The Philadelphia 76ers had a real “congratulations, you played yourself” moment this week.
Philadelphia faced off against the Denver Nuggets in a national TV battle on Monday. The game pitted two of the best centers in the NBA, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, against each other.
The 76ers raced out to a double-digit lead and led by as many as 19, carrying their lead into the second half. That prompted the team’s Twitter page to post a message that read “simple math: 21 > 15” along with an Embiid highlight. Embiid wears jersey No. 21 while Jokic wears No. 15.
Unfortunately, the jinx was in full effect as the 76ers wound up blowing the lead and losing by a final score of 114-110. The team decided to delete their tweet … but not before the Nuggets captured a screenshot. After the game went final, the Nuggets clowned the 76ers over the tweet gone wrong.
Embiid did score 34 points to Jokic’s 22. But Jokic walked out of there with the W, so that is all that mattered. As for the 76ers’ tweet, it is a good lesson to never start gloating early. You would really think the 76ers would know better too after this notorious episode of theirs from a few years ago.
Photo: Nov 27, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) warms up before action against the Sacramento Kings at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green appears to be reaching for Charles Barkley’s guarantee button.
Green made his return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards after missing over two months with a back injury. The Warriors prevailed by a 126-112 final score.
After the game, Green was feeling pretty good about the team’s chances with him back in the lineup. Upon getting asked about the Warriors’ mindset as they try to lock up the No. 2 seed in the West, Green had a bold prediction.
“Obviously, the 2 seed will be great, but we’re not chasing it,” said Green. “We’re gonna make sure we do everything we can to stay healthy coming down the stretch. We’re not gonna make any boneheaded decisions trying to chase the 2 seed. Whether we’re the 2 seed or the 3 seed, we’re going to win a championship, so it don’t really matter.”
The Warriors are currently tied with the Memphis Grizzlies at 47-22 in the standings. Memphis is ahead 2-1 in the season series, but the two teams will meet again on March 28. Regardless, both the No. 2 seed and No. 3 seed will manage to avoid the NBA-best Phoenix Suns’ side of the playoff bracket.
With Green out, the Warriors went 16-13. With Green in the lineup though (including Tuesday’s win), Golden State is 31-9 this season. Klay Thompson is finding his groove again too, and Steph Curry is still Steph Curry, putting an NBA title within reach for the Warriors. But with this bold prediction, Green seems to be taking a page out of head coach Steve Kerr’s book.
Photo: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Cowboys lost a key member of their defense on Tuesday when Randy Gregory agreed to a deal with the Denver Broncos, but they may have a serviceable replacement for the star pass-rusher in mind.
Jane Slater of NFL Network reports that Von Miller has “very strong interest” in joining the Cowboys. The free agent edge rusher has a home near the team’s facility, and Dallas is looking into the possibility of signing him.
Miller was traded to the Los Angeles Rams from the Denver Broncos last season. He had five sacks in eight games with L.A. and two sacks in the Super Bowl. He said recently that his priority is returning to the Rams but that he is leaving his options open.
The Cowboys thought they had a deal in place with Gregory on Tuesday, but it quickly fell through. The Broncos then added insult to injury by trolling Dallas on Twitter.
Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Deshaun Watson has been strongly linked to two NFC South teams, and it was apparently his idea to get a third involved.
The Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints are viewed as the two teams that have the best chance of landing Watson. Watson has a no-trade clause in his contract, and a report on Monday claimed he has turned down inquiries from all teams except Carolina and New Orleans. The Atlanta Falcons then entered the mix on Tuesday, and they may have done so at Watson’s request.
According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, Watson has interest in playing in Atlanta. The 26-year-old even reached out to the Falcons, which is noteworthy.
Watson grew up in Gainesville, Ga. He also worked as a ball boy for the Falcons. ESPN notes that team owner Arthur Blank and his family have a relationship with Watson and are fond of him. Those feelings appear to be mutual.
