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Steve Kerr: Warriors are in 'offseason mode'
The NBA's worst team in the league isn't convinced the NBA season will resume. The Golden State Warriors, who have no chance of making the playoffs, are operating as if it's the offseason, according to head coach Steve Kerr.
"It feels like the offseason," Kerr said during a video conference call in conjunction with the University of San Francisco on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell. "And, in fact, we had a Zoom call, Bob Myers and I got on a Zoom with our players, our whole roster last week. And it was just a chance to check in, but it was also a chance for Bob to update the players on his contact with the league and the latest news, but it also kind of felt like our annual team exit meeting. Our coaching staff and I have been undergoing staff evaluations, offseason plans, so we are absolutely in offseason mode right now."
While many teams are trying to keep their players focused on a possible resume to the season, Kerr added that the Warriors aren't very concerned with that.
Golden State went 15-50 before the NBA paused the season, and it was largely in part to the injuries they endured throughout the season and last year.
It's rather odd that the Warriors are the worst team in the league at the moment, especially considering all the success they've found over the last decade. However, it should be noted that Stephen Curry missed most of the season with an injury, Klay Thompson was recovering from an ACL tear and the Warriors just couldn't find an answer.
If the Warriors are truly in offseason mode, it's hard to ignore the fact that they must be planning for the 2020 NBA Draft, as they'll likely have the first overall selection.
More must-reads:
- Warriors on the clock: NBA Mock Draft 1.0
- Warriors reportedly have James Wiseman at top of their draft board
- The 'NBA coaches with the most postseason wins' quiz
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NBA Analyst Believes Former League MVP Would 'Flourish' With Knicks Amid Free Agency Rumors
The New York Knicks entered the offseason looking to make some small upgrades to their roster as they try to build of their run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Of course, the Knicks are set to bring back their core of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges next season but one area they needed to improve was their bench. That is exactly what the Knicks focused on during free agency as they signed Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, filling two key holes in their second unit. After signing both Yabusele and Clarkson, New York still does have one more roster space open and they have been linked to many players. Rachel Nichols believes Knicks should sign Russell Westbrook Two player who have garnered the most attention from the Knicks are Ben Simmons and Russell Westbrook and NBA analyst Rachel Nichols believes that Westbrook would “flourish” in New York. “That’s a team that needs a guy like him. That actually has a slot for a guy like him. I think he would flourish in New York,” Nichols said on the Open Floor podcast. “I think New York fans would love him, and I think he would be able to fill that sort of vet energy role really well.” Nichols does make a great point about Westbrook being a solid fit in New York off the bench as the backup point guard behind Brunson. Of course, Westbrook revitalized his NBA career last season with the Denver Nuggets as he proved that he could still be a key piece both off the bench and in the starting lineup on a contending team. Last season, the former MVP averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 44.9% from the field and 32.3% from three. For the Knicks, adding Westbrook to their roster would give them another great scorer and playmaker off the bench and would allow Miles McBride to slot in as the backup shooting guard with Clarkson being a forward. By signing Westbrook, the Knicks would be able to upgrade their bench even more this offseason and with the East being weakened due to injuries, New York could be the team to beat next season in the conference.
Padres already demoting one of their trade-deadline acquisitions
The Padres announced they’ve optioned JP Sears to Triple-A El Paso. They recalled reliever Sean Reynolds and will go with a nine-man bullpen in the short term. Sears will spend at least 15 days in the minors unless he’s brought up to replace a player going on the injured list. San Diego acquired Sears alongside Mason Miller in last week’s massive deadline deal. The 29-year-old southpaw made his team debut Monday night. He allowed five runs in as many innings on 10 hits and a walk against the Diamondbacks. Sears took the loss in a 6-2 defeat. He’d carried a 4.95 earned run average over 22 starts with the A’s. Monday's performance pushed his ERA to 5.12 across 116 innings. It’s a bottom-10 mark among pitchers to log at least 100 frames. Sears had the highest home run rate among that group, offsetting his nearly league-average 20.3% strikeout rate and solid 6% walk percentage. This is the first time in two-and-a-half years that Sears heads to the minors. He broke camp with the A’s in 2023 and has been in the majors since then. Sears has also avoided the injured list for that entire time. As a result, he’s tied for fifth in MLB with 87 starts since the beginning of the ’23 season. The durability is the big selling point, as his production (4.62 ERA/4.56 SIERA) over that stretch is that of a fifth or sixth starter. The demotion shouldn’t have any impact on Sears’ service trajectory. He has already surpassed the three-year mark and will qualify for arbitration next winter. He’s under team control for three seasons beyond this one. While he’ll probably be back up at some point this year, it may require an injury elsewhere in the rotation. San Diego optioned Randy Vásquez over the weekend. They have a four-man rotation of Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish and deadline acquisition Nestor Cortes. Darvish and Cortes will get the ball for the next two outings. San Diego is off Thursday and could turn back to Pivetta and Cease on extra rest for their first two games of the weekend series against the Red Sox. That’d point to the series finale on Aug. 10 as Michael King’s return date. King threw 61 pitches in what is expected to be his final rehab start on Sunday, via the MLB.com injury tracker. He’d be on six days' rest for his first MLB appearance since he went on the injured list in late May with a nerve problem in his throwing shoulder.
