Ron Rivera will join Cal in front-office type role
Former Panthers and Commanders coach Ron Rivera is taking a new job at the college level.
Rivera confirmed to multiple reporters that he's heading back to his Alma Mater Cal to help the program in a front-office role.
'Coach Belichick has made going back to school, cool,' Rivera said in a text to multiple reporters. 'Stay tuned I am coming home.'
Rivera was the Pac-10 defensive player of the year in 1983 for Cal and was a first-team All-Pac-10 honoree for the program that year. He was then a Bears second-round pick in 1984.
In 13 seasons as a head coach for Carolina and Washington, Rivera accumulated a 102-103-2 regular-season record with a 3-5 postseason record. He helped lead the 2015 Panthers to an appearance in Super Bowl 50.
Via Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Rivera's job at Cal is slated to look like Andrew Luck's role with Stanford, as Rivera will help the program, college, players, fundraisers, and athletic department excel in the changing landscape that is college football.
Rivera interviewed for a few head coaching jobs this offseason and was also a candidate to join new head coach Liam Coen's staff in Jacksonville.
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New York Times
26 minutes ago
- New York Times
‘You have to really start over': Former Rockies watch and weep at futility of 2025 team
Watching from afar, unable to avoid headlines about the historic futility of his former franchise, Nolan Arenado can envision a path forward for the Colorado Rockies. What he can't say for sure is whether the team will take it. 'The only way you get out of this, my opinion, is you have to really start over,' said Arenado, the St. Louis Cardinals third baseman who spent the first eight seasons of his MLB career in Colorado. 'Trade guys that have value and deal with the restart. But I don't know if that's what (owner Dick) Monfort wants to do. That's not really what they like to do.' Advertisement Arenado, a cornerstone of Rockies contenders in the 2010s, said he doesn't follow the club closely these days. But the decline is hard to ignore. Unwilling to attempt a rebuild, the team is suffering through a full-blown implosion. Only a year after the Chicago White Sox set a new big-league record with 121 losses, Colorado entered Monday with a 12-53 record, on pace to finish 30-132. And last week was the team's best of the season. A three-game sweep of the Miami Marlins offered a rare opportunity for Colorado's social media team to gloat. Then the team returned to Coors Field and promptly weathered a three-game battering by the New York Mets that concluded with a 13-5 defeat on Sunday. It has been that kind of season. The Rockies finished April at 5-25. When Monfort and general manager Bill Schmidt fired manager Bud Black on May 11, the team was 7-33. Warren Schaeffer, the Rockies lifer who replaced Black, won once in the next 10 games. They are the first team to have lost 50 games before winning 10 since the 1876 Cincinnati Red Stockings. Last week's sweep of the Marlins represented the team's first series victory of the season, ending a streak of 22 consecutive lost series. Playing baseball in Colorado features inherent challenges. The altitude at Coors Field hampers pitchers and hitters alike. The franchise has never won the National League West and never won more than 92 games in a season. But the team is not far removed from contending. Colorado made the postseason in 2017 and pushed the Los Angeles Dodgers to a Game 163 in 2018. The current state of the club is painful to watch for veterans of those seasons. 'You want to see them do well, and it's tough to see, how it's going right now,' said Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story, who spent the first six years of his career in Colorado. 'Yeah, it's hard. Don't necessarily want to speak on anything further than that.' Advertisement As the team has continued to spiral, The Athletic spoke with several prominent former Rockies about the state of the team. Several players conveyed their pity for the current situation and their lingering affection for the franchise. (The latter sentiment was not universal. Reached via text message, Troy Tulowitzki responded with a one-sentence answer. 'I don't comment on that organization,' said Tulowitzki, who made five All-Star teams for Colorado before being traded in 2015.) The conversations offered glimpses into why Colorado has cratered, with six consecutive losing seasons heading into the ignominy of 2025. DJ LeMahieu cited the ongoing health woes of former National League MVP Kris Bryant. Tyler Anderson noted a lack of success in the draft. Arenado mentioned the team's unwillingness to acknowledge the reality of the situation and embrace rebuilding through trades. Several players conceded the team lacks the data-driven planning that powers other clubs. 'I think they're a little behind, for sure,' said LeMahieu, who signed with the New York Yankees heading into 2019 after seven seasons in Colorado. 