Thursday Morning Wake Up Call

Good morning peoples! Rainy day here, but we aren't going to let it keep us down. We have a pair of matchups to look at tonight, but before we get ahead of ourselves, we had a "thrilling" playoff game last night in the Association. 

Cleveland Crushes Toronto's Will to Live

Good Lord! Cleveland continued their home dominance last night as they walloped Toronto, 116-78. The Cavs' Big Three combined for 71 while Toronto's Twosome went for a mere 27. Toronto looked lost all game. It also didn't help them any that the Cavs shot 57% for the game. The Cavs also won the rebound battle 57 to 38. Kevin Love led all scorers with 25 while LeBron and Kyrie added 23 each. It's a devastating loss for the Raptors. One bright spot is that Game 6 moves back to Toronto. The Raptors will hope to force yet another Game 7 when the two meet again on Friday night. 

Melo Trimble to Return

Late yesterday evening, Melo Trimble announced that he would return to school for his junior year. Maryland lost four players from the team that was a Darkhorse Pick in last year's tournament. Trimble was expected to be a first round pick in this draft, but after a shaky finish to last season, he had slipped into the late second round.

Looking to tonight, we have some playoff action. The Tampa Bay Lightning travel to Pittsburgh for the decisive Game 7 with the winner squaring off against those rotten Sharks for Lord Stanley's Cup. The Sharks sealed their invitation last night when they defeated St Louis 5-2 in Game 6. Puck drops at 8:00. 

Golden State limps home to attempt to head back out on the road as they face elimination tonight in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Fresh off back-to-back beat downs, it's do or die. OKC will be going for the throat tonight to eliminate the defending champs and their MVP. Hurt or not, if you can't get up for a game like this, you need to just pack it in. However, I don't think OKC will clinch until the series returns back to their home court. Expect Steph & Company to show up tonight, and let people know how hard it is to beat the Champs on their own home court. Tip is at 9:00. 

That's all that I have this morning. Look for updates throughout the day. 

-Dug

@chansm1th

NBA Draft Withdrawal Day

May 25th

Today is the last day that players can withdraw and return to college. With the new rule implemented by the scumbags at the NCAA, players can now go through the combine and get proper feedback without losing their college eligibility. Most players have taken advantage of this new rule. 117 underclassman to be exact. Today is the day that players have to decide one way or another, and a few already have. Let's take a look at players from SEC Country, and others from around the nation. 

Isaiah Briscoe

Kentucky Freshman

Guard

Returning

All season long, it was assumed Briscoe would be returning for his sophomore year. A point guard in high school, Briscoe played behind Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray. Briscoe struggled shooting the ball all year. His free throw percentage was abysmal, but improved later in the year (46%). Taking advantage of the new rule like many others, Briscoe was able to workout for teams and receive feedback on what he needed to work on. Going back to Kentucky will be huge for the team. He is a solid finisher and the rim and a lock down defender. 

Marcus Lee

Kentucky Junior

Forward

Returning, Transferring

Lee didn't produce the numbers that Kentucky big men have in the past few years, but was another key piece on the team. What he lacked in shooting percentage, he made up for with his rim blocking and rebounding. Lee is Top 20 all-time in blocks at UK. Lee will return to college, but has decided to transfer closer to home. The California native is expected to transfer somewhere out west. 

Malik Newman

Mississippi State Freshman

Guard

Returning

Newman was a highly touted five star guard who joined Ben Howland's team. A top shooting guard, Newman wasn't the savior in his first campaign at Miss State that people thought he would be. While he said he would be withdrawing from the draft, rumors are that Newman might transfer, or even opt to play overseas. 

Other Notable Decisions

Josh Hart

Villanova Junior

Guard

Returning

James Blackmon Jr

Indiana Sophomore

Guard 

Returning

Troy Williams

Indiana Junior

Forward

Staying in the Draft

Dillon Brooks

Oregon Sophomore

Guard

Returning

Tyler Dorsey

Oregon Freshman

Guard

Returning

As the list grows, this post will update. Still waiting to see what Maryland PG Melo Trimble decides. Have a good day!

-Dug

@chansm1th