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Bulls could hire 1 former NBA All-Star to lead their front office

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A notable reunion may be on the table for the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls made the major decision on Monday to fire their lead executives Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley. Karnisovas (vice president of basketball operations) and Eversley (general manager) are now out in Chicago amid a fourth straight losing season by the team (this one marking their worst yet at 29-49).

Kurt Helin of NBC Sports reports that retired former NBA All-Star Kyle Korver has emerged as a candidate to lead basketball operations for the Bulls. Korver currently serves as assistant general manager of the Atlanta Hawks.

Helin also notes that Hawks GM Landry Fields, Golden State Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy, Minnesota Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd, and CAA agent Austin Brown are other potential candidates for the opening in Chicago. You can read Helin’s full report on the situation here.

Of those names, Korver, now 45, probably makes the most sense as an NBA front office figure who also does not have a position as a lead executive just yet. He played in the NBA from 2003-2020 and made a name for himself as a sharpshooter who hit 2,450 three-pointers at an elite 42.9 percent clip. Korver also played for the Bulls themselves from 2010-12.

After retiring as a player, Korver went into coaching and front office work and has served as Hawks assistant GM since 2023. Chicago fans have at least some fond memories of Korver, and now there is a possibility that he could return as the lead executive of the Bulls.

Michael Wilbon lambasts ‘insecure bully’ Geno Auriemma in scathing rant

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Michael Wilbon did not mince words in his public callout of Geno Auriemma.

The UConn women’s basketball head coach received negative backlash last week for confronting Dawn Staley after his team lost to South Carolina in the Final Four. Auriemma was fuming over the officiating in the contest and specifically peeved at Staley for supposedly working the referees.

Auriemma later issued an apology that was not well-received at all.

Wilbon wasn’t ready to forgive and forget either. He chastised Auriemma on Monday’s episode of “Pardon the Interruption” in a scathing rant.

“It’s the disgraceful behavior of a massively insecure bully,” Wilbon said of Auriemma.

“It was petulant, it was classless. … He lied on national TV, round after round of interviews and accused South Carolina’s players of doing something his own players did as if we don’t all have television. Geno Auriemma is one of the biggest figures in the history, deservedly so, of college basketball, and he behaved like a garden-variety bum.”

Wilbon also called out Auriemma’s “bogus” apology to South Carolina for not even including any direct mention of Staley.

South Carolina fans let Auriemma know they weren’t happy with him either during the Gamecocks’ national title game against UCLA. The NCAA played a montage of past championship games during the contest on Sunday, and the South Carolina faithful booed heavily every time UConn was featured on screen. It happened a lot, given that Auriemma is a 12-time national champion.

CJ McCollum hit one of the wildest shots ever that didn’t count

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CJ McCollum was mere milliseconds away Monday from highlight reel immortality.

The Atlanta Hawks trailed the New York Knicks 108-105 with 1.2 seconds left on the clock at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga. With no timeouts remaining following a pair of Jalen Brunson free throws, the Hawks had to create some magic 94 feet away from their own basket.

McCollum did his best David Blaine impression with an off-balance 60-foot heave that banked in seemingly right at the buzzer.

Unfortunately for McCollum and every Hawks fan in the building, the ball was still touching CJ’s fingertips as the clock expired. You can watch the slow-motion replay below.

The moment McCollum took two dribbles before getting a shot off made it nearly impossible for him to get the ball out of his hands in time. The fact that it was even close was a testament to how quickly the veteran guard released the ball after his second dribble.

McCollum finished with 17 points in the 108-105 loss. While CJ didn’t get the Hawks an extra period on Monday, he’s still been a godsend for the team ever since he arrived in Atlanta in the Trae Young deal. The Hawks have gone 18-3 since McCollum became a permanent fixture in the team’s starting lineup.

Yaxel Lendeborg gives the saddest interview at halftime of national title game

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Yaxel Lendeborg was giving it straight during Monday’s national title game.

The Michigan star forward Lendeborg battled through multiple ailments to suit up on Monday against UConn at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. He did not look like himself at all though, finishing the first half with four points on 1/5 shooting and no other statistics to his name.

Lendeborg was interviewed by Tracy Wolfson of CBS at halftime and proceeded to give the saddest interview. The 23-year-old All-American admitted that he was feeling “awful” and “super weak.”

Here is the full interview clip.

Michigan dominated Arizona in the Final Four over the weekend, but Lendeborg suffered both an MCL sprain and a twisted ankle during the game. He vowed to play in Monday’s national title game though and did just that, grinding through all 20 minutes in the first half as Michigan took a narrow 33-29 lead over UConn into the break.

