Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris reacts to his recent offensive struggles after a loss to the Orlando Magic.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris has a reputation of being a scorer. In the Sixers two previous games, that notion couldn’t be further from the truth.
In Tuesday’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Harris scored eight points on 4-for-17 shooting including a dreadful 0-for-11 from deep. His saving grace was his clutch play down the stretch in the win.
In Wednesday’s 112-97 loss to the Orlando Magic, Harris followed that up with eight points on 4-for-13 shooting and 0-for-3 from deep. If you’re adding that up at home, that’s 8-for-30 from the floor and 0-for-14 from deep for a guy the Sixers are counting on to provide scoring from the wing position.
In Harris’ defense, he is playing through a cold after coach Brett Brown revealed his illness on Tuesday. However, Harris isn’t using it as an excuse as he stated:
Not any…If I can walk out there I am playing. I am under the weather yeah, but at the end of the day, if I go out there and play I believe I can go.
Harris is a rhythm shooter. He’s a guy who is much better in catch-and-shoot situations rather than creating his own shot. The only way for a player to find his rhythm again is to continue to shoot no matter how many times he misses. So while the 0-for-14 from deep combined in the previous two games is an eyesore, it’s important that he continues to keep shooting.
He added:
As long as I am not making shots I am not in a rhythm. That’s it. Obviously, it is easier said than done, but I am going to find my rhythm and once I do, those shots are going to be there and they are going to be able to be made. Until then, I will watch film and see the looks that I can get, see the easy ones that I can get to, but when they are not going for me, sometimes I try to get to the free throw line obviously. In the fourth quarter, I thought there were two questionable whistles…a travel and an offensive so those are two turnovers that kind of affected the fourth quarter. I just have to find a rhythm that’s it.
Philadelphia will continue the road trip on Friday when they face the Oklahoma City Thunder. Maybe that will be the game where Harris can finally bust out of his slump. [lawrence-related id=19247,19232,19222]
The Jags had full participation Wednesday as they prepare the the Colts.
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The Jacksonville Jaguars released their first injury report since returning from their bye week Wednesday and every player participated in practice. However, there were three players who were limited in defensive lineman Calais Campbell, center Brandon Linder (shoulder) and offensive tackle Cam Robinson (knee).
Wednesday marked the first time in which Linder and Campbell surfaced on the injury report for their respective injuries, but both could be precautionary measures. As for Robinson, he was sideline for half of the preseason after recovering from a left ACL tear from 2018. He also hyper-extended his right knee in early September, however, with him being limited it appears the injury he’s listed for isn’t severe.
Receiver Dede Westbrook and nickelback D.J. Hayden were full participants Wednesday with neck/shoulder injuries. Meanwhile, linebackers Leon Jacobs and Quincy Williams also had the same status with hamstring injuries.
SportsPulse: Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson is guaranteed to produce fireworks and according to Lorenzo that makes it a safe bet. Here are his top bets for Week 11.
SportsPulse: Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson is guaranteed to produce fireworks and according to Lorenzo that makes it a safe bet. Here are his top bets for Week 11.
After Wednesday’s win, Rockets star Russell Westbrook took a dig at the defense of longtime rival and current Clippers guard Pat Beverley.
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True to his “Mr. 94 Feet” nickname, Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley spent much of Wednesday night’s game hounding Houston Rockets star James Harden all over the basketball court.
It also wasn’t all that effective. Beverley’s aggressiveness caused him to foul out in just 27 minutes, while Harden led his team to a win by scoring a game-high 47 points on 12-of-26 shooting, including 7-of-13 (53.8%) on three-pointers. The 2018 MVP also had seven assists.
After the game ended, 2017 MVP Russell Westbrook — who now stars alongside Harden in the Houston backcourt — was eager to get in a dig at Beverley, his longtime rival. Westbrook said:
Pat Bev trick y’all man, like he play defense. He don’t guard nobody, man. He’s just running around doing nothing. As you’ve seen what happened, 47. All that commotion to get 47.
