Julius Randle has been critical in the Timberwolves' run to the Western Conference Finals after stepping up on repeated occasions to become an additional lethal offensive threat for opponents other than Anthony Edwards. Since his trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves fans have always wondered whether they made the right decision. However, these Playoffs seem to have proven that trading for Randle was the right fit for this team.
While discussing Julius Randle's role on the Timberwolves, ESPN's NBA insider Brian Windhorst compared him to a miniature version of the Lakers' superstar LeBron James.
Windhorst appeared on ESPN's NBA Today segment and said, “I want to tell you about this last series he played with the Warriors. He averaged 25, 7, and 7. 6ft 9 point forward, averaging those kinds of numbers, who does that remind you of? How about LeBron James?"
Windhorst further added, "He's acting like a miniature LeBron James in this postseason, being a force with his size. Being able to be a playmaker, being able to play different roles on offence, and different roles on defence. Creating all kinds of havoc with what he’s able to do with the ball while he gets in that triple-threat position. This type of player, next to Ant, is what's taking the Wolves to the next level. The reason that they are here is because of the way they played down the stretch. And the way they played down the stretch was because of how Randle was able to come back from injury and bind with Anthony Edwards, that is what has them live as a real championship contender."
During his time with the Knicks, Randle led them to the Playoffs twice in his career. In the 15 games he played in the Playoffs as a Knicks player, he averaged 17.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Moreover, he never went beyond the second round of the Playoffs.
However, in the Playoffs this season, Randle has been on a heater. This season, his post-season scoring average saw a steep rise while his rebounding numbers have fallen. He averaged 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in 10 games played so far in these Playoffs. While this is nowhere close to James' playoff career averages (28.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 292 games played), his impact on the Timberwolves has agreeably been similar to James.
One of the key reasons for this is the change in his role with the Timberwolves than what he was doing with the Knicks. He was the primary rebounder on that team and couldn't focus on scoring. With Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels managing the rebounding duties for the Timberwolves, Randle is free to focus on scoring instead of just gathering the rebounds. This change has helped Randle and Edwards make the Timberwolves a real threat to be title contenders this season.
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New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges has one year remaining on his contract, but there's reason to believe that could change between now and the start of the regular season. Bridges can sign a four-year, $156 million contract this offseason, but that doesn't mean a deal will happen. Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale thinks there's a chance Bridges and the Knicks fail to agree to an extension. "Bringing Bridges into the season without an extension and letting him hit unrestricted free agency poses all sorts of possible trouble. He could get way more expensive—his four-year max would run $222.4 million — or leave for nothing. The Knicks would have the opportunity to trade him before February's deadline if they're concerned, but they'd be lucky to recoup even half of what they gave up to get him," Favale wrote. "Part of the calculus in forking over five first-rounders and one swap to land Bridges last summer was the prevailing assumption he'd sign an extension. Speculation will run wild in New York if he doesn't." The Knicks have to sign Bridges to an extension or at least get some value from him in a trade if he doesn't ink another contract. However, it will be hard to get a lot for Bridges considering he has just one year left on his deal. All signs point to the Knicks agreeing with Bridges on a new contract, but the longer the negotiations go, the more concern will creep in. That could make things dicey going into the second half of the offseason. If the Knicks can't agree to terms on a new deal with Bridges, the trade will be a colossal failure and the team might struggle over the next few years to recover from the fallout and damages from the trade.
There have been a couple of different theories floated about why the Las Vegas Raiders made the shocking decision to cut star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, but head coach Pete Carroll has no interest in sharing the real motive. The Raiders released Wilkins on Thursday, which was barely a year after they signed him to a four-year, $110M contract in free agency. Initial reports suggested Wilkins and the team were at odds over how the 29-year-old's foot injury was being handled, but the story has since taken a bizarre turn. ESPN's Adam Schefter said on Monday that there was an incident between Wilkins and a teammate in the locker room that Wilkins viewed as playful, but his teammate did not take it that way. Tashan Reed of The Athletic reported that the incident took place in a meeting room at the Raiders' facility last week and was investigated by the team's human resources department. On Tuesday, a reporter asked Carroll about the alleged incident. The 73-year-old coach refused to get into it. "I have no comment to make,” Carroll said, via The Athletic. “We made a decision on what we’re doing, and we’re moving with it. We’ll see how that all unveils itself in time.” The last part of Carroll's comment is interesting. Carroll may have been saying time will tell how the decision to cut Wilkins will turn out for the Raiders, or he may have been insinuating that more information will come out at some point. Raiders defensive tackle Adam Nelson was also asked about Wilkins on Tuesday. Nelson responded by encouraging people to seek therapy if they are struggling with something in their life. Wilkins had 17 total tackles and a pair of sacks in five games with the Raiders before he suffered his season-ending foot injury.
Left-handed starting pitcher Blake Snell is in his 10th major-league season after making his debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016. Snell spent time with the San Diego Padres, then signed a deal with the San Francisco Giants after the 2023 season, which he later opted out of to enter free agency in 2024. The 32-year-old veteran signed a five-year, $182M contract this offseason with the Los Angeles Dodgers after an exceptional 2024 campaign. Snell earned such a lucrative contract thanks to his outstanding career to date, which includes two Cy Young Awards and an All-Star appearance. Over 213 career starts, he owns a 77–58 record, a 3.18 ERA and 1,372 strikeouts. Snell was placed on the injured list on April 6 (retroactive to April 3) with left shoulder inflammation after experiencing discomfort during a bullpen session; he had made only two starts for the Dodgers before the injury. After four minor-league rehab outings, manager Dave Roberts announced on Sunday that Snell is expected to rejoin the rotation next week. With his return looming, the Dodgers have decided to shift to a six-man rotation but now face a decision on right-hander Dustin May’s roster status. May returned to a full-time starting role for the first time in two seasons and has struggled. On Sunday against the Boston Red Sox, May allowed four runs in five innings of work, and he entered the start with an ERA of 4.73. May’s name has surfaced in trade rumors, and he is a candidate to potentially be moved to the bullpen. He is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
Kirk Cousins might be relegated to the job of backup quarterback, but he is showing veteran leadership to his Atlanta Falcons teammates. Following Sunday's practice, Cousins pulled aside rookie defensive end James Pearce to encourage the first-round pick after his fourth practice in the league at Flowery Branch, Georgia. "QB Kirk Cousins pulled aside Pearce after practice to compliment him on a pass batted down," wrote Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Cousins reportedly had a solid day of practice on Sunday, going 7-of-12 passing against the first-team unit. If Cousins wants out of Atlanta, he's not showing it at practice. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is competing on the field and being a good teammate around the facility. Cousins' actions on the field backed up what Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot praised Cousins for before the team's practice on Sunday. “Outside, it's a lot more of a deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said to the media about the idea of friction between the Falcons and Cousins, per video from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He shows up, he does his job, just like anybody ... We've gotta build the best 70-man roster so we can go win games. "That's what we're focused on, and Kirk, just like all the other players, is focused on coming in here and doing their job. That's what he's been doing." Fontenot didn't dismiss the idea that Atlanta would trade Cousins before the season. He said the Falcons will do whatever it takes to make the team better, but stressed that Cousins has been a professional throughout the process of being replaced by Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick from the 2024 draft. “In terms of making moves, whether it's trades or acquiring players, we're always looking at those factors," Fontenot said. "We're gonna do whatever we can do to make this team the best it can possibly be. But he's been a great professional, and he's handled himself well.” Cousins is coming to work in a manner that will make another owner want to take a chance on the veteran quarterback. That could be one of his best-selling points before he plays in his 13th season in the league.
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