Santa Claus is a leader of men, as they say. You have probably seen his team working together to achieve a goal. I watched a lot of those documentaries.
Nick Saban has nothing on him as a coach. But what if Santa was a fan of, like, an Arizona sports team?
He would get those elves to put up something nice to help the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks.
With that background, let’s imagine for a second that Santa knocked down the chimney at Footprint Center to drop a gift under the Suns tree. What would he give?
Suns: A No. 2 or No. 3 scorer
Not that I’m not buying the development of Mikal Bridges as a pretty efficient offensive contributor. It even looked like a flipped switch in terms of his aggression – while he used to find his shots in the flow of things, he’s doing a lot more hunting for the shot.
He went from 9.5 attempts per game in six October games to 12.7 attempts per outing for November and now 15. This may interest you : The Future of Luxury Travel – Highlights from Virtuoso® Travel Week 2022.2 in the final month of 2022.
But the Suns might already be stretching themselves too thin considering he’s also having his best year as a playmaker as well. Phoenix needs to conserve his minutes and energy to maintain his defensive impact.
Still, Bridges and Deandre Ayton taking more didn’t do enough to boost the team’s championship aspirations, especially if the Suns don’t have peak Devin Booker and peak Chris Paul on a game-by-game basis.
It is good for Phoenix to be patient and look for a prime opportunity to land a star. But at what point do they aim to keep this core together for one final run?
Doing so still requires that No. 2 or No. 3 scoring option, a guy who can pick up the pieces if Paul doesn’t have enough juice to put up 20 points apiece in back-to-back games or if he or Booker have to sit.
Kyle Kuzma, Eric Gordon and others may not jump Phoenix to the top of the contenders list, but trading for one of those players will help preserve Booker and Paul for a long playoff run.
Cardinals: A leadership class
Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill walks onto the field before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 11, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
At this point this season, there are clearly big picture items to attend to beyond the red flags of the scheme, depth problems and money allocation issues that appear on the horizon. To see also : NBC Sports Washington, Wizards announce regional television schedule for 2022-23 NBA season.
The team has dealt with three arrests, one PED suspension and too many injuries this season. Without getting into what you can bucket as controllable versus uncontrollable, this team has failed in the arena of hiring leaders who at least keep problems on the football field on Sundays.
What are you saying? Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence and three times is a pattern?
This is not all on Kliff Kingsbury, who may lack the promised offensive innovation and – like his style or not – let his work ethic speak for his leadership skills. This may not be enough, but just know Bill Belichick probably would not have gotten much more from this group if you airdropped him to replace Kingsbury.
The health of general manager Steve Keim is the most important thing since he is on leave, but his situation, regardless of the context, should give his boss the opportunity to reflect.
Ultimately, owner Michael Bidwill needs to look at himself in the mirror, admit that the culture and leadership are not what he thinks they are and challenge himself and the franchise to do better.
D-backs: A gift card to spend on power in the pen
New York Yankees relief pitcher Miguel Castro (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) To see also : Real estate scores gap to save gap.
It’s clear what the Diamondbacks put on their Christmas list this year.
The D-backs were last in average fastball velocity out of the bullpen (92.6 mph) last season and last in 2021 (92.3 mph). They’ve already made additions like Miguel Castro and Scott McGough to join a returning crew that includes potential closer Mark Melancon and groundball pitcher Joe Mantiply.
It wasn’t long ago when closer Fernando Rodney frustrated Diamondbacks fans in the 2017 season. With the perspective of the last few years, fans probably would have loved for a stressful closer to give Arizona 61 games with 53 finishes , 39 saves and six blown saves.
That Arizona team won 93 games. At least he had one guy to call a closer, along with a few power weapons in the bullpen like Archie Bradley.
General manager Mike Hazen may want to aim for such a bullpen construction next season. While not full of big (expensive) names, that 2017 squad had some juice and, at the very least, established roles.
Adding a few more power weapons to shake it up could help a defense-first squad take another step in 2023.
Arizona State football: A transfer boost
Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Former Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne and BYU transfer Jacob Conover are among the Sun Devils who have been recruited through the portal. There are 15 (!!!) as this is written on Thursday.