Russell Westbrook (@russwest44)on Pat Beverley (@patbev21): “Pat Bev trick y’all man, like he play defense. He don’t guard nobody man. He just running around doing nothing..As you seen what happened 47. All that commotion and (@jharden) got 47.” pic.twitter.com/WaJ5D0Q1U5
Westbrook had 17 points himself in 30 foul-plagued minutes during the 102-93 Houston victory (box score).
The rivalry between the two point guards dates back to the 2013 playoffs, when Beverley — as a member of the Rockets, of all teams — went for the ball after the Thunder had called timeout and collided with Westbrook’s knee, all after the whistle had been blown. It led to a torn meniscus and ended Westbrook’s season early, and tension between the two has lingered for over six years since.
Now Westbrook is in Houston and Beverley is on one of the Rockets’ chief Western Conference rivals, with both 31-year-old guards still in search of their first NBA title.
Wednesday’s victory was the fifth straight overall for the Rockets (8-3), and it drops Beverley’s Clippers (7-4) a game behind in the West standings. If there’s lingering resentment, the rematch is barely over a week away — with Houston visiting Los Angeles next Friday, Nov. 22.
Was Bryan Harsin Saying ‘Twitiots’ A Big Deal Or Not What to make of Harsin’s comments. Contact/Follow @MWCwire Was he fine in what he said? Our staff of Boise State writers and a few non-Boise State writers decided to comment on Bryan Harsin and …
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Was Bryan Harsin Saying ‘Twitiots’ A Big Deal Or Not
Our staff of Boise State writers and a few non-Boise State writers decided to comment on Bryan Harsin and what he meant to say.
Here is the video of Harsin’s comments.
Jeremy: Being someone who is not someone is a Boise State fan in terms of growing up rooting for the team or being a student at the university. So, with that said, I feel I have a different perspective compared to what our Boise State writers may have to say about Harsin’s comments.
First off, I get his point that anyone can have an opinion and get sent out to the masses through social media which as we all know can be great and also terrible, mostly terrible. While there are parts where I agree with Harsin’s overall message of non-experts of the game of football chiming in to complain or critique his team, but using a negative term like “twitiots” probably wasn’t the best way to get his point across.
For every team that is amazing there will be fans who are not happy. Even Nick Saban at Alabama finds things to complain about from fans not showing up and he has been the dean of college football coaches for the better part of a decade in Tuscaloosa.
One area of Harsin’s comments that were possibly the most interesting to me is that he cares a lot more about people who pay to be part of the program, specifically boosters. I get how boosters can have a lot of influence, just look at Florida State which rallied boosters to pay the massive buyout to remove Willie Taggert.
Here is what Harsin said about boosters.
“I’m not going to listen to opinions unless they matter. A booster texts me and tells me something like that, people I care about, that I interact with, that are a part of this team, and have invested and are around here and see these guys, man, I’m listening, 100 percent.”
I can guarantee fully that there are boosters who are critical of Boise State in some form or another and probably say as much on Twitter. Just because they donate money to the football program does not mean that they are experts in football and automatically should be trusted. Hopefully, Harsin can filter out those who aren’t as versed in football as he is.
I get it, the expectations are extremely high for Boise State football which has sustained unprecedented success since moving up to Division I. However, fans can critique the team in a close loss if they want to or even in a blowout loss — the latter seems over the top in a three-plus touchdown win.
Sometimes fans are just frustrated and vent when their team isn’t perfect, so what. The way Harsin goes through throws down the block hammer I am surprised any negativity seeps into his consciousness. If he is that concerned then tell players they shouldn’t or even can’t be on social media during the season to shield them from the negativity.
Raja: If you listen to the press conference and the quote, Coach Harsin is basically saying that he personally doesnt let negativity from folks who do not directly impact his football team affect his life… and obviously he should not. Why would he endorse random people on twitter that likely are too busy tweeting to watch/attend the game influence his offensive line. Sure they aren’t perfect but like Harsin said he, his staff, and his players are going to work to fix that. Coach Harsin’s comments about booster’s mattering appears to be taken out of context a bit by the masses. I believe Coach Harsin was saying that he respects those voices since he knows where they are coming from and knows they are coming from people who have invested in the program a bit. While he could have worded that a bit differently, it makes sense that he would pay attention to those folks more so than random twitter folks. Lastly, Coach Harsin is a former football player and current head coach. He is an alpha leader. You think he is going to respect some guy who has never played, never put his hand down on the turf and banged in the lines, never practiced multiple times a day…? Yes, a part of his job is to address the media and be an ambassador but his main job is to lead his team to success on the football field and he is wildly successful on that front, regardless of the minority fanbase who wants to go undefeated or head to a New Year’s Six bowl every year.
