Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s minicamp is not getting off to the ideal start.
Lawrence has been limited so far with hamstring tightness, and he was held out of team drills Monday. Coach Urban Meyer said Lawrence could play in a game now if he had to, but the team is being conservative and expects to hold him out of Tuesday’s drills as well.
Lawrence said he feels good and that while he understands the Jaguars’ cautious approach, he’s frustrated that the issue has popped up again.
“It’s been about a week and trying to work it back to full capacity and yeah, it’s a little frustrating just not being able to go full speed, but I’m feeling good,” Lawrence said, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN. “I’m just trying to not have any more setbacks, so taking it slow. Got some good reps today. So start getting more and more each day this week and kind of work back into it.”
The issue makes it appear likely that Lawrence won’t get any full team workouts in until training camp starts in July. While not ideal, it probably won’t end up mattering all that much.
Lawrence may not be involved, but there is one Jaguars player who’s gaining plenty of attention so far during minicamp.
The NBA is planning to quickly advance a proposal that will penalize players for using unnatural shooting motions to draw fouls.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, further meetings have taken place on formalizing rules that would prevent players from leaning backwards or sideways in a bid to draw a foul. The next step will be to discuss with league general managers what would constitute an unnatural shooting motion, and the hope is that a proposal can be adopted prior to the start of the 2021-22 season.
Wojnarowski adds that while the practice is closely associated with certain star players such as James Harden and Trae Young, the issue is seen as “universal” throughout the league and that it benefits offenses too much. Earlier in the season, Nets coach Steve Nash used Young as an example of the type of play the league is seeking to eliminate here.
In general, the principle behind the proposed rule change would likely be widely popular. However, there will likely be some controversy and debate over what does and does not constitute a legitimate shooting motion compared to an unnatural one. Consistently differentiating will be key to whether this rule does what it seeks to do without being applied inconsistently.
John Calipari’s first head coaching job during his Hall of Fame career was at UMass, and the school is set to honor him for his success there.
UMass announced Monday that it plans to erect a statue of Calipari outside the Mullins Center on Sept. 11. Statues of star players Julius Erving and Marcus Camby, as well as former coach Jack Leaman will also be unveiled.
Calipari had a remarkable run at UMass between 1988 and 1996, succeeding despite a lack of top recruits. He led UMass to the Final Four in 1996, though the appearance was later vacated after it was found that Camby had previously accepted gifts from agents. The fact that both Calipari and Camby are being honored this way is a clear indication that UMass has long since moved on from the incident.
Calipari and UMass appear to have mutual warmth between them after over two decades. The same can’t be said for another of his former coaching spots, but this honor should be well-received.
Rick Carlisle has been a mainstay on the sideline in Dallas over the last decade-plus. However, he may not be dug in nearly as deep as you think.
Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported on Monday that the Mavericks head coach is rumored to have an eye on the Milwaukee Bucks job.
Carlisle, who is signed through 2023, has coached Dallas since 2008. That makes him the third-longest-tenured head coach in the league behind Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs and Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat. Carlisle also led the Mavs to the NBA title in 2011 but has yet to win even a single playoff series since then. For what it’s worth though, Dallas owner Mark Cuban publicly backed Carlisle after the team’s latest disappointment.
As for the Bucks, current head coach Mike Budenholzer appears to be skating on thin ice. But he may have been thrown a life jacket now that Milwaukee has tied their second-round series against the Brooklyn Nets after injuries to James Harden and Kyrie Irving.
The Bucks currently have a stronger overall roster and play in the weaker conference as well. Those are two good reasons why Carlisle might find them more attractive than his current situation in Dallas.
As the Boston Celtics embark on their head coach search, a new billboard is pushing team president Brad Stevens to make a bold hire.
Six Star Pro Nutrition, a supplement company, put up a billboard near the Celtics’ practice facility urging the team to hire a female head coach, specifically either Spurs assistant Becky Hammon or Duke women’s head coach Kara Lawson.
In a statement, Iovate Health Sciences International said the company “wanted to highlight two outstanding candidates and a moment in history in which both are supremely qualified based on the context of their basketball resume.” Iovate is Six Star’s parent company.
