We made it to another Friday. I had my birthday yesterday and didn’t really do all that much differently than a normal Thursday, which made it a nice day. I had a cardio tennis class, which is just a run-yourself-into-the-ground-for-an-hour thing, and squash last night, which, again, is run-yourself-into-the-ground. And there were calls from our kids and friends mixed in. Tonight it is drinks with friends.
There isn’t much for news, yet again, today.
The Jays are going to wear a patch celebrating their 50 years in the MLB this seasson:
As always, my first reaction is that it can’t be 50 years because I remember the first season. My second is I’d like to get a pin of that.
Bo Bichette sent Jays’ fans a message through Hazel Mae:
Whit Merrifield has decided to tell us that Bo “loves Toronto, loves the Jays, loves the city, loves the fans.” And “that there was some stuff along the way that happened with Bo and the coaching staff.” I’m sure that Bo did love Toronto and all. I don’t believe that the reason he signed with the Mets had anything to do with a problem with the coaching staff. I think it had more to do with the $42 million a season the Mets offered. The Jays weren’t going to match that.
Whit also told us that Kyle Tucker wanted to sign with the Jays, they just wouldn’t offer enough money. I’ll believe that. I believe that Tucker wanted to sign with whatever team offered the most money. The Dodgers decided to offer what I think is an insane amount of money, so he signed there.
There are three Blue Jays on Baseball America’s top 100 prospect list:
10: Trey Yesavage
62: Arjun Nimmala
68: JoJo Parker
About Parker they said:
Scouting Report: Parker is a physical shortstop who stands 6-foot-2 with a strong, muscular build and room to add more strength. He was one of the older players in the 2025 high school class but shows arguably the best balance of hitting and power among his prep peers. Parker sets up with an open stance and a narrow base. He rests the bat on his shoulder, then engages his load with a leg kick that feeds into an aggressive stride. Parker shows plus bat-to-ball skills and a patient approach. He can get overly passive at times, taking too many hittable pitches in the zone. He does a good job of pulling pitches located on the inner half of the plate and shows plus raw power. His swing is more geared toward hard line drives than lofted fly balls, but he should grow into above-average power at peak. Parker is an average runner who gets out of the box well, but he’s unlikely to impact the game much with his speed. Parker is a shortstop at present but is likely to move to third base. He lacks the quick-twitch mechanisms and range needed to play shortstop. He does have a strong internal clock and an above-average arm.
The Future: Parker projects as an above-average regular at third base who could one day grow into an all-star.
They also had LHP Johnny King on their ‘just missed out’ list. He was a third-round pick in 2024 and struck out 105 in 61.2 innings spilt between Dunedin and the FCL.
The Jays announced their non-roster spring training invites.
There are just 13 days until the NBA trade deadline, and while this is often when talks heat up, this year is seeing some cooling as well — this could be a quiet trade deadline (at least for those wanting to see a blockbuster deal). Here is the latest from around the league.
No Karl-Anthony Town talks
Knicks fans' frustration with Towns may be at an all-time high, but that doesn't mean the New York front office is looking to move on from him, according to multiple reports.
Sam Amick at The Athletic was definitive in what he wrote on Friday, recalling what team owner James Dolan recently said in a radio interview.
"According to league and team sources, the Knicks have not engaged in any discussions about a possible Towns trade this season and plan on persevering with him during this challenging time. That intel is consistent with what Dolan said in his interview, when he insisted that 'This group can win a championship; I believe that.'"
Based on conversations with various league sources, my read on the New York Knicks with Karl-Anthony Towns, the Memphis Grizzlies with Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Charlotte Hornets with LaMelo Ball is that those teams are not actively seeking to solicit offers on those players at this point.
If the Knicks fall short of Dolan's stated goal of at least making the NBA Finals this season, there will be changes. Mike Brown's job as coach would be in jeopardy, but Towns might be the biggest scapegoat. Just remember, it's a lot easier to match Giannis Antetokounmpo's salary in a hypothetical trade if Towns is in the deal.
Jonathan Kuminga
Kuminga is back in the Warriors rotation (although he had to leave Thursday's game early after tweaking his ankle, a concerning sign). It's not that Steve Kerr had a change of heart, nor is this to boost Kuminga's trade value, this is all fallout from the devastating injury that ended Jimmy Butler's season.
None of that changes anything for Kuminga, he still wants to be traded, something Chris Haynes talked about on NBA Prime.
“Kuminga has no desire to remain a member of the Golden State Warriors.” @ChrisBHaynes reports on the relationship between the Dubs and Jonathan Kuminga pic.twitter.com/PfHNxA8GYn
The reality on the ground has not changed either: Both the Warriors and Kuminga are ready for a divorce, but the market for the wing is not strong. Maybe the Warriors find a trade they like, maybe they keep him past the trade deadline, pick up his option for next season and use his salary in a larger trade this offseason (Golden State wants to be in a Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, if there is one). The divorce is coming, just maybe not as quickly as either side would hope.
Ja Morant
League sources continue to tell NBC Sports that there isn't much of a market for Ja Morant's services, and he likely is in Memphis past the deadline. For example, Toronto is out of the sweepstakes, according to multiple reports, including Michael Grange at Sportsnet in Canada. However, Sam Vecenie at The Athletic is hearing something a little different.
Some executives would say that he has negative trade value because of his history of injuries and inability to stay on the court. Others look at him as a terrific buy-low candidate where they'd be willing to give up something to get a player who, when he's at his best, still looks like a serious difference-maker.
