NBA Trade Rumors DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder are the subject of recent NBA Trade Rumors, as both players reportedly being targeted by the Boston Celtics.
The Kevin Durant issue
The Celtics is one of the six teams that superstar forward Kevin Durant has been in talks with when he officially became a free agent early this month. However, KD ended all NBA Trade Rumors surrounding him when he decided to suit up for the Golden State Warriors for the upcoming season.
Read more:Dwyane Wade Signing with Cavs?
In a report by Kit Isaiah Bernal for Yibada, Boston is eyeing to have both men in its roster, alongside the new acquisition of big man Al Horford for the Atlanta Hawks. At the same time, both Cousins and Westbrook are two top players who have been in the midst of NBA Trade Rumors and could very well be good additions into the team.
The long list of options
While the Boston Celtics may very well serve as the new home ball club for both Cousins and Westbrook, both players have their own list of other options. For his part, Cousins is also being eyed on by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In a report by Morning News USA, Cousins, alongside shooting guard Ben McLemore, may be acquired through a trade involving big man Kevin Love and guard Iman Shumpert.
And like his former teammate Durant, Westbrook also reportedly has six teams to choose from, according to the Washington Post. These teams are the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and his current home team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Read more:Cavs Rethinking DeMarcus Cousins Trade After Kevin Durant Signs with GSW?
During the recently concluded regular season, Cousins played a total of 65 games and was averaging 26.9 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists, shot 45.1 percent from the field, through 34.6 minutes of playing time per game.
Westbrook, on the other hand, played a total of 80 games and was averaging 23.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 10.4 assists, shot 45.4 percent from the field, through 34.4 minutes of playing time per game.
Dwyane Wade Has Legitimate Leverage! NBA 2K16 Park PS4
I never really thought Dwyane Wade would leave Miami. The problem ultimately turned out to be that Micky Arison and Pat Riley thought that too.
Wade is joining the Chicago Bulls, and hes doing it for more money: a reported $47.5 million two-year deal, compared with the Heats $41.5 million two-year offer, the most they could offer with their cap situation. But this was not about money (Floridas lack of state income tax basically equalizes the two offers, and besides, the Nuggets were willing to pay $52 million). Or, at least, the money this is about is already long gone.
Its business, they say of contract negotiations, nothing personal. But anyone who tells you business isnt personal is lying.
Wade, the only connecting thread between the Heats three championships, the player who made Miami the free agent destination and thus the superpower in the East, has never been the highest paid player on his own team. Time after time, he has left money and job security on the table in order to let the front office bring in the best players.
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In 2010, Wade took $15 million less than the max so the team could afford to sign LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
In 2014, he literally took a pay cut: opting out of his deal and signing for $11 million less so Miami could re-sign Bosh.
In 2015, seeking a three-year deal, Wade settled for one year to give Miami the flexibility to rebuild.
Time and again, Wade sacrificed for his employers, and he surely must have wondered when he was going to get his. 2016 proved to be the Heats last chance. At age 34, nowhere near the superstar he was but still a good, useful player, Wade wanted his payback. He wanted money, yes, but he wanted security: a three-year deal, more than a player of his age, injury history, and abilities would warrant in a vacuum. But this is not a vacuum. This is Dwyane Wade, the face of the franchise, seeking a relative pittance in compensation for everything hes given up with the expectation that the Heat would someday take care of him like hes taken care of them.
Miami would not budge from their two-year offer. Its just business, the Heat might have said, or at least thought. You dont give a player like this three years.
And that was the end of Wades hope that the Heat would ever do anything other than take him, and his self-sacrificing loyalty, for granted.
In his open letter to Miami, Wade said very little about his decision to leave beyond I feel I have made the right choice for myself and my family. That was a long time coming. Owner Micky Arison responded to the news of Wades departure with a single tweet:
(The second-best response to Arisons tweet-farewell: Thats it? The first-best response: Why didnt you pay the man!)
And then theres Pat Riley, the hard-assed negotiator, the smooth talker who has sold so many players on taking less by making who-knows-what promises, and manages to forever avoid those IOUs coming due.
