NEWS » s on the leagues pr

Former cruiserweight world titleholder Marco Huck will seek his second win in a row since losing his belt when he faces Ovill McKenzie on Sept. 24 in Frankfurt, Germany.Last August, Huck, seeking to break the cruiserweight division record for most title defenses (13) that he shared with Englands Johnny Nelson, dramatically lost his belt by 11th-round knockout to Polands Krzysztof Glowacki in a big upset.Huck (39-3-1, 27 KOs), 31, of Germany, rebounded in February to stop rival Ola Afolabi in the 10th round of their fourth battle.My fans kept asking me when the next fight was, so I actually feel like its a great honor that they want to see me back in the ring, said Huck, who has earned the reputation as one of boxings most crowd-pleasing fighters.I will thank them by putting on a great performance. It gives me an extra rush of adrenaline when I hear the crowd shouting, Huck! Huck! Huck! You cannot put a price tag on that feeling. I am 31 years old now, the prime age for a boxer, and I will leave the ring just the way I entered it: as the champion.McKenzie (25-12-1, 13 KOs), 36, a Jamaica native based in England, might not have the prettiest record, but he is unbeaten in five fights since 2013 and is coming off perhaps the finest performance of his career. He traveled to Argentina in October to challenge then-world titleholder Victor Emilio Ramirez. Many thought McKenzie did more than enough to win but he was given a draw and Ramirez retained the title.Now McKenzie, a former British and Commonwealth champion, has a chance against Huck, who has long been one of the best fighters in the weight class.McKenzie did really well during his last fight and should have won the IBF title against Ramirez, so I have to be careful and wont underestimate him, Huck said.McKenzie was supposed to return to fight Ukraines Dmytro Kucher for the vacant European cruiserweight title last month, but withdrew because of an injury. Then the fight with Huck came up and he quickly accepted it.I am travelling to Frankfurt to give a great performance, McKenzie said. I dont want the people to look at my record and write me off immediately or [think] that it will be a walk in the park for Huck. I am in great shape.I will give the performance of my life. I am a real fighter, a warrior. I am 36 now, but I honestly feel like Im 20. I am in amazing shape. Craig Biggio Jersey Large . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. Cristian Javier Jersey . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. http://www.customastrosjersey.com/custom-gerrit-cole-jersey-large-996y.html . PETERSBURG, Fla. Custom Jimmy Wynn Jersey . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. Custom Carlos Lee Jersey . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Oscar Robertsons 1961-62 season lives in basketball lore as the lone year in NBA history for a player to average a triple-double. The question of whether well ever see another player average a triple-double is akin to hitting .400 in baseball -- although that feat has been accomplished 28 times -- so the feat actually proves even more elusive.Robertson surely benefited from a distinctly different style of play in that era, as NBA teams averaged far more possessions and thus significantly more statistical opportunities in the early 1960s. For some context, in the 1961-62 season, NBA teams averaged 63 percent more rebounds and 15 percent more points per game than last years team rates.This gap in opportunity rates is what makes Russell Westbrooks 18 triple-doubles last season so wholly impressive, as it marked the most such statistical efforts in a season since Magic Johnsons MVP run in 1988-89. However arbitrary earning a triple-double might appear, the idea is that meeting this threshold demands amazing statistical diversity from a single player. No other player in the current NBA offers such a robust statistical skill set as Westbrook, which is why hes the next theoretical candidate to join Robertsons historic accomplishment.Westbrook should unequivocally be the top pick in fantasy drafts for the upcoming season -- an argument well advocate for throughout this piece.In addition to rocking the most daring fashion choices in the league, or even all of professional sports, Westbrook is a unique statistical force on the court. In the sections below, we detail the supremely rare combination of floor and ceiling Westbrook claims for the upcoming campaign.UsageAs fantasy mangers, we are looking for the coveted combination of opportunity and talent. In this portion, we canvas just how rich Westbrooks opportunity for production proves.We causally refer to usage rate in the modern lexicon of the league, but for clarity, its the estimate of the percentage of team plays consumed by a player while on the court. Its essentially a measure of how often a player participates in the conclusion of a possession; thus field goals, assists, turnovers and free throws