Author: Mikesportz
February 4, 2024, 10:04 AM The Oklahoma City Thunder look primed to succeed. On the back of a 34-15 record and a leading superstar who should finish first or second in MVP voting, the young upstart team has more than taken off this season, blasting away expectations of a plucky dark horse contender and firmly establishing themselves as a team belonging in the championship bubble. With some statement wins against the Timberwolves and Nuggets in January, the Thunder have made it clear that they’re certainly capable of hanging with the bigs. But with an ample war chest of draft picks, GM Sam…
Phoenix Suns guard Damion Lee continues to rehab his knee after right meniscus surgery, and Bradley Beal will continue to play with a mask as his nasal fracture heals, but other than that the team is all systems go for Beal’s return to Washington on Sunday against the Wizards. This is the first time in a few weeks that reserve big Bol Bol was a no-show on the injury report, having healed from a foot injury. He didn’t play in the loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, but head coach Frank Vogel said Bol would be available if…
The Detroit Lions’ near-Super Bowl run has sparked a strategic draft recommendation from Bleacher Report: to aggressively trade up in the 2024 NFL Draft. The suggestion involves the Lions trading their No. 29 overall pick and two Day 2 picks to the New Orleans Saints for the No. 14 overall pick. This strategy targets Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, a player with a first-round grade from the Bleacher Report Scouting Department. McKinstry’s college performance at Alabama boasted 7 pass defenses and 32 total tackles in 2023, culminating in 23 pass defenses, 93 total tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 interceptions over…
In yesterday’s 3R report I mentioned a pro defensive coordinator target who had expressed reluctance about being connected with the Michigan job out of concern for how it might impact his pro possibilities. Well things have progressed favorably for Michigan since then, and sources tell me Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen is a major target for the position. Sources in both agent and coaching circles informed me that Cullen has been in consistent contact with Sherrone Moore over the past week, and the interest is definitely mutual. If the name sounds familiar to Detroit Lions…
The Charlotte wing has a pending court date for an abuse charge after already serving a suspension for abuse. Full disclosure, I’ve been avoiding even acknowledging this as a possibility, because I thought that if I ignored it for long enough it would just go away. But because of recent reporting, I can ignore it no longer. Just so we’re all on the same page in understanding the situation we’re dealing with, here’s the full Wikipedia section on Bridges’ under the category “Domestic violence charges.” (I went and double-checked. No other Phoenix Suns player has a criminal category on…
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of options for how they can handle the quarterback position during the 2024 offseason, including some big names at the position. However, it’s a player that might be a bit less familiar to NFL fans who could be the QB the Steelers bring in. According to Steelers Now’s Nick Farabaugh, Tulane QB Michael Pratt could be the best fit at quarterback for the Steelers in the upcoming draft. ratt’s college career taking place at a mid-major may have limited his exposure a bit, but he put together a career that should…
Moore still needs to hire a defensive coordinator, but he did hire Jay Harbaugh’s replacement to coach the special teams as J.B. Brown was elevated from special teams analyst, a job he’s had since the 2021 season to special teams coach. Another move expected to be made by the Michigan Wolverines is the addition of Steve Casula as tight ends coach, according to a report from The Wolverine. Casula spent two years on the Michigan football staff as an offensive analyst before spending the past two seasons as UMass offensive coordinator under Don Brown. Adding Brown on special…
PHOENIX — We’re less than a week away from the NBA’s trade deadline, and the Phoenix Suns have been highlighted by many insiders as one team to watch as Feb. 8 nears. No, the Suns won’t be making any major splashes thanks to their lack of draft capital and luxury tax restrictions. However, Phoenix feels as if they’re just *one* piece away from truly piecing together their roster, and Bleacher Report highlighted their top three trade targets: 1. Kris Dunn, Utah Jazz 2. Alec Burks, Detroit Pistons 3. Andre Drummond, Chicago Bulls Zach Buckley:…
Justin Fields for Kyle Pitts and a draft pick? That’s one bold possibility that ESPN is putting forth as the Chicago Bears explore their options for the 2024 season. In ESPN’s preview guide for the 2024 offseason, Aaron Schatz made “big predictions” for each of the 32 teams and projected the Atlanta Falcons to trade to acquire Fields from the Bears. He also suggested that, in return, Chicago could receive Pitts — the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft — as part of their trade compensation. “The Falcons will use Pitts as part of a…
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t done interviewing for their offensive staff. After the hire of Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator, the team is set to meet with three more candidates for assistant roles. The Steelers are set to meet with Los Angeles Chargers passing game specialist Tom Arth, Tennessee Titans quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Charles London and New York Jets wide receivers coach Zach Azzani, according to league sources. They are also expected to interview candidates Arth entered the NFL ranks in 2022 with the Chargers. Prior to Los Angeles, he was the head coach at Akron (2019-2021),…