The Los Angeles Clippers decided to completely re-brand themselves this past summer. Whether it was because second-year owner Steve Ballmer just wanted a whole new era to start in every possible way or the Clips just wanted to do something to forget their playoff collapse, the franchise was clearly trying to move ahead – quickly.

The basic designs were amateurish at best and didn’t look like much time was spent on them, while the reception around the league wasn’t exactly endorsing. This was the new Clippers, though, and there wasn’t much anyone could do about it.

At least it wasn’t just the same ol’, same ol’ with a team that was one win away from their first trip to the Western Conference Finals, you know, ever. Again, it may have had nothing to do with that and no matter what it was, we can’t fault an organization for trying to improve it’s brand.

Their new custom basketball uniforms weren’t a hit, but at least their marketing plan didn’t stop there – and neither did the integration of new uniforms.

The Clippers are back with more changes, folks, as they’ve unleashed their “downtown” black uniforms, which will first be showcased on Sunday, November 7th. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan will bust out their newest digs against (who else?) the Houston Rockets. James Harden’s Rockets were in a 3-1 hole in the second round of last year’s playoffs, only to storm back and win three games to advance.

It was a heart-breaking loss, but this new dark edge the Clippers have going, it could be a bold statement. And even if it’s not, it’s shaping up to be a ton of fun.

In addition to the new black Clippers uniforms, the Clippers will be hosting a “downtown event” where a “Big night out meets downtown basketball [at] every Saturday home game”. That’s quite a commitment to fun, but it’s a refreshing look and a different stance that Clippers fans (and NBA fans, really) aren’t necessarily accustomed to.

It’s more than a cool new uni, a theme and some elite basketball, though (as if that weren’t enough). It’s a total event, as the Clippers are also bringing comedy from Funny or Die to the equation, limited edition swag, lasers and wristbands and various prizes.

L.A. is even offering a discount to anyone using the special Saturday night code: DTLAC. Downtown Los Angeles Clippers is a thing now. And so are the black uniforms.

That might have been a joke when the Clippers released their new uniforms in the summer, but now it all seems kind of cool.

Got a take on the Clippers uniforms or just the team in general? Let us hear it in the comments below!

Talk about putting yourself first when it comes to promoting your favorite team. Seattle Seahawks fans are doing just that when they buy “12th Man” jerseys, which happen to be a top seller across the league according to NFLShop.com.

Sure, Seattle star players still reign supreme. Jimmy Graham goes #3 among tight ends, Russell Wilson is 9th overall and Marshawn Lynch has the 15th best-selling NFL jersey. But an entire fan base working their way inside the top-25? Now that’s impressive.

Seahawks fans have taken custom football uniforms to a whole new level, as an NFL jersey you would otherwise almost always have to surely submit a special order for, now is just sold as if its a regular player jersey. It’s an impressive feat, but the number of requests must have been so large that NFLShop starting simply making it to sell as if it is a player jersey.

That works out for Seattle fans, who take great pride in being one of the top fan bases, which makes Seattle’s home field one of the toughest locations for visitors to play. It’s even more difficult when you add all of the Seahawks fans that don the jersey, which ranked an impressive 19th in the top-25 released in mid-September.

Not impressed? There is a laundry list of elite names the 12th Man jersey beat out to crack the top-25, with the likes of Julio Jones, Drew Brees and Clay Matthews visibly behind the jersey in the NFLShop jersey sales ranks.

Seahawks fans can choose from various colors and styles, while the jersey boasts the trademark #12 and “Fan” on the back. It might not last inside the top-25 for the entire season, but it’s interesting to note that it got in the top-25 in the first place.

Impressed by Seattle’s fan base getting the 12th Man jersey inside the top-25? Makes you hate the Seahawks even more? Tell us how you feel in the comments below!

We all got to see those sweet Cleveland Browns uniforms in week one, where they wore all orange and brown in a 31-10 loss to the Jets in New York. Even though the new look was pretty slick, it didn’t end up helping Cleveland start 2015 off with a win. Perhaps the white Browns uniforms will be their ticket.

Johnny Manziel made his first start under center of the 2015 NFL season and proceeded to toss two touchdown bombs to speedy wide receiver Travis Benjamin, as Cleveland upended the Tennessee Titans 28-14 in their home opener. It was a great first career win for Manziel as a quarterback, while the team as a whole performed well as they repaid their loyal fan base with a nice win in their 2015 home opener.

The San Francisco 49ers looked and played at a high level last week in a very similar situation, as they unveiled new black and red uniforms. They did so in front of their home crowd and also got the win. Whether or not there is a direct correlation with NFL teams finding ways to get wins in their home openers and it having anything to do with their custom football uniforms remains to be determined, but it was still very interesting to see.

