum.

The study investigated the microbiomes of 103 children ages 2 to 7 from communities in north Queensland.

A member of the Deadly Ears team, Queensland Health’s statewide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ear Health Program, conducts an ear and throat health check. (University of Queensland)

“It was clear that these two groups of bacteria needed to not only be present but to be interacting with each other, to provide protection from middle ear infections,” Bialesiewicz said of the more protective microbiome the team described in the study.

The researchers hope that the information obtained will lead to understanding the mechanism of protection and then mimic it in afflicted children as a therapy or preventative measure.

“This could take the form of a molecule that can be used as a drug for treatment or as a protective probiotic so that these ‘good’ bacteria can be seeded in the nose early enough to offer protection against the incoming ‘bad’ bacteria,” Bialesiewicz said. “Our discovery could be applied across the world, helping improve health and reducing the disadvantage gap for a wide range of people.”

According to a report from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office, approximately 4 percent of the people of Queensland identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait natives. Of these, the government reports that 30 percent live in poverty. The Deadly Ears team, Queensland Health’s statewide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ear Health Program, which flies staff to remote locations, assisted with the study.

Members of a research team and staff of the Deadly Ears health program are seen with the aircraft used to reach remote areas of Australia to provide health care and visit study participants. (Courtesy of Deadly Ears)

Chronic middle ear infections resulting in hearing loss is a serious health issue worldwide among indigenous and other disadvantaged groups, according to researchers.

The problem is dire, said Andrea Coleman, who also worked on the study. “Chronic middle ear infections can affect between one-third to one-half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, which is far above the 4 percent threshold that the World Health Organization considers as a disease needing urgent public health action.”

“This disease can cause hearing loss and can have life-long impacts on speech and language development, education and future employment prospects and in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations contributes to the wide gap in educational and employment outcomes,” said Coleman, who works in the University of Queensland’s Child Health Research Center.

Edited by Richard Pretorius and Kristen Butler



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VIDEO: Hot Pursuit: Suspected Carjacker Cornered By Police Copter’s Infrared Camera

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VIDEO: Hot Pursuit: Suspected Carjacker Cornered By Police Copter’s Infrared Camera

By William McGee

A man in Atlanta faces charges in connection with a carjacking after tracking by the police department’s Air Unit led to his arrest by officers on the ground.

The Atlanta Police Department’s Auto Crimes Enforcement Unit received information on Nov. 9 that a Hyundai Elantra, which had been reported stolen in Decatur, Georgia, was in southwest Atlanta. The Auto Crimes Enforcement Unit requested the assistance of the Phoenix Air Unit, which quickly located the stolen vehicle as it was leaving a parking lot, police said in a report posted online.

Officers on the ground approached the driver of the stolen vehicle.

“At the sight of the police, the driver fled from officers on foot,” Atlanta Police said. “Officers gave chase and during the foot pursuit, officers observed the suspect throw a handgun to the ground. The suspect was ultimately apprehended a short distance away and the firearm was recovered”

The suspect was identified as A’torrius Slaughter, police said.

Police reported that Slaughter, who had two active warrants, “was charged accordingly and transported to Fulton County Jail without incident.” The specific charges against Slaughter were not reported.

Infrared footage shows how the suspect seemingly trips and falls on the ground, allowing one police officer to arrest him and cuff his hands behind his back as another office assists.

Police officers arrest a suspected carjacker in Atlanta, Georgia. (Atlanta Police Department/Zenger)

The two officers are then seen helping the suspect to his feet and leading him to a police vehicle. The air unit official is heard saying: “They got him successfully in custody.”

“We applaud the work of our ACE and Phoenix Air Units and the Zone 4 officers in tracking this suspect and making the arrest,” Atlanta Police said in their online report.

The Air Unit is part of the Atlanta Police Department’s Special Operations Section and “is used to assist the patrol units in a variety of functions, including but not limited to: support for vehicle and foot chases, stolen vehicle recovery, and managing traffic flow,” the department’s website says.

“The Atlanta Police Department continues to tackle auto theft and larceny from auto crimes. Since the start of 2021, there have been 2,657 cars stolen, and of those, 1,741 were either left running or had the keys or key fobs inside. Additionally, there have been 1,729 guns stolen from cars this year,” the department said.

“We implore the community to their part in being mindful when exiting their cars. We remind you to turn your car off, remove the keys/fobs, and all valuables. Not all crimes are avoidable, but many of these types of crimes are. We understand our assignment. We need the public to understand theirs and do the proactive work.”

Edited by Judith Isacoff and Kristen Butler



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VIDEO: Weasel-ly Spotted: Endangered Fisher Weasels Return To The Wild

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VIDEO: Weasel-ly Spotted: Endangered Fisher Weasels Return To The Wild

By Joseph Golder

Video shows fishers, which are members of the weasel family, being released in Olympic National Park as part of a two-decade effort to restore the native species to Washington State.

The footage was posted online by the National Park Service with the caption: “Some very welcome newcomers arrived at Ozette last week…!” Lake Ozette, the largest natural lake in the state of Washington, is in the northern part of Olympic National Park near the Pacific coast.

Federal, state, tribal and partner biologists on Nov. 5 released five fishers from Alberta, Canada, into the lush, coastal forest near Lake Ozette, the National Park Service said on the website of Olympic National Park.

“Fishers — a member of the mustelid or weasel family roughly the size of a house cat that feeds on rodents, hares and even porcupines — were extirpated from Washington by the 1930s due to over-trapping, poisoning and fragmentation of their forest habitat,” the park service said.

“This latest fisher release is part of an ongoing partnership led by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey and Conservation Northwest to restore the elusive carnivores to Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and Cascade Mountains.”

A total of 90 fishers were captured in northern British Columbia and reintroduced to Olympic National Park and surrounding areas on the Olympic National Forest from 2008 through 2010, the park service said. “Fishers from British Columbia and later Alberta were then reintroduced to Washington’s South Cascade Mountains in and around Mount Rainier National Park beginning in 2015, and to North Cascades National Park and nearby areas beginning in 2018.”

A fisher runs into the forest after being released from a wooden crate near Lake Ozette in Olympic National Park in Washington State. (National Park Service/Zenger)

The park service said that “while the Washington Fisher Reintroduction Project met its goal in early 2020, releasing more than 250 total fishers across the Olympic and Cascade ranges with successful reproduction documented in both areas, project partners saw an opportunity this year to boost the numbers and genetic diversity of fishers on the Olympic Peninsula using animals live-trapped in Alberta.”

About 20 fishers are set to be released at locations around Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest this month and in December, including the first five near Lake Ozette last week.

The Ozette area was chosen “due to the ongoing partnership with the Makah Tribe since 2008 and the Makah Tribe’s continued research on the fisher population in the Ozette to Neah Bay region,” the park service said.

“Watching fishers return to the forests of the Olympic Peninsula is truly inspiring,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum. “As they scamper through lush ferns and back into our biodiverse landscape, you can tell they belong here and will enrich our natural heritage and support the overall health of this ecosystem.”

Edited by Judith Isacoff and Kristen Butler



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