Dec 16, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) dribbles the ball up the court against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Heat may have to be concerned about losing Jimmy Butler to one of their bigger historic rivals.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported this week that there has been talk within league circles about whether the Heat star Butler will eventually end up with the Dallas Mavericks. Scotto notes though that rival executives who have checked in with Miami about Butler have gotten the impression that the Heat want to wait until after the season to figure out Butler’s future.
The six-time All-Star Butler, 35, can become an unrestricted free agent next summer after failing to agree to a contract extension with Miami this past offseason. Butler, who has been with the Heat since 2019 and led them to multiple Finals berths, may reportedly still prefer to remain with Miami. Nevertheless, the uncertainty over his future has rival teams interested.
But the Mavericks, who are coming off a 2024 NBA Finals run, make a lot of sense. With Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic holding it down in the backcourt, and PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford offering strong complements down low, Butler’s small forward position is their biggest area of need. Derrick Jones Jr. left Dallas in free agency over the summer, and the likes of Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall have largely failed to provide the same spark. That likely explains the Mavs’ interest here in the five-time career All-NBA selection Butler.
March 20, 2024; Seoul, SOUTH KOREA; Los Angeles Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani reacts after playing against the San Diego Padres during a MLB regular season Seoul Series game at Gocheok Sky Dome. Photo Credit: Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters via USA TODAY Sports
Shohei Ohtani has secured a quick victory in his latest legal move against his former interpreter.
Sam Blum and Evan Drellich of The Athletic report this week that the Los Angeles Dodgers star Ohtani will recover about $325,000 worth of baseball cards that were fraudulently purchased by his disgraced ex-translator Ippei Mizuhara. Federal prosecutors said in a court filing Monday that Ohtani holds a “superior interest in the property.”
“Ohtani holds a valid pre-existing interest in Forfeitable Property as title to the Forfeitable Property was vested in Ohtani at the time of the commission of the acts which gave rise to the forfeiture,” the filing read in part.
Just last week, the three-time MVP Ohtani requested a hearing from the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California for ownership of the cards. The federal investigation against Mizuhara had found that Mizuhara bought the cards from online marketplaces with the intent of re-selling them and used funds that he fraudulently obtained from Ohtani’s bank account in order to fund the purchases. The cards were then seized from Mizuhara in connection with his federal fraud case (full details here).
The hearing requested by Ohtani had been scheduled for Dec. 20, but prosecutors now say that the hearing is no longer necessary. Meanwhile, Mizuhara is set to be sentenced on Jan. 24 on federal bank and tax fraud charges related to his theft of nearly $17 million from Ohtani. Mizuhara had pled guilty to the charges back in May and has now had his sentencing date delayed twice (first from Oct. 2024 to Dec. 2024 and now from Dec. 2024 to Jan. 2025).
Former bantamweight world boxing champion Israel Vazquez has died after a battled with cancer. He was 46 years old.
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman announced the news of Vazquez’s death on Tuesday.
“Israel Vazquez is finally resting in peace . May God give strength and support to his wife Laura, their children, family and friends during these difficult times,” he wrote in a post on X.
Israel Vazquez is finally resting in peace . May God give strength and support to his wife Laura, their children, family and friends during these difficult times. Gracias campeón por dejar una huella tan especial. Siempre serás el Magnífico
Vazquez had been diagnosed in November with Stage IV sarcoma. He had suffered a detached retina during a 2008 fight and eventually lost his right eye in retirement.
Vazquez boxed from 1995-2010 and went 44-5 during his career. He fought at both the super bantamweight and featherweight weight classes. He was a champion in the super bantamweight class for the IBF, NABF, IBA Continental and WBC.
Vazquez is best known for his four-fight series against Rafael Márquez, which the two split. They fought three times from 2007-2008, and then concluded their battles in 2010. Marquez won the first and last bout between them. Vazquez was knocked out in their 2010 fight and never fought again.
Mar 14, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers logo on the hardwood court against the San Antonio Spurs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia 76ers look pretty terrible in 2024, but at least they are providing a nice throwback to 1984.
