Latest news with #All-Star-level
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
DeMar DeRozan gets 100% real on playing with Lonzo Ball
The post DeMar DeRozan gets 100% real on playing with Lonzo Ball appeared first on ClutchPoints. DeMar DeRozan recently opened up about playing with Lonzo Ball on the Chicago Bulls. DeRozan played with the Bulls for three seasons from 2021 to 2024 and came to Chicago at the same time as Lonzo Ball in 2021. The issue is that Ball was dealing with injuries during most of his time in Chicago while DeRozan was his teammate. Advertisement To this point, Ball has missed most of his time playing with the Bulls. He played for the first time in October 2024 since 2022. Ball and DeRozan barely played basketball together, but when they did, things came together easily, helping the offense flow much better than it did without him. On a recent Run Your Race Podcast episode with Theo Pinson and AJ Richardson, DeRozan spoke about what it was like playing with Ball and how easy everything was. He said, 'When you talk about a piece missing for something… Lonzo was that big piece of the puzzle that put everything together for all of us. He made everything so easy.' Ball's size is what makes him stand out as a point guard. At 6-foot-7 and 190 pounds, there are not many point guards like him, and that's why he presents such a matchup issue when he is healthy and able to play. The one season he was able to play with DeRozan on the Bulls, Ball had a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio, and he averaged 5.1 assists per game during that season. The combination of DeRozan and Ball never got a lot of time together with the Bulls due to his injuries, and before Ball was able to come back from injury, DeRozan was traded to the Sacramento Kings in a sign-and-trade that also involved the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team deal. Advertisement Hearing DeRozan praise playing with Ball and how much he enjoyed it shows that it was a case of what could have been. Ball could have developed into an All-Star-level talent if it weren't for some of the injuries he has suffered in his career. Both players still play well with DeRozan in Sacramento and Ball back in Chicago, but those years with the Bulls will be filled with missed opportunities.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Chris Mannix: In trade pursuits, Ime Udoka ‘a real asset' for Rockets
Entering the 2025-26 season, the Houston Rockets have the foundation of a relatively young and improving team that finished 2024-25 with the NBA's fourth-best record (52-30, No. 2 in the Western Conference). That's led many to speculate that Houston could be very desirable to any star players who might come available on the offseason trade market. Advertisement But there's another potential reason for that desirability. On Friday's The Rich Eisen Show, NBA insider Chris Mannix (of Sports Illustrated) made the case: Every player in the league loves (head coach) Ime Udoka. Every player wants to play for Ime Udoka. That's a real asset that the Rockets have. Mannix went on to name Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, and Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns as All-Star-level players who could be targets. Brown and Durant each have previous experience playing for Udoka, with Durant's stint coming when Udoka was an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets. 'The team that I'm still watching the closest is going to be Houston,' Mannix said of his offseason outlook. 'Can Houston make a play for Giannis? I'm sure they would love to.' More: Fact or fiction: Do the Rockets have the best assets to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo? This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Chris Mannix: In trade pursuits, Ime Udoka 'a real asset' for Rockets
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Chris Mannix: In trade pursuits, Ime Udoka ‘a real asset' for Rockets
Chris Mannix: In trade pursuits, Ime Udoka 'a real asset' for Rockets Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix on the NBA's 2025 offseason trade market: 'Every player wants to play for Ime Udoka. That's a real asset that the Rockets have.' Entering the 2025-26 season, the Houston Rockets have the foundation of a relatively young and improving team that finished 2024-25 with the NBA's fourth-best record (52-30, No. 2 in the Western Conference). That's led many to speculate that Houston could be very desirable to any star players who might come available on the offseason trade market. But there's another potential reason for that desirability. On Friday's The Rich Eisen Show, NBA insider Chris Mannix (of Sports Illustrated) made the case: Every player in the league loves (head coach) Ime Udoka. Every player wants to play for Ime Udoka. That's a real asset that the Rockets have. Mannix went on to name Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, and Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns as All-Star-level players who could be targets. Brown and Durant each have previous experience playing for Udoka, with Durant's stint coming when Udoka was an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets. Udoka was a finalist for the NBA's 2024-25 Coach of the Year award. 'The team that I'm still watching the closest is going to be Houston,' Mannix said of his offseason outlook. 'Can Houston make a play for Giannis? I'm sure they would love to.' More: Fact or fiction: Do the Rockets have the best assets to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo?
