Latest news with #TheAmericas'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Americas' Creative Team Didn't Just Capture Some of the Best Sperm Whale Footage Ever, They Made a Landmark Discovery
There are nature documentaries that show you things you've never seen before. Then there's 'The Americas,' which shows its viewers something literally no human had ever seen before. Marine scientists had long speculated that sperm whales dive all the way to the ocean floor to hunt for food. But they had never actually observed the whales doing so. How could anyone? As the executive producer of 'The Americas' and creative director of the BBC Studios Natural History Unit Mike Gunton said to IndieWire as part of our USG University virtual panel series, 'Sperm whales kind of break all the rules of biology because it's so challenging for any living creature to go from the surface of the sea all the way down there — the pressure change is huge. And then the camera had to do the same thing.' More from IndieWire Nathan Fielder's 'The Rehearsal' Season 2 Will Submit in the Comedy Series Emmy Categories 'The Last of Us' Writers Share the Video Game Adaptations Hollywood Should Tackle Next The distance from the surface to the seafloor off the coast of Dominica in the Caribbean Sea is a half mile, which means that the camera, newly invented by the production team over two years leading up to the shoot, would have to sustain pressure 100 times that of the atmosphere. Gunton was joined for the discussion by fellow 'Americas' team members Giles Badger, who directed the sperm whale shoot, cinematographer Dan Beecham, and composers Anze Rozman and Kara Talve, all of whose efforts were directed toward not just telling a compelling documentary story but illuminating a scientific first that the entire production enabled. 'There are things that lots of people have seen but we've never been able to bring to an audience before,' Gunton said. 'This is something that nobody has ever seen, and that's kind of a holy grail of wildlife filmmaking.' The segment director, Badger, spearheaded the efforts to design the camera rig. No human could survive in the water at the depths sperm whales can plunge, so the camera would have to be attached directly to a whale via suction cups, and affixed to its back from a long pole held over the bow of the production team's boat. Then the whale itself would take the camera down to the ocean floor. 'Ultimately, the animals will write their own script,' Badger said. 'You never know exactly what you're going to get.' If the production team 'missed' and didn't affix the camera to the whale, it could be a full 40 minutes before the whale surfaced again and they'd have another opportunity. That was only the start of the challenge, though. The production team has a rule of not interfering in the lives of the animals it documents as much as possible. That meant they had it hard-wired in the camera's suction rigging that it would detach entirely from the whale after just five hours. A GPS tracker was attached to the camera, but the team would have to wait for it to wash ashore to retrieve it — hopefully before the battery on the geolocator had gone dead. 'You can go to all these lengths, you can spend two years building this camera, you can get it on a whale, you can record the footage, and then you lose the camera,' Badger said. 'So as that particular camera was out, we knew the battery was getting weaker and weaker, we knew that we only had a finite number of hours before we'd lost it forever. We managed to find it in the seaweed after five or six hours, and even at that point when the camera's been down and it's come up and you found it, you still don't know whether those tiny little cameras have got the images on them.' Just in case, Badger showed that a telephone number was imprinted on the camera with the promise of a reward for whoever should find it. By any standard, though, this is television production as playing the long game. For the cinematographer, Beecham, who was in a wetsuit and wearing a rebreather to capture footage of the whales closer to the surface of the water before their dive, it's almost as challenging. 'We went at a time of year where the ocean is supposed to be very, very calm, but I think the first 10 days or so of the shoot was very, very rough,' Beecham said. 'In this job, you get used to people always saying to you, 'Oh, you should have been here last week. The animals were amazing. The weather was amazing.' I've talked about getting T-shirts printed up with that one actually because that happens so much. And then you need the animals to actually be there when the weather gets good as well. And then you need the dive gear to work, you need the camera to work, you need the boat skipper to get the boat just in the right place so the whales don't get disturbed. And then I also need to not screw up when I go in and do my job as well. They're sort of these narrow windows of opportunity that we grab.' There's a particular psychology involved in swimming near whales that a cinematographer needs to keep in mind as well. 'The approach with whales is not how to get close to them, but it's how to position ourselves so they get close to us,' Beecham said. 'So we never approach a whale, we allow them to come to us. And very often they don't. Very often they'll dive, so then I'm swimming back to the boat, dejectedly saying, 'No shot. The whale dove. The whale turned off to the left or to the right.' But every now and again, it'll choose to come straight for you.' All of this may help to give a better sense of why 'The Americas,' as a 10-episode series, took five years to shoot and edit, even with multiple production teams spread out across the hemisphere. The sperm whale segment is just one out of dozens and dozens across that 10-hour runtime. The scientific discovery involved is impressive in its own terms, but this is also a TV show, and one of the key ways to convey the import of a segment such as this is through the music. Hans Zimmer composed the series' main theme, but Anže Rozman and Kara Talve composed the episodic music for moments such as the sperm whale's dive to the ocean floor. It's about finding an artistic expression for the wonder of what's being shown. 