49ers sign familiar DE, place Ronald Blair on IR

The 49ers lost Ronald Blair for the season, so they turned to a familiar face at defensive end.

The 49ers were bit hard by the injury bug Monday night, but the biggest blow came when defensive end Ronald Blair suffered a torn ACL while taking down Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

Blair on Wednesday was officially placed on injured reserve, and his roster spot was filled with defensive end Damontre Moore.

Moore might sound familiar because of his terrific preseason showing with the 49ers. He had 2.0 sacks in the exhibition slate, but created a ton of pressure in a relatively large sample size.

His big preseason wasn’t enough to land a roster spot though on a deep 49ers defensive line. Losing Blair put the 49ers in a spot where they couldn’t simply add another DL. They had to match Blair’s skill set, and Moore is probably the closest they were going to find on the free agent wire.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters the team wanted Moore on the roster, but couldn’t make it work at a deep defensive end spot. He also said they were fortunate Moore was available after his strong preseason.

“Yeah, definitely with how well of a preseason he had,” Shanahan said when asked if he was surprised Moore was available. “But it’s tough in this league, especially being a veteran when you don’t have practice squad eligibility. I guess it didn’t work out for him, but with the tape he put on, yeah, we were surprised and felt lucky he was still out there.”

Moore has played in 54 games across six NFL seasons. He also spent time in the Alliance of American Football and played well in the now-defunct league. The 27-year-old has 10-career sacks, although 9.5 of them came in the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Replacing Blair won’t be easy. He’s a very smart, productive player in the 49ers defensive line rotation. Blair had 3.0 sacks and seven tackles for loss before sustaining his season-ending knee injury.

Moore will get a chance to debut for the 49ers on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

LeBron drops 23 and 12 as Lakers take care of Warriors at home

LeBron James had a solid night as the Los Angeles Lakers notched a win without superstar forward Anthony Davis on Wednesday.

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LeBron James had 23 points and 12 assists on Wednesday night to help the Los Angeles Lakers hold off a depleted Golden State Warriors squad on Wednesday night.

LeBron’s performance in the 120-94 victory was one of several that helped the Lakers overcome the absence of starting forward Anthony Davis, who missed Wednesday’s game due to shoulder and rib injuries.

Kyle Kuzma scored 22 points in the spot-start for Davis, going 7-of-12 from the field. Former Warrior JaVale McGee also had his best game of the season: 18 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks.

As for Golden State, former Lakers draft pick D’Angelo Russell led the way with 21 points. And while the Warriors made the Lakers sweat at times, they were out of winning range with plenty of time left for the Lakers to seal the deal.

The Lakers did get another kind a scare late in the game when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went down with an apparent ankle injury. Luckily for them, the Lakers will have a few more days at home, with their next game being at Staples Center on Nov. 15 against the Sacramento Kings.

Klay Thompson believes Paschall and Poole are ‘foundational pieces’

Klay Thompson spoke with ESPN on Wednesday night. He likes what he sees from both of Jordan Poole and Eric Paschall, two of the newest Golden State Warriors.

The Golden State Warriors’ 120-94 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers was a bore. Against the shorthanded Warriors, the Lakers showed why they are NBA Finals favorites. Golden State, meanwhile, showed why they are currently the NBA’s worst defense.

The bright spot in the Warriors’ blowout defeat came in the fourth quarter when a familiar face was pulled aside for an interview. Klay Thompson joined ESPN’s Jorge Sedano to discuss how he’s handling watching the Warriors from the sideline during his ACL rehab.

Thompson spoke about how “tedious” the rehab process has been, but his tune changed when he talked about the Warriors rookies, stating:

I’ve enjoyed watching these young guys develop, that’s for sure. Eric Paschall and Jordan Poole, their first year, I’m liking what I’m seeing because they have tremendous potential.

In a down year, Paschall has been one of the Warriors’ best players. He had the highlight of the night: finishing a layup on LeBron James. The rookie finished with 15 points in 32 minutes.

Poole has struggled at times, but his confidence in his shooting provides hope. The rookie knocked down three triples against the Lakers, and both he and Paschall have shown glimpses of potential. With the Warriors not expecting to compete for a playoff berth, there will be more opportunities for Paschall and Poole to display their skills.

“These guys are going to foundational pieces for years to come,” Thompson said.

That’s high praise from one of the league’s best players. Thompson’s willingness to compliment the young guys during a rough game demonstrates his leadership, as well as his hopes for the future.

Although both Stephen Curry and Thompson are injured, their fingerprints are still all over this roster. Having future Hall of Famers like Thompson in their corner should boost the rookies.

Before Thompson’s interview with Sedano ended, he provided a glass-half-full outlook for the rest of the Warriors’ season, stating:

We’re out here missing five key guys. It’s a struggle but we’ll persevere.

At 2-10, Golden State can only hope things do, in fact improve, and hopefully, before next season.

Magic interested in DeMar DeRozan?

This is a team at a crossroads. Despite the fact that he has performed ably since arriving in Texas from Canada, DeRozan might not be in town for that much longer. He could even be traded ahead of the deadline. DeRozan can become a free agent in 2020 by declining his $27.7 million player option; he was far apart from the team on extension talks before the season, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick. The Spurs could always deal him sooner rather than let him walk for nothing. Multiple league sources say the Magic are scouring the trade market for scoring help and have already expressed interest in trading for DeRozan.

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