Those executives may want to buy low, but do the Grizzlies want to sell low?
Anthony Davis
There is an intentionally vague timeline on Davis’ hand injury and return (he is not having surgery and is being re-evaluated around the All-Star break) in part to keep the hopes of a Davis trade at the deadline alive. Davis' agent, Rich Paul, is pushing to find him a new home sooner rather than later.
However, the market for Davis has cooled in the wake of the hand injury, reports Jake Fischer at The Stein Line. Davis remains more likely to be traded as part of what is shaping up to be a blockbuster summer, not before Feb. 5.
Other trade rumors
• Golden State is keeping an eye on Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James, and would only trade Jimmy Butler for one of them (or a player of that level), reports Jake Fischer at The Stein Line.
• Speaking of the Warriors, they checked in with the Nets on Michael Porter Jr. but the asking price was higher than they were willing to spend and those talks are over, reports Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
• LaMelo Ball isn't going anywhere at the trade deadline (there isn't much of a market for him, at least at the price the Hornets would seek), but a deal for wing Miles Bridges is more possible, reports Sam Amick at The Athletic. He reports Bridges is "drawing significant interest" from teams including Milwaukee, Golden State and Phoenix. Of that trio, the desperate Bucks make the most sense.
• Houston has had some struggles of late where it became obvious how much they miss Fred VanVleet running the point and his shooting. With that, the Rockets are eyeing Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado, reports Chris Haynes of NBA on Prime.
While the Rockets have been linked to bigger names, the Rockets are hard-capped at the first tax apron and only have about $1.3 million in wiggle room below that, making a big move difficult to pull together. Alvarado makes $4.5 million (and has a matching $4.5 million player option for next season) and making that trade work is a lot more feasible.
• It's no secret Minnesota is looking to upgrade at the point guard position. Three names to watch areTyus Jones (Orlando), Malik Monk (Sacramento), and guard Collin Sexton (Charlotte), Siegel reports.
• Indiana is looking for a center and one potential deal to watch for is New Orleans to trade Yves Missi to the Pacers for wing Bennedict Mathurin, although that needs to be worked out with other players to fit under the CBA, reports Jake Fischer at The Stein Line.
The Atlanta Braves had what can only be described as a woefully year. They were wracked with injuries to their rotation and lineup which led to a 76-86 record. good for 4th in the NLE. It was the first time Atlanta has missed the playoffs since 2017 and spelled the end for long time manager Brian Snitker. It’s clear the Braves are at a crossroads, especially with a farm system considered weak, yet the roster does include some formidable talents and some excellent young players along with established stars? Was this just an injury generated blip that will see the Braves return to power in the NLE or has the organization between eclipsed by the Mets and the Phillies?
I reached out to Ivan the Great, one of the editors at Battery Power, and he was kind enough to answer some questions about his take on the Braves offseason and the issues they face going into 2026.
So far, the Braves have added Ha-Seong Kim, Robert Suarez, Mike Yastrzemski, Mauricio Dubón and Jorge Mateo this offseason. Is this likely it and if not, what are the key areas that still need addressing?
It’s probably it. The Braves could probably use a lower-risk starter given that pretty much their entire rotation is high variance due to missing time with injury last year, but prices for durable starters have gone off the rails over the last few years, so I don’t think it’s necessarily something to expect. The flip side is that the Braves tend to operate by drawing a line in the sand about acquisition prices, but then being very opportunistic if they see something that comes in below that price – so you can’t rule out a late-breaking roster shuffle if an opportunity presents itself. That said, as prices for quality players of all stripes continue to rise, don’t bank on that, either.
The 2025 season was the least successful for the Braves since 2017. Is that largely attributed to injuries to key players or are there any underlying issues the team is facing to be competitive in 2026?
There was a point last season where I asked our community this question – framed as a binary choice between either the roster needing to change, or everything but the roster needing to change. To a person, every single respondent said the latter. Injuries are injuries, but the team was also horrendously injured in 2024 and weathered it okay, all things considered.
To avoid beating around the bush, I think the most succinct-if-a-little-too-glib correct answer is that the Braves have a very well-built roster, but do (or did, or have done) a lot of stupid stuff with it, and that level of “stupid stuff” hit a new high in 2025. The team consistently snubbed its nose at stuff like the times-through-the-order penalty and leverage, but was usually fine because the bats were outslugging everyone. The coup de grace, then, came in the offseason, when the powers that be, apparently spooked by a catastrophically large input-output gap on offense for much of the 2024 season, wheeled around to an offensive approach that was directly at odds with what the team had implemented from both a roster construction and coaching perspective from 2019-2024. A team of sluggers was asked to draw more walks and fight the ball off the other way, and it basically destroyed the season.
None of us have any idea whether “doing stupid stuff” is an underlying issue, or if things will magically be fixed with some turnover in the coaching staff in the offseason. We’ll have to wait and see. In general, you don’t expect a team’s talent to play down because who would bother with such a huge unforced error, right? But that’s what we’ve seen on the pitching end from this team here and there over the last few seasons, and then we saw it on the hitting side last year.
Which players really took the biggest steps forward this year for the club?
I think it has to be Drake Baldwin to start. He wasn’t really even in the conversation for the Opening Day roster, but Sean Murphy’s injury led to a Rookie of the Year campaign. Baldwin’s approach to hitting sort of goes against the grain of his teammates but also happened to dovetail really well with what the team was hoping the bats would do offensively. Given Sean Murphy’s bizarre status (playing through worse than a run-of-the-mill hip injury for multiple years), Baldwin has leapfrogged his way to being a key cog in this machine.