That said, even Michigan head coach Dusty May seemed to hint in recent days that the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Lendeborg was compromised. With their best player clearly at less than 100 percent on Monday (and by self-admission at that), the likes of Morez Johnson Jr., Elliot Cadeau, and Aday Mara were left to do some heavier lifting on offense for the Wolverines instead.

Willson Contreras rages at the Brewers after getting hit by a pitch

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It has happened again with Willson Contreras.

The Boston Red Sox first baseman Contreras was involved in a heated incident during Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers. In the bottom of the third inning at Fenway Park in Boston, Mass., Contreras was clipped by an inside pitch from Milwaukee’s Brandon Woodruff and proceeded to rage.

Contreras yelled angrily at Woodruff as he was making his way up the first-base line, resulting in his brother (Brewers catcher William Contreras, who was behind the plate) having to escort him in the direction of the bag. While he was standing on first base, Contreras then started getting heated with a nearby umpire.

Finally, Contreras was forced out at second base on a fielder’s choice … and took a very hard (but legal) slide into Brewers shortstop David Hamilton in the process. Here is the video of the full sequence.

There is plenty of history between Contreras (who used to play in the NL Central with both the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals), and the Brewers. In particular, Contreras had a vulgar incident with the Brewers during a meeting in Milwaukee last season. The television broadcast of Monday’s game also noted that the HBP marked the sixth total time that Woodruff had plunked Contreras over the years.

On top of that, Contreras has now been hit 102 times over the last six years (including an MLB-leading 14 in the 60-game 2020 season), and he really hates it. Contreras once even sparked a benches-clearing brawl with another team after being hit.

Kyle Tucker gets a very harsh reception from Blue Jays fans during game

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Some of the loudest boos during Monday night’s Los Angeles Dodgers-Toronto Blue Jays game were reserved for a guy who wasn’t even around the last time that the two teams met.

The Dodgers and Blue Jays met at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ont. for the first time since their seven-game World Series thriller last year. In the first inning, new Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker stepped up to the plate … and received a incredibly loud chorus of boos.

Here is the video.

Just about every Dodgers players was booed at Rogers Centre on Monday with Toronto’s absolutely heartbreaking World Series defeat to Los Angeles still fresh in the minds of all in the crowd. But the boos for Tucker in particular were pretty deafening.

For context, the Blue Jays seriously pursued the four-time All-Star Tucker in free agency this past offseason. They even reportedly offered Tucker some absurd contract terms in an all-out effort to land his signature.

But Tucker, 29, ultimately chose to sign with the hated Dodgers instead. Now Tucker is officially joining his teammate Shohei Ohtani as a player who will never know peace when he steps inside Toronto from now on.

Red Sox fans rain down 3-word chant amid league-worst start

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Boston Red Sox fans let their feelings be known Monday as the team began to struggle once again at Fenway Park in Boston, Mass.

The Red Sox entered Monday’s contest against the Milwaukee Brewers as the lone MLB team that had yet to notch three wins this season. That looked like it was going to change as the home team raced to a 3-0 lead through the first three innings.

The lead Boston had built up, however, disappeared in an instant in the top of the 4th inning. Three of the Brewers’ first four batters got on to load the bases. Red Sox starter Brayan Bello induced a ground ball, but it led to a fielding error by third baseman Caleb Durbin.

The mistake opened the floodgates, as Milwaukee’s next three batters all got on base safely to take a 4-3 lead before the inning mercifully ended on a double play. The Red Sox’s self-inflicted wounds had fans chanting three words: “Sell the team!”

It’s not the first time this season Bostonians have called for John Henry to sell off their beloved baseball franchise. But Monday’s chants were certainly much louder, and will only increase in volume if the team continues to struggle.

Dan Hurley speaks out on the possibility of leaving for the NBA

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Dan Hurley appears to be keeping his options open when it comes to the pros.

The UConn head coach Hurley was interviewed this week by Adam Zagoria of Forbes. During the interview, Hurley suggested that he could still make the leap to the NBA at some point.

“I’m the UConn coach until the end, and maybe the NBA someday down the line,” said Hurley. “But yeah, I’m the UConn coach.”

The 53-year-old Hurley has been the coach at UConn since 2018 and has experienced immense success. He led the team to two consecutive NCAA titles in 2023 and 2024 and now has the Huskies back in the national championship game this year, where they are playing Michigan on Monday.

That said, Hurley had a major flirtation with the NBA just two summers ago. In June 2024, Hurley turned down a monster contract offer to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. He then ended up signing a new extension with UConn, which now runs through 2029-30.

