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When the Houston Rockets were ready to move on from three seasons of rebuilding, they first signed Ime Udoka to take over the franchise and change the Rockets' reputation from the bench, and they also knew they needed to bring in more veteran leadership on the court.
The Rockets set out to do that in the summer of 2023 free agency, and they did just that by signing veteran small forward Dillon Brooks and former All-Star and NBA Champion Fred VanVleet. The Rockets signed VanVleet to a three-year max deal with the third year being a team option.
That potential third season has arrived, and now the Rockets and VanVleet must decide before the end of the month. Both sides decided to extend that decision a few weeks ago, as VanVleet is due to make over $40 million next season if the Rockets pick up the third-year team option.
VanVleet, from the first day of training camp, took over as the team's on and off-court leader. Younger players followed his lead, and Udoka saw him almost as a second coach on the floor. VanVleet rewarded the front office's confidence in him by having the best passing season of his career as he finished with a career-high in assists and helped the Rockets have their best assist season in franchise history.
VanVleet and Brooks helped the Rockets improve by a league-best 19 games, and even though VanVleet took a step back this season, he helped guide the Rockets to their best season in the last five years. The Rockets also made their first playoff appearance since 2020.
VanVleet and the Rockets have made it public that both parties would love to work out a new deal that would extend VanVleet's contract to possibly three seasons at a significantly lower annual amount. Even though VanVleet's statistics dropped across the board in 2024-25, he still provided on-court leadership, and perhaps just as important, locker-room leadership, that the Rockets need.
VanVleet's worth to the Rockets is hard to quantify in numbers. When VanVleet is not on the court, the Rockets' offense suffers because they have a hard time getting into their offense. Also, VanVleet is still one of the Rockets' better outside shooters.
That is not to say that the Rockets don't need to bring in another point guard. The Rockets have had to rely heavily on VanVleet as they didn't have a viable backup point guard. Whatever the Rockets do this offseason, they will need to bring in a backup point guard to take some of the pressure off VanVleet.
VanVleet has his flaws, but ultimately, he still is one of the keys to the Rockets' success as they look to take the next step next season from a good team to a championship contender.
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The 'NBA Lottery-Era Rookies of the Year' quiz
Happy 21st birthday to former No. 4-overall NBA Draft pick and 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year, Stephon Castle! Castle followed up Victor Wembanyama’s Rookie of the Year campaign with the Spurs with a more human one of his own to become the first players since Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns to win RoY for the same team in back-to-back seasons. In his first year with the Spurs, Castle played in 81 games with 42 starts, averaging 14.7 points, 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 26.7 minutes-per-game. Which brings us to today’s quiz. How many of the NBA players to be named Rookie of the Year in the Lottery Era (since 1985) can you name in six minutes? Good luck! Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!
Blue Jays' Trey Yesavage is already making the rest of MLB look foolish for passing on him
The Toronto Blue Jays and their fans witnessed something special on Wednesday night. It doesn’t get much better than a convincing 6-1 Game 5 win to take a 3-2 lead over the superteam Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. Heading back home with the chance to win a championship at the Rogers Centre was what truly mattered for the Blue Jays; however, the way it all played out in such a pivotal game at Dodger Stadium will go down in history. Starting pitcher Trey Yesavage was untouchable, throwing seven dominant innings where he allowed just one run on three hits while striking out 12. Those 12 punchouts set the rookie record for the most ever in a World Series game. Seven of them came against the heart of the order in Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. His one-of-a-kind splitter had them fooled from start to finish. Yesavage’s ridiculous rise from starting the year in Class-A Dunedin to carving up the best lineups in baseball in the postseason is unheard of. It makes you wonder how he fell all the way to the Blue Jays at pick No. 20 in the 2024 MLB Draft to begin with. Trey Yesavage has 18 teams regretting their decision While it’s still extremely early to be looking back on his draft class, what Yesavage has done these last few months can’t be replicated. A 22-year-old jumping onto a moving train with just three career MLB starts under his belt goes on to start five playoff games, posting a 3-1 record with a 3.46 ERA and a whopping 39 strikeouts. Those are the kinds of numbers you expect to see from Tarik Skubal or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, not a rookie with almost no big league experience. Nineteen different organizations let Yesavage slide down the draft board last July. At this point, the Athletics are the only ones who should feel alright about their decision, given that first baseman Nick Kurtz already looks like one of the best hitters in baseball. The 18 others look silly. While some of these prospects will certainly turn out to be good players, it’s safe to say that none of them will make this type of impact on the world’s biggest stage. If the Blue Jays can pull this off and win their third World Series title in franchise history, Yesavage will never have to buy another meal in Toronto again. Quite frankly, he’s been so good that he may not have to even if they don’t find a way to finish the job. No matter how this all ends, Yesavage has not only turned himself into a Toronto sports legend, but a Canadian sports legend. The city and country can't wait to see what else he has in store because if this postseason was any indication, then they are in for many more historic performances in the years to come.
