LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 29: Josh Okogie of Rockets warms up before the NBA playoffs game 5 between Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets at the Crypto.com Arena on April 29, 2026 in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images) | Anadolu via Getty Images
The Houston Rockets are evaluating their future when it comes to veteran shooting guard Josh Okogie.
Okogie, 27, signed with the Rockets on a one-year minimum deal in the offseason and turned out to be a bargain for the team. He even started two playoff games for the Rockets in their series against the Los Angeles Lakers last month.
Bleacher Report writer Eric Pincus praised Okogie and believes he could have interest around the league in free agency.
“Okogie is a capable veteran who played in 78 games for the Rockets (starting 32) at 17.4 minutes per game. He defends and shoots the ball well (38.5 percent from three) on low volume,” Pincus wrote.
Okogie only averaged 4.5 points per game this past season, which was a step back from where he was a year ago. That being said, he did play in 78 games and shot a career-high 38.5 percent from deep.
The Rockets likely would want to have Okogie back on a minimum deal if he was interested in returning. That being said there is reason to believe that he may have interest from other teams around the league, which could start a bidding war.
Contending teams could justify signing Okogie for the mid-level exception (~$5-6 million), which could be out of price range for the Rockets considering he only made $3.1 million. However, a raise could be in the cards based on his successful run with the Rockets this past season.
TDS community, how much would you pay Okogie this offseason? Should the Rockets sign him or let him walk? Let us know in the comments section below.
Now that the Stanley Cup Final round is just around the calendar – likely Vegas vs. Canes – it's fun to wonder how your Beloved Blueshirts would have fared had they made the postseason.
Eastern Conference teams that beat out New York for a playoff berth include Montreal, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Boston, Philly and Ottawa.
Of the group The Maven considers Buffalo and Montreal the best of the bunch. I expected Buffalo to be better but the Habs have turned out to be the surprise team of the lower end.
It's easy to say that the Rangers should have made the playoffs instead of Pittsburgh but in the end, the Penguins had the leadership of Sidney Crosby and a brilliant new coach.
You can "If" all you want but, in the end had Sully's team made it to the first playoff round, the Rangers would have been in and out of the playoffs faster than the Avs went in and then out of the third round!
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 02: A detailed view of the shoes on Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the fourth quarter of a game against the Boston Celtics in Game Seven of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at TD Garden on May 02, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We are now a few days removed from the Colorado Avalanche being eliminated via sweep from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After reading through a catalog of blame game articles and social posts, I’ve decided to make an entry of a different sort.
I’m not here to blame any one individual for what happened during Colorado’s cataclysmic meltdown that saw a team that was 8-1 through two rounds of playoff hockey waste eight days and leave the bracket with an 8-5 record.
The Avalanche and their fans got handshakes and heartbreak rather than the glitz and glory of another cup run, but what led to this collapse?
Cognitive Dissonance
If you ask me, it boils down to saying what you do, and doing what you say, and how the Avalanche as a whole has failed to live up to their systems-first messaging.
We are beaten over the head with “next man up” and “Buy into the system and the system will take care of itself”, but have seen management leverage young talent for “the perfect fit,” the coaching staff lean on and deploy top groups more than ever and when not even fully healthy, all while some top players refuse to embody the message in the most crucial moments.
Logan O’Connor:
“We let down coaches, each other, fans, management. It’s on us as players to be far better than we were.. lot of disappointment right now” pic.twitter.com/vaEJADEsrN
Now consider that the bottom of the Avalanche forward group, which embodied the system and approach, was clearly the most effective group, yet still sat and watched an uncomfortable, hobbled Nate MacKinnon and Cale Makar attempt to wince their way to a comeback in the closing seconds of games three and four.
I’ll be super clear on one thing. I’m not suggesting you bench either Nathan MacKinnon or Cale Makar, but rather that you reward the guys who are buying in and give yourself the best shot of winning by doing so.
Problems Perculate on the Power Play
You know where I see contradiction most obviously? How Colorado approaches the power play.
Anyone who has followed the Avalanche season from start to finish knows that the power play was a hot-button topic all season after the Avalanche and their failure to execute on the man advantage last postseason dominated offseason narratives.
The power play struggled again throughout the regular season and into the postseason.
Adjustments were made to try to enable the highly talented top group, but in general, the Avalanche’s power play, with world-class talent, was nowhere near as effective as it should have been.
None of those adjustments panned out, yet it was still the first unit that consistently held the majority of the advantage. The second power play group that has a few players you just had to trade for hardly ever saw a look at more than 30 seconds of a power play. Most of the time, it takes 5-10 seconds just to enter and cycle. So basically, the second group constantly got one crack at making a difference, even when the top group clearly wasn’t.
Working Up the Leaderboard
Now that I’ve laid it out, I want to talk a bit about the power dynamic in Colorado, as I see leadership from players all the way up to management having a hand in the separation between philosophy and practice.
Let’s start with Captain Gabe Landeskog, who definitely bought into the system and was among Colorado’s most effective postseason players for two consecutive seasons now. Gabe no doubt has a unique perspective given his storied return to hockey, and was obviously in various shades of disappointment/frustration throughout the Vegas series.