If Hurley manages to lead the Huskies to another national title, the lure of a new challenge elsewhere might become even stronger. Interestingly enough too, Hurley’s contract with UConn features no buyout if he leaves for an NBA job after March 31, 2027 (with a buyout of just $1 million if he leaves for the NBA any earlier than that).

Details surface on Luka Doncic’s unusual injury treatment

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Luka Doncic is going experimental as he attempts to return to the lineup as soon as humanly possible.

The Los Angeles Lakers star Doncic was diagnosed last week with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. He suffered the injury during a humiliating loss on Thursday to the Oklahoma City Thunder (see the video here).

On Sunday though, we learned that Doncic was seeking specialized treatment in Europe in the wake of his injury. The hope for Doncic is that he will somehow be able to return to play ahead of the usual roughly 4-to-6 weeks that it takes to recover from a hamstring strain of that nature.

Shams Charania of ESPN appeared Monday on “NBA Today” and shared the details about Doncic’s unusual treatment plan. Charania reported that Doncic was in Spain undergoing an injection procedure to promote healing in his hamstring (but noted that it was unclear if the treatment would actually work in speeding up Doncic’s timeline).

The No. 3 seed Lakers now have less than one week to go in the regular season before the playoffs officially start on Apr. 18. There is obviously significant risk when it comes to rushing back from a hamstring injury in particular, but Doncic is clearly comfortable with taking that risk in an effort to contribute to his team during the postseason.

In the meantime though, the Lakers are just one game away from falling to the No. 5 seed with four games left to play. With fellow L.A. star Austin Reaves also nursing a fresh 4-to-6-week absence of his own right now, it remains to be seen if Doncic’s gamble will even be worth it in the end.

Jose Ramirez makes Cleveland Guardians history

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Cleveland Guardians superstar Jose Ramirez just put his name into the franchise record books.

On Monday, the Guardians faced the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. With Ramirez in the lineup again, he became the franchise’s all-time leader for games played.

Here is the list:

  1. Jose Ramirez: 1,620
  2. Terry Turner: 1,619
  3. Nap Lajoie: 1,614
  4. Lou Boudreau: 1,560
  5. Jim Hegan: 1,526

Ramirez, who has spent his entire MLB career with the Guardians, is also commonly seen in other records for the franchise.

Ramirez is a seven-time All-Star and six-time Silver Slugger winner, and he has been a focal point for the franchise since making his MLB debut in 2013.

Unfortunately, Ramirez is off to a bit of a slow start to begin the 2026 MLB season. The Guardians third baseman has a .154 average with one home run and five RBIs through the first two weeks of the year.

On the other hand, Cleveland entered Monday’s game with a 6-4 record and in first place in the American League Central.

Regardless, Ramirez is now the franchise leader in games played, and this record looks to be very difficult for anybody to break for a long time.

Billy Donovan’s future with Bulls gets an update after front office firings

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The Chicago Bulls are making changes even before the end of the 2025-26 NBA season.

On Monday, the Bulls announced that they are firing both executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley after six seasons with the franchise.

The next domino is regarding head coach Billy Donovan. His name was linked to the North Carolina Tar Heels job, but former Nuggets coach Michael Malone was hired on Monday just before the Bulls fired the two executives.

Donovan’s future with the Bulls got an update from Jamal Collier of ESPN after the front office shakeup.

“Chicago remains high on coach Billy Donovan and plans to meet with him in the offseason to see how the team can retain him, sources told ESPN on Monday,” Collier wrote. “The team has made it clear, though, that they want him back in the organization as coach or in some capacity going forward, sources told ESPN.”

That sure sounds like Donovan is sticking around, whether it be as a head coach or in another role.

At the end of March, it was revealed that there was a “growing chance” Donovan would leave if Karnisovas stayed, so with him out of town, perhaps that helps the Bulls’ chances of keeping the head coach.

Donovan has a 224-254 record in six seasons as the Bulls’ head coach, although some questionable trades and roster decisions have made things very difficult on the staff.

With the North Carolina job filled and the Bulls making changes in the front office, it could mean Donovan is back for at least another season despite missing the postseason once again.

Former North Carolina star reacts to hiring of Michael Malone

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The North Carolina Tar Heels’ search for a new head coach is over.

North Carolina made a surprising move by hiring former Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.

Malone’s name was very unexpected, but he won an NBA title with the Nuggets and he could be a good fit for the program in Chapel Hill. After the news surfaced, former North Carolina star Ty Lawson reacted to the decision to bring in Maline, and Lawson is excited about it.

“Mike Malone!!!!!! Yeah he gonna get ish done fasho !!!! Unc I love it!!!” Lawson wrote on X.

