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Donovan Mitchell provides self-aware assessment of his standing in the NBA
Donovan Mitchell has spent the past two summers dealing with questions surrounding his long-term future. The All-Star guard had remained tight-lipped on whether he intended to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, after agreeing to a three-year, $150 million contract extension earlier this summer, Mitchell will likely enter the new season with a renewed focus.
The Cavaliers will also have a new head coach, having hired Kenny Atkinson at the start of the offseason. Atkinson will likely bring an attacking mentality to the Cavaliers as he attempts to develop the team into a genuine contender. For Mitchell, the more postseason success he can have, the better, as he bids to prove himself as a top-10 or top-15 talent in the NBA.
"Realistically, I look at myself as one of the top 10, top 15 players in this league, but I haven't made it to a conference finals," Mitchell said during a recent appearance on the "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast. "So in order for me to make that jump, I can sit here and get mad and use it as fuel, but I can't get mad 'cause it's an accolades-based world we live in. Whether it's right, wrong or indifferent, for whatever reason, it's just what it is."
Donovan Mitchell thinks he belongs in the conversation of the best in the league
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) September 23, 2024
New episode dropping tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/8DU8H338MM
Mitchell ended last season with the ninth-highest average for points per game (26.6); he was also 26th in assists per game, dropping 6.1 dimes per night. He is one of the most dangerous clutch-time performers in the NBA. However, he is right in his assessment that his lack of postseason success likely hinders how he's viewed by the wider NBA fan base and media.
As such, Mitchell will undoubtedly be hungry for the Cavaliers to build on their postseason success of last season, where they made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals before being knocked out by the Boston Celtics.
Whether Atkinson can guide the team on a deeper playoff run during his inaugural season with the franchise remains to be seen. Still, it's the only way for Mitchell to begin earning the recognition he deserves.
Otherwise, the scoring specialist will be viewed as an All-Star-level player who is somewhere in the top 25 players around the NBA. For someone as competitive as Mitchell, that is unlikely to sit well with him.
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Asking Price for Top Reported Trade Target Revealed
For virtually the entire offseason, Miami Heat wing Andrew Wiggins has been associated in hypothetical trade after hypothetical trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. It's no secret the Lakers have been wanting to beef up their perimeter defense over the last few months. Marcus Smart was acquired to do just that — though the team still lacks a true/proven wing defender that can guard the 6-foot-6 to 6-foot-8 alpha scorers. Even with Smart's defensive reputation and credibility on that end of the floor, he's not overly athletic. More news: East Contender Predicted to Go All In for Lakers' LeBron James, Under One Condition Wiggins had been the perceived target for the Lakers despite no real concrete evidence that the team actually made a push to get him. Much of it seemed to be conjecture, along with the fit appearing to be a good one. As NBA reporter Brett Siegel revealed recently, the Heat were asking for a considerable amount in return for a 30-year-old player with one year left on his deal (not including a $30 million player option for 2026-27). Siegel said that the Heat wanted an instant-impact player and a first-round draft pick before 2028. The Lakers theoretically would've satisfied at least one of the requirements. LA has its 2026 and 2028 first-round picks to use in a potential deal. In terms of the instant-impact player, quibbling likely would be attributed to Dalton Knecht in this case. It's no secret Knecht has had a rough time in LA since being drafted. His play time was up and down (as was his consistency on the court). Knecht was then part of the Mark Williams trade, which was ultimately rescinded. He then had to rejoin the team and mentally bounce back in what was likely a very difficult situation for a young player to handle. To make matters worse, he had an awful Summer League performance in Vegas to the point where his standing as an instant-impact player would come into question. More news: Lakers Fans React to LeBron James’ Cleveland Return After Schedule Leak There wouldn't be a universe in which Austin Reaves is included in a deal with Wiggins being the primary player sent back. Rui Hachimura likely would've been the player in question — and even then, there's a real argument to be made that he's just as good, if not better than Wiggins at this current time, given their respective skill-sets and production levels. Latest Lakers News For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.
