LAS VEGAS , NV - NOVEMBER 13: Harold Reynolds and Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. present the 2025 Hank Aaron Award during the MLB Awards presented by MGM Rewards at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Thursday, November 13, 2025 in Las Vegas , Nevada. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
As most baseball fans know by now, Major League Baseball is staring down the barrel of a work stoppage after this season. We have known that CBA negotiations would be tense for a while. After the success of the big money Dodgers, the idea of a salary cap has come up more than ever. Over the past couple days, we saw the opening proposals from the MLB and the MLBPA.
I wanted to break down the proposals, talk about how far the two sides have to go, and discuss what it means for the Nats. The great Jeff Passan actually wrote a good piece explaining the situation. It really seems like the only question is how long will the lockout last, not whether there will be a lockout.
The MLBPA and MLB have made their first proposals in what's expected to be a prolonged labor negotiation. All that's at stake is the future of baseball.
Free at ESPN: A breakdown of what all of it means, what you need to know and where everything stands. https://t.co/e0wzrJQGnb
The last time owners pushed for a salary cap was back in 1994. If you have been following the game long enough, you would know that was a disaster. A work stoppage interrupted the season, and there was no World Series in 1994. The Expos, the Nats predecessors, were rolling that year, but never got to go all the way. That was a big turning point in the downfall of that franchise.
Over 30 years later, the owners are pushing for a cap again. In their initial proposal, the owners proposed a $245.3 million cap and a $171.2 million floor. The plan would also include a redistribution of the TV revenue to make this possible. Right now, 6 teams are above that cap and 15 teams are below the floor. This would seriously change baseball forever.
MLB proposes the first salary cap since August, 1994, at $245.3 million, with a salary floor of $171.2 million.
Honestly, the cap is lower than I thought it would be and the floor is higher. This proposal would really force Mark Lerner to spend money. Right now, the Nats are $77 million below the proposed floor. If something like this passes, the Nats would have to extend players, trade for larger contracts and sign free agents. As a fan of the Nats, that is fine by me.
For fans of bigger market teams and the players association, this proposal will not make them happy. Right now, the Dodgers and Mets are both $50 million over the cap. They would have to shed serious payroll and not spend any money to be compliant. That would make their fans and the players upset.
Now, we turn to the player’s proposal. They have proposed a $150 million floor, but obviously have no cap with it. The players also want to increase the minimum salary, which is an idea I can get behind. Guys like James Wood are making peanuts compared to what they deserve. Lastly, they want the CBT threshold to go from $244 million to $300 million. That last proposal just seems like a non-starter given the concerns about parity. This would allow teams like the Dodgers to spend even more.
The MLBPA made its first proposal to MLB today in collective bargaining. Among the topline issues:
– A "competitive-integrity tax" for any team that does not spend $150M – Increase minimum salary from $780,000 to $1.5M – Increase in base CBT threshold from $244M to $300M
It is clear that the two sides are very far apart. They do have some common ground, especially when it comes to revenue sharing. Both sides seem to know that there needs to be more revenue sharing for this system to work. The Dodgers TV deal can’t absolutely dwarf any other teams. That is not a viable system, and both sides know it.
So what happens if/when the lockout comes. Well, any player on the 40-man roster is pretty much out of commission. This could have some impact on what the Nats do later in the season. Yohandy Morales will be Rule-5 eligible after the season, so they have to put him on the 40-man anyway. That means his potential big league call up won’t be affected by this.
However, for players like Seaver King and Jackson Kent, this could leave them in the minors longer than they otherwise would be. The organization is not going to want to have them on the 40-man and not play games in the minors next year. By the way, the minor leagues are not impacted by this other than the 40-man roster players. I really enjoy minor league baseball, and fans might have to lock into that, at least to start next season.
Many people have theorized that this lockout could cost us all of next season. While I think the start of next season will be delayed, I have faith that they will figure it out. Once games are missed, the pressure will amp up on both sides to get something done. It won’t be pretty, but I believe we will see Major League Baseball at some point in 2027.
As the Maple Leafs continue their search for a new head coach following the dismissal of Craig Berube, conflicting reports have surfaced regarding former Edmonton Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft.
According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the Leafs were set to interview the 49-year-old Toronto native this week. Woodcroft, who spent the past season as an assistant with the Anaheim Ducks after being let go by the Oilers early in 2023-24, has drawn attention following a strong track record in Edmonton, including a trip to the 2022 Western Conference Final and elite power-play performance. Seravalli’s sources positioned him as one of the front-runners for the job, especially given his local roots and recent interview with the Los Angeles Kings.
But on the latest episode of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman pushed back firmly on that narrative.
“I understand there were some reports this week that he’s going to interview in Toronto. I don’t believe that’s the case,” Friedman said. “I do not believe Toronto has asked permission to talk to him.”
Friedman added that it remains possible the Maple Leafs never engage with Woodcroft at all.
This discrepancy highlights the fluid nature of the Leafs’ coaching search under new general manager John Chayka. With reports indicating Toronto has spoken to or plans to speak with around 20 candidates, the process appears thorough but opaque, leading to the kind of crossed wires that often occur in high-stakes NHL hiring cycles.
#Leafs coaching search update, per sources: - #FlyTogether Jay Woodcroft scheduled to interview this week. Interviewed with #LAKings last week. Handicapped as “one of the front runners” for the Toronto job. Either spot, solid bet to be an NHL HC again next season. - Wide swath of…
For now, it seems safe to scratch Woodcroft’s name from the top of the list. That elevates the spotlight even further on University of Denver head coach David Carle, who remains a strong favourite according to multiple reports. The two sides have had dialogue, though Friedman wondered if any in-person meetings have taken place yet.
Carle’s success at the NCAA level, developing talent and implementing structured, possession-oriented systems, aligns with what many believe the Leafs need to complement their star-studded core of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Matthew Knies. His potential hiring would represent a fresh voice untainted by past NHL baggage — a common theme in Toronto’s recent coaching hires.
Really it seems like the ball is in Carle’s court if he wants to leave the NCAA ranks, having previously turned down the Chicago Blackhawks for an NHL head coaching spot.
As the Sixers prepare to make the 22nd pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, we want to bring up another name that Philadelphia drafted in the 20s within the last decade. It just so happens that Landry Shamet is still playing basketball as the 26th pick by the Sixers in 2018, now with the Knicks and playing about 15-20 minutes per night off the bench for New York in the postseason.
Shamet’s game logs for the Knicks in these playoff rounds look a bit sporadic — and we’re certainly not attempting to condemn the Sixers for including Shamet in the Tobias Harris trade back in February 2019. It feels like letting Isaiah Joe and Julian Champagnie go for nothing have elicited stronger condemnations from Sixers fans as both Joe and Champagnie have turned into rotation players in the Western Conference Finals. For what it’s worth, Oklahoma City and San Antonio have done a good job developing lots of players so the surges from Joe and Champagnie should probably be mostly attributed to what their current franchises have done for them and not necessarily what the Sixers didn’t do.
But that’s not the case with Shamet. Even though he did not even play one full season with the Sixers, Shamet came right in and did what many would probably like the 22nd pick in this year’s draft to do for the team. Having played three years of college basketball at Wichita State, Shamet was an instant bench contributor for the Sixers in 2018-19. It was a Sixers team that was (surprise, surprise) coming off a second-round loss in the 2018 playoffs and looking to accelerate towards contention. Shamet would average 20.5 minutes per game in the regular season with the Sixers and shoot 40% from the three-point line and 81.5% from the free throw line. He was looking like a pretty solid use of a late first-round pick.
However, as the 2018-19 season trudged along, Elton Brand felt the team needed more top-end talent and decided to cash in some bench pieces for Jimmy Butler and Harris. The irony is that Philadelphia was eliminated by a Toronto team that was mostly built on the depth it had behind Kawhi Leonard in 2019. Other recent champions like Milwaukee and Denver have seen rotations go 7-10 players deep behind their own superstars. It feels like New York, San Antonio and Oklahoma City are all similarly constructed now. So, Philly’s forever search for more stars doesn’t seem to have aligned with the way the league has trended.