A report emerged previously that the top candidates for North Carolina were Billy Donovan, Tommy Lloyd and Dusty May.

However, Arizona gave Lloyd a new contract, and May informed Michigan officials he wasn’t looking for another job.

The NBA season hasn’t ended, and with the transfer portal opening on Tuesday, North Carolina had a tough decision to make, which led to the move to hire Malone instead of waiting to kick the tires on Donovan.

Malone’s daughter is a volleyball player at North Carolina, so there were some ties there.

Still, it’s a big move by the program, but Lawson is all the way on board with the choice his alma mater made for the next head coach.

Trevor Plouffe compares 1 Braves player to an orange

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The fruit-to-MLB player comparisons are not seen very often, but former MLB player Trevor Plouffe made sure to get into that action.

During an episode of “Talkin’ Baseball,” Plouffe discussed his favorite fruits, but then said Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson is like a navel orange.

“Matt Olson has now played in 792 games in a row,” Plouffe said. “Matt Olson, to me, is like a navel orange. There might be some other fruits, like a Corey Seager, who might hit better. But overall, I’m taking Matt Olson over Corey Seager because he’s available to play.”

PLouffe then said Olson is “so juicy” and available.

Since the start of the 2022 season, Olson has played in every single regular-season game.

He came to the Braves in 2023, and he had 54 home runs with 139 RBIs that season, which were career-highs in both categories.

Olson then had 29 home runs in each of the past two seasons, and he has been a steady presence in the lineup for Atlanta daily.

While Olson might not be producing like the Aaron Judge’s of the world, Plouffe credits the fact that Olson is consistent.

Nonetheless, it’s quite the comparison for Olson.

1 key Blue Jays player is set to undergo surgery

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The Toronto Blue Jays started off April with four losses on the road against the Chicago White Sox.

Now, the Blue Jays are set to be without starting catcher Alejandro Kirk for the foreseeable future. Kirk suffered an injury in Friday’s 5-4 loss to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Ill. On Monday, Blue Jays manager John Schneider revealed that Kirk will undergo thumb surgery on Tuesday and his return is up in the air.

Kirk was signed by the Blue Jays in 2016 at the age of 18, and he has become a key part of their everyday lineup.

Kirk played in 130 games last season as the primary catcher, and he hit .282 with 15 home runs and 76 RBIs in a career-best campaign. Before the 2025 season began, the Blue Jays gave Kirk a well-deserved five-year, $58 million extension as well.

Tyler Heineman replaced Kirk on Friday and got the start on Saturday, but Brandon Valenzuela started on Sunday at catcher, so it will be interesting to see what Schneider does with Kirk on the shelf.

The Blue Jays also saw starting pitcher Cody Ponce suffer an injury, so it hasn’t been a promising start to the year after the World Series run in 2025.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has made a clear statement to the Bucks

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Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks remain at odds over whether he should be shut down for the season, and Antetokounmpo is attempting to lay down the law behind the scenes.

ESPN’s Shams Charania appeared on “NBA Today” Monday and revealed that Antetokounmpo is still trying to ramp up in order to play before the end of the season. The star forward’s goal is to be able to play at least one game with brothers Alex and Thanasis. He mentioned Friday’s home finale against the Brooklyn Nets as a game Antetokounmpo could target to play in.

“Giannis is trying to ramp up this week, from my understanding,” Charania said. “He wants to play with his brothers before the regular season ends. He’s making very clear behind the scenes that’s his goal.”

Friday’s game might be an awkward choice, since it’s against the tanking Nets. Of course, the Bucks will not be able to catch Brooklyn in the loss column, but they will want to lock in as high a lottery position as possible. That is at the core of Antetokounmpo’s dispute with the Bucks, even if no one can admit it publicly. It isn’t clear whether a late-season return would help or hurt the Bucks in terms of the outcome of the NBA’s investigation into the team, either.

Giannis has made it clear publicly that he wants to play with his brothers at least once. The question at this point seems to be if the Bucks will allow it to happen.

Coach K has savage response to North Carolina’s coach hire

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If Mike Krzyzewski is worried about rival North Carolina’s new head coach, he certainly isn’t showing it.

Coach K was a guest on “The Pat McAfee Show” Monday when news broke that the Tar Heels were hiring former NBA champion Michael Malone as their new head coach. The former Duke coach wasted no time sharing his reaction, and he did so by invoking Tar Heels football coach Bill Belichick.

“They had an NFL champion hired as the coach and Duke beat Carolina in football this year,” Krzyzewski said. “That doesn’t mean Coach Belichick isn’t a great coach, but there is time for adjustments. I’ve said it takes longer adjusting from the pros to college.”