Hurston Waldrep had a nice run down the stretch last year, but he looks like he has a bunch of stuff to work through. That’s true of most young pitchers, but I think Baldwin took a definitive, huge step forward, and everyone else, Waldrep included, isn’t really in the same tier.
The Braves’ farm system is generally considered to be weak at the upper levels compared to most other clubs. Is there a likely world where one of their top prospects like Richie or Caminiti has a legitimate shot at the bigs this year, or is it most likely they’ll stay put until 2027 at the earliest?
One thing we know about the Braves is that they’ll promote you when they think you’re ready. They don’t care at all about outside evaluations, and they don’t seem to care about anything that you could likely garner from a stat sheet either. They have internal benchmarks and once you hit them, you’re going to be thrown into the fire, irrespective of innings at level or whatever. To that end, I don’t know how to speculate about a legitimate shot at promotion, since it depends on Caminiti and company hitting benchmarks that are totally opaque to me. Didier Fuentes got a promotion last year and didn’t stick – one of the few times a prospect call-up who appeared rushed to the majors by this regime didn’t.
The one thing possibly working against another out-of-nowhere promotion is that the Braves have a bunch of rotation options, at least until injuries strike. Grant Holmes and Reynaldo Lopez could start or relieve depending on health and needs, Bryce Elder is kind of like the proverbial bad penny, and AJ Smith-Shawver should return eventually. That means that if prospect promotion were a combination of “readiness” and opportunity previously, the opportunity may be more constrained this time around.
Of the remaining FAs, which would fit best for the Braves, even if it’s a bit of a stretch they’d land there?
The QO and personality issues probably pose a challenge with regard to Framber Valdez, so I guess Chris Bassitt is the next man up in that regard. Whether Bassitt is truly a “fit” is hard to say, because it depends on whether the Braves consider him good enough to start a playoff game – that seems to be their (self-professed) bar for shelling out for a starter acquisition. If he is, then I think it’s not even a stretch that they add Bassitt eventually, as he helps smooth out the innings burden across the rotation. If not, then I have no idea – Zac Gallen also requires the loss of a draft pick. Maybe Zack Littell? Bassitt seems like the easy answer, though.
Assuming you could put on the ‘accept all trades’ button, what would an ideal but still realistic target be for you before ST starts?
Once upon a time this offseason, I would’ve said Otto Lopez, as he fits pretty much everything the Braves like, want, and need: undervalued relative to inputs and production, an approach that fits with 2025-Braves but could also benefit from the instruction of 2019-2024 Braves, and at a clear position of need. That ship has not only sailed with the Braves re-adding Ha-Seong Kim, but was probably never really tied up at the pier anyway.
The alternative is for some starters that aren’t really on the trading block but would’ve been nice if they were: Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, the largely unheralded Jose Soriano, that sort of thing. Other names that I could throw out in this tier would be MacKenzie Gore, Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Yusei Kikuchi, and Sandy Alcantara – none are perfect but that’s the sort of thing I expect from the Braves if “force trade” were a reality and they couldn’t go too off the rails. (In other words, they didn’t abuse their power to get Cole Ragans or something.)
I want to do a post about the Gore MacKenzie trade that talks about the prospects the Rangers give up. And as part of that, I was going to go through and look at who else the Rangers have traded, in terms of prospects, to get a major league return since the start of the 2023 season.
But such a list would be unwieldy in the middle of a post, and really, has value outside of the discussion of the Gore trade. So instead, I’m doing a separate post about it.
I’m not listing guys lost on waivers or sold for cash considerations to clear up a 40 man roster spot, since my focus is just on guys traded in actual baseball deals designed to make the present team better, not guys who are lost for procedural reasons. I’m also including guys who had technically lost their prospect eligibility because I’m not being pedantic about it.
Here you go:
Cole Ragans — 6/30/23 to Kansas City for Aroldis Chapman
Roni Cabrera — 6/30/23 to Kansas City for Aroldis Chapman
Luisangel Acuna — 7/30/23 to NY Mets for Max Scherzer and cash
Tekoah Roby — 7/30/23 to St. Louis for Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton
Thomas Saggese — 7/30/23 to St. Louis for Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton
Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa — 5/8/24 to ChiSox for Robbie Grossman
Liam Hicks — 7/28/24 to Detroit for Carson Kelly
Tyler Owens — 7/28/24 to Detroit for Carson Kelly
Joseph Montalvo — 7/30/24 to Detroit for Andrew Chafin
Chase Lee — 7/30/24 to Detroit for Andrew Chafin
Brayan Mendoza — 12/11/24 to Miami for Jake Burger
Echedry Vargas — 12/11/24 to Miami for Jake Burger
Maximo Acosta — 12/11/24 to Miami for Jake Burger
Garrett Horn — 7/31/25 to Minnesota for Danny Coulombe
Mitch Bratt — 7/31/25 to Arizona for Merrill Kelly
Kohl Drake — 7/31/25 to Arizona for Merrill Kelly
David Hagaman — 7/31/25 to Arizona for Merrill Kelly
Skylar Hales — 7/31/25 to St. Louis for Phil Maton
Mason Molina — 7/31/25 to St. Louis for Phil Maton
Jaiker Garcia — 12/10/25 to Pittsburgh for Carter Baumler
Gavin Fien — 1/22/26 to Washington for MacKenzie Gore
Abi Ortiz — 1/22/26 to Washington for MacKenzie Gore
Devin Fitz-Gerald — 1/22/26 to Washington for MacKenzie Gore
Alejandro Rosario — 1/22/26 to Washington for MacKenzie Gore
Yeremy Cabrera — 1/22/26 to Washington for MacKenzie Gore
The guy who resuscitated the Los Angeles Lakers after a six-year playoff drought had to field questions about his relationship with Jeanie Buss?
