Columns

SHATZMAN | The Rise of Hassan Whiteside

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Whiteside’s fall out of the first round was largely attributed to questions surrounding his maturity — both on the court and off. ESPN analyst Jay Bilas, following the Kings’ pick, said, “He could wind up being an outstanding pro. It just depends on how he matures and how he grows up.”

Columns

SHATZMAN | On LSU’s Ben Simmons and NBA Eligibility

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Texas A&M’s 71-38 victory over LSU on Saturday marked the final game of Ben Simmons’ brief collegiate career. The 6-foot-10 freshman from Melbourne, Australia led the Tigers in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals in what was statistically as productive a season as any in the country. At just 19 years old, Simmons looked like a pro in a college uniform

Columns

SHATZMAN | Roger Goodell’s Inconsistency in the Punishing of NFL Players

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Is Roger Goodell just arbitrarily choosing numbers and using them for suspensions? Where are the standards? Where is the consistency? Goodell is a cavalier commissioner whose ineptness in handling discipline is embarrassing to professional sports. “Kill a man while intoxicated and then come catch passes for us!” “Beat your girlfriend and sign a cushy one-year, $11.3 million contract.” “A 22-year-old smoking weed, drinking, not hurting anyone and taking full responsibility for childish mistakes? Hell no. One year ban”.

Columns

SHATZMAN | Stan Kroenke, the NFL and Deception

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In April 2010, the late sportswriter Bryan Burwell wrote a foreboding column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Rams were for sale and Shahid Khan —a businessman with a rags-to-riches story who was perceived to be trustworthy — and Enos “Stan” Kroenke were both interested in purchasing the franchise. Burwell’s blistering piece, titled “Rams minority owner not to be trusted,” referred to the latter of the two. Kroenke, who already owned the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, had a reputation as a cunning businessman whose every move was done only to benefit Stan Kroenke.