Hoops Happening: Candace Parker is on a joy ride

Candace Parker has been on a tear, and anyone who has watched her play recently can attest to there being a special gleam in her eye, some glow indicative of a woman out there having fun.

Playing with joy means playing free, and playing free means picking up wins, turning out great performances and generally kicking ass. For Parker, that means picking up the Player of the Week award in the West, too.

How did she do it?

Flirting with triple-doubles and notching the following first-ever stat line into the WNBA history books:

But legends are all about business, and Parker’s jokes on ESPN’s The Jump show what she values when it comes to accolades and achievement.

Jessica Breland took home the Player of the Week award for the East.

Scorching the status quo

MGM shows why Vegas is called Sin City

On October 1, 2017, a gunman sprayed bullets from his Mandalay Bay suite onto a crowd of concertgoers, killing 58 people and injuring several hundred.

Victims of the massacre filed lawsuits against MGM Resorts International, claiming lax security measures made it possible for the murderer to smuggle up to his hotel suite an arsenal of assault rifles.

In an attempt to escape liability, MGM Resorts International has filed suit against the victims under a law Robert Eglet, an attorney representing many of the victims, called “obscure.”

He also blasted the resort for filing suit in federal court rather than state court.

“GM is a Nevada company, so any lawsuits belong in state court,” said Eglet, before calling the federal suit a “blatant display of judge shopping” that “quite frankly verges on unethical.”

Companies and institutions putting profits over people is nothing new in American life, but it is hard to find a case that is more disgraceful than what MGM has done here, which is add further insult and further injury to previous life-altering wounds. MGM Resorts International has chosen personal interests and profits over the lives of the victims, thereby, modeling devotion to status quo in its basest form.

Status quo: Save self and personal interests over everything else, no matter the hardship this inflicts on others.

Status quo scorched: Take the loss, especially if it means inflicting the least amount of harm on the greatest number of people.

The victims are racking up medical bills in the thousands and millions, resulting in financial burdens they should not be forced to bear alone. If ever there was a situation that called for the status quo to be razed, this is it.

Anyone in a civilized society should have the expectation that structures are in place to prevent someone from filling a hotel suite with assault rifles in preparation to slaughter as many people as possible. But nothing prevented this from happening, which is no fault of the people who showed up to enjoy an outdoor music event with friends and family.

MGM Resorts International could have settled all of the lawsuits by now, thereby, ensuring that victims of the massacre on their property receive the healthcare they need without financial burden or stress. Doing so not only would have been the morally and ethically sound action, it would have helped MGM too. But now, because of devotion to the status quo over common decency, MGM Resorts International has some bad press to deal with, which is unfair to anyone affiliated with the company, including the Las Vegas Aces.

“It’s just really sad that they would stoop to this level,” Eglet said.

Agreed.

Link lush

Courtney Williams takes a stand against robot ball

Liz Cambage was already on the radar of the referees following a hard foul on Natasha Howard. Whether the refs would have T’d her up had the prior hard foul not occurred is up for debate. But there seems to be a consensus on whistle-happy refereeing, which is that neither players nor fans like it.

Furthermore, there seems to be another layer to this growing more apparent as the season has progressed: the refs’ seeming anxiety about Cambage, in general. It’s as if their refereeing is based on fear of what she might do, or could do, rather than on what she actually has done. Applied more broadly, this is bad way for humans to go about engaging with each other (the ramifications of which we read about every day in the news).

Yes, there may be a double standard in what players get away with against Cambage versus what she gets called for. But double standards can be challenged and corrected in all aspects of life.

When it comes to basketball, feel free to the following hashtags at your leisure: #LetThemPlay #FansLikeHype #PlayersNeedRhythm #DontStopTheFlow #MaintainTheMomentum

In other news ...

• A’ja Wilson has a #1 fan and we hope it’s not a Misery situation.
• FanDuel lets hoops enthusiasts play for free for a while with a chance to win a trip to the All-Star Game in Minneapolis! Plus, there are tons of other cool prizes up for grabs. Check out FanDuel’s WNBA ROAD TO ALL-STAR.
• Azura Stevens of the Dallas Wings is getting herself noticed on the court these days. Off of it, the rookie has looked to Liz Cambage for assistance in her adjustment to the pros.
• Nneka Ogwumike will speak at the Laureus Summit on July 19, a perfect engagement for the president of the WNBA Player’s Association.
• Kayla McBride has a video series. From serving meals at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission to discussing being at the eye of the storm of Vegas basketball, McBride got it all for her vlog.
• Jeff Jacobs sounds off about how badly Diana Taurasi has been riffed off throughout her career. Can she sue for back pay, perhaps in her post-retirement years?
• Layshia Clarendon was unable to find a team photo over the weekend. The WNBA/NBA reported that they have photographers at all the games, so ... what’s going on Getty Images?
• Kelsey Bone puked on the court and the broadcasters did not know how to handle it. Thanks to Lynx Dynasty for stepping up the the video, which turns out to be very unexciting. If stations air ankles snapping on repeat, from myriad angles, maybe this puke action isn’t that big of a deal?
• Connecticut Sun celebrated their Pride Night on July 13. Head Coach Curt Miller and new player Layshia Clarendon participated in a Pride panel, along with Brittney Griner, who has been a leader of the LGBTQ+ community since before her first professional tip.
• It’s Wakanda Forever for Seimone Augustus, at least when it comes to kicks.