When Jared Bednar was first brought on, here’s what Landeskog had to say about Bednar’s approach: “He wants to play fast. He wants to play quick and play in the O-zone and get on the forecheck. With our speed up front, I think it will benefit us. Spending less time in the D-zone will be something we’ll all be looking to do. The systems are going to work to our advantage.”
Based on Landeskog’s performance, he clearly appreciates Bednar’s strategy, and on paper, all of what he saw does fit this Avalanche squad. But what happens when your top guys try to red-cape it when the going gets tough?
Gabe is doing plenty, as far as I’m concerned, by leading by example and by saying what needs to be said. With that, I turn to the head coach and how he could empower Landeskog and get the top guys to hold the big picture dear, no matter how competitive and capable they are, or how much adversity they face.
Playoff hockey is like playing a game of stygian chicken, and Vegas never, not once, thought about changing course. They were going to go for a head-on collision or force the Avs to veer out of desperation.
The Avalanche did veer off course, playing like an insecure club without any answers for what was being thrown at them.
Vegas clogged the middle of the ice, stayed home, capitalized on Colorado’s mistakes, and said, “We can do this all night.”
Colorado responded by being perfectly content with the fool’s gold of perimeter looks, time and time again.
The message was “we gotta keep playing our game,” but in my opinion, they stopped playing Avalanche hockey in game two of the Western Conference Final.
Does the undeniable shelf life of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar as Avalanche mainstays require that Jared Bednar cater to them to a fault for survival? Would he be let go quickly if he stood his ground or made more public statements about the specifics of his displeasure?
Did we see a passive-aggressive version of that with the “It’s up to Cale” phiasco? It’s impossible to say for sure, as vagueness is among the most-used tools in Bednar’s press bag.
If Bednar isn’t comfortable sticking to his guns to foster a pleased elite core, that presents a real problem.
The Great Divide
You don’t need to be a part of an NHL hockey team to know what a lack of accountability or consistency can do to a team. In business, if one employee sees another employee afforded benefits despite poor performance, it can be demoralizing. Moreover, if the message is “do your job,” but some are enabled not to do so, the whole group begins to lose respect for the process and leadership.
No one goes above and beyond for a boss who seems to do things that contradict his message.
The lack of accountability may lead to some division in the room, though I have no insight into that. On the surface, everything seems peachy (outside of disappointment), but that’s rarely the case when a team implodes like this.
I could apply this thinking to Jared Bednar as it pertains to his stars, but I really don’t think he, at his core, believes in catering to superstars over the team. If his actions contradict that, I have to look further up the leadership ladder to find a reason why, and I think I have one.
Starts at the Top
We can’t say GM Chris MacFarland caters to superstars if he traded one, right?
Well, from my vantage, MacFarland has officially leveraged every shred of futures for the Avalanche in hopes of getting at least one more cup from the current core, and it’s all been for naught.
After dealing more picks for specific roles, the Avalanche are both without hardware or a clear path into the future.
If your coach says it doesn’t matter who plays and that it’s about the system, wouldn’t it be better to develop more young guns and play the long game?
We have examples of exactly that already working in Colorado.
Logan O’Connor, Sam Malinski, and others have survived being traded long enough to develop into effective NHL players, with LOC being a huge part of the team’s identity. Or at least that’s what we are told.
This whole article is riddled with hindsight and recency biases, but let’s take a look at some of the deals I view as challenging the idea that anyone can fill the roles in this system.
MacFarland leveraged Alex Newhook for Mikael Gulyayev, Ross Colton, and Gianni Fairbrother back in 2023, as Newhook was asked to fill in at 2C along with J.T. Compher when Kadri couldn’t be retained after a cup win.
Because he was unable to do so immediately and the pressure of a win-now window, Colorado elected to swap Newhook’s budding talent for a bona fide Stanley Cup Champion talent in Ross Colton. Rosco was good, but he was also scratched to start the playoffs, and Newhook has 10 points and has been Montreal’s clutchest player of the postseason in the here and now.
That youthful scoring touch and gamer mentality would have been nice this year, and, to be fair, Newhook showed he had it in 2022; otherwise, we wouldn’t have thought he could be a 2C for a competitor for three months.
Management also infamously swapped Bowen Byram in a one-for-one for Casey Mittlestadt, who lands pretty high on the list of biggest trade flops ever.
He now plays for the Bruins, as he was traded for Charlie Coyle ahead of last year’s playoff disappointment.
Charlie Coyle was subsequently traded with a throw-in of Miles Wood for Gavin Brindley (nice) and a couple of picks.
So, inevitably, Bowen Byram is traded for a young player with potential, but one that’s likely 2 to 3 years away (at the time of the trade) from being an NHL mainstay.
What was Bo up to this year?
Oh, just playing a pivotal role in getting the Buffalo Sabres back to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, and posting seven points in 13 playoff games including a franchise-tying record four goals from a defenseman.
Bowen Byram has his fourth of the playoffs as the Sabres' power play stays hot in Game 1 💪 pic.twitter.com/PeANMyx6RK
I reiterate that I know I have the benefit of hindsight here. Still, the justification for leveraging Colorado’s fleeting surplus of back-end talent and young, not-quite-there forwards is that winning now matters. The Avalanche haven’t won anything beyond the regular season during this window. That’s a fact.
The Way Forward
This article sucks. It’s just me saying the easiest thing you can easily say about a team that didn’t live up to the hype, but it’s the hype I blame.
