Liberty Links - Joel Embiid should be Rookie of the Year

While the NBA media has the tough decision of who to choose for MVP, Russell Westbrook and James Harden should just settle it in the first round of the playoffs. Houston will take on Oklahoma City in what could quite possibly be the most intriguing first round matchup of the playoffs. I think the media should hold off on giving the award until after the series is over, and just crown the player on the winning team.

I got James Harden as MVP, and the Rockets in six.

Here’s what happened on Saturday:

Recap of the Sixers’ 90-82 loss to Milwaukee

Hey, the Sixers are still playing basketball! They’re still losing though. We strapped Xylon Dimoff to a chair and made him watch. Please read his astute thoughts.

Tony Romo to be honored as ‘Maverick for a day’

Maybe it’s the Eagles fan in me talking, but I think this is super bizarre. The Dallas Mavericks plan to honor Tony Romo’s 13-year career with the Dallas Cowboys by having him on the bench and in uniform for their last home game on Tuesday. Romo won’t be playing, but Rick Carlisle had teased to the media the team was looking for a “pass-first point guard”. Honoring players with a ceremony before the game is pretty typical, but the Mavericks are going into unchartered territory on this one. If they’re gonna go so far as to have him on the bench, they might as well let him play.

Kyle Neubeck says Joel Embiid is the obvious ROY

Despite the lack of games played, the burden Embiid carried during that time was so cartoonish that he quite literally has no peers. No rookie has ever played 25 minutes per game and amassed a usage percentage of 30 or above — Embiid’s season finished with him using 36 percent of his team’s possessions. To give you an idea of the scope of that stat, it pre-dates the use of a shot clock.

Damian Lillard drops career-high 59 points

In an important game against the Utah Jazz, Lillard shot 18-34 from the field and 9-14 from three-point range in the Trail Blazers’ 15-point victory. Portland is the eighth seed, and that win helped keep the Denver Nuggets at arms length. Denver currently sits 1.5 games back with just two remaining, likely setting up the Blazers for a first-round matchup against the Golden State Warriors. Golden State will undoubtedly pull that series out in five games, but it should be really entertaining. The last two times those teams faced off the pace was quick and the points were aplenty.

The Memphis Grizzlies gave away Tony Allen pepper grinders

This is quite possibly the coolest giveaway I have ever seen in my entire life. Now every time you need to put some black pepper on your eggs in the morning, you can think about The Grindfather. No better way to start the day.

Is the end near for Tony Allen in Memphis?

Following up on the promotional giveaway, Geoff Calkins is wondering if Tony Allen’s time in Memphis may be running out. Allen is 35, and going to be a restricted free agent this summer. If this were to be his last hoorah in Memphis, it’ll certainly be the end of an era. Allen embodied the good Memphis Grizzlies teams of the late 2000s, the kind of squad that would bust their ass on defense for 48 minutes a night while slowly grinding out a victory. Tony Allen certainly didn’t have the prettiest game, but he certainly filled a role in demand. If he doesn’t return to Memphis, hopefully he’ll hang around the NBA for a couple more years.

Kevin Durant is back

Any time you have to strap Alexis Ajinca on Kevin Durant it’s going to end badly for someone, and it’s never going to be Durant. Welcome back, KD. He finished with 16 points.

Enjoy this Masters Sunday, folks.