Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

During anniversary celebrations with his wife Donna in August 2020, Mr Johnson suffered a fall down the stairs which resulted in him being unable to feel his body.

Aged 57 at the time, Mr Johnson was rushed to hospital and kept in intensive care for two weeks, where it was discovered that he had broken his spinal cord at his C3 vertebrae.

Doctors worked for two hours to clear his chest as he was also suffering from a collapsed lung and pneumonia.

Mr Johnsons wife Donna, was told by doctors to avoid sharing the extent of his injuries with her husband

She said: "They told me and my daughter he would never walk again.

"They didn't want to tell Keith because they thought hed have just given up and wouldn't have kept on fighting."

The dad of four is now suffering from injuries that affect his mobility, meaning he is unable to pick up a cup despite having a fit and healthy lifestyle while working as a cleaner at Teesport prior to his accident.

As a result of the incident, Mr Johnson has revealed that he has suffered from suicidal thoughts, and is embarrassed about the helpless situation he has found himself in.

He has relied on his family to see him through, with the thought of seeing his grandchild, nine-week-old Beau, being among the things which help keep Keiths spirits raised.

The couple are fighting for more physiotherapy for Keith, and are appealing for an extension to be made to their home in Farndale Walk to accommodate Keith's condition since being told by consultants that he will never walk again.

The use of their two-bedroomed house was adapted after Keiths accident. With only a kitchen and living room downstairs, the living room has been repurposed as Keiths room.

READ MOREPfizer vaccine linked to Bells palsy - man suffers facial paralysis

The request has had its setbacks though, as Mrs Johnson claims the process wasn't started until March this year and the pair are frustrated by the delay.

At present the only alterations that have been made to accommodate Keith are the installation of a ceiling hoist and a ramp at the rear, but Donna says they desperately need an extension.

When commenting on the delay Keith said: A year down the line there has been times when it feels like I have only just had the accidentwe are no further forward. Nothing has happened.

"It can't go on like this, it causes stress for the family.

There is hope for the family though, with a spokesperson for Redcar and Cleveland Council commenting: "All our sympathies are very much with this family and our officers are committed to working with them to move this situation forward as quickly as possible.

"Unfortunately, the long term solutions being considered can take a significant amount of time to resolve, such as designing the preferred solution, seeking planning permission and then undertaking the building works.

"We understand the urgency of this situation and will continue to work with this family and everyone else concerned to ensure a satisfactory outcome as soon as possible".

Samaritans (116 123) or email jo@samaritans.org operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year for those struggling.

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Heartbreak as dad will never walk again after going to toilet during anniversary party - Express

Councillors will meet on Wednesday to rubber stamp which local projects will be put forward for $4.5m in bushfire recovery funding.

"We've come up with seven projects, totalling $4,234,000," Mayor Peter Petty said ahead of the meeting.

The rural areas of the shire were set to receive a lot of attention, with Drake the major beneficiary where $2.9m was allocated.

Councillors met for a workshop last week to discuss which projects to put forward for funds. That workshop happened after a debate at the July council meeting started to introduce new project ideas, which had not been discussed previously.

It prompted the general manager Daryl Buckingham to say he was concerned the council was making decisions on the run. While improvements to access at Bruxner Park had been included in discussions at last month's council meeting, last week's workshop decided to pursue tourism funding instead of using the bushfire grant.

And a plan to leave more than $2m unallocated so the Angry Bulls Trails development could apply for it was also scrapped, with the council coming up with a list to spend almost all the $4.5m.

The works proposed for Drake include alternative access road and associated drainage, pathways and open space along Bruxner Highway to Timbarra Street and parking and road crossings.

It will include bus stop parking and a highway crossing.

$344,000 has been proposed for dead tree removal across the shire and $220,000 for rural addressing.

The installation of industrial ceiling fans and emergency lighting at Memorial Hall, along with a switchboard upgrade was allocated $220,000. Mingoola Hall upgrades, including a stand-alone accessibility friendly disabled toilet, have been suggested for $120,000.

Other funding applications include $190,000 for Northern Border Walk Signage and $240,000 for Tenterfield Swimming Pool equipment.