The guy who won the team their first championship in 10 years had to address reported criticism from its governor?
LeBron James was peppered with questions about his relationship with Buss and his commitment to the team. Spectrum Sportsnet
The guy who devoted eight years of his career to the Lakers (his longest continuous stint anywhere) and is in a two-horse race with Michael Jordan for the greatest player of all-time, had to be in the hot seat?
As James stood by his locker following a 23-point, six-rebound and five-assist performance in the Lakers’ 112-104 loss to the LA Clippers on Thursday, he was peppered with questions about his relationship with Buss and his commitment to the team.
“Quite frankly, I don’t really get involved in that, or the reports, or whatever the case may be,” James said. “I’ve seen a lot of it, obviously, but I don’t really – I don’t really care about the reports, to be honest. You guys know me. You guys know since I’ve been here, my eighth year here, been in this league 23 years. It’s gonna be another article tomorrow, especially involving me.
The inquisition came after a wide-ranging ESPN story was published Wednesday which included claims that Buss has a myriad of frustrations with the superstar, including his “outsized ego,” his influence over the team, his lack of accountability over the Russell Westbrook disaster and his lack of gratitude over the team drafting his son.
As for James’ relationship with Buss?
Buss was not quoted in the story. And she issued a statement to The Athletic on Wednesday taking issue with the assertions in the article. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
“I thought it was good,” he said. “But somebody could see it another way, so it’s always two sides of the coin. At the end of the day, how I represented this franchise, and what I wanted to do to represent this franchise from when I got here to now has been with the utmost respect, and honor and dignity and I would say loyalty. I mean, s—, I have played here longer than pretty much any other franchise I’ve played for besides Cleveland and that was a seven and a four.”
As for whether he wants to finish this season with the Lakers?
“I’m good,” said James, who has a no-trade clause in his contract. “I’m good. I’m good.”
But how could he be good?
LeBron dismissed the latest media storm as yet another deluge he has to weather. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Imagine pouring your heart out for an organization after joining it in free agency in 2018, winning them a championship in your second season with the team, becoming both the league’s all-time leading scorer and the league’s longest-tenured player while wearing a purple and gold jersey…. and then hearing that the team’s governor was frustrated with you.
That she “privately mused” about trading you in 2022. That she begrudgingly signed you to a two-year, $104 million contract extension in 2024.
Buss was not quoted in the story. And she issued a statement to The Athletic on Wednesday taking issue with the assertions in the article. “It’s really not right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he has to be pulled into my family drama. To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”
James, of course, is no stranger to criticism.
He has been at the center of it since entering the league as an 18-year-old. He dismissed the latest media storm as yet another deluge he has to weather. He claims he’s unperturbed by the inclement weather.
“It really don’t bother me,” James said. “I’m 41 years old and I watch golf every day. I don’t care about an article. I don’t care how somebody feels about me. If you know me personally, then you know what I’m about. These guys know what I’m about and that’s all that matters. I could care less how somebody feels about me.”
LeBron said he came to the Lakers with one goal: Restoring them to excellence. AP
James went on to say he came to the Lakers with one goal: Restoring them to excellence.
“The things that I’ve seen growing up with the Lakers, obviously I didn’t get an opportunity to watch The Showtime [teams], but I know this history. And then in the early 2000s with Shaq and Kobe, and then what Kob did, and those couple runs with him and Pau. My whole mindset was how can I get that feeling back to the Lakers organization.”
James more than delivered.
He won the Lakers their 17th championship. He took a franchise that was languishing in basketball purgatory following Bryant’s torn Achilles’ tendon in 2013 and made them a success again.
And now he has to deal with this? In his 23rd season? When he’s contemplating retirement?
It’s a shame. The only thing more spectacular than James’ accomplishments on the court are his standards off of it. He avoids drama. He represents organizations with class.
And he gets repaid by this shadow over the final one-third of his career?
So what if James has an ego? You think one of the greatest players of all-time wouldn’t?
James shrugged off the drama, as he has done so many times in his career. He claimed none of it mattered to him. NBAE via Getty Images
So what if he had a lot of influence over the Lakers? Ultimately, Buss had the final say.
So what if James didn’t take accountability over the Westbrook trade? He’s not the general manager.
So what if James wasn’t overly gushing about the Lakers drafting his son, Bronny, with the 55th overall pick in 2024? Buss knows better than anyone about a father’s devotion to his children.
Even if Buss has legitimate reasons to be frustrated with James, the bottom line is he breathed new life into an organization that considers anything short of winning a championship a failure.
He has spent hours a day making sure he’s available night after night. He has given this organization his all. Really, what more could anyone want from their superstar?
James shrugged off the drama, as he has done so many times in his career. He claimed none of it mattered to him.
But this time, his tone and body language told another story.
Thelo Aasgaard has scored in three of his past four starts in the Scottish Premiership (three goals), including both of his latest two at Ibrox, with three of his four league goals for Rangers this season coming at home (75%).
Just 27% of Dundee's points in the Scottish Premiership this season have come away from home (six out of 22), the lowest ratio of any side, although they did pick up their first away league win of the season most recently at Dundee United (1-0).
Rangers have won their past five league matches, last winning more on the spin in February 2024 under Philippe Clement (nine).
