Welcome to March, where insanity waits for, plus discussing the most recent Daniel Snyder scandal

Good early morning to everybody however particularly to …

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

If you didn’t awaken and instantly blast/watch “One Shining Moment”… well, there’s still time to capture up. It’s March! Conference competitions are underway, Selection Sunday is under 2 weeks away, the bubble is warming up and Jerry Palm’s Bracketology is here to assist you through everything.

Unfortunately for some groups, March is as much about heartbreak as it is for accomplishment:

Most of all, keep in mind that the magic and insanity of March isn’t simply in who wins everything. It’s in the groups that make the competition, particularly in those small conferences that just give out one quote. It’s in Antoine Davis ferreting out Pete Maravich’s all-time scoring record. It’s about groups that transform upset quotes and groups that endure them. It’s about the gamers who go from standouts to stars. Stephen Curry, anybody?

It’s the best college basketball needs to use, and I can’t wait.

Honorable points out

And not such a great early morning for …

DANIEL SNYDER AND THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

It’s another day and another significant scandal for Commander owner Daniel Snyder. This one includes Roger Goodell, countless dollars and, apparently, monetary scams, per reports. Here are essential information:

• In late 2018, Snyder secured a $55 million loan without the needed approval of then-minority owners of the Commanders, Robert Rothman, Dwight Schar and Frederick W. Smith. An crucial information to note: Snyder purchased out Rothman, Schar and Smith’s ownership stakes in 2020.
• Rothman, Schar and Smith required an examination of the loan. Neither Goodell — who gave league approval for the loan — nor the NFL arbitrator chose to examine.
• A federal grand jury provided subpoenas for the group’s monetary files, and this loan is a crucial part of a criminal questions led by a group of FBI and internal revenue service representatives. The previous minority owners informed the NFL the loan had actually been protected fraudulently which Snyder had actually misrepresented that he had actually gotten the minority owners’ approval, per the report. 
• Also in the report: Snyder pays himself $10 million every year and charged the franchise $4.5 million to put the group logo design on his personal jet as an “advertising fee.”
• The 3 minority owners stated Snyder was utilizing the group as his “personal piggy bank.”

This report emerges one day after a various report stated Snyder is aggravating fellow owners with his needs ought to he offer the group.

I do not have a load to include here. It’s difficult to track each private scandal, however that should not lessen this one or any of them. Snyder possibly serving as a rogue representative — and getting Goodell’s consent to do so — is a huge, huge offer.

Not so respectable points out

Rangers lastly get Patrick Kane from Blackhawks 🏒

After weeks of speculation, Patrick Kane is on the New York Rangers. The Blackhawks dealt the star winger to the Big Apple as the Rangers load up for the stretch run of the routine season.

• Kane, 34, is a previous MVP, a four-time All-Star and a three-time Stanley Cup champ. He was called to the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017. This season, Kane has 45 points in 54 video games.
• The Rangers sent out a conditional 2023 second-round choice and a 2023 fourth-round choice to Chicago. That second-round choice will end up being a very first in 2024 or 2025 if the Rangers make the conference last.
• The Coyotes are keeping 25% of Kane’s wage; they got a 2025 third-round choice.

Kane reunites with previous colleague Artemi Panarin, and this marks the 2nd huge trade the Rangers have actually made this season. They likewise obtained Vladimir Tarasenko in early February. Getting Kane makes the Rangers an A+, composes our Austin Nivison.

• Nivison: “Slam dunks don’t get much easier than this. The Rangers were Shaquille O’Neal playing with a Little Tikes hoop. … The bottom line is that the Rangers got another excellent offensive playmaker for a bargain bin price. Kane’s best days may be behind him, but it’s hard to believe he won’t improve on a Rangers team that now boasts one of the best top-six forward groups in the league. Keeping the blueshirts off the board will be a tough task for their playoff opponents.”

They aren’t the only group making relocations ahead of the March 3 trade due date.

Kevin Durant will make Suns launching tonight 🏀

The Kevin Durant period in Phoenix starts tonight when the 13-time All-Star makes his Suns launching versus the Hornets. Durant last played Jan. 8, when he sprained his MCL versus the Heat.

The Nets traded Durant to Phoenix approximately a month later on.

• In case you forgot, Durant was playing along with ever prior to the injury: 29.7 points per video game on career-best 55.9% shooting (and NBA- and career-best 93.4% complimentary toss shooting).
• The Suns are presently the No. 4 seed in the West. They are +450 to win the champion at Caesars Sportsbook, just behind the Celtics (+310).

With Durant, Chris Paul and Devin Booker all sharing the flooring together, anticipate a lots of midrange jumpers from 3 of the league’s finest, composes our Doug Clawson.

• Clawson: “There have been roughly 1,700 instances of a player taking 250+ midrange shots in a season in the last 25 seasons. Durant’s rate this season is the highest on the list, and he actually has the top three marks. … I’m from the school of thought that making midrange shots can actually be a good thing. … There’s a reason the Suns were an NBA-best 33-9 in clutch time (final five minutes, score within five points) last season and Booker and Paul had the best two field-goal percentages in the entire NBA in those situations (min. 40 FGA).”

So the Suns have 3 midrange masters plus an excellent center in Deandre Ayton? No question why Giannis Antetokounmpo jokingly called out Durant for signing up with superteams — or, rather, check out host Hasan Minhaj’s roast for Durant on The Daily Show (which you can stream on Paramount+).

And yes, it was a joke. Antetokounmpo could not even include himself and wound up matching Durant, much to Minhaj’s amusing irritation.

NFL Combine: Burning concerns, led by one about Bryce Young 🏈

The NFL Combine is a time for groups to ask concerns and get the answer. On-field drills start tomorrow, and we’ll begin to get a few of those responses.

Arguably the most crucial response will not need any football activities, however, composes our Ryan Wilson.

• Wilson: “Bryce Young’s height and weight. There have been small QBs at the combine before — Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray are among the most prominent — but never has there been a quarterback that was under 5-foot-11 and weighed less than 190 pounds. We’ll see if Young has added weight, but whatever the measurements are, he’s still the best QB in the class.”

Young, obviously, will not toss at the integrate. After a splendid profession at Alabama that consisted of a Heisman Trophy, he does not have much to show. That’s the precise reverse for Anthony Richardson, who we discussed in the other day’s newsletter. I truly enjoyed our Doug Clawson’s contrast of the 2 signal callers.

You can see our integrate snubs here and the schedule here.

What we’re seeing Wednesday 📺

🏀 Auburn at No. 2 Alabama, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Cavaliers at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Rangers at Flyers, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 No. 9 Texas at No. 22 TCU, 9 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Pelicans at Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. on ESPN