My colleague Ezra Parter at the Mile High Hockey Lab coined our catchphrase: “Hockey is random and difficult,” and I think it’s a bit of wisdom that the Avalanche should take into the thought process from top to bottom.
We officially know you can build a stacked roster, but you have enough small vulnerabilities that allow a team to dismantle the NHL’s scoringest regular-season team. Bednar himself said it takes some luck, but what it really takes is resolve and patience. Luck makes its appearance inside that mindset more often than not, but remember, luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
I see a way forward for this Avalanche team, but it’s going to hurt. Believe it or not, this loss may be just what the now-mature core needs to recommit to the process.
The Avalanche organization can’t buy the hype and has to get back to its philosophical foundations. They aren’t a team looking to change the culture and become competitive, as they were back in 2022. Now they are a high-flying, heavily decorated group of individuals set on living up to expectations.
I say get back to the mindset of never being bigger than the game, or the process, or your team. You win as a team, and you lose as a team. When you leave the team behind, losing happens much more often and quickly.
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - 2023/07/26: Deputy Executive Director at Major League Baseball Players Association Bruce Meyer speaks as striking members of Writers Guild of America picketing in front of CBS Broadcast Center on theme Sport Writers Picket. Executives from NHL Players Association, NFL Players Association, MLB Players Association joined and spoke during picket. (Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) | (Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The labor negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA began on May 12, with each side making opening presentations. On May 27, the MLBPA released the first substantive policy proposals for the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
As expected, the MLBPA seeks to modify the current CBA system rather than pursue a dramatic overhaul. The major policy proposals include, per Jeff Passan:
A “competitive-integrity tax” for any team that does not spend $150M
An increase in the minimum salary from $780,000 to $1.5M
An increase in the base Competitive Balance Tax threshold from $244M to $300M
Changes to the revenue-sharing system that would distribute more money from local television revenue, but decrease the amount distributed from in-stadium revenue, to incentivize teams that win and draw larger crowds
Free agency for players who are 30 at 5+ years of service
Teams that receive revenue sharing forfeit portions of their checks depending on payroll levels. Recipients who win receive more money
Pre-arbibration bonus pool increases from $50M to $180M
$3M minimum tender in arbitration
Arbitration super 2s jump from 22% of players to 44%
Evan Drellich of The Athleticalso listed some additional union proposals that Jeff Passan did not mention on Twitter:
The minimum salary would later climb to $1.65 million in 2028, $1.825 million in 2029, $2 million in 2030, and $2.2 million in 2031.
The first tier of the luxury tax would be set at $315 million in 2028, $330 million in 2029, $345 million in 2030, and $360 million in 2031.
The pre-arbitration bonus pool was a flat $50 million throughout the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement. In addition to the initial $130 million increase, the union wants it to rise by $15 million each season.
There was no proposal to create an international draft, though players and owners made some conceptual progress in the last round of talks.
Under the MLBPA’s proposal, based on current payrolls, only the Yankees, Mets, and Dodgers would be above the CBT threshold, compared to the six teams currently over the $244 million threshold. Moreover, 13 teams would be subject to the Competitive Integrity Tax for having payrolls under $150 million.
“We appreciate the union making a set of proposals and we look forward to continuing the bargaining process and working towards solving the competitive balance problem our fans are telling us needs to be addressed. We understand their proposals are designed to benefit players. Unfortunately, they do not address and in fact exacerbate the competitive balance problem our fans are telling us we must address. The MLBPA’s proposal would reduce the amount transferred to lower-revenue Clubs, weaken the Competitive Balance Tax, and lead to even more payroll disparity than exists today. For example, under the Union’s proposal, the Dodgers would pay less in luxury tax payments, giving them an additional $70 million to spend on payroll.”
(Emphasis added.)
As expected, the league will continue to use the Dodgers as a shiny object to push for a hard salary cap.
Never mind that four of the six current division leaders (Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians, and Seattle Mariners) are revenue-sharing recipients. Never mind that, per Fangraphs, the teams with the second- (New York Mets), fourth- (Toronto Blue Jays), seventh- (Houston Astros), tenth- (Detroit Tigers), eleventh- (San Francisco Giants), twelfth-(Boston Red Sox), and fifteenth-highest (Anaheim Angels) payrolls are either below .500 and/or essentially running out the clock until it’s time to go to Cancun.
Why acknowledge both the record sale of the San Diego Padres and the ongoing clown show in Queens instantly counter the league’s arguments for a hard cap?
Echoes of 1994
Regardless, the league was expected to announce its opening gambit in negotiations the following day, much faster than in the last CBA negotiations, when the league waited until August to make its initial proposal. On May 28, the league obliged, proposing a hard salary cap for the first time since the infamous 1994-95 strike, leading to the first canceled World Series in 90 years.
Per Ronald Blum of The Associated Press:
[MLB’s] proposal would cap spending in 2027 at $245.3 million, with a salary floor of $171.2 million.
“Our salary cap and floor proposal levels the playing field while sharing baseball revenue with the players 50/50 as we grow the game together,” MLB spokesman Glen Caplin said in a statement. “Further, by sharing media revenue equally as part of our proposal, we can address another top fan concern of local TV blackouts.”
