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Grading each NBA team's offseason
The NBA's busy offseason has all but come to a close (would somebody please sign poor Rodney Hood already? This is getting awkward), and the school year is quickly approaching. Time to grade every team's offseason.
A lot has changed since the Warriors defeated the Cavaliers in June. LeBron James is a Laker, Kawhi Leonard is a Raptor and DeMar DeRozan is a Spur. At the same time, a lot has stayed the same. The Warriors are still a Death Star, Paul George is still on the Thunder and Dwight Howard is still the lamest dude in the league.
Team grade is in the title; major additions and subtractions and analysis follow.
More must-reads:
- Houston has a lot of questions to answer with the Melo signing
- What the Kawhi/DeRozan deal means for the Spurs and Raptors
- The 'NBA Summer League MVPs' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Celtics Notes: Free Agent Wants to Sign With Boston, Jaylen Brown Disrespect, Signing Urged
The uncertainty surrounding the Boston Celtics this offseason, especially at the big man position, has another new wrinkle added, as a free agent made his intentions known about signing with the team. After there was reason to believe he would play overseas, there is a desire to stay in North America, and to do so on the parquet. Additionally, superstar Jaylen Brown has been disrespected in the latest player rankings from an NBA.com insider. The Finals MVP certainly has reason to have been higher on the list, but perhaps his on-court play will do all the talking this season. Finally, the Celtics are urged to sign a 'wildcard' Jayson Tatum replacement. A key insider believes that a 22-year-old wing has yet to show his truest potential, and it can possibly be brought out in Boston. Here’s more information on these stories and all the latest Celtics news (click the headline for the full article): Free Agent Big Man Wants to Sign With Celtics in Shocking Turn of Events Celtics Star Jaylen Brown Lands Shockingly Low in New Player Rankings Celtics Urged to Sign 'Wildcard' Jayson Tatum Replacement Celtics Brutally Disrespected in Latest NBA Power Rankings Former Celtics All-Defensive Teamer Gets Honest About Guarding Lakers' Kobe Bryant Celtics Receive Brutal Grade for Offseason Work Celtics Tweets of the Day: For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.
Knee operation: Kirby Dach not yet back on his feet
Two years ago to the day, Canadiens fans were optimistic about Kirby Dach’s future in Montreal: the 6’4 forward had just collected 38 points in 58 games – in his first campaign in Quebec – and many wondered whether Dach had a better chance of establishing himself as a first NHL center than captain Nick Suzuki. The past 730 days have proven otherwise, but that’s not the point this morning. Since joining the Canadiens, Dach has earned a reputation as a fragile player. Virus, shoulder, upper body (concussion?), lower body, knee(ACL and MCL), knee again… Let’s just say that injuries haven’t spared Dach since he arrived in Montreal. In fact, injuries haven’t spared Dach since he started playing hockey. He has never played more than 70 games in a single season, and has only broken the 60-game barrier three times in nine junior or pro seasons. Last February, Dach underwent a second operation on his right knee in the space of 18 months. Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes may tell us that Kirby Dach is fine,but we still have our doubts. Especially whenyou consider that, with the Canadiens’ recent additions and departures, Kirby Dach is still the team’s second center on the organizational chart. content-ads]Last week, I wondered where Kirby was ? We’ve seen plenty of Habs players skating at the CN Complex this summer, but not Kirby Dach. And I had to work like a monk to catch a glimpse of him in a video filmed at Nick Suzuki’s wedding! Yesterday, I was told that Kirby Dach was spending the summer in Edmonton with Kaiden Guhle – Dach is from Saskatchewan and Guhle is from Alberta – and that Dach was still in rehab. I repeat: five months after his most recent knee operation and some 40 days before the start of practice camp, Kirby Dach is still not recovered and ready to play. Good informants spotted him in an Edmonton gym doing squats with loads that look like the ones I used to take when I went to Econofitness, not the ones an NHL player uses [content-ads]This explains it: when he came to Montreal for his captain’s wedding, Kirby Dach couldn’t – or wouldn’t – skate with his teammates in Brossard. It’s worth noting that Dach is also very quiet on social networks – his last post was in November 2024 – probably in an effort to be forgotten… to go unnoticed. Spending the summer in Alberta, rather than in Montreal (with his chums at Osheaga), makes sense, when you think about it…Let’s just say that the chances of Dach starting his season at the same time as everyone else in two months’ time are pretty slim, which is cause for concern for those hoping to see the Canadiens in the playoffs in 2026. Yes, the Kirby Dach problem would be solved if a guy like Mason MacTavish-good offensively, defensively, physically and in the face-off circle-came to Montreal, but let’s just say that the odds of that happening this summer are very low. And you can’t make plans with very improbable things![spacer title=’Prolongation’]Matthew Tkachuk, who was injured last winter while throwing down the gloves at the 4 Nations tournament, underwent surgery last month (hernia and adductor). According to the latest information from Elliotte Friedman, Tkachuk could return to action just before the Olympic Games. Let’s hope Kirby Dach doesn’t have to wait as long as Tkachuk.
