OT: Nats, Wiz, O's, Ravens, Terps, Navy, Gtown, Mystics, Golf, Summer 2024 (Paris Olympics 2024 as well)

[usiel]

NBA mock draft 2022: Instant first round picks with lottery complete — SB Nation

Here’s our immediate first round projection now that the 2022 NBA Draft order is set.

apple.news

10. Washington Wizards - Johnny Davis, G, Wisconsin

Davis was a three-star recruit entering Wisconsin who went from a solid bench piece as a freshman to one of the biggest stars in college hoops as a sophomore. A strong 6’5, 195-pound combo guard, Davis combines tough and versatile shot-making with impressive point of attack defense to emerge one of the safest two-way bets in this class. While Davis lacks blow-by speed and top-end athleticism, he proved he needs little space to get off his shot. He torched defenders on midrange pull-ups, powering through contact at the rim, and dragging smaller defenders into the post. He only hit 30.6 percent of his threes this year, but he has a quick release on spot-ups and should be a much better shooter than that at the NBA level when he’s not expected to single-handedly carry his team’s offense. Defensively, Davis slides his feet well and walls off driving lanes with his chest. He’s a smart rotational defender off the ball and should be able to hold his own against bigger players on switches for a few moments. Davis feels like more of a high-floor prospect than a high-ceiling one, but his determined one-on-one scoring, projectable shooting, and trustworthy defense should play in almost any environment.

I would be fine with this pick.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Will Juan Soto be traded? 10 X factors to watch as MLB's trade market heats up

As the trends that drive the trade market take shape, here's what we're watching, based on intel from executives around the sport.

www.espn.com

But trading a player of Soto's potential is not for the faint of heart, and not just because the decision-maker's résumé might one day contain the ugly line of swapped a first-ballot Hall of Famer. It's also difficult to glean equal value in a trade for someone as great as Soto. The Lerner family might not want that attached to their legacy; the same could be true for Mike Rizzo.

Front-office types point to two teams that might be really motivated to move on Soto: The hyper aggressive San Diego Padres, who could dangle infielder C.J. Abrams and pitcher MacKenzie Gore; and the Blue Jays, who can dream on a left-handed star to complement the right-handed hitting Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Given that Soto is still a couple of years from free agency, the Nationals could set a really high price and just wait for a bidder to step up with an offer of cornerstone prospects.

 

[John Price]

With how bad this team is anyone is up for a trade (or at least most of them)

I wouldn't be opposed to trading him out but get some really good prespects for him. The prospects they got for Max are kind of meh, but the theory was they could fill up their farm system and get better there. Ruiz is alright and Gray is meh.

 

[Ridley Simon]

NBA mock draft 2022: Instant first round picks with lottery complete — SB Nation

Here’s our immediate first round projection now that the 2022 NBA Draft order is set.

apple.news

10. Washington Wizards - Johnny Davis, G, Wisconsin

Davis was a three-star recruit entering Wisconsin who went from a solid bench piece as a freshman to one of the biggest stars in college hoops as a sophomore. A strong 6’5, 195-pound combo guard, Davis combines tough and versatile shot-making with impressive point of attack defense to emerge one of the safest two-way bets in this class. While Davis lacks blow-by speed and top-end athleticism, he proved he needs little space to get off his shot. He torched defenders on midrange pull-ups, powering through contact at the rim, and dragging smaller defenders into the post. He only hit 30.6 percent of his threes this year, but he has a quick release on spot-ups and should be a much better shooter than that at the NBA level when he’s not expected to single-handedly carry his team’s offense. Defensively, Davis slides his feet well and walls off driving lanes with his chest. He’s a smart rotational defender off the ball and should be able to hold his own against bigger players on switches for a few moments. Davis feels like more of a high-floor prospect than a high-ceiling one, but his determined one-on-one scoring, projectable shooting, and trustworthy defense should play in almost any environment.

I think Beal is going to play PG. just a gut feeling. So an SG would make sense

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Will Juan Soto be traded? 10 X factors to watch as MLB's trade market heats up

As the trends that drive the trade market take shape, here's what we're watching, based on intel from executives around the sport.

www.espn.com

But trading a player of Soto's potential is not for the faint of heart, and not just because the decision-maker's résumé might one day contain the ugly line of swapped a first-ballot Hall of Famer. It's also difficult to glean equal value in a trade for someone as great as Soto. The Lerner family might not want that attached to their legacy; the same could be true for Mike Rizzo.

Front-office types point to two teams that might be really motivated to move on Soto: The hyper aggressive San Diego Padres, who could dangle infielder C.J. Abrams and pitcher MacKenzie Gore; and the Blue Jays, who can dream on a left-handed star to complement the right-handed hitting Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Given that Soto is still a couple of years from free agency, the Nationals could set a really high price and just wait for a bidder to step up with an offer of cornerstone prospects.