Riley was too raw to talk about it Wednesday night, but I asked him if he wanted to say anything about how he was feeling, and this is what he wrote by text:
SADDDDDDD!!!! SO saddddddd! I will never forget the sixth game in Dallas in 2006. DW rebounded the ball, and threw it to the heavens and the Heat universe was perfect for that moment. Our first world championship. Our universe is not perfect today. It will be fraught with anger, judgment, blame instead of THANK YOU!!! Ten years ago. Ten years older. Ten years wiser. Ten years changed. All of us. Dwyane had a choice, and he made it. He went home. Bad, bad summer for us. But there will be another 10 years, and it will be someone or something else in 2026. Move on with no blood or tears. Just thanks. I truly loved Dwyane, but families grow, change and get on with another life. He will always be a part of us. ALWAYS! And no more bruises and enough fighting. Lets just fly above it if we can and never forget. I feel his pain and pride for what pushed him over the ledge. Been there. Forever, for always, your coach I will be. FOREVER!
Well, yes, its very saddddddd. But it was entirely preventable, every summer for the last six years.
Gretchen Carlson Sues Roger Aisles For Sexual Harassment
Fox News chairman Roger Ailes is going on the offensive.
The media big fired back Wednesday night at former employee Gretchen Carlson"s accusations that he made repeated sexual advances towards her.
"Gretchen Carlson"s allegations are false. This is a retaliatory suit for the network"s decision not to renew her contract, which was due to the fact that her disappointingly low ratings were dragging down the afternoon lineup," Ailes said in a statement hours the lawsuit was filed in New Jersey Superior Court Wednesday.
Parent company 21st Century Fox, however, announced Wednesday night that it would conduct an internal probe into Carlson"s claims against the CEO and "Fox & Friends" co-host Steve Doocy.
s*x harass suit against Fox News boss rips other female hosts
Though Doocy was not named as a defendant, the suit accuses the conservative cad of having "created a hostile work environment by regularly treating (Carlson) in a sexist and condescending way" during their stint together on the controversial morning show.
"The Company has seen the allegations against Mr. Ailes and Mr. Doocy," a rep for Fox said in a statement.
"We take these matters seriously. While we have full confidence in Mr. Ailes and Mr. Doocy, who have served the company brilliantly for over two decades, we have commenced an internal review of the matter."
Carlson is accusing Ailes of terminating her after 11 years at the network because she refused to sleep with him. The "Real Story with Gretchen Carlson" host"s contract was allowed to expire on June 23.
Gretchen Carlson files sexual harassment suit against Roger Ailes
Carlson claims that a pattern of sexual harassment in the newsroom over several years culminated in a September meeting in which Ailes propositioned her.
"I think you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago and then you"d be good and better and I"d be good and better," the complaint accuses Ailes, 76, of telling the former Miss America last September.
"Sometimes problems are easier to solve (that way)."
Carlsons lawyer, Nancy Erika Smith, told CNN Money that at least ten other women have contacted her firm to give their own accounts about mistreatment under Ailes leadership.
But Ailes disputes those claims.
"When Fox News did not commence any negotiations to renew her contract, Ms. Carlson became aware that her career with the network was likely over and conveniently began to pursue a lawsuit," Ailes said in his statement. "Ironically, Fox News provided her with more on-air opportunities over her 11 year tenure than any other employer in the industry, for which she thanked me in her recent book. This defamatory lawsuit is not only offensive, it is wholly without merit and will be defended vigorously."
Carlson"s legal team, though, points to a rise of 33% in her viewership this before her firing, making it the No. 1 rated cable news show in its time slot.
"We challenge him to deny, under oath, that he made the statements attributed to him in the Complaint," Smith and co-attorney Martin Hyman said in a joint statement.
They also threw the book at Ailes, saying the overbearing boss reviewed everything his employees said to the press or published.
"Gretchen was once chastised for answering a question from a hometown newspaper about her favorite Minnesota State Fair food," the lawyers said. "In her book Gretchen told her story while trying to keep her job - knowing that Ailes had to approve what she said."