Surprising Marlins earn MLB first in sweep of Yankees
The Miami Marlins achieved a franchise first on Sunday. In doing so, they carved out an interesting place in MLB history. With a 7-3 victory over the Yankees, the Marlins swept New York for the first time in a series of three or more games. In doing so, the Marlins became the only team to have a winning record, including the postseason, against the Yankees. The Yankees now have a 22-21 record against the Marlins in the regular season. However, the Marlins won the 2003 World Series against the Yankees in six games, giving the Fish a 25-24 record all-time. The Marlins' victory on Sunday meant more than a unique place in baseball history. That victory evened the Marlins' record at 55-55, the first time they have been at .500 or better since April 15 (8-8). The Marlins are 30-14 in their last 44 games, tying the 2003 championship team for the best stretch (last done from June 18-Aug. 9) in franchise history. The Marlins defied expectations at the trade deadline, holding on to pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera. Their only trade involved sending outfielder Jesus Sanchez to Houston, acquiring pitcher Ryan Gusto and a pair of prospects. Expectations were that the Marlins were simply waiting for the offseason to trade those pitchers, as there may be a larger market. Instead, the generally inexperienced Marlins roster is growing and improving by the day. They have clawed back from a 24-40 start to the season to pull themselves into the NL wild-card conversation. Although a lot would need to go right for the Marlins to reach the playoffs this season, they could be a dangerous team over the rest of the season and beyond. The Yankees found that out the hard way.
Tracking the top surprises at Chicago Bears training camp
The Bears phased out of the early portion of training camp with a Halas Hall practice Monday, closed even to media. The early days are behind them as they gear up for the first preseason game Sunday with Miami at Soldier Field. After OTAs and two weeks of training camp, there were few real surprises, and those who can be classified in this way actually flashed some of it in the offseason work. Others didn't. Here are the surprises from the first section of Bears training camp. RB Kyle Monangai They badly wanted their seventh-round pick to succeed at contributing because of their inability to draft someone earlier. So far, so good. There are occasional glitches, like when he went the wrong way on a play in Sunday's scrimmage at Soldier Field. His ability to help as a receiver has been an obvious surprise because he never did a lot of it in college. However, he got to show some of his toughness as a runner in goal-line work and in full-contact play the past week. "I am very pleased with where he's at," coach Ben Johnson said. "I think he's a guy that we're going to be able to trust this fall." Johnson said "think," not that he can be trusted. There's still a way to go before that status is earned. WR J.P. Richardson The undrafted TCU receiver caught passes in OTAs and it was easy to notice. When it continued at an even greater rate in training camp, it caught everyone's attention. The unexpected part of Richardson's play has been his versatility. Everyone knew he would be a slot type receiver who would make his run at a roster spot as a possession guy. However, Richardson catches passes all over the field. He doesn't just catch it, he finds ways to be open and then runs after the catch. Richardson disappointed Johnson with one down practice last week after he had been so impressive. "That happened, but he bounces right back, just like the rest of these guys," Johnson said. CB Nashon Wright It seemed a bit too convenient when they had suddenly discovered Nick McCloud could play cornerback after a practice when they decided to put Tyrique Stevenson with backups, continued using Terell Smith with backups and rookie Zah Frazier was still away for personal reasons. It just seemed as if it suited coaching motivational purposes to punish Stevenson for some reason. McCloud has been beaten, though not as often as backup Shaun Wade. But Wright definitely has been there all along, practicing well and using his long arms and height against starting receivers at Jaylon Johnson's position. Johnson won't return until possibly the regular season. "You know, not many 6-4, 6-5 corners out there with his capabilities and his suddenness and agilities so it’s been a challenge going against him every "single day," Rome Odunze said. LB Noah Sewell The strong side linebacker spot isn't spotlighted much, but Sewell has begun to flash once more physicality was introduced with pads. He had some standout plays in Sunday's practice after being limited almost solely to special teams his first two seasons. "Physicality wise, he jumps off the tape at all times," linebacker T.J. Edwards said. "Any type of lead, you know, stretch, run to Noah Sewell, you (know) what's getting turned back because that's kind of what he does." Sewell also got to flash his blitz ability Sunday when he burned D'Andre Swift's attempt to pick him up and forced Caleb Williams to throw it away. "In terms of his pass rush capabilities and things like that, he's got a good guy to practice with in the off season with his brother (Lions tackl Penei Sewell)," Edwards said. Sewell had a reputation for being able to rush the passer in college but hadn't shown it yet. "He’s another guy who has kind of been doing a whole different bunch of roles and things like that, and he’s taking it in, he's performing, man," Edwards added. "He looks really good for sure.” T Kiran Amegadjie Now it appears all of his efforts went for naught because his ability to compete with Ozzy Trapilo and Braxton Jones for starting left tackle is halted by injury, but it couldn't hide how much he had improved over 2024. He's going to need to adjust to battling back from injury and then make up for lost ground. Amegadjie shouldn't be counted out just yet because he considers focusing on the situation at hand to be a strength. "I've always kind of prided myself on that, whatever the situation was, whether it was in college or coming out last year, I tried to do my best to just control what I can control," Amegadjie said. "That's all you can do. When you start to worry about outside factors, that's when you get astray a little bit."
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