Isaiah Evans confirms return to Duke

On the last day the transfer portal is open for players to enter, Duke found a creative way to confirm the return of one player for his sophomore season. Isaiah Evans will return to Duke. Evans’ return means the Blue Devils return a prolific scorer who’s in line for a larger role in the upcoming season.

Phillies lose series to Mets, cross fingers with Sanchez

Phillies lose series to Mets, cross fingers with Sanchez originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

NEW YORK — The Phillies lost a game and a series on Tuesday night. Now they’ll hope they haven’t lost much more.

Cristopher Sanchez exited after the second inning of a 5-1 Phillies loss with left forearm soreness. He’ll be reevaluated more in the coming days but this is obviously not a good development for the Phils, who are trying to get Aaron Nola right and don’t yet have Ranger Suarez in their rotation.

Sanchez saw a team doctor after leaving the game and went through movement drills in the training room.

“Right now, I feel normal,” he said. “I think it’s not going to be a thing we have to worry about. … The doc checked me out and I feel positive that we’re not gonna have to be worried about this.”

While that’s better than the alternative, Sanchez is not out of the woods yet. The Phillies have not yet determined whether he’ll go for an MRI but it’s a possibility. So is delaying his next start, which would be Tuesday at home against the Nationals.

“After talking to him, I’m not as concerned as when he came out,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “It’s a really scary spot on a pitcher but he seems to be doing all right and structurally seems to be in good shape.”

Sanchez threw a ton of pitches in his two innings — 31 in the first inning, 27 in the second. His sinker velocity was down and he didn’t have his best changeup after striking out 12 Giants in a dominant win last Thursday.

Realmuto could tell something was up in the bullpen before the game but thought it might be a finger issue Sanchez experienced against the Giants.

“In the bullpen, he was just a little more erratic than he usually is,” Realmuto said. “His fastball command wasn’t good at all, his pitches weren’t doing what they normally do.

“… What I was seeing in the bullpen kinda continued the first couple of innings. He just wasn’t himself.”

Mets starter Griffin Canning also labored early but both pitching staffs minimized damage to keep it a 2-1 game through six innings. This Phillies-Mets series has looked a lot like the 2024 NLDS — close contests broken open late by the Mets after the Phils failed time and again to pick up the one big hit needed to tie or take a lead.

The Phillies were 3-for-6 with men on base when Johan Rojas singled in Realmuto in the bottom of the second but went 1-for-13 from there. They stranded nine runners after leaving eight on base in Monday’s loss.

Once 8-2, the Phils are 13-11 and trail the Mets by four games in the NL East.

Juan Soto has made little impact on the series, going 0-for-8, but Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos continue to kill the Phillies. Vientos is 10-for-19 with three doubles and two homers in his last five games against the Phils. Lindor has been both a table-setter and run producer. It’s hard not to notice how much more of an impact he’s made in this head-to-head matchup than fellow shortstop Trea Turner, who has hit just .190 against the Mets in 24 games as a Phillie.

Manager Rob Thomson used five relievers to cover the third through eighth innings behind Sanchez. Joe Ross was most effective with three scoreless innings and three strikeouts. Ross hasn’t had a smooth start to his Phillies career but Tuesday was one of the major reasons why he was signed — to take down multiple innings if needed after a short start.

He and everyone else on the pitching staff will become more important if Sanchez is forced to miss time with the forearm injury. It could keep Taijuan Walker in the rotation and speed up Suarez’ return from a rehab assignment. Suarez (low back stiffness) has been sharp in three minor-league starts and threw 59 pitches over five scoreless innings Tuesday night for Lehigh Valley. The Phillies still intend to pitch Suarez one more time at Triple A on Sunday, Thomson said after Tuesday’s loss.

“Well, he’s one of the best pitchers in the National League,” Thomson said of Sanchez. “Other people would have to pick it up. But I’m not anticipating that yet.”

All that’s left in this series is to avoid a sweep. Zack Wheeler gives the Phillies their best chance to do so on Wednesday but even he needs offense. The Phillies have scored in just two of their last 20 innings.

“Just not getting the big hit enough,” Realmuto said. “We’re hitting into too many double plays, not getting enough hits with runners in scoring position. Especially against a team that pitches this well, we have to capitalize when we have runners out there.”

Islanders' Lou Lamoriello Had Nothing Left To Prove, But It's Time For A Rebuild On Long Island

Lou Lamoriello at the 2013 NHL draft (Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images)

When you’ve reached the pinnacle of the hockey management world, like now-former New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello did, you have to know you’re always working on borrowed time. 