'With a project like 'The Americas,' where you have so many people that care and love what they do, and who want to share that with the world, you hope that the end product of so much care and love will be sharing that care and love with the audience and them caring about the environment and caring about these amazing creatures that inhabit our land,' Rozman said. As such, 'We work [on the music] in various stages of episode cuts, and we usually like to get cuts early so we can start getting immersed into the stories and the footage.' 'A lot of our job is making sure the instrumentation is portraying how big this animal feels,' Talve said. 'To convey how close up we are to them. 'Is this music narrating their relationship to their mother, perhaps?' But because of the cinematography, because of just how beautiful everything was, it's immediate inspiration.' The whale is diving to the ocean floor to hunt for food, which means she can then make milk for her calf. Rozman and Talve give some woodwinds at the beginning of the segment, to suggest the childlike quality of the calf, then there's some strings, and all of a sudden a little more urgency to the score, with a choir added, to convey the grandeur and mystery of when the mom makes her great dive. This is a wondrous discovery, and it's translated into the music. Another way the import comes across? Through the inquisitive narration provided by Tom Hanks. His own sense of curiosity and wonder that comes across through his voiceover is not just acting. 'When showing him the footage, he'd turn to the projectionist and say, 'Have you seen this, guys?'' Gunton said of Hanks's reaction to what he was watching. 'This sense of, 'I don't believe what I'm seeing. I want you to show more!' And I thought, 'That is perfect. That is exactly what we want. This enthusiastic explorer who knows quite a lot, but doesn't know everything and wants you to join him on that journey.'' That's an invitation that's easily accepted. IndieWire partnered with Universal Studio Group for USG University, a series of virtual panels celebrating the best in television art from the 2024-2025 TV season across NBC Universal's portfolio of shows. USG University (a Universal Studio Group program) is presented in partnership with Roybal Film & TV Magnet and IndieWire's Future of Filmmaking. Catch up on the latest USG University videos here. Best of IndieWire 2023 Emmy Predictions: Who Will Win at the Primetime Emmy Awards? 2023 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special 2023 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Financial Times Names Zum to Its 2025 List of The Americas' Fastest Growing Companies
Recognition Marks Third Year in A Row Zum Has Appeared on Prestigious List REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Financial Times announced that Zūm has been named to its annual "The Americas' Fastest Growing Companies List," a recognition that supports Zum's position as the leader in modern student transportation. Zum ranks No. 28 on this year's list of the top 300 companies and is the highest-ranking company in the Logistics & Transportation category. This is the third year in a row that Zum has been named to this prestigious list of innovative leaders across North, South, and Latin America. "Zum is leading a national movement to change the status quo in student transportation and transform how we apply critical technological innovation into the largest mass transit system in the country," said Ritu Narayan, Founder and CEO at Zum. "We are delighted to be named one of The Americas' Fastest Growing Companies by the Financial Times for the third year in a row, and to be included on a list of some of the most impressive companies across this Hemisphere." Zum unifies parents, students, school administrators and drivers on a single personalized end-to-end technology platform, enabling never-before-achieved levels of visibility and data-backed accountability. Through the Zum app, parents can view a profile of their child's bus driver, along with real-time tracking and notifications about their school bus location and their child's pickup or dropoff status. Zum also allows administrators to optimize routes and provides staff with real-time data and performance reports. Zum currently serves thousands of schools across 14 states, including districts in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland; Boston; Seattle; Spokane; Nashville; Omaha; Kansas City, Mo.; Howard County, Md.; and more. "From new school district partnerships to launching the nation's first all-electric school bus fleet with the ability to power the grid, we have made great strides in the past year in delivering a safe, reliable and equitable student transportation solution," Narayan added. "We are grateful to all of the families, drivers, school districts and communities nationwide that support our mission." Zum made history this year by launching the nation's first fully electrified school bus fleet in Oakland, CA that is equipped with groundbreaking vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology that enables the buses to return 2.1 gigawatt hours of energy to the grid, overall improving grid resilience and reliability during times of peak demand. This technology will soon be deployed at scale. "The Americas' Fastest Growing Companies" is compiled by the Financial Times in partnership with Statista, and features the top 300 companies in the Americas that have achieved the strongest growth in revenues between 2020 and 2023. Data was collected through official sources like publicly available earning presentations, investor