all factor prominently in the algorithm for usage.Simply put, Westbrook is a usage monster. Its even what hes dressing as for Halloween this year. The UCLA product has finished first in usage rate in each of the past three seasons and has produced a top-three rate in each of the past six seasons. This proves even more impressive when we consider hes done so alongside fellow usage hog Kevin Durant, who has finished in the top nine in usage rate in five of the past six seasons, including finishing second to Westbrook in 2013-14.Going even deeper into advanced data, Westbrook ranked seventh in the league last season with 88.8 touches per game and more relevantly fifth in frontcourt touches (77.7), per the NBAs player tracking index. Westbrook was second only to Damian Lillard in time of possession per game, with his hands on the ball for 8.1 minutes per game last year.With Durant in the Bay with the Warriors, its safe to assume Westbrook is the odds-on-favorite to again lead the NBA in usage, touches and time of possession this year, if not set career-highs in these advanced metrics.DrivingAs aggressive player with the ball the league as ever seen, as evidenced by this ridiculous bounding slam against F.C. Barcelona in exhibition play, Westbrook could also set a career-best in drives per game. He ranked eighth last season in drives per game and sixth in points and assists off drives. This included a rich 50.7 percent shooting clip onn drives, while finishing fifth in free throw attempts per drive.dddddddddddd No one in the NBA can stay in front of Westbrook, which he seems to confidently know.PassingWestbrook took his passing production to new heights last season, ranking second in the league in assists per game while leading the NBA in assist-to-pass ratio, with 17.8 percent of his passes resulting in an assist. Chris Paul was second among players with at least 15 games played last year with 16.1 percent rate, for some context among elite passing peers.ReboundsTruly relentless when the ball caroms off the rim, Westbrook is one of best rebounding guards of his generation. Westbrook finished first among NBA guards in rebounds per game by 27.8 percent. This was due in part to averaging a guard-best 12.1 rebounding chances per game -- defined as being within three feet of an available board. This opportunity rate is eight percent more rebounding chances than any other NBA guard last season.ScoringThe dude gets buckets not only via the drive, but in the mid-range phase, as well. Westbrook was 10th in the league in pull-up points with 7.1 per game and ninth in scoring last season. He won the scoring title in 2014-14 at 28.1 points per game and is a leading contender to net his second scoring crown this year given the volume uptick he could see with Durant off the roster.ConclusionLets get to the meat of the argument, which is to reveal the fact Westbrook has averaged 28 points, 7.1 rebounds and 8.4 assists in 61 career games without Durant in the lineup. Westbrooks already epic offensive profile enters NBA2K rates when Durant has been sidelined in the past. While Victor Oladipo is a capable complementary scorer, hes clearly not going to consume Durants massive offensive share of the Thunders offense.Other candidates for the top pick deserve credit, as the Warriors Stephen Curry provides unreal differentiation in 3-point production, scoring, steals and Sportscenter highlights. Yet we can assume the presence of Durant on Golden State could lower the offensive volume for both superstars on the leagues prominent super-team. LeBron James could see his minutes managed to a defeating degree for our greedy fantasy purposes, while Chris Paul produces a lower usage rate and lower production rates with Blake Griffin on the court. Big men Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns are truly elite assets, but dont offer the cost certainty Westbrook claims.The main challenger for the top spot is likely Houstons James Harden, who could similarly enjoy awesome usage and output rates as the de facto point guard for Mike DAntonis up-tempo scheme. Westbrook claims a sizable advantage in rebounding over Harden, but lacks his 3-point prowess. In fact, 3-point production is the Achilles of Westbrooks fantasy profile, yet one we can easily address with some shooting specialists later in drafts.Can Westbrook average a triple-double this year? Its incredibly unlikely, but hes a real contender to match some of Johnsons epic assist and rebounding rates from the Showtime Lakers while also scoring at an Iversonian clip. Already fourth on the Player Rater last season with Durant siphoning a demanding share of touches and shots, Westbrook should top the board this season while contending for career highs across the board.You want cost certainty with the top pick. You want an elite ceiling and a bankable high floor. Westbrook is the player who offers these coveted elements in one historically entertaining package. ' ' '