The votes are in for the NBA’s 2024-25 season All-Star game for the starters and reserves alike. As with every year, there were snubs kept off the rosters, and there were the obvious choices also. Several teams welcome their franchise’s representation, even if the game has lost value over the years. If there is one team that should be especially excited over their city boasting a player or two, it’s the Cleveland Cavaliers and their All-Stars led by Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell, who is already a seasoned All-Star with five previous appearances split with the Cavs and the Utah Jazz, nabbed a starter role this time around. It’s a well-deserved mention, considering he co-runs the league’s best backcourt alongside fellow All-Star Darius Garland, who notched his second selection. Garland will fill in as a reserve alongside a third Cavaliers teammate, Evan Mobley. It’s Mobley’s first All-Star selection and likely the first of a few more down the road.
Based on Cleveland’s 2023-24 Boston Celtics-esque season thus far, the chances of the Cavaliers being well-represented in San Francisco was as close to a certainty as you could get. At least two—Mitchell and Garland—were likely locked in. That’s not all, though, as many speculated and predicted that the Cavs would actually send four players to the All-Star game, including Mobley, of course, and Jarrett Allen. Unfortunately, Allen missed the cut. Fans were pulling for all four teammates to get in. However, reality has shut its doors, and the disappointment is real.
The Cavaliers are jockeying back and forth with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the right to carry the label of the NBA’s best team. They have met twice already this season, splitting their season series. Cleveland took the first game, while OKC got their revenge later on. If you had predicted that the Cavs would be atop the Easter Conference mountain—above the Celtics, mind you—you were likely in the minority. Yet, as it stands today, Cleveland is in first place, with Boston 5.5 games back.
The Cavaliers have essentially run through their opponents, having lost just nine games. Led by Mitchell, who is averaging 23.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.4 steals, Cleveland is an offensive juggernaut. As for Garland, he’s not doing so bad himself, either. He averages 21.7 points and 6.8 assists per night, shooting a tick shy of 50% from the field. Both his and Mitchell’s three-point shooting are also threatening at 42.5% and 39.8%, which speaks to their efficiency as a backcourt duo.
Then there is Mobley, who is transforming into one of the NBA’s best defensive players and rim protectors. Even with Allen playing as excellent as he is, without Mobley’s presence, it’s possible the Cavs are not where they are right now. Joining Mitchell and Garland as All-Stars is a significant accomplishment for Mobley. Cleveland sending three of its best to the All-Star event is also a significant accomplishment for the franchise.
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The New York Knicks have gotten knocked down but they've been quick to get up again. That might as well be the unofficial theme of their ongoing formation of a new coaching staff headed by Mike Brown, which endured another twist on Saturday: per SNY's Ian Begley, the Knicks were rejected by former guard and current Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Pablo Prigioni in an attempt to land him on their own bench but have set their sights on longtime Los Angeles Clippers assistant Brendan O'Connor. "O’Connor has strong defensive acumen, has worked for LAC under Ty Lue and Doc Rivers," Begley said in a Saturday X post. "[The Knicks] will presumably continue to look for an assistant to help on offense even if they add O’Connor to help guide the defense." O'Connor has been on the Clippers bench since 2013, having previously earned a championship ring while working with Larry Brown and the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons. Brown also brought O'Connor aboard his extended Knicks staff when he briefly served as head coach during the 2005-06 season. In that span, Los Angeles has the second-most regular season wins in the NBA behind only the Golden State Warriors. This time around, O'Connor took on a larger role in the Clippers' everyday operations after both Tyron Lue and associate head and former Knicks boss Jeff Van Gundy were forced to miss time. As Begley alluded to, O'Connor has been lauded for his work on defense. Under his partial watch, Pistons big man Ben Wallace broke out as a two-way star, earning three of his four Defensive Player of the Year titles during O'Connor's Motor City tenure. The next man to join the Knicks' staff is reportedly set to join a hodgepodge of former Mike Brown collaborators such as Charles Allen and Riccardo Fois while Rick Brunson, Maurice Cheeks, and Darren Erman have reportedly been brought in from predecessor Tom Thibodeau's final staff.
The New York Yankees had been on the search for a right-handed hitting infielder. They found their man late Saturday night. Jack Curry from YES Network reported that the Yankees acquired infielder Amed Rosario from the Nationals. In exchange, the Yankees are sending pitcher Clayton Beeter and minor league outfielder Browm Martinez to Washington. The Yankees had been looking for a right-handed hitting infielder in the wake of acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon on Friday. Rosario is exactly the type of player the Yankees had sought - a solid option capable of playing second and third. He had posted a .270/.310/.426 batting line in 158 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting five homers and eight doubles. Rosario's greatest attribute for the Yankees is his ability to hit left-handed pitching. He has a .299/.333/.483 batting line in 99 plate appearances against lefties this season, with three homers and seven doubles. He and McMahon should form a solid platoon at the hot corner in New York. However, the Yankees paid a steep price to bring Rosario on board for the next several months. Beeter had been ranked as the Yankees' 20th-best prospect per MLB.com, with his upper-90s fastball and wipeout slider both considered plus offerings. He has operated strictly as a reliever this season, where both his ability to miss bats and questionable command have been apparent. Martinez had been considered a player to watch heading into the season by FanGraphs, citing his solid contact rates and projectability. The 18-year-old is years away from making an impact, but has posted an impressive .404/.507/.632 batting line in 69 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League, hitting three homers and four doubles while stealing 13 bases. His ability to make contact has been impressive, as Martinez has drawn six walks with just eight strikeouts this season. A promotion stateside could be in the cards before the end of the year.
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should absolutely see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
The Boston Red Sox could use more firepower in the middle of the lineup and as the trade deadline has gotten closer, rumors specifically about first base have popped up. One guy who has been floated as a fit has been Tampa Bay Rays star Yandy Díaz, but a deal has seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream. While this is the case, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that Tampa Bay may be more willing to move him than initially expected and that Boston will be at the top of the list for him if he does actually become available. "The Rays entered Saturday 3-4 since the All-Star break and 6-15 since June 28," Rosenthal said. "Any thought of owner Stuart Sternberg going out on a high note before selling the club appears to be fading. A rapid turnaround might force the Rays to shift course. But Rays officials began signaling to teams late Friday that they will be open to moving Díaz, second baseman Brandon Lowe and others if they do not reverse their tailspin. A final decision might not come before Wednesday, on the eve of the deadline. "The Rays have been reluctant to trade Díaz, who sacrificed perhaps greater money elsewhere by signing two club-friendly extensions. If they indeed become willing to move him, the Boston Red Sox will almost certainly be at the top of the list of the teams interested. Another Rays player who could be on the move: Catcher Danny Jansen, whom the team signed last offseason to a two-year, $8.5 million free-agent contract with a club option for 2027. If Jansen goes, the Rays could backfill with another catcher." If Boston is going to make a big addition, this absolutely should be it.
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