Freezing temperatures are likely for parts of western, northern, and central New Mexico Saturday morning. Quiet weather moves in for Easter weekend. A couple of cold fronts have been moving south into New Mexico Friday, dropping high temperatures a couple degrees to over 10° today along and north of I-40. Temperatures are warmer today in […]
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Freezing temperatures in parts of New Mexico, Albuquerque Metro tonight
Tech, Media & Telecom Roundup: Market Talk
Find insight on Microsoft, Meituan, LG Electronics and more in the latest Market Talks covering technology, media and telecom.
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Luka Dončić still has path to All-NBA eligibility, but the league will make him jump through hoops to get it
Luka Dončić will be sidelined for the rest of the regular season and likely longer after an MRI revealed a Grade 2 hamstring strain on Friday. Dončić sustained the injury in the Lakers 139-96 loss Thursday night against the Thunder. The Lakers star exited the game in the third quarter, after grabbing his hamstring in pain while trying to drive to the rim. It’s a gut punch for the Lakers, who have looked dominant as of late and sit third in the Western Conference. It also puts Dončić’s eligibility for end-of-season awards in serious jeopardy.
Per the CBA, a player must participate in at least 65 regular-season games (20 minutes minimum) to be eligible for awards like Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year and the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams. Dončić has only played in 64 games. With only five games left on the Lakers schedule, Dončić seemingly will not hit the threshold.
There was a possibility that Dončić would still remain eligible under a specific exception that was created alongside the rule, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll check all the boxes that way, either.
In the league’s CBA, a player could qualify for end-of-season awards by playing in at least 62 games, then suffering a season-ending injury while having played in at least 85% of the regular season games prior to suffering the injury. While Dončić checks the box of having played 62 games, he doesn’t meet the requirement of having played in 85% of his team’s games prior to the injury. He’s played in 83.1%. In order for him to meet the “season-ending injury” requirement, a physician selected by the NBA and players association would have to determine that it’s “substantially more likely than not” that Dončić would be unable to play through May 31.
Another path to awards eligibility
However, there is one way left for Dončić to still retain awards eligibility for MVP and All-NBA. In order to do so, Dončić would have to file an “extraordinary circumstances grievance,” per the league’s CBA. The Lakers star would have to prove all three things:
- Due to extraordinary circumstances, it was “impracticable” for him to play in one or more regular-season games
- He would’ve satisfied the award eligibility criteria had be played in every game that he missed due to the extraordinary circumstances
- As a result of the extraordinary circumstances, and “taking into account the totality of the circumstances, including whether the player did not play in other regular season games in which he could have played during the season,” it would be “unjust” to exclude him from award eligibility
Dončić does indeed plan to go this route, per his agent. Dončić and his agent Bill Duffy plan to point to the two games he missed on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5, in which he flew to Slovenia to be present for the birth of his youngest daughter in early December. He would’ve satisfied the award eligibility criteria had he not missed those two games for extraordinary circumstances.
Dončić has to serve a written notice to the NBA by 11:59 p.m. EST on April 13, the day following the last day of the regular season. It would have to include a witness list, relevant documents and other “evidentiary materials” for the case. The decision will be made by an independent expert that the league and the player’s association jointly select. This “challenge expert” will hold a hearing no later than two days after being presented with the challenge by the player, and make a ruling on the case.
“His record-breaking season deserves to be noted in the history books, despite last night’s unfortunate injury and other extraordinary circumstances,” Duffy said in a statement. “We look forward to working with the NBAPA and the league office to ensure a fair outcome in this matter.”
It’s a complicated process, but it represents a possibility that Dončić can remain eligible for end-of-season awards, if he chooses to go down this path.
Given the season he’s had, it would be a shame for him not to be honored with an All-NBA selection. Especially when he just finished the month of March having totaled 600 points, breaking Kobe Bryant’s franchise record for most points scored in a single month. He had five 40+ point performances, as well as a 60-point outburst in a win against the Miami Heat on March 19. His case for MVP was gaining steam, and while he likely wouldn’t have won the award, you could argue he’s been the third- or fourth-best player in the NBA this season.