As Shamet’s NBA career continued, he’s mostly been the same player he was in his short time with the Sixers, though he’s dealt with injuries. Between stints with the Clippers, Nets, Suns and now Knicks, Shamet has appeared in 64 playoff games, coming off the bench in the majority of those games. He’s a 37% three-point shooter in the playoffs. This is not an example of a late bloomer or someone who just found his way onto the right roster where he could be developed properly. This is someone who from the day he was drafted eight years ago has been the same useful NBA reserve.
To reiterate, Philadelphia’s trade for Harris and inclusion of Shamet in the trade back in 2019 was entirely understandable. The big mistake the Sixers made was re-upping with Harris on the big contract they gave him in the summer of 2019 when he was a free agent. For as unpopular as Harris was in Philly, he gave them a better chance to win in the 2019 playoffs than Shamet would have.
We’re simply asking the question if you’ve ever found yourself missing a player like Shamet in recent postseasons or if some of those feelings started to introduce themselves during the Knicks series this past season watching Shamet play for New York. Whether you miss Shamet or not, as we sit here eight years after the Sixers drafted Shamet, the Sixers are once again preparing for a draft pick in the 20s in which they hope to get a bench player that can help them build a deeper roster for future postseasons.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Jordan Staal looks at the Carolina Hurricanes’ on-their-game play as being part of a machine.
One that keeps rolling through its process, over and over, in smothering scoring chances and keeping the pressure on an opponent.
It has them within a win of reaching their first Stanley Cup Final in two decades entering Game 5 at home against the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final.
“Right now, when you get into these grooves, it’s just kind of the machine,” the captain told reporters in Montreal. “You just kind of want to keep it running, keep doing what you’re doing.
“I don’t think the guys will waver too far from the next shift, the next play, the hyper-focus that we’re on.”
The Eastern Conference’s top seed started this series with a jarringly horrid start after going 11 days between playoff rounds — the longest postseason layoff in more than a century — and promptly allowing four goals in the first 11-plus minutes of a 6-2 loss.
Ever since, though, the Hurricanes have gotten more and more to their preferred style that helped them sweep through Ottawa and Philadelphia in the first two playoff rounds. And that has helped them grab control of the series from the on-the-rise Canadiens who arrived at this round earlier than some expected.
Carolina won a pair of 3-2 overtime games, first at home and then on the road, then dominated from the puck drop of 4-0 road romp that pushed the Hurricanes to a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Hurricanes are getting the puck into the offensive zone, using the aggressive forecheck to keep it there and pressure the Canadiens while giving talented goaltender Jakub Dobes a lot of work. The Game 4 win offered a withering case study, with Carolina scoring three goals in a nearly three-minute span of the first period then shutting off everything as the Canadiens tried to regroup.
It wasn’t perfect. Notably there was a nearly two-minute 5-on-3 opportunity in which the Hurricanes didn’t put a shot on Dobes with a chance to knock out the Canadiens midway through the second period.
Not that their coach was dwelling on it.
“I’m not pointing at any negative on this game, no chance,” Rod Brind’Amour said.
Now the pressure is fully on the Canadiens, who battled through two long series that included Game 7 road wins at Tampa Bay and Buffalo while the Hurricanes started 8-0 in the postseason.
Montreal hadn’t lost consecutive games since mid-March and hadn’t lost three straight games since a five-game skid in November.
“Obviously everybody knows where we’re at, we do,” forward Cole Caufield said after the team arrived in North Carolina.
The Canadiens pounced on the slow-starting Hurricanes in Game 1 by repeatedly getting clean breakouts and breakaways with skaters hitting full speed as they blew unchecked through the neutral zone.
But as this series has worn on, the Canadiens have looked a half-step — sometimes more — behind.
Montreal defenseman Alexandre Carrier said the focus is down to small details such as winning more 1-on-1 battles, and then building from there to hopefully stop the Hurricanes’ push.
“It’s a big opportunity,” Carrier said. “We’re not dead yet. So it’s important to really be excited for tomorrow and confident. And I’m excited to see what we can do.”
The Hurricanes have more than double the shots on goal (108-43) in the past three games. And while some of that is due to a style that naturally leans into shot volume, the Hurricanes have steadily tightened their defensive grip on a skilled Canadiens team.
The Hurricanes took a 19-3 edge in shots on goal in the third period, keeping the Canadiens pinned in their defensive zone while finishing with a total of 18 shots. That marked the second time in three games that Carolina had more shots on goal in a period than Montreal had for the game, the other in the first period of Game 3 (16-13).
Carolina had a 42-15 edge in high-danger chances for Games 2, 3 and 4, according to Natural Stat Trick.
“We talk about all the time defending as a five-man unit,” Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. “And our forwards are doing a great job of helping out with that, and allowing us to be tight-gapped, allowing us to be aggressive, allowing us to play the way we have to play.”
LAS VEGAS — Former Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy called it “upsetting” that he can’t interview with other clubs after Vegas management declined reported requests by Edmonton and Los Angeles.
“There were two teams that asked,” Cassidy said on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast. “It’s public knowledge now, and I would like to talk to them. I want to go to work. I’m a hockey coach.”
The Golden Knights fired Cassidy with eight games left in the regular season and Vegas struggling to hold on to a playoff spot. John Tortorella replaced Cassidy, won the Pacific Division and then defeated Utah, Anaheim and Colorado in the NHL playoffs to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
Vegas opens at Carolina or Montreal on Tuesday or June 4.
Cassidy, who led the Golden Knights to the 2023 Stanley Cup and is the organization’s longest-tenured coach, said contracts come with a standard clause that prohibits clubs from allowing even fired coaches to interview elsewhere without permission. He said his deal goes through next season.
“Probably because they don’t want a coach in the middle of the year to re-sign on Feb. 1 and go work up the street on Feb. 3 because they like a better situation,” Cassidy said of the clause.
The NHL Coaches Association issued a statement May 19 criticizing the Golden Knights for prohibiting Cassidy’s ability to interview elsewhere.
“It would be unprecedented at the head coaching level should multiple teams be denied permission to speak with Coach Cassidy,” the statement read. “The situation is still unfolding, but our priority is to protect the interests of our members in this type of circumstance.”
Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon defended the team’s stance in a news conference before the Western Conference Final against the Avalanche.
“We’ve been consistent that our focus currently is on the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the teams have respected that,” McCrimmon said at the time. “I’ve spoken with Bruce. He understands this as well.”
New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson plans to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals after having surgery for a broken right pinkie finger, according to ESPN.com.
Robinson plans to wear a brace on his right hand. Robinson was injured sometime during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers and appeared to favor his right during the third quarter.
Robinson finished Game 4 with eight points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes of action as the Knicks routed the Cavaliers to complete the sweep and earn their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999.
The eighth-year favorite has been a key contributor for the Knicks off the bench, averaging 5.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks during New York's playoff run.
The Knicks will begin Game One of the NBA Finals on June 3 on the road against either the San Antonio Spurs or the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
‘Tennis became a race against time’ after 2005 diagnosis
‘The suffering was less than my passion,’ says tennis great
Rafael Nadal has revealed he spent most of his career in pain as he willed himself to play through a chronic foot injury and went on to win 22 grand slam titles while spending two decades ruling men’s tennis alongside Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
The Spaniard, who retired in 2024, said he took immense risks with his health to keep his career going, after a Netflix series called Rafa provided an in-depth look into his physical and mental struggles to pursue greatness.
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement has been one of the most consistent hitters in baseball over the last two weeks, and his profile matches up perfectly against struggling Baltimore Orioles starter Trevor Rogers.
