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Dallas Mavericks star big man Anthony Davis is one of the best basketball players in the world.
The accolades throughout his professional career speak for themselves. He helped the Los Angeles Lakers win the 2020 NBA Championship in the Orlando Bubble and is a 10-time All-Star who was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary team.
Selected No. 1 overall by the New Orleans Hornets in the 2012 NBA Draft, he has certainly lived up to the hype and expectations that follow being picked as a franchise cornerstone.
A future Hall of Famer, Davis’s dominance on the basketball court goes beyond even his NBA production.
When he experienced a growth spurt in college, he shot up rankings as a recruit and became the best player in the country.
He ended up with the Kentucky Wildcats for one season, helping them win the national championship as one of the most dominant college basketball players of the modern era.
During his lone campaign with Kentucky, Davis averaged 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 steals and the most blocks in the country with 4.7 per game.
He was a one-man wrecking crew, picking up a laundry list of accolades and awards for his single season with the Wildcats.
How Does Anthony Davis Feel About NIL in College Sports?
Had Name, image and likeness deals been around at the time, he would have made a killing with how popular he was on and off the court.
As part of a collaboration with CeraVe, Davis sat down and did an interview with Sports Illustrated, where one of the topics discussed was NIL and how much it has changed college sports.
"It's tough, because obviously they didn't have that when I was in college," Davis said, via Patrick Andres of SI. "It kinda takes away from the game a little bit because of — and I'm not hating — it takes away from the integrity in the sense of players are only going to certain schools because of the money."
There is a lot of money being thrown around by schools, looking to bring the best players into their programs. It has also had an impact on the NBA Draft, with players being able to make money in college.
Not only are high school athletes being wooed by these schools, but so are established college players who hit the transfer portal looking for a payday, changing the entire recruiting dynamic from when Davis was in school.
"College basketball is still competitive, but the recruitment of it has kinda gotten a little wacky, especially when player can leave and enter the (transfer) portal and go anywhere. It just gets a little tricky," Davis said. "The coaches either a) have to be more strategic with their recruiting, or b) if you don't have a lot of money for NIL, that kind of takes away your school, your program, as far as being a top recruiter for some of these players."
Likely gone are the days of a coach building something with a core group of players sticking together for multiple seasons.
The smaller programs are having their top-end talent poached by bigger schools, who are watching their regulars leave for bigger paydays elsewhere throughout the country.
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Five best NFL offseason value signings on offense: Bills get great deal with RB extension
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Commanders have major hang-up preventing them from paying Terry McLaurin what he's due
It’s been two weeks since Washington Commanders star wide receiver Terry McLaurin publicly revealed his trade request, and a resolution doesn’t appear to be in sight. Thanks to ESPN’s John Keim, we’re starting to get more insight into how the Commanders are approaching negotiations…and how they run counter to their star wide receiver’s financial desires. As we’ve assumed all along, the Commanders are wary of giving McLaurin a lucrative contract that would extend well into the player’s 30s. As Keim notes, the Commanders “rely heavily on analytics,” and those numbers aren’t particularly kind to receivers on the wrong side of 30. They may be onto something. Per ESPN Research, over the past five years, only three receivers 31 years or older have played at least 10 games and averaged 70-plus receiving yards per game (that number jumps to six players if you adjust for 60-plus receiving yards). Further, the team can simply point to the NFL landscape, as other teams are also clearly wary of paying aging wideouts. Among the 24 active wide receivers who are attached to the most guaranteed money, only Tyreek Hill was older than 30 when the deal was signed. McLaurin has continually pointed to his lack of mileage despite his age; he barely played during his first two years at Ohio State, meaning he may not have the same wear and tear as similar players his age. McLaurin is also naturally pointing to the stat sheet, as the receiver has continually produced despite uncertain QB play, uncertain ownership and a handful of different coaching staffs. Per Keim, the Commanders don’t want to pay McLaurin based on his past performance, with the front office preferring to shape any future contracts based on his projections for age-31-plus seasons. The organization also doesn’t want to set a new precedent by paying McLaurin, as it could convince future veterans to push for lucrative deals in their 30s. While McLaurin has taken the drastic measure of requesting a trade out of Washington, the organization is still convinced they have leverage in this showdown. After all, the player is still under contract for the 2025 campaign, meaning McLaurin will have to forfeit game checks if he sits out games. The team could even choose to slap him with the franchise tag next offseason (which could come in north of $30M), meaning they’re in full control of the player’s fate moving forward. The team is also skeptical that another suitor is going to willingly pay McLaurin the type of money he’s seeking. Per Keim, there are doubts around the league about whether another team would be willing to meet the receiver’s demands. Even if a clear suitor does emerge, Keim makes it clear that Washington’s front office won’t give the star away without receiving a haul. We heard recently that McLaurin wasn’t necessarily seeking a deal that matched fellow 2019 draftee D.K. Metcalf‘s deal with the Steelers. However, Keim says Metcalf’s contract has generally served as a guide for McLaurin, but it’s uncertain whether the Commanders wideout is looking to match the AAV ($33M) or total guarantees ($60M). Ultimately, one source believes the Commanders may agree to pay McLaurin a contract that will pay $28M per year. Of course, it’s uncertain if the player would even accept that offer. If that hypothetical maximum offer doesn’t end in a signing, a divorce may be the logical next step.
Troubling news emerges on Bears QB Caleb Williams’ workout with HC Ben Johnson
It might have been a good thing the Chicago Bears didn’t play Caleb Williams on Sunday. The Bears might need to hide their second-year quarterback as he irons out his wrinkles in the pre-snap process and with accuracy issues. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft struggled with timing and accuracy during the Bears’ joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Friday. Caleb Williams was inaccurate in the red zone against no defenders On Sunday, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson chose not to play second-year quarterback Caleb Williams against the Dolphins in their first preseason game. Instead, Johnson led a workout with Williams and wide receivers Rome Odunze and DJ Moore before the game. Per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears ran a total of 87 plays during the workout. All of the plays were routes in the air with no defenders on the field for the scripted practice. Despite going against no defenders bringing pressure or guarding his receivers, Williams struggled to hit his targets in the red zone. "Williams would stand next to Johnson, who would give him the play," Biggs wrote. "Then, the quarterback simulated a huddle with the player (only one ran a route on each snap) and gave the play call. They’d break the huddle, go to the line of scrimmage, Williams would simulate pre-snap actions and then the play would be run… "Before ending the session with eight deep balls, there was a 25-play set of snaps in the red zone. One thing Williams struggled to connect on was out routes to Moore and Odunze near the goal line. Those throws were not close and Williams consistently led the receivers too much." A closed-door problem for the Chicago Bears The throws weren’t close during routes on air… in the red zone? Williams wasn’t ready to take the field for the preseason game. For all of the flak he’s been getting from practice reports, the quarterback would have been relentlessly mocked for having these issues shown during an NFL Network broadcast. Biggs’ report is troubling, with a month to go before the season. Williams has much to improve upon, and the Bears are very much trying to do so without cameras present for a reason.
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