Dundee are winless in 20 away games at Rangers in all competitions, although their 1-1 draw most recently (August 2025) ended a 19-game losing streak.
Rangers are unbeaten in 19 meetings with Dundee in all competitions (W15 D4) since a 2-1 defeat in November 2017.
Let’s try something new. We’re just going to pretend that the last game didn’t exist. We never played the Knicks two nights ago. We are on a clean slate right now. Everything is okay, guys!
Tonight, Brooklyn will be taking on Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics as the Nets will look to get back in the winning column after losing three straight (I mean two straight, wink wink.) Brown’s career year has propelled Boston to be the second best team in the Eastern Conference, even though they haven’t had Jayson Tatum all season. If the Nets ever needed a victory that to change the energy for the entire team, it would be this one.
Where To Watch
Check out the action at 7:30 p.m. ET on the YES Network and NBA League Pass, as well as streaming on the Gotham Sports App.
Injury Report
The G-League guys — Ben Saraf, Tyson Etienne, E.J. Liddell, and Chaney Johnson — will all be on Long Island duties. Haywood Highsmith is out as well. Highsmith, still recovering from his off-season knee surgery, was expected to be trade piece at the deadline, but with less than two weeks left, that seems uncertain.
For the C’s, Jayson Tatum continues to be on the bench due to his achilles surgery, but it looks like he ciykd possibly return soon, which would be huge of the Beantown title hopes…
Derrick White will rest this one out, which is a blessing for him. Out of the 43 games the Celtics have played, he has only missed one while leading the team in minutes. Josh Minott (left ankle sprain) will sit as well.
The Game
This is the third game between the Atlantic Division rivals. Back in November, the teams split two games. The Celtics won the first contest on November 18 at TD Garden, then it was the Nets turn three days later at Barclays.
During the approach of the start of the season, it had seemed that the Celtics had finally ended their reign of terror in the East. Aside from Tatum, giving up their championship pieces in Jrue Holliday and Kristaps Porzingis was seen as a sign that their dominance had come to an end, calming many between Toronto and Miami. Fast forward to this week and you wonder how anyone could have thought that. After all, they are the Celtics. But it’s not just the greenies history. Jaylen Brown, the highest paid player in the NBA (ever) has made the transition to legitimate superstar.
Through the season, Brown is averaging 29.8 points on 48.8 % from the field. In the last three games, Brown is averaging 34.3 and nine. Not to mention his leadership. After long being looked at as a second option, Brown is proving that he has the skillset and mindset to lead a team of his own. Other members of the Celtics have been making big leaps as well. Derrick White is still one of the best two-way players in the game, Payton Pritchard has emerged as a starting point guard, and Luka Garza, the former Iowa superstar, is contributing well as a stretch five. He’s currently shooting 47.1 % from the 3-point line. If he had enough shot attempts, he’d qualify as the NBA’s second best from beyond the arc. Who knew? Apparently Brad Stevens did.
If the Nets have a chance in this one, it all starts with MPJ and his shooting struggles as of late. Even though he did say to the media that he has been dealing with an MCL sprain, it matters how he can continue to play through it, since he is choosing too. And even though he is only a rookie, Egor has to be better as well. We were riding high when things were going good for him. Now it is time for him to value consistency in his play.
Player To Watch: Payton Pritchard
Pritchard is making the most of his first year as the starting point guard for the Celtics. He is averaging a career high 16.5 points along with 5.4 assists, also tops in his career. Even though he is shooting a career worst 33.7% from downtown, you still have to get up on him as soon as he crosses half court. Where he is most efficient, though, is on isolation situations, where Egor Demin and/or Cam Thomas will have to pay attention to him….
As Hardwood Houdini’s Tyler Watts wrote recently, it’s not just his individual numbers that are stellar.
The advanced metrics are strong for the 27-year-old guard. He has already produced a 0.8 value over replacement player (VORP) and sits well above league average in win shares per 48 minutes. The Celtics have won Pritchard’s 1,051 minutes by 121 points and have the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA.
Not bad for a 6’1” combo guard who was taken at No. 26 in the 2020 Draft.
From the Vault
If you’re looking for a start date to the Nets current rebuild, February 14, 2024 is as good a date as any. The Nets lost by 50 (sound familiar) to the Celtics, a game which Lucas Kaplan wrote that the Nets had “soiled themselves.”
Days earlier, at the deadline, they had disappointed fans. They had secured Dennis Schroder rather than someone who could be the No. 1 to Mikal Bridges No. 2 and Cam Johnson’s No. 3 … or alternately, trade Bridges and Johnson for picks. There were plenty of offers.
As Mikal Bridges said post-game, “You gotta fix it.”
And fix it, they did. Five days after that monumental loss, they fired Jacque Vaughn, eating a not insignificant piece of his contract. More importantly, they realized that trying the middle road wasn’t working and so the rebuild was on. By April, they had hired Jordi Fernandez, By June, they had sent Bridges to the Knicks for five first rounders, a first round swap and a second while simultaneously getting the Rockets to rejigger their draft picks.
So, sometimes, a 50-point loss can clear the air, change the dynamic.
BROOKLYN — The Celtics could be without multiple starters when they face the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. Derrick White (rest) has already been ruled out, and Neemias Queta was a Friday morning addition, listed as questionable to play as he deals with a non-COVID illness.
In addition, Josh Minott (left ankle sprain) continues to be sidelined, as does Jayson Tatum (ruptured Achilles tendon).