That makes 14 transfer classes, per 247 Sports, and a lot of that has to do with volume.
Volume at least means there is a better chance of hitting on a few guys. It would help if one of those successful transfers was a starting quarterback.
ASU has taken the same approach as the rival Arizona Wildcats over the last few recruiting cycles by aiming to start the roster with transfers. That paid off when Arizona went from a one-win squad to 5-7 this past season thanks to several key transfers, most notably quarterback Jayden de Laura and receiver Jacob Cowing.
Arizona State can hope for something similar to happen in 2023 after a 3-9 season this year. If a couple of transfers immediately hit to help the team make a jump, then Kenny Dillingham could sell the high school class of 2024 that success is close.
Also, sorry for comparing those schools.
Coyotes: A lucky ping-pong ball bounce
General manager Bill Armstrong (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
There have been signs that this team is on the right track under Andre Tourigny. At the very least, there is a fundamental understanding of which pieces on the current roster project well for the future.
It’s hard to say where the Coyotes are on the calendar to get aggressive in roster building beyond using those draft picks, but that light at the end of the tunnel in the fact seems kind of visible at this moment. The fans take patience with a reconstruction that has hit four and five years. Arizona, in Year 3 of general manager Bill Armstrong’s tenure, suddenly appears to be in a good place to avoid rotating to the bottom of the NHL.
Now if they can see their promising prospect pool develop quickly enough, put the top pick to sit next to Clayton Keller and speed up the team building process. This allows them to think about filling the fringes of the roster to build a playoff contender.
They need that momentum as there is optimism about their new home arena coming to fruition.
Arizona State men’s basketball: Shooting glasses
Arizona State guard DJ Horne (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Who knows what their two very bad losses against Texas Southern and San Francisco are, but maybe we can just accept that the Sun Devils will pull off upsets again and again.
Still, the roster is pretty deep, and certainly great defensively (when they show up). There’s a Bobby Hurley grit to them, and their guards even get the team to run the offense.
But it could be even better if their own three-point accuracy ticked up a few notches.
The Sun Devils are shooting 32.2% from deep this season, with Devan Cambridge leading the way with 45.5% accuracy on a decent 2.5 attempts per game.
Brother Desmond shot at a 37% clip last season and is four percentage points below that despite leading the team with 6.3 attempts per game.
Second leading scorer with attempts, D.J. Horne, is down 31.1%. It’s well below his 36% last season and 40% or better in two years at Illinois State.
It is entirely plausible that the decline towards the mean bumps the way of offensive production for a team that seems to be the best for Hurley’s style since he arrived in Tempe.
Wildcats men’s basketball: Confidence for a contributor
Arizona guard Kylan Boswell (4) and Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5). (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Oumar Ballo has somehow gone from a raw jumbo force to legitimately one of the most efficient players in college basketball.
Azuolas Tubelis scores again with ease. Kerr Kriisa’s allergy to two-pointers remains, but his infectious energy and passing make it worth it. And newcomer Courtney Ramey has the shooting, off-the-bounce ability and defensive effort that most people probably expected.
How can the Wildcats make a deeper run than last year’s squad that featured three current NBA rookies?
They just need a little more juice. From above, Pelle Larsson is the No. 1 candidate to make a mid-season jump. He is an underrated defender, a better athlete than he is given credit for and is as complete as they come. Does he realize he can probably drop 20 points whenever he wants?
Then we come to a few young people. Stretch great Henri Veesaar may not be physically ready to be a star, but he has shown flashes of being a game changer. Adama Bal similarly does not seem to know his length and shooting ability making him dangerous.
But of the underclassmen, freshman point guard Kylan Boswell has the maturity to hit a pass in the Pac-12 games. If he does, it will give Arizona enough ball handling to make a deep tournament run.
Phoenix Mercury: Hoop therapy
(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
The Mercury and the WNBA got an early Christmas present: the safety of Britney Griner.
With it came an immeasurable weight from the minds and hearts of her friends and colleagues. Griner allowed Mercury fans to eagerly await her return to a professional basketball court when her first public statement gave hope for — if not winning — a return to WNBA play.