Paul Skenes continues home dominance in Pirates' shutout
Paul Skenes tossed six shutout innings and struck out eight to lead the host Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday night. Despite allowing a career-high seven hits (five singles), Skenes (7-8) delivered another dominant performance to bolster his case for the National League Cy Young Award. Skenes also beat the Reds for the fourth time in four starts in his career and first time this season. Jared Triolo and Henry Davis each had two hits and two RBIs to give Skenes more than enough of a cushion to secure a win for the third time in his past four starts. It was Skenes' third consecutive start with eight or more strikeouts. It was also the Pirates' fifth shutout of the season in a Skenes start and their 14th overall shutout. It was the Reds' 10th shutout loss. Skenes lowered his major-league best ERA to 1.94 and continues to be exceptionally good at PNC Park, where he has not allowed an earned run since June 3. Bryan Reynolds, who also had two hits, homered in the first inning off Reds' starter Brady Singer (9-9), who lasted only 3 2/3 innings and gave up four runs on six hits, walked four and struck out two. Reynolds' home run came with two outs. Singer proceeded to issue three consecutive walks to Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen and Jack Suwinski to load the bases, setting up a two-run single by Triolo, which gave the Pirates a 3-0 lead. Cruz and Spencer Horwitz each had an RBI and Davis belted a two-run home run off Reds reliever Brent Suter in the bottom of the seventh. Gavin Lux had three hits, and TJ Friedl and Matt McLain each had two hits to lead Cincinnati offensively. But the Reds went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base. McLain and Elly De La Cruz hit back-to-back singles off Skenes with one out in the first. But Austin Hays grounded into an inning-ending double play to end the threat. -Field Level Media
'A new coach for one': Brad Gilbert links Naomi Osaka's coaching change to her resurgent form at Canadian Open
Former Coco Gauff's coach Brad Gilbert believes that Naomi Osaka's separation from coach Patrick Mouratoglou was key to the four-time Grand Slam champion returning to a final. The Japanese star reached her first WTA 1000 final in more than three years, just a few days after her separation from the French coach was confirmed. Osaka announced her partnership with Mouratoglou back in October 2024. The Frenchman is one of the most renowned coaches today, having worked with Serena Williams on 10 of the American's Grand Slam titles, in addition to collaborations with players like Grigor Dimitrov, Simona Halep, and Holger Rune. However, the partnership ended abruptly. While Osaka seemed to have found some stability with Mouratoglou, the results did not materialize, with her falling in the third round of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, in addition to a first-round exit at the French Open. The Japanese star returned to the top 50 but was not making an impact at the top of the rankings. New Coach, New Results In the midst of the Canadian Open, Osaka announced her split with Mouratoglou, expressing her best wishes to the French coach who accompanied her for the last 10 months. “Merci Patrick. It was such a great experience learning from you. Wishing you nothing but the best. You are one of the coolest people I’ve ever met and I’m sure I’ll see you around,” she wrote in a statement on her social media. Shortly after, it was learned that Osaka had contacted the Polish coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, agreeing to a week-long trial working together, precisely this last week in Montreal. The results came immediately, with Osaka reaching her first WTA 1000 final since the Miami Open in 2022, where she was defeated by Iga Swiatek. Brad Gilbert highlights new coach Osaka's improved level after the separation from Mouratoglou is no coincidence for Brad Gilbert, the legendary American coach who has worked with tennis players like Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Andy Murray. The American recently worked with Coco Gauff, so he has also been close to the WTA Tour recently. Gilbert took to social media to comment on Osaka's move to the Montreal final. According to the coach and former world No. 4, saving match points against Liudmila Samsonova in the second round gave the 27-year-old Japanese star a boost. "Seems like quite some time ago Double Osaka saved a few match points 2nd rd, been house money since and totally discovered her game and rolling last few opponents,” he posted on his X account. A user on social media responded to the post asking, “What do you think is working for her now?” The 63-year-old coach responded to the comment: "A new coach for one ☝️ and got her confidence back." Osaka back on top Osaka has been all joy after a remarkable week in Montreal. In addition to the win against Samsonova, she defeated rivals like Jelena Ostapenko (22nd), Elina Svitolina (10th), and Clara Tauson (16th) on her way. She secured a significant jump in the rankings of 25 positions to No. 24 in the live rankings, while she could reach No. 21 if she wins the title. The ranking this time is much more than a number, as it will mean she enters the US Open as a seeded player, something she has not achieved in a Grand Slam since the 2022 Australian Open—when she was the 13th seed in the tournament she was defending. Since then, she has been absent from five Grand Slam main draws and has accessed five others as an unseeded player. This time, Osaka will be able to avoid rivals from the top 32 during at least the first two rounds, which will give her a couple of matches to get into a rhythm before facing the better-ranked players. It remains to be seen how much this boost in her ranking can benefit Osaka and if she can make an impact in a Grand Slam with a clearer path. The four-time major champion will surely be one of the players to watch at the US Open, considering that she already won the title there in 2018 and 2020 and that she will arrive in her best state of confidence in several years.
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