The Nets, meanwhile, will be without Haywood Highsmith, who is recovering from right knee surgery.
The Celtics enter the game with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 27-16, while the Nets have the third-worst at 12-30. The Celtics have the second-best net rating in the NBA (+7.6) while the Nets have the 5th-worst (-6.3).
Celtics Injury Report Update vs. Brooklyn (1/23):
Josh Minott – Left Ankle Sprain – OUT Neemias Queta – Illness (Non-Covid) – QUESTIONABLE Jayson Tatum – Right Achilles Repair – OUT Derrick White – Rest – OUT
The Celtics and Nets face off for the fourth time this season
The Celtics and the Nets have faced off twice this season, with each team coming away with one win. The Celtics are coming off a 15-point win over the Atlanta Hawks, while the Nets are fresh off a historic 54-point loss to the New York Knicks.
At Celtics shootaround in Brooklyn on Friday morning, Luka Garza said he expected the Nets to come out with energy after such a lopsided defeat. But, he also recalled the last time the Celtics and Nets faced off in November, the Nets came away with a 14-point win.
“I think every time a team takes a loss like that, you expect them to come out with a lot of energy, a lot of fire,” Garza said. “But for us, we also remember the last time we played them, and they beat our ass. So, we have a lot of motivation coming into tonight, too.”
MLB Network dropped their top 100 players list entering 2026, with four Athletics named following the team’s first season in West Sacramento.
Young stars Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson are each coming off sensational rookie seasons, so it’s no surprise that Kurtz found himself at No. 23 after snagging AL Rookie of the Year back in November. Meanwhile, the budding shortstop Wilson, who was the runner-up behind Kurtz, came in at No. 76.
With that duo at the forefront, the A’s quietly have built one of the best young lineups in the league. Kurtz’s 4-homer game in Houston and Wilson getting the starting nod for the 2025 All-Star Game were key moments that spotlighted the Athletics’ overall improvement.
Veteran power hitter Brent Rooker and catcher Shea Langeliers also have cemented themselves in the Athletics’ everyday starting lineup. Rooker’s durability was highlighted in 2025 after he played all 162 games, while Langeliers’ improvements on defense and pitch framing made him one of the best backstops in the American League. Ranking each at No. 91 and No. 92, respectively, seems understandable with a sub-.500 team record last year.
Rooker, Kurtz and Wilson were featured on Kings Pregame Live on Sunday and expressed their excitement to build on the Athletics’ 2025 season. Manager Mark Kotsay is eager to expand the roster’s young core following the MLB Winter Meetings.
The A’s front office has been moderately active so far during the 2025 offseason. The team added some infield depth by acquiring veteran Jeff McNeil in a trade with the New York Mets. However, free agent third baseman Nolan Arenado signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, which will force the A’s to look at other options to seal the left side of the infield.
The A’s have some interesting options to look at in order to fully fill out the 2026 roster. The offensive foundation seems solid, so starting pitching and prospect development remain high priority. Until then, pitchers and catchers will report to spring training on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
Williams not ready and will miss next week’s first test
Lewis Hamilton has emphasised the scale of the challenge facing drivers and teams as Formula One enters a new season with a regulation reset which the British driver described as the biggest of his career, as his Ferrari team look to a new start after a disappointing 2025.
The Scuderia launched their new car, the SF-26, with Hamilton driving it at the team’s test track at Fiorano for the first time on Friday. He was optimistic, having been involved in the development of a Ferrari for the first time but acknowledged that a huge task lay ahead.
LeBron James is 41 years old, has been in the league 23 years, and has earned the right to be in the middle of his "I don't give a f***" phase of dealing with the drama always swirling around him and the Lakers.
"I don't really care about the reports, to be honest," James said. "Since I've been here, my eighth year here [in L.A.], been in this league 23 years, there's [always going to] be another article tomorrow, especially involving me. At the end of the day, when I came to this organization, my whole mindset was about restoring excellence...
"Quite frankly, I don't really care about articles," James said. "I really don't. I don't care about stories. I don't care about podcasts and all that type of s***. Nah, they don't bother me. I'm 41 years old, and I watch golf every day. I don't care about an article. I don't care how somebody feels about me. If you know me personally and you know what I'm about, [my teammates] know what I'm about, and that's all that matters. ... I can care less how somebody feels about me."
LeBron can point to the fact that he (and Paul) pushed for Anthony Davis to be traded to the Lakers, and they formed the core of a team that won the title in 2020 — there is a banner hanging at Crypto.com because of him.
This is all in the rearview mirror now. Buss is no longer the team's owner (although she and her siblings maintain about a 17% ownership stake and she still serves as the team's governor), and this is widely expected to be LeBron's final season with the Lakers. There has been friction at all of LeBron's stops, but there also have been championships at each one. He is in the GOAT conversation with good reason, and a decade from now that's all people will talk about. Not the drama.
To the extent that Craig Breslow was hired to turn around Red Sox pitching, you can’t say he that hasn’t done his job. In just two offseasons, Breslow has completely revamped the top of the Sox rotation by aggressively acquiring one of the game’s best pitchers in Garrett Crochet and two other recent all-stars in Sonny Gray and Ranger Suárez. Meanwhile, a number of depth moves combined with internal prospect development has given the Sox something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before in my lifetime as a Sox fan: a genuinely ridiculous amount of starting pitching depth.