New York Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How to watch the Dodgers at Mets series, an NLCS rematch starring Shohei Ohtani and Pete Alonso
We're getting a top-shelf series across three national TV broadcasts, with the Los Angeles Dodgers' loaded bats visiting the New York Mets and their lights-out pitching. Two of the best teams in the National League and two of the biggest payrolls in baseball show out this weekend. Coming into Friday, three Dodgers pace the National League in different offensive outputs. Shohei Ohtani is tied for first in home runs (with Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber) and first alone in runs scored; Freddie Freeman leads in batting average and slugging percentage; Will Smith has the top OBP. That trio is demanding enough on opponents, but LA puts out additional All-Star-level talents in Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández. Not for nothing, Andy Pages is on pace for 30 homers. Advertisement The strength-on-strength draw puts these big barrels against New York's elite mound work. The Mets hit Flushing on Friday with a league-best 2.82 team ERA, and all three probable starters have sub-3 ERAs through the first quarter of the season. Series-opening RHP Griffin Canning (5-1, 2.47 ERA) has allowed two or fewer runs in seven of his eight starts, though he gave up two homers to the Yankees in his last outing. Saturday's starter is David Peterson (2-2, 2.86 ERA). The southpaw has also been sharp this year, though he surrendered four walks to the Yanks last weekend. Right-hander Kodai Senga (4-3, 1.43 ERA) is slated to go on 'Sunday Night Baseball.' His offspeed stuff is in MLB's 95 percentile. The Japanese ace has ample experience against Ohtani, dating back to 2013 in the Nippon Professional Baseball league. The other side of this matchup is a bit less impressive — the Mets are hovering around league average in scoring, and the defending champs' collective 4.16 ERA ranks No. 22 in MLB. Still, there are generational names to appreciate here. Pete Alonso is on his way toward a fifth All-Star nod in seven pro seasons. Francisco Lindor, the runner-up to Ohtani in last year's NL MVP voting, is at a 30-HR, 30-SB pace. And Queens gets especially rowdy for Juan Soto, despite the relative slump to start his Mets career. They'll all get to face Clayton Kershaw, former MVP and three-time Cy Young winner. The 37-year-old lefty was rocked in his season debut against the crosstown Angels (five hits and five earned runs in four innings). He'll try to get right on Friday night. Saturday's starter, RHP Tony Gonsolin (2-0, 4.05 ERA), is still working his way back from 2023 Tommy John surgery. Fellow righty and Sunday probable Landon Knack will be tasked with eating innings until LA's rotation gets healthy. Advertisement Dodgers-Mets from the NYT archives, 20 years ago: 'For seven and a third innings, Pedro Martínez soothed the Mets and successfully distracted them. Players thought less about their injured teammates Mike Cameron and Carlos Beltran than the status of Martínez's blossoming no-hit bid. Perhaps they began to visualize their wretched Southern California swing concluding with a pile at the mound. But with one out in the eighth inning, on the brink of a no-hitter and a Hollywood ending, Martínez and the Mets received one more kick in the shins. The Dodgers followed their first hit with their second, and that was implausibly enough for a 2-1 victory. Martínez gave up two hits and took the hardest-luck loss imaginable.' 40 years ago: 'The attraction tonight was Dwight Gooden and Fernando Valenzuela, but their work was finished by the time the game was decided. Darryl Strawberry sliced a double just inside the left-field line, scoring two runs in the 13th inning to give the Mets a 2-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.' Starting lineup of best players to wear both jerseys: Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Shohei Ohtani and Pete Alonso: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Pistons free agency: Naz Reid, Bobby Portis and 6 more players Detroit could target
The Detroit Pistons' season ended two weeks ago, and the landscape of the NBA's Eastern Conference is already shaping up to look different from when the Pistons were still playing. Rumors about the future of Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo are swirling, while Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum ruptured his right Achilles and faces a lengthy recovery process. Advertisement Trajan Langdon, the Pistons' president of basketball operations, addressed reporters last week and was firm in his position to 'stay patient' and seek continuity within Detroit's roster. Langdon wouldn't divulge his priorities regarding free agency. Still, he was transparent about one thing: Hypothetically, if Detroit