Matt: The first thing I thought of after I read Bryan Harsin’s comments were the immortal words of former baseball great Jeff Kent: “Enjoy the game more.”
I don’t think Harsin is wrong, then, but compartmentalization isn’t a remarkable skill so stumping for its necessity isn’t really what I’d call a brave stance, so this “story” is a molehill not worth making into a mountain. He’s just stating the obvious. This type of dialogue has always existed, it’s just that social media has made it entirely inescapable; every profession has its primary stakeholders, so of *course* you’re going to value some inputs more others.
I might nitpick his use of the broad word “opinion”, since most of what he refers to in decrying “twitiots” can more accurately be described as “bitching and moaning on the hellsite” (mad respect if that phrase comes up in a future press conference, by the way) that isn’t designed to solicit serious response or conversation as much as it is just to… well, complain. That’s all I really have to say about it.
Washington Wizards point guard Isaiah Thomas has high praise for the Boston Celtics, whom he led for nearly three seasons.
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Isaiah Thomas might be a bit biased when it comes to the Boston Celtics.
Still, he’s one of the most candid players in the league. So when he says that the Celtics — the team he led for three seasons before being spirited away by Boston during one of the toughest stretches of his life — are “playing the best basketball of any team in the NBA,” it’s worth paying attention to.
On a night that saw him score 18 points and dish out a team-high seven assists against his former team, Thomas just witnessed the play of this season’s Celtics first-hand. He saw Boston’s bevy of offensive options, the growth of their young wings, their active (if undersized) defense and their ball-movement, which led to seven Celtics delivering three to five assists.
Though Boston’s defense wasn’t sharp enough to stop All-Star Bradley Beal from shining, as he scored 44 points, they were dominant enough offensively to score 140 points without Gordon Hayward and savvy enough to pull out a win down the stretch.
Isaiah Thomas asked about the Celtics’ early season success: “As a competitor, I hate it. But to see them jelling and playing the best basketball of any team in the NBA right now, you have to take your hat off to them.”
After Wednesday’s win took the Celtics to 9-1, Boston continues to hold the league’s best record. The best part for the Celtics may be that the numbers back up how well they’re clicking on both ends.
They rank sixth in points per game (116.1); eighth in three-pointers made per game (13.0) and three-point percentage (37.0); 10th in assists per game (24.7); third in blocks per game (6.5); and first in plus-minus (9.2).
Even the advanced stats look good — if not better — with the Celtics ranked first in offensive rating (113.8), net rating (9.1), turnover percentage (11.3), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.15) and Player Impact Estimate (55.6). Their defensive rating of 104.7 ranks just outside the top-10 (12th), whole they rank in the top-10 in categories like opponents points in the paint (44.2) and fastbreak points (11.7).
Thomas, whether presenting a biased opinion or not, was right. However, the Celtics will have to play a few more games before everyone is a believer in their ability to be the best team in the league.
Urban Meyer had an interesting comment that paints Dwayne Haskins in a good light.
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To say Urban Meyer knows a thing or two about football recruits would be a gross understatement.
So it’s interesting, then, whenever Meyer talks about a certain player.
And for the purposes of this one, said player is Washington Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
Haskins hasn’t had the smoothest of NFL transitions so far. Outsiders can blame Jay Gruden, the front office or any number of reasons besides Haskins himself just having a rough time adapting to the NFL.
But context is important. Haskins might be struggling on the stat sheet right now — but he was a top pick for a reason. And in a new interview, Meyer notes that Haskins was the best recruit he’d ever seen:
This doesn’t mean Haskins will for sure go on to succeed in the NFL. Hardly. But it does provide some perspective and a counterpoint to the current narratives.