Here’s how the FanGraphs projections look right now:
Projections are a useful tool. But they’re are also a blunt tool that, by design, ignores a lot of important nuance and context. Looking at the projections for both Johan Oviedo and Patrick Sandoval demonstrates this. The computer only pegs them to throw 80 and 54 innings, respectively, because they’ve both recently missed entire seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery. But we human beings know that they are both likely to be healthy at the start of spring training. Likewise, the idea that neither Connelly Early nor Patyon Tolle throws at least 30 innings beggars belief.
So, rather than look forward via projections, I decided to look backward at things that actually happened. I took a look at the five teams who led baseball in starting pitching fWAR over the last five seasons in order to determine how teams actually put together the best starting pitching in baseball. Do the 2026 Red Sox have what it takes to join this list?
2025: Philadelphia Phillies, 21.5 WAR
Starters who made 30 starts: 2
Starters who made 20 starts: 5
Starters who made 10 starts: 6
Total starters: 10
How did they do it?
When I first started this exercise, I figured the answer to this question would almost always be “depth.” After all, this is The Age of Tommy John, and baseball as an institution seemingly has absolutely no idea how to prevent or limit pitching injuries. It would be smart to assume, then, that whichever team has the best starting pitching in any given year is the team that has the deepest starting pitching.
The 2025 Phillies, though, belied that assumption. With the exception of Aaron Nola, who struggled at the start of the season before missing significant time with a rib cage injury, the 2025 Phillies rotation was remarkably healthy. In fact, the team essentially used only six starting pitchers all season. And, importantly, those starters were really, really good. Four Phillies starters finished in the top-12 for fWAR in all of baseball, led by Christopher Sanchez, whose 6.3 fWAR was third in all of baseball. And, yes, the guy who was 12th in baseball in starting pitching fWAR (but only fourth on the Phillies, lol) is now on the Red Sox.
So how did they do it? Health and a rotation filled with aces.
2024: Atlanta Braves, 17.4 WAR
Starters who made 30 starts: 1
Starters who made 20 starts: 5
Starters who made 10 starts: 6
Total starters: 13
How did they do it?
Once again, look to the Injury List. The 2024 Braves had 5 pitchers who made at least 21 starts. Unlike the 2025 Phillies, though, the Braves only had one ace in the rotation. Chris Sale won the NL Cy Young after posting 6.4 fWAR, while the Braves other four primary starters all finished between 1.1 and 3.5 fWAR.
Of course, there’s something else to note about the 2024 Braves rotation: it didn’t include Spencer Strider, who made just two starts before going down for the year. So how did the 2024 Braves put together the best starting staff in the game? By beginning the season with two aces (three if you want to throw Max Fried in there, though 2024 was only his fourth-best season by fWAR) and then getting good health from their solid but unspectacular group of mid-rotation arms when one of those aces went down.
2023: Philadelphia Phillies, 17.4 WAR
Starters who made more than 30 starts: 3
Starters who made more than 20 starts: 4
Starters who made more than 10 starts: 6
Total starters: 11
How did they do it?
The 2023 Phillies looked more like the 2024 Braves than the 2025 Phillies: one ace at the top (Zack Wheeler, 5.9 fWAR), followed by a solid group that stayed healthy: Aaron Nola, 3.8 WAR; Taijuan Walker, 2.4 WAR, Ranger Suarez, 2.4 WAR, Christopher Sanchez, 1.8 WAR. Note, also, that having three pitchers who made 30 starts makes this rotation a big time outlier.
2022: Houston Astros, 19.2 WAR
Starters who made 30 starts: 1
Starters who made 20 starts: 5
Starters who made 10 starts: 6
Total starters: 8
How did they do it?
Guys, I’m starting to think health has a lot to do with starting pitching success. Once again, we see a team that essentially used only six starters for the whole season. And, once again, we have a rotation that was led by an ace at the top. In this case it was Justin Verlander, who put up 6.1 WAR after missing the entire season the year prior. Unlike the 2024 Braves and 2023 Phillies, though, Verlander had a 1b in Framber Valdez, whose 4.4 WAR was good for 11th in all of baseball. The rest of the 2022 Astros rotation was filled out by solid but unspectacular performances by Christian Javier, Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy, and Jake Odorizzi.
2021: Los Angeles Dodgers, 20.8 WAR
Starters who made 30 starts: 2
Starters who made 20 starts: 3
Starters who made 10 starts: 7
Total starters: 19
How did they do it?
Holy freaking depth! Three-fifths of the planned 2021 Dodgers rotation — Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, and Trevor Bauer — all missed significant chunks of the season. Kershaw was sidelined for two months in the middle of the summer. May went down for the year after making just five starts. And Trevor Bauer missed the final three months of the season after he was suspended for being a piece of shit. And the man who started the year as the team’s sixth starter, Tony Gonsolin, also had two lengthy stints on the IL.
The Dodgers dealt with these absences by moving David Price from the bullpen to the rotation in the middle of the season (he would go on to start 11 games, providing 0.8 WAR in those starts), trading for Max Scherzer (who was outstanding in his 11 starts for the team, putting up 2.9 WAR), and using a lot of openers.
When fans and analysts talk about the importance of starting pitching depth in contemporary baseball, the 2021 Dodgers are the type of team they’re thinking of. But it’s important to note that this rotation was anchored by two aces at the top, as Walker Buehler and Julio Urias each started over 30 games and finished fourth and seventh, respectively, in starting pitching WAR.
So what needs to happen for the 2026 Red Sox to have the best rotation in baseball? The health of Garrett Crochet is the most important factor here, obviously. Each of these five teams had at least one pitcher who compiled at least 5 fWAR for the year. For as deep as the Red Sox pitching is, Crochet is probably the only player on the Red Sox currently capable of doing that. If he goes down, the Sox have no chance of having the best rotation in baseball, no matter how much depth they have.