Belichick is the perfect example for why hires like this do not guarantee immediate success. He is the most accomplished NFL coach ever, but went just 4-8 in his first season at North Carolina. Similarly, numerous coaches who were very successful at the college level have failed in the NBA.

Malone will be expected to bring immediate success for North Carolina. Count Coach K among those who thinks the program might have to wait a little while to get what it wants.

Dan Orlovsky got hammered for his bad Lamar Jackson take

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ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky offered up a Lamar Jackson take on Monday that aged terribly almost immediately.

Orlovsky appeared on ESPN’s “First Take” Monday to discuss the importance of Jackson attending the Ravens’ first voluntary offseason workout. Orlovsky felt that Jackson needed to be there since the team has a new coaching staff, but was under the impression the quarterback was going to skip them.

“I’m not going to overreact to him not being there,” Orlovsky said of Jackson. “Maybe he gets there in the next day or two, but it certainly sounds like that’s not going to be the case.”

Less than an hour later, the Ravens posted a video of Jackson arriving for workouts on their social media accounts.

Orlovsky never addressed his comments, and ESPN quietly removed the video of the segment from their social media as if it never happened.

Orlovsky has a history with Jackson that has fueled the perception that the ESPN analyst is biased against the Ravens quarterback. He infamously voted against Jackson for MVP in 2025 despite giving him an All-Pro vote, and has been called out for favoring Josh Allen over Jackson.

If Orlovsky was going off history, he was not necessarily wrong to think Jackson would be a no-show. The quarterback skipped eight of a possible nine voluntary workouts last season.

Bulls make major decision on top executive Arturas Karnisovas

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The Chicago Bulls are making sweeping changes to their front office at the end of another disappointing season.

The Bulls announced Monday that executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley have been fired after six seasons.

In a statement, Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf said the team had “not had the success our fans deserve,” and assured Bulls fans that “I hear you and understand your frustration.”

Since hiring Karnisovas in 2020, the Bulls have had just one winning season and made the playoffs only once. The roster has been largely overhauled, but results have been the same, with Karnisovas openly admitting one point that the team he put together has not worked out.

This will raise questions about the future of head coach Billy Donovan. There were reports that he might walk away from the job if Karnisovas remained with the team, so this might actually make it more likely that Donovan stays with the Bulls going forward.

The Bulls have already been eliminated from playoff contention for this season with a 29-49 record.

Michael Malone’s daughter emerges as key reason for his North Carolina move

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Michael Malone’s shocking decision to take the North Carolina Tar Heels head coach job may be partially explained by his daughter.

North Carolina caught the basketball world by surprise when they hired Malone on Tuesday as their new head coach. Several people were quick to point out that he has a family connection with the school: his daughter, Bridget, is a sophomore volleyball player for the Tar Heels.

Bridget Malone committed to North Carolina all the way back in 2023. Presumably, her father would have been quite familiar with the school’s athletics program from that process.

Malone almost certainly could have waited for the NBA offseason and pursued a job at that level, and he would have been a top candidate for every opening. The Tar Heels, however, seemingly offered him the opportunity to continue coaching basketball while also being close to his family.

Bennett Durando of the Denver Post noted that Malone even skipped an NBA Cup game with the Nuggets just to watch Bridget compete in the state tournament.

The interest had to be mutual, of course, but the Tar Heels were evidently impressed enough by Malone’s resume to make him the hire. Much was made about the school going outside the “family” and hiring someone with no ties to the school, and on the surface, they did that. It turns out, however, there is at least some family connection there after all.

North Carolina makes unexpected decision on its next head coach

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The North Carolina Tar Heels have decided on their new head coach, and it is not a choice many saw coming.

The Tar Heels plan to hire former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone to replace Hubert Davis, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. Malone has most recently served as an NBA analyst for ESPN.

Malone was not on anyone’s radar as a potential option for the Tar Heels. He worked as a collegiate assistant from 1994 to 2001, but all of his head coaching jobs have come at the NBA level. While it is no shock he is returning to coaching, the widespread expectation had been that it would be at the NBA level.

On the other hand, Malone has a track record of success. He is 510-394 as an NBA head coach and won the NBA title with the Nuggets in 2023. Denver unexpectedly fired him last year amid reports that he was clashing behind the scenes with other members of the organization.

The Tar Heels are presumably hoping Malone will be able to attract NBA-level talent and draw players in with the strength of his resume. That strategy has not necessarily worked well on the football side, but the Tar Heels are betting on reputation and experience.

North Carolina had targeted the likes of Dusty May of Michigan and Tommy Lloyd of Arizona, but both opted to remain with their current programs. A different NBA head coach had also been strongly linked to the job.

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