relations, websites and annual reports. The complete list of The Americas' Fastest Growing Companies 2025 can be found here. To learn more about how Zum is working with thousands of schools across the nation to deliver safe, reliable and modern student transportation, please visit Zum's website. About ZūmZum is a modern transportation solution transforming school transportation, the largest mass transit system in the U.S. Today, the company provides turnkey modern transportation solutions to school districts in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Utah, and Virginia, and is expanding rapidly nationwide. Recognized globally for its innovative transportation and energy as a service platform, Zum has been featured among Fast Company's World Changing Ideas, CNBC Disruptor 50, CNBC Changemakers, World Economic Forum and Financial Times' Fastest Growing Companies. Learn more about Zum at CONTACT: Jenny Mayfield, Vice President of Communications – press@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Zūm Sign in to access your portfolio
USA Today
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
When do new episodes of 'The Americas' release? Where to watch Tom Hanks-narrated wildlife series
When do new episodes of 'The Americas' release? Where to watch Tom Hanks-narrated wildlife series Show Caption Hide Caption The most anticipated TV shows of 2025 USA TODAY TV critic Kelly Lawler shares her top 5 TV shows she is most excited for this year Take a virtual tour of the "world's greatest supercontinent" in a new docuseries narrated by Tom Hanks. Produced by renowned wildlife producer Mike Gunton, "The Americas" is a new tentpole series that "showcases the wonders, secrets and fragilities of the world's greatest supercontinent," a news release by NBC says. The series has been produced by Gunton for BBC Studios Natural History Unit in association with Universal Studio Group division Universal Television Alternative Studio. "For the first time, the Americas stars in its own incomparable series, using cutting-edge technology to uncover never-before-seen behavior, and highlight the extraordinary, untold wildlife stories that will deeply connect with millions around the world," NBC says. The docuseries aimed at highlighting "the wonders, secrets and fragilities of the world's greatest supercontinent" has been filmed over a span of five years across 180 expeditions. Each hour-long episode features a different location, such as Patagonia, the Gulf Coast, wild west and the Andes among others across the entire continent of America, including north and south America. Here's what to know about "The Americas" including how to watch new episodes. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox When do new 'The Americas' episodes come out? How to watch New episodes of "The Americas" air every Sunday on NBC at 8 p.m. ET / PT on NBC. The episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock. The series premiered on Feb. 23 with two back-to-back episodes. 'The Americas': Stream on Peacock 'The Americas' episode schedule Here's a look at the upcoming episode schedule for "The Americas." "The Gulf Coast": March 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT "The Andes": March 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT "The Caribbean": March 30 at 8 p.m. ET/PT 'The West Coast': April 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT 'Patagonia": April 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT Previous episodes and their air dates are: "The Atlantic Coast": February 23 "Mexico": February 23 "The Wild West": March 2 "The Amazon": March 2 "The Frozen North": March 9 'The Americas' narrator The series is narrated by Tom Hanks while the music has been composed by Hans Zimmer. The making of 'The Americas' A week after the series concludes on Monday, April 21, a special episode "showcasing a behind-the-scenes look at 'The Americas'" will stream exclusively on Peacock and will feature Hanks and the crew "revealing perils and breakthroughs behind the lens of this milestone nature series." NBC says the special will explore "the dedication, fieldcraft, humor, heart, and innovation that came together to create one of the most ambitious wildlife series ever produced." Watch the 'The Americas' trailer We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn't influence our coverage. Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Suits LA' Recruits Another Original Character to Guest Star
Another 'Suits' fan-favorite will be making a trip to its Los Angeles-based spinoff. Rick Hoffman, who played the hilarious and cunning Louis Litt on the USA Network legal drama, is set to reprise the role on 'Suits LA' in one episode, TheWrap has learned. The actor might appear in more episodes in the future, should the NBC drama series receive a Season 2 renewal. Hoffman's Litt reprise marks the second original series character to jump over to the West Coast. Gabriel Macht's Harvey Specter is set for a three-episode recurring role in Season 1, which will kick off later in the season. 'Suits LA' stars Stephen Amell as Ted Black, a high-powered attorney turned agent who takes on some of Hollywood's biggest cases — from negotiating contracts for Hollywood big wigs to defending clients on murder charges. The show also stars Lex Scott Davis, Josh McDermitt and Bryan Greenberg. The show, which premiered Sunday , Feb. 23, scored 4.7 million viewers across all platforms, according to Nielsen live-plus-three-day numbers. 'Suits LA' grew 87% in total viewers and 213% in the key broadcast demo among adults 18-49 when compared to same-day viewing. Episode 3 is set to air Sunday night alongside new shows 'The Americas' and 'Grosse Pointe Garden Society.' 'Suits LA' airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock. Deadline first reported the news of Hoffman's casting. The post 'Suits LA' Recruits Another Original Character to Guest Star appeared first on TheWrap.
