Month: September 2022

Brooklyn Nets promote Kaiser Gates from G League to roster

A report indicates that the Brooklyn Nets have signed small forward Kaiser Gates.

As training camp begins to come to an end the Brooklyn Nets have signed another small forward to the full-time roster.

According to reports, Brooklyn has added small forward Kaiser Gates to their roster, promoting him from the Long Island Nets.

Gates recently played for Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He didn’t necessarily have a stellar year as he only averaged three points and three boards per contest. Gates played in a handful of games for Jerusalem but really didn’t improve his stock.

Gates has experience with a couple of G League teams including the Windy City Bulls and the Maine Red Lobsters.

In his collegiate career Gates averaged a little over five points per game for the Xavier Musketeers.

Gates likely won’t get a whole lot of playing for the Nets as there are much better roleplaying forwards on the roster. The team will bring him in if injuries ensue around the Nets roster.

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Lakers have started Kendrick Nunn and Damian Jones in training camp

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham seems to have a working starting lineup that he is starting to believe in.

One of the big questions regarding the Los Angeles Lakers this season is who will be in their starting lineup.

Other than LeBron James and Anthony Davis, there have been three spots that have seemingly been open, and head coach Darvin Ham seemed noncommittal in public when asked who would fill those spots.

But several days into training camp, there seems to be an answer, at least for now.

Ham said he has been starting Russell Westbrook, as well as guard Kendrick Nunn and center Damian Jones most often during practices, and that it has been his preferred starting lineup thus far.

However, it appears that starting lineup is fluid.

Jones was signed as a free agent earlier this summer, and while he isn’t an overpowering player, he is a relatively energetic 27-year-old who can block shots, rebound, run the floor and score every now and then.

Nunn didn’t play last season because of a bone bruise in his knee, but he is a proven scorer who is efficient from all over the court.

During the 2020-21 season, he averaged 14.6 points a game while shooting 48.5 percent overall and 38.1 percent from 3-point range.

Brandon Gibson looks ‘forward to taking that next step together’ with Tony Ferguson after UFC 279

Brandon Gibson still plans on being a part of Tony Ferguson’s camps moving forward.

LOS ANGELES – Brandon Gibson still plans on being a part of [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag]’s camps moving forward.

The renowned striking coach, who works with the likes of former UFC light heavyweight king Jon Jones and top prospect Aaron Pico, trained Ferguson in the lead-up to his fight at UFC 279 earlier this month.

Gibson helped Ferguson (25-8 MMA, 15-6 UFC) prepare for a three-round fight against Li Jingliang, but a last-second switch-up resulted in Ferguson facing Nate Diaz in a five-round bout. He was submitted in Round 4.

“We were just speaking today, and I look forward to seeing him out in Albuquerque, (N.M.),” Gibson told MMA Junkie. “If I get a moment to step away from Pico this week (at Bellator 286), I would be totally down to link up with Tony and get some work in. Tony has a great team around him, and that week, I think we developed an even stronger relationship. So I look forward to taking that next step together.”

Although Ferguson didn’t get his hand raised, Gibson liked what he saw out of “El Cucuy,” who wasn’t deterred at all after suffering his fifth straight setback.

“All the respect to Diaz – he’s a game fighter. He was prepared for a five-round fight,” Gibson said. “Tony was scrappy in there. I think he had some really good moments – there was a lot of back and forth. I think Tony was able to show his toughness, his grit that he always has in fights. It was good to see him in there with another veteran, another OG, and obviously I wish that we would have had a different result. But all respect to Diaz.

“I would like to see Tony up against some other vets. I like him fighting some of these more tenured fighters. I’m sure Tony can continue to make 155 no problem, and if he stays at 170, I think there’s some room for growth like in his strength, his size and have a longer camp to really prepare for an opponent than one day.”

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Kawhi Leonard to play on Monday in Clippers’ preseason game

Law Murray: Kawhi Leonard will return to NBA action Monday night vs Trail Blazers. Source: Twitter @LawMurrayTheNU What’s the buzz on Twitter? Josh Lewenberg @ JLew1050 The Raptors are expecting a sellout crowd of 7000 fans at Save On Foods Centre …

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Josh Lewenberg @JLew1050
The Raptors are expecting a sellout crowd of 7000 fans at Save On Foods Centre for tonight’s open practice/scrimmage in Victoria. Eclectic mix of jerseys around: Carter, McGrady, Bosh, Calderon, DeMar, Kawhi, Serge but the most common I’ve seen: Kyle Lowry. pic.twitter.com/737XhjFpvf – 8:51 PM

Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Kawhi Leonard will return to NBA action Monday night vs Trail Blazers. – 8:35 PM
Andrew Greif @AndrewGreif
Out for the Clippers tonight:
John Wall
Nico Batum
Norman Powell
Kawhi Leonard
Paul George
Reggie Jackson – 8:34 PM
Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Trusting game notes is a fool’s errand, and you already know that Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Reggie Jackson, and John Wall (at least) will not play tomorrow night in Seattle vs the (NOT Supersonics)
But for those who like unofficial depth charts in the preseason, here ya go pic.twitter.com/PTrg8MlQV8 – 9:32 PM

Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Kawhi Leonard (with BOC, one of Ty’s defensive lieutenants) is off today. pic.twitter.com/vwYrr866yk – 2:56 PM

Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
Ty Lue said Kawhi Leonard and John Wall will rest today and not practice as part of Clippers’ plan to keep them fresh. Kawhi went through first 3 practices full and Lue said Kawhi feels good. Kawhi, PG, Wall, Reggie Jackson are among vets not playing in preseason opener tomorrow – 2:53 PM
Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will not play tomorrow. – 2:50 PM
Andrew Greif @AndrewGreif
Day 3 at Clippers camp in Vegas, Norm Powell says Kawhi doesn’t look like he hasn’t played an NBA game since June 2021. pic.twitter.com/TLrOe0WYhr – 2:42 PM

Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
The world champion Aces are here. Kawhi and PG greeted Becky Hammon and Aces assistant and former Clippers assistant Natalie Nakase before practice pic.twitter.com/IIFqzjR1nc – 4:40 PM

Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
Ty Lue said Kawhi and everyone went through both practices yesterday full. Lue says Kawhi feels good and will practice again today. pic.twitter.com/teW0MCUay4 – 4:39 PM

Katy Winge @katywinge
“Kawhi didn’t say anything” 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/oyebMwLAZH – 1:03 PM

Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Kawhi Leonard’s return touches:
🏀rebounding in small lineups
🏀small lineup frequency
🏀Terance Mann’s 🇨🇭🪖🔪 role
🏀John Wall pace/transition efficiency
🏀Norman Powell’s quest to start/All-Star
From yesterday @TheAthletic
theathletic.com/3635551/2022/0… – 11:44 AM

More on this storyline

Andrew Greif: Ty Lue says John Wall, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Reggie Jackson are among the Clippers who will not play in Friday’s preseason opener in Seattle. Kawhi isn’t practicing today; Lue said he feels good but the team wants to manage his workload. -via Twitter @AndrewGreif / September 29, 2022
Law Murray: Tyronn Lue on Kawhi Leonard physique: “The three years I’ve been here, you know, he’s come into camp pretty big… he’s in good shape. Not a lot of body fat.” -via Twitter @LawMurrayTheNU / September 28, 2022

2024 LSU commit scores on long touchdown pass

Xavier Atkins showed that he can make plays after the catch.

[autotag]Xavier Atkins[/autotag] is a 2024, four-star, 6-foot-1, 190-pound linebacker from Jonesboro-Hodge High School where he stars for the Jonesboro-Hodge Tigers.

The Tigers are 2-3 to start this season after a 20-10 win last night over Pineville High School. Even though Atkins is listed as a linebacker, when you are as good of an athlete as he is, sometimes you play on both sides of the ball so you can make even more of a difference.

In this play, Jonesboro-Hodge hits Atkins on a screen pass and he gets a couple of good blocks and sheds a tackle as he strolls into the endzone.

LSU currently has five overall commits for the 2024 recruiting class, a class that is ranked as the No. 3 class in the country, and Atkins is one of two linebacker commits. The other linebacker commit is [autotag]Maurice Williams[/autotag] from Pearland, Texas.

There are still a couple of years between now and Atkins signing day, but he will definitely be a player to keep an eye on.

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LOOK: UNC target Zayden High on official visit to Tar Heels

Four-star forward Zayden High tries on a UNC uniform during his official visit to Chapel Hill.

Despite the weather concerns that forced North Carolina to postpone the first Live Action event on Friday night, four-star recruiting target Zayden High decided to make the trip for his official visit.

The Spring Branch, Texas native is UNC’s lone remaining target in the 2023 class, so this visit is a big one for Hubert Davis and his staff. With Simeon Wilcher committed, the Tar Heels want to add one more player to that 2023 class and a forward with High’s potential is the ideal fit.

With High on campus, the recruit was able to try on a UNC uniform to pose for pictures and even videos. Check him out on his Tik Tok wearing a UNC uniform:

@zayy23den

unc official 🥶 #fyp #EndlessJourney #MadeWithKeurigContest #basketball #unc

♬ Right and Wrong way Clubbed trvplawdbeats – Trvplawd Beats

The 6-foot-9, 225-pound High is ranked No. 55 nationally, No. 12 power forward, and No. 4 player in the state of Texas per the 247Sports recruiting rankings.  He has 20 offers in his recruitment so far and has taken visits to Michigan and Villanova as well.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Brian Kelly talks about how LSU is preparing for the noise at Jordan Hare

Kelly said the team is prepared for the hostile environment on Saturday.

It just means more.

This weekend, the LSU Tigers are traveling for their first true road game of the season, and it will be in front of one of the best atmospheres in the SEC, Jordan-Hare Stadium.

It doesn’t matter what Auburn’s record is when they are playing at home. The Auburn “family” will be sure to show up and show out. Both teams enter the game 3-1 this season. LSU’s only loss was a heartbreaker to Florida State in their first game.

Auburn’s only loss is a beatdown by Penn State at home. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was asked how LSU has worked on dealing with the noise.

“Well, I think, first of all, you know, you have to duplicate that in practice and maybe over-emphasize it in practice, make it a little bit more difficult,”

“Which, I think, we made it pretty difficult in practice this week with with crowd noise. So I think you start there,” said Kelly, before going on to explain why he and the other coaches need to sort of simplify their communication to avoid any confusion amid all the chaos.

“And then I think, you know, you have a way to keep things simple and move quickly to limit some of the things that that can be part of bringing the crowd into the game. The more you’re over there checking and changing things, it brings the crowd into the game. So I think there’s some things that you can do technically. But look, I think you all know the the best way to keep a crowd quiet is to play really well on offense. So that’s what we hope to do.”

LSU will have to face the noise tomorrow night on the Plains as they take on Auburn at 6 p.m. CT.

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Rutgers basketball the latest to offer Darius Adams

Rutgers is the latest to offer class of 2025 shooting guard Darius Adams

Class of 2025 combo guard Darius Adams received an offer this week from Rutgers basketball. This latest offer is the second offer from a Power Five conference for Adams.

The Scarlet Knights are the first Big Ten program to offer Adams. The 6-foor-3, 150-pound guard from Manasquan high school (Manasquan, NJ) also holds offers from Syracuse, St. Johns, Seton Hall, and Fordham.

A four-star recruit according to 247Sports and the No. 1 prospect in New Jersey according to On3 Consensus, Adams averaged 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists this past season in high school. He projects as a strong three-point shooter and he continues to work on beating players off the dribble and handling the ball through pressure.

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Rutgers has shown steady improvement from their guards under the tutelage of head coach Steve Pikiell and by the time Adams is ready for college, there will be a need on the Scarlet Knights at guard. The New Jersey native would be a perfect fit for Rutgers.

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Rutgers basketball extends offer to Darrion Sutton

Rutgers extended an offer to class of 2024 small forward Darrion Sutton

Class of 2024 small forward Darrion Sutton received an offer this week from Rutgers basketball. This is his first offer from a Power Five school.

The Scarlet Knights are the first program from the Big Ten to offer the high school junior. The  6-foot-7, 170-pound forward also received an offer from St. John’s from the Big East this week.

247Sports has Sutton as a strong three-star recruit, and the No. 3 recruit out of Missouri in his class. He comes in at No. 28 for small forwards in the class of 2024. Sutton currently plays prep ball for Gateway City Elite and is a native of O’Fallon, Missouri. The prospect took to twitter to announce his offer.

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Sutton does not currently have a ranking over at On3.com, but as his recruiting picks up so will his profile.

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For Gateway City Elite, Sutton averaged 13.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game last season as a sophomore. He has continued to improve and grow physically and should continue to make some noise on the recruiting trail during this season.

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No injury designation for Packers LT David Bakhtiari entering Week 4

Packers LT David Bakhtiari has no injury designation and was removed from the Week 4 injury report.

One week after returning to start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari has no injury designation on the final injury report of Week 4.

Bakhtiari was labeled as questionable last week but started and played 35 snaps, rotating in and out with backup Yosh Nijman. After practicing on Wednesday and Friday of this week, Bakhtiari was removed from the injury report ahead of Sunday’s showdown with the New England Patriots.

The development can be seen as another step forward for the five-time All-Pro left tackle in his long road to recovery from a knee injury originally suffered on Dec. 31, 2020.

Despite the lack of an injury designation, it’s unclear if Bakhtiari will play a full game on Sunday against the Patriots. In Tampa Bay, rotating with Nijman gave Bakhtiari an opportunity to get through an entire game without putting the physical stress of being on the field for every play in a hot environment and on a foreign playing surface. On Sunday, Bakhtiari and the Packers will be back in Green Bay in comfortable playing conditions on a pristine field.

Nijman’s development and value at left tackle might tempt the Packers to continue using the rotation until the team knows Bakhtiari is back to 100 percent.

The veteran needed three different surgeries on his injured knee and played just one game between the end of the 2020 season and Week 2 of this year.

With Bakhtiari back and improving, the goal is now to manage his workload and ensure he’s healthy for the long haul.

The Packers also removed Elgton Jenkins from the injury report, meaning Bakhtiari and Jenkins will start at offensive tackle for the second straight week. The two, once comfortable and resettled at their respective positions, could give the Packers one of the best tackle combos in football in 2022.

Over 35 snaps in Tampa Bay, Bakhtiari allowed just one pressure. Coach Matt LaFleur complimented his ability to recover from almost getting beat and give Aaron Rodgers a chance to escape the pocket and get rid of the ball.