The Redskins like Haskins, and unless he experiences some sort of unexpected meltdown, they are going to keep standing behind him and this immense potential that top minds like Meyer see, too.
Lorne Bowman becomes the latest member in the 2020 recruiting class to sign his letter of intent to play for the Wisconsin Badgers.
Lorne Bowman
6’2″, 180, guard, Detroit, Mich. (St. Mary’s)
Bowman became the first commit in Wisconsin’s 2020 recruiting class when he made his verbal commitment to Wisconsin in November of 2018. Bowman made it official on Wednesday by signing his letter of intent to play for Wisconsin.
The Badgers are getting a talented playmaker who is able to not only create shots for himself but also for his teammates. Despite D’Mitrik Trice, Brad Davison, and Trevor Anderson being ahead of Bowman when he arrives on campus the trio will all be seniors. There may not be many minutes available to Bowman in his first year but it could be beneficial to him to see the floor as a true freshman to gain some valuable experience before he officially takes over once Trice, Davison, and Anderson have exhausted their eligibility.
Note: All quotes/stats provided by uwbadgers.com.
Bowman chose Wisconsin over other offers from: Iowa, Nebraska, Buffalo, Oakland, Toledo, and Valparaiso
Bowman’s Accolades: Four-star recruit by ESPN … ranked No. 94 in the ESPN 100 for 2020 … standout at St. Mary’s High School is a two-time Class A All-State honoree in Michigan, earning first-team honors in 2019 and honorable mention in 2018 … averaged 23.1 points and 5.1 assists per game during his junior season … averaged 22.5 points and 4.9 assists per game as a sophomore … in AAU, member of EYBL where he excelled at the Nike circuit, averaging 13.5 points and 3.6 assists through his first six games.
Gard on Bowman: “We are ecstatic to have Lorne join our Badger family. He’s the ultimate competitor, both on the court and in the classroom, and we can’t wait to begin working with him. It was evident early on that Lorne is exactly what we look for and he’s only continued to improve. Lorne plays at his own pace, always under control, giving his team whatever it needs in the right moments with a skillset that can turn from scoring guard to playmaker in an instant. He has a great ability to get the ball where it needs to be and can also create shots with his tremendous pull-up game. Lorne displays natural leadership, both by his extreme work ethic and also through his communication on and off the court. Lorne and his family are a pleasure to be around and represent everything that being a Badger is about.”
Austin Rivers relished the role he played in getting his father, Clippers coach Doc Rivers, ejected late in Wednesday’s Rockets victory.
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Reserve guard Austin Rivers played a huge role in Wednesday’s Rockets victory over the Clippers in Houston by helping limit Los Angeles guard Lou Williams to an inefficient 8-of-22 shooting night.
On the other end of the court, Rivers contributed to the box score with 7 points in 34 minutes. He didn’t record an assist in the game, but he did have an unofficial one on the fourth-quarter ejection of his father, Doc Rivers, who coaches the Clippers.
With Doc coach miffed over a controversial call and yelling at the game officials, Austin laughed and repeatedly signaled for the officials to give his father a technical foul. Ultimately, they gave him two, and the younger Rivers smiled as his father left the court.
The Rockets (8-3) and Clippers (7-4) will actually meet once more before Thanksgiving, with the rematch set for next Friday, Nov. 22, in Los Angeles. That game will also be nationally televised on ESPN.
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Austin Rivers on Doc Rivers’ ejection: “Doc’s gotta keep his cool.” 🤣
Austin Rivers, asked if he enjoyed Doc's Ts: “I did. I knew it was coming. I’ve seen that look before, many times. Once he starts blinking his eyes really fast, that’s when I know. I just tried to tell Tony to get him. He got him. He was out of here. Doc’s got to keep his cool."
Chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson publically endorsed Adam Gase despite his 2-7 record, much to the chagrin of fans.
For better or worse, Christopher Johnson is hitching his wagon to Adam Gase.
The chairman and CEO stated Gase will remain the head coach in 2020 despite from fans and pundits alike calling for his firing.
