Kevin Durant already reunited with one former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate in James Harden, and he nearly did so with another one as well.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Monday that the Brooklyn Nets considered signing veteran wing Andre Roberson, who played with Durant for three seasons. But the open roster spot instead went to Iman Shumpert.
The 29-year-old Roberson, a former All-Defensive Second Team player, became a free agent last offseason after spending his entire career with the Thunder. He still remains unsigned however. Roberson was teammates with Durant in OKC from 2013 to 2016. Harden was also teammates with Durant on the Thunder but was gone by the time that Roberson got there.
Granted, Durant and Roberson did have a bit of beef after Durant left OKC. Perhaps that factored into why Brooklyn did not ultimately sign Roberson.
LeBron James continues to chase Michael Jordan’s legacy, and he once even came close to the second sport sabbatical part of it as well.
James told The Athletic this week that he seriously considered an offer to try out for the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys back in 2011. The offer came from owner Jerry Jones himself. Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll also sent James a custom Seahawks jersey and an invitation to try out.
At the time, James was with the Miami Heat, who had just lost in the Finals to the Dallas Mavericks. An NBA lockout then followed, spurring players around the league to participate in exhibition games or to briefly play overseas. James, meanwhile, mulled his NFL prospects. He adjusted his training routine and even ran some routes.
“I would have made the team,” said James. “I would have tried out. But I would have made the team. One thing about it, I don’t mind working for something. So if I’d have had to try out for the Cowboys or the Seahawks, or if I’d have stayed home and went back home to Cleveland, I’d have tried [out]. But I would have made the team. I just know what I’m capable of doing on the football field. Especially at that age.”
James, who was 26 at the time, had been a two-sport star in high school, playing both basketball and football. He was a wide receiver on the gridiron and even got recruited by some Division I football programs such as Notre Dame. Many believe that James, with his size at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, speed, and leaping ability would have excelled in professional football had he chosen that path instead.
One of the Cowboys receivers back then also thought that James would have crushed it in the NFL. Thus, an official tryout might have actually been more substance than publicity stunt.
By all accounts, Trevor Lawrence was very impressive at his Pro Day on Friday, showing off a wide array of quarterback skills in front of NFL scouts. But it turns out it wasn’t just what he did on the field that impressed evaluators.
Lawrence made an impression even at the end of the workout, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB. When those who attended were leaving, Lawrence fist-bumped every NFL evaluator he saw, and even thanked them for coming. The scouts “took note of” this, according to Breer.
A Clemson staffer indicated that he wasn’t surprised by that, telling Breer that Lawrence “just gets it.”
Obviously, NFL scouts are looking for more than this. That said, the combination of talent and temperament is a rare thing, and it’s what all teams covet in quarterbacks. Lawrence was already great on the field Friday, and it seems he left a great impression off it, too. It’s easy to see why he’s almost certain to go first overall in the NFL Draft.
Joe Buck shared a little secret with Colin Cowherd during a recent appearance on “The Colin Cowherd Podcast.”
Cowherd had Buck on for an interview and was complimenting the longtime announcer on the comfortable and relaxing vibe Buck has when broadcasting NFL games with Troy Aikman. Cowherd described it as feeling like Buck and Aikman are just sitting there with a glass of bourbon and talking about the game.
That’s when Buck revealed that he used to have cocktails inside the TV booth on occasions. The drink served as a reminder for Buck to stay relaxed and not lose focus of the vibe.
“I’ll say this. We have had that glass of bourbon in the booth. Although it’s not bourbon, it’s tequila, splash of Grand Marnier and grapefruit juice. I went through a couple years where in the first inning of every postseason baseball game, I had the runner go get the biggest beer the stadium sold. And I had it sitting there, and I would sip it from time-to-time to remind myself to relax and have fun. I’m just doing a game,” Buck explained.
He then shared how it evolved to include his broadcast partner on NFL games, Troy Aikman.
“And I brought that over to football, but because Troy is a man of finer tastes, beer somehow became tequila, Grand Marnier and grapefruit juice. We haven’t done it in a long time now, but it was good for a stretch and I feel like it’s a good mental trigger to just chill and remind yourself that you’re not refueling a F-16 in mid-flight. You’re doing a sporting event, and if you treat it like anything other than that, you’re doing yourself a disservice.”
Interestingly, Buck says that he developed his chemistry with John Smoltz quicker than he did with Aikman, though he and Aikman have had it for a while.
Don’t get Buck confused for “Brockmire” or anything like that just because he shared this story. Plus, this is nothing compared to say a Harry Caray. But we already knew that while giving a solid call of sports events, Buck also likes to have a little fun.
Standout freshman Jalen Johnson appears likely to have played his last game for the Duke Blue Devils.