New York Times
05-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How to pivot after Kyrie Irving's ACL tear, Bol Bol's fantasy basketball outlook and more
I watched an episode of 'The Americas' last week and became riveted when the camera streamlined over the Rocky Mountains and showed the vast expanse of the Great Plains. Herds of bison and horses galloped at breakneck speed across the land, but all I could see were Zion Williamson's running with ferocity. All I could hear were balls bouncing off the court. Then, the narrator described what happens when the cold air from the north blankets the warm air from the south, causing severe thunderstorms … via GIPHY … which light up the dry shrubbery and cause Beavis and Butthead to jump in adulation. Well, that's exactly what happened to the NBA landscape on Monday. With 2:35 left in the first quarter of Monday's game against the Sacramento Kings, Kyrie Irving drove down the lane but injured his left knee after it buckled when he tried to plant and go up for a shot. After writhing on the ground for a few minutes, Irving was helped to the free-throw line and channeled his inner Kobe: Kyrie Irving is the definition of strength 🙏🏼#MFFL — Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) March 4, 2025 Chills. On Tuesday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Irving is out for the rest of the season due to an ACL tear. I'm crying. Since Luka Doncic was traded, Irving averaged 26.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.9 blocks and 2.6 treys in 36.6 minutes over 11 games. The usage rate spiked by 4% to 31%. It's a massive, massive blow for the Mavericks' offense. Advertisement To make matters worse, Jaden Hardy sprained his ankle on Monday and will be out for an extended period of time. The biggest beneficiary will be Spencer Dinwiddie. His minutes were in the low-to-mid 20s while garnering a usage rate in the teens. He will likely start and play over 30 minutes a night. On Monday, he had a 31% usage rate. On the season, he's started 19 games and averaged 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 treys. Dinwiddie has never been the most efficient player — 41% career field goal percentage — but he has been known to flash from time to time and will likely provide some nice counting stats, considering the expected playing time and role. As of Tuesday morning, Dinwiddie is only rostered on 18% of Yahoo teams. Max Christie scored at least 15 points in each of his first seven games with the Mavericks. He's finished with 10 or fewer points in each of the past five games, with three of those in single digits. While the playing time ticked down to 27 and 29 minutes recently, I'd expect him to start playing over 30 minutes with increased usage. On Monday, Christie garnered a 20.4% usage rate. He's mainly a 3-and-D player but has dished out at least 4 dimes in three of the past four games, with a high of 6. Dante Exum has started eight of 13 games since making his season debut. He's averaging 19.2 minutes over that span and received over 20 minutes seven times. It will be interesting to see exactly what role Exum fills because he's had some big fantasy games in the past, and his 3-point shot has improved — over 40% in 68 games with Dallas — albeit on low volume (2.1 attempts per game). Klay Thompson may find life more difficult because Dallas no longer has someone to individually break down a defense or force a double team. He will still get some pindown actions, but those open looks from scrambling or rotating defenses will likely be few and far between. Advertisement I like Brandon Williams, as he has juice and is a professional bucket-getter. He's undersized at 6-foot-1, though, and likely won't play more than 20 minutes at most. But he's someone to keep an eye on. I also like Naji Marshall. He probably won't start but will likely play over 30 minutes a night. He's versatile on defense and can guard positions 2 through 4. Marshall is also garnering a 19% usage rate on the season and was at 24.9% on Monday. He can shoot the trey but has enough wiggle and handle to get to the rim. At 6-foot-7, 225 pounds, Marshall bullies smaller defenders in the paint and feasts on lumbering bigs on the perimeter. Marshall has scored at least 20 points six times this season, with a stretch of four straight games around Thanksgiving. Marshall is only rostered on 13% of Yahoo teams. Joel Embiid was officially shut down for the season last week. Paul George is dealing with a finger issue. Tyrese Maxey has also been dealing with a finger issue and injured his back on Monday. Halfway through the third quarter of Monday's game, Maxey drove baseline and tried to float under the rim after he was met by a defender. Unfortunately, he landed hard on his back after contorting in the air and was on the floor for a minute. He was unable to finish the game. After the game, Nick Nurse said the injury didn't seem serious and that Maxey was day-to-day. I'd be worried about Maxey, though. Since being listed as questionable with the finger issue four games ago, Maxey has averaged 13.