The matchup sets up well for Clement to go Over his bases total for my Blue Jays vs. Orioles predictions and MLB picks for Friday, May 29.
Blue Jays vs Orioles predictions
Blue Jays vs Orioles best bet: Ernie Clement Over 1.5 Total Bases (+115)
Clement has recorded a hit in nine of his last 10 games, averaging 2.3 bases over that stretch. He’s also seen the power numbers improve over the last eight with seven extra base hits, resulting in a 1.055 OPS in that stretch.
Rogers is a contact pitcher who ranks in the 23rd percentile in xBA, relying heavily on his four-seam fastball, which has a 42% usage rate against right-handed batters.
His last six starts have been abysmal, owning an 11.07 ERA in that stretch with a .343 opponent batting average while giving up hard contact at a 41.1% clip.
Clement’s hitting profile matches up well to Rogers, as he owns a .327 average against the four-seamer with a team-high .572 slug rate against the pitch.
COVERS INTEL:Clement 36.9% squared up rate ranks in the 97th percentile, which should match up well against Rogers’ 84.9% zone contact rate.
Blue Jays vs Orioles same-game parlay (SGP)
I’ll continue fading Rogers by taking the Over on his earned runs total of 2.5. He’s eclipsed this total in six straight starts, and the Toronto Blue Jays should victimize him again as a strong-hitting team against the fastball.
Rogers owns just a 22% strikeout rate and is averaging just 2.5 K’s per game over his last four starts. Give me Vlad Guerrero Jr to go Under 0.5 strikeouts tonight. He’s seeing the ball well and has struck out just once in his last seven outings.
Blue Jays vs Orioles SGP
Ernie Clement Over 1.5 total bases
Trevor Rogers Over 2.5 earned runs
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Under 0.5 strikeouts
img loading="lazy" width="100%" height="null" src="https://img.covers.com/editorial/2026/jaysmlcbp.jpg" alt="Canada’s best price for Jays"
Get the best Jays ML odds at BET99 — every game.
Blue Jays vs Orioles home run pick: Kazuma Okamoto (+315)
Rogers has been hit hard and often over his last six starts, surrendering six home runs in that stretch off a 41% hard-hit rate.
Additionally, the Jays have seen an uptick in their power numbers with eight homers over their last seven games.
So the matchup favors Toronto to go yard tonight, and I’m betting on Kazuma Okamoto, who owns a team-high .596 slug rate against the four-seamer, with a 66% hard-hit rate.
Mike DiStefanos' 2026 Transparency record
Best bets: 26-29, +1.10 units
SGPs: 11-44 +4.60 units
HR picks: 8-47, -0.67 units
Blue Jays vs Orioles odds
Moneyline: Toronto +104 | Baltimore -115
Run line: Toronto +1.5 (-195) | Baltimore -1.5 (-170)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-115) | Under 8.5 (-105)
Blue Jays vs Orioles trend
The Toronto Blue Jays have covered the Run Line in 12 of their last 16 games (+10.10 Units / 49% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Orioles.
How to watch Blue Jays vs Orioles and game info
Location
Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD
Date
Friday, May 29, 2026
First pitch
7:05 p.m. ET
TV
SN1, MASN
Blue Jays starting pitcher
TBD (X-X, X.XX ERA)
Orioles starting pitcher
Trevor Rogers (2-6, 6.96 ERA)
Blue Jays vs Orioles latest injuries
Blue Jays vs Orioles 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.
With a busy schedule across the majors tonight, I've found immense value in my MLB same-game parlay predictions.
I'm eyeing the Miami Marlins to beat the New York Mets behind the brilliance of Max Meyer, while a high-scoring affair should be in the cards between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.
Max Meyer tossed seven scoreless innings last weekend against the New York Mets, allowing just one hit while walking three. He's cashed the Under in earned runs surrendered in three of four.
The Miami Marlins have also dominated the Mets in recent memory, winning eight of the last 10 meetings. They've covered the run line in three of the last four matchups as well.
Meyer is a strikeout pitcher, racking up 68 Ks in 60 2/3 innings of work. He easily cashed the Over in last Sunday's outing, striking out eight Mets.
He's also hit the Over in punchouts in three consecutive appearances, and New York is striking out nine times per game across their previous three.
Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Marlins.TV, WPIX
Cubs vs Cardinals SGP: Runs galore in St. Louis
The Chicago Cubs have won three straight against the St. Louis Cardinals, and head into the series opener on a two-game winning streak. They've covered the run line in all of those meetings, and St. Louis comes in cold, losing four straight.
The Over has also hit in three of the last five, and the pitching matchup profiles to potentially be high-scoring.
Shota Imanaga has been getting torched, allowing 15 earned runs across his previous two appearances. While Kyle Leahy has pitched solid overall this season, he did give up give up five earned runs last time out.
Chicago's offense is hot, scoring 17 runs in their last two games.
Masynn Winn is 4-for-12 lifetime against Imanaga, and he's hitting .302 against lefties.
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
Where to watch: MARQ, Cardinals.TV
Royals vs Rangers SGP: Kolek carves up struggling Rangers
The Kansas City Royals head into the series opener against the Texas Rangers as an underdog, but they've actually dominated them recently, winning six of the last seven meetings.
Stephen Kolek takes the hill, and he just threw a complete game shutout last weekend.
Since making his season debut in early May, Kolek owns a 2.77 ERA, and he's given up Under 5.5 hits in every start so far. The Rangers are 24th in hits, and they've collected just 10 hits across their last two games.
The Under has cashed in three of the last five, and neither team is exactly tearing the cover off the baseball. MacKenzie Gore has pitched extremely well lately, allowing only four runs across his previous three starts.
Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Royals.TV, Rangers Sports Network
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.
OTTAWA, CANADA - APRIL 25: K'andre Miller #19 of the Carolina Hurricanes sits in the locker room ahead of Game Four of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on April 25, 2026 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The Carolina Hurricanes return home on Friday night with a chance to wrap up the Eastern Conference Finals against the Montreal Canadiens. They currently sit with a 3-1 advantage after their dominating, 4-0 victory over the Habs on Wednesday night.
The Canes have accumulated an amazing 11-1 record this postseason, which puts them in rare company. Only a handful of teams have accomplished this in NHL history. While earning this record, they have kept their opponents “shots on goal” stat to startling lows.
After allowing a league low 23.9 shots per game during the regular season, they have bested that and are now allowing just 22.2 shots per game, lowest in the playoffs.
The Canadiens are especially finding it difficult to find shots, as evidenced by their fans shouting “shoot the puck” in the third period of their latest loss. They had yet to register a shot on goal in that period until there were just three minutes left.
After the Hurricanes dropped game one of the series, which can reasonably be blamed on rust following a long 11 day lay off, they have played their game and have pretty much dominated the ice since. The team has out-scored the Habs 10-4, outshot them 108-43 and outhit them 113-77. All of these factors have taken a toll on their opponents.
Jordan Staal called his team “a machine” and indeed they are. Perhaps I should change the name of the blog to “Carolina Machine Never Breaks” although that might make some people upset.
This has been a total team effort, although there are a couple of players really performing well. Of course Frederik Andersen would have to be at or near the top of the list. He has the best stats of any goalie in the postseason with an 11-1 record, a GAA of 1.44, and save percentage of .928. He also has three shutouts for his trouble.
Next up would be defenseman K’Andre Miller who is probably playing better than the front office could even dream of when they acquired him.
He leads the defense with 8 points, (tied for 4rth on the team) and leads the entire team with a +12 rating. He also leads the defense with 26 hits, good for 7th on the team and has 9 takeaways which is a team high. Oh yes, he also leads the team in TOI averaging just over 24 minutes a game.
After the win on Wednesday night on the TNT telecast, Wayne Gretzky said that Miller was playing as well as any defenseman he had seen in the playoffs. High praise indeed.
By the way, the photo above is classic Miller. Before every game he puts on his hoodie and is in deep thought. One can assume he is visualizing the game ahead of time.