Management gave the union its latest plan during a bargaining session at the commissioner’s office, one day after the union made its economic proposal. Owners say a cap is needed to improve competitive balance and restrain the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and other wealthy teams from assembling starrier rosters than their smaller-market brethren.
(Emphasis added.)
Under MLB’s proposal, using current payrolls, only nine teams would be in compliance using the proposed hard cap and floor: Houston Astros ($237 million), Chicago Cubs ($232 million), San Diego Padres ($209 million), Detroit Tigers ($207 million), San Francisco Giants ($201 million), Boston Red Sox ($196 million), Arizona Diamondbacks ($195 million), Texas Rangers ($187 million), and Anaheim Angels ($184 million).
Six teams would be above the hard cap, and 13 teams would be below the floor.
Update: Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Timesreported that the player benefits are included in MLB’s calculation, making the proposed hard cap $222 million.
In case you were wondering whether it was a coincidence that MLB singled out the Dodgers on May 27, one need only refer to the graphics included in their counter the following day, per ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.
In case you were wondering how big a focal point the Dodgers would be in labor talks, here are some graphics sent by MLB to help make their case for a salary cap … pic.twitter.com/63aVizdfAE
Lastly, MLBPA interim Executive Director Bruce Meyer responded to MLB’s opening gambit, displayed in part below:
Caps don’t lower ticket prices for fans, eliminate tanking or ensure teams are run with equal competence. They suffocate competition by offering owners an all-purpose excuse for inaction and mediocrity.
Baseball is experiencing unprecedented momentum and owners are enjoying record viewership, revenues and franchise values. Billionaire owners are not seeking to cap their profits or asset values, only player salaries. This isn’t out of generosity or a desire to protect the game’s well-being. It’s a play to control costs, increase profits and maximize franchise values – all at the expense of players past, present and future.
Also, per the AP, MLB’s last salary cap proposal in 1994 offered players a 50-50 split of revenue in a system that would have forced teams to maintain payrolls of 84-110% of the average. Salary arbitration would have been eliminated, and the threshold for free agency would have been lowered from six years’ major league service to four, with the provision that a player’s former club could match any offer until he had six years.
MLB’s offer came on June 14, 1994; players struck on August 12, 1994, and on September 14, 1994, the ‘94 World Series was canceled. Ultimately, MLB withdrew the cap proposal on February 6, 1995, after pressure from the National Labor Relations Board.
The strike ended on March 31, 1995, after then-U.S. District Judge Sonia Sotomayor (yes, that Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor) issued an injunction restoring the work rules of the expired labor contract.
Two days later, the owners accepted the union’s offer to return to work without an agreement, and a deal wasn’t reached until 1997, causing reputational damage to the sport that arguably lasted until the steroid boom, punctuated by Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa’s 1998 duel to break Roger Maris’ then-record of 61 home runs in a single season.
Rather than repeat previously published work, which can speak for itself, for the convenience of either reporter or reader, all five revival “It’s Not My Money(ball)” articles are collated below. This collective body of work, all 13,764 words of it, covers an assortment of relevant topics likely to arise during the new CBA negotiations, in one form or another.
This process will undoubtedly be a slow one over the next six months, largely occurring in the background. In conclusion to this brief update, it is worth repeating that there is no reason for a lockout to occur. But as with most things, some lessons need to be relearned, even when there is no value to the lesson.
As shown during the aftermath of the 1994-95 strike, the parties could choose to keep the current system in place while a new CBA is negotiated and ratified — if the goal was stability. If the goal was disruption and chaos disguised to grow balance sheets that the public will never see, then locking out the players at the earliest opportunity would seem to be the only move in the league’s pocket, apart from turning the public against the players.
The quickest way to do that gargantuan task is to keep using the Dodgers as a foil to why your team is doomed to be bad; never mind the moronic decisions arising from front offices ranging from San Francisco to Queens and points in between.
The Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers wrap up an eventful four-game series tonight with an intriguing pitching matchup, as Spencer Arrighetti takes on Nathan Eovaldi.
The Rangers are -122 moneyline favorites, and my Astros vs. Rangers predictions and MLB picks for Thursday, May 28 see value in that line.
Who will win Astros vs Rangers today: Rangers moneyline (-133)
Spencer Arrighetti's sensational start to 2026 is mostly smoke-and-mirrors, creating value in the Texas Rangers moneyline. I'd play it to -145.
The Houston Astros hurler's 1.32 ERA is belied by his 4.78 xERA,which ranks in the 26th percentile. He's not inducing enough batters to chase (29th percentile), leading to his eighth percentile walk rate.
Once Arrighetti exits, an Astros bullpen ranked 29th in xFIP over the last two weeks (4.99) will take over.
The Rangers are not an offensive dynamo (.687 OPS), but they're at least on the improve over the last two weeks with a .702 OPS.
Astros vs Rangers Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-115)
There's a low total on the board here, and it's easy to see why.
Countering Arrighetti is Nathan Eovaldi, who has been elite in several metrics this year, including whiff rate (90th percentile) and walk rate (91st percentile). Backing him is a Texas bullpen ranked 10th in xFIP over the last two weeks (3.90).
The Astros' offense is in a funk right now, ranking 28th in batting average since May 14 (.208).