At any moment in a zero-sum industry, if you’re not putting up wins or improving in virtually every metric, the team can go in a different direction.

There’s a constant pressure on you to succeed or part ways, and that was true Tuesday when the Islanders announced they’re not renewing the contract of GM-president Lamoriello.

The team gave no immediate reason for the decision or whether it was mutual or not, but the Islanders missed the playoffs this season, and at 82 years old, Lamoriello has nothing to prove to anyone. He may have reached the end of what long ago qualified as a Hockey Hall of Fame career.

Without question, Lamoriello is one of the most successful NHL movers-and-shakers of all-time.

In his first year as GM and president of the New Jersey Devils, Lamoriello guided the team to an Eastern Conference final appearance. And throughout 27 seasons running the Devils, Lamoriello won three Stanley Cups, qualified for five Cup finals and made the playoffs 21 times. Only the Detroit Red Wings came near New Jersey when it came to consistent success, and the cult of personality that Lamoriello created resulted in a culture that was the envy of most, if not all, NHL organizations.

Unfortunately, time eventually caught up to Lamoriello. 

After leaving New Jersey in 2015, he shifted to running the Toronto Maple Leafs for three years before leaving again, this time to serve as Islanders GM and president of hockey operations. 

Say what you will about Lamoriello’s competitive tactics, but you can’t say he ever lacked confidence in himself. Although there were blips of success during Lamoriello’s seven years as Isles GM – including two playoff semifinal appearances – there just wasn’t enough consistent success to keep him employed as GM.

In some ways, you have to appreciate Lamorello’s belief in his players and coaches. 

Lamoriello doubled down on mid-tier veterans, including left winger Pierre Engvall, center Jean-Gabriel Pageau and defenseman Scott Mayfield. But with due respect to forwards Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat and Anders Lee, blueliner Noah Dobson and goaltender Ilya Sorokin, the Islanders lacked the true superstar players that were the engine behind rival teams’ successes. There was no Hart Trophy-winner on Long Island, no Art Ross Trophy or Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy-winners.

Islanders John Collins Brings Massive NHL Experience To General Manager Search Islanders John Collins Brings Massive NHL Experience To General Manager Search When the news broke that the New York Islanders had moved on from Lou Lamoriello, we were told that John Collins would be leading the search for the next general manager.

With Lamoriello out of the picture, his successor will have a golden opportunity to commit to a full roster rebuild – something that could finally deliver the generational talent the Islanders have lacked since star center John Tavares left for the Leafs in 2018, the same year Lamoriello took the Isles’ job. It always felt like Lamoriello was hunting for big fish in the NHL talent pool – even getting Horvat in 2023 – yet he often came away with consolation prizes.

Even toward the end of his tenure, when Lamoriello hired icon Patrick Roy as Isles coach in January 2024 – there was a sense Lamoriello had lost his fastball. No longer could Lamoriello impose his will on a team in the way he did in his heyday. It was a different league Lamoriello was working in, and he didn’t have the foundation he had when superstars Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens and Patrik Elias were his dressing room and on-ice leaders in New Jersey.

So yes, while Islanders ownership is grateful to Lamoriello, it’s clear that it’s now time to tear things down to the studs and build a long-term winner by adding top-end talent through the draft. That’s the best way the Islanders will acquire foundational pieces to build a core with. No more half-measures for this franchise. 

Lamoriello’s days running a team might be over. But the learning tree around him will last for generations. We’re not suggesting all of Lamoriello’s more famous rules – including his determination to eradicate facial hair now and forever – will continue. But Lamoriello’s relentless pursuit of greatness will linger among everyone he did business with. That dogged determination to win will always be there, even if he winds up being a consultant to a team for the rest of his days.

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What we learned as Hicks struggles again in Giants' blowout loss

What we learned as Hicks struggles again in Giants' blowout loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — There have been a few games already this season when it seemed that a Giants starter would have such a rough outing that a position player would end up on the mound. On Tuesday, it finally happened.

An 11-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers ended with rookie infielder Christian Koss on the mound. The Giants gave up eight runs in the top of the sixth and allowed a season-high 11 runs on 13 hits, including a pair of homers in a long sixth inning. 

Jordan Hicks left a mess for Lou Trivino, who gave up a grand slam to Christian Yelich that turned this one into a blowout. Jake Bauers completed the eight-run sixth inning with a two-run blast of his own. 