decides to take any big swings for an All-Star-level player, it would be via trade as opposed to free agency. Assuming the Pistons renounce the rights to Dennis Schröder, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., Paul Reed and Lindy Waters III's contracts, barring a trade, the franchise would have roughly $25 million in salary-cap space available, along with exceptions and minimums, to retool its roster. Beasley, who expressed his desire to return to the Pistons after their Game 6 loss to the New York Knicks, likely played himself into a more expensive salary than Schröder next season. Detroit's best chance to retain Beasley would be to use its nontaxpayer midlevel exception, projected to be about $14.1 million for the 2025-26 season. Beasley trailed only Anthony Edwards in made 3s during the regular season and was second in Sixth Man of the Year voting behind Payton Pritchard. Beasley also played a career-best 82 games, the only Detroit player this season to do so, and was the franchise's second-leading scorer, excluding Jaden Ivey, who was limited to 30 games because of a broken leg. As for Schröder, the Pistons have his early Bird rights, so the path to re-signing him is simpler than Beasley's. Detroit can offer Schröder a contract worth 175 percent of his previous salary. Schröder made $13,025,250 this season, which means the Pistons can offer him a starting salary of about $22.8 million next year. But it's highly unlikely it would take nearly that much to re-sign the veteran, as his highest-paid season came during his first stint with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, when he made $16 million. Considering Schröder fit in seamlessly with Detroit after being acquired in February, it makes sense that the Pistons would at least have conversations to gauge his interest in returning. Advertisement Both Schröder and Beasley averaged more points, rebounds and assists than Hardaway, but the 33-year-old guard started all 77 games he played this season. Barring the unexpected, Ivey will start at shooting guard next season, which makes Hardaway more expendable. He was a steady locker room presence but could figure to be the odd free agent out in this situation. Thanks to Hardaway's career 36.1 percent 3-point shooting on high volume, there should be a solid market for his skill set. Ron Holland II, after his first NBA offseason, should be eyeing the backup small forward role behind Ausar Thompson. Isaiah Stewart will regain his role as a defensive force on the second unit, able to slot in at the power forward or center. That being said, no Pistons player last season was listed at 7-feet tall, so Detroit's focus could be seeking out a center in free agency to allow Stewart to play his natural position. This list operates under the pretense that the Pistons may prioritize another frontcourt player with size, though a couple of backcourt players are noted. Here are eight players the Pistons could target in free agency this summer, ordered from best to worst fit. Of Pistons players to play at least 35 games this season, only Cade Cunningham and Beasley averaged more points than Reid, who played less than 30 minutes per game. Beasley and Marcus Sasser were the only two to have a higher 3-point percentage. The LSU product is fresh off career bests in points, rebounds and assists this season and can likely command more than his roughly $15 million contract he has the option to opt into. If Detroit uses its MLE and early Bird rights to re-sign Beasley and Schröder, the Pistons would have roughly $25 million in available cap to make an offer to Reid. Advertisement The big man fits Detroit's timeline in terms of the core's age, he's the prototypical 'stretch four,' and he's accustomed to coming off the bench. Tobias Harris has started in his last 586 games dating back to his first stint with the Pistons in 2017, so it's safe to assume he'll play out the final year of his contract as a starter. Reid would present Detroit with bench depth this upcoming season and a starting power forward with the ability to stretch the floor for Cunningham in the future. He's a three-level scorer who possesses a coveted skill set and would also be a nice scoring contrast to Jalen Duren's paint presence. Portis has been known to be a sparkplug off the bench and consistently energizes the crowd at Fiserv Forum, a quality that would make him endearing to the Detroit community. His numbers were not far off from Reid's, though Portis is four years older and managed his numbers in just under two fewer minutes than Reid. Portis also missed a large chunk of the season because of a suspension for violating the league's anti-drug policy. Nonetheless, Portis is a proven stretch four as evidenced by his 38.3 percent 3-point percentage for his career. He'd be another veteran for a still young team and