The Rangers, who were no-hit just two days ago, do not have the firepower to carry the Over by themselves.
I'm comfortable with Under 7.5 at -125, as well as Under 7 at +100.
Astros vs Rangers odds
Moneyline: Astros +117 | Rangers -122
Run line: Astros +1.5 | Rangers -1.5
Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5
Astros vs Rangers trend
The Rangers have hit the Under in 28 of their last 50 games (+8.50 Units / 16% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Astros vs. Rangers.
How to watch Astros vs Rangers and game info
Location
Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX
Date
Thursday, May 28, 2026
First pitch
8:05 p.m. ET
TV
SCHN, RSN
Astros starting pitcher
Spencer Arrighetti (6-1, 1.32 ERA)
Rangers starting pitcher
Nathan Eovaldi (5-5, 3.65 ERA)
Astros vs Rangers latest injuries
Astros vs Rangers weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
BOSTON, MA - MAY 27: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves looks on from the dugout during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Wednesday, May 27, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Joe Sullivan/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Much has been written and said in recent days about the Montreal Canadiens needing to shoot more in their Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. After Game 3, coach Martin St-Louis admitted that his team needed to generate a higher volume of shots after spending the season brushing aside concerns over the lack of shots. While we weren’t in the video room with the team on Tuesday, there’s no doubt that St-Louis told his men that they needed to shoot more. Then, on Wednesday night, 21,000 people told them as well when they replaced the traditional “Go Habs Go” chant with an annoyed: “Shoot the puck!”
The problem, however, is that something else needs to be fixed before the Canadiens can take more shots: they need to get out of their own zone. When the puck dropped on Game 4, play immediately went in the Canadiens’ zone, and the Hurricanes started to control play. When the Habs got the puck back, be it on a rebound or by intercepting a pass, they were unable to do anything with it, aside from turning it over most of the time.
How many attempted lob clearances have we seen in this series? Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Jake Evans have all attempted that kind of play and failed to execute it. Even worse, there are times when the Habs don’t even get the opportunity to miss that play because by the time they’ve decided what they want to do with the puck, they’ve had their pocket picked.
If you can’t exit the zone, it will be hard to get more shots on net. We’ve often heard that when a player has reached his ceiling, the game slows down for him and he can make the right reads and decisions in seconds. At times this season, it genuinely looked like the game had slowed down for the Canadiens’ top line, but not in these playoffs. If anything, it looks like the Hurricanes are playing at ludicrous speed, yes, the same speed spaceships can reach in Spaceballs.
What’s the solution? There may not be one right now. The Canadiens are in the fourth year of their rebuild, and they’ve yet to reach the Hurricanes’ level of experience and dedication to their system. Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton’s job is not done yet, far from it. Martin St-Louis is doing what he can with the roster he has, but he cannot get on the ice himself. It’s up to the players to execute, and the fact is that there are still key pieces missing in the puzzle. As for the pieces that are already there, they appear to be running on empty.
Last season in the playoffs, the Canadiens learned from the Washington Capitals that the postseason is physically demanding, and you need to be ready to be hit. This time around, the Canadiens are watching an execution clinic. Carolina is just so good at executing their game plan that the Canadiens are watching the train go by. If the series is to end in five games on Friday night, though, the Habs will still be able to hold their heads high; they’ve learned a lot this postseason. They’ve learned to play with incredibly high stakes, and they've closed two series in Game 7, which is priceless. Down the line, all that experience will come in handy, even if the players are hurting right now.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 17: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors reacts during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament game at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 17, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Warriors 111-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NBA officially wrapped up this year’s regular season awards on Tuesday after naming Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla the Coach of the Year. For the Golden State Warriors, however, the announcement marked the end of a rare and unfamiliar awards season as the franchise came up completely empty across all major honors.
It’s the first time in well over a decade that Golden State failed to produce a major award winner, All-NBA selection, All-Defensive selection, or even an All-Rookie honoree, according to RealGM. A full list of this season’s winners and final voting results can be found here on NBA.com.
Voter selections for the 2025-26 NBA regular-season awards are now available.
A global panel of 100 media members voted on each annual award.
The only Warrior to receive any recognition was Draymond Green, who earned votes for both the NBA All-Defensive Team and the Defensive Player of the Year award, though not nearly enough to emerge as a serious contender in either race.
Outside of Green, no other Warrior even received a vote across the league’s major regular season awards. While injuries certainly played a role in that, the bigger picture is how far the roster has drifted from their championship-caliber standard that once made Golden State a fixture throughout awards season.
Now entering a pivotal summer with the No. 11 pick in the NBA Draft and potential for some cap flexibility, the Warriors look to retool their roster in hopes of returning to relevance among the Western Conference contenders.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Thursday, May 27th:
The next contract: Curry signs the fourth extension in his career. The unknown, however, is whether the extension would be for the full amount or if Curry would take less. The 2027 offseason is the next opportunity for the Warriors to reshape their roster. With three players under contract (Moses Moody, Gui Santos, Will Richard), Golden State has financial flexibility to improve its roster in free agency.
A large crowd of reporters was still in the Spurs’ visiting locker room, all of them waiting around to hear what the 22-year-old big man had to say about why he struggled so mightily Tuesday night as the Thunder took a 3-2 series lead. But as Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox was addressing the reporters, Wembanyama surprised the media masses and walked right past them on the way to the team bus. He took a left at the PayCom Center hallway, walked a few hundred feet more, then veered off into the night while team officials and reporters alike were stunned by his choice not to fulfill the media duties that are mandated by the NBA.