Here is another shot:
If the Hurricanes win tonight, the Stanley Cup Finals will start on Tuesday, June 2nd. If not, then they will start on June 4rth.
Will Carolina be able to close this one out and improve their postseason record to 12-1? It won’t be easy, this Montreal club has been dangerous with their backs against the wall.
Game time 8 P.M. Eastern
TV: TNT and TruTV will have the action in the US with Kenny Albert handling play-by-play, Eddie Olczyk doing color from up top, Brian Boucher between the benches, and Jackie Redmond handling off-ice interviews. Also note that the NHL on TNT Face-Off pre-show will not only be an hour long, beginning at 7 PM Eastern, but that they will be on-site in Raleigh in the Buffalo Brothers Section behind section 113. Liam McHugh hosts while Wayne Gretzky, Henrik Lundqvist, Anson Carter, and Paul Bissonnette will be at the desk.
Radio: You can still listen to the familiar voices of Mike Maniscalco and Tripp Tracy. The pregame Storm Watch with Adam Gold on 99.9 The Fan starts at 7PM and runs for 60 minutes. At 8PM the Hurricanes Radio Network (consisting of 99.9, 730 The Game in Charlotte, ESPN New Bern 107.5/1490, and ESPN Greenville 107.5/1570). You will also be able stream this call through 99.9 on your smart device, app, or the Carolina Hurricanes app—and it’s not geolocked.
Odds (per Fanduel) – Canes – 245 Habs +198
We are not expecting any changes to the line up but if there are any, or if there is anything to report from the morning skate, updates will be posted in the comments.
Federal prosecutors alleged on Thursday that former NBA player Terry Rozier arranged a $100,000 payoff to leave a game early as part of a plan shared with bettors. Prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York filed a superseding indictment hours after co-conspirator Marves Fairley pled guilty to two charges related to the NBA wagering scandal.
Fairley told the court that he paid a player — whom the government has identified as Rozier — for the information. An initial $100,000 payout Rozier was to receive was later negotiated down to $70,000.
Rozier was charged in October with conspiracy wire fraud and money laundering. The government added sports bribery and honest services wire fraud conspiracy on Thursday. According to The Athletic, Rozier’s lawyer denied the claim and said he would pursue a motion to dismiss the case.
“The new indictment confirms that our motion to dismiss was a good one — it’s just new charges and new theories trotted out in the hope that something sticks,” Rozier attorney Jim Trusty said, perThe Athletic.
Rozier pled not guilty to the wire fraud charges in December and was released on $3 million bond. Since then Fairley is the second co-conspirator to change his plea to guilty. Damon Jones, indicted on wire fraud charges in the NBA scandal and a high-stakes poker scheme, pled guilty last month.
The new indictment also spells out details of NBAPA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement and Uniform Player Agreement, highlighting violations. The new indictment reads that the agreements “required players to ‘refrain from gambling on NBA games, point shaving or other attempts to fix the score or outcome of an NBA game, or providing confidential team or league information to individuals involved in gambling.'”
Rozier, then a prolific scoring guard for the Charlotte Hornets, is accused of leaving a March 23, 2023, game early due to a lingering lower leg injury. He shared the information with a friend and gambler, Deniro Laster, who in turn shared it with other gamblers, including Fairley. Laster, Fairley, and “Co-Conspirator 1,” according to court documents, discussed via text Rozier’s plan to exit early and their own plans to use that information to place bets against his statistical performance.
Marves Fairley pleaded guilty in the NBA and NCAA game-fixing cases tied to insider betting schemes and point shaving. The scandals continue to raise serious concerns around betting integrity, player prop markets, and corruption in sports.
Fairley allegedly also shared the information with co-conspirator Shane Hennen, who in turn passed it along to a network of bettors, resulting in placement of more than $250,000 in “under” bets on Rozier for the game. In addition, two people in Rozier’s “close circle” placed $4,800 worth of bets on Rozier’s “under” totals. Not all of the bets paid, and Rozier ultimately agreed to accept $30,000 less than originally planned, according to the new indictment.
Rozier also allegedly agreed to give Laster part of the bribe.
The Hornets lost the game in question to the New Orleans Pelicans, 115-96. Rozier played 9 minutes, 34 seconds in the game and scored 5 points. During the 2022-23 season, Rozier averaged 21.1 points and 35.3 minutes of playing time per game.
In the new indictment, federal prosecutors outlined the scheme: In exchange for an approximately $100,000 bribe, ROZIER agreed with co-conspirators, including the defendant DENIRO LASTER, Marves Fairley and Co-Conspirator 1, that ROZIER would withdraw early from a to-be-determined game purportedly on the basis of his injury so that co-conspirators could bet on the information before it became public. ROZIER also agreed to give LASTER a portion of the bribe. LASTER communicated with Fairley and Co-Conspirator 1 using encrypted applications to keep them updated as the anticipated game grew closer. Meanwhile, Fairley and the defendant SHANE HENNEN lined up individuals who were poised to bet on the inside information once ROZIER identified the particular game he would withdraw from.
Two other conspirators have NBA ties
About five days after the game, Fairley and Laster traveled to Philadelphia to collect payouts from Hennen for the wagers on Rozier and other “fraudulent” bets. Prosecutors allege that Rozier set up and paid for Laster’s flight. On March 29, 2023, per the filing, “Fairley gave LASTER tens of thousands of dollars in cash as payment for the non-public information that LASTER had obtained from ROZIER and had provided to Fairley regarding ROZIER’s plan to exit prematurely from the March 23 Game.”
From Philadelphia, Laster drove to Rozier’s North Carolina home, and the two counted the money. Prosecutors also detailed information gathered and fraudulent bets made on at least six other games involving co-conspirator Eric Earnest, Jones, and others.
Though all of the defendants and co-conspirators are not named in the latest indictment, Earnest, Fairley, Jones, Timothy McCormack, Long Phi Pham, and former NBA player Jontay Porter are identified. Nine others are identified only as “co-conspirators,” including one who was an NBA player and one who played in the NBA from 1997-2014 and was “an NBA coach since at least 2021.” Three others are relatives of Laster, Hennen, or Rozier.
In addition, court documents reveal that the fraudulent wagers were placed with four sportsbooks, including two that are official sports betting partners of the NBA. The league lists DraftKings and FanDuel as its “official gaming partners.”
Rozier, who was traded to the Miami Heat on Jan. 23, 2024, was placed on unpaid leave by the NBA last October due to the gambling charges. He was waived by the Heat on April 10.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 06: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) New York Knicks president Leon Rose (C) watches his team play against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Madison Square Garden on March 06, 2020 in New York City. The Thunder defeated the Knicks 126-103. 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 Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
To start, here’s a breakdown of the 2026 Executive of the Year voting:
The voting panel for the 2025-26 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award consisted of basketball executives from NBA teams.
There are a lot of good executives here. If you look leaguewide, of the nine teams that won at least 50 games, eight of them are on this list.
Who’s missing? The Knicks, of course. Only one other team won at least 47 games and saw its executive not earn a single vote: Minnesota.
Fast forward to late May, and despite five different teams in the East having an executive on this list, none of them are in the NBA Finals, but Leon Rose is. You’d think at some point, awards like these would no longer value the regular season in such a way, but how else would we show how highly we think of Brad Stevens?
Individual awards are temporary. Banners are eternal. Even if the NBA Cup banner will never be hung, the 2025-26 Knicks will forever be represented in the rafters at Madison Square Garden, regardless of what happens next.
And it’s all thanks to Mr. Rose.
When James Dolan hired Rose to succeed Steve Mills as the Knicks’ President of Basketball Operations on March 2, 2020, the organization was in a bleak, bleak place. They were just over a year removed from trading their young All-Star on a rookie contract because of his lack of long-term belief in the organization, and had a foundation banking on several late lottery picks and 2019 No. 3 overall pick RJ Barrett to move into the future.