Tim Bontemps of ESPN reports this week that the 76ers are signing 6-foot-10 forward Pete Nance to a two-way contract. Pete spent some time on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster last season and had been playing for the Canton Charge, the Cavs’ G League affiliate, this season.
The 24-year-old Pete is the son of three-time NBA All-Star and former Slam Dunk Contest champion Larry Nance Sr. He is also the younger brother of Atlanta Hawks big man Larry Nance Jr.
Pete, who has averaged 18.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game in the G League this season, figures to be a frontcourt depth piece for the 4-14 Sixers. With Joel Embiid having played in just four games due to knee injury management and backup Andre Drummond now nursing an ankle injury of his own, Philadelphia needs the bodies. Pete also now marks the second son of a former NBA All-Star on the 76ers.
Feb 18, 2023; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; The NBA logo on the court at Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
A former NBA All-Star has decided to call it a career.
Paul Millsap is retiring, according to multiple reports. The former forward played in the NBA for 16 seasons, most recently with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2022.
Millsap began his career as a second-round pick of the Utah Jazz in 2006. His best years came with the Atlanta Hawks, when he was named an All-Star four consecutive years from 2013-2017. Millsap also played for the Denver Nuggets and Brooklyn Nets.
The 39-year-old Millsap averaged nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds per game during his best seasons with Atlanta. He also earned an NBA All-Defensive Second Team nod in 2016.
Millsap signed with Ice Cube’s BIG3 league earlier this year, where he joined the Aliens with his brothers John and Abraham.
Millsap finishes his NBA career with 13.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game across 1,085 regular-season contests. He is one of only eight NBA players to have 500 three-pointers, 1,000 blocks and 1,000 steals.
A former NL MVP finalist is likely to be traded this offseason.
A few different media outlets that cover the St. Louis Cardinals reported on Tuesday that the team is likely to trade Nolan Arenado this offseason. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says that the Cardinals have approached select teams about a potential trade involving Arenado. The Athletic’s Katie Woo says the two sides have agreed to explore a trade, and that Arenado is more likely to be dealt than remain on the Cardinals’ roster.
Arenado has spent the last four seasons with the Cardinals after playing for the Colorado Rockies for eight years. The 33-year-old third baseman had a down season in 2024 and batted .272 with a .719 OPS. His 23 doubles and 16 home runs were his fewest since his rookie season.
Arenado made the All-Star team each year from 2015-2023 (there was no All-Star Game in 2020). He has won 10 Gold Glove awards and 5 Silver Slugger honors over his career. Arenado has also finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting six times, including four top-5 finishes.
The Cardinals are looking to change things up after a disappointing 83-79 campaign in 2024, which followed a horrendous 71-91 season in 2023.
Sep 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (0) during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The NFL announced on Tuesday that Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has been suspended for three games after his brutal hit left Trevor Lawrence with a concussion, and no one seems more furious about the ruling than Nick Caserio.
Caserio held a press conference shortly after the news of Al-Shaair’s three-game suspension came out. The Texans general manager blasted the NFL for a lack of consistency when disciplining players over hits that were deemed illegal. Caserio also ripped the NFL for its harshly worded statement, in which vice president of football operations Jon Runyan criticized Al-Shaair for the linebacker’s “lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football.”
“I think the big thing from our standpoint, and all teams want this, is just some level of consistency. We’ve talked to the league. Quite frankly, we don’t have a good explanation,” Caserio said.
“But I think what we take umbrage with is is just the picture that’s been painted about Azeez, his intentions, who he is as a person. Quite frankly, it’s bulls–, and it’s unfair to the individual, it’s unfair to the organization. We love everything about Azeez Al-Shaair and what he means to this team and what he brings to this team. He was elected a captain after being here for four months.”
Strong words from Texans GM Nick Caserio on the suspension of LB Azeez Al-Shaair:
“The picture that’s been painted about Azeez, his intentions, who he is as a person— quite frankly, it’s bullshit.” pic.twitter.com/89XWZ7mIHp
Caserio also mentioned how former Texans safety Kareem Jackson was suspended as a member of the Denver Broncos last season following numerous helmet-to-helmet hits. Jackson’s first suspension was for four games but reduced to two on appeal. He was then suspended for another four games for another illegal hit after he returned.
