Rio Rainmakers officially relocate to Chanhassen, Minnesota; become Paisley Park Rainmakers4/27/2016 CHANHASSEN, Minn. — The Rio Rainmakers are packing up and heading home. Nearly one week after owner Prince Rogers Nelson passed away at the age of 57, his professional basketball franchise is moving operations from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to the friendly confines of Paisley Park in the western suburbs of Minneapolis. General manager Brendan Halleron informed the COMO league office of the franchise's intentions Tuesday night, and — given the tragic circumstances — the office gave immediate approval for the move. The Paisley Park Rainmakers will play at Paisley Park — Prince's recording studio, event space and compound — in 2016-2017. The venue has previously been used by the Shorewood Show as a home arena for one game each season; Rio management informed the league that Shorewood will be able to continue it's annual tradition moving forward. Last season, the Rainmakers finished 50-32 and fell to Newport Beach in the opening round of the playoffs. Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Andre Drummond figure to be among the returning players in 2016. Coach Jackie Moon is entering his fourth season at the helm. He was reportedly distraught after news of Prince's passing. "He's a mess," Halleron said. "Locked himself in a room since, crying himself to sleep singing Purple Rain." The polarizing coach was "on the chopping block" before last season, according to Halleron, but a strong performance ensured his return. Prince Rogers Nelson Arena, the Rainmakers' previous venue in Brazil, will now be leased out to the 2016 Summer Olympics, and then turned into the Prince Rogers Nelson Center for Higher Education, according to Halleron. Paisley Park, the team's new home, will double as a museum and arena. Halleron said the venue will host Pancake Night during every Wednesday home game, in addition to weekly dance parties on Friday nights (whether there's a game or not). The team will attempt to honor Prince's legacy by winning a championship in the area where he grew up. "Paisley Park will be funky," Halleron promised.
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Shorewood wins third straight COMO championship, Steph Curry earns second straight Finals MVP award4/12/2016 NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Stephen Curry, Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge helped carry the Shorewood Show to their third straight title on Monday night. Those three have been the consistent faces of Shorewood's championship monopoly. Every year, various other stars have made significant efforts — James Harden, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo among them — but Curry, Gasol and Aldridge are now the only players in the league with three rings. Shorewood swept Minneapolis, 2-0, and Minnesnowta, 3-0, before getting up 2-0 on Newport Beach in the Finals. But Curry and Co. had to fight hard to keep their perch, as Newport Beach's superstar lineup ripped off two straight victories to even the Finals at 2-2. "They really surprised us," Shorewood general manager Alex Smith said. "Our guys didn't know what postseason defeat felt like until those two games in Newport. I think it woke them up." The Show rebounded to win two straight and clinch another trophy. Curry won his second straight Finals MVP, officially sandwiching his 2015-2016 regular season COMO MVP. He finished with a 31.80 average in 10 Finals starts, helping coach Bobby Finstock reach the pinnacle once again. "There are three rules that I live by," Finstock told reporters in the bowels of Cohen Arena. "Never get less than twelve hours sleep, never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city, and never doubt the willpower of Wardell Stephen Curry, Jr. Now you stick to that, and everything else is cream cheese. James, who helped Shorewood win it all last season, was a beast in the playoffs (33.05 average over 20 starts) after signing with Newport Beach in October. He, Russell Westbrook and John Wall earned All-COMO playoff nods, alongside Shorewood's Curry, Antetokounmpo and Aldridge. "Nothing but respect for Steph, Pau, Giannis and the Show," Grizzlies general manager Peter Mayer said. "We'll be back soon." Neither team will look the same in 2016-2017. Shorewood will likely be forced to cut both Gasol and Aldridge — among others — for cap reasons, while Newport Beach faces a juggling act between Westbrook, James and Wall. "We know we can't keep everyone," Mayer said. "Russ is the face of the franchise, so he is the only guarantee going into '16-'17. In all likelihood, either LeBron or Wall will be moving on." Both Shorewood and Newport have exciting talent on the bench, but the former will need a masterful offseason plan to reach the Finals... again. At the moment, that's not a pressing matter. There's a third straight championship parade to plan. "If we never win another game," Smith said, "we still have this." 2016 All-COMO Playoffs team
Honorable mentions: Pau Gasol, Shorewood (24.92 / 13), Khris Middleton, Shorewood (24.00 / 15), Nikola Vucevic, Newport Beach (25.89 / 9), Anthony Davis, Minnesnowta (28.40 / 10), Carmelo Anthony, Minnesnowta (27.00 / 9), DeMarcus Cousins, Chaska (31.17 / 6), Kevin Durant, Duval United (38.40 / 5), Kawhi Leonard, Rio (29.17 / 6), Paul George, Rio (29.00 / 5), Brook Lopez, Kansas City (26.60 / 10), Damian Lillard, Kansas City (24.08 / 13), Nicolas Batum, Kansas City (23.31 / 13) |
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