It sure seems like Watson is determined to play in the NFC South, which makes sense. None of the four teams in the division have a long-term plan in place at quarterback. Both Matt Ryan and Tom Brady will be retiring sooner rather than later. The Saints are still trying to find their way in the post-Drew Brees era, and Carolina’s trade for Sam Darnold last year was a total bust. Once Brady retires, there is no reason for Watson to think he can’t dominate the NFC South for years to come.
One team is said to have been the most aggressive in pursuing Watson, but ultimately it will be Watson who chooses where he plays. The Falcons are suddenly one to watch.
Photo: Jan 23, 2020; Kissimmee, Florida, USA; Houston Texans quarterback DeShaun Watson (4) during AFC practice at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Tom Brady shocked the sports world when he announced on Sunday that he has changed his mind about retiring, but one Las Vegas sportsbook executive thinks some gamblers knew it was coming. He wants the NFL to investigate how that could have happened.
Westgate SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay told Todd Dewey of the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday that the casino took several large wagers from a professional gamblers — or “sharp” bettors — on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the NFC Championship and the Super Bowl. The bets came before Brady made his announcement. One of them was on the Bucs to win it all at 30-1 odds. The same person bet the Bucs again when the odds were lowered to 25-1.
“There’s not a doubt in my mind that they knew he was coming back when they placed those wagers on Thursday,” Kornegay said. “And these were not casual bettors. They would be categorized as educated bettors. It wasn’t a guy with a Tom Brady jersey at the counter. It was a player that we would describe as sharp. With that type of play and the announcement we heard (Sunday) that he was unretiring, there was information that was shared prior to his official announcement.”
Kornegay says he is certain the bettors had knowledge of Brady’s plans. He wants the NFL to look into how that may have happened.
“I don’t think I’ve ever said the NFL really needs to investigate something,” he added. “But this is something they need to look into and how it got out, because there are many books that took some sizable wagers in the middle of last week.”
South Point sportsbook director Chris Andrews says his book also took a large bet on the Bucs to win the Super Bowl at 50-1 odds. The same bettor then bet the Bucs at 30-1 and 25-1 before Brady’s big news.
Even if inside information did leak, it’s unclear what the NFL would do about it. We know the league dropped the hammer on Calvin Ridley and caught him using some advanced technology, but this is a different situation. There are always going to be leaks with star players and major news. That was the case when Brady originally announced his retirement back in January.
Photo: Sep 9, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) reacts after defeating the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Cowboys appeared to take care of a major free agency priority on Tuesday when reports indicated they had re-signed Randy Gregory, but those reports were apparently premature.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport and others reported on Tuesday morning that Gregory had agreed to a new deal with the Cowboys worth around $13 million per year. Not long after, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News was told by a Denver Broncos source that the Broncos had signed the star pass-rusher. That turned out to be accurate.
The Broncos — not Dallas — have agreed to a five-year, $70 million deal with Gregory. According to Rapoport, the Cowboys wanted language in Gregory’s deal to protect themselves, and the 29-year-old was not happy about it. Even the Cowboys’ official Twitter account ran with the original news before deleting their tweet.
The Broncos then had a great reaction of their own on Twitter.
Gregory is a big signing for a Denver team that is clearly committed to contending for a Super Bowl next season and beyond. The former second-round pick has had multiple drug violations, but he appeared in 22 games for the Cowboys over the past two years. He had six sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception in 12 games last season.
Whoever is running the Broncos’ Twitter account is doing a tremendous job this offseason. The account also went viral for a perfect tweet after Denver acquired Russell Wilson.
Photo: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Deshaun Watson trade discussions have heated up considerably since a grand jury declined to indict the star quarterback on Friday, and a surprise suitor has reportedly entered the mix.
The Atlanta Falcons have “emerged as a sleeper team” in the Watson trade talks, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen report.
That should not come as a huge surprise. Watson seems to want to play in the NFC South. He has a full no-trade clause, and a report on Monday claimed the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints are the only two teams he has not rejected. That may have been before Atlanta got involved, however.