As first reported by Jacob Polacheck and Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog, Johnson has decided to opt out of the remainder of the college basketball season. The Duke freshman cleaned out his locker on Monday morning.
A highly-touted prospect, Johnson is a projected lottery pick despite an underwhelming year with Duke. The forward is averaging 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals for the Blue Devils this season, but has seen his minutes decrease significantly recently. Johnson has not started any of the last three games, and played only eight minutes in the Blue Devils’ win over NC State. Duke has struggled in general all year, with an 8-8 record so far, and things have not been very pleasant around the program. That may have played a role in Johnson’s decision.
It’s a bit strange to see Johnson opt out this late in the season, as the Blue Devils have only six regular season games remaining. It’s not likely to hurt his draft stock, and he still stands a very good chance of being a first-round pick assuming he goes pro.
The Los Angeles Lakers issued an initial timetable on the injury to star center Anthony Davis, but it sounds like the organization is prepared to live without him for a while.
The Lakers announced Monday that Davis will be evaluated in 2-3 weeks due to a calf strain. This should not be viewed as a solid return date, however.
A Lakers source told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that the Lakers are prepared to be very cautious and conservative in bringing Davis back, taking a more long-term view of his health.
The Lakers want to win another championship. They’ll need Davis healthy to do that. At 21-7, missing the playoffs isn’t a concern for them. While they’d certainly like to be as well-positioned as possible in terms of seeding, Davis’ health is more important.
The injury didn’t look great live, so the fact that it’s not extremely severe is good news. Davis might be out a while, but there’s no reason the Lakers shouldn’t have him back for the playoffs, especially if they’re planning to be this cautious.
The two NFL franchises Vincent Jackson played for paid tribute to him after his death on Monday.
The Los Angeles Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers both issued statements after Jackson’s death, noting his off-field accomplishments as well as his on-field success.
Jackson was a three-time Pro Bowler and was selected as a member of both organizations. He also had three 1,000-yard receiving seasons with each team.
The longtime wide receiver was found dead in a Florida hotel room on Monday. No cause of death has been determined, but there was no sign of foul play. Jackson was only 38 years old.
Photo: Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia via CC-by-SA-3.0
It has been both reported and widely assumed that Cam Newton will not return to the New England Patriots next season. But now that it suddenly seems like the Pats could have trouble attracting free agents, is there a scenario where Bill Belichick could give Newton another shot?
Michael Giardi of NFL Network was asked on Monday if the Patriots will consider bringing Newton back, and the reporter said he would not rule it out. The rationale is that New England did not sign Newton until June last year, which gave him minimal time to learn a complicated offense while juggling coronavirus restrictions. Giardi also noted how few weapons the Patriots gave Newton to work with, especially after Julian Edelman went down with an injury.
“Maybe if they look back on what they did this past season, they’ll decide, ‘We didn’t do enough for Cam to make Cam as comfortable as possible in this offense,'” Giardi said.
There’s no denying that the Patriots put Newton in a tough position. Very few quarterbacks would thrive with Jakobi Meyers as their top wide receiver and no legitimate pass-catching option at the tight end position. That said, a poor supporting cast wasn’t Newton’s only issue.
Newton finished the season with 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He even looked physically limited at times, which is concerning given his history with shoulder problems.
We have heard reports that make it seem like the Patriots could have trouble trading for a starting quarterback or attracting free agents. If their only option is to draft a QB, perhaps they will bring back Newton for another season and see if he can improve in a bridge role.
The Denver Broncos have a quarterback in Drew Lock, but it appears they’re willing to move for a big upgrade if it becomes possible.
According to Troy Renck of Denver7, the Broncos intend to pursue a Deshaun Watson trade if the Houston Texans make him available. The team is not, however, pursuing Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz.
The Broncos appear to be taking the approach of pursuing a clear upgrade if they see one. Watson would represent that. With Wentz, it’s less clear. If the Broncos were aggressively trying to replace Lock, they’d be looking at names like Wentz. Instead, they appear willing to stick with Lock for another year unless there’s someone significantly better available.
Watson would have to approve a trade to the Broncos, but there is some thought that he might be willing to do that.
Anthony Davis just returned from an injury, but he is going back on the shelf.
Davis is out at least 2-3 more weeks due to a calf strain. Davis suffered the injury while trying to drive to the basket late in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night.
Davis went down in pain but remained in the game to shoot his free throws. He later exited the game and limped off the court into the locker room, where he was ruled out the rest of the contest.
Davis was set to undergo an MRI on Monday, and the findings dictate he will be out a few more weeks.
Davis recently missed two games due to an Achilles tendon injury and had just returned to the Lakers’ lineup. Davis is averaging 22.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.8 blocks per game this season.