The Giants dropped to 6-6 during this stretch of 17 games in 17 days. A night after getting three innings out of Hayden Birdsong, they needed 2 1/3 from fellow length reliever Spencer Bivens. Koss saved the bullpen a bit in the ninth, throwing a scoreless inning in his MLB pitching debut. 

Same Result

Hicks had to work hard the last time out to keep his line from looking disastrous. Against the Phillies, he gave up five runs in the first and then bounced back with six shutout innings. On Tuesday, there was no happy ending. 

Hicks gave up three runs in the third on two doubles and two singles, and when Bob Melvin let him try to get through the sixth, the inning turned disastrous. The right-hander sandwiched a single and a walk around a throwing error from Willy Adames, and when Trivino gave up a grand slam to Yelich, Hicks ended up with five earned runs on his line for a second straight start. He has a 6.59 ERA on the season and has allowed 21 runs in 21 1/3 innings since a spectacular season debut in Houston

Hicks is in year two of a four-year deal and continues to show good velocity, but it’s getting harder and harder for the staff to ignore the results — and the fact that Birdsong is in the bullpen and dominating. 

Missing Matos

The Giants were down by 10 when Luis Matos came up for a third time. There was no getting back in the game, but he had a chance to at least grab some momentum. Instead he hit a 78 mph grounder to short for an inning-ending groundout, which continued a recent trend. 

Matos hit into double plays in each of his first two at-bats, and there was no bad luck involved. The first one left the bat at 69 mph and the second at 74 mph. With the three slow rollers to short and a late strikeout, Matos extended his hitless streak to 21 at-bats. He’s batting .147 on the season and is just 2-for-21 against lefties.

The Giants were hopeful that Matos would be Mike Yastrzemski’s platoon partner and also do well enough that he could occasionally be their DH. With this early slump, he has already yielded some at-bats against lefties to Yastrzemski, and that might continue. 

RBI Guy

Wilmer Flores drove in nine runs on the road trip, but he was just 4-for-35 at the plate. In two games back home, he’s still driving in runs, but the rest of the production is there, too. 

Flores had three singles and a walk in four plate appearances and drove in a run in the eighth with a hard single down the right field line. He has reached base seven times in the two games of this series, raising his OPS from .680 to .798.

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Lamoriello's Cold-Blooded Legacy A Good Lesson For Rebuilding Sabres

Lou Lamoriello (Ed Mulholland, USA TODAY Sports)

The New York Islanders parted ways with GM and team president Lou Lamoriello Tuesday, perhaps putting an end to the 82-year-old icon's Hockey Hall-of-Fame career running NHL teams. But there's always something to learn from brilliant people, even when they're removed from power -- and Lamoriello's legacy could and should be a vital lesson for Sabres GM Kevyn Adams.

Here's what we mean:  Lamoriello has been known far and wide to be a cold-blooded operator -- someone who would fire his best friend in a heartbeat if he thought it would improve his chances of winning at the highest level of the game. Lamoriello has dismissed people time and again in the pursuit of greatness, and he came away from it with three Stanley Cups, a slew of playoff series wins, and a general greatness with the New Jersey Devils that was matched only by the Detroit Red Wings in the modern NHL era.

All of Lamoriello's quirks -- the loathing of facial hair, the ability to say nothing of consequence in interviews with the press -- all were there because of his burning drive to win. And while it became harder for Lamoriello to win in his post-Devils career with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Islanders, there was no mistaking that he was always going to double down on the talent he acquired, as well as the coaches he entrusted his players with. Whether it was Jacques Lemaire in his Devils heyday or Patrick Roy with the Isles at the moment, Lamoriello used every tool in his power in regard to coaches to gain an advantage over opponents. And that relentless focus is something Adams and the Sabres could use more of.

With Lamoriello now a free-agent of sorts, Buffalo ownership could do a lot worse than hire Lamoriello in a consultant's role. Indeed, Adams should be jumping at the chance to bring in someone with Lamoriello's pedigree, and at 82 years old, Lamoriello is probably not going to get another chance at being an NHL GM. If Adams is looking for a sounding board, Lamoriello could be an ideal hire for Buffalo. The opportunity to work with a younger group of players might be right up Lamoriello's alley, and we'd be shocked if no team hired Lamoriello to serve in one role or another.

