Here It Is If DeMarcus Cousins Stays In Sacramento, Who Wins?

A DeMarcus Cousins extension isn't even signed yet, and we're already past the point at which Boogie in Sacramento is interesting. The Kings exacerbate his worst tendencies on and off the court, and that's been clear for several years. Cousins takes a lot of criticism now, but he'd probably take even more if mainstream fans actually watched Kings games. And obviously, the team has failed year after year to build a coherent roster around him.

We should be honest about this if it's going to happen this summer. ​All an extension ensures is that we're all going to be stuck spending an extra few years feigning interest in this third world relationship. The other night's postgame scene was a perfect example. After the extension news broke, we got classic Kings Boogie, which is to say: kinda funny, but kinda mean, and all coda to a game that nobody watched. 

I want Boogie to succeed for a number of reasons. He's got a preternatural gift for unnerving some of my least favorite people in sports, and I don't want them to be proven right. He's also got John Calipari on his side, and I don't want John Calipari to be wrong. He's one of the six or seven most gifted players in the league. If he maxes out his potential, it makes the whole sport more entertaining. When he chooses to play along in interviews, he can be funny and thoughtful, but still allergic to bulls**t, which is refreshing. In general, basketball is more interesting because of players like him. 

But every season now, the Kings plod forward toward eighth or ninth place, and at least a handful of times each year, Boogie's given to public eruptions of frustration and/or hot sculpting. Then the front office will scramble to make a shortsighted move that will cost them flexibility without yielding many benefits, and then everyone watches them do it again the following year.

Draymond Green: DeMarcus Cousins is the 'best big man in the game'

The Kings could deal Cousins next month, or next June, and they'd likely bring back at least one lottery pick. Couple that with a top 10 pick of their own, plus a 2018 first, and there are at least three lottery picks as a foundation, along with Dave Joerger coaching. That's a start. It's not a flawless blueprint—especially not with Kings management in place—but it seems like a healthier option than chasing the eighth seed year after year, all to appease a superstar who's angrily asking reporters if they're happy to have him around. For Cousins, a move would give him a fresh start, and ideally, a winning team that could hold him more accountable. Likewise, playing with another star could give all basketball fans an additional contender—which is why there's been so much trade buzz over the past few years. An extension presses pause on all of that.

Since the rumors surfaced—thanks to this report from James Ham at CSN California—there have been several reactions explaining why this deal could happen. A good one explained:DeMarcus Cousins re-signing with Kings isn’t just the best choice, it’s the only choice. Basically, the collective bargaining agreement's new "designated player exception" allows the Kings to pay him more than any team in the league—at least $30 million more over four years, and an $80 million difference if you compare the five-year deal in Sacramento to the four-year deals he'd sign elsewhere. So that's the rationale from Boogie's side. Likewise, the Kings are able to secure their most valuable asset to help make money in the short term, and the added years on the end of the deal will probably mean they can bring back more value if they trade Cousins a few years from now. That's Sacramento's incentive.

Strictly from a basketball perspective, though: why should either side want to continue this experiment? If Cousins decides to stay in Sacramento this July, who does that actually benefit? Is a slightly better trade in two years really worth it if it means two more years of tension and mediocrity?

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The questions are interesting enough as a continuation of the same Cousins/Kings take purgatory we've been occupying for years. But the answers are most interesting in the context of the NBA's latest CBA, and what it means for the league. Any CBA has unintended consequences. The NBA's last deal, in 2011, was designed to protect small markets, but wound up hurting the Thunder more than any team in the league. It's too early to say how the new CBA will shape player movement over the next few years. But the most meaningful reform was obviously the designated player exception, designed to give teams an advantage keeping their stars. And as we try to imagine the consequences of that rule, Boogie's situation could be telling.