Cr Petty said the selection of projects had tried to spread the funding right across the shire. "This is what council has always tried to do," Cr Petty said.

He said the northern border signage was a project that showed great initiate and others addressed infrastructure that needed attention.

"Drake has badly needed this work, with drainage and pathways, and a bit of work on the Bruxner.

"I'm really happy, the council has done a really good job with what they've worked through," he said.

The National Bushfire Recovery Fund was created by the federal government to support communities impacted by the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires.

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Council to apply for $4.2m in bushfire recovery funding on local projects - Tenterfield Star

Home improvement is exciting until you open the instruction manual to assemble your new ceiling fan, grill or flat pack table.

Nate Henderson remembers the moment he realized there had to be a better way. One of Hendersons friends tried putting together a piece of furniture with his wife, but it devolved into an argument and ended with the couple throwing away the project.

We started talking about that, and looking around to see if theres something to help the DIY consumer do better, thats not paper and not just video. And thats really how it began, said Henderson, whose Grapevine company just landed a $9 million investment to help it grow.

In 2015, Henderson and his childhood friend Ahmed Qureshi created an app appropriately named BILT and packed it with thousands of interactive tutorials for products that usually require paper instruction manuals.

Today, BILT has millions of users in over 200 countries. It offers 12 different languages and is available in both the Apple app and Google Play stores.

BILT spent a year and a half considering different investment partners before closing a deal with Austin-based Silverton Partners, which Henderson said has a gold standard reputation in Texas. He said the new capital will let BILT grow at kind of a hyper pace.

Tutorials are created by BILT instruction designers a mix of employees with either engineering or graphic design experience. Brands usually reach out to BILT to create partnerships with the app.

The app is free to consumers, ad-free and contains hundreds of brands.

When you see it in BILT, its the exact, right, perfect experience you need to be successful, Henderson said.

Users can click and drag to rotate, zoom and move 3D images of the parts and tools required for each step. Audio or written instructions, or both, are available. The beginning of each tutorial includes the approximate time the assembly will take, how many people it will require and additional tools that may be needed.

Even the Air Force and Navy have partnered with BILT, creating tutorials for things like aircraft maintenance.

They have said, You know what, lets make our servicemen and -women really successful at what they do. It gives them greater job satisfaction, they know theyre doing a quality job, it saves money for the taxpayer. And everybody wins across the board, Henderson said.

Henderson thinks BILT is a market maker, suggesting it fills a void not covered by instruction manuals or YouTube videos.

When you think of competition, I would suggest you think of it more as substitutes, Henderson said. Most people today, when they say the paper [manual is] not working for me, the default is to go to YouTube. The challenge with YouTube is its a bit like the wild, wild West.

Henderson said YouTube videos are often outdated or inaccurate. Paper instructions offer their own challenges, and come with environmental costs. Henderson estimates that in one year, the BILT app will be able to prevent about a billion trees from being cut down.

Imagine the billions and billions of pages of paper, that werent a good experience anyway, that now dont have to be printed, Henderson said about paper manuals. It will be one of the great sustainability stories, I think, of the next decade.

Silverton Managing Partner Morgan Flager agrees that BILT has come up with a better way.

I cant imagine in five years, well still be dealing with paper instructions, he said.

BILT will become increasingly necessary as customers continue to order products online, Henderson said.

The more we buy online, the more pressure it puts on brands to say, youve got to figure out a way of packaging things smaller, and yet at the same time deliver an even better customer experience, Henderson said. The brand has spent years creating a great product that may actually work well. If you cant assemble it right, or youre frustrated, your loyalty toward that brand starts to get pretty shaky, and then you tell others about it.

Smaller packages, combined with the need for great customer service, is where BILT comes in. Smaller packages mean more assembly, and more assembly means more instruction manuals. Instead of traditional paper models, companies can include a barcode for customers to scan, prompting them to download the BILT app to view an interactive tutorial.

Henderson wouldnt provide specific revenue figures for BILT, but he said its experiencing 100% growth year over year, coming in under the $20 million mark in revenue.

BILT is heavily involved now with home improvement brands. But it plans to move into the automotive, small appliances, machinery and semi-professional spaces.