For whatever it’s worth, Lawson has popped up in rumors about the Celtics job, but there have been no reports that she or Hammon will interview at this time. Lawson did serve as a Celtics assistant during the 2019-20 season, but only took the Duke job a year ago and may want to stay put. As for Hammon, the Celtics would have competition if they decided to pursue her.
If hired by Boston or any other organization, Hammon or Lawson would be the first female head coach in NBA history.
Jason Kidd withdrew from consideration for the Portland Trail Blazers coaching job, but there is another gig he is in the mix for.
FOX Sports’ Melissa Rohlin reported on Monday that the Orlando Magic requested permission to interview Kidd for their head coach job. The Lakers granted permission, and Kidd reportedly will interview this week.
Kidd, 48, was a Hall of Fame point guard as a player. He went into coaching after his playing career and had stints with the Nets and Bucks as a head coach. Kidd has spent the last two seasons under Frank Vogel on the Lakers.
Kidd has a 183-190 record as a head coach. His teams have reached the playoffs three times. He was fired by Milwaukee during the 2017-2018 season.
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has won three NBA titles in the last six years, but now he is jumping on the bandwagon of another team.
Speaking with Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle this weekend, Curry revealed that his pick to win it all this season is the Philadelphia 76ers. He also predicted that the Utah Jazz will come out of the West.
The former MVP’s pick may be surprising considering that the Brooklyn Nets have his ex-co-star Kevin Durant as well as one-time Warriors consultant Steve Nash coaching the team. The LA Clippers, another formidable squad, also have Curry’s former Golden State teammate DeMarcus Cousins.
But Curry’s connection with the Sixers is a lot more obvious — his brother Seth starts at shooting guard for them.
“I’m a pseudo-Sixer fan now,” said Stephen, also predicting Seth to win Finals MVP. “We’re going storybook.”
Of course, Stephen’s support of his younger brother is nothing new. In fact, his recent social media post about Seth even led to a Sixers executive getting into some hot water.
Patrick Mahomes has a personalized logo through adidas that was on display recently, and it is not impressive.
Mahomes shared a photo on social media from a photoshoot involving his family. The photo gave the public its first look at the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback’s daughter.
But also visible in the photo was Mahomes’ new adidas logo, which features his “PM” initials.
Adidas filed for a trademark for the logo on March 29. It looks like they are already putting the logo to use.
Mahomes signed with adidas before entering the NFL in 2017. He spent his first season on the bench mostly, but his deal has since paid off. Mahomes quickly developed into an MVP and the most electric quarterback in the NFL. Adidas’ early investment in him is paying off. But that logo could use some work.
Cam Newton appears to be operating as the New England Patriots’ No. 1 quarterback for the time being.
The Patriots had a practice on Monday that was open to the media. ESPN Patriots reporter Mike Reiss shared that Newton went first in the reps he saw. Mac Jones, Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer went after Newton.
The Patriots signed Newton for the minimum salary last year. He began the season well but then was placed on the COVID-19 list. Upon returning from COVID, Newton was not good as a quarterback, though he was still able to run the ball effectively.
Newton re-signed with the Patriots for this season, and the team may have some confidence in him. But they drafted Jones No. 15 overall out of Alabama. It’s unclear to what extent they will give Jones an opportunity to beat out Newton, but there is some believe there will be a competition.
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There are very few people who believe Tim Tebow has a legitimate chance to make the Jacksonville Jaguars’ final roster, but that does not mean the former quarterback is embarrassing himself this offseason.
ESPN’s Michael DiRocco said on “Get Up!” Monday that Tebow has not looked out of place while working with the tight ends at organized team activities. The reporter said Tebow “looked like he belonged” at practice on Monday.
“His fundamentals need work. His footwork’s a little slow,” DiRocco said. “He’s getting some coaching after every drill, but if people were expecting him to look like he didn’t know what he’s doing, that’s not the case.”
Urban Meyer has said it is unclear what role the team will use Tebow in when training camp begins next month. He could be used as a true tight end or more of a “gadget” player.
DiRocco also reported that Tebow is very well-liked by his teammates and no one has taken issue with him being in camp.
Plenty of people have taken shots at Tebow over his comeback attempt, and that is likely fueling the 33-year-old. He obviously has a close relationship with Meyer, which could be a factor when the final roster is set. At the very least, it doesn’t sound like Tebow is going to make Meyer’s decision easy.
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