This is a case where the smartest business decision under the new CBA—for both the Kings and Cousins—probably prolongs a doomed era for the team, probably limits the growth of a star who needs a new environment, and makes the rest of the league less entertaining in the meantime. It's financial sanity at the expense of actual sanity for everyone involved. And if Boogie's extension is the first example of what the NBA's designated player exception looks like in the real world, let's be clear: it's not looking all that great.

Source: si.com

Whoaaa!!! Lotus launches the fastest Exige sportscar ever

Lotus Exige Race 380 (Source: Group Lotus PLC)

The final iteration of the mid-engine hardtop Lotus sportscar is the Exige Race 380, a dedicated track-only car that weighs less than 1000kg and will cost over $100,000, but for that owners will get a car that meets FIA regulations and that has set a new record around Lotus's own Hethel test circuit.

Now that Lotus's finances are well and truly back on track it's about to start developing a flagship Esprit and testing the feasibility of a crossover or SUV.

However, it hasn't forgotten its hardcore fans and the reason why the company has managed to weather the storms of financial uncertainty -- it makes some of the greatest track-focused cars that any amount of money can buy.And the new Lotus Exige Race 380, announced on Thursday, continues in this tradition.

Built exclusively for racing, it starts out life as the already ferocious yet road-legal Exige Sport 380 and jettisons regulatory elements like headlamps and airbags that hold back performance.

"The Lotus Exige Sport 380 is a real giant slayer on the road," said Group Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales. "It gave us the ideal platform from which to develop the new Exige Race 380."

It keeps the 3.5-liter supercharged V6 but now it's mated to a six-speed Xtrac sequential transmission complete with carbon fiber steering column-mounted paddle shifts. There's a limited slip differential, the gearbox gets its own oil cooler and the exhausts are lightweight titanium.

Built for teams and for individuals to race in sanctioned competitions, the car meets FIA criteria for its class so there's a roll cage, racing seats with six-point harnesses, a fire extinguisher system and motorsport towing eyes for those moments when the car eventually runs out of grip and leaves the track.

However, thanks to adjustable dampers and roll bars all round plus external aerodynamic improvements that increase downforce to 240kg, it's going to take some very heavy-handed piloting for the car to come unstuck.

As for performance, because the car tips the scales at just 998kg, it will go from 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds but, more importantly, laps the Lotus Hethel test track in one minute, 23.5 seconds, making it the fastest Exige ever.

"By setting its weight below 1000kg, its power to weight is unsurpassed in its class. When lapping Hethel, it's a phenomenal 1.5 seconds faster than the previous Exige Cup R -- a massive performance gain," said Gales.

Available to order now, the Lotus Exige Race 380 will cost £99,500 ($122,000) excluding taxes, and deliveries are scheduled to begin in May in time for the 2017-18 race season.

Source : ctvnews.ca

Ultra Street Fighter II Confirmed For Nintendo Switch

Capcom is releasing a new version of Street Fighter 2 for Nintendo Switch called Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengers. It features a new mode and characters, along with the updated art used in 2008's Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix.

The two new characters are Evil Ryu and Violent Ken. The latter of the two first appeared in crossover fighting game SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos.

"For the first time in nearly 20 years, since Super Street Fighter 2, two new characters join the fight; Evil Ryu and Violent Ken," Capcom said on its website. "This version of Ryu has succumbed to the Satsui no Hado and is now obsessed with fighting in order to prove he is the strongest. His former honorable self has been purged, allowing him to enjoy absolute power and embrace an unquenchable bloodthirst for battle.

"Violent Ken is the result of M. Bison kidnapping and brainwashing Ken, enhancing his abilities with Psycho Power and twisting his brotherly rivalry with Ryu into hatred. Violent Ken is more ruthless, aggressive, and fearless with moves that feature purple flames instead of his signature fire."

In addition to the classic arcade mode, players will be able to team up in 2v1 fights, similar to the Dramatic Battle mode from Street Fighter Alpha series.

For those that want the classic Street Fighter 2 visual style, Ultra Street Fighter 2 will allow players to choose between pixel-art graphics or HD graphics created by UDON Entertainment.

