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With only 11 games in the books, 2024-25 is already the season from hell for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Tuesday that Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado is expected to miss six weeks due to a hamstring injury. Alvarado, who had been posted career highs across the board in an expanded role this season, suffered the injury during Monday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
With the multi-week hamstring issue, Alvarado now joins an absurd conga line of Pelicans players who have gotten hurt within just these first three weeks of the season. Dejounte Murray (hand), CJ McCollum (adductor), Herbert Jones (shoulder), Jordan Hawkins (back), and Zion Williamson (hamstring) are all in the middle of extended injury absences as well.
For those keeping score at home, that is now six top rotation players for New Orleans making a combined $119M this season alone. In fact, of the seven highest-paid players on the team’s roster this year, only Brandon Ingram has managed to stay healthy (forward Trey Murphy III also just returned from a hamstring injury of his own).
When it comes to the bare-bones depth that the Pelicans have left, their new projected starting five is Ingram, Murphy, Brandon Boston Jr., Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Yves Missi (with Daniel Theis, Javonte Green and Jaylen Nowell providing support off the bench). That will not cut it in a brutal Western Conference, especially with New Orleans now just 3-8 on the season overall. All in all, that horrible injury luck is reminiscent of the West team that had it even worse last season.
More must-reads:
- Nets rally late to extend Pelicans' skid
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NBA champion guard retires after career filled with memorable moments
Marco Belinelli wasn't ever the most famous or accomplished NBA player. But in his 13 NBA seasons, the recently retired guard was part of a number of big NBA moments. Belinelli announced his retirement from professional basketball Monday after a career that spanned 13 NBA seasons, sandwiched between five seasons in Italy before and after his time in the league. He won an NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, won three league titles in Serie A and four Italian Supercups and was league MVP in 2024 at age 38. The Italian guard made a huge splash in his first Summer League game after the Golden State Warriors drafted him with the No. 18 pick in 2007, scoring 37 points, the second-highest single-game total at the time. The sharpshooting guard didn't truly emerge as a big-game player until 2013, when he joined the Chicago Bulls. With Derrick Rose out for the season, Belinelli stepped up with a huge performance in Game 7 of the first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets, scoring 24 points and nine of the Bulls' last 11 points. Not only did he get the Bulls to the second round of the playoffs, where they'd lose to the eventual champion Miami Heat, but the loss inspired the Nets to make a hugely significant trade. They mortgaged the future to get Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett from the Boston Celtics, a deal that gave Boston the picks that became Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the core members of their 2024 title team. Belinelli moved on to the San Antonio Spurs, and he proceeded to show off his outside shooting by winning the Three-Point Contest. In the 2014 playoffs, Belinelli shot 42.1% from three-point range, helping the Spurs to a title and getting his revenge on the Heat. Once again, Belinelli's efforts helped blow up a playoff rival — LeBron James left the Heat to return to Cleveland after the season. While Belinelli had an amazing shooting run the next year, going 14-for-30 from deep in the first round, the Spurs lost to the Clippers, even after Belinelli hit seven threes in Game 6. After bouncing around the NBA for a few years, Belinelli made it back to the playoffs with the 2017-18 Philadelphia 76ers, where he hit a huge clutch shot against the Celtics to tie Game 3 at the buzzer. Unfortunately, the 76ers arena staff thought he'd won the game with a three-pointer, and they blasted celebratory confetti. The Sixers would lose in OT after Al Horford stole the ball from Ben Simmons. For a player who was never a star, Belinelli certainly has a collection of star-studded highlights. He'll be remembered for a long time — especially in San Antonio.
Chicago Bears looking at bringing back familiar face at running back
The Chicago Bears don’t appear satisfied with their running back room with one week left to decide the 53-man roster. The Bears have until Aug. 26 to make their final cuts before preparing for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. The Bears entered training camp with questions at running back. Veteran D’Andre Swift had a down year in 2024. Roschon Johnson isn’t a long-term solution, and seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai will have a steep learning curve when the regular season begins. The Chicago Bears worked out a former running back Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC, the Bears worked out running backs Royce Freeman, undrafted rookie Kylin James and former Carolina Panthers practice-squad player Dillon Johnson. Royce Freeman played with the Bears in 2024 Of the three, Freeman is the only running back with stats at the NFL level. Freeman, a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2018, has appeared in 79 games and started nine games. He’s rushed 471 times for 1,472 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Bears signed Freeman to the practice squad in December. He was then signed to the Los Angeles Rams practice squad in January. He last played a regular-season game in 2023, when he added 319 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games for the Rams. The Bears are signaling their need for a running back this summer. There are other options available in the trade market, as the Washington Commanders are shopping Brian Robinson Jr. during the preseason. More running backs will be available after other teams trim their rosters to 53 players, but they might not be the type of athletes to make a significant boost for the offense early in the regular season.