Rose had never worked in an NBA front office, but had decades of experience in basketball as an agent with CAA, which had many star connections. Some of the best players in the league had Rose in their inner circle in the past, so the hope among fans was that he’d leverage those connections to make the Knicks a destination after years of being spurned by elite talent.
The day he was hired, the young Knicks took down a veteran Rockets squad led by James Harden (go figure) at Madison Square Garden behind 27 by Barrett and a double-double off the bench by Mitchell Robinson. Despite how bleak this roster looked, those two were your foundation.
Nine days later, their season abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Leon Rose era was already in chaotic and uncharted waters before he had even gotten a chance to furnish his office at 34th and 7th.
With no invitation to the bubble when life got more normal, his first offseason began without much of an in-person evaluation period. Interim head coach Mike Miller was shown the door, and the search began for the team’s 13th head coach in 20 years since Jeff Van Gundy was canned in late 2001. There are a lot of directions they could’ve gone.
They interviewed, in some capacity, the likes of Ime Udoka, Jason Kidd, Kenny Atkinson, Jahmal Mosley, Will Hardy, Mike Brown (hmm, whatever happened to him), and more, offering all different types of styles. Developers, young coaches, analytical coaches, offensive coaches, defensive coaches, star target coaches, etc.
Ultimately, in a list that included plenty of faces looking for their first head coaching job, he went for a retread, hiring Tom Thibodeau to take his “dream job” after up-and-down tenures in both Chicago and Minnesota. While their last attempt at hiring a defensive coach failed miserably in David Fizdale, Thibodeau was more respected in the mediascape and showed right away just how serious Rose was about ending the cycle of mediocrity.
Thibs’ scheme required buy-in, effort, and conditioning. For a young team, it might be hard to adapt to, but he made the early-2010s Bulls and late-2010s Timberwolves grow up. Why couldn’t he do it here? It was an edict to get out of the doldrums and start building something competitive.
But going into 2020-21, the team wasn’t expected to be competitive. Rose’s first-ever draft saw the Knicks drop from 6th to 8th in the lottery and select Dayton forward Obi Toppin, who was considered the best player available. This, to date, has been Rose’s only lottery selection, so the fact that multiple talented players like Devin Vassell and Tyrese Haliburton went behind him stings, but oh well. Drafting a talented combo guard in Immanuel Quickley at No. 25 doesn’t hurt.
Drafting Toppin clearly indicated that the conglomerate of power forwards the Knicks signed after striking out on three pitches in 2019 free agency was not part of the future vision. Taj Gibson was waived, Bobby Portis’ team option was declined, and Julius Randle was pretty clearly on the trade block as an expiring contract. The team waived Elfrid Payton, only to re-sign him a few days later.
Rose was also a big fan of wheeling and dealing. He swung multiple trades on draft night to maneuver around the board, ultimately selling the team’s second-round pick for a 2023 Pistons 2nd. He’d acquire a pair of 2nds from the Utah Jazz to eat Ed Davis’ modest contract before flipping him to the Timberwolves for filler and another 2nd. Three seconds just to ship Davis from Utah to Minnesota is good business.
On the margins entering his first season, he signed veteran role players Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, and Austin Rivers, while eventually bringing back Gibson to continue mentoring the young Robinson in January after waiving OG Nova Knick Omari Spellman. Despite what we know now, this season was supposed to be a continuation of a rebuild that saw the team enter 2021 with another crack at a top pick.
That didn’t happen. Instead, Thibodeau’s system ignited a fire into the ragtag mix of youth and veterans that charged them to an unlikely 41-31 record and No. 4 seed. Randle took himself off the trade block with an unbelievable season, finishing eighth in MVP voting while winning Most Improved Player. Everyone on the team was a sniper. They had the third-best defensive rating in basketball. Even as COVID restrictions limited fans, the energy was palpable as they broke the eight-year playoff drought out of nowhere.
Real ones remember the first big 7th Ave celebrations were when the Knicks got to a .500 record in 2021 😭 pic.twitter.com/8n2g2CmpuU
Adjusting to the sudden reality of a potential Knicks playoff team, Rose swung a masterful midseason trade, sending certified bust Dennis Smith Jr. and a 2021 Hornets’ 2nd to the Pistons for Derrick Rose. He additionally grabbed another two seconds in a midseason trade that shipped out Rivers and Ignas Brazdeikis. D-Rose immediately stabilized a point guard position that had Elfrid Payton eating up too many minutes from Quickley in Thibs’ veteran system, and put the Knicks in a serious position.
But the reality check came hard and fast, as Trae Young became the first true Garden villain of the 21st century and the clock struck midnight on Randle’s Cinderella run. The magic ended as quickly as it began, but there was new hope surrounding the franchise.
The sudden bolt into playoff contention rewired the brains of everyone in the organization. There have been many cases of young teams overreacting to a strong season after years of misery, and it has led to negative blowbacks (the 2023 Giants still give me pain). Unfortunately for Rose, he wasn’t immune.
The flexibility the Knicks had in the 2021 offseason was mostly used to re-sign guys like D-Rose, Noel, and Burks to multi-year deals. They picked up Randle’s team option and gave him a new $120 million contract. But with the team’s offense being a major sticking point in the playoffs, Rose elected to give $72 million to Evan Fournier and, after being bought out by OKC, a one-year deal to former All-Star and New York native Kemba Walker.
In the draft, Rose continued to wheel and deal, drafting a talented quartet that included Quentin Grimes, Deuce McBride, Rokas Jokubaitis, and Jericho Sims while picking up a conditional 1st and two more future second-round picks.
Expectations were as high as they’d been in eight years ahead of the 2021-22 season. The season started brilliantly with a double-overtime win over Boston and a Christmas revenge game against the Hawks, but misery sank in over time. The offensive additions weakened the team’s defensive identity. Randle regressed, as did several veterans who were just given big extensions. D-Rose missed most of the season with an injury. The team sank to a miserable 37-45, missing the play-in and dooming the Knicks back to the lottery for the eighth time in nine years.
The first major inflection point had been reached in his tenure. Many outside voices believed the Knicks rushed a rebuild and urged them to build around their smattering of young players. Barrett took a step forward in 21-22, while guys like Grimes, Quickley, and Toppin showed promise when given time to cook. The vitriol surrounding Randle reached an all-time high as his relationship with the fans grew toxic.
At this point, he had to decide what path to take with the team. Does he tear it down and “Play the Kids”, or does he take a big swing in the offseason to patch the holes in the foundation? The Spurs and Jazz were starting to tear things down, freeing up both Dejounte Murray and Donovan Mitchell in the trade market. Murray was a strong defender with an ability to score, but the real prize was bringing the New York kid home. It would take a hefty sum, but for the first time in over a decade, there was a star that wanted to call the Mecca home.
Rose was adamant about pushing forward to return to the playoffs in 2023. He sent a sizable contingent (including Randle, for some reason) to sit courtside to watch Mitchell in his first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks. With Luka Doncic sidelined with injury, he’d have a chance to show that he’s the top dog in this series and win it by himself for the Jazz.
But Mitchell wasn’t the one they were solely there to see. Doncic’s second-in-command just so happened to be Rose’s godson, who has deep ties to the organization through his agency and his childhood. Jalen Brunson stole the show that series, scoring 41 points in Game 2 and averaging 27.8 points across a six-game series victory. With all the connections, coupled with his father being hired as an assistant, it was a match made in heaven when Brunson hit free agency on June 30.
The problem was that the Knicks had zero cap space, and Dallas would likely not be very cooperative towards a sign-and-trade. To fit his contract, they’d need to open up $30 million, which isn’t an easy task. It cost the team their lottery pick, as a complicated web of trades saw the team trade back from No. 11 to No. 13 (collecting multiple conditional firsts in the process) and then flip the pick that became All-NBA center Jalen Duren, along with Walker, to the Pistons for basically nothing. A week later, Burks and Noel met the same fate as salary dumps.
