Tag: timely

Salary cap impact of Rams trading Michael Brockers

The Rams save more by trading Michael Brockers than they would have by cutting him.

With excellent depth on the defensive line and a need for cap space, the Los Angeles Rams have decided to part ways with Michael Brockers, their longest-tenured player. They’re trading Brockers to the Lions in a deal that is now done, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, ending his time in Los Angeles after nine seasons with the team.

Cutting Brockers was always seen as a possibility this offseason, with the Rams sitting way over the salary cap for the last two months. But by going the trade route, they actually save more money than they would have by cutting him.

According to Over The Cap, the Rams will save $6.17 million in cap space this year. If they had cut him before June 1, the savings would’ve been $4.67 million – a $1.5 million difference. Brockers’ cap hit was set to be $9.83 million in 2021, so the Rams will have to take on $3.67 million in dead money, but the net savings is still $6.17 million.

It’s not a huge chunk of change, but it’s also not an insignificant amount. For example, that $6.17 million can be used to sign Morgan Fox, who could potentially take over as the Rams’ starting defensive end; he’s a pending free agent.

It could also be used to re-sign Troy Hill or Austin Blythe, who are free agents, as well. The Rams announced Tuesday that they’re under the salary cap before Wednesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline, so they do have some space, but they can certainly use as much as they can get with a number of free agents still out there.

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Rams asked Michael Brockers to adjust contract before trade

The Rams and Michael Brockers couldn’t agree on a tweaked contract, so they traded their starting defensive end.

For the second time this season, the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions struck a deal on a trade. After swapping quarterbacks in their first deal, the Rams are now sending their longest-tenured veteran, Michael Brockers, to Detroit.

But before the Rams agreed to trade their starting defensive end to the Lions, they asked him to adjust his contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. They couldn’t agree on an adjustment to his deal, which carried a $9.83 million cap hit in 2021, so the Rams traded him.

Brockers just signed a three-year extension worth $24 million last offseason after his contract with the Ravens fell through. The Rams signed him despite already adding A’Shawn Robinson in free agency, which gave them a crowded defensive line.

By trading Brockers, the Rams do save more than they would have if they outright cut him. They’ll clear $6.17 million in cap space, which includes $3.67 million in dead money this year.

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Doc Rivers impressed by Tobias Harris’ defense against Julius Randle

The Philadelphia 76ers were impressed with Tobias Harris’ defense against New York Knicks star Julius Randle.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris had himself a big game on Tuesday scoring 30 points and pulling down six rebounds in a 99-96 win over the New York Knicks. He also made big plays down the stretch in order to make sure the Sixers came away with a win.

However, there is a part of his game that might go unnoticed and that is his work on the defensive end.

For most of the night, Harris was stuck on Knicks All-Star Julius Randle. He had been having a terrific season and he was good in the first half scoring 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting and he had seven rebounds and four assists to lead New York to a 56-48 lead at the half.

In the second half, Harris led a defensive effort that held Randle to just six points on 2-for-10 shooting.

“I think we look at Tobias’ 30, defensively tonight, Tobias was phenomenal,” said coach Doc Rivers. “He was as good as I’ve ever seen him. He got a ton of deflections, got his hand in there on Randle, I thought that was the key to the game was Tobias Harris’ defense. He allowed us to guard Randle one-on-one for the most part. That’s hard to do because Randle is a heck of a player. I thought that was the key to the game.”

Randle is a tough cover for anybody. He is athletic enough to dribble from the perimeter and get inside and finish while also being tough and physical in the post to create room for himself and knock down jumpers. He can also knock down the 3-pointer too. There’s a reason why he was named an All-Star.

“He’s a tough cover with just the way he’s been playing this year and he’s a strong player going downhill,” said Harris. “I really just try to be extra physical with him, use my hands to get some strips out there on the basketball with some of his turnaround jumpers.”

Harris has been working on his defense in the past and there has been a noticeable difference in his game in that respect. He is now understanding that as one of the leaders of the team, he has to step in those situations and get the job done.

“For me, it was embracing the challenge of getting stops late in the game,” he added. “That was the biggest thing that I knew our team needed. They were forced to try and get a bucket once we cut it to four. That’s what’s expected of myself and that’s what my teammates expect of me. I just try to embrace that.”

Harris will now have a big challenge ahead of him on Wednesday as he and the Sixers get set to take on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks at home.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Sixers explain Seth Curry’s explosive second half in win vs. Knicks

The Philadelphia 76ers explain why Seth Curry was able to go off against the New York Knicks in the second half.

The Philadelphia 76ers needed somebody to give the team a spark on Tuesday. They were not able to get into a groove against a very good defensive New York Knicks squad and they were not able to move the ball and get into a flow like they wanted to.

At the half, they trailed it 56-48 and they were shooting only 40% from the floor and they were 4-for-13 from deep. They also had seven turnovers and they could not get much offense other than Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris.

It made for a rough halftime as coach Doc Rivers was not happy with the way the team was playing.