All that aside, though, it shouldn’t have to take Dončić using a “break glass in case of emergency” type of rule for him to remain eligible for end-of-season awards. There’s no question that he’s been one of the 15 best players this season, regardless of the number of games he played. In no world should someone called a “challenge expert” be hired to determine if Luka Dončić should be allowed to earn an All-NBA spot. You don’t need to read the rules of the CBA and hire lawyers to figure that one out.
Unless the league and the player’s union decide to soften some of these guidelines going forward, this is the reality we’ll be living in. One where a guy who just had a historic month and has carried his team to the third-best record in the league since March 6, might not be honored in the history books because he fell short one game shy of this arbitrary rule. Adam Silver might think this rule is working, but there’s been plenty of evidence to prove it’s not.
5.8 magnitude quake hits Afghanistan and Pakistan, killing 8 in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 rattled parts of northern and eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan late Friday, killing at least eight people in Afghanistan, authorities said.
The region is highly seismically active, and quakes have caused thousands of deaths in recent years. Friday’s earthquake had an epicenter in the Hindu Kush mountain range, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) east of the Afghan city of Kunduz, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Hafizullah Basharat, a spokesman for the Kabul governor, said eight people were killed and a child was injured when a house collapsed on the outskirts of the capital. He said all were members of the same family.
Kabul is roughly 290 kilometers (180 miles) southwest of the epicenter. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from areas closer to the epicenter. The area is remote, and it can often take several hours before local authorities can relay information back to Kabul.
With the epicenter at a depth of over 180 kilometers, the quake jolted a wide swath of Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Pakistan, it was felt in the cities and towns of Islamabad, Peshawar, Chitral, Swat and Shangla, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in Pakistan.
Afghanistan’s Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman said Kabul and provincial health authorities had been put on alert.
Last August, a 6.0 earthquake that struck a remote, mountainous part of eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people, leveling villages and trapping people under rubble. Most casualties were in Kunar province, where people typically live in wood and mud-brick houses along steep valleys.
In November, a 6.3 earthquake struck Samangan province in northern Afghanistan, killing at last 27 people and injuring more than 950. It also damaged historical sites, including Afghanistan’s famed Blue Mosque in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, and the Bagh-e-Jahan Nama Palace in Khulm.
On Oct. 7, 2023, a 6.3 quake followed by strong aftershocks in western Afghanistan killed thousands of people.
Impoverished Afghanistan often faces difficulty in responding to natural disasters, especially in remote regions. Many homes in rural and outlying areas are made from mud bricks and wood, with many poorly built.
NASA releases first images of Earth taken by Artemis II astronauts
The Artemis II astronauts have captured our blue planet’s brilliant beauty as they zoom ever closer to the moon.NASA released the crew’s first downlinked images Friday, 1 1/2 days into the first astronaut moonshot in more than half a century.The first photo taken by commander Reid Wiseman shows a curved slice of Earth in one of the capsule’s windows. The second shows the entire globe with the oceans topped by swirling white tendrils of clouds.As of midmorning Friday, Wiseman and his crew were 90,000 miles from Earth and were quickly gaining on the moon with another 168,000 miles to go. They should reach their destination on Monday.The three Americans and one Canadian will swing around the moon in their Orion capsule, hang a U-turn and then head straight back home without stopping. They fired Orion’s main engine Thursday night that set them on their course.They’re the first lunar travelers since Apollo 17 in 1972.Video below: Passengers on flight watch Artemis II launch from Florida
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —
The Artemis II astronauts have captured our blue planet’s brilliant beauty as they zoom ever closer to the moon.
NASA released the crew’s first downlinked images Friday, 1 1/2 days into the first astronaut moonshot in more than half a century.
The first photo taken by commander Reid Wiseman shows a curved slice of Earth in one of the capsule’s windows. The second shows the entire globe with the oceans topped by swirling white tendrils of clouds.
As of midmorning Friday, Wiseman and his crew were 90,000 miles from Earth and were quickly gaining on the moon with another 168,000 miles to go. They should reach their destination on Monday.
