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#pounditThursday, March 28, 2024

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Conor McGregor to fight Dustin Poirier in rematch at UFC 257

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor never officially retired after once again claiming he was walking away from the UFC back in June, and the former lightweight champion is now back.

McGregor has signed a deal to fight Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 on Jan. 23, as first reported by The Mac Life. It’s unclear where the fight will be held, though the majority of the UFC’s recent events have been at UFC APEX in Las Vegas and on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

The fight will be a rematch between McGregor and Poirier, as the two fought much earlier in their careers. McGregor knocked Poirier out in the first round when the two met at UFC 178 in September 2014.

McGregor’s last fight was in January, when he knocked out Donald Cerrone in the first round. He and UFC president Dana White then had some disagreements about McGregor’s future with the organization, and McGregor said he was retiring. McGregor has announced his retirement several times in recent years and gone back on it.

Poirier was taken to the hospital after an epic fight against Dan Hooker back in May.

Floyd Mayweather throws trash talk at Logan Paul

Floyd Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been retired for quite some time, but the undefeated boxer continues to hint that he is open to fighting YouTube sensation Logan Paul.

Paul’s representatives approached Mayweather about a potential exhibition fight earlier this year. Floyd hasn’t said a whole lot about it publicly, but he sent a tweet on Wednesday night trash talking Paul and telling him he’ll gladly give him the Conor McGregor “treatment.”

“These YouTube girls better find some Barbie dolls to play with cause I’m not the one for the kid games. 3 years ago a fighter from the UFC said my name and I had to put a muzzle on that bitch. (Logan Paul) can get the same treatment before I go conquer Japan again,” Mayweather wrote.

Paul fought fellow YouTube star KSI in a sanctioned professional bout last year that consisted of three six-minute rounds. It went the distance, with KSI winning by split decision. Paul has since tried to organize some other high-profile fights, including one against NFL star Antonio Brown. That appeared to have some legs but never happened in part because of all of Brown’s legal issues.

Mayweather has not fought since his bout against McGregor back in 2017, though he has indicated he will come out of retirement at some point. That could just be his way of keeping his name in the headlines, which is something he has done a masterful job of for years.

Awkward: Seth Curry will now be playing for his father-in-law

Doc Rivers

The Philadelphia 76ers accomplished their goal of adding a shooter when they acquired Seth Curry in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night. They may have also added a slightly awkward element to their locker room.

Curry is married to Doc Rivers’ daughter Callie. Rivers, of course, is now the head coach of the Sixers. That means his son-in-law will be playing for him.

Rivers is no stranger to working with family members, as he coached his son Austin with the Los Angeles Clippers. Coaching your son is probably a bit different than coaching a guy who’s married to your daughter, but it goes without saying that Rivers signed off on the move. The Sixers would not have made the trade without his stamp of approval.

We thought it was intriguing when Rivers had to coach against Curry in the playoffs a few months ago, so the new dynamic will be even more interesting. It will also make life easier on Callie, who can now root for her husband and dad on the same team. Doc cracked a funny joke about that before the Clippers faced the Mavs in the Orlando bubble.

Curry averaged 12.4 points per game for Dallas last season. He shot 49.5 percent from the field and 45.2 percent from three-point range, so he should give the 76ers a boost in an area where they have been lacking since Jimmy Butler’s departure.

Warriors may use trade exception for help after Klay Thompson injury

Klay Thompson

The Golden State Warriors may have been dealt another major blow long before the 2020-21 season is set to begin, as Klay Thompson suffered an injury on Wednesday that is feared to be serious. Fortunately, there is a way they can acquire some help.

The Warriors secured a $17.2 million trade exception when they sent Andre Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies last summer. There had previously been talk that they might save the money with so many highly paid players on their roster and an uncertain financial situation across the NBA, but general manager Bob Myers hinted after Thompson’s injury that the Golden State is looking to take advantage of the exception.

Myers said Thursday that he had been given the green light to use the $17.2 million exception even before Thompson’s injury, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. The Warriors were already looking for wing help before Thompson’s injury, so now it seems likely that they will make a move.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have continued to stockpile draft picks this offseason, and some have speculated that they are positioning themselves to acquire another pick from the Warriors. Both Kelly Oubre and Ricky Rubio, whom the Thunder acquired when they traded Chris Paul to the Phoenix Suns, are playing on expiring contracts that would fit under Golden State’s trade exception.

The Warriors have flexibility, but obviously they were hoping to not feel a sense of urgency to use the trade exception. They’ll know more about Thompson’s injury soon, but early reports do not sound promising.

Broncos DC Ed Donatell had to be hospitalized with COVID-19

Broncos logo

Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ed Donatell is at home and recovering from COVID-19, but he did not have an easy time with the virus.

The 63-year-old tested positive on Oct. 31 and missed the Broncos’ Week 8 game against the Chargers. He was taken to the hospital last week, Denver’s media relations representative shared on Wednesday.

According to Broncos reporter Mike Klis, Donatell was originally taken to the hospital as a precaution.

Donatell being able to participate in virtual meetings now is a good sign about his recovery.

Donatell has served as defensive coordinator for the Packers and Falcons prior to his time with the Broncos. This is his third coaching stint with Denver. He has a long history of coaching defensive backs in the NFL and college, in addition to his work as defensive coordinator.

College basketball blue bloods have unusually weak NBA Draft

John Calipari

The 2020 NBA Draft was an unusual one, so it probably shouldn’t be too surprising that it produced some unusual results.