With that new cap space, Brunson was inked to a $104 million contract, the largest-ever free agent deal for a non-All-Star. That gamble was widely criticized, especially when it would seem to complicate the pursuits of Murray and Mitchell. The rest of the day was spent rewarding the homegrown Robinson with a $60 million extension, while signing his backup in analytical darling Isaiah Hartenstein for just eight million per year.
Rose didn’t match the Hawks’ offer for Murray despite a warchest of picks. When Danny Ainge asked for the moon and the stars for Mitchell, he balked at it, too. He didn’t want to give up foundational young pieces like Barrett, whom he rewarded with a $115 million extension. Twice, he stayed frugal when he had a chance to add an All-Star guard, hoping that his acquisition of Brunson and overall roster reshuffling could return the team to the playoffs.
23 games into the 2022-23 season, things weren’t changing. The Knicks were 10-13, and the sharks were circling. So much so that Rose privately started to consider a coaching change as the good graces of Thibodeau’s first year started to fade. For the first time, his job security started to feel in serious danger. What if all of these moves didn’t work out? Would Dolan emerge from his multi-year slumber to take a sledgehammer to the operations?
Thankfully, we never found out. Brunson emerged as a bona fide superstar, forming a formidable tandem with a rejuvenated Randle to revitalize the Knicks’ offense. The defensive fortitude of Robinson and the rising Grimes made the starting five solid defensively despite its natural shortcomings. With the deadline approaching once again, Rose had a decision to make.
And, once again, he made the right move in adding to the roster. Just before the deadline, he flipped the malcontent, benched Cam Reddish, and traded a first-round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers to acquire Brunson’s college roommate, Josh Hart. His addition would bring a spark on both ends of the floor, as he’d prove to be a dynamo in transition, add a new element to the team’s already gigantic rebounding advantage, and give them the hustle and glue guy they sorely lacked.
“You get regular rebounds, I get rebounds that break teams”
-Josh Hart to Mitchell Robinson
Dudes on the court balling while coming up with the coldest quotes you’ve ever heard 🤯🥶 pic.twitter.com/TAANp9ysen
That team finished 47-35, obtaining the No. 5 seed. In a twist of fate, they matched up with Mitchell’s Cavaliers in the first round and knocked them out in five games, with Brunson outdueling the New York native and Hart tormenting the Cavs with his hustle. The series win marked the first for the Knicks in a decade, but the good feelings dissipated when Brunson’s supporting cast completely failed him against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in the second round.
But the calculus was now significantly easier going forward. The foundation was there and stabilized, no longer relying on outlier performances from veterans on contract years and data that suggested Randle was closer to an all-star than he was to what he was in 21-22.
The 2023 offseason was rather quiet. After trading away their draft pick, the team was essentially muted in the NBA Draft for the first time in quite a while. With Randle’s contract and his performance justifying his role on the team, Rose cut bait with his only ever lottery pick, flipping Toppin for two seconds. He used the savings to sign yet another Villanova product to the mid-level exception, inking Donte DiVincenzo to a four-year contract to add perimeter shooting to a team that was very mid-range and paint-oriented with its three best players in Brunson, Randle, and Barrett.
The start of the 2023-24 season was uneven. There were highs, there were lows, there was a feeling of stagnation. You knew the Knicks were good, a step above what we saw the last 20 years, but you knew they were limited in terms of upward trajectory. With Quickley due for a new extension soon and the team’s ceiling being rather low, Rose made a bold move. Out went the team’s two best young players for a non-All-Star on an expiring contract.
The Knicks are trading RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and one second-round pick to the Raptors for OG Anunoby, sources said. https://t.co/0z3pGcqd5e
OG Anunoby is one of the league’s best 3-and-D wings, so it was no surprise that he would eventually field the largest contract in franchise history that offseason, but it’s never an easy sell to fully commit to contention by shedding the best young talent on your team. Rose doubled down on this by trading Fournier’s buried contract and the diminished Quentin Grimes for Bojan Bogdanovic and OAKAAK Burks just before the trade deadline.
On the night of the OG trade, Rose made one of his niftiest moves as POBO, extending seldom-used guard Deuce McBride to a three-year, $13 million deal to replace Quickley as the team’s backup point guard. It’s fair to say that it went pretty well.
For a month, the Knicks looked like the best team in basketball. Randle, Brunson, and Anunoby fit together like a glove. The emergence of DiVincenzo as one of the best volume shooters in the league, coupled with the steadiness of Hartenstein on both ends, made the January Knicks a dominant force to be reckoned with, but that all changed when Randle went crashing to the floor on a drawn charge attempt by Jaime Jaquez Jr. on January 28.
Randle would never wear the orange and blue again. Injuries to Anunoby, Bogdanovic, Robinson, Hart, and eventually Brunson saw the team fall apart in Game 7 of a second-round series against the Pacers. An exciting season came to a close, but the Knicks felt like a legitimate player going forward in the Eastern Conference.
This momentum motivated the front office to continue adding pieces. The war chest had been slowly accumulating over the years, to the point where the Knicks had the most future picks of any top-tier team outside of the surging Thunder. With no true 1A emerging on the trade market and wonky fits being passed over yearly, Rose chose a bold move. The war chest would be unloaded… for another non-All-Star role player.
Mikal Bridges is a different flavor of 3-and-D wing. He isn’t quite as impressive a defender as Anunoby, nor as strong, but he possesses a better ability to handle the ball and was a better matchup for the league’s premier guards. He was also a Villanova graduate, further strengthening the Nova Knicks bond. Four unprotected first-round picks, along with an excess Milwaukee pick and a pick swap, is an extremely hefty price, but it was time to push the chips in.
Why? Well, the newly established second apron was quickly approaching. Anunoby was about to ink a $212 million contract. Brunson was extension-eligible. Randle was extension-eligible. While Rose’s cap expert, Brock Aller, was incredible at circumventing the aprons, the time to go all in was now. They couldn’t wait another offseason or two without risking the aprons breaking up the core.
Speaking of all in, there was one big move left to be made. Karl-Anthony Towns is a CAA client, someone that Knicks brass has been eyeing up for years as Minnesota gravitated towards No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards as its franchise face. The tires had long been kicked for a move, but nobody expected it to come days before training camp started in late September. For everything they meant to the franchise and fans, Randle and DiVincenzo were gone. The Big Bodega was in.
The Knicks were all in. While Brunson had taken a massive pay cut to gain flexibility, the team now had two players on $200 million contracts and another two who would be on $150 million deals to go along with two others making over $15 million per year. They built their roster to beat the defending champion Celtics, but those Celtics thrashed them four times in the regular season. The starters looked clunky all season, the offense never felt dominant, and the defense wasn’t able to be elite with two bad defenders. Going into the playoffs, there was real concern.
Then, for a while, it went away. A gritty, six-game series win over the Pistons and an unbelievable upset over the Celtics had fans dreaming of the team’s first NBA Finals trip of the 2000s. All that stood in the way was a Pacers team they knew they should’ve beat the year before. What could go wrong?
It turns out, everything. Rose built the team to conquer the Celtics, but they were not prepared for the run-and-gun Pacers, who ran them out of the gym in a six-game series that was over much earlier than it seems. While the Knicks reached their first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years, the season felt underwhelming.
And so, we reached the second major inflection point. Serious flaws with this roster were presented, and many felt like a big change might be necessary to shake things up. There was also the case of Tom Thibodeau, to whom the franchise was indebted after helping return them to relevance. But his issues were abundant. The starters were gassed, his scheme wasn’t modern on either end of the floor, and the locker room was split on him.
It was a tough decision, but Rose and Dolan decided to fire Thibodeau just one year after giving him an extension. To replace him, the front office went on a lengthy coaching search that briefly made the team a laughing stock, but they settled on Mike Brown, an offensive coach who would maximize this team’s offensive potential.