Even more interesting to see will be what the Browns do at quarterback moving forward. Manziel was far from perfect, going just 8-of-15 as a passer and fumbling the ball twice (although neither were lost). He did have two huge moments, one on Cleveland’s first score of the day and the other to put the Titans away for good with just a few minutes remaining.

So, is Johnny Manziel sustainable and should the Browns bypass Josh McCown to see if he can help them get even more wins? Many Browns fans would probably lean closer to saying “yes”, as Cleveland isn’t guaranteed anything in a tough AFC North division. Starting Johnny Manziel would at least make the Browns more interesting, and based off of three long touchdowns in his first two games this year, he at least isn’t afraid to go after the big play. For a Cleveland offense otherwise starving for offense, it’s hard to go against that kind of upside.

Cleveland hasn’t made a decision yet, but they should do so within the next day or so. Once they do, Browns fans will know whether to get more excited than usual for week three, when the Browns will host the Oakland Raiders. The more exciting part? Waiting to see what combination of Cleveland’s uniforms will be on full display next weekend. They could roll with the white jerseys and pants again, or mix and match the brown and orange. Either way, they’ll have a cool look when they go out to try to go 2-1 in their first three games. Having Manziel under center just might make it all the better.

Got thought on Cleveland’s uniforms, Johnny Manziel or the Browns in general? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

Today is a huge day for daily fantasy baseball, as many sites are hosting massive games for DFS fantasy baseball gamers to get into. It’s a big day in general for season long fantasy baseball leagues, too, just like every day in September is as we creep closer to the 2015 MLB playoffs.

Let’s get to our top DFS sleepers for tonight’s MLB action:

Catcher: Russell Martin (Blue Jays)

Martin can be tough and go and the pitcher he’s facing tonight (Julio Teheran) can heat up on any given night, but few catchers can mix power and value like he can tonight. Martin just had a huge 2-homer night three games ago and could be in for another dinger tonight.

1B: Adrian Gonzalez (Dodgers)

Gonzo is just an awesome price and looks like a cheap play every in the DFS scene. He’s facing the Rockies at home, so the matchup is strong and he can always go yard.

2B: Robinson Cano (Mariners)

Cano has been heating up against recently and tonight he’s a solid value at home against the Angels. They’re sending Nick Tropeano to the mound and he’s been pretty bad for a while now. Cano could get you a homer but based off of his recent play you’re at least looking at a couple of hits.

3B: Justin Turner (Dodgers)

Same deal as Gonzo. Turner is at home, has a solid matchup and is a great value pick for tonight. He’s even turned it on a bit recently, too, so his game logs suggest he could be in for a decent outing.

SS: Corey Seager (Dodgers)

I’m not trying to pick on Chris Rusin. In fact, he’s not in the homer-inducing Coors Field, so it’s entirely possible this blows up in my face. But I’m liking Dodgers tonight – specifically due to their awesome value. That value isn’t lost on Seager, who is dirt cheap and has been on a nice run (hitting .432 on the year).

OF: Aaron Hicks (Twins)

Most of the top Minnesota power hitters can’t be acquired at value, but Hicks can. He’ll face the deplorable Alfredo Simon tonight and a jack isn’t too much to ask.

Not all of these DFS value buys will work out, but if you want elite pitching and you want a big bat like Bryce Harper (most expensive bat of the night), they’re certainly worth considering. Good luck!

It seems like just yesterday that the Minnesota Timberwolves and point guard Ricky Rubio agreed on a big, long-term deal. Even so, the T’Wolves are seemingly done with their would-be franchise point guard and, per reports, are looking for a way to get rid of him.

Minnesota doesn’t want to give a quality 24-year old point guard away for nothing, but they don’t want his fat salary anymore and he’s impeding the development of other talent they clearly are higher on going forward. Rubio certainly lacks a shooting touch and isn’t an all world defender, but he has value and a considerable amount of potential. Someone will want him, and eventually someone will pay up to get him. But who? We consider the top five options:

Brooklyn Nets

Jarrett Jack is the lead guard in Brooklyn right now. Yeah. Statistically, Jack has been a fine starting point guard in the past and did look good in stretches last year. But he’s not consistent enough to be a starting point guard and can be prone to really bad mental lapses where he plays awful defense and turns the ball over. He’s a terrific backup, though, and a trade for Rubio would put him back in the spot he belongs. Brooklyn has some other nice pieces and seems to want to stay in the playoff picture, while adding Rubio would let them both compete for the playoffs and continue to build toward a brighter future.