Al-Shaair was fined earlier this season for throwing a punch on an opposing team’s sideline, so that likely factored into the NFL’s decision. Either way, Caserio and the Texans feel the three-game ban was excessive. Not surprisingly, Al-Shaair plans to appeal.
Trevor Lawrence suffered a concussion during Sunday’s game when he was on the receiving end of a brutal cheap shot, and Rex Ryan believes the play should serve as evidence that quarterbacks need to stop sliding so much.
During Monday’s edition of “Get Up” on ESPN, Ryan broke into a fiery rant urging coaches to stop instructing quarterbacks to slide when they have a defender coming at them. The former coach thinks quarterbacks should dive at the defender’s ankles instead.
“I am so sick and tired of seeing people teach, ‘Hey, slide. When you’re running out here, you slide.’ The hell you do!” Ryan said. “Not when you’re going full speed down the field and the defender’s coming full speed at you. You don’t slide. This happens over and over and over again. … I’m sick and tired of it.
“You are not protecting your quarterback when you teach him how to slide when it’s not in the open field. Open field, of course, that’s great. Absolutely not here. If you want to get a concussion, you slide like this when contact’s coming. They should be taught to dive at the ankles of the defender. Or, run the football and take your head out of it.”
Rex Ryan: "I am so sick and tired of seeing people teach, 'Hey, slide. When you're running out here, you slide.' To hell you do. Not when you're going full speed down the field and the defender's coming full speed at you… they should be taught to dive at the ankles of the… pic.twitter.com/JUiJI3k7mF
Ryan’s theory is that a defender will be more likely to try to defend himself if the quarterback dives head first. While Rex agreed that Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair’s ruthless hit on Lawrence was dirty, the ESPN analyst said he has seen other plays where a quarterback suffers a head injury by sliding too late after the defender had already begun the tackle.
Sliding is universally viewed as the best way for a quarterback to protect himself, but there are plenty of players who give themselves up by falling forward instead. We see if often with Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and other mobile quarterbacks. Ryan feels that strategy should be coached more.
Longtime college football coach Dana Dimel has died.
Dimel’s family shared the news on Tuesday that the Illinois senior offensive assistant and former NCAA head coach has died at age 63. Dimel is survived by his wife, Julie, and two children, Winston and Josey.
“Today is a difficult day for college football and our Illini famILLy,” Illinois head coach Bret Bielema said in a statement. “Dana was an exceptional person, husband, father, friend, and football coach. He affected the lives of countless coaches, players, and staff members for more than three decades in college football. His influence on our program was incredible to witness and be a part of. His infectious positive energy had a major impact on me, our players, and everyone in our building every day. He will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family.”
Dimel had coached at the collegiate level for 35 years. He was an All-American offensive lineman at Kansas State in the 1980s and then began his coaching career under legendary former Wildcats coach Bill Snyder in 1987. Dimel was an assistant with Kansas State for a decade before he was hired as the head coach at Wyoming in 1997.
After three seasons at Wyoming, Dimel was the head coach at Houston from 2000-2002. He then worked as an assistant at Arizona for a few years before returning for a lengthy second stint at Kansas State. More recently, Dimel was the head coach at UTEP from 2018-2023.
Dimel’s son Winston was an All-Big 12 fullback at Kansas State for three seasons before he transferred to UTEP to play for his father in 2018.
Apr 24, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (54) looks on in the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Aroldis Chapman spent a large portion of his MLB career with the New York Yankees, and the flamethrower will now have an opportunity to see what life is like with his former team’s most hated rival.
Chapman agreed to a 1-year, $10.75 million contract with the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, according to multiple reports. The left-hander confirmed the news by sharing a photo of himself wearing a Red Sox hat:
Chapman made 68 appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season. He posted a 3.79 ERA and struck out 98 batters in 61 2/3 innings. Chapman also had 14 saves.
The 36-year-old Chapman split time between the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals in 2023. He was with the Yankees for six-plus seasons prior to that and has extensive experience pitching against Boston.
Chapman has remained reliable during the latter part of his career. We saw evidence last season that his fastball still has plenty of zip. The Red Sox are hoping he will help solidify a bullpen that ranked near the bottom of the league with a 4.39 ERA last season.
