News » dary. It was, Misbah felt, a fitting celebration for a

For the NBA, it was the Summer of Inflation. Cheap White Sox Jerseys .Propelled by an unprecedented amount inflated cap room to play with, the offseason was dominated by stories of market-redefining deals.We had big-ticket transplants (Kevin Durant, Al Horford), veterans with new rotational responsibilities (Jeremy Lin, Timofey Mozgov) and young upside with upgraded roles (Harrison Barnes, Andrew Nicholson).Lost in all the cap-raising commotion? The coaching carousel got spun pretty darn hard.By the time the wheels stopped turning, we had 10 coaching changes.Two were old faces in new places (Mike DAntoni, Nate McMillan). Several coaches moved onto their second gig (Tom Thibodeau, Frank Vogel, Jeff Hornacek, Scott Brooks, Dave Joerger) and three assistants got the big bump up (Luke Walton, Kenny Atkinson, David Fizdale -- although Walton had logged some head-coaching mileage subbing for Steve Kerr last season).Player movement is important in fantasy. But coaching changes can carry even more weight in the redistribution of statistical production.With apologies to Chip Kelly, in reality, system does not trump talent. But in fantasy, a new system can result in massive swings in individual player value.Some coaches turn up the pace (good). Some emphasize defense and the little things (bad). Some shorten rotations (good). Some prefer to spread around minutes in an attempt to find new combinations (very bad).Then theres chemistry. Chemistry is a wispy commodity to quantify. But it can galvanize fantasy value.Obviously, a new coach is brought in because something hasnt worked. Its easier to swap coaches than player personnel. So a new coach will be hired to improve the talent on hand. And sometimes that new voice will suddenly propel players to the next level.Because we have so many new changes to discuss, Im going to pick one player per team whose fortunes have been boosted by a head-coaching change. Lets spin the wheel!Eric Gordon, SG, Houston RocketsLets not bury the lead. Adding offensive guru and Hall of Fame pace inflator Mike DAntoni to an already-potent offense is the single biggest fantasy coaching move of the season. Nothing else is going to come close.Theres a lot of hand-wringing in regard to Houstons teamwide defensive prospects under DAntoni. Thankfully, in Fantasyland, we dont give a darn about teamwide defensive prospects. We care about amount of possessions. And no teams produce possessions at more alarming rates than DAntonis.Its only preseason, but look at Houstons point totals: 131, 130, 123. 116, 125, 106. A lot of fantasy categories are going to be exploding along with those scores.With DAntoni, it all starts with the point guard. Obscure point guards (Kendall Marshall) become fantasy stalwarts. Linsantities are created. Very good-to-great floor generals suddenly become statistical phenomena.And sometimes, DAntoni just proclaims somebody his point guard. And when that guard happens to be James Harden, it has a seismic statistical ripple effect up and down the roster.While its fun to feel your jaw drop when contemplating Hardens numerical prospects, I want to highlight Gordon for a beat. Agreed, Gordon has an equally jaw-dropping injury history. But last I checked, Patrick Beverley isnt exactly looking like Iron Man. Houstons backcourt doesnt have a ton of depth.Beverleys latest injury translates into a golden, possibly career-resuscitating opportunity for Gordon. He gets to open the season as the starting shooting guard alongside Harden. Harden is going to command DEFCON 1-types of defensive panic, which will create gobs of open looks for a 3-point shooter such as Gordon.Gordon is still only 27 years old. If Gordon can stay on the court for 65 to 70 games and log 29 to 32 minutes per game, hell hit 2.5 to 3.0 3-pointers a night. He could score in the range of 17 to 18 points per game.And Houstons inflated pace will help in the other volume spots. Gordons steals, rebounds and assists could all approach his 2012 levels.Gordon is a big injury risk. But he has been a near-endgame selection in most drafts. Sliding down that far makes Gordon a risk well worth taking.Jeremy Lin, PG, Brooklyn NetsThe elements are combining for a throwback to the vintage Linsanity of yesteryear. New Nets coach Kenny Atkinson is more of your classic out of the box hire. He doesnt have a ton of NBA coaching experience.But he is a DAntoni?acolyte. And thats more than enough for us.More importantly, Atkinson was an assistant on the 2011-12 Knicks staff that gave us Linsanity in the first place. In case you forgot, Lin was an undrafted Ivy League point guard that Atkinson helped DAntoni temporarily transform into a fantasy superstar.Now, Lin and Atkinson are reunited in a low-expectation, large-market situation in Brooklyn. After a nice comeback turn for Lin in Charlotte, the stage is perfectly set for a turn-back-the-clock campaign. The fact that Brooklyns preseason pace approached 106 points portends a return to the Player Rater top 30.JaMychal Green, PF, Memphis GrizzliesOver the past two months of the 2015-16 season, Green made the most of his opportunity in an injury-riddled Memphis rotation. New coach David Fizdale has decided to keep Green as a starter. Hes also promised to up Memphis historically