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Roger Federer Reaches Wimbledon 2016 Semis After Five-Set Win Over Marin Cilic Match result:
Lucas Pouille has staged a brilliant come from behind victory over Australian Bernard Tomic to advance to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.
It is the first time in the Frenchmans career he has made the quarter-finals of any grand slam, and after a match that was played at a cracking pace he managed to emerge victorious.
Being down two sets to one, things were looking less than promising for Pouille, however, he held his nerve and served to stay in the match on the back of his strong serve multiple times at the end of the fifth set before breaking Tomic and taking the victory.
All that only occurred after a pair of rain delays and a medical timeout for Pouille, who had to have his ankle strapped. Despite not seeming to be bothered by the ankle, his style of play seemed to change from conservative to aggressive following the timeout. It was clear the longer the match went on, before drawing to a close after just 2 hours and 55 minutes, that the ankle wouldnt bother him.
Both players were looking to fly through their points and games, wasting absolutely no time and it came back to haunt Tomic, who appeared to be the main protagonist in that department.
He broke Pouille in the opening game of the set, before spending most of the first set and a half playing a brand of tennis that didnt suit him and quite frankly looked tired and lazy.
He wasnt moving his feet, putting intensity into shots or looking like he was going to win any points through power, before eventually dropping the first set.
Following a short rain delay where the players didnt leave the court and an injury timeout, Tomic started to get into his match and it was about then that the pace dramatically picked up.
Both players struggled with their first serves throughout the match, but it was simply a loss of focus and concentration at the end, plus having no ability to control the serve of Pouille that cost the Australian the match.
Pouille now goes onto play either Jiri Vesely or Tomas Berdych
A spot in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon is up for grabs when Australian Bernard Tomic faces 32nd seed Lucas Pouille. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from around 11:30pm (AEST).
Tomic has had far from an easy run through the first three rounds, however seems to be playing better the longer the tournament goes on.
He started things off against Fernando Verdasco in a match that went to five sets, which was probably expected leading in. Tomic had to come back in that match after losing the first set, and while he was pushed, his rhythm improved.
That trend continued during a hard four-set slog against Radu Albot, in a match he should have taken in straight sets. Due to the rain they were back-to-back matches, and Tomic looked something of a different player in the third round.
There he defeated 14th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets. It was a dominant showing from Tomic, and he will need more like it moving forward if he is to continue advancing.
It was promising from Tomics point of view that he was very strong against the serve of Agut, winning plenty of points and converting 50 per cent of break points.
Pouille on the other hand managed to pick up the 32nd seed under Wimbledons complicated system and like Tomic has had a less than easy run through the tournament.
The youngster has never been past the second round of a grand slam, but has seen rapid improvement over the last 12 months and enjoys playing on the grass courts.
He knocked off Marius Copil in the first round, taking four sets before defeating Donald Young in a dominant straight sets display. He then took on the in-form Juan Martin del Potro, losing the first set before coming up with the goods under pressure to win in four.
Pouilles biggest strength is his serve and he picked up a huge 18 aces against del Potro. Given that, Tomic probably needs to get a much better first serve going, so he doesnt have to rely on winning receiving points as much.
The pair have never faced off before this meeting, and the winner will play either Jiri Vesely or Tomas Berdych.
PredictionThe whole outcome of this match could well come down to whether Tomic can stay consistent for the duration I expect him to lose a set, but take the win nonetheless.
Tomic in four sets.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores and coverage of this fourth-round Wimbledon match from 11:30pm (AEST) and dont forget to add your own comments in the section below.
Sultan Movie Public Talk/ Public Review - Public Response - Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma
(Photo by Scott Heins / Gothamist)
For over five decades, Alex Carozza built and repaired musical instruments on the strip of West 48th Street off Times Square known as Music Row. The eponymous owner of Alex Musical Instruments, Carozza has gone by many nicknames the Sultan of Squeezeboxes, the Master of Music Row, and the Horse-s*****r (more on that later). He made guitars for Eric Clapton and George Benson, did business with Frank Sinatra and Tony Mottola, and earned a reputation as one of the premiere accordion technicians in the world.
