Dec 18, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) against the Phoenix Suns during a preseason game at Phoenix Suns Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers need to make major changes to their roster this offseason, and there has been some talk about them potentially listening to offers for Anthony Davis. According to one NBA analyst, none of those offers are likely to be overwhelming.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on “First Take” Wednesday that he believes the Lakers should consider trading Davis. However, Smith said he was told by some team executives that Davis’ trade value is fairly low at the moment.
“I know for a fact by numerous executives I’ve spoken to, you can’t get but so much value for Anthony Davis because he’s perpetually injured and he’s not reliable healthwise,” Smith said, via Jonathan Sherman of Lakers Daily.
Davis has played in just 76 games over the past two seasons because of injuries. The eight-time All-Star is a dominant force when healthy, but he has trouble staying on the floor. He was one of the primary reasons the Lakers won an NBA title two years ago. Though his health is an obvious concern, you would think some team would be willing to take the risk.
Davis averaged 23.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game this season. The Lakers probably would not have been a championship contender even if he were healthy. It seems unlikely that the team will trade him, but this is not the first we have heard of the idea.
Aug 29, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco 49ers want to make every effort possible to keep Deebo Samuel, and they may have received a sign on social media this week that they are moving in the right direction.
One of the first signs that Samuel was unhappy in San Francisco came when the star wide receiver removed all references to the Niners from his social media profiles last month. He also unfollowed the team, but fans noticed a potentially significant development late Wednesday night — Samuel is once again following the 49ers.
That was not the only positive sign for Niners fans, either. Earlier in the week, Samuel “liked” a post on Instagram about 49ers general manager John Lynch saying he believes the issues between Samuel and the team can be resolved.
Samuel is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He obviously wants a new deal, but there have been reports that there is a lot more to his discontent than that.
The Niners turned down at least two offers for Samuel during the NFL Draft last week. That was a strong indication that they have no plans to trade him. Perhaps the two sides are making progress.
Sep 19, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jerry Jones was taken to a hospital on Wednesday night as a precaution after suffering minor injuries in a car crash.
WFAA reported about the incident and said the crash occurred at Wolf and Harry Hines Boulevard in Dallas. They say the 79-year-old Cowboys owner was transported to a Parkland hospital.
Jones must have been doing well, because his son, Stephen, told ESPN that Jerry was back home and “all good.”
Jones serves as the general manager of the Cowboys in addition to owning the team. He recently drew some attention for revealing the Cowboys’ draft board.
Feb 3, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) during AFC practice for the Pro Bowl at Las Vegas Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
New Orleans Saints fans are very excited about the addition of safety Tyrann Mathieu.
Mathieu signed with the Saints on Wednesday, and the organization was quick to announce the deal to an excited fanbase. The team also promoted a link for fans to preorder a Saints jersey with Mathieu’s name on it.
The link proved so popular that the NFL Shop link crashed.
Mathieu is an LSU icon, and plenty of LSU fans double as Saints fans. The big homecoming certainly has plenty of appeal to New Orleans fans, and we knew that even before any websites crashed due to interest.
Playing in New Orleans is something Mathieu has been enthusiastic about as well. Still, even he might be a bit surprised by how popular his signing is proving to be.
Dec 28, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) in action during the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Could the Los Angeles Lakers be hiring a Russell Westbrook whisperer of sorts to be their next head coach?
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Wednesday that the Lakers have requested permission from the Toronto Raptors to interview their assistant coach, Adrian Griffin.
Griffin played in the NBA from 1999 to 2008 and also has some noteworthy ties to the Lakers star Westbrook. Griffin previously coached Westbrook as an assistant for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Griffin’s two seasons in OKC, during which he was Billy Donovan’s lead assistant, included Westbrook’s MVP year in 2016-17.
Of course, Griffin is plenty qualified beyond his connection to Westbrook. He has been an assistant coach in the NBA since 2008 with stops on five different teams. Griffin is also currently Raptors coach Nick Nurse’s lead assistant and helped guide the franchise to their first-ever title in 2019.
While it is true Westbook might not even be with the Lakers next season, hiring Griffin would be a quality move regardless that would also give the Lakers a parachute in case they cannot find a trade partner for Westbrook.
Feb 20, 2020; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) stands on the court before the game against the Houston Rockets at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Tensions were high once again during Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal series between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies. Draymond Green was at the center of some of the drama, and he had no regrets over it.
Green got hit in the face early in Golden State’s 106-101 loss. He had to leave the court and received stitches for a right eye laceration. As he was heading to the locker room, Green flipped the double bird to the home fans in Memphis (video here). To say he does not regret it would be an understatement.
Green told reporters after the game that it felt “really good” to flip Grizzlies fans off. He said they deserved it for booing him as he was leaving the court with an injury.