Ask yourself the question, what are the industries that require some type of assembly or installation or setup? Henderson said. It never ends.

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Grapevine app maker readies for hyper-growth by taking frustration out of do-it-yourself projects - The Dallas Morning News

This is the first in a series of stories, State of the Devils, that will take a short- and long-term view at where the franchise stands after a second weird, pandemic-shortened season and where it is going in the years to come.

Think back over the past few seasons and what has been the most-asked question about the New Jersey Devils.

Has Pavel Zacha turned a proverbial corner? When are the Devils going to land a high-end defenseman? When is the club going to spend to the salary-cap ceiling?

All of those have been asked many times, but none is the correct answer, er, question. That would be the simple one: When is the rebuild going to end?

The Devils have more wins in the NHL draft lottery (two) than victories in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (one) since 2012.

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State of the Devils: Offseason additions offer hope that the rebuild is nearly over - The Athletic

Note: This is the third story in a three-part series previewing the start of Michigan footballs preseason camp, which formally kicks off Friday in Ann Arbor.

To read Part I (on Jim Harbaughs busy offseason), click here.

To read Part II (what we learned in the spring), click here.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. As Michigan gets ready to take the field today for its first official practice, theres a lot still to be sorted out.

Position battles from spring rage on, while coaches will keep a keen eye out for players taking the next step in their development.

Theres also plenty of work to be done on the defensive side, where first-year coordinator Mike Macdonald is still in the implementation stage of his new scheme. And even when it is ready to go, its going to take some time for his players to get a full grasp of it.

Meanwhile, Friday marks the first day for the second wave of Michigans 2021 recruiting class a group of incoming freshmen tabbed as the programs future. They may not make waves initially, but camp will serve as their first taste of the college level. It will also mark the first day for three new graduate transfers, all of whom could play pivotal roles for the Wolverines this fall:

Texas Tech quarterback Alan Bowman throws a pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)AP

QB Alan Bowman A three-year starter at Texas Tech, Bowman provides an immediate injection of experience and productivity into Michigans quarterback room. The Grapevine, Texas, native started 16 games in the Red Raiders Air Raid offense, throwing for more than 5,200 yards and 33 touchdowns (and 17 interceptions) while setting freshman Big 12 records in 2018. But Bowmans also been hindered by injuries, and is limited in his skillset, making him a questionable fit for Michigans offense.

WR Daylen Baldwin An under-the-radar recruit, Baldwin played two seasons at Morgan State before transferring to Jackson State, where his breakout spring season put him on the radar of Power 5 schools. The Southfield, Mich., native wound up choosing Michigan and gives Josh Gattis receiver room added depth and an experienced playmaker. In six games at Jackson State, Baldwin caught 27 passes for 540 yards and seven touchdowns while earning SWAC Newcomer of the Year honors.

DT Jordan Whittley Michigan bolstered its defensive line this offseason by adding Whittley, a 6-foot-1, 358-pound defensive tackle from Oregon State. The California native didnt play in 2020, and started one game as a redshirt junior in 2019, but was disruptive at the junior college level. Whittley likely wont start for the Wolverines, but could be utilized on a situational basis.

Which brings us to the most important part of camp: Differentiating the contenders from the pretenders. This is a vital part of the preseason where coaches make final decisions on who might start Week 1 against Western Michigan and who will crack the depth chart for playing time.

More: Mike Macdonald wants new U-M defense to be a living nightmare for opponents

Here are the position battles and storylines well be monitoring:

Michigan offensive lineman Chuck Filiaga (66) tries to keep Penn State defensive lineman P.J. Mustipher (97) out of the backfield in the first quarter of their Big Ten football game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, on Saturday, November 28, 2020. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

How the offensive line shakes out. We already know that Ryan Hayes will be the starter at left tackle, and that Zak Zinter and Andrew Stueber are shoe-ins to start up front. But where Zinter and Stueber wind up could depend on what happens at left guard and center. Michigan really, really likes Zinter and wants to maximize his talent, so starting him at center is a real possibility. If that happens, then Stueber would likely slide to right guard and Michigan would have to find someone else (Trente Jones? Karsen Barnhart?) to play right tackle.

