The Brooklyn Nets might end up being the most entertaining team in the NBA this season regardless of what they do on the actual court.
Case in point: here’s Kyrie Irving, ahead of Friday’s preseason game in Boston, walking the perimeter of the court and burning sage.
Nobody had ever seen this before, and there’s probably a reason for it. As noted by WebMD, burning sage has historically been ritually used by Native Americans and other indigenous peoples to cleanse a space, among other reasons. Given Irving used to play at TD Garden, it checks out as much as anything else does.
Irving has firmly cemented himself as one of the NBA’s most eccentric personalities. That has continued during the preseason even before this. What he’ll do next is anyone’s guess.
Keyontae Johnson posted an encouraging video update on Friday less than a week after collapsing on the floor during a game against Florida State.
The Florida Gators star thanked doctors who had treated him over the past week, as well as fans who had supported and prayed for him during his hospital stay.
Johnson seems to be doing very well. We still don’t know what led to the scary incident last weekend, but Johnson’s prognosis seems good and every health update we’ve received has been positive.
Johnson averaged 14 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for the Gators last season, and was expected to be their centerpiece this year.
Whatever their relationship is like behind closed doors, Tom Brady and Bruce Arians are still playing nice in public.
Brady weighed in on his relationship with Arians while speaking to the media on Thursday. The veteran quarterback said the relationship was “great” and the “honest dialogue” is something he enjoyed.
It’s up to you whether you believe Brady or not. Arians has been somewhat scrutinized all season for his frequent criticisms of Brady, but the coach has changed his tune a bit in recent weeks.
Brady has passed for 30 touchdowns and 3,496 yards in 13 games this season for the 8-5 Bucs. At least statistically, Brady has not been the issue.
Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have teamed up yet again! Treat yourself or a friend with this great Tampa Fiesta shirt. You can buy it here.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr looks set to miss at least some time after the groin injury he suffered Thursday against the Los Angeles Chargers.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Carr’s groin injury is “significant” and comes with a 10-to-14 day timeline. Theoretically, that would rule him out of the team’s Dec. 26 game against the Miami Dolphins, but Carr is expected to try to somehow fight to play. More realistically, he probably won’t return before the Jan. 3 game against Denver.
It sounds like this is precisely what Jon Gruden feared. The Raiders’ playoff chances took a huge hit with their loss to the Chargers on Thursday. Losing Carr for even one game hurts even more.
Marcus Mariota, who threw for 226 yards and rushed for 88 more in relief of Carr on Thursday, will take charge of the quarterback position as long as Carr is out.
NBC announced on Friday that Mike Tirico will once again fill in for Al Michaels on the “Sunday Night Football” broadcast this week. The change is related to COVID-19.
While it’s unclear if Michaels has tested positive for the coronavirus, NBC said in a statement that the 76-year-old did not clear “COVID-19 safety protocols.” Michaels said he feels “great” and has not experienced any symptoms.
Michaels had been scheduled to call Sunday’s game between the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, but Tirico will now work that game. Tirico was originally supposed to call the Carolina Panthers-Green Bay Packers game on Saturday night, but Joe Davis will step in for that.
Tirico called last Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills alongside Cris Collinsworth. NBC worked with Michaels before the season to schedule some “bye weeks,” but his Week 15 absence will not be related to that.
A woman who says she lives in the same apartment complex as Rajon Rondo in Los Angeles claims she was attacked by Rondo and his girlfriend earlier this year, and she has filed a lawsuit against the NBA veteran.
According to a lawsuit obtained by TMZ, Toktam Jorshari claims Rondo was parked in a handicapped spot on June 28 at their apartment complex when she pulled into the space next to him to unload a piece of furniture she had purchased. She said she inadvertently blocked Rondo’s Rolls Royce SUV in, which led to him aggressively confronting her. Jorshari claims the situation quickly escalated and became physical.
Jorshari says Rondo immediately shouted at her, “B—-, why do you think you can park here?” He then allegedly shoved her against her vehicle in a manner that was “so violent and forceful that [Jorshari’s] sandal shoe flew off her foot and her keys which she held in her hand flew out of her hand and broke into two pieces when the key fell onto the ground.”
Once Jorshari was on the ground, she says Rondo’s girlfriend repeatedly attacked her and hit her in the head and upper-body area. She says the incident was captured on surveillance footage that she has in her possession.
Jorshari is suing both Rondo and his girlfriend for assault and battery, infliction of emotional distress, and conspiracy. She’s seeking unspecified damages in excess of $1 million.
Rondo was still with the Los Angeles Lakers at the time of the alleged incident. He signed a two-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks last month. At least one top contender was said to have interest in the 34-year-old.
James Harden is under contract with the Houston Rockets for two more seasons, which means there is no reason they have to rush to trade the former NBA MVP. The team may not want the situation dragging on much longer, however.
During an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up!” Friday, Adrian Wojnarowski would not rule out the Rockets trading Harden before the start of the regular season on Wednesday. He said Houston would like to move on “sooner than later.”
“Houston would like to get this done sooner than later,” Wojnarowski said. “This is a pall over the entire organization and their new head coach Stephen Silas as he tries to implement his program there. But, they’ve got to find the right deal. This is too important for their organization long-term.”
All indications have been that the Rockets have placed a massive asking price on Harden. Most teams are unwilling to meet it at this time, though the Philadelphia 76ers are apparently open to including one of their star players as part of a potential Harden deal.
NBA superstars typically get their way when they decide they want to be traded. Harden knows he would only hurt his own trade value if he goes public with his demands, but we’ve seen that happen with Anthony Davis and others. Considering he missed workouts because he was off partying around the country, we wouldn’t rule out Harden eventually turning up the heat on Houston.
Photo: All-Pro Reels/Flickr via cc by-sa 2.0
The man who claims Jerry West agreed to pay him more than $2 million in exchange for his help in recruiting Kawhi Leonard to the Los Angeles Clippers last year has included a voicemail in his lawsuit. He says the message is one West left him, and in it the Clippers executive allegedly expresses his gratitude and trashes the Los Angeles Lakers.
Johnny Wilkes, who is suing West for $2.5 million, shared the voicemail with TMZ. The recording features a man that sounds like West telling Wilkes “I really want to thank you a lot for trying to help.” The man who left the message says he heard a rumor that the Lakers thought they were going to sign Leonard, and he didn’t understand why.
“I find it hard to believe he would want to go to that s—show where he wouldn’t even get his name in the paper,” West allegedly said. “He wouldn’t be the face of the franchise, that’s for sure. He might be the best player on the team, but…”
The man believed to be West went on to say “I really, really appreciate everything you’ve done” and offered to take Wilkes to dinner as a way of saying thanks.
Wilkes claims in his lawsuit that West assured him on multiple occasions that he would pay him $2.5 million if he helped deliver Leonard to the Clippers. You can read the full details of the allegations here.
West, 82, works as an executive for the Clippers but was both a player and coach for the Lakers. He is considered one of the best players in Lakers franchise history.
The NBA has launched an investigation into Wilkes’ allegations, though the Clippers have denied any wrongdoing from West.
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.