“I was really frustrated in the first half,” said Rivers. “Those first five possessions of the game, I think they had four uncontested shots with us standing there. We couldn’t get open, they got up into our bodies, and we just thought we would casually come to the ball. Everybody tried to make individual plays. I wasn’t real happy at halftime, I can tell you that.”

In the second half, they were able to get into a groove a bit more and that allowed Seth Curry to go off a bit. He only had three points at halftime, but he had 17 in the second half as he was able to get some open looks off the ball movement.

“We made some adjustments throughout the game, it’s a 48-minute game,” said Curry. “You make adjustments to their style of play. They play differently than anybody in the league, they kind of muck up the game, just play real physical. They pressure a lot so we just had to adjust to that and we were able to figure it out.”

They needed all of it in this one. While Harris was able to make some clutch plays down the stretch in order to close it out, Curry was the one knocking down shots to get the team back into it.

“I thought in the second half, we talked about an action with Ben, Tobias, or Seth and stay in that action,” Rivers added. “I thought we did it in the second half. I was frustrated that we couldn’t see that firsthand.”

It was clear the team needed to make an adjustment, but they were able to get the job done in the final 24 minutes. The Knicks are a very good defensive team and the Sixers needed to be the aggressors in this one. They were able to do that after halftime.

“It was rough going into halftime,” said Simmons. “We weren’t happy with the way we were playing. We weren’t moving the ball the way we wanted to. We change our mindset and came out aggressive.’

The Sixers will now take on a very tough Milwaukee Bucks team on Wednesday.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Tobias Harris, Sixers discuss All-Star snub, emotion in win over Knicks

The Philadelphia 76ers discuss Tobias Harris’ All-Star snub as well as his emotion in a win over the New York Knicks.

The Philadelphia 76ers were locked in a tight battle with the rival New York Knicks on Tuesday at home and they needed somebody to step up and make a play. With Joel Embiid out, they needed somebody to take over down the stretch and that guy turned out to be Tobias Harris.

With the game tied at 92, Sixers forward made two clutch buckets to give Philadelphia the lead for good and after the second one, he showed off a ton of emotion. He marched back toward the bench and he appeared to mouth the words “I’m an All-Star”  to the rowdy fans at the Wells Fargo Center as he continued to show off why he should have been named one.

“That’s for sure what I said and for me, that’s just reaffirming that to myself,” said Harris. “I know the fans know that, but reaffirming that to them and to myself especially making those big plays. I try to just find motivation in different areas. That’s one of them.”

Harris finished with 30 points and six rebounds in the 99-96 win over the Knicks as he continued to make big plays down the stretch in order to help the Sixers win games without Embiid. His play continues to show that he should have been named an All-Star with his strong play.

“He was pissed off and he should’ve been an All-Star,” said Ben Simmons. “I think people just take for granted how talented he is. If he was on a different team, he’s going to be putting up those numbers, it’s clear he’s able to do that. Obviously, it went the way it went, but he is. To us, he’s an All-Star. He’s one of those guys who can get it done and go get a bucket, he’s a big-time player.”

Coach Doc Rivers spent the weekend in Atlanta as he was the coach of Team Durant in the game. He was campaigning for Harris to make the game to other coaches, but unfortunately, he was not named one. It is clear that Harris is using it as fuel right now.

“I’m sure it fuels him,” said Rivers. “He is an All-Star, in my opinion, and that’s not a slight. I think whenever someone says that, they mean someone else isn’t. Everyone’s deserving who was on it, but Tobias is one as well. I think Tobias wants to win more, but I still think he thinks that should have been on the All-Star team and I agree with that.”

Harris and the Sixers now have a tough matchup on Wednesday when they welcome Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks into Philadelphia.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Oklahoma gets statement win in 8-5 upset of No. 1 Arkansas

Oklahoma picked up a huge statement win on Tuesday night upsetting No. 1 Arkansas on the road in Fayetteville.

Well, this one seems noteworthy.

Oklahoma returned to the diamond on Tuesday night for a date with the No. 1 team in the nation at their place looking to pull off a win many didn’t give them a whole lot of a chance to go get. But, the Sooners did just that going into Fayetteville to knock off the No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks 8-5 at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Getting the ball for Skip Johnson was left-hander Braden Carmichael who entered the season with a 2-0 record and a 3.27 ERA as one of the more underrated Sooners starters. He would gut out six innings on a night where the team really needed it to try and get the win.

Things didn’t start off great for him, allowing two runs in the first on a pair of run-scoring singles. Things would settle down for him after that, though, as he would toss the next four innings scoreless.

The big inning of the night for Oklahoma offensively came in the third when they plated five runs on a two-RBI single by left fielder Kendall Pettis, a two-run home run by right fielder Breydon Daniel and a run-scoring knock by third baseman Peyton Graham. They would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way.

The Sooners would push their lead from three to six over the next few innings scoring a run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from center fielder Tanner Tredaway with the other two coming in the sixth on a wild pitch that plated a run and an RBI-single by designated hitter Diego Muniz.