One notable oddity was how little of a factor the “blue blood” programs from college basketball were in the draft.

For the first time since 2000, no players from Duke, Kansas, Kentucky or North Carolina were lottery picks in the NBA Draft. The first player drafted from one of those schools was the Tar Heels’ Cole Anthony, who was selected No. 15 overall.

Ultimately, four players from those schools were taken in the first round:

– Cole Anthony (North Carolina) No. 15
– Tyrese Maxey (Kentucky) No. 21
– Immanuel Quickley (Kentucky) No. 25
– Udoka Azubuike (Kansas) No. 27

Four more went in the second round:
– Vernon Carey Jr. (Duke) No. 32
– Tre Jones (Duke) No. 41
– Nick Richards (Kentucky) No. 42
– Cassius Stanley (Duke) No. 54

So what accounts for the lack of dominance by these programs at the top of the draft? Let’s start with North Carolina: they were 14-19 last season and just did not have much talent. They were just bad.

Kentucky had some good players, but Maxey was a freshman, and we didn’t get too many looks from him because of the shortened season. Duke had some good players but no stars. Kansas only had one top prospect, while Devon Dotson went undrafted.

This result is somewhat indicative of changing trends in college basketball. James Wiseman barely played in college, and when he did, it was with Memphis. Some players, like Kenyon Martin Jr. are skipping college and going to schools like IMG Academy to train. And you had players like R.J. Hampton and LaMelo Ball, who played professionally in other countries. Plus, there was a strong crop of international players.

College basketball isn’t “done.” It’s nothing close to that. But as more options for players emerge, including some signing to play straight in the G League, the days of seeing top college programs monopolize the top talent are slowing down.

Dwight Howard responds to shade from Shaq

Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard is doing his best not to engage in another round of Superman vs. Superman beef.

In an interview this week with Basketball News’ Etan Thomas, the Los Angeles Lakers big man responded to the shade recently thrown at him by Shaquille O’Neal.

“Watching Shaq, I was happy because he was a big man and he was killing everybody,” said Howard. “And I still think he’s probably the most dominant player to ever play the game. But if I had anything negative to say about him, I won’t ever say that in the public eye or say that where people can hear it because I don’t think it’s necessary.

“He has family, he has kids, he has people who love him,” Howard added. “I just wasn’t brought up that way. I respect him for all the work he’s done. I wish we could play each other again so I could end this beef. But I have a lot of love for him and the things he’s done for the sport. The way to beat him is to continue to play at a high level and not allow anything that’s negative to seep in my ears and just staying focused.”

If you recall, O’Neal had mocked some Lakers for flaunting their title on social media when they had not really contributed to the team’s success in his eyes. It was fairly obvious that he was referring to Howard. O’Neal also doubled down on his comments in a recent interview.

O’Neal and Howard have beef dating back over a decade. While the former still wants to keep it going, the latter no longer seems interested in it.

Bruce Arians talks up ‘model citizen’ Antonio Brown

Bruce Arians

Bruce Arians defended Antonio Brown on Wednesday at a time when the receiver is receiving negative attention.

News emerged on Monday that Brown was involved in an incident at the security hut for the gated community where he lives.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers said that they were aware of the incident prior to signing the receiver. The NFL reportedly did not know about it.

Arians was a guest on SiriusXM NFL Radio Wednesday and was asked whether the incident has given the team concern about Brown.

“Really none,” Arians said. “We knew of the incident. He’s been a model citizen. If and when he’s not, we’ll move on. He knows that, and our team knows that. I don’t really think we’re going to have any problems. We haven’t had any so far, and I wouldn’t anticipate any.”

That is very similar to what the Bucs said in their statement after Browns’ incident was reported on Monday. Brown has played in two games for the Bucs and has 10 catches for 100 yards. He is living with Tom Brady, which may help keep his behavior in check.

Klay Thompson feared to have ‘significant’ Achilles injury

Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson was just coming back from one major injury, and now he may have another.

Thompson had to be helped off the court after suffering a lower right leg injury while working out in Southern California on Wednesday. He was expected to undergo testing in the next few days.

Yahoo’s Chris B. Haynes reports that the Golden State Warriors fear Thompson has a “significant” Achilles injury.

Thompson’s torn ACL was in his left knee, so this injury is on his other leg.

The Warriors did not let Thompson’s torn ACL get in the way of a major contract extension offer. They still signed him to a huge deal last year. He has four years and around $157 million left on his contract with Golden State.

The 30-year-old shooting guard made five straight All-Star teams prior to missing all of last season.

Steph Curry welcomes James Wiseman to Warriors with great picture

Steph Curry

James Wiseman was drafted No. 2 overall by the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, and he received a nice welcome from the team’s star player.

Steph Curry shared a photo from 2018 of him together with Wiseman at Curry’s Select Camp.

“Hilarious picture from 2018 …welcome to the Bay and to #dubnation @bigticket_j13. Let’s get it!” Curry wrote.

Cole Anthony, Jalen Green, Nico Mannion and R.J. Hampton were some of the attendees of the camp that year. Wiseman ended up being a top recruit to Memphis but only played in three games due to NCAA eligibility issues.

As a big man, he should add a nice balance to the Warriors, who are stacked at the guard position.

Photo: Cyrus Saatsaz/Wikimedia via cc-by-sa 4.0