New York Knicks

New York has begun starting over and it’s possible rookie Jerian Grant is the guy they envision leading their offense for the future. He’s probably better suited to play off the ball, though, while Rubio is an excellent pass-first PG that could be perfect for the Triangle offense. If Phil Jackson agrees, he could swing a deal and suddenly one of the worst teams in the league a year ago would be a rising playoff contender.

Boston Celtics

Boston was supposedly shopping Marcus Smart all summer, so why not swing a deal for Rubio? Rubio is a much more traditional point guard and trading from him could either get rid of Smart, or slide him to shooting guard, where he arguably would be a more natural fit. Smart still has the potential to be a franchise point guard, but Boston’s desire to include him in trade talks suggests they either aren’t sold on him or are still looking for something bigger and better. Rubio could be that for them.

Utah Jazz

Dante Exum is done for the year with a torn ACL and Utah has soured on Trey Burke, so suddenly a fringe playoff team needs a legit presence at point guard. Rubio makes sense from all angles, as he’s a massive upgrade right now and also is still a nice long-term bet over Exum for the future. Burke can come off the bench and score, which is all he can do anyways, while Rubio facilitates and let’s Utah’s other players shoulder much of the scoring load.

Dallas Mavericks

Dallas is probably the least likely considering they just brought in Deron Williams and held onto both Devin Harris and J.J. Barea, but you can’t deny a Mark Cuban splash when it presents itself. He whiffed on DeAndre Jordan and would probably love to land one more huge name to both help sell tickets and also keep the Mavs in playoff contention. More importantly, Rubio still has franchise point guard ability and at just 24, would make for a great building block. The kid just needs to learn to shoot. That would likely involve giving up on Williams before he even plays a minute in Big D, but it might be worth it.

Got another NBA team that would be a perfect fit for Rubio? Tell us in the comments below!

Shaquille O’Neal and Scottie Pippen just won the internet. Or Shaq did. Or Pippen did. You’ll have to decide. The beauty isn’t in which way you lean, though. It’s in the delivery of both formers NBA great delivering jab after jab. What started as a debate over which hypothetical “All-Time” team would win between the Lakers and the Bulls, ended in a potentially not so light hearted take on each man’s roles during their respective careers.

It started with Shaq posting a photo with the arguable five best Lakers going up against the arguable five best Bulls, with O’Neal suggesting his All-Time Lakers would win “by fifty”. Pippen didn’t like that too much and, well, it just got crazy from there.

The point isn’t really about two has-beens arguing about who was better. It’s about Shaq’s original hypothetical. Which team would really win, and would the line really be a ridiculous 50?

50 Points?

A 50-point win going up against a team led by Michael Jordan just might be blasphemy. But Jordan also had some help in this fantasy lineup, with Derrick Rose, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman chipping in. The team Shaq shows for the Lakers is quite formidable on the surface, but even if you agree the Lakers would win this showdown, it’s pretty hard to believe it’d be by 50, or even 20. Heck, they might still not win at all.

The Right Five

And here’s the real kicker – is either starting five even how it should be? I’m not sure we can argue against Chicago’s first three guys. Rose, Pippen and MJ are on this team, no matter how you look at it. But Rodman and Horace Grant make up the rest of the Bulls and it’s arguable, if we’re using any players from past or present, that Pau Gasol or Joakim Noah might be the better pick to fill out this starting five.

The same goes for the Lakers. As great as this rendition of their All-Time team looks, would it possibly be even better if you maximized each player at a different position to give yourself the best possible roster? After all, Lakers greats like Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and James Worthy are left out. Could this roster be shaken up a bit to include one or more of them? That all depends who is putting the roster together and how they rank each Laker, individually.

Another beef I have with the way this argument is constructed is that even with a hypothetical, we probably should keep it somewhat realistic – especially if we’re declaring who would win in an actual matchup. With that in consideration, in what world would Shaq share the floor routinely with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? That’s two traditional centers and that’s not normally how teams role. Think about it. If we’re using them both, what stops us from using Wilt as a third center? If you conducted a random Lakers ranking, would Shaq, Wilt and Kareem not be close to the top-five?

With all of this considered, it’s possible the Lakers starting five and Bulls starting five aren’t what they should be. Because of that, it might be a joke of a debate to begin with.

Winner, Winner

Analyzing hypotheticals is a joke itself, of course, so why not pick a winner as these teams are constructed? Only a fool would ever count out a Michael Jordan team. And only a complete idiot would say that team would lose by 50. The Lakers have far more impressive star power in this showdown, however, so even by the smallest of margins, they’d be the pick.

Think the Bulls would win? Let us hear the argument in the comments below!