Kawhi Leonard is a uniquely oracular figure in an era where players participate in the year-round, around-the-clock, all-access content generating. Whereas his contemporaries are extremely online, airing out personal drama and planning superteams with one another in plain sight, Leonard has skulked beneath the surface. As a consequence of his social media anathema, his humble beginnings as a mid-first round pick [&hellip

Despite the valiant efforts of Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and special guest-star Meyers Leonard playing out of his mind, the Golden State Warriors, sans half of their Death Star Lineup(s), imposed Carthaginian Peace upon the insurgent Portland Trail Blazers in a demoralizing sweep. If Durant had a spirit animal, it would be a dog and once he went down, the [&hellip

For the last three seasons, Golden State has been the lone superpower lording over a captive league, courtesy of its long-distance weapons of mass destruction. However, a new world beckons. Spindly upcoming free agent Kevin Durant will be taking overtures from interested suitors. DeMarcus Cousins is thriving, but he was always  a one-and-done experiment and his high-caliber play thus far [&hellip

New Orleans should be much better than its 23-28 record. When healthy, Nikola Mirotic’s perimeter scoring, Julius Randle’s versatility and Jrue Holiday’s presence as an elite two-way point guard should supplement Anthony Davis’ First-Team All-NBA effort. The Pelicans have cobbled together a hodgepodge of talented supporting specialists alongside Mirotic, Randle, Holiday and Davis. Unfortunately, the whole hasn’t been greater than [&hellip

Croatia and France’s matchup in the 2018 World Cup Final will be a rematch of the 1998 World Cup semifinal, where, 20 years ago, the French buried the Croatians 2-1 before winning their first Cup against powerhouse Brazil. Things may be different this year, though – both of their tournament runs are illustrative of international football’s entropy at work. Although [&hellip