It wouldn’t be an NBA offseason without some social media shenanigans.
This past week, it was the Blue Arrow’s turn to swipe right on Nuggets Twitter’s most deep-seeded insecurity — the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jamal Murray — B-
The worst-case scenario for Nuggets fans: Jamal Murray’s decision to like a pro-Lakers tweet reply — “soon you’ll embrace the moment when u join the lakers this summer” — was an indication he yearns to take his bow and quiver to Tinsel Town.
The best-case: The Nuggets’ star combo guard has trouble controlling his scrolling thumb (and also can’t stay out of his mentions).
Where does the Grading the Week staff land? Somewhere in the murky middle.
As hard as it is to believe Murray is going anywhere this offseason — or even wants to — it’s equally inconceivable someone with such a deadly accurate outside shooting touch would also possess an embarrassingly clumsy right thumb.
So why the Twitter like?
The Grading the Week staff has a theory: Jamal is bored … and might also be a bit of a Twitter troll.
Earlier last week Murray also posed for photos with the “Suns in 4” Guy, who (in)famously bludgeoned a Nuggets fan wearing Murray’s jersey in a video that went viral near the tail end of Denver getting swept by Phoenix.
He followed that bit of internet buffoonery with this oddly cryptic tweet: “I said keep that same NRG when I’m playing next year.”
Was he talking about his conversation with “Suns in 4” Guy? Was it a reference to his reaction to the Lakers fan’s Twitter reply? Or was it something altogether different?
Only Murray truly knows the answers to those questions, which appears to be just fine by him.
MLB off switch — A+
There are times when you’ve got to turn things up to 11.
And we here at Grading the Week consider Monday night’s Home Run Derby at Coors Field one of those moments.
Credit to Major League Baseball for recognizing that and opting to turn off the humidor for what figures to be an epic derby featuring Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani, Rockies shortstop Trevor Story and a host of other sluggers.
The Coors Field humidor has served its purpose over the past two decades, turning down the jets ever so slightly on the ballpark’s tendency to operate as a launchpad
But with those guardrails taken off Monday, not one inch of the outfield stands will be safe from epic longballs. Who knows? Maybe even the Rock Pile will be in play. (OK, maybe not.)
That’s exactly what we want to see.
CU recruiting Colorado — D
In what’s become something of a broken record for the CU Buffs football program, yet another highly regarded recruit opted to leave the state this past week.
This time, it was four-star offensive lineman George Fitzpatrick of Cherry Creek who announced his intention to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes after he graduates next spring. His decisions follows a troubling trend of Colorado’s top talent fleeing the state.
Since 2011, CU has successfully recruited just 9 of 60 recruits ranked in the top five of 247Sports.com’s composite rankings for the state. Four of the top five recruits for the Class of 22 are leaving the state – Valor Christian RB Gavin Sawchuk (Oklahoma), Fitzpatrick (Ohio State), Fairview WR Grant Page (Nebraska) and Eaglecrest OT Braden Miller (Michigan State).
The only one left on the board: Valor offensive tackle Jake Maikkula, who is undecided but has an offer from CU.
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