The roster stayed mostly intact, even when the Bucks came calling after Giannis Antetokounmpo made it clear to their brass that he wanted to be a Knick. There wasn’t much the Knicks could offer, but the fact that those talks didn’t get serious implies that they weren’t willing to make the move at all costs.
New York emerged as the only team Giannis Antetokounmpo desired outside of Milwaukee in the offseason, sources told ESPN, and the Knicks and Bucks engaged in talks for a window of time.
It’s been a rocky season. The Knicks have looked unbeatable one day and hard to watch the next, but they’ve found their stride at the right time. 11 consecutive wins in the postseason for the team’s longest winning streak, regardless of time of season, in 13 years. Sweeping their way to the NBA Finals against the team led by the man you almost acquired via trade four years ago. Finally reaching the place that seemed unattainable six years ago.
The journey has been exhausting. Dealing with big market expectations has been a chore for every decision-maker for every New York franchise for decades, but the Knicks were a different beast. Rose was considered a savior for several years, but as the Knicks stagnated a tier beneath the true contenders, he traded fan favorites and future flexibility for win-now pieces.
He faced multiple serious inflection points. He had to decide whether he was going to commit to prolonged rebuild or trying to turn things around fast. When the 2021 Knicks’ bubble burst, he had to decide whether it was worth it to continue trying to win or to retool around the young guys. He had to decide whether it would be wise to spend the team’s assets on a star guard in the trade market. He had to decide whether to fire Thibodeau or retool the roster after last season’s disappointing finish.
He had to make bold moves. Signing Brunson to a nine-figure contract was widely criticized by the NBA community. He made all in move after all in move to raise the team’s ceiling high enough to compete for a championship. He fired the most accomplished head coach the franchise had seen this century after the team’s best season in 25 years.
He’s not without his mistakes. The one lottery pick he’s ever had was spent on a permanent role player. He’s traded picks that became Ajay Mitchell, Tre Johnson, and Jalen Duren. He’s passed on the likes of Herb Jones, Jalen Williams, and Tyrese Haliburton. He signed Evan Fournier to a massive contract in an overreaction to 2020-21.
But perhaps his greatest strength is his patience. It’s extremely easy to overreact to things. If he had listened to the fanbase, the team would’ve built around a core of Quickley, Toppin, Reddish, and Barrett and been doomed to 35 wins forever. He knew not to trade Randle at an all-time low in 2022. He didn’t pull the trigger on enticing stars over the years just to finally accomplish a decade-long mission goal. He gave this roster patience, not disbanding them after one year or giving up on them when things looked extremely bleak at the deadline.
Leon Rose’s vision has culminated in things beyond what any fan could’ve imagined in 2020. He’s done this with one singular inherited player still on the roster, one lottery pick, and a whole lot of creativity. Consider where he’s built this roster from:
Jalen Brunson: signed in free agency on a four-year, $104 million deal that was widely considered an overpay. Extended on a 4/156.
Mikal Bridges: acquired via trade from Brooklyn for five first-round picks, Bojan Bogdanovic, and filler salary (thanks, Brock Aller!). Extended on a 4/150.
Josh Hart: acquired via trade from Portland for Cam Reddish and the No. 23 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft (Kris Murray). Extended on a 4/80.
OG Anunoby: acquired via trade from Toronto for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Extended on a 5/212.
Karl-Anthony Towns: acquired via trade from Minnesota for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
Jose Alvarado: acquired via trade from New Orleans for Dalen Terry and two seconds.
Deuce McBride: drafted No. 36 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. Extended on a 3/13.
Jordan Clarkson: signed in free agency on a veteran minimum in July 2025.
Landry Shamet: signed in free agency on a veteran minimum in September 2024.
Mitchell Robinson: inherited from Steve Mills.
Mo Diawara: drafted No. 51 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Jeremy Sochan: signed in the buyout market in February 2026.
Tyler Kolek: drafted No. 38 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Pacome Dadiet: drafted No. 25 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Ariel Hukporti: drafted No. 58 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
In the end, Rose has built something that has proven to be an outlier in the NBA. The Knicks weren’t built through a massive free agency haul like superteams of old. They didn’t rely on tanking for a half-decade and getting lucky in the lottery over and over again. They built their team meticulously in an innovative way, assembling a group of players who were cast off for deficiencies, imperfections, and players who were misvalued in one way or another.
Regardless of how the NBA Finals go, the Leon Rose era has been a resounding success. He’s completed one of the great turnarounds in NBA history, with as little ammunition as any executive in league history.
Leon Rose puts his arm around his son, Sam, and visibly breaks down in tears after the emotions set in of the Knicks going to the NBA Finals.
This is beautiful stuff. We love you, Leon. Thank you for everything you have done.
May 24, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins pinch hitter Heriberto Hernandez (13) gets doused after hitting a grand slam to end the game against the New York Mets at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
The New York Mets (22-33) welcome the Miami Marlins (26-31) to Citi Field, one week after Miami swept New York down at loanDepot Park. Miami promptly went out and lost two out of three to the Blue Jays, much like how the Mets lost two of three to the Reds following the sweep.
The Mets ended up dropping the next two games after getting swept, falling by an identical 7-2 score on Monday and 7-2 on Tuesday. Even weirder still, both games had the same score and the same time of game (2:56). They did rebound to win, mercifully, by a 4-2 score on Wednesday, which halted their five-game skid. The win was primarily aided by the Reds’ inability to bring home runners, as they stranded a small army (17 in total) on the base paths. Despite having runners on base in every single inning, the Mets held Cincinnati to two runs on the evening, and the pitching, which was essentially a bullpen game with Jonah Tong serving as the bulk arm, did just enough to secure a win.
The offense scored eight runs across the three games, which feels like an embarrassment of riches compared to the two runs they scored last weekend in Miami, but it’s hardly enough to consider the offense “back”. Meanwhile, the pitching faltered in each of the first two games, first with Nolan McLean getting knocked around for a second straight start, and then with David Peterson reverting back to his struggles after some encouraging outings earlier in the month. Speaking of Peterson, he made a mental lapse in the field which was the topic of much conversation in the booth, and with some starting to question whether apathy is setting in for a group that appears to be going nowhere fast.
Carson Benge, who struggled so mightily in April, continues to emerge as a might spot in another relatively dim month for the Mets—this is again probably an overreaction given that the team is hovering around .500 this month, but still hardly well enough to be celebrated. Benge has the second-highest wRC+ (122) and second-best fWAR (0.6) among Mets hitters this month, trailing just Juan Soto in both categories. The rookie contributed two run-scoring hits on Thursday, which ended up being the difference, as the only other runs the Mets could muster came on solo shots from the aforementioned Soto and the newly-acquired Eric Wagaman. Benge is also second on the team in runs scored this month with 16 (again, behind Soto) and third in runs batted in with 14, trailing Soto (16) and Mark Vientos (15). He leads all Mets qualified hitters this month with a .302 average.
But two of the veterans the team acquired in the offseason continue to be hugely problematic on offense. Bo Bichette, who has shown some glimpses of turning it around, is still hitting .218/.275/.317 with a 72 wRC+ and a 0.1 fWAR in May. Meanwhile, Marcus Semien, who did homer in Monday’s loss, has done little else, hitting .207/.250/.326 with a 63 wRC+ and a -0.2 fWAR for the month. For the Mets to have any shot of digging themselves out of their early-season hole, they will need much more production from these two bats, specifically Bichette, who was brought in for his offense.
