Month: July 2018

The Spurs were ready for someone unexpected to slip to them at No. 18, and it turns out it was versatile Miami combo guard Lonnie Walker.

The thrill was short-lived, though, as Spurs execs soon went back to glooming over their options on Kawhi Leonard, a process that is helped more by Johnnie Walker than Lonnie Walker.

The Raptors did not have a pick in either round of the draft, so the team brass mostly spent the night eating poutine and watching Call the Midwife reruns.

There were still some interesting prospects on the board when the Jazz picked at No. 2Instead of going for a guy they could develop to contribute off the bench, they took the low-ceilinged Grayson Allen, who can be more annoying than spotty Wi-fi and remains the only college player who looks like Ted Cruz, only without all the charm and grace.

It’s not that the players who the Lakers wound up with — stretch-4 Moe Wagner and shooting guard Svi Mykhailiuk in the second — don’t have the potential to be good values as they start their NBA careers. It’s just that, for weeks, we’ll have to hear that the two are too valuable to include in a potential Kawhi Leonard trade.

Players this board is low on relative to consensus:

Deandre Ayton (No. 5) — Ayton appears set to be the No. 1 pick on Thursday night, but he’s not the top prospect on this board. I’ve espoused my concerns about the 7-footer previously. In short, Ayton projects to be a 20-and-10 NBA center, but his ability to impact winning, particularly on the defensive Cheap Jerseys With Free Shipping end, remains a question mark.

Mohamed Bamba (No. 12) — From reworking his jump shot mechanics to impressing in interviews, Bamba has been climbing draft boards during the pre-draft process. Although the physical tools are impressive, it’s hard for me to buy into Bamba as a prospect.

If he doesn’t shoot it, there aren’t many paths for him to create offensive Cheap Jerseys Hot value. He was a mediocre screener and roller at Texas and possesses few post moves. Defensively, his rim protection is high level, but his instincts aren’t great, and he’s not a switchable big. This could prove too low if he hits his ceiling outcome, but the likelihood of that feels low.

Los Angeles was up 1-0 when Jones led off the fourth against Deck McGuire (0-1) by hitting a ball high in the air.

Second baseman Ian Kinsler couldn’t catch sight of it, and the ball landed on the dirt between second and first for a gift single.

Sounds funny to say, but those are the types of things that have been happening to us, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. Kinsler’s as good a second baseman as there is.

Gausman (4-6) weathered temperatures in the upper 90s to go eight innings, allowing two runs and six hits to end a run of eight straight winless starts.

BOSTON — Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said it’s his job to explore all trade possibilities when superstars become available but gushed about his current core and deemed the possibility of his team completing another summer blockbuster trade as unlikely.

The Celtics, armed with their treasure trove of young talent and future draft picks, have the necessary assets to put together maybe the best possible package for a player like San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard. And while Ainge stressed that he couldn’t talk specifically about any free agents or players in trade rumors, he made clear Friday that it’s simply his job to explore all possibilities involving elite-level talent.

The Mavs believe their draft-day trade for No. 3 overall pick Luka Doncic, the 19-year-old EuroLeague MVP, was a major step toward putting a competitive product on the floor this season and for the foreseeable future. Doncic, who was born a few weeks after Nowitzki made his Mavericks debut, has expressed an eagerness to learn from his new teammate, whom the rookie refers to as a legend.

With 31,187 career points, Nowitzki ranks sixth on the NBA’s career scoring list. LeBron James (31,038 points) is likely to pass Nowitzki early in the season, but Nowitzki could pass Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) and has a chance at catching Michael Jordan (32,292).

Nowitzki scored 927 points last season, averaging 12 points in the 77 games Cheap Jerseys UK he Cheap Jerseys Supply played.Orioles hit 4 HRs, beat Angels 8-2 to end 7-game skid

Manny Machado crushes a two-run home run and Mark Trumbo follows him up with a solo shot to right field. (0:48)

NBA Draft 2018: Kings take Marvin Bagley III with No. 2 overall pick

The Sacramento Kings selected Duke forward Marvin Bagley III with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft on Thursday to help bolster their frontcourt.