But over the past few months, Carozza, who will turn 89 in August, has mostly served as a symbol of a bygone era, the token old guy in yet another narrative of a vanishing New York institution.
In December, Alex Musical Instruments vacated its three-story storefront on 165 48th Street, leaving the historic block without a single music store. The citys musical mecca, where the Beatles bought drums for the Ed Sullivan Show, where Pete Townshend would stock up on Gibson guitars that hed later smash, and where musicians of all stripes would venture for affordable gear, had collapsed under the forces of rising rent.
For those invested in the fate of Music Row, Alexs departure was hardly surprising Mannys shut its doors for good in 2009, Sam Ash closed all five storefronts and moved to West 34th Street in in 2012, and Rudys absconded to SoHo last year. But the surrender of the last holdout made the death of Music Row official, and Alex Carozza, the weathered face of that demise. He played the role expected of him, lamenting the impersonal nature of online shopping for WFUV, telling the NY Post that the time comes for everything, and posing solemnly with an accordion for the NY Times eulogy of Music Row.
Alex"s Music Row shop was on the top right. (Photo by Christian Hansen / Gothamist)
But while the street itself is dead, Alexs accordion business is still very much alive now just a few blocks north, on the sixth floor of an office building on West 54th Street. The space is considerably smaller than the 48th Street location, and the workshop spills out a bit from behind the counter onto the showroom floor. Alex, who left Italy in the 1930s and spent his childhood in Argentina, is speaking in Spanish with two customers when I arrive, both of whom have dropped off their accordions for a tune-up.
When the customers leave, I ask Alex how the transition is going. I"m just renting here, temporary, he says. For now, it"s alright. But end of the year, maybe next year, I will have my own place. Much better than this, because we are so close here. He gestures at the work benches behind him, where two others are tinkering with accordions.
One is Juan Carlos, Alexs understudy for more than two decades, and the man expected to take over the business if Alex ever retires. The other is Alexs nephew, Enrique Gabriel, a filmmaker and writer whos currently working on a biography of his uncle.
(Photo by Scott Heins / Gothamist)
There was no choice but to move, Alex says, because the landlord planned to raise his rent 400 percent, up to $16,000/month. I wasnt too sad, he adds. Everyone else had already disappeared.
Over the next hour, I do my best to pry some Music Row nostalgia from Alex maybe a story about meeting Bob Dylan or a grand indictment of the citys failure to preserve cultural spaces but he seems uninterested in this line of questioning. Instead, he speaks hopefully about the accordion schools set to open in the Bronx and Brooklyn. He talks about his early days as a documentary filmmaker, a passion he gave up years ago but hopes to pursue again one day. He tells me about a favorite customer who lives in New Zealand and takes an annual trip to New York just to bring his $29,000 accordion to Alex Musical Instruments.
They wont let me retire, he laughs. They say, Stay in business, please, Alex, because they dont want anybody else.
What memories I can gather from Alex seem to straddle the line between fact and fiction. He claims that he had over 20 employees and brought in $40 million a year during the heyday of the 1970s. A woman, a family friend who once served as the stores bookkeeper but now just helps out, overhears this figure and disputes it. When I ask Alex how that compares to business now, he tells me its about the same.
This seems unlikely, but it feels impolite to press the jovial senior on his year-over-year revenue declines. In any case, Im assured by the former-bookkeeper-turned-helper that Alex Musical Instruments is indeed still turning a profit.
Later, Ill sit down with Alexs nephew, Enrique Gabriel, who oversaw the move from 48th Street, helping Alex to clear out decades worth of memories. I was much more sentimental than he was, Enrique says. I think he put a wall up, and it was very clever of him to do that.
With Enriques help, Im able to piece together a more coherent timeline of Carozzas life: He started his first business as a schoolboy in Argentina, picking up horse manure and selling it to brick factories. In 1960, he came to the United States to work at Accordion-O-Rama (now based in New Jersey), then took a job on Music Row as a manager at Sam Ash. In 1969, he opened his own instrument repair shop on the second floor of 165 48th Street, where Rudy Pensa worked as a stockboy before opening Rudys Music Shop right next door.