'That doesn't necessarily translate to wins and losses. It's not like I'm going to point to that and say that's the reason. But I think (joining the Yankees), it was like, 'Wow, they're really, really on top of things here.' That was, like, one of the biggest surprises.' The Rockies are considered more insular than other clubs, according to rival executives. For years, the team has avoided the lure of stripping down its roster. The team did not trade Story at the deadline in 2021, opting to receive a compensatory draft pick after he signed elsewhere. A year later, rather than move 37-year-old reliever Daniel Bard, the team inked him to a two-year, $19 million extension. The front office failed to sell high on former Gold Glove second baseman Brendan Rogers and parried away overtures for All-Star third baseman Ryan McMahon. Colorado is expected to be more active this July at the deadline. But the lack of transactions has left the club without a wave of fresh talent surging through the minors. Even when the organization has made deals, as it did by moving Arenado in 2021, there hasn't been much success. Colorado traded Arenado to St. Louis for a five-player package. None of the acquired players are currently on the active roster. Advertisement Anderson, a 2011 first-round pick who played with the Rockies from 2016 to 2019, recalled being surrounded by homegrown stars at Coors Field. Outside of LeMahieu, who was acquired in a 2011 trade, most of the best Rockies arrived in the draft. Tulowitzki was a first-round pick in 2005. The team snagged outfielder Charlie Blackmon in the second round in 2008 and Arenado in the same round a year later. Story was selected at No. 45 in 2011. The draft has been far less fruitful in recent years. Since 2016, the club has made 12 first-round selections. The collective worth of the group has been minus-0.8 wins above replacement, according to Baseball-Reference. 'They didn't get superstars like they got with Trevor or Tulo or Arenado or Blackmon,' Anderson said. After fourth-place finishes in 2019, 2020 and 2021, the Rockies looked outside the organization for a player to build around. The team inked four-time All-Star Kris Bryant to a seven-year, $182 million contract. The deal proved disastrous. Beset by injuries, mostly involving his back, Bryant averaged 53 games per season in his first three years in Colorado. He is currently on the 60-day injured list as he recovers from a surgery related to degenerative disc disease. 'Bryant's been out a lot,' LeMahieu said. 'He's one of their best players.' As a member of the Los Angeles Angels, the employers of perpetually injured Anthony Rendon, Anderson is familiar with how a massive contract can prevent a club from improving its roster. 'You spend a lot of money on a player, and guys get hurt and it happens and it sucks,' Anderson said. 'But it kind of handcuffs you. You hate to see that, for any player to have that. And for an organization, that's tough too.' All of these factors have led the Rockies to the precipice of historic embarrassment. As Arenado noted, the fierce competition in the National League West will not make the going much easier. Which is why the status quo, refusing to rebuild despite all of the losing, cannot hold. Advertisement 'They have a lot of good teams over there, a lot of good teams that spend,' Arenado said. 'I know this is Major League Baseball and nobody really feels bad, but I do have a soft spot for people there because I know them. 'But at the end of the day, if you're not adapting, you get left behind.' — The Athletic's Sam Blum, Brendan Kuty, Jen McCaffery and Katie Woo contributed to this story. (Top photo of Arenado, LeMahieu and Story in happier times: Ron Chenoy / USA Tpdau)
Forbes
27 minutes ago
- Forbes
Why The 2025 NBA Offseason Might Be Loaded With Blockbuster Trades
With the 2025 NBA Finals underway, 28 teams have already turned their full attention to the offseason. Free agency is largely shaping up to be a dud, as the Brooklyn Nets are the only team projected to have considerable cap space, but the league could still have its fair share of fireworks in the coming weeks. "It's gonna be a crazy summer," one Western Conference executive told longtime NBA insider Jake Fischer. "There's going to be a lot of movement." According to multiple reports, it's basically a foregone conclusion that the Phoenix Suns plan to trade Kevin Durant. ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently said they'd likely do so between now and the 2025 NBA draft. Durant might not be the only star on the move this summer, though. Between an unpredictable Finals matchup, a pair of shocking jumps in the draft lottery and NBA teams' ongoing battle with the new collective bargaining agreement, the stage is set for explosive player movement across the league. The Suns' intention to trade Durant might be the NBA's worst-kept secret. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, he's expected to have "a robust market of approximately four to six seriously interested teams this offseason." However, another domino might need to fall first before Durant conversations take off. In mid-May, Charania reported that "for the first time in his career," Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo "is open-minded about exploring whether his best long-term fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere." Damian Lillard's Achilles injury and the Bucks' third straight first-round playoff loss raised questions about their ability to build a championship contender around him moving forward, although Fischer recently said executives are increasingly skeptical that he'll actually ask out. Antetokounmpo could be the domino that triggers a deluge of offseason activity either way. Teams interested in acquiring him or Durant might not want to move on to the latter until they're sure Antetokounmpo is staying in Milwaukee. Durant figures to cost far less from an asset perspective, as he's heading into the final year of his contract and turns 37 at the end of September, whereas Antetokounmpo just turned 30 in December and has two guaranteed years left on his deal. Once Antetokounmpo decides what he wants to do, the floodgates should open around the league. The Boston Celtics figure to be in cost-cutting mode in the wake of Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury, which means Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Holiday and/or Derrick White could all be on the move. ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently said there's "some belief" that the Cleveland Cavaliers would be open to moving All-Star point guard Darius Garland "under the right circumstances." That alone has the potential to drastically reshape the Eastern Conference hierarchy. Western Conference teams could also get in on the fun. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, 'rival NBA executives are monitoring the trio of Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan with the belief that Sacramento will explore the possibility of trading at least one of those players either this offseason or before the trade deadline in February.' Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports reported the New Orleans Pelicans have "no untouchables" and are "gauging the market for everyone on their roster." Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers also have plenty of veterans on expiring contracts to dangle as trade bait, from John Collins (player option), Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson in Utah to Deandre Ayton, Anfernee Simons, Robert Williams III and Matisse Thybulle in Portland. That process could begin in the days leading up to the draft. Whichever team landed the No. 1 pick in this year's draft figured to stand pat, take Duke forward Cooper Flagg and not look back. The Dallas Mavericks, who entered lottery night with only a 1.8% chance of winning said pick before doing exactly that, "have made clearly publicly and privately that they plan on selecting Flagg," according to Charania and ESPN's Jonathan Givony. The real excitement could begin as early as the No. 2 overall pick, which the San Antonio Spurs currently hold. Two years ago, the Spurs landed the No. 1 overall pick and spent it on French wunderkind Victor Wembanyama, who has already lived up to his predraft hype and then some. He finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting as a rookie after averaging a league-leading 3.6 blocks in only 29.7 minutes per game, and he was the heavy front-runner for this year's DPOY award before he was shut down after the All-Star break due to deep vein thrombosis. In Wembanyama, the Spurs already have their franchise cornerstone. They're now figuring out how best to build around him, although the No. 2 overall pick may complicate that to some extent. Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper is the clear consensus second-best prospect in this year's draft behind Flagg. However, the Spurs already spent the No. 4 overall pick last year on fellow guard Stephon Castle, who proceeded to win Rookie of the Year this past season. And at this year's trade deadline, they acquired former All-Star point guard De'Aaron Fox in a trade with the Kings. Long-range shooting is not a strength for any of Fox, Castle or Harper at the moment. NBA teams can never have enough high-level playmakers these days, so the Spurs might just take the best-player-available approach, select Harper and worry about his fit alongside Fox and Castle later. But if they're unsure about how that trio might mesh, they could always look to shop the pick as well. The Philadelphia 76ers, who own the No. 3 overall pick, may likewise be considering trading it. Team president Daryl Morey has repeatedly declared that he plans to make the Sixers younger and "more dynamic" this offseason, so the Sixers likely won't trade out of the draft entirely, according to Fischer. However, they "are expected to at least listen to trade-down opportunities," he added. Meanwhile, a handful of other teams have multiple first-round picks that they could seek to package to move up in the order. Would the Sixers take the Nos. 5 and 21 picks from the Jazz in exchange for No. 3? What about Nos. 6 and 18 from Washington? The Brooklyn Nets have four first-round picks (No. 8, No. 19, No. 26 and No. 27) that they could dangle. And the Thunder, who are three wins away from this year's championship, have two more first-round picks (Nos. 15 and 24) than they do open roster spots for next season. Combined with the number of star players who could be on the move, the unique draft order could lend itself to some major fireworks on June 25. A handful of teams could also use this offseason to get ahead of business next year. Those with stars who are set to become free agents in 2026 might have to decide whether to recommit now or move them now rather than risk losing them for nothing next summer. Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. could be the big swing piece on this front. After not making an All-NBA team, Jackson is only eligible for a four-year, $146.8 million extension unless the Grizzlies create cap space to renegotiate his contract first. If he becomes a free agent in 2026, he'll be eligible for a five-year, $296.0 million contract with the Grizzlies or a four-year, $219.4 million contract with any other team. For now, multiple teams could carve out significant cap space in 2026. If the Grizzlies can't get Jackson signed to an extension this offseason, would they risk going into next season with him still on the roster? Or might they decide that they're better served trading him this summer and maximizing their return on him? The same goes for Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young, who has a $49.0 million player option for the 2026-27 campaign. Zach Lowe of The Ringer said he didn't think "there's a great market for him," but what happens if Young and the Hawks can't come to terms on an extension this summer? It might only take one offense-starved team to make them reconsider whether to continue building around him moving forward. That's one of the main reasons why the Kings moved Fox at this year's trade deadline. He declined to sign a three-year, $165 million extension last fall because he'd be in position for a larger deal this offseason, but it became increasingly