Meanwhile, Trevor Keegan appears to have caught up to fifth-year center Chuck Filiaga at left guard, making for what could be an interesting battle to watch in camp. With Sherrone Moore now coaching the offensive line, Michigan appears to have changed direction and decided to go with the five best linemen regardless of their position. That should allow them to be a bit more nimble and change things up as needed, especially with Zinter (center/guard) and Stueber (guard/tackle) able to play multiple spots.

Who else emerges at WR? We know Ronnie Bell, Michigans leading receiver last season, is the leader of the wideouts. We expect him to get his share of targets again this fall. But with proven receivers Nico Collins and Giles Jackson no longer in the picture, who else steps up to carry the load?

Cornelius Johnson appears to be on the cusp of that role, having caught 16 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns last fall. His 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame makes him a difficult player to cover, and another year under his belt should help. But Roman Wilson, Mike Sainristil and A.J. Henning are next in line, eager for more opportunities. With reliable, consistent quarterback play, they all should be in a position to take advantage.

More: OC Josh Gattis prefers to leave disastrous 2020 season in the past

Michigan defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson plays during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)AP

EDGE/LB depth is a concern. There are fewer bodies among edge rushers and linebackers than a year ago, a product of the coordinator and scheme change. Which makes keeping Aidan Hutchinson and Taylor Upshaw healthy and on the field a priority. But if something goes wrong, who is next in line? David Ojabos name has come up as a potential backup edge rusher, but hes played sparingly and was recruited to fit the previous scheme.

Elsewhere, Michigan returns just six scholarship linebackers from a season ago, a group that includes presumptive starters Josh Ross and Michael Barrett. The remaining four have zero combined starts and largely saw playing time last fall in lopsided games. Getting them ready will be important this fall.

The second cornerback spot appears up for grabs, with redshirt junior Vincent Gray in danger of losing his starting role to D.J. Turner. The news comes as Gray started all six games last fall and was declared Michigans No. 1 corner on the team, while Turner appeared in just one game, late in a blowout. Which begs the question: Has Gray fallen behind, or has Turner showed massive improvement since last fall? We havent heard much about Turner, so Ill bet the former.

Gemon Green came out of spring practice with the other side solidified, continuing his ascension from a rocky start to 2020. Michigan also some figuring out to do with others, like Jalen Perry and George Johnson. Are they a corner? Are they a safety? Dont be surprised if Michigan deploys more looks with five defensive backs this season.

Read more on Michigan football:

Michigan to host maize out vs. Washington

Camp battles will help shape Michigans offensive line this fall

D.J. Turner pushing older Vincent Gray for starting CB spot

Daxton Hill, Aidan Hutchinson sign their way to history in Ann Arbor

DT Mazi Smith impressed this offseason; can he solidify a spot up the middle?

Read the rest here:
Michigan football camp preview, Part III: Key additions, position battles to watch - MLive.com

IndyCar and NBC made yet another batch of history Sunday, crashes and red flags be damned.

The Music City Grand Prix, one of the more divisiveraces in recent years, and no doubt the most highlyanticipated IndyCar venue debut in a decade, registered as the most-watched IndyCar race on NBC's cable channels ever, averaging an audience of 1.212 million over the early-evening broadcast that featured nine cautions, two red flags, 33 laps run under yellow and a driver who first took flight and then took the checkered flag.

In a narrow victory over his teammate Scott Dixon, and after a riveting battle with Colton Herta, Marcus Ericsson brought Chip Ganassi to victory lane for the fifth time in just 11 races so far in the 2021 season, marking the Swedish driver's second win of his IndyCar career and second in five races. More than 60,000 watched him complete the feat in-person around the streets of Nashville, with the crowd that watched him over the airwaves topping NBC's previously most-watched IndyCar race on NBC Sports:the 2016 Mid-Ohio race that averaged 934,000.

It gives this campaign two of NBC's four most-watched IndyCar races on cable ever coming in 2021, along with the race at Road America earlier this summer that averaged 807,000 fans.