The three Americans and one Canadian will swing around the moon in their Orion capsule, hang a U-turn and then head straight back home without stopping. They fired Orion’s main engine Thursday night that set them on their course.
They’re the first lunar travelers since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Video below: Passengers on flight watch Artemis II launch from Florida
This Classic Country Star Murdered His Wife
The career of one of country music’s most successful early stars was derailed after he was convicted of murdering his wife.
Spade Cooley was known as the self-proclaimed King of Western Swing in the ’50s. His band was one of the most popular live acts in the country during that era.
The acclaimed fiddler scored hits including “Shame on You,” hosted an enormously popular TV show and also appeared in a number of Western movies.
Which Country Star Murdered His Wife?
Cooley’s downfall came about in 1961, shortly after he filed for divorce from his second wife, Ella Mae, with whom he had three children.
The bandleader — who, according to Shame! Shame! A Saga of Spade Cooley, King of Western Swing, was an alcoholic and also abused pills — was wildly jealous of his younger, attractive wife, accusing her of multiple affairs.
After he filed for divorce, they attempted to reconcile, and on April 3, 1961, Cooley killed Ella Mae in their home by savagely beating her to death, reportedly crushing a cigarette against her skin afterward to make sure she was dead.
The murder took place in front of the couple’s daughter, Melody, who testified against her father in a sensational trial that ended in a conviction on Aug. 19, 1961.
Cooley was sentenced to life in prison on Aug. 22, 1961, but in another strange twist, the State of California granted him parole after he served eight years.
Cooley — who had been a model prisoner — was scheduled for parole on Feb. 22, 1970, but was granted a temporary furlough to perform at a charity concert on Nov. 23, 1969.
He completed the concert to a standing ovation, and afterward was reportedly excited about the prospect of a possible comeback.
But his excitement was cut short when he suffered a massive heart attack and died backstage at the event, bringing a fittingly bizarre end to one of the strangest stories in country music history.
Once one of country’s most recognizable stars, Cooley has been virtually forgotten in the decades since his death.
Country Music’s Most Horrific Crimes
These 11 country stars were locked up for committing awful crimes. Some turned their life around while others (like No. 10) never seemed to have learned their lesson.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
Opinion | Trump and Bismarck in the Same Sentence
With his Iran war, the U.S. president is creating chaos for the world and wider options for himself.
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Tommy Lloyd agrees to new 5-year deal with Arizona
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Jeff Borzello
ESPN Staff Writer
- Basketball recruiting insider.
- Joined ESPN in 2014.
- Graduate of University of Delaware.
Multiple Authors
INDIANAPOLIS — Coach Tommy Lloyd has agreed to a new deal with Arizona, he announced Friday.
“I’m staying at Arizona,” he said at a Friday news conference.
After days of ambiguous statements about his future when being asked about the North Carolina job opening, Lloyd agreed to a new five-year deal with the school.
“Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say it’s a special place, that always comes from the bottom of my heart,” Lloyd said.
In a reference to rumored phone calls from Michael Jordan to Lloyd about the Carolina job — which Lloyd said never happened — the 51-year-old expressed his pride in staying in Tucson.
“I made a decision that my Michael Jordan is Steve Kerr, and I’m proud to be an Arizona Wildcat,” he said.
Per ESPN sources, Arizona’s new deal with Lloyd will make him one of the five highest-paid coaches in college basketball, as he’ll start in 2026-27 at nearly $7.2 million and will average $7.5 million over the life of the deal.
The deal also includes significant bonuses and additional commitment to staff salary pool. The buyout is expected to remain significant both ways, as the deal is fully guaranteed, and the buyout to leave for another job, which was $9 million under the old deal, is expected to remain high.
“To me it’s a holistic approach,” Lloyd said. “There’s not one thing anymore. Arizona basketball needs to become a locomotive where everything surrounding it is pushing it forward.”
Lloyd expressed his appreciation of athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois and president Suresh Garimella on their work agreeing to the deal and projecting the future for Arizona basketball.
