Jeremy Lin spent the 2019-20 season playing in China, but the former New York Knicks fan favorite is returning to the NBA.
Lin has agreed to a deal with the Golden State Warriors, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. The plan is for him to join the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz.
Lin last played in the NBA for the Toronto Raptors during the 2018-19 season. He averaged a team-high 22.3 points per game in 39 contests for the Beijing Ducks last season.
While Lin has not lived up to the hype that surrounded him when he exploded onto the scene with the New York Knicks roughly eight years ago, he should still provide the Warriors with some decent guard depth. Klay Thompson is once again out for the season with an injury, so there is a path to significant playing time for Lin in Golden State if he can take advantage.
Lin was emotional last year when talking about the lack of interest from NBA teams in free agency. He has to be relieved that another team is willing to give him a shot.
Ben Simmons has suddenly found his name at the center of the James Harden trade conversation, but the Philadelphia 76ers star is going about his usual business.
In advance of the Sixers’ preseason game against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, Simmons tweeted his usual “snorting” gameday emoji.
While the timing may have seemed suspicious, those who follow Simmons know he always tweets that same emoji on game days. Yes, even for exhibitions. He tweeted the same thing a few days ago before Philly faced the Boston Celtics.
For what it’s worth, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey emphatically shot down the report about Simmons. Although, the former Houston GM has always been open about how much he loves Harden.
Note: A previous version of this article speculated that Simmons’ tweet may have been a response to the trade rumors. That has been corrected.
Gennady Golovkin may have his eyes on a third fight with Canelo Alvarez at some point in the future, but he is certainly taking his bout against Kamil Szeremeta seriously.
Golovkin, 38, appears to be in tremendous shape for his IBF middleweight title defense against Szeremeta. GGG looked absolutely ripped at weigh-in on Thursday.
GGG was initially supposed to get back into the ring with Alvarez, but the latest plans for that bout were impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. He will now look to improve upon his 40-1-1 record with a win over Szeremeta, which could set up his next fight against Alvarez.
If there were any questions about Golovkin’s age or motivation, those photos should answer some of them.
Rudy Gobert is entering the final season of his contract with the Utah Jazz, and the big man has until next week to agree to an extension. Unless he and the team can find some middle ground, Gobert may be headed for free agency next year.
Gobert is eligible for the supermax extension, which is worth up to 35 percent of a team’s salary cap. He became eligible by being named the Defensive Player of the Year twice and making the All-NBA team. While previous reports indicated he would be willing to take less than the supermax, Porter Larsen of ESPN 700 says Gobert has asked for supermax money and is taking a strong stance.
The normal max extension would be 28 percent of the salary cap, so there is a significant gap between that and the supermax. It’s possible Gobert and the Jazz could settle somewhere in the middle, especially since Utah is the only team that can pay him anything close to 35 percent of the cap.
Gobert is widely considered to be one of the best centers in the game, and he is certainly an elite defender. However, calling him a supermax player is a bit of a stretch. The Jazz don’t want to lose him, but you can understand why they don’t want to pay him as much as the Milwaukee Bucks are paying Giannis Antetokounmpo.
We know of at least one team that might have interest in trading for Gobert, so that’s another option the Jazz could explore if the two sides can’t come to an agreement.
Drew Brees has missed four games with a rib injury he suffered in Week 10, but the star quarterback is finally ready to return to the starting lineup.
Brees will start on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Saints were determined to not bring Brees back until he was 100 percent healthy. The 41-year-old was dealing with an injury to his throwing shoulder in addition to multiple fractured ribs and a punctured lung. His return on Sunday would seemingly indicate that he has suffered no setbacks over the past month.
Taysom Hill played well as the starting quarterback over the past four weeks, but the Saints saw their winning streak end at nine games with a disappointing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last weekend. Hill threw an interception in that game but also completed 28-of-38 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns.
While a lot has been made about Hill’s future with the Saints, head coach Sean Payton clearly feels a healthy Brees is the best option for the team.
It is hardly a surprise that there has been so much hype surrounding high school quarterback Arch Manning. The sophomore is the nephew of Eli and Peyton and grandson of Archie Manning, so it goes without saying that he has a lot to live up to. Former Notre Dame and NFL quarterback Brady Quinn is among those who believe Arch will be special.
Quinn had high praise for Manning during the CBS Sports National Signing Day on Thursday. He said the youngster “really checks all the boxes.”
“From a fundamental and technical standpoint, there’s nothing you’re looking at fixing,” Quinn said, via Austin Nivison of 247 Sports. “He’s got a nice compact and tight motion. As far as his footwork too, the ball is out on time and on the money, which means he’s got a strong understanding of where the ball is supposed to be and when it’s supposed to be there. That takes some time, usually, for some quarterbacks to figure out, but as a sophomore in high school, Arch Manning already has that.”