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.5 treys while shooting 27% from the field and 9% from downtown. Philadelphia is currently 12th in the Eastern Conference at 21-39. The Sixers are obviously not contenders this season. In addition, their first-round pick goes to Oklahoma City if it's outside the Top 6. I have a not-so-sneaky suspicion that both Maxey and George will not be playing much down the stretch. Advertisement If so, then Jeff Dowtin Jr. and Jared Butler would likely see a significant increase in playing time. Dowtin and Butler entered the NBA in the 2021-22 season, but Dowtin went undrafted, while Butler was a second-round pick. Both are 6-foot-3, but Butler has maybe 10 more pounds of muscle on his frame. Dowtin looks a smidge more jittery on the court, but Butler can finish through contact at the rim. Dowtin is on a two-way contract, while Butler signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the 76ers. When watching both players, I like Butler better because he never seems rushed and has an impressive floater and layup package. But I'm just some dude writing about hoops from his mom's basement, and Dowtin has averaged 16.5 minutes over the past two games, while Butler played five minutes on Monday and was a DNP in three of the prior four games. Shrug. Dowtin and Butler are not rostered in Yahoo leagues. I'd scoop up one if Maxey is shut down. My preference is Butler, but Nick Nurse has been playing Dowtin. Choose wisely. If George is shut down, Justin Edwards and Ricky Council IV should benefit. Andre Drummond has started the past three games, averaging 26.3 minutes per contest. On Monday, he finally had a Dre Day, putting up 25 points, 18 rebounds, an assist and 2 steals. He will likely continue to see playing time because the depth chart at center isn't deep. Adem Bona would likely see elevated minutes as youth, development and draft slot would be the priorities, but I doubt he approaches 30 minutes a night. Quentin Grimes has been great since arriving in Philadelphia, averaging 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.3 treys while shooting 50% from the field and 37% from downtown. He hasn't just been standing in the corner on offense but has shown the ability to attack closeouts and navigate pick-and-roll action. Two games ago, Grimes caught fire and put up 44 points. He also went for 30 points seven games ago. I'm not sure how Grimes would fit into a tanking scenario. On one hand, he's only 24 years old, and the team could get an extended look at how Grimes would be in an alpha role on offense. On the other hand, he's in the final year of his rookie contract and is a restricted free agent. Maybe the team has seen enough. Advertisement The Memphis Grizzlies are fourth in the Western Conference with a 38-23 record. Until March, they had four losing streaks consisting of only two games each. After Monday's loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Memphis has now lost a season-high three games in a row! The sky is falling! Memphis was without Ja Morant and Santi Aldama on Monday. Morant missed his second straight game with a shoulder injury, while Aldama has been dealing with calf soreness. Early in the first quarter of Monday's game, Jaren Jackson Jr. was lost after attempting to block a layup attempt on a fast break. He rolled his left ankle after landing and did not return to the game. GG Jackson was the direct substitute and played 28 minutes because Aldama was out. When healthy, Aldama will likely slot right in for Jackson. With Morant out, Desmond Bane was the biggest beneficiary, notching a triple-double, while Luke Kennard entered the starting lineup and played 35 minutes. Bane had a 32.6% usage rate on Monday and, as mentioned in a prior article, slides up the offensive totem pole when Morant is out. Kennard contributed 17 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and a trey. I like Kennard because he's a dead-eye shooter but also has some playmaking ability. The playing time isn't consistent, though. Scotty Pippen Jr. only played 16 minutes, finishing with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal. On Sunday, Denver's Julian Strawther sprained his knee after landing from a jump floater. On Tuesday, it was reported that Strawther will be evaluated in four weeks. Since the start of February, Strawther averaged 23.9 minutes, 9.