clear to the Kings that he wasn't planning to sign an extension this year, either. Fox's agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, eventually told the Kings "that it would be wise to move him sooner rather than later" with that in mind, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. The Dallas Mavericks also cited that as justification for their controversial decision to trade Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. "We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the supermax and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract," Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison told Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. "And so we really felt like we got out in front of that." Christian Clark, Mike Vorkunov and Fred Katz of The Athletic later reported that the Mavericks never planned to offer Dončić the five-year, $345 million supermax extension that he would have been eligible for this offseason, but that's beside the point. Other teams may decide to follow in the footsteps of Dallas and Sacramento this offseason if they're unsure of their ability to retain their own stars beyond 2025-26. All of those ingredients combined set the stage for what projects to be an explosive offseason. Unless otherwise noted, all stats via PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. Follow Bryan on Bluesky.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
On this day: Maxwell, McHale drafts; Clyde, Shannon born; Brightman passes; G3 2008 Finals
On this day: Maxwell, McHale drafts; Clyde, Shannon born; Brightman passes; G3 2008 Finals On this day in Boston Celtics history, the team drafted small forward Cedric Maxwell out of UNC Charlotte with the 12th overall pick of the 1977 NBA draft, their sole selection of note. Maxwell would play eight seasons for the Celtics, averaging 13.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, and would win two championships with Boston in that stretch (in 1981 and 1984), winning Finals MVP in 1984. After losing his starting role to forward Kevin McHale after an injury, the North Carolina native would be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for legendary sixth man center Bill Walton. Maxwell maintains a close relationship with the Celtics and their fans to this day, hosting an eponymous podcast and making frequent appearances on local sports media. In that same draft (there were many more rounds to the draft in that era), the Celtics also selected Skip Johnson of Wake Forest, Jeff Cummings of Tulane, Bill Langloh of Virginia, Roy Pace of Rutgers, Dave Kyle of Cleveland State University, and Tom Harris of Bowling Green. None of them ever suited up for the Celtics, however -- not an uncommon occurrence for those taken so late in the draft. It is also the anniversary of the 1980 NBA draft, in which the aforementioned McHale was drafted out of Minnesota with the third overall pick by Boston. The former Golden Gopher had a Hall of Fame career with the Celtics, winning three championships (in 1981, 1984, and 1986), and would be elected to seven All-Star games and six All-Defensive teams among many others. McHale would play 13 seasons for Boston, the only team he would play for as a professional. He would average 17.9 points, 7.3 boards, and 1.7 assists, and as many blocks per game over that stretch. Along with McHale, Boston also drafted Purdue's Arnette Hallman, Holy Cross' Ron Perry, Idaho's Don Newman, Iona's Kevin Hamilton, Maine's Rufus Hamilton, Norfolk State's Kenny Evans, Virginia Tech's Les Hanson, Boston's Steve Wright, Northwestern's Brian Jung, and Providence's John Nolan. As was the case in the 1977 draft, none of these players made the team. Today is the birthday of Boston wing Earl Shannon. Born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1921, Shannon played his college ball at his hometown University of Rhode Island. He kept things local when he made the leap to the pros, signing with the now-defunct Providence Steamrollers. He'd play three seasons with that team before finally leaving his home state to sign with the Celtics in 1949. In the 5 games he played for Boston before retiring, Shannon averaged just a point per game. Shannon shares his born day with Benny Clyde, who came into the world on this day in 1951. A product of FSU, Clyde was picked up by the Celtics in the 1974 NBA draft and played 25 games with Boston in the subsequent season. He recorded 2.8 points and 1.6 boards over that stretch. It is also the date that the Celtics dropped Game 3 of the 2008 NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers 87-81 as Lakers star guard Kobe Bryant went off for 36 points. Guard Ray Allen scored 25 points and 5 assists in the loss, but no other Boston starters broke double digits in scoring besides star forward Kevin Garnett, who had 13 points, 12 boards, and 5 assists. "As bad as we played, we still had opportunities," Allen said at the time via ESPN. "That's the positive. We can look at it, but I don't think on either side of the floor we were good. We had so much more room for improvement." Boston of course went on to win the series and its 17th banner. Finally, it is also the date that we lost forward Al Brightman in 1992. A member of the Celtics' inaugural season, he played 58 games with Boston in 1946-47 after playing his collegiate ball at the University of Charleston. Putting up 9.8 points and an assist per game (rebounds were not yet being recorded), Brightman would retire and go on to coach in the rival American Basketball Association many years later, helming the (defunct) Anaheim Amigos in their first season of play. He was replaced by fellow Celtics alum Bill Sharman in that role the following campaign when the team moved to Los Angeles and renamed itself the Stars.