Giants have firm stance on possible Jameis Winston trade
The New York Giants have one of the deepest quarterback rooms in the NFL, and there has been speculation that Jameis Winston could be the odd man out when the regular season begins. It does not sound like Winston is going anywhere, however. Russell Wilson is expected to be the Giants' starting quarterback in Week 1. The big question is whether Jaxson Dart or Winston will enter the year as Wilson's primary backup. Dart has played well through two preseason games, and Brian Daboll and his coaching staff have raved about the former Ole Miss star. Some have wondered if the Giants could entertain trade offers for Winston should they decide they view Dart as their No. 2 quarterback. Assistant general manager Brandon Brown was asked about that on Tuesday, and he all but ruled it out. "I appreciate people that are interested, but Jameis is a New York Giant. The way that he's gone about his business from day one, he's made it very intentional of the fact that he wants to be here and he wants to be here for the long haul," Brown said. "Teammates love him. His preparation process, whether it's the off-field things that he does in terms of community relations, Bible studies, things in the locker room, galvanizing the group together — not just the quarterback room, but the offense as a whole. "He's been comic relief, but he's also been a really good example of how to be a pro and handle your business in terms of prehab, rehab and postgame care. So, I'm happy he's here, and he's gonna continue to do those things. He hasn't wavered, and he hasn't been shaken by any distractions at all." Winston signed a two-year, $8M contract with the Giants in free agency this offseason. The deal could climb as high as $16M with incentives, but he would need to play quite a bit to hit those. The Giants value Winston's extensive experience, just as they value Dart's upside. There is a reason they signed both Wilson and Winston and traded up to draft Dart. They believe in all three players, and they likely will not be inclined to trade Winston unless they receive an excellent offer.
NFL preseason Week 2 standout performers: Eagles find another defensive gem
Now that the second week of the NFL's preseason is officially in the books, let's take a look at some standout performances from this week's action. Some rookie quarterbacks did their part to show they belong in the NFL, and the Philadelphia Eagles may have found another defensive superstar. Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants Dart may not open the season as the Giants' starting quarterback, but he has already made a pretty strong statement in the preseason. He was outstanding in their second game against the New York Jets, completing 14-of-16 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. The Giants have been desperately trying to fix their quarterback spot since Eli Manning's retirement, and to this point every option they have tried has failed. Dart is going to get his chance soon enough, and so far he has made a strong first impression. Stetson Bennett, QB, Los Angeles Rams Bennett's upside and NFL future has always been up for debate, and his ceiling has always seemed extremely limited due to his lack of size (5-foot-10, 190 pounds), age (he was 25 as a rookie) and lack of an elite arm. But he was a winner in college and has some toughness to him, and there's typically a place for that in the NFL as a backup. He made a strong showing over the weekend in the Rams' preseason win over the Los Angeles Chargers, completing 28-of-40 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns. So far this preseason he has thrown for 512 yards and five touchdowns. With starter Matthew Stafford dealing with back issues, Bennett might be inching his way up the depth chart. He better be ready. Quinn Ewers, QB, Miami Dolphins Almost everything that was just said about Bennett also probably applies to Ewers in Miami. College success, questionable NFL upside and probably playing for a career as a very good backup. But he still has to play his way onto a roster before that can happen, and after a disastrous preseason debut in the Dolphins opener he was able to bounce back with a huge game over the weekend, completing 11-of-17 passes with two touchdowns. Drew Mukuba, DB, Philadelphia Eagles The Eagles just keep reloading their defense every year in the draft. It's like a well-oiled machine at this point. They might have found another standout with Mukuba, a second-round pick out of Texas. His performance on Saturday included a pick-six and a fumble recovery against the Cleveland Browns. He is stepping right into their starting lineup as a safety. He has already earned it. Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers With Deebo Samuel gone, Brandon Aiyuk still recovering from an injury and Jauan Jennings looking for a new contract there is going to be some added pressure on Pearsall to make an impact in the 49ers passing game. He had a strong showing this week by catching three of the four passes thrown his way for 42 yards, including a 22-yard connection.
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