I think you lose any trade for Soto and it’s a really tough sell to the fans after losing Rendon and Harper and then Turner and Max to a lesser extent. He’s almost certainly a Hall of Famer and is one of the five most exciting players in baseball, his struggles this year notwithstanding. I would not want to be the GM who pulls the trigger on a Soto trade.

That said, if he’s set on testing free agency they can’t risk losing him for nothing.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Scott Boras……it’s either trade him, pay him open market value, or watch him walk….

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

we dont have not trade him now if the value isnt there

 

[usiel]

Once I saw the true National rebuild happening I expected Soto to be gone. Maybe if new ownership comes in something might happen.

 

[John Price]

Lot of talk about trading Soto, nip it in the bud

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Jimbo rips Saban: Some people think they're God

Jimbo Fisher delivered a fiery rebuttal to Nick Saban's comments from Wednesday night that Texas A&M "bought every player" in its vaunted 2022 recruiting class, calling Saban's comments "despicable" numerous times in a news conference.

www.espn.com

crazy how out of control this can get……

Want a star recruit? Have a local booster owned business sign them to an NIL deal…..

 

[Ajax1995]

Want a star recruit? Have a local booster owned business sign them to an NIL deal…..

Or just hand them a bag full of money and call it a NIL deal. Who’s going to care? Who’s policing this crap?

Like with most well meaning policies in large organizations the actual execution is completely incompetent BS…

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I swear….this coverage of the PGA is overly sugary….


2+ straight days of just overt slobbering over the players….”so talented, lucky to be watching this, such a treat….”………giant yawn from me.

 

[g00n]

I swear….this coverage of the PGA is overly sugary….


2+ straight days of just overt slobbering over the players….”so talented, lucky to be watching this, such a treat….”………giant yawn from me.

ESPN in a nutshell. Always hyping the personalities to market the network's coverage.

 

[Dr John Carlson]

Not sure I've ever seen a major leaderboard, heading into Sunday, with as many unproven guys as this. It could get wild tomorrow.

Even the big names, like Thomas and Bubba, have terrible major records outside of their wins.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Would like Mito Pereira to win at the PGA today, but this has Sunday collapse written all over it…..

anyone but Matt Fitzpatrick….

 

[Dr John Carlson]

Van de Velde-esque in that Mito looked great for 71 holes... and then he got to the 72nd.

Should be a good playoff!

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Damn fine Sunday at a Major.

Poor Pereira…..called that one.

congrats JT!

 

[g00n]

Justin Thomas' caddie finally got his major memento after years of being snubbed by his old employer Phil Mickelson

Jim "Bones" Mackay never got to keep the 18th flag — known as the caddie's trophy — in all the years he worked for Phil Mickelson, a biography says.

news.yahoo.com

JT=class
Phil = ass

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

 

[usiel]

Sort of forgot about Stras. Last I remember they were saying he'd need a couple of extra weeks since TC was shortened but here we are almost June. Maybe I missed a setback? /shrug

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

 

[Cush]

Projecting the Wizards’ future with John Hollinger: Part 1

Would the Wizards have any hope of building a contender if they were to re-sign Bradley Beal to a five-year deal worth almost $245 million?

theathletic.com

John Hollinger: Well, here’s the thing … the best course of action would have been to trade Beal before his contract expired, and that’s the one option that is now off the table (unless he somehow opts into his 2022-23 season). The big question everyone I talk to has about the Wizards is what exactly their desired endgame might be and whether that entails any goals loftier than chasing the eighth seed. The Beal situation is the perfect example: 18 months ago, he could have gotten the Wizards a Jrue Holiday-esque package (at least) in a trade, but instead Washington hung onto him through two forgettable seasons.

..........

Hollinger: I think they’re going to have a hard time building an elite roster in the next couple of years either way, because the exit they drove right past without so much as tapping the brakes 18 months ago was to trade Beal and tank. Again, given the cards they currently hold, retaining Beal’s rights is probably better than letting him walk to have cap room in a blah free-agent market.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Projecting the Wizards’ future with John Hollinger: Part 1

Would the Wizards have any hope of building a contender if they were to re-sign Bradley Beal to a five-year deal worth almost $245 million?

theathletic.com

John Hollinger: Well, here’s the thing … the best course of action would have been to trade Beal before his contract expired, and that’s the one option that is now off the table (unless he somehow opts into his 2022-23 season). The big question everyone I talk to has about the Wizards is what exactly their desired endgame might be and whether that entails any goals loftier than chasing the eighth seed. The Beal situation is the perfect example: 18 months ago, he could have gotten the Wizards a Jrue Holiday-esque package (at least) in a trade, but instead Washington hung onto him through two forgettable seasons.

