Michael van Gerwen may be back from a relaxing holiday, but questions about his form still linger. The three-time world champion had a disappointing showing at the European Tour event in Sindelfingen last weekend. His close friend and former top player Vincent van der Voort didn’t hold back in his assessment.
Van Gerwen started the week on a reasonably positive note in the Premier League Darts event in Birmingham, where he reached the final and picked up valuable points. However, he struggled to maintain that momentum over the weekend. At the European Darts Grand Prix, he was knocked out early in a clash with Dirk van Duijvenbode — just weeks after winning the German Darts Grand Prix over the Easter weekend.
According to Van der Voort, Van Gerwen's inconsistency is becoming a recurring pattern. “Sometimes he plays really well, but then he can’t keep it up,” Van der Voort said on the latest episode of the podcast Darts Draait Door. His message for Van Gerwen was blunt: it’s time to put in the work.
“He’s going to have to train hard. He needs to put in the effort, or he’ll never find consistent form again,” Van der Voort said firmly. “You can’t just take a holiday and expect things to fall back into place. It doesn’t work like that.”
Despite reaching the final in Birmingham — where he lost to the young sensation Luke Littler — Van Gerwen did earn an extra Premier League point. “It wasn’t great, but it was okay. He did the right things at the right times,” Van der Voort acknowledged. “But the next few weeks will be very tough.”
The battle for a spot in the play-offs is heating up. Van Gerwen faces tough matches ahead against rivals like Nathan Aspinall and Gerwyn Price. And with his current run of erratic performances, that challenge is only growing.
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The New York Knicks have had a busy summer thus far as they have made multiple additions to their roster to try and improve off their run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Of course, the Knicks also made a head coaching change to begin the summer as they fried Tom Thibodeau and replaced him with two-time Coach of the Year winner Mike Brown. During free agency, New York added Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele to upgrade their bench at a cheap cost, which is an area that they struggled with last season. The Knicks do have one more roster spot open which they will likely use to add another veteran player to their bench. While the Knicks have focused on upgrading their depth this summer, Sports Illustrated’s Jackson Caudell recently created a mock trade that would see New York send Karl-Anthony Towns to the Dallas Mavericks for one of their star players along with depth. In the trade, the Knicks would acquire Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington from the Mavericks while Dallas would land Towns and Vit Krejci. The Atlanta Hawks are the third team involved in the trade and they would receive Caleb Martin and two second-round picks from the Mavericks. For the Knicks, it would be a tough decision to move on from Towns but they would be able to fill some glaring holes in their roster with their return in this deal. Thompson would give them a much-needed three-point sharpshooter in their starting lineup while both Washington and Gafford would be major additions to their frontcourt, especially on the defensive end. Despite this, the Mavericks may not want to move on from three of their key players to acquire Towns, who struggled in the playoffs last season, primarily on defense. While that may be the case, making this trade would be a massive upgrade to the Knicks’ lineup and depth that could make them the team to beat in the Eastern Conference next season.
The New York Yankees have made their 2025 goals abundantly clear: They're trying to return to the World Series and win it all. In an effort to do so, the Pinstripes traded pitcher Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin to the Milwaukee Brewers this season, adding closer Devin Williams to the roster. Halfway into the season, it looks like that was a big mistake. The Yankees are now looking to fill gaps in the both the bullpen and the infield before the MLB trade deadline rolls around at the end of the month. Utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera was great at third base, but suffered a potentially season-ending injury in May. The Yankees tried to compensate by shifting Jazz Chisholm Jr. to third, but it was clear Chisholm excels at second, and he's since been moved back. Durbin, on the other hand, has only gotten better in Milwaukee. "Over 75 games this season, Durbin is slashing .265/.350/.382 with five homers and elite contact skills at the plate," Alexander Wilson of Empire Sports Media wrote. "He ranks in the 95th percentile in whiff rate and 98th in strikeout rate — rare company for a young infielder. Durbin’s advanced plate discipline would’ve been invaluable in a Yankees lineup that too often leans on boom-or-bust approaches." Then there's Devin Williams, who has been part of a shaky-at-best Yankees bullpen. He has certainly seen improvement since the beginning of the season, when he was pulled from closing duties after a blown save to the Yankees' division rival Toronto Blue Jays. However, it hasn't been quite enough. Toronto swept New York in a four game series earlier this month, securing their lead of the AL east over the Pinstripes. Williams pitched the final inning, giving up two earned runs. He has a 4.82 ERA over 37.1 innings pitched in 41 games. Williams keeps improving, and hopefully will prove that the Yankees made the right choice by acquiring him. However, that still doesn't fill the gaping hole New York has at third base, and they're likely missing Durbin's consistent abilities in the field and at the plate. The Yankees have until the July 31 MLB trade deadline to make any trades to address these issues. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! Cam Schlittler is Not Yankees Paul Skenes Yankees Fighting Red Sox for Diamondbacks Pitchers Yankees’ Aaron Judge Ties Alex Rodriguez on All-Time List Braves Troll Yankees' Jazz Chisholm With Walk-Up Song Yankees in Trade Talks With Pirates