the only player on the roster already a champion. Portis' edge and toughness would be welcomed with open arms by the entire organization, plus he has extensive experience coming off the bench. Given the uncertainty surrounding Antetokounmpo's future with the Bucks and Damian Lillard's recent Achilles injury, Portis could be inclined to opt out of his contract to test his market value. While Portis should have multiple suitors across the league, the Pistons should be able to make a competitive offer. Portis wouldn't be the long-term solution at power forward the way Reid would be. But there's no question about Portis providing the Pistons with a fringe starter. While the Memphis Grizzlies will ultimately have the final say on whether Aldama leaves in free agency, the Pistons are projected to have more cap space than the Grizzlies. Since Aldama is a restricted free agent, Memphis will be able to match any offer sheet that comes Aldama's way. And the Grizzlies have good reason to, considering Aldama averaged career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage this season. He's the second-youngest player on this list, and he's essentially a 7-footer who shot almost 37 percent from beyond the arc. Advertisement Aldama is younger than Reid and Portis but has less NBA experience than both. He's rawer, but he could have more untapped potential as well. Aldama's youth and upside, coupled with what J.B. Bickerstaff could pull out of him, make Aldama worth serious consideration. He could come off the bench next season and, like Reid, be a long-term solution in the frontcourt alongside Duren. LeVert is still a formidable scorer and playmaker. Traded from Cleveland to Atlanta at the trade deadline, LeVert is an unrestricted free agent and in complete control of where he ends up next season. His primary purpose with this Detroit team would be to come off the bench to provide a scoring punch. If the Pistons bring back Beasley and Schröder, LeVert becomes a less desirable option, as Detroit still needs to prioritize the development of Holland. But depending on how negotiations go this summer between the Pistons and Schröder and Beasley, LeVert could be a dependable option. Watford may be the least-known name on the list, but he could also be the most intriguing. The Brooklyn Nets gave Watford a relatively short leash this season at roughly 21 minutes per game, but his numbers indicate he made the most of each of them. An expanded role in Detroit could give way to even more growth. The 24-year-old has started just 30 of his 217 games thus far during his four-year NBA career, so he'd be more suited to be a rotational player than a fringe starter like the players mentioned above. Watford, however, has increased his 3-point makes in each of his four seasons and appears to be becoming more comfortable offensively with increased opportunity. While Watford wouldn't be an initial needle-mover, he could forge his own, meaningful role with the second unit over time. First and foremost, Thomas is so low because he seems to be an offseason priority for the Nets. His scoring average has increased in each of his four seasons, and he has been Brooklyn's leading scorer the past two. Thomas would do the best job of any player on this list of alleviating scoring pressure off Cunningham, but it seems unlikely Brooklyn would let him slip away. Advertisement Considering Thomas' scoring numbers, although the Nets were a lottery team, he could command the most money of any player on this list as well. Thomas should have several suitors, even if the Pistons don't make an offer. Grimes has played for Detroit, though his tenure lasted six games. He went on a scoring tear after being dealt from the Dallas Mavericks to the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 21.9 points on 37.3 percent from the field over 28 games. It seems obvious that, with the unpredictability the Sixers have dealt with health-wise, Philadelphia will prioritize retaining Grimes. Like Thomas, Grimes is low on this list because of his importance to the franchise he ended the season with. Grimes would give the Pistons a scoring punch off the bench akin to Thomas, just with a bit more size. Adams rounds out the list because of his size, longevity and, most importantly, his play during the Houston Rockets' first-round series against the Golden State Warriors. Detroit wouldn't need much out of Adams, as he'd be the third big man in the rotation behind Duren and Stewart, but Adams is still a rebounding machine and a bigger body than any current Piston. He would likely be an inexpensive signing, but he'd add to the experience the veterans on Detroit's roster bring. Adams showed he still has more basketball left in him against the Warriors, so he's worth at least considering. (Top photo of Bobby Portis and Naz Reid: Brad Rempel / Imagn Images)