“Tommy Lloyd is the best coach in college basketball, and we have a strong conviction in the future of Arizona Basketball under his leadership,” Reed-Francois said in a statement. “Our program’s success this season — winning championships, competing on the sport’s biggest stage and excelling academically — is a testament to the standard that he and his staff have established. He has recruited and developed student-athletes of character who make a positive impact on our team, our campus and our community. Tommy has strengthened our foundation while honoring the tradition that makes Arizona Basketball one of the premier programs in the country, and we are thrilled that he will continue to lead this program at the highest level for years to come.”
“Coach Lloyd has led our men’s basketball program with clarity of purpose and a commitment to excellence,” Garimella said in statement. “This past season is among the finest in Arizona Athletics history, reflecting the culture he has built and the consistency of the program. He has reestablished Arizona Basketball as one of the nation’s best programs and leads a team that is unified and performing at the highest levels on the court and in the classroom. I am very pleased that we have come to an agreement extending his contract and his leadership. We look forward to continued success.”
Arizona’s players were excited for their head coach.
“I know Coach Lloyd was going to make the best decision for himself and his career,” senior guard Jaden Bradley said. “Excited that he signed back with Arizona. I know the fan base is excited as well, but I know he’s definitely focused on what’s going on here and just happy for him and his extension.”
“Super happy for Coach,” freshman forward Koa Peat said. “Tucson loves him. He loves Tucson. … He’s one of the best coaches in the country and he depends on Arizona. That’s super special for us, for sure.”
North Carolina’s pursuit of Lloyd had lingered as a storyline over the Final Four, with Lloyd declining to outrightly dismiss the Tar Heels’ interest on multiple occasions.
“I’m a simple guy. I’m kind of just one thing at a time. I’m not a multitasker,” Lloyd said Thursday at his pregame news conference when he was asked about the vacancy. “You can ask my wife. So, I’m 100% locked in on Arizona basketball right now, and I’m excited to see what this team can do. I have a real strong belief in this team and this team deserves my full attention, so that’s what I’m giving.”
After Arizona’s win over Purdue last weekend, as part of a longer answer about the significance of the Wildcats advancing to the Final Four, Lloyd said, “Arizona is going to have another good coach after me. I promise you.”
When asked about those statements Tuesday, Lloyd reiterated his point.
“It’s absolutely true,” he said. “There’s going to be another coach. This is a great program. I didn’t say when.
“People are going to speculate all they want. Guys, this team has my full focus. Nothing, nothing — I promise you, nothing — is knocking me off that path.”
Since arriving at Arizona in 2021, Lloyd has guided the Wildcats to three regular-season conference championships, two in the Pac-12 and this year’s Big 12 title. They’ve earned a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in four of their five NCAA tournament appearances, advancing to the Sweet 16 or further four times.
Arizona swept both the Big 12 regular-season and conference tournament championships this season, and advanced to the program’s first Final Four since 2001.
Lloyd is 148-35 in five seasons with Arizona. His 148 wins are the most in NCAA history for a head coach in his first five seasons.
Before taking over at Arizona, Lloyd had been at Gonzaga since 2000, serving as an assistant coach under Mark Few for 20 seasons. The Bulldogs reached the NCAA tournament in every season that Lloyd was in the program, where he established himself as the best international recruiter and one of the premier assistant coaches in college basketball.
Lloyd and top-seeded Arizona will take on Michigan in Saturday’s Final Four.
ESPN’s Myron Medcalf contributed to this report.
Pam Bondi failed to prosecute Trump's foes. Todd Blanche probably will, too.
Pam Bondi failed to prosecute Trump’s foes. Todd Blanche probably will, too.
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2 airlifted to hospital after charter bus rollover on I-10 in Hidalgo County
HIDALGO COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – Thirty passengers were pulled out of a bus Thursday night, after it rolled over on I-10. Hidalgo County Fire Rescue was dispatched to the crash, about 10 miles east of Lordsburg. Authorities said several passengers required hospitalization, with two needing to be transported via helicopter. The uninjured passengers were taken to […]
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