News » Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns are truly elite assets,

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Even the resilient Germans couldnt work their way out of this mess.The mens field hockey team has lived dangerously throughout the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, but it fell too far behind early against Argentina to pull off its typical late-match heroics and lost its 5-2 in the semifinals on Tuesday. With it, the Germans lost the chance to claim their third straight gold medal.Germany had produced result-altering goals in the final eight seconds of three different matches before Tuesday, lending hope that the team still could hang tough, even when it trailed 2-0 at the end of the first period. Argentina kept the pressure on and pushed the lead to 5-0, killing any chances of a rally.It doesnt matter what happened four years ago, eight years, Germanys Tobias Hauke said. We were in the semifinal today at the Olympic Games. A lot of hockey players never have the chance, so you have to be ready for this, and we werent ready.Argentinas Gonzalo Peillat scored three goals, all on penalty corners in the first half, to give his team a 3-0 lead.Thats their strength -- to gain penalty corners and then convert them into goals, Germanys Florian Fuchs said. Hes a world-class striker, no doubt about it. Its also a great day for him scoring three out of three in the beginning. Thats not usual. Even a world-class penalty flicker probably doesnt score so many.Hauke said the Germans might have waited too long to play the care-free style that spurred the previous comebacks.You saw the other day -- it can happen really quick, he said. We thought its too hard if we get another goal against us, and we got the 5-0 against us, and we didnt have a chance. We put the goalkeeper off and tried what we had to do, but it was too late. You cant do it every day.Argentina was all too aware of Germanys habit of making big plays at critical times. Germany salvaged a draw with Argentina during pool play when Mathias Muller scored on a penalty corner with eight seconds remaining.Thats why when we were four up, we keep on fighting and keep on defending, Argentinas Lucas Rey said.Germany finally got on the board when Moritz Furste scored with just under 10 minutes remaining. Christopher Ruhr added a goal with 2:21 left on the clock.Hauke gave Argentina credit for making tactical adjustments since the teams fought to a 4-4 draw in pool play.They were pretty aggressive on the defense, so they won a lot of the one against one on the defense, he said. Also, they were really good with the one on one on the offense, and today, we were not good enough in the one against one.Hauke said the Germans dont have much time to straighten up their mental state. They will play in the third-place match on Thursday,Its a big chance to get a medal from the Olympic Games, he said. Thats what we have to think about this evening, and from tonight, we have to focus on this game. Its another final for us. Its disappointing for us, but we want to get the bronze medal.---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter (at)CliffBruntAP Cheap Authentic Air Max 720 .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Wholesale Air Max 720 . White came in fourth place in the event. He was the two-time defending gold medallist. The gold medal went to Swiss snowboarder Iouri Podladtchikov. http://www.airmax720ukcheap.com/ . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. Air Max 720 Sale Outlet .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. Buy Air Max 720 Uk . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. 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. ' ' '