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.5 treys. Sure, he wasn't fantasy-relevant, but he provided offensive juice for the second unit. Peyton Watson will finally be returning from the same injury, and he could soak up some of those minutes, but Russell Westbrook and Christian Braun would be the likely beneficiaries. On Sunday, Mike Malone had a tight rotation, with Strawther the only bench player to play over 10 minutes. Braun played a whopping 47 minutes, while Westbrook received 36 minutes. After Saturday's game, the Kings' Domantas Sabonis was diagnosed with a Grade 1 hamstring strain and will be out for at least four games. Jonas Valanciunas got the start on Monday and contributed 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in 24 minutes. The Kings blew out the Dallas Mavericks, so I'd expect Valanciunas to get closer to 30 minutes in competitive games. Valanciunas has always been a per-minute monster and is averaging 1.31 fantasy points per minute. Jalen Suggs last played for the Orlando Magic on Jan. 25 and has missed 15 games. On Tuesday, it was announced that Suggs underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and is done for the season. Cole Anthony has started the past 11 games, averaging 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.4 treys. He's questionable for Tuesday's game due to a toe issue. If Anthony is out, Anthony Black would likely enter the starting lineup. In nine starts this season, Black averaged 8.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.1 minutes. The Magic are all about Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Advertisement Evan Mobley is sitting out Tuesday's game, the front end of a back-to-back. Cleveland currently has a record of 50-10 and is 7.5 games ahead of the Boston Celtics for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland has three more back-to-backs, so Mobley and others will likely miss some games down the stretch. Pelle Larsson played a season-high 28 minutes on Monday for the Heat, contributing 16 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 treys. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, Davion Mitchell, Kel'el Ware and Andrew Wiggins didn't play, so Larsson may not get many opportunities. That said, things happen during the Silly Season, and I do like Larsson. The coaches were raving about him in the offseason, and he gives me Christian Braun vibes. Shoutout to Portland's Toumani Camara, who's been a top-20 player on a per-game basis over the past seven games. Camara has averaged 15.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.1 steals and 2.1 treys while being a menace on defense, guarding the top dawgs nightly. It always bugged me that Detroit's Jalen Duren was sub-1 in blocks per game because he's so athletic. Well, after averaging 0.9 and 0.8 blocks in his first two seasons, he's at 1.2 this season. He Mutombo'd a combined 10 shots in the past two games. Winning truly does cure all. On Jan. 19, Chauncey Billups sent Shaedon Sharpe to the bench because of defensive lapses. Seventeen games later, he gave Sharpe 33 minutes off the bench, and Sharpe exploded for 36 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal and a block. He was then re-inserted into the starting lineup and has averaged 37.2 minutes, 21 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 treys in three games. Most importantly, Portland is 3-1 over the past four games and has been eighth in defensive rating. There are many more points I'd like to make, but this piece is getting long, so I'll end with this: On Feb. 11, Bol Bol got the start, played 31 minutes and produced 18 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks and 3 treys. The following night, Bol put up 15 points, 4 rebounds, a steal, 2 blocks and a trey in 34 minutes. Then he played 10, 13 and 7 minutes. Whack a Bol! Advertisement This has been a recurring theme throughout his career. Bol wouldn't play much, then get an opportunity, flash potential, only to be returned to the bench and be a novelty item. And for good reasons, as his defense was often poor. Yes, he'd block shots, but his awareness and IQ were lacking. Over the past four games, Bol has returned to the starting lineup and averaged 28 minutes, 18 points, 7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.5 blocks and 2.8 treys while shooting 64% from the field, 47% from downtown and 87% from the line. In the past, I'd expect Bol to return to the bottom of the box, never to pop his head up again. This time, though, there's a little more optimism. Kevin Durant and Mike Budenholzer spoke positively about him during a post-game interview, and one of the assistant coaches was almost choking up when talking about Bol mid-game, saying that Bol's hard work has paid off. But what Durant said really piqued my interest, as he mentioned Bol's mindset and work ethic and said he did not doubt that Bol would perform well. Bol has a fantasy-friendly game and is rostered on only 34% of teams at Yahoo. I get the skepticism, but the risk-reward is too favorable to ignore. (Photo by Jerome Miron / Imagn Images)