Second, this list shows us that, despite all the emphasis on depth, the best rotations tend to use essentially only six pitchers over the course of the season. This isn’t to say that depth is overrated — the 2024 Braves performing as well as they did despite losing Spencer Strider shows us that it’s not. But it does mean that it’s really hard to have an elite rotation if you’re forced to rely on your depth too much. The 2021 Dodgers are very much the outliers here.
So, to have the best rotation in baseball, the Sox will likely need (1) at least one ace at the top of the rotation, and (2) 3-4 other starters who stay healthy and post around 2-3.5 WAR. It’s in this second factor that the Sox’ depth comes into play. If Sonny Gray has a disappointing season (not an unreasonable thing to worry about as he’s 36-years-old), can Patrick Sandoval replace his innings with the near-all-star level pitching he provided from 2022 through 2024? If Ranger Suarez or Brayan Bello goes down for the year (and you know someone will!) can Connelly Early or Payton Tolle step in and step up?
We’ll find out the answer to the question posed in this headline soon enough. But in light of that fact that we are just a few years removed from watching Corey Kluber take the ball on opening day, the mere fact that we can genuinely ask it is a wonderful thing.
It’s NBA rivalry week, and twin vs twin has been deemed must-see TV. Ausar Thompson and the Detroit Pistons host Amen Thompson and the Houston Rockets tonight.
Detroit has zoomed through its schedule and built a comfortable lead over the field in the East. The Rockets are coming off a tough overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers last night. They need every W they can get with the West being so tight between the 4th and 7th seed.
Every game is crucial for Houston, but unfortunately for them, Detroit doesn’t take games off, and we want our twin to break the 2-2 tie between the Thompson brothers. This should be another fun national TV game.
Game Vitals
When: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
How: Prime Video
Odds: Pistons -3.5
Analysis
The masses wouldn’t believe you if you told them the Pistons would reach 30 wins before the Rockets this season. Yet here we are. Detroit is the one seed, best defense besides the Thunder, and has an All-Star starter. The Rockets can’t claim any of those feats.
The Rockets are the 4th seed out West and one of the few teams with a top-five offense and defense, but are they truly contenders?
I use and love numbers, but I can’t get behind the Rockets being a legit top offense, especially in a playoff setting. Houston is efficient from deep, but shoots the 3 even less than Detroit.
Reed Sheppard is their best volume shooter outside of Durant, but he could be unplayable in April. Sheppard has good hands and instincts, but he might get blown by more than anybody I’ve watched this season. Tari Eason is striking it from 3, but he’s definitely a you-have-to-prove-it’s-real type shooter who teams will leave open. The floor will shrink for them. Their outstanding offensive rebounding and Durant’s shot making is their saving grace.
Ball handler wise, who do you really trust on the Rockets? Detroit has some of these same issues (spacing, ball handlers), but at least they have an MVP-level creator on the roster.
As All-Time as KD is, that’s not his forte. A center like Alperen Şengün being the de facto lead ball handler could raise problems due to his lack of shooting. Teams will sag and clog up the spacing for Durant.
On the other end, the Pistons’ defense will translate to any basketball setting. The Rockets are 4th to Detroit’s 2nd, but there’s a 4-point swing between these groups. All elite defenses aren’t created equally.
A high-energy chaotic group that’s on a string travels. The communication travels. Deploying two top-flight Defensive Player of the Year candidates in Isaiah Stewart and Ausar Travels.
Ausar matches up with point guards 31 percent of the time per Bball-Index, but with the Rockets’ No. 1 option being Durant, we’ll see how JB Bickerstaff plays the matchup game. Amen is on the ball the most, but doesn’t operate like a modern point guard.
Jalen Duren and Stew will take the Şengün matchup. Şengün has struggled to finish at the cup. He’s shot a career high 68 percent at the rim, but that’s a lowly number for a big, and especially a “star” big. It won’t get any easier finishing with Detroit’s dawg pound members ready to bite.
Ausar might not have official access to the dawg pound, but there’s no doubt he’s a menacing defender. He’s an A+ all across the board on the perimeter (stats from 12/31/2025 but remain the same today).
Amen hasn’t been that level of a defender, but he’s expanded his game a bit offensively. The shot is the shot, but Amen is 79% at the line (~11% jump). Ausar could take some pointers there, as his poor FT shooting could be something that keeps him off the floor in the postseason, no matter how elite a defender he is.
Shooting aside, point Ausar continues to be a fun wrinkle Detroit can sprinkle in when he’s aggressive. His whip passes become easier to make when he’s a threat to score, and defenders are forced to make a decision. We’ve seen him step up as a ball handler with and without Cade Cunningham, so the New Orleans Pelicans game was not surprising.
With Cade out today, we are seeing a lot more of Ausar Thompson on-ball
The Pistons-Rockets “rivalry” had deeper lore when Jalen Green was a part of HTown. The history between him and Cade made for some anticipated matchups. That debate was settled long ago, but that hasn’t stopped Cade from putting his foot where it doesn’t belong when he matches up with Houston.
Who could forget last year’s slam when he dunked “on all them mfs heads“? Cade’s mentality is an under-discussed aspect of his greatness. He’s a gamer and lets opponents know he’s here to stay.
Detroit has an opportunity to make another statement on national TV. The New York Knicks and Boston Celtics got the belt in front of the whole NBA world, and Houston is next.