“You’re gonna boo someone who got elbowed in the eye and has blood running down their face? I could have had a concussion and everything,” Green said. “If they’re gonna be that nasty, I can be nasty too. I’m assuming the cheers are because they knew I was gonna get fined. Great, I make $25 million a year. I should be just fine.”
Green has always embraced the villain role, and this was no different. He taunted Memphis fans in Game 1 after he was ejected for a flagrant foul, so they probably felt they were returning the favor.
Dec 30, 2018; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy (25) looks on before a game against the Miami Dolphins at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Tannehill faced some criticism over a comment he made about the Tennessee Titans drafting Malik Willis, and LeSean McCoy has added to the backlash.
The Titans used a third-round pick on Willis after the former Liberty quarterback tumbled down the draft board. Tannehill was asked by a reporter on Tuesday if he plans to mentor the rookie, and he said that is not his job. Like many others, McCoy disagrees with Tannehill’s mindset. The former Pro Bowl running back wrote in a tweet that you cannot call yourself a good teammate if you are not willing to be a mentor.
McCoy’s point is that Tannehill should want Willis to be as prepared as possible. That way, the Titans would still be in good shape in the event that Tannehill went down with an injury.
Tannehill’s comment is definitely being blown out of proportion. All he meant was that he is competing with Willis for a starting job, so he has to make sure he is focusing enough time and energy on himself. There will be times when his and Willis’ preparation overlap, and Tannehill said it would be “great” if Willis learns from him.
A Hall of Fame quarterback also took aim at Tannehill over the comment.
Joseph Maiorana-USA Today Sports
The Jacksonville Jaguars fired Urban Meyer with four games remaining in the 2021 season, but they still have business to tend to with their former head coach.
Meyer had somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 million remaining on his contract at the time he was dismissed by the Jaguars. Team owner Shad Khan has made it clear that Meyer was fired with cause in Khan’s eyes, but Meyer’s legal team disagrees. Several months later, the contract dispute has yet to be resolved.
A source told USA Today’s Jarrett Bell on Tuesday that Meyer and the Jaguars still have not reached a settlement. Khan made his stance clear with his latest comments reflecting on the failed Meyer experiment.
“I think when you know someone is not truthful, how can you be around someone, OK? We had Doug Marrone here four years. We had Gus Bradley here four years. I have nothing but the utmost respect and friendship with them,” Khan told USA Today. “That’s why they got the time, because it wasn’t a matter about respect or truth. It was a matter of wins and losses over four years. This is much bigger than that.”
There were reports that Meyer had conflicts with players and assistant coaches. There was then the incident where he allegedly kicked a former player during warmups of a preseason game, though Meyer has vehemently denied that. Meyer was also seen getting cozy with a young women in a viral video that surfaced after he chose not to travel back to Jacksonville with the team after a loss.
The dispute could take some time to resolve. Meyer obviously is not going to leave millions of dollars on the table without a fight. Khan is not going to pay the money unless he is forced to. If there is no settlement, a third party will have to make a ruling at some point.
Draymond Green should expect a fine from the NBA after Game 2.
Green got hit in the face early in Game 2 of his Golden State Warriors’ Western Conference semifinals series against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night. As he exited the court to get examined, Green flipped the double bird to Grizzlies fans.
Green went into the locker room and received stitches for a right eye laceration, the Warriors said.
When he returned to the game later in the first half, Green still looked pretty roughed-up.
Green had 0 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the first half. You know he will address the matter and his crude actions to Warriors fans on his podcast, where he has had all kinds of things to say.
Between Green’s actions and what happened to Gary Payton II, it was an eventful first few minutes of Game 2.
Dec 26, 2010; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears center Olin Kreutz (57) during pre game against the New York Jets at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
One Chicago Bears legend is out of a job after an alleged violent incident with a fellow employee.
Jeff Agrest of the Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday that retired former Bears center Olin Kreutz, who had been working as an analyst for Chicago sports media startup CHGO, grabbed the neck of co-worker Adam Hoge in an incident on Monday. Kreutz reportedly did so in response to a “flippant remark” made by Hoge during a staff meeting at CHGO’s West Loop office.
Agrest adds that Hoge did not require medical treatment and declined to file a police report. Kreutz, meanwhile, was fired by CHGO for the incident.
CHGO posted a statement to Twitter in which they said that they were “shocked” by the incident and that they would not tolerate any action threatening the health and safety of their employees.
Kreutz posted a response of his own to Twitter in which he quoted boxing legend Mike Tyson. Kreutz tweeted an image of Tyson that read, “Social media made y’all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it.”
The 44-year-old Kreutz played for the Bears from 1998 to 2010. He was a two-time All-Pro selection and six-time Pro Bowler, even being selected as one of the 100 greatest Bears of all-time in 2019. Kreutz was listed at 6-foot-2 and 292 pounds during his playing career.
Ever since retiring from the NFL, Kreutz has not been afraid to go after others when he feels slighted. He even recently blasted Bears chairman George McCaskey in an interview.