More on Nashville:

Sunday's race also came in as the most-watched IndyCar race on any cable channel since the 1998 CART season, when a race drew 2.218 million on ESPN. It also out-drew three races from earlier this season on network TV, including the GMR Grand Prix (1.033 million) Barber (921,000) and Detroit Race 1 (845,000).

The Nashville mark also dwarfs IndyCar's average cable viewership from 2020 (432,000) and 2019 (423,000). Through four races in 2021, NBC Sports is averaging total audience delivery of 761,000 per race, up considerably on the first four in 2020 (362,000) and 2019 (397,000).

The Music City Grand Prix TV rating follows IndyCar's historic Mid-Ohio race, where the series registered NBC's most-watched non-Indy 500 race ever, averaging an audience of 1.303 million, as well as the news last month of a new three-year broadcast deal that will see NBC air 13 IndyCar races on NBC in 2022, along with one exclusively on its Peacock streaming service and the rest on USA Network, along with simulcast races on Peacock, among other important additions to IndyCar's growing digital footprint.

More 2021 IndyCar TV ratings details:

Email IndyStar motor sports reporter Nathan Brown atnlbrown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter:@By_NathanBrown.

Excerpt from:
Music City Grand Prix is NBC's most-watched IndyCar race on cable ever - IndyStar

SOUTH BLOOMING GROVE Property owners soon will be able to apply to the Village Board for permits to open synagogues or turn parts of their homes into prayer spaces under a newly enacted zoning amendment.

The new permit policy for houses of worship was one of a set of zoning changes Mayor George Kalaj and village trustees adopted on July 29 after holding a second public hearing on them. Other changes included doubling the footprint limit for new homes and increasing the allowed density for affordable housing.

The revisions follow a complete turnover of the five-member board in two elections in which South Blooming Grove's growing Hasidic community asserted its voting power, sweeping out all incumbents. The changes, first proposed in May on the heels of the second election, appear to have been a high-priority accommodation for those families and for builders.

New synagogues: New village board sets proposes permit rules for houses of worship

Rapid changes: South Blooming Grove mayor replaces entire planning board

Completed turnover: Two write-in trustee candidates win village election

Audience speakers were starkly divided at an online hearing in May that focused largely on new houses of worship. Hasidic residents cheered the proposal as a victory for religious freedom, while other speakersquestionedthe impact on neighbors, the cost of future property-tax exemptions, and the lack of guidelines about what factors the board must weigh before granting permits.

The rules are spare, merely distinguishing between houses of worship that occupy parts of homes and those that stand alone, whether small or large. The Village Board would have to get the Planning Board's recommendations before issuing permits for large houses of worship, defined as holding 50 or more worshippers.

The board overrode the Orange County Planning Department's advice on beefing up those rules.County planners had told the board to expand the proposal to define in greater detail the three categories of houses of worship, limit each to appropriate zoning districts, and spell out the conditions they must meet for approval.

"Providing objective criteria for each class can help the community to avoid potentially significant adverse environmental impacts related to community character, transportation, and visual resources,"read the five-page review letter signed by CountyPlanning Commissioner Alan Sorensen on July 14.

None of those additions were made, other than to say that freestanding houses of worship must comply with the state's fire prevention and building codes.

The village board was set to discuss the application process for new houses of worship at its meeting on Monday night.

According to the Planning Department review, other zoning changes the board made will:raise the maximum footprint for homes to 5,000 square feet from 2,500 square feet;increase the height limit to 35 feet from 25 feet; and increase the number of extra homes a developer is allowed to build when affordable units are included in a project.

The review required the board to explain why those and other steps were being taken and include an analysis of their potential impact in the board's environmental review. Planners questioned whether the village's water system and other infrastructure could support denser development.

The board needed a super-majority of four votes under state law to override the Planning Department's requirements, which it got with a unanimous vote. The board resolution to adopt the zoning changes said of the planners' input: "After reviewsome of the modification requests were made, others were not."

During the same meeting at which the zoning changes were adopted, the village board voted to begin paying salaries of $300 per week or $15,600 a year to two men Kalaj appointed as unpaid assistants after taking office last September. The appointees, Isaac Eckstein and Joel Stern, lead a group called United Jewish Community of Blooming Grove. Kalaj described Stern as his campaign manager while running for office last year.

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South Blooming Grove amends zoning to allow new houses of worship and bigger homes - Times Herald-Record

Russell Westbrook is coming off one of his best seasons, having posted a career high in rebounds and another in assists that was enough to lead the N.B.A. And for the fourth time in five seasons, he averaged the vaunted triple-double, typically defined as reaching double-digit numbers in points, rebounds and assists. Before Westbrook, it seemed almost impossible to average a triple-double once, much less multiple times.

But those numbers werent good enough to land him on the All-Star team last season, the first time the 32-year-old hadnt been selected since 2014. It was in part because his Washington Wizards were not very good. But the Wizards barely making the playoffs was a perfect microcosm of the general debate about Westbrooks legacy: Its not a sure thing that Westbrooks style of play is conducive to winning basketball, even with his gaudy numbers.

And now Westbrook is with the Los Angeles Lakers, traded for the third time in three years. Former Most Valuable Player Award winners like Westbrook typically do not play for four different teams in successive seasons while still putting up numbers comparable to when they won the honor.

Westbrook will again have superstar teammates, this time LeBron James and Anthony Davis on an unequivocally so-called superteam. On paper, this new iteration of stars assembled to chase a championship should easily compete with teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, the reigning champions, and the Nets, both of whom have star trios of their own.

This will most likely be the best chance Westbrook has had to win a championship.

These Lakers are better than the Oklahoma City Thunder team Westbrook helped take to the finals in 2012 alongside a young Kevin Durant and James Harden, where the three M.V.P.s-to-be were outmatched against the James-led Miami Heat superteam. These Lakers are more talented than the 2017-18 Thunder team with Carmelo Anthony and Paul George, which bowed out in the first round of the playoffs. When Westbrook reunited with Harden now a bona fide star in Houston in 2019-20, Jamess Lakers easily dispatched them in the postseasons second round. And it goes without saying that the current Lakers team is better than last seasons Wizards, even though Westbrook was playing with Bradley Beal, one of the leagues best scorers.

Westbrook has not lacked for star teammates, but he has lacked the success that is expected to come with having them, and that may be an indictment of his style of play: high-volume scoring, weak shooting and elite rebounding that is devalued in favor of shooting. Some of this is also an indictment of the rosters Westbrook has played with. The 2017-18 Thunder team had an ill-fitting Anthony, who had difficulty adjusting to a lesser role. In Houston, the Rockets traded away center Clint Capela and opted to play small ball, which had limited effectiveness. In Washington, the Wizards dealt with injuries to key players, like Rui Hachimura and Thomas Bryant, and were hampered by a coronavirus outbreak.

But if Westbrook cant figure out how to win next to James and Davis, who won a championship with some of the players the Lakers traded for Westbrook, it will be a blow to Westbrooks legacy.

After Durant left the Thunder in 2016, Westbrook became the focal point, and the Thunder were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round for three straight years.

A large part of the issue with Westbrook is that he has been an inefficient scorer for much of his career. His career true shooting percentage which accounts for free throws and 3-pointers is 52.8 percent, whereas the league average is around 55 percent. And he takes up a lot of possessions to score his points as a result.

His defense has also been suspect.

This is where his joining James and Davis makes for a fascinating, and potentially treacherous, situation. Two of the players the Lakers traded for Westbrook Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were helpful defensively and with floor spacing. That meant they didnt need the ball in their hands to make their presence felt on the floor. Kuzma shot 36.1 percent from 3 last season, while Caldwell-Pope was at 41 percent. Westbrooks career average from 3 is 30.5 percent. A data point helpful to Westbrook: Kuzma shot only 31.6 percent from 3 in the Lakers championship year.

The fit with Westbrook, James and Davis will be a mad experiment. Westbrook needs the ball in his hands to be effective, while James usually runs his teams offense. Jamess best teams have been loaded with shooters to toss the ball to when he drives into the paint. Davis is one of the most offensively skilled big men but, like Westbrook, inconsistent from 3, at 31.2 percent for his career. Even James is a career 34.5 percent shooter from deep around average.

This means the Lakers will presumably start three players who arent the most reliable shooters in todays N.B.A., which is so dependent on efficient offense generated by spacing. The Lakers have some counters with their other additions: Kent Bazemore, Anthony and Wayne Ellington all of whom shot better than 40 percent from 3 last season.

Westbrooks career usage rate how often he uses possessions is 32.51 percent, second to only Michael Jordan in N.B.A. history. James is fifth at 31.55 percent. If Westbrook is using more possessions than James next season, something has gone terribly wrong. For the Lakers to be at their best, Westbrook is going to have to take a back seat, and some players think Allen Iverson dont adjust well to that, because their skills and ego dont allow them to.

Players have steadily complimented Westbrook as a teammate. But does he know that he will have to watch the ball a lot more than hes used to? With the Wizards last season, according to the leagues tracking numbers, Westbrooks usage percentage with Beal on the floor was about 26 percent, compared with 33.9 percent when Beal was off. For Beal, his rate was at about 29.8 percent with Westbrook on, and 38.2 with him off. But the Wizards didnt have a third player of Daviss caliber.

Westbrook will be helpful if he plays to his strengths. He is a relentless slasher and because of his ball-handling and penetration, he will create easier shots for James and Davis. He also pushes the fast break. The Lakers were 21st in pace last season, making them one of the slowest teams, while Westbrooks Wizards were the fastest. Westbrook plays every possession as if he is trying to outrun a vengeful lightning bolt, and thats if hes not the lightning bolt himself. That will help the Lakers add a new dimension to their offense: Westbrook and James are among the best fast-break players the league has seen.

Westbrooks days of averaging a triple-double are most likely behind him. Davis and James are exceptional rebounders and playmakers, leaving less for Westbrook to put on his plate, at least statistically. But Westbrooks addition to the Lakers, as well as that of Dwight Howard and Anthony, makes this one of the most intriguing roster constructions in the last decade.

But if Westbrook is unable to jell with his latest batch of star teammates, the Lakers may end up being an ill-fitting, must-watch mess.

Continue reading here:
Westbrook Always Plays With Stars. But Will They Align on the Lakers? - The New York Times

Loved and Lost: Memorializing victims of COVID-19 in NJ

Loved and Lost is a project about memorializing those lost to COVID-19 in NJ.

NorthJersey.com

This story is part of Loved and Lost, a statewide media collaboration working to celebrate the life of every New Jersey resident who died of COVID-19. To learn moreandsubmit a loved one's name to be profiled, visit lovedandlostnj.com.

Roel Inocentes loved traveling the world, going out to new restaurants, and having a good time in his "man cave." That joie de vivre perfectly reflected his outlook on life.

"He would always tell us, 'You got to enjoy your life, every second of it, because you never know when your time is up,'"his daughter, Marielle Inocentes, said.

The Dumont resident died on Feb. 12, 2021. He was 58 years old.

Roel took trips with his wife, Ellen, and their family to various locales including France, Spain and Mexico. He and his daughter were foodies who loved to eat out at restaurants several times a week.

"He traveled a lot and he would spend all his money and he would buy all these things that he wanted, and we always used to tell him, 'What are you doing?'" Marielle said. "He would say, 'Who cares? Money comes and goes. Your time on this earth is very limited so do what you want to do. "

Roel also loved building additions to his home, including a treehouse that his daughters and later his grandchildren were able to enjoy. And there was his special space where he listened to his favorite songs including Dont Dream Its Over by Crowded House and You Are the Reason by Ramsey Lewis.

A native of the Philippines who emigrated to the U.S. in the early 1990s, Roel also was remembered as a hard worker who spent over 20 years in his new country working for several clothing companies in New York City.

"He would catch the bus at 6:30 a.m. and get to his office in the Empire State Building by 8 a.m. He wouldn't return home until 7:30 at night, said Marielle. "And so many of his co-workers loved him.

In fact, those co-workers paid for his funeral, she said.

