Oct 8, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) dribbles up the court during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Jrue Holiday has no hard feelings regarding the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to include him in the Damian Lillard trade, but he does wish they had handled one thing differently.
Holiday, now with the Boston Celtics, admitted Wednesday that he would have liked to receive a heads up from the Bucks when he became a trade candidate.
“I think that they got what they wanted, so I can’t be mad at that,” Holiday said when asked if he had any hard feelings toward the Bucks, via Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “A warning would’ve been cool. But other than that, I’m in the best place that I can be to compete against them, which is for the top team in the East and, hopefully, the top team in the league.”
The timing of the Lillard trade was about as bad as possible for Holiday. Based on his quotes from around that time, it is quite obvious that he had no warning that he might wind up being moved, with the Lillard trade largely coming out of nowhere. Of course, the Bucks might argue they had to keep things quiet as they negotiated.
Holiday has since landed with the Celtics, where he is averaging 12.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game.
Feb 13, 2019; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks logo is seen during the first day of spring training workouts at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher/The Republic via USA TODAY NETWORK
The reigning NL pennant winners are trying to stack the deck even further.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported on Wednesday that the Arizona Diamondbacks are acquiring veteran infielder Eugenio Suarez in a trade with the Seattle Mariners. The Dbacks will be sending catcher Seby Zavala and righty reliever Carlos Vargas back to the Mariners to complete the deal.
The 32-year-old Suarez is a fairly seismic get for Arizona. An All-Star with the Cincinnati Reds in 2018, Suarez is a strong power bat. He hit 22 homers and 96 RBIs last season for the Mariners, playing in all 162 games to boot. Suarez does badly struggle with strikeouts (leading the American League in Ks in back-to-back years now) and below-par batting average. But he is still a cost-effective source of offensive production who is under contract for $11 million next season with a $15 million club option for 2025.
Suarez’s primary defensive position is third base, where the Dbacks were recently rumored to be targeting another valuable veteran piece. They have decided to pull the trigger on a Suarez deal though, and he represents an immediate upgrade over their current third-base rotation of Emmanuel Rivera, Geraldo Perdomo, and Jace Peterson (with 38-year-old Evan Longoria a free agent).
Dec 18, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Jets have had one of the worst offenses in the NFL this season, but don’t bother asking offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to describe what has gone wrong for the team.
Hackett was asked on Wednesday about the Jets ranking near the bottom of the NFL in most offensive categories. He responded with some incoherent gibberish about how there are many different ways to interpret statistics.
“When it comes to stats, there’s so many different ways to look at numbers. Good, bad. There are people throughout this league that have been very, very good. There are those that are not as good. That fluctuates. There are so many things that change. That’s why this game is so great. So many different things that change. Personnel. Situations. So many different things,” Hackett said.
In Hackett’s defense, he couldn’t exactly respond with the truth, which is mostly that Aaron Rodgers got hurt and Zach Wilson stinks. That is probably why he got caught up talking in circles.
Of course, fans on social media showed the former Denver Broncos head coach no mercy. Hackett got the meme treatment in a big way.
Hackett caught a tough break when Rodgers went down with a torn Achilles. We have no way of knowing how the season would have gone if Rodgers remained healthy, but it is a virtual guarantee that New York’s offense would have looked much better.
If nothing else, Hackett got to enjoy one big moment in his first season as Jets OC. Perhaps his responses to questions about the team’s offense will be a bit easier to follow in 2024.
Aug 8, 2019; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Darius Leonard (53) looks at the video board against the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
The Indianapolis Colts stunned the NFL world when they waived Shaq Leonard, and the All-Pro linebacker says the move was not made at his request.
Leonard issued a statement on Tuesday saying farewell to Indianapolis and thanking Colts fans. There was immediately speculation that he asked to be cut, as Leonard had been openly frustrated about his lack of playing time.
Leonard then spoke with the media a few hours later while he was handing out Thanksgiving turkeys as part of a charity drive in Indianapolis. He said it was “the biggest surprise ever” when the Colts cut him. Leonard also said he had been asking to meet with Indy’s coaching staff and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley approached him on Monday to talk.
“I don’t make those decisions. It was shocking,” Leonard said. “I asked for a little bit of a meeting. I guess I got a little bit of a meeting. So, I guess you gotta be careful what you ask for.”
It seems like Leonard was planning to express to the Colts’ coaches that he was unhappy with his role. Rather than coming to some sort of mutual solution, the team decided to release him. Leonard says he was “hurt” by the way things were handled.
Leonard has been one of the best linebackers in football since the Colts selected him in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The 28-year-old made four consecutive Pro Bowl teams from 2018-2021. He was also named a First-team All-Pro three times during that span.
Nov 18, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick walks on the field before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots were widely expected to make a quarterback change after Mac Jones was benched late in the team’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but it is starting to sound like that will not happen in Week 12.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano reports that Jones starting on Sunday against the New York Giants is the “most likely outcome” for the Patriots. The belief is that Jones will start, but Bill Belichick could go to Bailey Zappe if Jones begins to struggle again.
Belichick has yet to say publicly whether he has decided on a starting quarterback for Week 12. When asked about it at his press conference on Tuesday, the 71-year-old coach only said he has delivered the same four-word message to all of his players.
Most people thought either Zappe or Will Grier would get the nod after Jones was benched for the final drive of New England’s 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10. Jones was pulled in a one-score game after he threw a brutal red-zone interception.
It would be tough to imagine Belichick going back to Jones after that, but there was one hint last week that Jones might still be holding down the starting job.
Even if Jones starts against the Giants, Belichick almost certainly will not tolerate many mistakes from the former first-round pick.