But even if Lamoriello is hired by another team, the approach he's always taken -- with a willingness to do whatever he can to win hockey games -- should be matched by Adams and the Sabres. Some have called Lamoriello derogatory names for his style of management and the trap-happy style of his teams on the ice, but you can't take away the results that style has generated.

Kraken's Dismissal Of Coach Bylsma Is Another Reason Sabres Should Be Firing Bench Boss Lindy RuffKraken's Dismissal Of Coach Bylsma Is Another Reason Sabres Should Be Firing Bench Boss Lindy RuffThe NHL's coaching carousel continued spinning like crazy Monday, with the Seattle Kraken firing bench boss Dan Bylsma after only one year on the job. The Kraken/Bylsma news followed the news this past weekend that the New York Rangers dismissed Peter Laviolette, and that the Anaheim Ducks are moving on from Greg Cronin after only two years.

In his generation -- and in many generations -- Lamoriello has done things entirely the way he wanted them done, and that's an approach every team should borrow. Buffalo may not be the right fit for Lamoriello as a consultant, but you'd better believe his everyday approach to building a a winner is something that could help deliver better days to the Sabres. He's been in NHL circles for approaching four decades, and he's a Hall-of-Famer for good reason. And Buffalo could benefit from his unmatched experience.

Lamoriello's aura has always made him feel like the Frank Sinatra of the NHL -- and now that his era is very likely at an end, NHL GMs should be emulating him by doing things their way. The Sabres need to be relentlessly focused on winning, and that could start by bringing Lamoriello aboard. But if it doesn't, Buffalo's approach should still be as determined as Lamoriello was from Day One of his career until his final day. Lamoriello is a kingpin in his own right, and adopting his approach might be a very wise idea for the Sabres.

Kawhi Leonard's big night was months in the making during grueling rehab

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) drives past Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) in the second half of Game 2 of a first-round NBA playoff series Monday, April 21, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, driving past Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon for a layup, had 39 points in Game 2 on Monday night in Denver. (David Zalubowski / Associated Press)

Kawhi Leonard's teammates marvel at how much the Clippers' star forward has dedicated himself to get his body back to peak level.

They have watched how Leonard has stayed the course despite the frequent times his body betrayed him. They have supported Leonard during the trying times with his health issues because they have seen how he refuses to wallow in self-pity.

They know what Leonard has done behind the scenes during rehabilitation when the media is not around and on those days and nights when a lot of teammates are not around.

The culmination of all those days in the lab this season working to get his right knee healthy was Leonard’s dominance in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoffs against the Nuggets on Monday night in Denver.

He missed only four of 19 shots while pouring in 39 points over 39 minutes to help the Clippers even the series at 1-1 before they returned home for Game 3 on Thursday night and Game 4 on Saturday afternoon at the Intuit Dome.

James Harden was succinct in his praise for Leonard’s willingness to continually work on his body.

Read more:Kawhi Leonard's 39-point effort powers Clippers to thrilling Game 2 win over Nuggets

“Every. Single. Day. Like, it’s the preparation,” Harden said late Monday night after Game 2 in Denver. “It’s the treatment. It’s the strengthening of his body. It’s the correctives. And then it’s like going on court and putting it all together and it’s consistent. Every. Single. Day…

“Luck hasn’t been on his side or whatever the case you might call it. But he loves to hoop. And as you see, when he’s on the court, he’s a killer. Kawhi is just special.”

Leonard missed the first 34 games because of his ailing right knee. Then he played in only 37 games and just one set of back-to-back games.

He missed the last eight regular-season games last season because of right knee inflammation and played in only two of the Clippers’ six playoff games against the Dallas Mavericks because of the knee injury. When Leonard was invited to USA Basketball workouts in Las Vegas last summer, he was sent home to rest the knee and was unable to participate in the Paris Olympics.

None of that stopped Leonard from continuing his work.

Harden was asked if fans and NBA people have an appreciation for what Leonard has endured to get back here.

“Naw,” Harden answered immediately. “Naw, not even a little bit. It’s always negative. It’s always what he’s been through, what he’s not able to do because of something he can’t control. Like, we don’t appreciate how great he is when he’s actually out there and putting on performances like this tonight.

“I feel like that about everybody that’s in the league that goes through something that’s out of their hands and they can’t control. It’s like it’s always the negative, it’s always the hate that people talk about, which is something that we got to live with, I guess, in this world. But as for me being close with him, every single day and seeing the work he puts in, you appreciate him.”

In interviews this season, Leonard has talked about how his “love” for the game keeps bringing him back and how he just grinds and keeps his head down.