Seven years later, Alex moved across the street to the largest storefront on Music Row, right next to Mannys. Business was booming then, and Alex was able to buy the large building for very cheap. A few years later he rented the space to Sam Ash and moved back to the original location across the street, this time occupying three floors. In 2008, he sold the Sam Ash building to the Rockefeller Group for a reported $33 million.
(Photo by Scott Heins / Gothamist)
I call him the horse-s*****r, Enrique says, laughing, because he started selling horse s**t and ended up making business with Rockefeller. Enrique pauses then, mentally translating an excerpt of the book for me. The main thing about Alex is that, yes he"s a very talented musician, but his real essence is commerce. Making business, relating with people. All his life he is obsessed with progress, because he suffered a lot, he wanted to buy good things for the people he loved. For him, the important thing is to overcome the obstacles.
After coffee, I walk along 48th Street. Its just another midtown block now, bookended by parking garages and condos, with a Dunkin Donuts and Chipotle in the middle. The former locations of Alex Musical Instruments, Rudys Music Shop, and Mannys are all empty, with For Rent notices plastered on each window. On the south side of the street, a black sign advertising Mannys remains as well, attached to a stopped-clock that seems all too fitting. Its not hard to picture the streets better days, to imagine a much younger Alex entertaining a packed shop.
But even if 48th Street does feel like a recently abandoned ghost town, its not as though the gears of the urban growth machine have stopped. Earlier this month, Hard Rock International announced plans to erect a flagship hotel on the block that, according to a press release, will breathe new life into Music Row and recapture the legacy of this historic location. So while you may not be able buy an instrument on 48th Street anymore, guests of the 445-room hotel will soon have access to Fender guitar and DJ-equipment rental delivered in-room for impromptu jam sessions.
When I call Alex to ask his thoughts on this, he says that hes very busy, and will have to get back to me. He hasnt yet, though Id venture a guess that hes not losing sleep over the news. For now, its just nice to know that this relic of Music Row has survived, and that Alex Carozza is still busy making progress.
Jim Carrey"s Girlfriend Cathriona White"s Death Officially Ruled a Suicide Cathriona White and Jim Carrey Credit: AKM-GSI Jim Carrey"s late girlfriend, Cathriona White, wrote about the pair"s breakup in her suicide note last year, TMZ reports. Celebrity Deaths in 2016: Stars Weve Lost
According to official documents obtained by the site, White, then 30, wrote the letter shortly after they split. "I"ve spent 3 days now in disbelief that you"re not here. I can go on brokenhearted and try to put the pieces back. I could, I just don"t have the will this time. I"m sorry you felt I wasn"t there for you. I tried to give you my best part," she reportedly wrote, per TMZ.
"I don"t really know about burial or that sort of thing. You are my family so whatever you choose will be fine," she continued. "Please forgive me. I"m just not for this world."
Reality TV Tragedies: The Saddest and Most Shocking Deaths
As previously reported, Carrey, 54, and the Ireland-born makeup artist began dating in 2012. White died of a drug overdose on September 28, 2015, after sharing several cryptic posts on her social media accounts. On September 1, she tweeted that she was "signing off" of Twitter.
Jim Carrey to Make First Red Carpet Appearance Since GFs Death Jim Carrey Attends Girlfriend Cathriona"s Funeral, Tweets About Love Jim Carrey Will Attend Girlfriend Cathriona White"s Funeral in Ireland
The following month, the True Crimes actor attended White"s funeral in her hometown of Cappawhite in Co Tipperary, Ireland. He was one of six pallbearers during the procession in town.
Celebrity Deaths in 2015: Stars We"ve Lost
"I am shocked and deeply saddened by the passing of my sweet Cathriona," Carrey told Us Weekly in a statement at the time. "She was a truly kind and delicate Irish flower, too sensitive for this soil, to whom loving and being loved was all that sparkled. My heart goes out to her family and friends and to everyone who loved and cared about her. We have all been hit with a lightning bolt."
If you or someone you know is struggling, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255).
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