Quinn said he sees more similarities between Arch and his grandfather than either of his two uncles. Arch is more mobile than Peyton and Eli, and Quinn compared that athleticism to Archie’s.
“The name helps to a degree, but when you turn on the tape and watch him, he really has everything you’re looking for,” Quinn added.
Manning is widely considered to be the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the 2023 signing class. We also saw how physical he can be with an impressive video of him trucking a defender earlier this year.
The most difficult thing for Manning will be following in the footsteps of several family members. If he can handle that, the sky is the limit.
Bill Simmons made it onto a big-time list this year.
Forbes recently released its list of the highest-paid celebrities in the world for 2020. There were six athletes in the top 20 — Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, LeBron James and Steph Curry.
In between James and Curry was someone who gets paid to talk about what those athletes do best: Simmons.
Simmons built a massive following as a writer at ESPN. He later helped create the “30 for 30” series and launched a website through ESPN called “Grantland,” which had a large following but was later shuttered by the network.
Simmons eventually launched his own venture, “The Ringer,” in 2016. The Ringer has a network of podcast shows, a website and staff of writers, and a film production unit. Simmons heads it all up and is The Ringer’s central draw.
In February, Simmons announced that Spotify was purchasing The Ringer (the estimated purchase amount is around $200 million). Forbes estimated that Simmons pulled in $82.5 million as of June.
Though that is a huge amount of money, it’s more of a one-time large bump that would put Simmons on the list due to the sale of his company. Simmons has spent nearly 25 years building his brand and entertaining sports fans. In 2020, much of that work paid off in the biggest way.
Photo: David Shankbone/Wikimedia via CC-BY-SA 3.0
Terry Bradshaw had some crazy high praise for Justin Herbert after Thursday night’s game.
Herbert went 22/32 for 314 yards and two touchdown passes in his Los Angeles Chargers’ 30-27 overtime win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He also rushed for 14 yards and the game-ending touchdown in overtime.
Herbert won the game with a long bomb in OT to set up his TD run. The strong play left Bradshaw impressed.
“He’s got great insight into how to read the coverages. He’s accurate as all getup. He really snaps the ball; in other words, there’s a lot of spin on the ball. … So impressed. So impressed. This kid looks like he’ll be there. He’s a (Andrew) Luck, an (John) Elway, a (Dan) Marino,” Bradshaw said.
“If you are a Charger fan, you should be excited about the future of this team,” the FOX analyst and former quarterback concluded.
That’s some great company to put Herbert in. Elway and Marino are Hall of Famers, while Luck was on his way to a Hall of Fame career before retiring early.
Herbert is only a rookie but has put up some very strong numbers this season. His 27 touchdown passes have tied Baker Mayfield’s rookie record. And unlike many other rookies who turn the ball over a ton in their first year, Herbert has only thrown 10 interceptions.
The future is looking bright for Herbert and the Chargers. Bradshaw isn’t the only one who sees it.
Scott Van Pelt announced on Thursday that he will not be hosting his usual “SportsCenter” program due to a positive COVID-19 test.
The ESPN host got tested after saying he lost his sense of taste and smell. The test came back positive, which has led him to step away from hosting for the time being.
Although he has lost his sense of taste and smell, he says he does not have a fever and that he is feeling fine.
Since he is feeling fine, some asked why he wouldn’t continue to host his show.
“I work for a company. I respect the rules they have,” he wrote back in response. “There were no protocols regarding working with those symptoms. I’m not going to argue you about any of this. I don’t want, or need, your sympathy. I’ll be back when I’m negative.”
Van Pelt tweeted a few times about the Chargers-Raiders Thursday night game. He said that his time at home would “be boring.”
Van Pelt, 54, has been at ESPN since 2001. He is highly regarded for his relatability and genuine personality, which comes through in exchanges.
Derek Carr went down on Thursday, and with him are the Las Vegas Raiders’ playoff chances.
Carr injured his groin on a run near the goal line late in the first quarter of his team’s 30-27 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He did not return to the game.
After the Raiders lost to drop to 7-7, Jon Gruden provided an update on Carr’s status. He said the quarterback has a “significant” groin injury.
Marcus Mariota replaced Carr and went 17/28 for 226 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He did a ton of damage on the ground with 88 yards and a touchdown.
Mariota is certainly good enough to keep the Raiders in games over the next two weeks if Carr misses the rest of the season. The Raiders host the Dolphins and finish the season at Denver in Week 17. Losing Carr hurts their playoff chances.