prodding pace. Both factors combine to make Green an immediate double-double threat.Greens production beyond points and rebounds tends to arrive in fit and starts. But hes a proven steals generator, and he did post some multiblock games late last season.Julius Randle, PF, Los Angeles LakersLuke Waltons regime is going to invite constant Warriors comparisons. And while thats not fair (and frankly, delusional), we do need to pay attention to how a small-ball approach could boost Randles fantasy value.Double-doubles are a given. But Randle needs to develop production in one or two of the other volume categories to warrant more than a late-round pick. Waltons system should help speed that development.Steals and blocked shots are the two obvious areas of potential improvement. But dont sleep on Randles assists potential. He averaged 1.6 per year in a Kobe vacuum. That amount of dimes for a 4 in that remote-usage outpost underscores potential.Youre going to hear Lakers exceptionalists start comping Draymond Green. Lets not get carried away. But Randle could chip in two to three assists per night, a nice commodity for a post player.Andrew Wiggins, SF, Minnesota TimberwolvesTom Thibodeau is known as a fantasy killjoy. Hes the kind of guy who preaches and emphasizes the qualities (defense, intangibles, winning) that deflate fantasy value.Thibodeaus arrival into a lot of NBA situations would be a cause for fantasy depression. Not so when it comes to the Timberwolves. A team screaming with young upside needs a taskmaster. And no player needs Thibodeau more than Wiggins.Karl-Anthony Towns has already arrived. Heck, he arrived before Veterans Day 2015. But despite his 20 PPG average, Wiggins has yet to truly arrive. For all his physical gifts, Wiggins has lacked for intensity -- the very quality Thibodeau backs up by the truckload.For Wiggins to take the next step -- in fantasy and reality -- he has to become a more reliable 3-point shooter. The midrange development is nice, but it doesnt really help us, outside of some extra volume in the points department. If Thibodeau can help Wiggins get to one 3-pointer per game, that will be huge for Wiggins fantasy potential.Beyond that, Im anticipating a boost in the hustle numbers -- specifically, rebounds. If Wiggins can crack 4.0 rebounds, his steals and blocks will climb accordingly.Otto Porter Jr., SF, Washington WizardsScott Brooks excels at player development, which makes him an ideal match for the underrated, somewhat understated Porter.Porter is sort of a Wiggins lite. Unlike Wiggins, Porter already excels in multiple categories. He just lacks the aggression and volume required to take him into the Player Rater top 50. Theres another level here waiting to surface.Brooks seems to be using the fast-rising specter of Kelly Oubre Jr. to prod Porter. Hopefully, its just a prod and not a looming timeshare.Aaron Gordon, SF/PF, Orlando MagicHow does Frank Vogel deploy Gordon and his cornucopia of multicategorical upside? Early returns point toward Gordon being used more on the wing. The idea of Gordon playing alongside?Serge Ibaka?sparks all kinds of fantasy-forward projecting.Gordon quietly displayed his across-the-board potential after All-Star Weekend 2016. He didnt quite produce the dazzle of a?Kristaps Porzingis, but overall, he was in that neighborhood (and more efficient), closing out with April averages of 14 points, 7.0 repounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.8 blocks and 0.8 3-pointers.In Indiana, Vogel was instrumental in getting the most out of Paul George. Gordon has George-type upside. He just needs more playing time. Whether or not Gordon gets the minutes required to develop a genuine breakout is up to his new coach.Darren Collison, PG, Sacramento KingsNew Kings coach Dave Joerger was fired in Memphis. It wasnt very fair, given Joergers Herculean efforts in holding together a winning season in the face of multiple season-ending injuries.His reward? To hold it together as the new face of one of the NBAs most dysfunctional teams. Last season, the Kings employed the eminently combustible Rajon Rondo at the point. Rondo delivered a comeback season, then he decamped for the new-look, somewhat-older Chicago Bulls.The new coach should help smooth things out for Collison, who essayed a fine 2014-15 fantasy season (16.1 points, 5.6 assists, 1.2 3-pointeres) before losing his starting gig to Rondo. Collison has had problems of his own this preseason and will miss the first eight games. But once he returns, Joerger should be able to pilot Collison (and his high efficiency) into the top 50 (maybe top 40) overall.Courtney Lee, SG, New York KnicksIn the past, Lee has held decent fantasy value over stretches of seasons. But he has never quite broken through to the point where he would represent more than bench filler. He has been the guy that gets you 1 to 1.5 3-pointers and steals with decent percentages.But I have a feeling Lee could up his production under Jeff Hornacek. Hes in line to start and doesnt have a lot of competition at shooting guard. Hornaceks system is very fantasy friendly. (Just look at some of Phoenixs past fantasy numbers.)Lee isnt a sexy tout. Hes not a hot take. But hes not going to disappoint you in the 12th round. And he might just have a career year.Monta Ellis, SG, Indiana PacersEllis