By now, you’ve surely heard of the Sphere in Las Vegas, the brainchild of New York Knicks and Rangers owner James Dolan that’s been grabbing people’s attention with mind-boggling displays on its LED exterior.
However, since the Sphere officially opened in September 2023, we’ve learned there is so much more to the the visual marvel than what’s on the outside — though these San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs helmets displayed for the Super Bowl in Vegas were very cool.
The inside of the Sphere is home to some first-of-its-kind technology as well, allowing for it to host immersive film and music concert experiences. Here are more facts about the Sphere.
The risk of trading for Damian Lillard may be worth it for the right team.
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Prince J. Grimes.
Another day, another Damian Lillard trade rumor — or two.
Now two weeks away from the start of NBA training camps, with time running out for the Portland Trail Blazers to avoid chaos with Lillard still on the roster, there hasn’t been much news on his potential move to the Miami Heat. But lately reports have been trickling out of other teams considering a Lillard trade.
On a recent episode of ESPN’s NBA Today, league insider Marc J. Spears said the Blazers have been talking to several teams about trading for Lillard, suggesting someone other than Miami may be interested in taking the risk of bringing in a player who may not want to be there. And make no mistake, it would be a risk. As ESPN’s Zach Lowe said, per the Miami Herald, a general manager asked him, “Are we going to turn into a weigh station for Damian Lillard until he gets to where he wants to go?”
In that same story, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is quoted as saying, “I think there are teams that will trade for him. But it’s a little bit of a negotiating crutch where you tell Portland, ‘Hey, I’m not offering you everything we might because we’re taking risk here.’”
And that’s the problem right there. Lillard wants to play for the Heat, and the Heat want Lillard — at a cost they like. They’re daring Portland to find a better deal, and it seems that’s what Portland is doing. Sports Illustrated senior writer Chris Mannix tossed out the Oklahoma City Thunder as a potential fit. Action Network writer Matt Moore said several teams in the East have kicked the tires on a Lillard trade, including the Toronto Raptors.
If true, it should be no surprise the Raptors are one of the teams willing to take that risk, because they did it once before and it led to their only championship in franchise history. When Kawhi Leonard requested a trade from the San Antonio Spurs, his preferred destination was reportedly Los Angeles — where he ultimately ended up. But in his one-year stop with the Raptors, they were able to win a championship together, making the move well worth it for Toronto.
This situation isn’t exactly apples to apples, especially considering Lillard is locked into his contract through at least the 2025-26 season. But it serves as an example of the upside for a team determining whether they should make a move. Lillard is really good, and if you believe your team is an elite scorer away from competing for a championship, it’s probably worth it.
While Lillard may eventually request a trade, it doesn’t seem likely he’d be a diva and throw a fit in the time between that happening. In a recent appearance on It Is What It Is, when asked about tactics used by players like James Harden to get their way in trade requests, Lillard said “just because somebody else is willing to go whatever route they go, it’s certain things I’m just not gonna do because it ain’t a part of who I am.”
If I’m a contending team, that would be enough for me to seriously consider trading for Lillard.
Then sell the team!
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Fans of the New York Knicks and Rangers have been begging owner James Dolan to sell the team for years, decades even. They don’t like the man, and by the way he’s run his teams, I can’t say he likes them much either.
But it’s been a problem for awhile now. So much so that fans can’t even bring signs into Madison Square saying he needs to sell the team — or they risk being permanently banned thanks to the facial recognition technology he has installed at the arena.
Yeah, it’s that bad.
So imagine the spit in the face it must’ve been for those same fans when Dolan admitted in a recent New York Times profile that he doesn’t even like owning sports teams. No, seriously, he said that. FTW’s Mike Sykes wrote all about it. Check that out.
Dolan cited the economics of sports as the reason for that particular comment, but elsewhere in the profile, he kind of made sports ownership seem like more of a hassle than anything. It’s a headache he could easily rid himself of — while grabbing a few billion dollars in the process — but he just refuses to. So, instead, he remains a headache for everyone else.
It’s honestly not all that surprising to hear. Sports franchises are assets that don’t come available that often. Owners aren’t just lining up to sell their teams, and I’d imagine not many of these billionaires are as enamored with their teams as we’d like to believe they are. But the audacity for him to say that out loud knowing exactly how people feel about him is kind of shocking.
Here’s an idea, Dolan. Maybe just sell your teams?
Knicks fans have had a tenuous relationship with owner James Dolan, to put it kindly.
To put it in not-so-kind terms, they might actually hate that man. And honestly, it’s hard to blame them. He’s embarrassed the team and the fanbase at every single turn.
He was also asked if owning other franchises was in his future and that’s when he dropped this gem.
“He considered expanding his sports portfolio, perhaps by buying a baseball or soccer team. But while the Knicks and Rangers are ‘near and dear to my heart,’ he said, ‘I don’t really like owning teams,’ calling the economics of major league sports ‘kind of sleepy.’ He ruled out that option.”
Y’all. This man really said he doesn’t really like owning sports teams. Yet, somehow, he still owns the Rangers and the Knicks.
Geez, man. What an unfortunate problem. If only there were some sort of solution where Dolan could just be rid of the multi-billion dollar assets that plague him oh so much.
OH, WAIT. There is. He could sell.
But he’s refused to sell either — particularly the Knicks. We’re not even a full year away from him telling us he has “no plans whatsoever” to sell the Knicks anytime soon. No plans, y’all. And here he is pulling this stunt? No way, man.
James Dolan is a troll. And, unfortunately for you, Knicks fans, you’re his target audience. I’m not going to lie — I’m so thankful I’m not one of you.
But, also, sorry your favorite team’s owner is a complete jerk.