Before his difficult end to last season, he played in just two playoff games during the Clippers’ series against the Phoenix Suns in 2023 because of a meniscus tear. He missed the entire 2021-22 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Now he is healthy and wants to be there for his teammates in the playoffs.

“I”m just happy that I’m able to move and I’m coming out the game feeling well and that’s what I’m taking my pride in is just being healthy,” he said. “I sat and watched these playoff games and series the past few years. So, being able to be frontline out there, it just feels good to me no matter which way the game goes. That’s what I’m taking pride in. I just want to be out there and play and be frontline with my team.”

Over six seasons with the Clippers, he has played in 266 out of a possible 492 regular-season games. Injuries have robbed him of so many games yet he keeps coming back.

“Every time someone gives up on him, he comes back,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “He’s a hard worker. He’s dedicated to keeping his body right and sometimes some unfortunate things happen. But you can’t control that. But it’s not a lack of work. It’s not from a lack of wanting to be here and just sometimes some bad luck hits. But he’s going to keep coming back and he’s going to get to this point where he is right now and that’s why I’m so happy for him.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

What to make of the Braves drama involving Ronald Acuña Jr., Jarred Kelenic and Brian Snitker?

(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)

Last week's MLB drama starring superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. and manager Brian Snitker feels like must-see TV for Braves fans — and for anyone who cares about baseball’s unwritten rules and the changing culture of the game. Hosts Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman broke it all down on the latest episode of "Baseball Bar-B-Cast."

If you missed the moment, here’s the short version: Braves outfielder Jarred Kelenic thought he hit a home run, admired it, then realized he needed to hustle and was thrown out at second base. Manager Brian Snitker, when asked later about the play, essentially shrugged it off, saying that Kelenic always hustles and that he hadn’t even noticed the mistake until it was brought to his attention later.

Enter Ronald Acuña Jr., currently rehabbing and watching from home. Acuña responded on Twitter to Braves beat writer Mark Bowman’s tweet about Snitker’s non-reaction. Ronald’s not-so-subtle point in his since-deleted tweet? "If it were me, they would have taken me out of the game." 

As Mintz and Shusterman pointed out, that isn't a hypothetical. This actually did happen with Acuña in 2019, when Snitker benched him for a similar base-running mistake.

Mintz and Shusterman dive into the not-so-subtle double standard at play in this situation. When Acuña made his mistake, Snitker made a very public example of him, saying, among other things, "You’ve got to run. It’s not going to be acceptable here. ... And that name on the front is a lot more important than the name on the back of that jersey." 

With Kelenic? Total non-event. Snitker seemed to miss the play entirely when it happened and downplayed it after the fact.

Sure, there are layers here. The Braves' outfield is hurting lately, Kelenic has the "plays with his hair on fire" label, and, it must be acknowledged, there’s a cultural component at play when a flashy Latin superstar receives different treatment than a scrappy white guy. 

As Mintz puts it, “Obviously, there’s the double standard, which is founded in, like, Ronald is a Latin guy who is cool, and Jarred Kelenic is, like, your scrappy white guy out there doing his best. That is definitely a part of this.”

Was Ronald right to speak up? Mintz and Shusterman both agree: Acuña’s frustration is justified, but he mishandled it. 

"That’s a legit gripe," Mintz says. "[But] send it in an email, right? Talk about it in person. ... I am happy that Ronald did this in public because it’s hilarious, and we can joke and talk about it on the podcast, but it’s not the way you go about it." 

In other words, the double standard in the treatment of two Braves players is real, but it was the right message, wrong medium. “Multiple things can be true," Mintz says. "Ronald is right in what he believes, and he is wrong in how he chose to exhibit that.”

Does this one social media post reflect some kind of clubhouse meltdown? Probably not. Still, Mintz ponders, “When is the last time we saw a player publicly criticize a manager on the internet?” Forget the play on the field; this is a signal that, for Atlanta, things aren’t humming along as smoothly as they have in recent years.

The Braves might iron this out internally, but now the rest of the sport will be watching to see how they handle it.

"No one looks good here," Mintz says. "Kelenic looks bad. Snitker looks bad. And I actually do think Acuña looks a little bit bad. He looks the least bad, but he still looks bad."

For more on this and other baseball debates, tune in to "Baseball-Bar-B-Cast" on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.