“I want to assure you there will be no changes in coaches here,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday. “Adam has the trust of this team. He has the trust of Sam. He has the trust of (general manager) Joe (Douglas). He has my trust. He’s a good man. He’s a good coach.”
Johnson explained part of the reason for keeping Gase is continuity with Sam Darnold’s development. Johnson added that Gase’s first year can’t properly be evaluated due to a ridiculous amount of injuries to the team.
“Sam hasn’t been given the best opportunity to thrive,” Johnson said. “We’ve had so many moving parts on the offensive line that I think it has affected his ability to play as he would like. There’s a great deal of work to do. Everyone understands that. And we’re just getting started. But I feel really good about this team moving forward.”
It’s not surprising that Johnson isn’t planning on firing Gase after one season. While it would send a positive message to an angry and win-deprived fanbase, it could cripple the morale of a team that has yet to turn on Gase.
What is surprising, though, is how Johnson effectively gave a ringing endorsement of Gase despite the Jets’ 2-7 record and terrible statistical rankings. Even after a seven-point win over the equally-lowly Giants, the Jets rank 30th in points scored and 32nd in total yards. Even with a bevy of injuries, those numbers are atrocious; they’re nothing Johnson should be publicly praising.
It also sends a bad sign to Jets fans when you basically tell them you’re happy with the job Gase has done in 10 months. Objectively speaking, he’s been a terrible coach in the games he’s lost, and lucky in the games he’s won. He was pitched to fans as an offensive genius, but the Jets have only scored more than 20 points and put up more than 300 yards of offense twice all season. Darnold looks to have regressed and no player looks to have developed under Gase’s guidance. He even cost the Jets their starting inside linebacker by leaving Avery Williamson in a meaningless preseason game in which he tore his ACL.
It would have been easier for Johnson to take Le’Veon Bell’s approach and just continue preaching patience for the future of the team. Instead, Johnson is telling fans he believes Gase is that future, despite every indication that this won’t be the case.
“I understand it. I’m frustrated, too,” Johnson said when asked about fans’ frustrations. “Every player on this team hates to lose. … Losing is a whole new thing and it’s terrible and I want it to stay terrible. Who wants to get used to that? But I can assure you that this entire building is about getting this team to a better place.”
Almost three weeks ago Johnson was caught on camera criticizing the team before a loss to the Jaguars. The next week the Jets lost to the previously winless Dolphins. If Johnson wasn’t happy with the team before, what changed over the past few weeks for him to suddenly support his coach? The Giants win, though great for morale, wasn’t particularly impressive considering the defense blew a two-score lead and were a Jamal Adams fumble recovery for a touchdown away from losing.
This is less about Gase and more about a vote of confidence for the team moving forward. Though the Jets roster is bad and their season awful, there are still solid pieces surrounding Darnold. If players were also calling for Gase’s head, maybe Johnson would change his tune. But with players like Jamal Adams and center Jonotthan Harrison praising Johnson’s decision, firing Gase would decimate the morale of the team for the rest of the year and send the Jets into a bigger tailspin before moving back to square one this offseason.
“It shows [Johnson] has faith in coach Gase, like the rest of us do,” Harrison said. “It shows he sees the potential and he sees where this team is going. Instead of listening to the outside noise — Gase this, Gase that — he said, ‘I have total faith in coach Gase.'”
Adams, who at one point refused to talk to Gase and Douglas after trade rumors, also backed Gase: “That’s our head coach and that’s who we ride with.”
Johnson doesn’t have the best track record as an owner. His hands-on approach and seemingly genuine interest in player causes — a drastic contrast from his brother, Woody — made a strong first impression, but he’s 11-30 since taking over in 2017. He let Mike Maccagnan build the roster through the 2019 offseason and played a role in overpaying for free agents. Gase could be yet another mistake in the Christopher Johnson era, and that’s probably not something he’d like to admit after only 10 months.
“It’s said that you are what your record says you are, and that’s not very impressive,” Johnson said. “But looking forward, I think it’s going to be a good team. I have so much faith in Adam and Joe to put together a great future for us.”