Three NHL coaches in danger of a midseason firing
The NHL season is just about a month in, with nearly every team having played 10 games so far. While several teams, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins, Seattle Kraken and Detroit Red Wings, have exceeded expectations, many have fallen short. A disappointing start means many coaches will face the ire of fans who call for their dismissal, fair or not. Which bench bosses are actually in danger of a mid-season firing? Let's take a look at three NHL coaches on the hot seat. Andrew Brunette, Nashville Predators After a brief stint as the Florida Panthers' interim head coach in 2021-22, Brunette was hired by the Predators in May 2023. So far, his results have been less than stellar. After a first round exit in 2024, the Predators ramped up that offseason, adding big names such as Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei. Brunette was unable to translate this into success, as the Predators finished with just 30 wins and the third worst record in the NHL. This season, Nashville's struggles have continued, with a 4-5-2 record, good for 26th overall. Stamkos has just one goal and two points through 11 games and goaltender Juuse Saros sports a .905 save percentage, far below his career average of .914. With a 30th-ranked goals for per game (2.45) and power play (11.8%), if the Predators don't turn things around, Brunette could be the first head coach let go. Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres The Sabres currently have the NHL's longest postseason drought at 14 seasons and have hopes of turning around their fortunes for the 2025-26 season. Ruff, who coached the Sabres from 1997-2013, returned to Buffalo for the 2024-25 season, which the Sabres ended in 26th place. After a rough 0-4-1 start, the Sabres bounced back, going 4-1-2 in their next seven games. However, as of Thursday, Buffalo is still out of a playoff spot as the Thanksgiving benchmark looms. The Sabres will need to improve their 12th-worst 3.10 goals against average, which should be helped as starting goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has returned from injury. While Ruff may have a little bit off leeway, come mid-season, if Buffalo doesn't project to play meaningful games in March and April, the Sabres may move on from the long-time NHL coach. John Hynes, Minnesota Wild Hynes' first two seasons in Minnesota have yielded subpar results: a sixth-place finish in 2023-24 and first round loss to Vegas in 2024-25. Although the Wild have made the playoffs eight of the past 10 seasons, they've yet to make it past the first round in any of those years. With superstar Kirill Kaprizov committing to Minnesota with a record breaking eight-year, $136 million contract, the Wild and Hynes desperately need to capitalize on the winger's prime years. A 3-5-3 start sees Minnesota in seventh place in the Central Division. They've struggled to keep the puck out of their net (fourth worst GAA in the league) and score at 5v5 (15 5v5 goals, worst in the league), leaving Hynes with some work to do. If Hynes can't turn things around in the State of Hockey, a mid-season firing may need to happen to jump start the team.
Latest Matt Rhule news should end Penn State rumors
The Penn State Nittany Lions can likely scratch another candidate off their coaching wish list. On Thursday, ESPN "College GameDay" insider Pete Thamel reported Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule has signed a two-year contract extension with the program, which will run through the 2032 season. It includes a $15M buyout this season, which should prevent another school from poaching him. Why Matt Rhule was considered a strong candidate to replace recently fired Penn State HC James Franklin After Penn State fired Franklin on Oct. 12, Rhule was immediately linked to the job. As a teenager, the New York native moved to State College, where he became a walk-on linebacker for the Nittany Lions from 1994-97. He clearly still loves his alma mater. "I love Penn State, met my wife there, my alma mater," Rhule told the media shortly after Franklin was fired. "Fan since I was born, I think probably had a Penn State shirt when I was born. I really love [athletic director] Pat Kraft, and I'm sad to see coach Franklin go." While the AD for the Temple Owls, Kraft gave Rhule his first head-coaching job in 2013. Now that he has signed the extension, he can't turn to his old friend again and must explore other options. Where does Penn State go from here? The list of candidates in Penn State's head-coaching search is shrinking. The Indiana Hoosiers signed HC Curt Cignetti, another potential target, to an eight-year, $11.6M contract on Oct. 16. The Nittany Lions could attempt to court Ole Miss Rebels HC Lane Kiffin, who has his team in the thick of the national championship hunt after a 7-1 start. However, if he does leave Oxford, expect him to stay in the SEC rather than flocking to the Big Ten. Some believe Kiffin may be the next HC of the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators. And for any optimistic Penn State fans thinking they can lure ESPN analyst Nick Saban out of retirement, dream on. The former Alabama Crimson Tide HC has said there's "no way" he's returning to coaching. Don't bank on Penn State (3-4) promoting interim HC Terry Smith, especially after losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes, 25-24, in his first game. Instead, it may target HCs Mike Elko (Texas A M Aggies), Clark Lea (Vanderbilt Commodores) and Jeff Brohm (Louisville Cardinals). Penn State alumni may have welcomed a homecoming for Rhule. Now, it no longer looks like a possibility.
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