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#pounditFriday, March 29, 2024

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Magic City strip club has great response to Hawks trading for Lou Williams

Lou Williams

One of the best subplots of NBA trade deadline day was definitely the reunion between Lou Williams and his beloved Magic City lemon pepper barbecue wings.

Williams was shipped off to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday in a trade that sent Rajon Rondo to the Los Angeles Clippers. Williams has a pretty notable connection to the city of Atlanta: not only did he play there from 2012-2014, but it’s the home of his beloved Magic City strip club. The guard infamously stopped by last year while on an excused absence from the NBA bubble, purportedly for his “Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ wings.”

Naturally, Magic City did not miss the opportunity to welcome Williams on social media, even trolling Buffalo Wild Wings over the competing restaurant’s own welcome.

Williams ultimately accepted the joke. He’ll be hearing a lot about it now — assuming he reports to the team, of course.

This is why teams did not trade for Kyle Lowry before deadline

Kyle Lowry

If there was an NBA trade deadline surprise, it was that the Toronto Raptors opted to hold on to point guard Kyle Lowry despite significant trade interest. Now that the deadline has passed, we’re getting a clearer idea why.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, interested teams were concerned that Lowry would turn out to be a rental. The veteran guard is a free agent at the end of the season, and any team that acquired him would have to either give him a significant new contract or accept that he was not staying beyond the end of the season.

It was widely reported that Toronto had a fairly high asking price in Lowry talks. Teams were simply reluctant to give up valuable long-term assets for what was potentially a short-term rental. That’s particularly true for the Heat, who will have other ways of making further improvements.

The Raptors currently sit 11th in the Eastern Conference, so they have a chance to sneak into the playoffs with Lowry now.

Photo: Chensiyuan/Wikimedia via CC-by-S.A. 4.0

Patriots do not view Cam Newton as their starting QB for 2021?

Cam Newton

The New England Patriots have made an effort to improve their offense by signing several key playmakers, but many wonder if those additions will matter with Cam Newton returning as the team’s starting quarterback. Of course, it is possible that Newton is not returning as the team’s starting quarterback.

ESPN’s Dianna Russini said on “Get Up!” Thursday morning that she has spoken with people who do not believe the Patriots are set on Newton as their starter. She said there is a sense around NFL circles that Newton is not Plan A for Bill Belichick.

“His contract tells you how they feel about him,” Russini said, via 98.5 The Sports Hub. “They don’t think he’s the future of the New England Patriots.”

Russini added that Belichick greatly respects Newton and that the former MVP has impressed the team with his work ethic. However, Newton did nothing in 2020 to prove he is still capable of playing at a high level.

“This is a guy who has been an elite quarterback and is no longer elite, and I think he’s done a really good job of playing the game with Bill Belichick,” Russini added. “We hear nothing but great compliments. It seems like it just works.

“But in terms of playing — because that’s what this is going to come down to at the end of the day, everyone can like each other and get along and [sing] ‘Kumbaya,’ but he’s got to go out there and perform.”

Newton had trouble finding a starting job last offseason, which is why he signed with the Patriots so late. He then went out and had 2,657 passing yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. It would stand to reason that no teams would have been interested in Newton as a starter heading into 2021, which is probably why he re-signed with New England so quickly.

The way Newton reacted to all of the Patriots’ free agent signings makes it seem like he believes he’s the team’s starter, but he’ll almost certainly have to compete for the job. If New England swings a big trade or drafts a quarterback early, the odds will be stacked against him.

Cam Newton is back with the Patriots! Treat yourself or a friend with this great Cam Newton Patriots shirt. You can buy it here.

Brett Favre reveals why he once had suicidal thoughts

Brett Favre

Brett Favre has been open about his painkiller addiction in the years since he retired from the NFL, and the Hall of Famer spoke more about it on his podcast this week. He also revealed that he once had suicidal thoughts.

In the latest episode of “Bolling with Favre” with co-host Eric Bolling, Favre told special guest Dr. Phil about one of the lowest points of his life and struggle with addiction. The Green Bay Packers legend said he was addicted to pain pills and unable to sleep at night despite how well his career was going.

“It was crazy. But I was low,” Favre recalled, as transcribed by Chris Franklin of NJ.com. “I said it would be one of two things: Either I die, or I flush these pills down the toilet.”

Favre contemplated the decision for two hours before flushing all his painkillers down the toilet. He said he contemplated suicide not long after.

“I almost wanted to kill myself because of doing that,” Favre said. “I could not believe that I had actually done that. I was so mad at myself because now what was I going to do?”

Favre said he had problems for two weeks after coming off the pain pills. He recalled that he “shook with cold sweats and hot sweats” every night at around 9 p.m., which was the time he used to take them.

This isn’t the first time Favre has been candid about his painkiller addiction. He also opened up a few years back about how many times he needed to go to rehab because of it. The fact that he also had suicidal thoughts is another reminder of how serious the problem was during Favre’s career.

Photo: Arnie Papp/Flickr via CC-by-SA 2.0

Report: Heat expected to be frontrunners for LaMarcus Aldridge

LaMarcus Aldridge

The Miami Heat aren’t done trying to improve after making one of the bigger moves of the trade deadline.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Heat are expected to emerge as one of the frontrunners for LaMarcus Aldridge once he completes a buyout with the San Antonio Spurs.