Just before the draft started, an ESPN report stated the Kings were also interested in Luka Doncic and Michael Porter Jr., but felt Bagley would make the most profound impact.

Bagley dominated the ACC in his one and only season with the Blue Devils, averaging 21.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. At 6-11, he’s able to use his athleticism on the block, while also displaying a nice tough from 15 feet.

Collin Sexton (No. 20) — Sexton’s toughness and competitiveness are second to none in this class, but his on-court production as a college freshman was concerning. His lack of steals and mediocre assist-to-turnover ratio are suggestive of subpar on-court feel.

There are prospects who have succeeded with poor numbers there as freshman — Eric Bledsoe, Isaiah Thomas and Spencer Dinwiddie, for example — but generally speaking, prospects with similar numbers have struggled in the league.

Ernie Grunfeld was granted an extension last year, despite leaving the Wizards backsliding and with an untenable payroll. He has been with the Wizards through three presidential administrations, which, in Washington, qualifies him as an official member of the Deep State. How else to explain his longevity?

Grunfeld, picking 15th, recognized a need for the Wizards — a reserve combo guard who can shoot — and took Troy Brown, who shot 29.1 percent from the 3-point line in his one year at Oregon.

Jerome Robinson has been the best player on Boston College’s basketball teams for the last three years, which is a bit like being the best steak in the steamer at the Golden Corral. They also wound up with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the 6-6 Kentucky point guard who was so afraid of news of his pre-draft workouts in Los Angeles leaking out that he had every NBA official who came to see him blindoflded, put Cheap Jerseys US in the trunk of a Lincoln and dropped off the end of the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica Cheap Jerseys Vip.

We like SGA and all, but it was for these two guys that the Clippers passed on the chance to take a shot at Michael Porter Jr. and/or Robert Williams.

Rookie Seranthony Dominguez pitched a scoreless ninth for his seventh save in his eighth chances.

Dominguez retired the first two batters before pinch-hitter Daniel Murphy doubled to right, but the right-hander retired Eaton on a flyball.

Cool as a cucumber, Kapler said. A special performance.

Jeremy Hellickson (2-1) returned to the mound for Washington after being sidelined since June 4 with a right hamstring strain. The veteran right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and two walks.

Following the Cavs’ Game 4 loss in the Finals, James articulated what factors he will weigh with regard to his future.

The one thing that I’ve always done is considered, obviously, my family, James said. Understanding especially where my boys are at this point in their age. They were a lot younger the last time I made a decision like this four years ago. I’ve got a teenage boy, a preteen and a little girl that wasn’t around as well. So sitting down and considering everything, my family is a huge part of whatever I’ll decide to do in my career, and it will continue to be that.Danny Ainge calls potential blockbuster deals ‘unlikely’

(Fultz) is not doing much playing right now, Brown said (via the Philadelphia Inquirer) The effort has been his shot…It’s back to foundational type stuff.

The 76ers finished last season with a 52-30 record and made the playoffs for the first time since 2011-1Philadelphia topped the Heat in its opening-round series before falling to the Celtics in five games.

Fultz averaged 7.1 points per game and attempted a single 3-pointer in just 14 regular season appearances. He fell out of Philadelphia’s playoff rotation, totaling 23 minutes in three postseason games.

Brown said Fultz looks great physically, but he’s not sure if he will play Cheap Jerseys Youth in the upcoming summer league.

I think when you look at what’s most important, what thing needs the most work, it’s Cheap Jerseys Paypal Free Shipping that (his shooting), Brown told reporters. I don’t really want to pivot out of that if we think it’s going to hurt a very elementary way we’re going about reclaiming his shot. That is on my mind when you start talking about summer leagues and time frames and playing, all of that.