posted an injury-marred, underwhelming 2015-16. Entering his age 31 season, the formerly high-volume Ellis looks to be trending down.But Ellis is going very, very late in drafts. Nate McMillan is the kind of veteran coach Ellis should respond to. And contrary to McMillans track record, Indiana promises to up its pace.Im trying really, really hard here to avoid ending this column with a pun. Ill just inform you that Ellis historically excels in up-tempo situations and is motivated and leave it at that. Chicago White Sox Shirts . The 27-year-old Scrivens will be joining his third NHL club since signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2010. The move also reunites with him with head coach Dallas Eakins from their time together with the American Hockey Leagues Toronto Marlies. Fake White Sox Jerseys . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/ . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Pakistan deserve to be rated the No. 1 Test side, according to their captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, in recognition of their success despite being unable to play any games at home.Pakistan won the final Test against England at The Oval to square the series 2-2. It means that, should Sri Lanka defeat Australia by a margin of 2-0 (or better) and West Indies draw the Port of Spain Test, Pakistan would claim the No.1 spot for the first time since the official rankings were introduced in 2003. Their highest placing to date is second, which they achieved following the series win over England in the UAE at the end of 2015.Misbah believes that, for a side obliged to host its home series in the UAE due to concerns over the security situation in Pakistan since 2009, that is a remarkable record.This team deserves that for six years of not playing any games at home, Misbah said. Sometimes people think its really easy for us playing in the UAE. They think the wickets suit us and we win there.But just living every day away from your country, without your family and friends, and playing every game away from Pakistan, is really difficult. Its mentally tough.I can only see my mother once a year. I only see my sister once a year. Some of my friends, I could not see for three or four years because of these commitments. We are out of the country all the time. There are a lot of tours and even our home series are in the UAE. We go from West Indies to New Zealand to Australia. Its not easy.But still the team is winning. Still the team is playing competitive cricket. There were lots of questions before we came here about whether we could only play in Asian conditions, but we have shown that we are good enough to play even in these conditions. At one stage we were winning this series.Im really proud of this team and I think that, if we can be No. 1 after all these results, then we really deserve that.The key to Pakistans success was, according to Misbah, their self-belief. Despite a thumping loss at Manchester and a final-day collapse that cost them the Edgbaston Test, they showed admirable resilience to fight back at The Oval. And while he admitted that losing from an apparently strong position at Edgbaston still hurt,, he felt the final result was not a bad score. Chicago White Sox Pro Shop. I am happy with the character shown by the Pakistan team, Misbah said. After two defeats, they fought back in this game and won. This is pleasing for me. This team has character and stood up the occasion, fought hard and levelled the series. Winning this match means a lot.The important point is that you should keep believing as a team and individuals. These players have been playing for six years and they have performed in difficult situations. Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali and Younis Khan have played winning knocks under pressure and our bowling always stands out. We knew that, when the batsmen found form and we were able to combine our performances with the bat and the ball, we could do well. We had belief throughout the series.After the situation we were in after the third day at Edgbaston, I am a bit disappointed that the series is level. Losing from there is a little disappointing. But credit must be given to England.While recent Pakistan tours to England have sometimes ended in acrimony - the Oval Test of 2006 was awarded to England after Pakistan refused to return to the field after an interval following allegations of ball-tampering, while the 2010 series was overshadowed by the spot-fixing scandal - it was noticeable this time that supporters of both sides gave the Pakistan team a warm ovation as they completed a lap of honour around the boundary. It was, Misbah felt, a fitting celebration for a team and a nation making the anniversary of their Independence Day.Cricket matches are won and lost, Misbah said, but to win people and supporters, that is really important. This series has been played in good spirits. Both teams fought well and everyone will remember this series for the sort of cricket we played. There were no off-field issues. We are really happy to conclude the tour on a pleasing note. On and off the field we made friends.Keeping in mind it was Independence Day, it was something special to draw the series here after being 2-1 down. The way the team fought back... Im a really happy captain. ' ' '