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Russell Westbrook joins Rockets in NBA bubble
One week after Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook confirmed via social media that he tested positive for the coronavirus before his scheduled journey to the bubble site of the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida, Houston coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters the one-time MVP has traveled to Orlando.
Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Westbrook provided the necessary negative coronavirus test results and will quarantine in his Florida hotel room. D'Antoni added that Westbrook probably won't participate in a Friday scrimmage ahead of Houston's July 31 showdown with the Dallas Mavericks:
"I do expect that once he clears everything that he'll be ready to go 5-on-5 and all that. I would think Friday might be a little early. That'll be up to the medical staff and Russell himself and see how he feels in the days before. Hopefully, he'll get in a couple of scrimmages and then be ready for us to play.
"Any time you miss a key piece like that, it makes it a little bit more difficult, but I know he'll be ready. So on one side, we're just anxious to get him. It'll give everybody a little pep in their step, but there was no doubt before. The energy has been great. These guys have been practicing hard, so it's just one step closer to being whole. We can get him in there and work on a couple of things and get ready."
Westbrook averaged 27.5 PPG, 8.0 REB, and 7.0 AST across his first 53 appearances for the Rockets before the NBA halted play due to the coronavirus pandemic on March 11.
More must-reads:
- Mike D'Antoni: Russell Westbrook in 'good shape,' is 'ramping up' for return
- NBPA producing social justice shirts with Russell Westbrook's clothing line
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Insider Reveals Massive Bulls-Josh Giddey Contract Gap
In the NBA, restricted free agency is a difficult thing--players have almost no leverage and are, essentially, reliant on the good nature of their employers to give them fair contracts. That's a rough spot for Bulls guard Josh Giddey, who is an RFA for Chicago after averaging 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists for the Bulls this summer. The Bulls brought in Giddey from the Thunder, in the deal that sent Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City. It's clear they value Giddey's ability to fill a box score, but questions remain around the holes in Giddey's game--his poor defense and subpar 3-point shooting--that make him a questionable long-term investment. Thus, as things stand, the Bulls and Giddey remain locked in a restricted free-agent battle, unable to find numbers they can agree upon. Bulls, Josh Giddey $10 Million Per Year Apart Now, thanks to insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line substack, we have an idea of just how far apart the sides are: $10 million per year. Yes, Giddey's camp sees the player as a $30 million AAV type. The Bulls see him as a $20 million type, with an offer on the table worth $80 million over four years. Both sides are dug in, Fischer reports, though there is outside interest in Giddey, too. "League sources say that the Bulls made an offer of $80 million over four years to restricted free agent Josh Giddey when the offseason commenced on June 30. Giddey, of course, is seeking an annual salary in the $30 million range. Chicago has been anchored in the $20 million range in annual value ever since its original offer." Expect the Bulls to hold firm here, as they did with Lauri Markkanen back in 2021. Markkanen was traded to Cleveland, and ultimately, the Bulls would prefer not to trade Giddey. But the Markkanen situation was not resolved until Aug. 28 of that year, and the Giddey contract could easily drag out that long, too.