How likely is it that this team can run him back with Griner, Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith?
Most of the roster is entering free agency, including Taurasi and Griner. Diggins-Smith, Brianna Turner and Diamond DeShields are under contract. It’s a darn good heart if you get back together.
It would be a nice gift for them to end up with a 2023 squad that could give Griner her professional life and passion back as a kind of therapy. And it would be nice to give the G.O.A.T. another strong shot for a WNBA title.
How Much Sleep Does My Toddler Need? Between the ages of 1 and 2, most children need about 11-14 hours of sleep a day, including one or two naps during the day. Around 18 months, or sometimes earlier, most toddlers condense their two naps into one afternoon nap.
What keeps a 1 year old entertained?
Show your baby bright and colorful objects in various shapes. Let your baby hold these objects, put the objects in their mouth, explore the objects. (First make sure the objects are safe for baby to play with!) Hold a mirror in front of your baby’s face and let them watch and explore facial expressions.
What should I do with my one year old every day? Play activities for one year olds
- Play with the blanket. Place your toddler and tie the ends of a blanket (a small one is fine) to her. …
- Play musical instruments. …
- Sing nursery rhymes and have a dance party. …
- Blow bubbles. …
- Play with the ball. …
- Play with the balloon. …
- Look at photos and paintings. …
- Play with blocks.
How do I keep my 1 year old entertained at home?
You can spend some time learning a few fun tunes that have a stirring beat. While making musical sounds, encourage them to play along by gesturing with your face and hands. It not only keeps your baby entertained but improves his musical exploration skills, coordination skills, and listening skills as well.
Do I have to entertain my 1 year old all day?
Even babies just a few days old should have two or three sessions of tummy time a day, each lasting three to five minutes. Play doesn’t have to mean playing with toys all day.
What activities should a 1 year old be doing?
âReadâ books with your baby. Reading can be talking about pictures. Babies this age love books with things they can feel or flaps they can lift. Play together with blocks and other toys that encourage your baby to use his hands.
What is the 1 Year gift?
The traditional one year anniversary gift is paper. The modern one is the watches.
What is the symbol of the one year anniversary? Many couples like to buck tradition when celebrating their wedding anniversaries, incorporating the symbol associated with the year. The time will come for ruby, sapphire and golden wedding anniversaries, but your first year together is represented by the card.
What is the 1 year anniversary called?
The name of the first anniversary in the first year is Paper. Gifts can include stationery and a modern alternative is a watch. For year 2 it is cotton, but giving china is also acceptable. Year 3 is called skin and gift can include gifts of crystal or glass.
What is the traditional 1 year anniversary gift?
1st Anniversary: Paper On your first anniversary, paper represents the traditional gift. The threads in the paper symbolize the strength and connectivity of your blossoming relationship. The paper is also a blank slate, a reference to the beginning of a new life together.
How much money should you put in a gift card for birthday?
General etiquette is usually under $20 for casual acquaintances, like co-workers, $30-$75 for close friends and family members and more for someone like your spouse or for a big occasion, like a wedding. Always make sure the dollar amount you give appears on the paper or write it down.
. General etiquette is usually under $20 for casual acquaintances, like co-workers, $30-$75 for close friends and family members and more for someone like your spouse or for a big occasion, like a wedding.
What makes a 1 year old happy?
One-year-olds rely heavily on your guidance and reassurance as they begin to explore their world. Many of your child’s joyful and happy experiences will come about through their loving interactions with you. Happiness also comes when children feel a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives.
How do I know if my one year old is happy? The signs are usually obvious: A happy child smiles, plays, shows curiosity, shows interest in other children, and does not need constant stimulation.
Do 1 year olds have feelings?
But thanks to an explosion in childhood research over the past 30 years, we now know that babies and toddlers are deeply feeling beings. From the first months of life, long before they can use words to express themselves, babies have the capacity to experience a peak of joy, excitement, and happiness.
What goes on in the mind of a 1 year old?
Young children are more active, curious and expressive. At this age, your child can start using words, can stand on his own and take a few steps. To help your child learn and grow, read books to your child and encourage active play.