The Golden State Warriors’ injured star looked spry as he joined Teddy Swims on the Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage at Bottlerock in Napa. He threw peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the crowd, seemingly because it was the Culinary Stage, professed his love for the Bay Area, and even danced to Shaboozey while telling the crowd, “Don’t tell Steve [Kerr]! I got a torn ACL!”
Follow@unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
The NHL released two potential Stanley Cup Final schedules on Thursday May 28, depending on whether the Carolina Hurricanes wrap up the Eastern Conference finals in Game 5.
If the Hurricanes beat the Montreal Canadiens on Friday, May 29, the Stanley Cup Final will start on June 2 and run through June 17 if it goes the distance. If the Canadiens win and extend the conference finals to six or seven games, the Final will start on June 4 and potentially run through June 20.
They finished with fewer points than the Hurricanes and Canadiens, so they'll start the series on the road and host Games 3, 4 and a possible Game 6. The Eastern winner will host Games 1, 2 and Games 5 and 7, if needed.
Stanley Cup Final schedule scenarios
If Hurricanes win Game 5
Game 1: Tuesday, June 2, Vegas at Carolina, 8, ABC
Game 2: Thursday, June 4, Vegas at Carolina, 8, ABC
Game 3: Saturday, June 6, Carolina at Vegas, 8, ABC
Game 4: Tuesday, June 9, Carolina at Vegas, 8, ABC
x-Game 5: Thursday, June 11, Vegas at Carolina, 8, ABC
x-Game 6: Sunday, June 14, Carolina at Vegas, 8, ABC
x-Game 7: Wednesday, June 17, Vegas at Carolina, 8, ABC
If conference finals last six or seven games
Game 1: Thursday, June 4, Vegas at Carolina/Montreal, 8, ABC
Game 2: Saturday, June 6, Vegas at Carolina/Montreal, 8, ABC
Game 3 Tuesday, June 9, Carolina/Montreal at Vegas, 8, ABC
Game 4: Thursday, June 11, Carolina/Montreal at Vegas, 8, ABC
x-Game 5: Sunday, June 14, Vegas at Carolina/Montreal, 8, ABC
x-Game 6: Wednesday, June 17, Carolina/Montreal at Vegas, 8, ABC
x-Game 7: Saturday, June 20, Vegas at Carolina/Montreal, 8, ABC
It is official. The NBA has passed draft lottery reform, with 29 of the 30 teams voting in favor (Memphis being the only team to vote against the anti-tanking measures).
Breaking: The NBA's Board of Governors has passed new anti-tanking rules that include expanding the draft lottery from 14 to 16 teams, a relegation zone where the bottom 3 teams get penalized with lessened chances for the No. 1 pick, and flattened odds, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/e1oq10p2yV
In search of a way to discourage tanking, the NBA decided that drastic changes to the draft lottery were the best approach. They may be right, and the new lottery system will be a big change from the previous one. With the Suns not having control over their own draft picks until 2032, it won’t change much for them in the near future, but it could still affect the picks they’ve already traded or swapped (whoever finally uses them). More on that later.
NBA Draft Lottery System Reforms
#1: The NBA will expand the lottery from 14 to 16 teams.
This isn’t because of the proposed expansion to 32 teams. When expansion comes, they will likely further expand the draft to 18 teams…although this point hasn’t been reported on yet. What it does mean is that, along with the 14 teams that miss the playoffs, the 8th seed playoff teams from both the East and West will also get a shot in the lottery.
#2: The Lottery odds will change drastically, as will the drawing process.
Previously, they drew lots to select the teams to get the top 4 picks in the draft, with the rest picking in order of their regular season records, worst to best. Now, every pick 1-16 will be determined through actual lottery picks with the odds greatly leveled, which will hopefully make tanking a less attractive strategy. No team in the lottery will have much of an advantage over the others, and the 3 teams with the worst regular season records will actually have a worse chance to get one of the top 3 picks than the 4th through 10th worst teams. The odds are as follows:
Teams 1-3: Each has an equal 5.4% chance of landing the number 1 pick.
Teams 4-10: Each has an equal 8.1% chance of landing the number 1 pick.
Teams 11-14: Each has an equal 5.4% chance of landing the number 1 pick.
Teams 15-16: Each has an equal 2.7% chance of landing the number 1 pick.
The new system allocates 37 lottery balls across 16 teams. The three lowest-ranked teams receive two balls each, teams four through ten receive three, play-in seeds nine and 10 receive two, and the seven-vs-eight play-in loser receives one (2.7%). All 16 lottery picks will be drawn, with the three worst-record teams unable to fall below 12th.
This version is more like the original lottery system used from 1985 through 1989, where every team had equal odds and every position was drawn for, than more recent systems. The new system sounds a bit wacky but it might work in regard to discouraging tanking…at least some of it. Why try for the worst record in the NBA when that will get you worse odds in the lottery? It might even prove fun to watch the teams with the worst records actually fighting to win games at the end of the season to improve their lottery odds!
#3: There will now be pick “limits”.