Dolphins Get Worrisome Chop Robinson Injury News on Wednesday
The Miami Dolphins may have sustained another major injury. Just days after RB Alexander Mattison fell with a season-ending neck injury, all eyes are set on Chop Robinson now. According to a report by Ari Meirov, the second-year linebacker sustained an apparent injury, and while the team has yet to disclose more information, he had to be carted off the field: Chop Robinson was carted off the field "Dolphins EDGE Chop Robinson was carted off at practice today after suffering an apparent injury during a scrimmage period," Meirov reported. Robinson, who was taken out of Penn State with the No. 21 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, turned plenty of heads in his first year in the league: “I enjoyed it (his rookie season) a little bit,” Robinson told the Miami Herald, “but it’s Year 2, so whatever happened in the past, that doesn’t really matter anymore. I’m just focused on this year.” Robinson ranked second among rookies with six sacks and 14 quarterback hits, and he entered the season with an 11.0 sacks projection and +15000 odds of winning Defensive Player of the Year. Chop Robinson is excited about the Dolphins' defensive front He's also expected to make a big impact next to Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb, both of whom will be returning from major injuries of their own: “I’m super excited,” Robinson said. “Just imagining the three of us on the field at the same time, or just me and JP or JP and Chubb at the same time, it’s kind of hard for tackles to [say], ‘All right, you’ve got to study JP, you’ve got to study Chubb, you’ve got to study me.’ And if we’re all on the field at the same time, it [can] kind of mess up the offense’s mind because they wouldn’t know what to do.” Hopefully, this won't be too serious, and while the team may err on the side of caution and hold him out for the remainder of the preseason, he'll be back out there and ready to go in Week 1.
Jordan Love's thumb surgery comes at inopportune time for Packers
The Green Bay Packers have a cause for concern with Jordan Love in the preseason. The quarterback suffered a thumb injury during the Packers' 30-10 loss to the New York Jets on Saturday. Love went 1-of-5 passing for seven yards and took a sack for -3 yards in the defeat. Both of his drives ended in punts. Per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, Love is set to have surgery on his thumb after seeing how it held up at practice on Monday. General manager Brian Gutekunst believes Love will be ready for Week 1 against the Detroit Lions. "Gutekunst sounded adamant that Love will be ready for Week 1 against the Lions," Schneidman wrote. "Hit his left hand on a helmet on that half-scramble vs. Jets. Wanted to see how it felt at practice yesterday and decided to get it fixed to avoid future issues. Will be with team in Indianapolis. "Brian Gutekunst says Jordan Love is having a procedure done on his left thumb. It’s a 'ligament thing.' Hurt it in the preseason opener. Gutekunst hopes he returns to practice next week." The injury comes at an inopportune time for the Packers. Love and the majority of his receivers have not been in sync during training camp and in the preseason game. Like last season, Packers' receivers have dropped passes during practices and did so in the preseason opener against the Jets. Green Bay needs Love on the field, gaining chemistry with his pass-catching targets, including first-round pick Matthew Golden, before it plays the Lions.
Dolphins' All-Pro Receiver Predicted To Request A Trade
The Miami Dolphins have had anything but a smooth sailing 12 months. Coming off an impressive 11-6 record in 2023, the franchise’s best since 2008, the sky looked to be the limit for the Dolphins. However, they struggled to build upon the foundation laid before them and fell to an 8-9 record. From then on, the offseason and preseason have been a brutal testing of patience for Dolphins fans. One storyline that hasn’t gone away is the future of All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill. After telling reporters he was done with the team in 2024, Hill has been a constant source of confusion and stress in Miami. He’s still with the team and has since apologised and said he wants to remain a member of the Dolphins, but one NFL writer still believes it's just a matter of time before Hill wants out. Per Alex Kay of Bleacher Report, Tyreek Hill is one of four NFL players predicted to request a trade before the 2025 NFL season kicks off. “According to ESPN’s JeremyFowler, rival franchises are monitoring Hill's shaky status with the Dolphins and keying in on him as a potential trade target.” Kay writes. “While Fowler did note Miami's brass was rejecting overtures for Hill earlier in the offseason, the playmaker has since gone on to miss all of training camp with an oblique injury, an ailment that has muddied his status and role with the team.” Figuring out where the Dolphins stand with Hill isn’t easy. He’s been one of the most productive receivers in the NFL over the last three years in Miami, catching 319 passes for 4468 yards and 26 touchdowns since 2022, but there was some noticeable regression in his game in 2024. “After tallying a whopping 464 targets over the last three seasons combined—only three receivers have garnered more looks in that span—he could quickly become dissatisfied with a lesser role in the Dolphins' offensive game plan.” Kay adds. “If Hill returns from injury and continues to regress following an 81-catch, 959-yard, six-touchdown season (his worst since an injury-shortened 2019 campaign), it wouldn't be shocking to see him ask to be dealt.” The Dolphins have aspirations of the playoffs and beyond in 2025, but the roster might struggle to stack up against the best the AFC has to offer, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Hill will similarly share those ambitions, but if the going gets tough in Miami or if there’s some major dissatisfaction regarding the direction of the team, Kay believes Hill could seek a trade.
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