But his strong work ethic did not deter him from making time for his wife and daughters, Marielle and Mara, and his grandchildren, Mason, Harley and Nova

"They're sad but they have taken everything that they learned from my dad and you can see it, Marielle said of the grandkids. All their gestures, all the things that they say and talk about, it's pretty much all from my dad."

Original post:
Loved and Lost: Roel Inocentes told his family to enjoy every minute of life - NorthJersey.com

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers have loaded up for the stretch run, but their roster is still evolving. On Friday afternoon, they activated one of their newest additions, Trea Turner, and worked him out at the relatively new position of second base. Meanwhile, one of their biggest stars, Cody Bellinger, came to grips with life as a part-time player and their longtime ace, Clayton Kershaw, pondered a return before October.

Kershaw, who hasn't pitched since July 3, is still shut down from throwing because of soreness around his left elbow, though Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expects him to resume playing catch "relatively soon." His elbow is still recovering from a three-inning simulated game that took place on July 27, a setback Kershaw blamed on ramping back up too quickly.

"It's frustrating," Kershaw said. "It's still nothing serious, but it's just something that's gonna take a little bit of time. It's no fun. Being hurt is miserable. I really don't enjoy it at all, especially with what we have here and the guys that we have coming in. This stretch run right now -- I wanna be part of it so bad. I wanna do everything that I can to be back, and I think I will be. But it's definitely looking more like September than August. I know we're still gonna be in the middle of it, so I'm excited to be a part of it then."

The Dodgers began their weekend series against the crosstown Los Angeles Angels 3 1/2 games behind the San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West. Bellinger, batting only .168 while fighting mechanical flaws that are at least partly a byproduct of offseason shoulder surgery, was out of the starting lineup even though the Dodgers were off the previous day. Roberts said Bellinger, a left-handed hitter, will essentially transition into a platoon player for the foreseeable future, starting against righties and sitting against lefties.

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Turner, a shortstop by trade, will get the vast majority of his plate appearances as a second baseman so that Corey Seager can stay at his natural position. Chris Taylor will start in center field against lefties -- as he did on Friday -- and also provide cover in left field. Bellinger, the 2019 National League MVP, will see his playing time cut by at least a third. Gavin Lux, the former top prospect who has yet to establish himself in the major leagues, is basically out of a job as he rehabilitates a hamstring injury.

"Every single night, there's gonna be a great player that's not getting the start," Roberts said. "That's just kind of where we're at. I'll divvy up playing time with workload. But right now, where we're at in the schedule, we have to win baseball games. We're four games back in the loss column and we gotta win. Every single night, with respect to workload and workload management, I need to put the best guys out there that I feel can win a ballgame that night."

Turner was the Washington Nationals' regular shortstop over the last five years but previously spent some time in center field and at second base. Upon arriving to L.A., Turner told the Dodgers he would be more comfortable remaining on the infield. Roberts said he "embraced" the idea of playing second base for what remains of this season.

"Obviously he sees himself as a shortstop, as he should," Roberts said. "But understanding our roster, second base made sense to him and he understands it gives us the best chance to win a championship."

The Dodgers have a plethora of position-player depth but are still waiting for several of their pitchers to get healthy. Kershaw is the biggest name, but fellow starters Tony Gonsolin (shoulder inflammation) and Danny Duffy (flexor strain) also reside on the injured list. Cole Hamels, signed to a major league contract earlier this week, still needs to build arm strength after making only one start since the end of the 2019 season. Victor Gonzalez, their best left-handed reliever, went on the IL Friday with knee inflammation. And Jimmy Nelson, a former starter who excelled as a reliever this season, has opted for Tommy John surgery.

At full strength -- without counting Trevor Bauer, who faces sexual-assault allegations that have kept him away from the team since early July -- the Dodgers boast eight highly capable starting pitchers, a list that includes Max Scherzer, Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, David Price, Kershaw, Hamels, Gonsolin and Duffy.

But only half of them are active -- and Kershaw is still on the mend.

"We're gonna rest as long as we can," Kershaw said, "to give myself a good chance to pitch in September, pitch some meaningful games in September and be ready to go in October."

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Dodgers work out newly-activated Trea Turner at 2B, expect Clayton Kershaw to resume playing catch 'relatively soon' - ESPN