Aaron Judge Had Strong Words After Yankees’ Loss to Astros
The New York Yankees have lost three straight series, and their playoff positioning is getting weaker by the day. They're now just a half-game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for the AL's third and final Wild Card spot after Sunday's 7-1 loss to the Houston Astros. The bright side is that generational superstar Aaron Judge returned on Tuesday after missing 10 games with an elbow injury. However, the 33-year-old has been in the designated hitter slot since then, as he's still not ready to play the outfield. That's caused fellow slugger and regular designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton to be partially phased out of the lineup, since he's almost solely an offensive player at this point in his career. He hadn't played the field since 2023 before starting in right field on Saturday. Additionally, New York has been inconsistent on both sides of the ball. For example, two-time All-Star relief pitcher Devin Williams is 0-2 with a blown save since Monday, and the offense has averaged just 2.83 runs per game in that period. Judge opened up to the media about the situation after Sunday's loss, via SNY. "It's tough, but there's no excuses. We're getting paid to go out there, perform at our best, and win baseball games," he said. "The fans are still packing out and showing support for us, and we gotta show up for them. We've got to go out there and do our job. " "That's what it comes down to...We're not doing our job, we're not doing the little things that put ourselves in position to win baseball games," he continued. "It's going to take all of us...I wouldn't say the confidence has really changed." Aaron Judge Health Update Provides Silver Lining for Yankees New York is having a brutal stretch, as its 201 runs allowed since July 1 is the third-most in MLB. While the team must improve its pitching and defense, it has a pathway to quickly improve its offense. Once Judge is ready to throw again, the Yankees can go back to starting him in right field with Stanton at designated hitter. If they both play to their full potential, then the team could shoot back up the standings. Stanton was the ALCS MVP last season, and Judge leads baseball with a .337 batting average and 1.137 OPS. Judge admitted on Sunday that he doesn't know when he'll be able to play the field again, but his throwing program is going well so far, via SNY. If the future Hall of Famer continues to avoid setbacks, it increases the chances that he'll return to the outfield before the playoffs.
Las Vegas Raiders finally find a solution to a problem that has emerged since the beginning of training camp
When training camp started for the Las Vegas Raiders, they had a ton of depth all around the roster. But, after one week, they did a scrimmage, and that depth instantly went down. During the scrimmage, backup safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. got hurt and suffered an injury that is bound to keep him out for a while. Now, he will be back at some point, because, as head coach Pete Carroll said, the Raiders want and need him. So, they finally made a move in replacing him. The Raiders signed a guy who can give them some experience in a pretty young position group. Raiders sign safety Terrell Edmunds Terrell Edmunds played college football at Virginia Tech from 2015 to 2017, leading to his selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Edmunds spent five seasons with the Steelers from 2018–2022, playing 79 games, starting 75, and racking up 410 tackles, 5 sacks, five interceptions, and 26 passes defended. His best year was 2019 with 105 tackles. After the Steelers declined his fifth-year option, he re-signed for 2022 but moved on in 2023, playing for the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans. In 2024, he briefly joined the Jacksonville Jaguars. Now, he’s been jumping from practice squad to practice squad, but is looking to be a depth piece on the Raiders. Edmunds adds a veteran pretense to a room that has Chris Smith and Trey Taylor, two young guys who have never really played a full-time role in the defensive backfield. If Isaiah Pola-Mao and Jeremy Chinn went down, those two would be next in line, with little to no experience. So, the Raiders quickly got on the phone with Lonnie Johnson Jr. went down, but are finally making a change to the roster, bringing depth and experience. This is a very solid signing for the new regime.
Cowboys' Micah Parsons gives Giants' rookie pass-rusher the ultimate compliment
Abdul Carter showed flashes of dominance in his preseason debut with the New York Giants on Saturday, and fellow pass-rusher Micah Parsons believes fans are going to see a lot more of that for years to come. Carter was disruptive on several plays at the line of scrimmage during the Giants' 34-25 win over the Buffalo Bills. He showed tremendous burst and appeared to get into the backfield with ease, and that was against Buffalo's first-team offense. On Sunday, Parsons shared a video on social media that showed Carter giving the Bills fits. Parsons also paid the rookie a massive compliment. "They asked me if Abdul could be a (sic) another great ! I told them he could be the best one!" Parsons wrote on X. Carter responded by telling Parsons he can't wait to see the four-time Pro Bowl linebacker "get paid what you EARNED!!" Parsons and Carter are both Penn State alumni. They each wore the No. 11, which is a famous jersey number for the Nittany Lions and has been worn by some of the best players in program history. Parsons, of course, has already established himself as one of the best defensive players in football. He is currently in a contract standoff with the Dallas Cowboys. Carter was the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. If he lives up to expectations, he should be just as productive as Parsons in relatively short order.
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