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After the Los Angeles Lakers’ first game with Luka Doncic in the lineup, it looked like they might have found a temporary answer to the starting center question. On multiple possessions, Doncic found Jaxson Hayes lurking near the rim for lob passes. But injury misfortune struck the Lakers once again during their game against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, as Jaxson Hayes exited early due to a facial contusion, as per Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet.
Jaxson Hayes’ injury occurred during the first half of the Lakers’ game against the Jazz. He had played seven minutes to that point and had four points, two rebounds and one assist. More information will likely come sometime after the game including what his prognosis is in terms of any potential missed games.
Hayes battled an ankle injury earlier this season that kept him sidelined for 21 games. Since his return to the lineup in early January, he’s been one of the team’s most consistent players on both ends of the court.
When Doncic was traded to the Lakers, he finally was able to team up with the center he’d wanted to play with since Hayes was a member of the New Orleans Pelicans. But this recent injury may put that pairing on brief hiatus.
The Lakers have been searching for frontcourt help even before trading Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks. They had a deal in place with the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams, but that trade was rescinded due to the Lakers’ concerns over Williams’ long-term health.
The Lakers recently welcomed Jarred Vanderbilt back from injury, and he fits JJ Redick’s style of small-ball. They also signed Alex Len as a backup after waiving Christian Wood. Wood could have helped the Lakers in the frontcourt, but he had been sidelined since the start of the season due to injury recovery.
Len made his Lakers debut on Wednesday against the Jazz, and through three quarters of play, he had three rebounds and one assist in 14 minutes.
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Celtics Rumors: Insider Provides Massive Update on Potential $100 Million Trade
The Boston Celtics have been very busy this offseason with the moves that they have made. They have already traded two starters to other teams in an effort to get under the second apron of the luxury tax. Brad Stevens made it clear that it was his number-one goal this offseason. It's not a goal he has achieved yet, as they are still around $20 million over the second apron. Because of that, it seems they have been trying to reroute Anfernee Simons after getting him back in the trade for Jrue Holiday. It doesn't look like that is imminent, though. More news: Former Celtics Forward Claps Back at NBA All-Star on Social Media After Random Troll Boston is still trying to find a new home for him, but they aren't in any rush to do so. According to Heavy Sports, the Celtics are keeping their eyes open for a trade partner, but aren't going to accept a bad deal just to part ways with him. “You never know, but the team they have now is probably the team they’ll start the year with,” one GM said. “They could get themselves involved in some blockbuster. But they’re not in a hurry to make that move (on Simons).” Simons is a good player and a good fit for the Celtics when it comes to on-court production. He is a great 3-point shooter who can get hot any night from beyond the arc. For a team that launches more 3-pointers than any other team in the NBA, Simons would be a perfect fit. He is someone who doesn't need the ball in his hands to score. More news: Celtics Front Office Slammed for ‘Gap Year’ Planning Boston is hoping to shed Simons' salary, even though it is an expiring deal. If they can't, they'll have to find some other players to part ways with in order to get under the second apron. Simons would certainly help the Celtics stay as contenders in the 2026-27 season, if he's still on the roster. Stevens will make that decision within the next couple of weeks. This past season with the Trail Blazers, Simons averaged 19.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. He shot 42.6 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from beyond the 3-point line. More news: Former Celtics Champ Laps Kyrie Irving, Chris Bosh in Latest NBA Top 100 List For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.
Packers starter hits back at Matt LaFleur, calls for 'bus fine'
Matt LaFleur is earning the ire of several of his Green Bay Packers players early in training camp. On Tuesday, LaFleur punished offensive tackle Rasheed Walker for his altercation with defensive end Kingsley Enagbare. However, the most interesting interaction of the day came between LaFleur and tight end Tucker Kraft. Per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, LaFleur called out Kraft for two questionable fumbles during the first week of practice. Both "fumbles" came after the play was over or when the ball fell out of bounds. "Certainly, we all know what kind of player Tucker Kraft is and can be," LaFleur said. "He can’t allow Evan Williams to reach around and punch a ball out, so it is challenging everybody and hopefully that makes us that much better.” The third-year tight end took issue with LaFleur calling him out in front of the media and blamed the coaching staff for implementing practice rules that made it easy for offensive players to fumble. "I’d say a lot of the times — there’s certain rules you play with in practice, like just letting the defense punch repeatedly," Kraft said. "You’re not allowed to stiff-arm. I guess all I have are excuses. Yes, I am working on not fumbling the ball in practice." Schneidman said Kraft answered the question with a tone of sarcasm. Kraft was frustrated that he couldn't defend the ball by stiff-arming a defender trying to poke the ball from his undefended arm. Kraft acknowledged that during practice, he has to "play by the rules" LaFleur makes and is trying to work on having a "yes sir, no sir" attitude with his head coach. He then made a vague reference about a "bus fine" and accused LaFleur of throwing him under the bus in front of the media. Schneidman believes the tight end might actually be calling for Green Bay to fine LaFleur after his discouraging quote Tuesday morning. "So yes, the Packers’ third-year tight end might be calling for his head coach to be fined — not by the league, of course, but by the team — for what he perceived as throwing him under the bus," Schneidman wrote. "Is Kraft being serious about fining LaFleur? "Probably not. Is he peeved LaFleur called him out? It sure seems like it." LaFleur might do better to have a conversation with Kraft before dragging his name into news conferences with reporters. It's clear Tucker doesn't see eye-to-eye with LaFleur about fumbles. This is a good reminder to those getting overly excited or nervous reading practice reports that what happens at practice should be taken with a grain of salt. Most likely, Tucker is going to be fine.
Pitcher bizarrely faces old team on same day of trade
Seranthony Dominguez certainly had an eventful day on Tuesday. The veteran MLB reliever began the day on the Baltimore Orioles and was with his teammates in the dugout during the first leg of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays. The O's went on to win, 16-4, at Oriole Park in Baltimore, though Dominguez did not pitch during the game. But the day took a bizarre turn when the two teams agreed to a deal in the middle of the doubleheader. The Orioles traded Dominguez to the Blue Jays in exchange for minor league pitcher Juaron Watts-Brown. That led to a strange scene where Dominguez switched clubhouses after being traded, walking across the hallway to get to the Toronto side. Things got even weirder during the second leg of the doubleheader. Dominguez got the call to pitch for the Blue Jays against his former team. He had to walk past his ex-Baltimore teammates to get to the Toronto bullpen, and then entered the game in the seventh inning to pitch. Here is the unusual spectacle that saw Dominguez pitch against the guys that he began the day as teammates with. The whole thing was so bizarre that it even looked like Dominguez received a hastily-made Blue Jays jersey with the “8” in his No. 48 apparently stuck on backwards. Dominguez, a 30-year-old in his seventh MLB season, ended up striking out two in a scoreless frame against his former team. We have certainly seen instances of MLB players getting traded in the middle of games before, but that had to be the first instance of a player starting the first half of a doubleheader on one team and then pitching in the second half for the other team.
Raiders' Pete Carroll has cryptic comments on bizarre Christian Wilkins situation
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.
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