..........

Hollinger: I think they’re going to have a hard time building an elite roster in the next couple of years either way, because the exit they drove right past without so much as tapping the brakes 18 months ago was to trade Beal and tank. Again, given the cards they currently hold, retaining Beal’s rights is probably better than letting him walk to have cap room in a blah free-agent market.

This what the majority of the fan base has been saying for two years. Beal is no where near worth that contract. At best he’s the second option on a championship team and moving forward he’s probably more suited to being the third option. To make him the highest paid player in the league is frankly laughable.

The only way committing to Beal doesn’t lock them into mediocrity for the next half decade is if they somehow get a Steph Curry, Kawhi Leonard, or Nikola Jokic-type talent in the middle of the draft otherwise they’ll be good enough not to be a top five drafting team and bad enough not to contend for anything more than the play-in / first round which is pretty much the worst place to be. Or maybe the heavens shine down on them and Kyle Kuzma continues his ascension and becomes a legitimate franchise player. But yeah, yikes.

 

[g00n]

This what the majority of the fan base has been saying for two years. Beal is no where near worth that contract. At best he’s the second option on a championship team and moving forward he’s probably more suited to being the third option. To make him the highest paid player in the league is frankly laughable.

The only way committing to Beal doesn’t lock them into mediocrity for the next half decade is if they somehow get a Steph Curry, Kawhi Leonard, or Nikola Jokic-type talent in the middle of the draft otherwise they’ll be good enough not to be a top five drafting team and bad enough not to contend for anything more than the play-in / first round which is pretty much the worst place to be. Or maybe the heavens shine down on them and Kyle Kuzma continues his ascension and becomes a legitimate franchise player. But yeah, yikes.

DNRTFA and I only marginally follow the front office bullshit surrounding the Wizzle but it looks like Sheppard stepped in right before COVID put a crimp in the NBA's revenues, and in that time the Wiz have finally caught up with the league average. From 2011 through 2021:

Worth noting is that even with the team's on-court failures their revenue rose pretty steadily and really spiked starting in 2017, but that was a league-wide jump probably owing to the ESPN/TNT deal.

I think what this says is Ted is characteristically loyal to his GMs and when he does fire them he promotes from within as he did with GMBM and then Sheppard. But with the Wiz it may have been made more likely due to the ESPN windfall which provided a lot more money and less need to cling to a guy who takes care of a narrow bottom line in Grunfeld.

Sheppard is said to have been instrumental in the Wall and Beal deals and with the decline in revenue that's going to work against him. The only question is how much post-COVID revenue downturn is Ted willing to forgive before he starts looking for a replacement to come in and clean up the mess...

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

DNRTFA and I only marginally follow the front office bullshit surrounding the Wizzle but it looks like Sheppard stepped in right before COVID put a crimp in the NBA's revenues, and in that time the Wiz have finally caught up with the league average. From 2011 through 2021:

View attachment 552228

Worth noting is that even with the team's on-court failures their revenue rose pretty steadily and really spiked starting in 2017, but that was a league-wide jump probably owing to the ESPN/TNT deal.

I think what this says is Ted is characteristically loyal to his GMs and when he does fire them he promotes from within as he did with GMBM and then Sheppard. But with the Wiz it may have been made more likely due to the ESPN windfall which provided a lot more money and less need to cling to a guy who takes care of a narrow bottom line in Grunfeld.

Sheppard is said to have been instrumental in the Wall and Beal deals and with the decline in revenue that's going to work against him. The only question is how much post-COVID revenue downturn is Ted willing to forgive before he starts looking for a replacement to come in and clean up the mess...

I think Tommy has actually done a pretty good job. Getting out from under both Wall and Westbrook’s deals was a master stroke in management. I just have no idea why he’d want to hamstring himself again with a Beal albatross contract. There is no realistic path towards competing with Beal and KP making $80M/year combined.

They had a chance to compete with Wall and Beal. I believe without a shadow of a doubt that in 2015 if Wall hadn’t broken his wrist in the playoffs they least make it to the ECF against Lebron and they may have made it all the way to the Final. Then they lost in G7 to Boston when Kelly f***ing Olynyk had the game of his life, then Wall got hurt and it was curtains. There was a window when Wall and Beal were close to the best backcourt in basketball but injuries robbed them of a chance to realize their potential.

There is no window with Beal any more barring a future Hall of Famer falling in their laps out of no where. To pretend otherwise is bad management, but I imagine Ted is more worried about short-term revenue than he is about doing what it takes and making the tough decisions to build a contending team.