Carmichael wasn’t quite able to close out his outing on a high note, as he allowed a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to chop the Oklahoma lead down to 8-4. He would still go on to get the win to move to 3-0 on the year.

Arkansas would draw a little closer on a solo home run in the eighth off of Jaret Godman, but still trailed by three runs going to the bottom of the ninth against the preseason All-American closer Jason Ruffcorn.

Things started shaky for Ruffcorn, allowing the first two men to reach and bring the tying run to the dish, but he would settle in quickly. He would strike out the next three Razorbacks hitters to slam the door to earn his first save of the season and give the Sooners the humongous statement win on the road.

Now at 9-7, the team has to have a confidence they haven’t had yet this season. This is far and away their most impressive win to date and could certainly be a spark plug to the team finding their groove at the right time with conference play rapidly approaching. Simply put, this was absolutely big time and should silence some of the panic from the fans at least momentarily moving forward.

Oklahoma will come right back to home soil for a weekend set with Houston beginning Friday night at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

Thompson joins Langford in health, safety protocols ahead of Jazz tilt

Both Thompson and Langford will remain in the league’s health and safety protocols for the time being.

The Boston Celtics will be without more than just second-year wing Romeo Langford when they play the Utah Jazz Tuesday evening, with veteran big man Tristan Thompson joining the shooting guard on the league’s health and safety protocols, per the team.

While Thompson’s situation moving forward remains unclear ahead of the looming March 25 NBA trade deadline, head coach Brad Stevens related he expects Langford to remain out for the Celtics’ next two games on Wednesday and Friday while speaking to the press ahead of Boston’s home tilt with the Jazz, placing the Indiana native’s earliest return to action at Sunday, March 21 against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden.

It would be his season debut, with Langford yet to see the floor this season after a lengthy recovery from surgery on a tendon in his wrist hurt during the 2020 NBA postseason.

It is unclear whether either player’s presence actually impacts the team’s plans for the trade deadline, but it certainly gives the Celtics far fewer opportunities to see the team at full strength.

If that is even a possibility with Thompson’s situation now murky regarding his potential return.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Jazz at Celtics: Prediction, point spread, odds, over/under, betting picks

Our prediction and best bet for Tuesday’s Jazz-Celtics game.

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics host Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz, and if you’re looking to do some last-minute betting research, you’re in luck! We’ll give you the latest point spread, moneyline odds and over-under number, as well as the information you’ll need to make the smartest bet on BetMGM.

The game tips off at 7:30 and can be seen on TNT.

The Celtics (20-18) have gone 1-1 in the second half of the season, but fell 122-108 to Utah in their first meeting in February. The Jazz (28-10) have now lost three of four, and are looking to rebound from a 131-119 loss to the Warriors on Sunday.

The lines, courtesy of BetMGM

  • Point spread: Jazz -4
  • Money line: Jazz -175 / Celtics +145
  • Over-under: 227.5

Place your legal, online sports bets in VA, CO, IA, IN, NJ, PA, TN and WV at BetMGM.

Advice and prediction

The Jazz are seeming to be more vulnerable than they were during their unbeatable runs in January and February, and are just 1-5 against the spread over their last six. The Celtics closed the first half of the season with four consecutive wins and just destroyed the overmatched Rockets, but have we seen enough from the Celtics to start backing them in these spots?

I haven’t, at least not yet. In fact, I’m avoiding this spread altogether (but am leaning Utah -4), and instead focusing on Over 227.5. Boston has gone over that total in six of their last seven games, while Utah has allowed 129 points or more in three of their last four games.

Prediction: Jazz 122, Celtics 117

Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.

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On this day: Larry Bird goes for 46; Kevin McHale gets 36; Bob Harris born

On this day in Celtics history, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale had big nights on the offensive end of the ball, and big man Bob Harris was born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Boston big man Robert “Bob” Anderson Harris was born in Linden, Tennessee in 1927.

Harris played his NCAA ball with the Oklahoma State Cowboys, where he was selected to the NCAA AP All-American second team in 1949. He would be drafted by the (then) Fort Wayne (now, Detroit) Pistons with the third overall pick of the Basketball Association of America (BAA — a precursor league to the NBA) draft that same year, and play parts of two seasons with the Pistons before being traded to the Celtics in 1950 for forward Dick Mehen.

Harris would play four seasons with Boston, where he averaged 6.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

USA TODAY Sports

Jazz vs. Celtics: Live stream, lineups, injury reports and broadcast info (3/16)

Everything you need to know about Tuesday night’s home contest against Utah.

The Boston Celtics get a chance for revenge against the mighty Utah Jazz on their home court of TD Garden and get back to streaking in the win column Tuesday as they host the Western Conference behemoth in a reprisal of their Feb. 9 road loss in Salt Lake City.

The Jazz just dropped a game to the Golden State Warriors but remain atop the West despite losing five of their last ten games. The Celtics have won six over the same stretch, and hope to steal a quality victory in the midst of some less taxing opponents Tuesday evening.

Both teams are enjoying relatively clean bills of health.