To prevent franchises from accumulating top-tier talent year after year, teams are restricted from selecting No. 1 overall in back-to-back seasons or securing a top-five pick in three consecutive drafts. These rules apply to the original team, not the pick’s current holder. Even if it’s traded to another team, these rules still apply to the pick, no matter who uses it, and they apply retroactively.
For example, the Wizards, who won the 2026 lottery, cannot land the first pick again in 2027…even if it’s traded to someone else. Also, the Utah Jazz, which selected fifth in 2025 and second in 2026, cannot finish in the top five in 2027. Although Utah traded its 2027 1st round pick to Memphis for Jaren Jackson Jr., this rule would bar the Grizzlies from receiving a top-five pick in the lottery through it.
In the event a team’s pick is drawn in the lottery in a position where it is not permitted to be, then that pick would be moved down to the first permissible draft position.
#4: Draft penalties for tanking can be imposed.
Teams face severe fines (up to $10 million) and potential loss of draft picks for “tanking behavior,” such as sitting perfectly healthy starters in the final weeks of the season to drop in the standings. The league will also have expanded disciplinary authority to reduce lottery odds and/or modify draft positions for teams.
#5: There will be new draft pick protection limits.
Teams will no longer be able to protect picks that fall into the 12 to 15 slots. Why 12-15? Your guess is as good as mine, as I’ve not found an explanation for this rule so far.
#6: The lottery reforms affect the second round, too.
The first 16 picks of the second round will now be in the reverse order of the first round.
While none of the bottom three teams can fall further than 12th in the first round, the team with the fourth-worst record could possibly fall all the way to No. 16. But if that’s the case, that team would get the first pick of the second round (No. 31). Conversely, the team that wins the lottery would pick 46th overall in the second round.
The “Sunset Provision”
There is also a “sunset provision” which will allow the new system to expire after the 2029 draft. After that, the board of governors will vote to either continue with the system or transition to a new one. Whatever they decide to do then, the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement runs through the 2029-2030 season, at which time they could possibly change it all once again.
There has also been some talk of the NBA moving away from the lottery system entirely if the new system doesn’t work as well as they hope and institutes a “draft credit” system similar to a Fantasy Football-style auction. In that type of system, every franchise would be awarded an equal allotment of “draft credits,” which teams would use to bid on rookies in an auction, starting at the No. 1 overall pick and proceeding down the board. Front offices would trade portions of their credit allotment to other teams in exchange for veteran players rather than trading actual draft picks. This option is still only in the discussion stage and not a part of the latest reforms, though.
Implications for the Suns
Some might think, “So what? The Suns have no control over their 1st round picks until 2032. This won’t affect us at all until then.” There you’d be wrong to a certain degree.
Pretty much everyone agrees that the Suns need to acquire more draft picks; they can. If you thought they were worth their weight in gold before, now they’re more likely worth their weight in platinum, which is going to make it even harder to pry them away from other teams. And you can pretty much forget about ever getting control of the Suns’ own picks back. If these rules had been in effect for this year’s lottery, as the 8th seed in the West, the 2026 pick that’s going to Memphis at 16 would have instead been in the lottery with a very good chance of moving up to a top 10 pick and a 2.7% chance of landing 1st. Unless the Suns return as a much stronger team in 2026-27, other teams will view those picks as potential lottery tickets, even without the Suns trying to tank.
In short, these changes are very likely going to make the Suns’ retooling/rebuilding efforts even more difficult in the short term simply because they are going to make first round draft picks, especially future firsts, even more valuable than they are now, making them even more difficult for the Suns to acquire…at least as long as this system remains in place.
On the plus side, it does at least make the future first round picks that the Suns still own even more valuable if they decide to use them in a trade. I know many, if not most, Suns fans cringe at the idea of trading away any more of their 1st round picks, but if a deal came along that was just too good to pass up, it’s nice to know that the added value might be just enough to make it happen.
May 15, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits a single against the Kansas City Royals during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Let’s not be overdramatic since it’s only the end of May, but I believe this weekend’s St. Louis Cardinals versus Chicago Cubs clash at Busch Stadium is more important than we probably think all because of one word – trajectory.
As a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan I have somehow obtained an alarming number of Chicago Cubs fans in my friend group. Please don’t hold that against me or them. From an intel standpoint, it’s enabled me to find out what our arch enemy fanbase is thinking and right now there’s big concern which translates into a great opportunity for the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Chicago Cubs began the 2026 season on a tear with one of the best offenses in baseball
If you look at just the first 30 games of the 2026 campaign, the Chicago Cubs were raking. They were top 5 in nearly all of the offensive categories with a .354 OBP during the first month averaging around 5.5 runs per game. Everyone in the NL Central were looking up at them with a 20-13 record at one point, but then May arrived and the Cubs…flatlined. The torrid bats went silent with Chicago ranking 14th in MLB with a .242 average in May and an on-base percentage of only .333, but on-base plus slugging wasn’t awful at .720. Overall, the Chicago Cubs have a win-loss record of 10-16 in May losing 10 of the last 11 games. My Cubs friends see this as troubling. I see this as a Cardinals opportunity.