He covered an expansive range of topics ranging from his controversial use of facial recognition technology, ticket resellers and TicketMaster, the Bill of Rights, crime in New York City, the success of the New York Rangers and the health of Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson.
It was a wild interview that was a must-listen for those who plan to attend any games at Madison Square Garden or have privacy concerns about the future of citizen surveillance.
James Dolan spoke publicly today for the first time about MSG's facial recognition policy. He downplayed its use and seriousness in interview with Fox 5 NY.
"Facial recognition is just a technology. When I walked into the studio did you recognize my face?… Facial recognition." pic.twitter.com/beVyfXXrfF
Here is what he said about his facial recognition technology policies:
“Facial recognition is just a technology. I mean, when I walked into the studio, did you recognize my face? Facial recognition. Technology just makes you better at it. The real issue that’s going on here is our policy of not letting attorneys who are suing us into our building until they’re done suing us.”
Dolan then changed the topic for an irrelevant game of whataboutism centered on bail reform in New York.
Later in the segment, he was adamant that he was not going to back down from his policy about using facial recognition technology.
“It’s not only business. If you’ve been sued you know that it’s a personal thing. At Madison Square Garden, if you’re suing us, we’re just asking you: ‘Please don’t come until you’re done with your argument.’ And yes, we’re using facial recognition to enforce that. … What facial recogntion does is recognizes your face and says are you someone who’s on this list.
…
“It’s very, very useful for security. In fact, Madison Square Garden, I believe, is the most secure venue in the country. … A bakery, a restaurant, you get to say who you serve for whatever reason.
…
“If there is someone you don’t want to serve, you get to say I don’t want to serve you and if it’s somebody who is suing you or put you out of business or take your money from you, you have a right to be a little unhappy about it.”
Wow! During exclusive interview w/ @rosannascotto James Dolan shockingly threatens to stop Alcohol sales at a Rangers game. It’s over a feud with State Liquor Authority – about his facial-recognition technology and bans against lawyers suing him. https://t.co/JRQLHA8e87#NYRpic.twitter.com/jnuSwdLtoA
His answer about how he planned to handle this was incredibly shocking:
“They’re being extremely aggressive. They’re saying: ‘We’re going to take away your liquor license.’ So I have a little surprise for them because they’re basically doing this for publicity. So we’re going to give them some publicity. What we’re going to do is we’re going to pick a night, maybe a Rangers game, and we’re going to shut down all the liquor and alcohol in the building. Now this isn’t going to bother me because I’ve been sober 29 years. I don’t need the liquor.
…
“If you’re grandstanding with the press and threatening my liquor license, I’m going to tell you, ‘You know what? Go ahead. Take away my liquor license.’ People are still going to come to the games. We don’t make all our money on alcohol. Like I said, I’m sober. I’m not a big alcohol fan.”
Dolan said at the stations where the venue typically sells liquor, they will instead have signs with the photo, phone number and email address of the CEO of the NY SLA.
He said that he wants the public to tell the SLA to start working on the “things that matter” like law enforcement. He also criticized New York’s Clean Slate Act.
It is hard to imagine a scenario in which he issues a self-imposed ban on liquor at MSG and it goes well with the fans, but this has now become a developing situation worth following.
Leon Rose emerged from hiding to tell the Knicks’ in-house network that he’s “thrilled” with his roster after missing the playoffs and missing out on Donovan Mitchell. “We went through that process (of trying to trade for Donovan Mitchell) and at …
Mary Schmitt Boyer/Jodie Valade @PDcavsinsider
There’s hope on multiple fronts. For one, the launch of Bally Sports+ on September 26 will make it easier for cord-cutting Cavs fans to watch Donovan Mitchell & Co. this season by streaming all of the team’s local broadcasts for $20/mo. cleveland.com/entertainment/… – 5:30 PM
Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
Sam Presti thinks SGA is rumored to be next star to get dealt because Donovan Mitchell has been.
“The only reason we’re talking about it is because another player on another team got traded. The machine — the aggregation machine — is empty now. So we need a little more content.” pic.twitter.com/nFrsLcEuJm – 12:29 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Most minutes played by a Jazz player last season:
1. Royce O’Neal
2. Donovan Mitchell
3. Jordan Clarkson
4. Bojan Bogdanovic
5. Rudy Gobert
Only 1 remains on the roster. pic.twitter.com/uXsgUoBcKu – 9:46 AM
Morant’s salary is a fraction of what he deserves, which is bad for him and, in the harsh reality of the competitive NBA, magical for his team. To contend for the NBA title, you typically need to win north of 50 games. The Warriors’ math is that if Curry generates 15 wins, then there’s some tap dancing—and cap dancing—to figure out how to afford the other 35-40. After paying Steph, the Warriors had only $67 million left to spend under the salary cap. That would only buy 20 more wins at league-average prices, and who wants to win a measly 35 games? So to leap back into title contention, the Warriors shattered the salary cap and set all-time spending records. Over the broad sweep of NBA history, we see the occasional Joe Lacob, James Dolan, Mikhail Prokhorov, or Paul Allen—billionaires determined to build dynasties with gold bricks. It usually doesn’t work. Even when it does, the league stacks on such punitive luxury-tax bills that everyone eventually loses their appetite for overspending.
New York struggled to find consistency after a 5-1 start. The chemistry between Walker, Fournier and Randle didn’t develop. Randle’s shooting regressed. Rose underwent surgery to repair an ankle injury in late December and hasn’t returned to the court. Noel has been in and out of the lineup. And the Knicks enter the week with a 35-44 record and an opportunity this offseason to turn things around. But, as one former coach who observes the Knicks and has won and lost in the league observed recently: “Is anything different or did the Knicks just have a mirage of a season last year? Is this just Knicks history repeating itself? “If I’m (Knicks owner James) Dolan and Rose, that would be the one thing I don’t want to happen.”