Aldridge wasn’t traded ahead of Thursday’s deadline, which did not come as a huge shock. He’ll be one of the hottest names on the buyout market, as multiple contenders will want to make their pitch to him. Miami’s need for Aldridge could become more pressing after including forward Kelly Olynyk in the Victor Oladipo deal on Thursday.

Aldridge averaged 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this season for San Antonio. He hasn’t played since March 1st, when the Spurs decided to part ways with him.

Kyle Lowry, Lonzo Ball, LaMarcus Aldridge not traded before deadline

Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry, Lonzo Ball and LaMarcus Aldridge are all players who were mentioned heavily in trade rumors ahead of the deadline. But the deadline has passed, and none of the three players were dealt.

Lowry’s name was in trade rumors for the last few months. He even seemed to give a goodbye to TV cameras on Wednesday night, but the Raptors did not find a trade partner for him. He is scheduled to be a free agent after the season.

Lonzo Ball was also mentioned in trade rumors. The New Orleans Pelicans ended up keeping him, but they did deal away shooting guard JJ Redick. The Pelicans could still keep Ball for another season before he would be a restricted free agent.

Aldridge and the Spurs agreed two weeks ago to part ways. However, San Antonio did not trade Aldridge. Instead, the two sides may end up agreeing to a contract buyout that would make Aldridge eligible to sign with other teams.

Even though these three players were not traded, there were still plenty of big moves made. Rajon Rondo and Lou Williams were swapped in a deal. The Orlando Magic unloaded many of their top players. And Victor Oladipo was sent to Miami in a big move.

Photo: Chensiyuan/Wikimedia via CC-by-S.A. 4.0

Victor Oladipo traded to Heat for Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley

Victor Oladipo

After being linked to big moves all week, the Miami Heat have finally struck on trade deadline day.

As first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Heat will acquire guard Victor Oladipo from the Houston Rockets. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported that the Rockets will receive Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk, as well as a draft pick swap in 2022.

The Heat have been aggressive all week in trade talks, and were among the teams pushing for Kyle Lowry. Oladipo and the Heat have been rumored to be a match for quite a while now, and he was a cheaper option than anyone else on the market while also having clear upside.

Oladipo was shipped from Indiana to Houston as part of the James Harden trade earlier this season. He averaged 21.2 points per game in 20 appearances for Houston. Health will be a question, but he figures to start in Miami’s backcourt and should provide extra scoring punch as Miami tries to position itself for another playoff run.

Photo: Michael Tipton/Flickr via CC-BY-SA 2.0

JJ Redick traded to Mavericks from Pelicans

JJ Redick

Lonzo Ball had been mentioned as a potential trade candidate leading up to Thursday’s deadline, but the New Orleans Pelicans decided to move on from a different guard instead.

The Pelicans have traded J.J. Redick to the Dallas Mavericks, according to multiple reports.

Redick averaged 8.7 points per game in 31 games for New Orleans this season, all of which were off the bench. The Mavericks will be the sixth different team that the 36-year-old has played for.

Ball reportedly drew interest from multiple teams ahead of the deadline, but New Orleans has decided to keep its young core together for now. Ball’s numbers have improved this season and he said recently that he is excited about what the Pelicans are building with him, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

The Mavericks are 23-19 and in seventh place in the Western Conference. Redick should provide them with a solid veteran shooter off the bench down the stretch.

Photo: Verse Photography/Flickr via CC-by-SA 2.0

Lou Williams threatened to retire if he were traded

Lou Williams

Lou Williams’ word will be put to the test.

Earlier in March, Williams posted on Instagram. A troll told him that he was about to be traded. The Los Angeles Clippers guard suggested that he would retire if he got traded.

“This my last stop champ,” Williams wrote in a comment on March 3. “I get traded it’s gonna be to LouWillVille lol.”

Well, just before Thursday’s trade deadline, Williams was dealt to the Atlanta Hawks for Rajon Rondo.

Williams had some stability as this was his fourth straight season with the Clippers. The 34-year-old bounced around plenty during his career but probably enjoyed not bouncing around so much.

Williams is in his final season under contract and may have been thinking of retiring after the season. Could the trade to Atlanta just bump up Williams’ plans to call it a career? We will see.

Rajon Rondo traded to Clippers for Lou Williams

Rajon Rondo

The Los Angeles Clippers did not sign Rajon Rondo last offseason despite being repeatedly linked to him, but they have now found another way to acquire the veteran point guard.

Rondo has been traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Clippers in exchange for Lou Williams, two second-round picks and cash, according to The Athletic.

Rondo signed a two-year, $15 million deal with the Hawks last November after also being pursued by the Clippers. There were indications that Rondo would have preferred to sign with L.A. at the time.

Though he has played sparingly in Atlanta and is averaging a career-low 3.9 points and 3.5 assists per game, Rondo is a vocal leader with extensive postseason experience. The Clippers had well-documented issues with chemistry during the playoffs last season, so Rondo could help them in multiple ways.

It will be interesting to see how Williams reacts to the trade, as the former Sixth Man of the Year previously hinted he might retire before he starts fresh elsewhere.