The St. Louis Cardinals have their own concerns since May 1
In Cardinals nation, we know that our young St. Louis team has overachieved what most thought possible in 2026. May has not been kind to St. Louis, though. As of today, the Cardinals have a win-loss record of 11-12 since May 1. If I had to pinpoint one game that was a turning point (in the wrong direction), it was the May 10 game when the Cardinals were one strike away from beating the San Diego Padres then Riley O’Brien proved himself vulnerable. The other heartbreaker was the second game of the doubleheader on May 23 when Cincinnati beat St. Louis 7-6 in extras. After this week’s sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cardinals have lost 4 games in a row heading into the weekend series versus Chicago.
If you look at the month of May so far, the St. Louis Cardinals offense has become the very definition of “meh”. Team batting average for May is a meager .238 which ranks 16th in MLB. The bottom of the St. Louis Cardinals batting order has become an even bigger liability this month and the team barely mustered any RISP opportunities versus Milwaukee at all.
My point is that both the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs have an opportunity to change their trajectory this weekend at Busch Stadium. A dominant weekend by either team could make all the difference as we get into the summer months. What’s the St. Louis Cardinals pitching plans for the Cubs series? As of today, it looks like St. Louis will start Kyle Leahy Friday night, Andre Pallante Saturday night and Matthew Liberatore Sunday night. I haven’t seen any official Chicago Cubs lineups yet, but I think Friday night’s pitcher is Shota Imanaga while Ben Brown will start for the tiny bears Saturday night and Jordan Wicks Sunday night.
This might defy my goal of not being overdramatic, but this weekend’s St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs series reminds me of the end of Rocky II where both Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed have fallen to the canvas and the winner is the one who gets up first. No, the Cardinals and Cubs are not playing for a world championship this weekend, but symbolically the team that gets up off of the mat first this weekend might just be the one who remains competitive into the summer. Will the St. Louis Cardinals be Balboa or Creed? Let’s hope our “tarps off” crowd gets that Rocky chant (and our bats) going this weekend.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 17: Elmer Rodriguez #71 of the New York Yankees in action against the New York Mets at Citi Field on May 17, 2026 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Yankees 7-6 in ten innings. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón back in the Yankees’ rotation, a staff that began the year in flux (and excelled despite it) is beginning to settle in. Still, with Max Fried a ways off from returning, the odds that the team will need to dip into its depth at Triple-A, either for a spot start or to replace an injured starter, remain high. Let’s take a look at who’s available down at Triple-A should additional reinforcements be needed. Note that Luis Gil has been on the minor-league IL with shoulder inflammation since May 8th, so he’s not in the discussion.
Elmer Rodríguez
In three starts with the Yankees this season, Rodríguez has clearly not been at his best. Baseball America’s 59th-ranked prospect entering the year has struck out six against nine walks; at Triple-A, his K:BB ratio is a much more tenable 34:15. Still, despite this underwhelming demonstration of his stuff and the fact that he didn’t make it through five innings in any of the outings, Rodríguez kept the Yankees in all three games, showing a tenacity and focus that belie his years and raise his floor.
Given his prospect pedigree and promising showing in limited MLB action, the 22-year-old remains the Yankees’ best option, whether for a single start or for a few turns through the rotation. One cause for alarm in the event Rodríguez gets another shot soon is his 6.03 expected ERA, a number which dwarfs his actual 4.15 mark.
Brendan Beck
When Ryan Weathers was ill on May 7th, Brendan Beck’s life was forever changed. He got the call to fill in, pitching behind opener Paul Blackburn and allowing two runs in three innings of work. It was a fine-if-unremarkable debut, the largest takeaway from which may have been that it forced the Yankees to add him to their 40-man roster.
Beck’s 4.42 ERA in 10 starts with Scranton doesn’t jump out and, at 27 with an injury history, the Stanford product has never been a top prospect (MLB Pipeline has 12 Yankees pitchers ahead of him in their rankings). Still, if another spot start is in order, the fact that the 2021 second-round pick can easily be called up without having to make room on the 40-man is appealing, particularly if the timing doesn’t line up with Rodríguez’s turn in the rotation. The right-hander has thrown at least 80 pitches each of his last three starts and should be able to give length if called upon.
Carlos Lagrange
Lagrange, he of the 103-mph fastball, may be the most tantalizing hurler in wait at Triple-A. There’s little question he has the raw stuff to pitch in the bigs. But, in 10 starts, he’s gone 0-2 with a 4.78 ERA and a 4.98 BB/9. That’s hardly enough to jump Rodríguez and Beck, both of whom are on the 40-man. There’s been talk that his repertoire could make him a more viable weapon out of the bullpen, and that could eventually come to pass in the second half of 2026. For now, the Yankees have insisted on keeping him stretched out. The coming months will be an important opportunity for the 23-year-old to show he can stick in a rotation, but he’ll need to show more before he’s in serious play for a start in the Show.
As always, in the event a spot start is called for, a bullpen game will be in play. Both Yarbrough and Blackburn have performed reasonably well in long relief roles and have extensive starting experience, making them options to pitch multiple innings either as openers or bulk arms.
After making three solid fill-in starts, Elmer Rodríguez remains the clear next man up, effectively serving as the Yankees’ shadow sixth starter. Brendan Beck is a useful depth option should Rodríguez be unavailable, with a bullpen game another avenue the team could take in a pinch.
COVERS INTEL: Eovalidi is in the 