It’s possible that Watson, who is just 26, views the NFC South as a division he can dominate for years. Tom Brady is returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022, but he has already flirted with retirement and will probably only play one or two more seasons. The Panthers and Saints have no long-term solution in place at quarterback, hence their interest in Watson. Matt Ryan is still with the Falcons, but he will turn 37 this offseason and is also nearing the end of his career.
We heard of one other surprise team that had interest in Watson, but they are no longer a viable option. The Houston Texans star seems destined to end up with an NFC South team.
Photo: Aug 17, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) before a game against the Detroit Lions at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Al Michaels is a free agent after his contract with NBC expired following the Super Bowl, and it sounds like Amazon has been making a relentless effort to sign him. If Michaels does agree to a deal with the tech giant, he is in line for a massive raise.
Andrew Marchand of the New York Post has been reporting for months that Michaels is in deep contract negotiations with Amazon. Marchand said last week that Amazon has extended a three-year, $33 million offer to Michaels. However, that offer is apparently for Michaels to call less than a full season of “Thursday Night Football” games.
Michaels is now expected to call all 16 Thursday night games if he signs with Amazon. That could push his salary even higher, according to Marchand.
Michaels was making around $6 million per year at NBC, so the 77-year-old could see his annual salary double.
There has been a major shakeup in the NFL broadcasting world, and that is probably the reason Michaels has not signed his Amazon deal yet. Both Troy Aikman and Joe Buck have left FOX for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.” Michaels has been viewed as a possible candidate to replace Buck, though FOX is more likely to promote from within and give the job to Kevin Burkhardt.
Amazon wants to make a major splash in its first season as the exclusive carrier of “Thursday Night Football.” They have already signed Kirk Herbstreit to serve as their booth analyst. It’s hard to imagine Michaels somewhere other than a network TV broadcast, but the money is obviously there.
Photo: Aug 26, 2018; Arlington, TX, USA; Network television commentator Al Michaels before the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Russell Westbrook has openly said he is not going to stand for people calling him “Westbrick,” but the Los Angeles Lakers star is certainly living up to the nickname.
Westbrook is averaging just 18.0 points per game, which is his lowest mark since his second year in the NBA. The star point guard has been an erratic shooter throughout his career, but those issues have been even more pronounced in his first season with the Lakers. He’s been downright abysmal since the New Year.
According to StatMuse, Westbrook is shooting 22 percent from three-point range since Jan. 1. He has hit just 9 percent of his threes since the All-Star break last month. Westbrook is known for putting up triple-doubles, but he has none in 2022.
Westbrook has been struggling all year, which is why Skip Bayless and others began calling him “Westbrick.” While the nickname isn’t vulgar, Westbrook insists it is disrespectful and has impacted his family. Of course, the best way for him to put a stop to it would be to start making shots. He has not done that, especially in recent weeks.
The Lakers have lost 11 of their last 14 games and are in danger of falling out of the postseason. Even LeBron James may have taken a subtle shot at Westbrook following a recent loss. It’s hard to imagine things getting much worse in L.A., and Westbrook’s inability to shoot the ball consistently has been a big factor in the team’s struggles.
Photo: Nov 23, 2021; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts during the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Aaron Rodgers has signed his new deal with the Green Bay Packers, and we now know how much the star quarterback will make.
Rodgers’ contract is essentially worth $150 million over three years. As expected, his salary cap hit for 2022 was lowered significantly, down to $28.5 million from $46.7 million. The agreement also includes two low-money option years on the back end that will be void. Since Rodgers was signed through 2022 on his old contract, the new deal amounts to a four-year extension, tying him to the franchise for five more seasons. But, again, the final two years will be thrown out. The reigning NFL MVP will make $50 million per year over the next three years and then likely retire.
Here’s a look at the updated cap numbers:
Rodgers’ contract extension was initially reported as a four-year, $200 million deal. The 38-year-old disputed that information. While the details of the contract are a bit complicated, the biggest takeaway is still that the $50 million per year makes Rodgers the highest-paid player in NFL history in terms of average annual value.
Now that the Rodgers deal is official, the Packers will likely try to work out an extension with another disgruntled star player.
Photo: Oct 28, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) reacts against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