The Los Angeles Lakers came into the 2025 offseason with a glaring roster need in the form of a capable starting center. Given the slim free agent market, it always appeared as if the Lakers roster move for a big man would come via trade rather than a signing. But good fortune struck the Lakers when the Portland Trail Blazers agreed to a contract buyout with Deandre Ayton. When Ayton hit the free agent market, the Lakers pivoted accordingly and were able to come to terms on an agreement, giving the team their starting caliber center. Coming into the offseason, there was no indication that a player of Ayton’s caliber was going to be available. And for the Lakers to secure his services, that was a major win in itself. But the Ayton signing was not the Lakers’ best roster move of the offseason. That move came a few weeks later with another position of need. A starting center was not the Lakers’ only glaring roster need. With the loss of Dorian Finney-Smith, the team needed a capable perimeter defender who could step into the starting lineup if need be. And it was another stroke of luck and team buyout that allowed the Lakers to make their best offseason move. Lakers’ Marcus Smart signing was best offseason move When the Blazers bought out Ayton’s contract, he took some time before deciding on his next destination. But when it was announced that the Washington Wizards were going to buy out Marcus Smart’s contract, it was also revealed that he had already decided on signing with the Lakers. The organization obviously was aware that a buyout was coming, and Luka Doncic reportedly pushed hard personally in recruiting Smart to the Lakers. And when Smart eventually made his decision, this automatically became the best move of the offseason for the team. It wasn’t just the Minnesota Timberwolves’ frontcourt that hurt the Lakers during their opening round elimination in the playoffs. The Lakers’ defense struggled to contain dribble penetration from the Wolves’ perimeter players. And that’s where Smart comes in. Obviously the Lakers are banking on Smart being healthy, as injuries have hampered his availability and production the past couple of seasons. But if he is able to stay healthy, he brings a defensive toughness and intensity that nobody else on the roster possesses. Once the Lakers got their starting center via free agency. It seemed logical that they would have to acquire a defensive-minded perimeter player through trade using the assets they would have given up in a deal for a big man. But they didn’t have to use any of those assets. The Lakers still have their draft picks, they still have Dalton Knecht, they still have Rui Hachimura and they still have their expiring contracts. The front office managed to improve the roster while essentially not having to give up anything of value. The Smart signing was the icing on the cake. When summer league first got underway in Las Vegas, Smart was a name the Lakers reportedly were discussing in terms of what it would take to trade for him and if it would be worth the price. The Lakers were able to acquire him while not just holding on to their assets, but at a fraction of the cost. And while nothing will be finalized in terms of rotation until training camp and preseason, Smart still has the ability to be a starting caliber player. He’d be a good fit alongside Austin Reaves in the backcourt while moving Doncic to small forward. He’d slot in as the Lakers’ primary point of attack defender. On paper, this is a legitimate team in the Western Conference. It could be argued that Smart and Ayton essentially fell into the Lakers’ laps, but they still had to seal the deal and both players drew interest from other teams. The Lakers’ pitch to Smart was the more convincing, and that’s why it’s their perfect offseason move.
It’s wild how quickly the NBA narrative can flip. A year ago, Zion Williamson was in every trade rumor possible. People were questioning his health, his work ethic, even his future in New Orleans. And the Pelicans? They didn’t really deny any of it. It felt like both sides were one step away from walking. But things have shifted this offseason — quietly, but clearly. The Pelicans could’ve pulled the plug. Zion’s contract gave them outs, and the trade market might’ve still brought back some real value. Instead, they stuck with him. And based on what one of their own just said, they’re not just keeping him around — they’re still betting big on him. In a recent interview with Spotrac’s Keith Smith, an anonymous Pelicans executive made it crystal clear. “Zion is still our guy. We’re all in on him. We think he’s going to have a huge year. We’ve had some bad injury luck and some things that just haven’t worked out. This partnership hasn’t even come close to reaching our best yet.” That’s not something you say if you’re halfway in. They backed it up with their offseason moves, too. They traded CJ McCollum and brought in Jordan Poole, a high-usage creator who can take pressure off Zion. They drafted Jeremiah Fears with the No. 7 pick, a dynamic young guard. They added Kevon Looney, a reliable veteran who brings playoff experience and toughness. Those aren’t tear-it-down moves — those are “let’s try this another way” moves. Of course, Zion’s health is still the question. That never really goes away. He played just 30 games last season, but in those games he looked solid: 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per night on 56.7 percent shooting. The explosiveness was there. The playmaking was sharp. And the hope for New Orleans is that this time, he can finally sustain it. What’s interesting is how the front office is trying to create a better environment around him. Joe Dumars has stepped in to lead basketball operations and is reportedly building a closer relationship with Zion — dinners, real conversations, not just surface-level stuff. It feels like, for once, the team is trying to meet him halfway. It’s a risk, sure. But it’s a calculated one. The West is brutal and the margin for error is thin. Still, if Zion can stay healthy for 60 games, and if Poole finds a rhythm and guys like Trey Murphy and Herb Jones keep improving — this team has a shot to be in the mix. The quote from the exec says it all. They could’ve hit reset, moved on, cleaned house. But they didn’t. They’re still in. And now it’s on Zion to hold up his end of the deal. After everything that’s happened, they’re telling the world they still believe. Now it’s time to find out if they’re right.
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