Arteta will not rest players against Palace despite looming PSG tie

  • ‘When players are fit and available, they have to play’
  • Liverpool to be league winners if Arsenal lose to Palace

Mikel Arteta will not shy away from selecting key Arsenal personnel to face Crystal Palace on Wednesday in their final game before next week’s Champions League semi-final first leg even though his team are playing for little beyond pride.

The meagre prize on offer is delaying Liverpool’s title celebrations but the manager denied he could wrap members of his squad in cotton wool. “We cannot think in those terms,” Arteta said. “I think when the players are fit and they are available and they want to play, they have to play. They are at their best when they are playing and they have consistency in their performances.”

Continue reading...

Crystal Palace’s pre-FA Cup semi-final scheduling is unfair, says Oliver Glasner

  • Opponents Aston Villa have an extra day to prepare
  • ‘You are shouting against the wind and nobody hears you’

Oliver Glasner has complained that the buildup to Crystal Palace’s FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa is unfair, after the Premier League turned down a request from the London club to have both sides play on the same night in midweek.

Villa were in action at Manchester City on Tuesday night while Palace travel to the Emirates Stadium 24 hours later.

Continue reading...

Nunes boosts Manchester City’s top-five hopes with late winner over Aston Villa

On the touchline a picture of two managers with high, contrasting emotion coursing through them after Matheus Nunes’s 94th-minute winner. For Manchester City, Pep Guardiola showed sheer delight at a late, late victory that lifts them to third on 61 points, four ahead of Chelsea in sixth. Across from him, Unai Emery felt despair as Aston Villa were down in seventh, the Spaniard’s next job to lift his men for their FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Nunes’s far-post strike from Jérémy Doku’s cross from the left also disappointed Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United and Chelsea in the race for the top-five berth that secures a Champions League place.

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Warriors voted best NBA organization in anonymous player survey

Warriors voted best NBA organization in anonymous player survey originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors have earned a reputation as the NBA’s gold standard — beyond just Golden State’s accomplishments on the court.

In a survey of anoynmous NBA players conducted by The Athletic, the Warriors were voted the league’s best organization, receiving 21.9 percent of the votes.

Golden State edged out the Oklahoma City Thunder (17.5 percent) and Boston Celtics (15.3 percent) to claim the top spot.

“They were first-class,” an anonymous player told the Athletic. “(Warriors coach) Steve (Kerr) came from San Antonio. He knew a lot of the principles. They do a really good job of taking care of the players and the families.”

It all starts at the top, with majority owner Joe Lacob valiantly following through on his promise to deliver Golden State to prominence after taking over a franchise with a three-decade plus championship drought.

Having the embodiment of a perfect superstar in Steph Curry certainly helped, as at all levels of the organization, Golden State carved out an identity that turned the Bay Area into the center of the NBA world for the better part of the last decade.

The Warriors have won four NBA championships since the start of the 2014-15 season, reaching six NBA Finals over that span while stamping their mark on the history books.

Pairing those presitgious accolades with the Warriors’ top-notch facilities and state-of-the-art arena has turned Golden State into a coveted landing spot for players league wide, a reputation that is sure to help the franchise for years to come.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Warriors voted best NBA organization in anonymous player survey

Warriors voted best NBA organization in anonymous player survey originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors have earned a reputation as the NBA’s gold standard — beyond just Golden State’s accomplishments on the court.

In a survey of anoynmous NBA players conducted by The Athletic, the Warriors were voted the league’s best organization, receiving 21.9 percent of the votes.

Golden State edged out the Oklahoma City Thunder (17.5 percent) and Boston Celtics (15.3 percent) to claim the top spot.

“They were first-class,” an anonymous player told the Athletic. “(Warriors coach) Steve (Kerr) came from San Antonio. He knew a lot of the principles. They do a really good job of taking care of the players and the families.”

It all starts at the top, with majority owner Joe Lacob valiantly following through on his promise to deliver Golden State to prominence after taking over a franchise with a three-decade plus championship drought.

Having the embodiment of a perfect superstar in Steph Curry certainly helped, as at all levels of the organization, Golden State carved out an identity that turned the Bay Area into the center of the NBA world for the better part of the last decade.

The Warriors have won four NBA championships since the start of the 2014-15 season, reaching six NBA Finals over that span while stamping their mark on the history books.

Pairing those presitgious accolades with the Warriors’ top-notch facilities and state-of-the-art arena has turned Golden State into a coveted landing spot for players league wide, a reputation that is sure to help the franchise for years to come.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast