Rajon Rondo’s return from a calf injury has been a slow and deliberate one, with no clear end in sight.
All things considered, the Los Angeles Lakers are having a great start to the season. When they hit the three-week mark on Tuesday, they will still be 7-2 heading into a game against the Phoenix Suns. But if you were hoping for them to get Rajon Rondo back in the lineup soon, his two-steps-forward-one-step-back recovery from a sore calf, has complicated it.
After being close to playing on Sunday, Rondo’s return was immediately called off after a 5-on-5 workout, according to Yahoo’s Chris Haynes. And the outlook for Rondo doesn’t look any clearer after Sunday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors. Coach Frank Vogel told reporters that it would be “hopefully soon” when Rondo returns but acknowledged that the soft tissue injury has been tricky to deal with.
According to Harrison Faigen for Silver Screen and Roll, Vogel said before the game on Sunday:
It’s tough to say. With a soft tissue injury, you never know how quickly those things are going to heal. You want to have the mindset where you can ramp up activity and get through it with no pain and no soreness. And if that doesn’t happen then it can be delayed. So it’s not that unusual in my mind.
Vogel doesn’t seem too concerned by the injury given its nature as a difficult injury to recover from, let alone for a veteran like Rondo. The Lakers are taking it slow, but their patience doesn’t make Rondo’s slow recovery any less concerning.
Badou Jack is training for his December fight against Jean Pascal, his first bout since suffering a horrible cut in a loss to Marcus Browne.
Healing is not easy in boxing. But it’s necessary, an inevitable process as challenging as any tough opponent. Ask Badou Jack.
Jack is back, training for light heavyweight Jean Pascal on December 28 in Atlanta in his first bout since suffering the kind of cut that would make a lot of fighters think about a different line of work.
In a decision loss last January to Marcus Browne in Las Vegas, Jack was left with a huge gash across his forehead, the result of a clash of heads in the seventh round. Jack remembers the blood. He remembers the blurred vision. Remembers the aftermath, too.
Initially, it was reported that Jack needed 25 stitches. But the deep gash required a lot more surgery. He said he wound up with 136 stitches to seal a wound as deep as it was ugly
Jack, 36, took the time to reflect. He has his Badou Jack Foundation, which he started in an ongoing fight to get food to refugee kids in Jordan and Syria.
Badou Jack (wearing white shirt) and Gervonta Davis recently discussed their upcoming fights. Sean Michael Ham / Mayweather Promotions
For Jack, there is always another fight to wage. Being away from the ring for nearly a year, he says, turned into a positive.
“I feel like a young 36 years old,’’ Jack said recently in Las Vegas. “I live a clean life. I’m always in the gym training, and I try not to take any punishment. I have a couple of years left, and I’m more motivated now than ever.
“I needed that little break. I hadn’t had a break since I was an amateur 20 years ago. I took time to relax with the family and eat good food.
“Now I’m hungry.”
Hungry enough, he said, to fight anybody at 175 pounds, a division suddenly as intriguing as any. Middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez has a light heavweight belt, which he took from Sergey Kovalev in an 11th-round stoppage on November 2.
There is Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. Beterbiev appears to be the best. He took two of the belts with a brutal stoppage of Oleksandr Gvozdyk on October 18 in Philadelphia.
“He’s a beast,’’ Jack said of Beterbiev.
Jack’s willingness to fight anybody is not a surprise. Not a cliché, either. It’s just what he does.
At super middleweight, he beat Anthony Dirrell, George Groves and Lucian Bute. At light heavy, he beat Nathan Cleverly and fought Adonis Stevenson to a draw. It’s been daunting. It’s been dangerous. But it has been – and still is – Jack.
“I’ve been ready to fight for a couple of months,’’ said Jack (22-2-3, 15 knockouts). “Everyone who saw me in my last fight could see I was flat.
“I’m excited for this fight. I actually called Pascal (34-6-1, 20 KOs) the day before his last fight and let him know I was rooting for him. But this is business at the end of the day. I’m coming to take back my title.”
James Harden was named West Player of the Week after averaging 41 points and nine assists per game and leading the Rockets to a 3-0 record.
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The NBA on Monday announced Houston Rockets guard James Harden as the WesternConferencePlayer of the Week for games played from Monday, Nov. 4 through Sunday, Nov. 10 (Week 3).
It is Harden’s first Player of the Week award of the 2019-20 season and the 23rd of his career, all coming in Houston.
The Rockets went 3-0 on the week, outscoring their opponents by an average of 15.7 points per game. In those games, Harden averaged 40.7 points (43.6% shooting), 9.3 assists, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.3 steals in 36.1 minutes, with a double-double recorded in all three contests. The 30-year-old lefthander averaged 17 three-point attempts per game and connected on over 43% of those, despite the extreme volume.
James Harden AVG’s over the last 3 games. Player of the week material:
41 points 8 rebounds 9 assists 2.3 steals/G 1.3 blks/G 43% 3fg on 17 attempts per game pic.twitter.com/63kVo0HH2E
In total, Harden hit 22 three-pointers on 43.1% shooting, while Rockets opponents combined for 20 three-pointers on 22.2% shooting.
For the season overall, Harden has scored 334 points in 318 minutes of play. That is the highest total through the first nine games of any NBA season since Michael Jordan scored 337 in 1988-89.
Harden has hit 39 three-pointers, marking the fourth-highest total by any player in NBA history through the first nine games of a season — and the most by any player besides Stephen Curry.
The Rockets are 6-3 this season, with Harden ranking first in the league in points (37.1) and sixth in assists (8.2). In the 2018-19 campaign, he became the first player in NBA history to have averaged at least 35.0 points and 7.0 assists in a single season.
The Eastern Conference Player of the Week was Toronto forward Pascal Siakam, who averaged 30.3 points (51.5% shooting), 11.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game in a 3-0 week for the Raptors.
Logan Storley thinks taking out a D-I wrestler in E.J. Brooks at Bellator 233 speaks to his own elite wrestling ability.
THACKERVILLE, Okla. – [autotag]Logan Storley[/autotag]’s win Friday at Bellator 233 was a major feather in his cap.
Storley (11-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA), a four time All-American wrestler, took on former Division-I wrestler E.J. Brooks. He picked up a TKO win when Brooks didn’t come back out for the second round with an apparent broken arm.
Storley was able to hurt Brooks early, throwing a couple of kicks that hurt Brooks’ arm. He was then able to use his wrestling to take the fight to the mat, and after the end of Round 1, Brooks’ corner stopped the fight with Brooks unable to continue due to the injury.
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The game plan for Storley was to come out aggressive and put pressure on Brooks, which he was able to do. The arm injury suffered by Brooks made it that much harder for him to get off the mat when Storley was all over him.
“I knew that first kick, I think it was the first or second kick that hurt him,” Storley told MMA Junkie after the fight. “I felt him underneath when I kept putting it on him, and forcing him to push off of it – and that was a hard, grinding pace, the first five. That’s what I wanted to do because I felt him slowly losing that energy and me just getting into more dominant positions, but it takes a while to get to that. You don’t just get to go land big shots right away. You have to wear these guys out, then you can set the pace and fight your fight.”
Storley thinks taking out an accomplished wrestler in Brooks proves how good his wrestling is.
“It took a little longer than I wanted, getting to those positions, but he’s a former Division-I wrestler,” Storley said. “He’s beat really good guys in wrestling, and that’s what people don’t understand is, that guy was a really good Division-I wrestler. So for me to go out there and dominate a former Division-I wrestler like that, I think that speaks to my wrestling ability.”
While the Bears are coming off a 20-13 victory over the Lions, Vegas isn’t confident in Chicago’s chances against the Rams in Week 11.
The Chicago Bears (4-5) will travel to Los Angeles for a Week 11 primetime contest against the Rams (5-4), where they’ll be looking to continue their winning ways against a Rams team coming off a loss.
This will be the Bears’ first meeting with the Rams in California since Jan. 2, 1994.
While the Bears are coming off a 20-13 victory over the Detroit Lions (3-5-1), Vegas isn’t confident in Chicago’s chances against the Rams.
The Bears have opened as 6.5-point underdogs against the Rams, according to BetMGM.
Chicago has been favorites in every game they’ve played this season except two — the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9 and now against the Rams in Week 11.
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Jimbo Fisher’s latest huge recruiting catch is Donell Harris, a four-star defensive end from Miami who is among the nation’s top-50 overall recruits, according to 247Sports.
Texas A&M’s spread into the heart of SEC recruiting grounds continues apace as the Aggies added their latest major coup, a four-star defensive end prospect from Miami.
Donell Harris, a star at Gulliver Prep (Miami, Fla.), picked the Aggies ahead of scholarship offers from “The U” (University of Miami), Alabama, Auburn, LSU and plenty others. He is a top-50 overall recruit in the Class of 2020 and a top-five defensive end prospect, per 247Sports.
The national recruiting hype around Harris crystalized after a monster junior season in which he finished with 73 tackles, 21 sacks and three forced fumbles (one of which he recovered) for Gulliver Prep.
Harris made his commitment official with a Tweet that concluded with, shall we say, some colorful language:
Now, he’s decided that his future is best served in the Lone Star State, the All-American Bowl selection can focus on Gulliver Prep’s run in and his final games as a high school player ahead of December’s Early Signing Period. The Raiders kick off the playoffs with a first round matchup against legendary Miami program Booker T. Washington on Friday.
UFC champ Max Holloway explains why he felt the need to go through medical tests before booking his next title defense at UFC 245.
Before being booked at UFC 245, [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] refused to seriously discuss his next UFC featherweight title defense until he knew he was medically clear.
A cloud of concern has hung over Holloway (21-4 MMA, 17-4 UFC) after an ugly 2018 campaign that saw him withdraw from three consecutive title fights. The latter of those withdrawals was most worrisome, with Holloway pulling out of a scheduled bout during fight week with a still unknown medical issue.
Since then, Holloway has been hyper-cautious. After beating Frankie Edgar at UFC 240 in July, “Blessed” was immediately confronted about his next title defense against Alexander Volkanovski (20-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC). He said he welcomed the challenge, but not before ensuring he had a clean bill of health.
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Holloway, 27, explained why he felt the need to go through a battery of tests.
“At the end of the day I only care about my long run,” Holloway told MMA Junkie. “I care about my longevity. These guys work for (my son) Rush, they don’t work for me. They want to make sure I’m there for Rush, so that’s what we did.”
Holloway said his tests came back clear of any issues after beating Edgar over the summer, and at that point he was ready to pick up the phone.
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The UFC came calling with the matchup against Volkanovski, which serves as the co-headliner of the Dec. 14 card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Volkanovski has insisted he’s going to be the one to dethrone Holloway and bring an end to his historic winning streak in the featherweight division. Holloway, as always, welcomes to the challenge, he said.
“He’s the No. 1 contender, he’s the next cupcake on the list,” Holloway said. “I can’t wait to taste the flavor.”
Back-to-back injuries occurred at the right tackle position that left the Chiefs dangerously thin along the offensive line. First, starting right tackle Mitchell Schwartz suffered an injury, which ended his long consecutive snap streak. A play later, it was left guard Martinas Rankin who had shifted to right tackle. He was injured on his first snap at the position.
Kansas City only had seven offensive linemen dressed to play on Sunday. Starting left tackle Eric Fisher and starting right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif were both ruled out ahead of the game. With the two injuries to Schwartz and Rankin, the Chiefs would be faced with an emergency situation had they suffered another injury.
So who would have been the emergency backup offensive lineman for the Chiefs had they suffered an injury? Andy Reid let us in on the doomsday plan during his Monday conference call.
Reid didn’t exactly say which tight end it would be for the Chiefs, so you’ll have to use your imagination on that. Blake Bell would stand to reason, given his usage in blocking scenarios, but he was also banged up with an ankle injury. Travis Kelce is the most veteran tight end on the team and probably the most comfortable with the blocking schemes.
Luckily, the Chiefs didn’t have to try this out. Schwartz was able to return to the game after just a few snaps. I have a feeling this scenario would be much less enjoyable to watch than seeing emergency third-string QB Anthony Sherman run the Chiefs offense, which could have happened in Week 7 against the Denver Broncos.
Two-way rookie Bol Bol has been assigned to the Windy City Bulls of the G League, the Nuggets announced Monday afternoon.
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Denver Nuggets two-way rookie Bol Bol has been assigned to the Windy City Bulls of the G League, the team announced on Twitter Monday afternoon.
With Bol set to join the Bulls, it appears as though the 7-foot-2 center is nearing his debut for the organization. Of course, Bol did not play in Summer League and hasn’t suited up yet for the Nuggets after suffering a foot injury last season at Oregon.
Since the Nuggets are one of two NBA teams without a direct G League affiliate, it was recently reported that Bol would play this season with the Bulls. Signed to a two-way contract, Bol will spend the majority of the season in the G League.
The report on Oct. 27 also indicated that Bol would be under a heavy minutes restriction to begin the season. Though it is unclear on how much time Bol will see initially, the Nuggets will certainly be cautious with their rookie as foot injuries have proven to be problematic with big men.
Bol has been seen practicing some with the Nuggets throughout training camp after he said in August that his foot injury has fully healed and he is completely healthy.
The Bulls play next on Friday against the Canton Charge.
Michael Zerafa has come out with a statement on the death of Dwight Ritchie. The two were sparring when Zerafa landed a fatal body blow.
Michael Zerafa was still trying to make sense of the death of boxer and close friend Dwight Ritchie two days later.
The junior middleweight from Australia was sparring with Ritchie in a Melbourne gym on Saturday when, according to reports, Ritchie collapsed. Paramedics rushed to the seen but couldn’t save him. He was pronounced dead in the ring
According to 7news.com.au, Zerafa said Ritchie “suddenly stopped” in the sixth round of sparring. He described what happened this way:
“He rocked up, fit as ever, we were both in preparation for our fights. He just took a few backward steps and just held his chest and just collapsed. Everyone ran into the ring but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”
The final punch landed on Ritchie’s left side but, Zerafa said, was “nothing out of the ordinary. No shots landed that were really different. Just something happened.”
Zerafa issued a statement through the Australian website Exclusive Insight. It reads:
“There are simply no words to describe how I am feeling right now. Dwight was one of the most humble people I have ever met. We had known each other since we were teenagers, when we were just starting out in the sport. And for the past 10 years, Dwight and I had been supporting each other inside, and outside of the ring. There had always been a professional and mutual respect between us.
“Yesterday, was an absolute tragedy, and as tough as it is right now for myself, I can only imagine how difficult the past 24 hours has been for Dwight’s family. My heart bleeds for his three children and his beautiful partner. I have spoken to the family, and given my deepest condolences. The boxing community has lost a truly great person, and I have lost a mate. I appreciate all the messages of support that I have been receiving from family, friends, media and the boxing community.
“Dwight’s passing is a further reminder why we can’t take life for granted. Nothing in life is guaranteed. Dwight lived his life with purpose, and those in the boxing community that came to know him, will forever cherish the positive memories we had with him. He taught me so much, not just as a boxer but as a person, and I will always be thankful for the lessons Dwight shared with me about life. Dwight, you will always be remembered. Rest in Peace mate.”
Zerafa (27-3, 16 knockouts) is scheduled to face Jeff Horn in a rematch on December 18. Zerafa stopped Horn in August.
Ritchie’s was the fourth boxing-related death this year. Maxim Dadashev, Patrick Day and Boris Stanchov died as a result of blows they took in fights.
