Liberty Links: Dario Saric wins award, is wanted by Orlando

Sixers-Nets. Magic-Cavaliers. Kings-Mavericks. A big slate with major tanking proportions is upon us Tuesday.

Until then, here’s what happened yesterday:

Dario Saric was recognized as Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month

The world has been Dario Saric’s oyster since mid-February. With the Sixers’ other young stars sidelined with injuries, the Croatian sensation has helped carry the team to seven hard fought victories that previous Sixers teams would not have been able to pull out. He averaged 18.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists during the month of March to win back-to-back Rookie of the Month awards.

As our Kyle Neubeck astutely notes, if Milwaukee’s Malcolm Brogdon can’t even win best rookie of the month, how can he win Rookie of the Year?

Do the right thing, NBA media members. Dario for ROY.

The Magic accidentally revealed they want to trade for Dario Saric

Whoops!

The Magic signed Patricio Garino on Monday. As as every excited NBA agent does when one of their clients gets a deal, Garino’s representative tweeted a picture of the Argentinian guard signing his contract at the Magic’s facilities. The only issue was the picture also featured a whiteboard which appeared to house Orlando’s offseason plans, which included potentially offering Aaron Gordon for Saric.

Shamus Clancy thinks it doesn’t make too much sense for Philadelphia, and I would tend to agree. Other than having Saric on a rookie salary for an extra two years, the Sixers need to begin building something with their young players as opposed to continuing to restructure the roster. He’s very clearly a part of the solution, and unless a guy like Paul George is on the table, Philadelphia should balk at most offers.

The NCAA Championship game got ruined by the referees

UNC took down Gonzaga to win the 2017 NCAA Championship game, but it was overshadowed by blown calls and a ton of fouls. The refs called 42 fouls in 40 minutes. They missed two major calls down the stretch Draft prospect Zach Collins fouled out with five minutes left. The NCAA Tournament is always fun, but the way it ended certainly left a sour taste in my mouth.

De’Aaron Fox declares for NBA Draft

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Fox had a great season overall, and shined on college basketball’s biggest stage when he dropped 39 points on Lonzo Ball and UCLA in the Sweet 16. He’s going to be a real test of NBA team’s ability to evaluate talent. He’s got all the tools -- good size, great speed and solid defensive awareness -- but shot the ball really poorly. Whoever selects him will be banking on the fact it’ll improved, or can be retooled over time. That jump shot is what will separate him from being a middling point guard or an All-Star.

Patrick Ewing becomes Georgetown’s head coach

Ewing officially accepted the position to become the next head coach of the his alma mater taking over for John Thompson III, whose father coached Ewing at Georgetown. The 54-year-old has certainly earned the opportunity. He’s been an assistant in the NBA since 2002, and came close to landing a head coaching gig with the Sacramento Kings last season. While I imagine he would’ve loved to have run a team at the highest level, being able to take over at the university that idolizes him certainly has to be his dream job. Congrats to him, and best of luck. Rebuilding that program will be no easy task.

CBA wizard Larry Coon names new rule after Yogi Ferrell

Yogi Ferrell has turned a lot of heads since his debut with the Mavericks on Jan 29th. And even though he may no longer be the Mavs full-time starting point guard, his impact on the League is still being felt. Larry Coon, author of the CBA FAQ1 discovered a rule in the newest version of the CBA that he has deemed the ‘Yogi Ferrell Rule.’

The rule basically allows for a 16th and 17th spot on an NBA roster for two-way players (we’ll call them Yogis) to play part time on a D-League team and part-time on the parent NBA team. A Yogi can be called up to the NBA for up to 45 days during a season and their salary will be based on how many days they spent in each league.

That rule will go into effect starting next season.

See you guys for the game tonight.