Skip Bayless and Richard Sherman had a heated exchange during an episode of “Undisputed” on FS1 this week, and many viewers had the same reaction to it.
One of the topics that was discussed during Tuesday’s edition of “Undisputed” was whether the controversial hip-drop tackle should be banned at the NFL and collegiate levels. Sherman interrupted Bayless while Bayless was trying to share some of his thoughts. Skip did not appreciate it and scolded Sherman, telling the former defensive back to “let me finish, Richard, I’m speaking.”
Sherman then told Bayless that Skip does not have enough experience and to “stop raising your voice.” Sherman also said “watch how you talk to me, Skip.” You can see the clip below:
It is always difficult to tell when analysts are actually upset on these debate shows, because arguing is the name of the game. However, the exchange reminded many viewers of when Bayless accused former co-host Shannon Sharpe of being jealous of Tom Brady. Sharpe became extremely frustrated with Bayless for making it personal. You can see that video here.
There was a belief that the way Bayless spoke to Sharpe during that particular debate was the final straw for the duo.
While Bayless did not really make it personal with Sherman, Sherman was clearly bothered by the way Skip scolded him. Perhaps the two were just playing things up for television, but some viewed that as Sherman experiencing what Sharpe felt before Shannon and Skip split.
Nick Sirianni is known for being one of the most animated coaches in the NFL, and that enthusiasm was on full display after the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night.
The Eagles rallied from down 17-7 at halftime to beat the Chiefs 21-17 at Arrowhead Stadium. After his team’s win, Sirianni had a vulgar message for the home fans. A video that was taken as players walked off the field showed Sirianni screaming, “Hey, I don’t hear s— anymore, Chiefs fans! See ya!”
Sirianni delivered the same message while celebrating with some Eagles fans who made the trip to Kansas City for the big game.
The Chiefs defeated the Eagles in a thrilling 38-35 Super Bowl last season. Sirianni has probably heard some taunts from Philly fans since then, which may be why he was so adamant about rubbing it in on Monday.
Had it not been for a controversial false start penalty and one of the most brutal dropped passes of the season, the Eagles might have lost the Super Bowl rematch. Instead, they outscored Kansas City 14-0 in the second half.
We can only imagine what Sirianni and Chiefs fans will have to say to one another if the two teams meet again in the Super Bowl.
Mar 3, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker prior to the game against the Toronto Raptors at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker had a message for his former teammate Deandre Ayton on Tuesday after the Suns beat the Portland Trail Blazers at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz.
The Blazers took an early 2-0 advantage in the contest thanks to an Ayton layup in the opening minute. But the Suns took the lead a few plays later and never trailed the rest of the way in the 120-107 victory.
The Suns-Blazers matchup was the first time Ayton played his former team since they traded him to Portland during the offseason. The Arizona alum posted a solid stat line of 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Booker was asked about what it was like to play against Ayton for the first time. The 3-time All-Star said he noticed Ayton being “extra” aggressive against his old squad. Booker then challenged the 25-year-old to keep the same energy every night.
“It’s fun. … He played extra hard tonight. I’ve seen that. My challenge for him is to play like that every night,” said Booker.
Ayton, a former first overall pick from the 2018 NBA Draft, never had his talent in question. However, his play waxed and waned over the course of a season while he was playing for the Suns.
There appeared to be growing animosity between Ayton and the Suns organization before the big man was dealt to the Blazers.
Despite any lingering beef between Ayton and the Suns, Booker appeared to want his former teammate to thrive in his new situation.
Tensions flared at the Maui Invitational Tuesday between Kansas head coach Bill Self and Marquette head coach Shaka Smart.
AP No. 1 Kansas and No. 4 Marquette faced off at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Marquette led 33-28 over Kansas when an altercation broke out among the players at the 3:19 mark of the first half.
Smart got fired up during the incident to the point that he had to be held back by one of his players. He then exchanged words with Self as the referees tried to de-escalate the situation.
Both squads were assessed technical fouls after the fracas.
Marquette was able to rebound from the incident much better than Kansas did. The Jayhawks failed to score the rest of the half and trailed by 10 at halftime.
Marquette pulled away in the second half for a 73-59 win. Smart was able to revel in the moment after the buzzer sounded.
Marquette improved to 5-0 on the season, with big wins over Kansas, UCLA, and Illinois on their resume.
Kansas fell to 4-1 and face another test on Wednesday against No. 7 Tennessee.
Stephen A. Smith never comes unprepared for a sports debate — even if it’s about fictional Disney characters.
Smith was entertaining live callers during a recent episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show.”
A caller named Danny from Wisconsin got through to the ESPN personality and asked him to settle the GOAT athlete debate. Danny mentioned the usual names such as Tom Brady and Michael Jordan, but then offered his own answer — Lightning McQueen.
McQueen, the anthropomorphic stock car and protagonist of the movie “Cars,” has seven Piston Cup trophies to his name. The Piston Cup is the fictional top prize in the movie’s racing universe.
Instead of being dumbfounded or irritated by the question, Smith was ready for the moment. He responded to Danny as if he had been waiting all his life to be asked about McQueen’s place in the sporting pantheon.
Smith pointed to McQueen’s fellow racer in the film, Strip “The King” Weathers, who also had the same number of Piston Cups.
“I would tell you, [Lightning McQueen] wouldn’t be the GOAT. … When you talk about Strip ‘The King’ Weathers and Lightning McQueen, they’re both tied with seven Piston Cups. How can you be the GOAT if you’ve got something tied with you? Sorry, that ain’t going to work,” said Smith.
Smith then goaded the fan for his attempt “to catch” the ESPN host off guard with a silly question.
The video of the exchange Smith posted on X has been viewed over 5.5 million times as of writing.