"Nintendo Switch TV, Tabletop, and Handheld modes allow you to play Ultra Street Fighter 2 at home or on-the-go with brand new single-player and multiplayer modes," Capcom continued. "More information and details on these modes, along with confirmed pricing and release timing, will be shared at a later date."

Nintendo is scheduled to host a livestream on January 13 at 6:30 AM PT / 9:30 AM ET discussing the Switch's upcoming games. Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono will be appearing to talk about Ultra Street Fighter 2.

Source : gamespot.com

PRESIDENT OBAMA AWARDS VP JOE BIDEN PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM

President Barack Obama presents Vice President Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON — President Obama surprised Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Thursday by bestowing the Presidential Medal of Freedom on him, calling Mr. Biden “my brother” in a tearful goodbye in the East Room of the White House.

Having called Mr. Biden and his wife, Jill, to the White House for a private farewell, the president instead brought him into a room filled with his friends, family and colleagues to present him with the honor, the nation’s highest.

For the first time, Mr. Obama awarded the medal with distinction, an added level of veneration that previous presidents had reserved for recipients like Pope John Paul II and Colin L. Powell, the former secretary of state.

“To know Joe Biden is to know love without pretense, service without self-regard, and to live life fully,” Mr. Obama said during the televised ceremony, as Mr. Biden wiped tears from his eyes and dabbed at his nose with a handkerchief.

Moments later, as the president called up a military aide to read the proclamation, Mr. Biden appeared to break down, turning his back to the audience to compose himself. After Mr. Obama hung the medal around his neck, the vice president cried openly.

“Ricchetti, you’re fired,” Mr. Biden joked to his chief of staff, Steve Ricchetti. “I had no inkling.”

Addressing Mr. Obama, who stood to his side, Mr. Biden said that he had never met anyone who had “the integrity and the decency and the sense of other people’s needs like you do.”

The ceremony was an emotional conclusion to an improbable partnership that began in 2008 when Mr. Obama asked his former presidential rival to be his running mate. The two men became close during eight years in the White House.

     “Mr. President, you got right the part about my leaning on Jill,” Mr. Biden said, referring to the president’s remarks about the couple’s love. “But I’ve also leaned on you and a lot of people in this room.”

It was not always clear that the odd-couple pairing would work, either politically or personally. Mr. Obama brought a cool and disciplined approach to politics, while his vice president was the hotheaded, passionate one.

Gaffes by Mr. Biden during the early part of the Obama administration annoyed the president and his aides. And the relationship between the two men was strained when Mr. Biden endorsed same-sex marriage in 2012,forcing the president’s hand on the issue.

But their bond strengthened through the difficult re-election campaign and a second term in which they confronted several mass killings. And Mr. Biden’s personal tragedy — the loss of his son Beau to cancer — brought them even closer together.

Last year, Mr. Biden seriously considered another run for president. But he concluded that his son’s death had left him emotionally unable to mount an effective campaign.

The citation with the medal noted Mr. Biden’s “charm, candor, unabashed optimism and deep and abiding patriotism,” as well as his “strength and grace to overcome great personal adversity.” It called him one of the most “consequential vice presidents in American history.”

Mr. Obama spoke emotionally about the relationship between his own family and the extended Biden clan, many of whom had gathered for the ceremony. “My family is so proud to call ourselves honorary Bidens,” he said.

Mr. Biden sought to return the compliment. He noted that the Constitution did not grant the vice president any inherent powers — “for good reason,” he said. But he said that Mr. Obama had made good on a pledge to make sure that Mr. Biden had a job that mattered.

“You have more than kept your commitment to me by saying you wanted me to help govern,” Mr. Biden said, adding that he hoped the history books would record that he was an asterisk in Mr. Obama’s historic presidency.

“I can say I was part of a journey of a remarkable man who did remarkable things for this country,” Mr. Biden said.

 Source : nytimes