The Mets got to enjoy something yesterday that they haven’t enjoyed since May 11: a day off and some extra rest. The last time the Mets had a day off, the Knicks had just wrapped up a sweep of the 76ers on the previous day and were beginning their eight days of rest before the start of the Eastern Conference Finals. In any event, the Mets played a marathon stretch that took them through a homestand against the Tigers and Yankees, back onto the road against the Nationals and Marlins, and then back home again to face the Reds. The stretch encompassed their jubilant 5-1 homestand, their demoralizing 2-5 road trip, and their uneven series loss this week. This is just the second (and final) day off of the month, but it could prove to give them a bit of a boost as they prepare for one final home series before heading back out west to take on the Mariners.
Friday, May 29: Freddy Peralta vs. Max Meyer, 7:10 PM EDT on WPIX
Peralta endured his strangest start as a Met. He allowed a season-high eight hits and matched his season-worst by allowing four earned runs and two home runs (both on Opening Day). However, he completed seven innings for the first time as a Met, struck out a season-high nine and walked just two batters after walking a season-high six in his prior outing. All that said, he still endured a loss to the Marlins, his fourth in a Mets uniform. It wouldn’t have mattered much anyway, as the offense was only able to push one run across.
Meyer had no problem handling the Mets his last time out. He hurled seven shutout innings against New York, allowing just one hit and walking three while striking out eight. He has now tossed 13 scoreless innings across his last two starts, and has earned a win in his last three starts and four of five outings in May. For the month, he has posted a 1.76 ERA and a 2.71 FIP in 30 2/3 innings. He has struck out 35 and is limiting hitters to a .168/.246/.271 slash line.
Saturday, May 30: Christian Scott vs. Tyler Phillips, 4:10 PM EDT on SNY
Scott is coming off his best start of the young season, and his best since coming back from Tommy John Surgery. The right-hander pitched into the sixth inning for the first time all year, throwing 5 2/3 innings against Miami. He held the Marlins off the board, scattering four hits while walking two and striking out five. It was his first time holding an opponent scoreless in 15 major league appearances, meaning that the 26-year-old could be turning a corner after struggling across much of the early part of this year. It’s a sorely-needed development for the Mets, who need all the help they can get on the starting pitching front.
Phillips started the year off as a reliever but has transitioned to the rotation in recent weeks. This will be just his second start of the season. His first one went well, as he limited the Mets to just two hits over 3 2/3 shutout innings. He walked two, struck out four, and tossed a season-high 59 pitches. It was his longest outing of the year, though he has gone three innings on four separate occasions in relief. It’s likely he’ll be stretched out enough to go four, and maybe a little further depending on pitch count, but he likely won’t go much further than 60-70 pitches. He has only allowed a run in five of his 16 outings this year.
Sunday, May 31: Nolan McLean vs. Janson Junk, 1:40 PM EDT on SNY
The last two starts have been a disaster for McLean. After allowing 19 runs in his first nine starts, he allowed 16 runs over his last two outings, which drove his ERA up from 2.92 to 4.40. His last time out started on a promising note, with the right-hander striking out the side in the first. However, it quickly devolved from there, and he only lasted 3 1/3 innings, the shortest outing of his major league career. He ended up being tagged for even earned runs (his season high) on five hits, with six strikeouts and two walks. He also allowed two home runs for the second consecutive start and has allowed six over his last four appearances after serving up just two in his first seven starts. For whatever little hope the Mets have of getting back into the playoff race, they will need McLean to be more like the 2025 version and less like what they’ve seen the last two times out.
Junk had a nice bounce back outing after suffering two really bad starts in a row against the Rays (5 2/3 innings, seven earned runs, ten hits, three walks, four strikeouts, two home runs) and the Braves (five innings, eight earned runs, eight hits, three strikeouts, zero walks, two home runs), both of which resulted in losses. Against the Blue Jays, he went five innings and allowed just one earned run on eight hits while striking out three and not issuing a walk. It was an encouraging outing and got the right-hander back in the win column after his recent string of losses. Surprisingly, the Mets did not see Junk at any point last year while pitching for the Marlins and in fact this will be his first regular season appearance against the Amazins.
Brewers broadcaster Jeff Levering stops by The Crawfish Boxes to preview the weekend series versus Milwaukee.
Q: Christian Yelich was slowed in May with that groin strain. Last May when he last faced the Astros, he had some nice at bats against them. What kind of season is he having this year?
A: Yelich had a resurgent season in 2025, his most games played since 2022, and arguably his most productive since 2019. With no rehab assignment, and some lingering back issues, he has been somewhat slow to come back from the groin strain. However, he did homer in back to back games in his return. His presence strengthens the lineup.
Q: Do you think the NL Central is the toughest in all of baseball?
A: It has always been a competitive division, but every team got better this offseason. Two months into the season, it is the most balanced division in the league.
Q: What does Jake Bauers bring to the club?
A: Great intangibles and a steady approach to the game (and life). Finally healthy and given an opportunity to play most days, Bauers is thriving with the opportunity. He is solid at first, can play either corner outfield spot and has power to all fields at the plate.
Q: Kyle Harrison and Jacob Misiorowski have been equally impressive collecting K’s and wins. What have been their biggest improvements leading to their success this season?
A: Miz brings the heat, up to 104MPH, but his command has taken on a new life form this year. He’s not just a thrower anymore, he’s hitting spots with all of his pitches and maintains his velocity throughout the game.
For Harrison, he’s finally getting a shot. He’s always had the stuff, but moving to the first base side of the rubber has allowed his pitches to become weapons. (He’s added) Additional depth on the slurve, and the fastball sneaks up on the league’s best hitters.
Quite the 1-2 punch. And both leading MLB’s youngest pitching staff.
CLEARWATER, FL - MARCH 21: Gage Wood #41 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark on Saturday, March 21, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Nathan Ray Seebeck/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Listen, you’re just here to see how Gage Wood did last night, so let’s get to the good stuff.
Lehigh Valley 9, Buffalo 4
Felix Reyes continued to stay hot with the Ironpigs and makes the question of why not see what he can do again at the major league level one that deserves a longer discussion. Ultimately, the answer is probably somewhere between “he’s a quad-A player” and “they’re simply not going to sit Adolis Garcia right now”. Bryse Wilson was good, throwing five shutout innings, lowering his ERA below 8 on the season. That’s not exactly the way to declare yourself “starting rotation depth” to the organization, but hey, gotta start somewhere.
Reading 5, Harrisburg 1
It was Gage Wood’s home debut for the Fightin’ Phils and he did not disappoint.
Four strikeouts tonight for Gage Wood in his home debut for Reading. He allows 3 hits and a run and didn’t walk a batter. He threw 33 of his 50 pitches for strikes pic.twitter.com/VC9YXfzo1f
You can see from Mitch Rupert’s post that he only went four innings, so clearly they’re still trying to watch his innings, for good or bad. In those four innings, he sat in 94-96 range, hitting 99 at one point.
#Phillies prospect Gage Wood ramped it to 99 mph on this pitch to get a whiff.
I mean, yeah, there was some offense tonight too, but the biggest takeaway is that even after two starts, Wood is starting to establish himself as a top pitching prospect in the game. He’ll have to start doing it over longer outings, something I’ll bet the team starts challenging him with as the season goes on, but he’s looking like the jump straight to Double-A is not a difficult one.
Jersey Shore 11, Frederick 2
Sam Highfill was the story tonight for the Blue Claws, firing five innings in which he struck out ten. Trent Farquhar was also in his bag, going two for four with three RBI in the the victory, but a larger story is Keaton Anthony continuing his minor league rehab assignment and going two for four of his own accord, racking up two RBI in the process. Anthony is likely headed for a new destination at some point in his near future. There really is nowhere for him to play at the major league level, so being used as a trade piece makes the most. If there is a team that could use some right handed pop at first base or DH, maybe he can translate minor league numbers into major league success.
Clearwater 12, Dunedin 11
Another offensive barnburner, this time, it was Robert Phelps and TJayy Walton leading the charge. Phelps had three hits, a double among them, while Walton had two hits and scored three times. Both also stole a base to chip in. One of those rare nights where all of the team’s minor league affiliates hit well and won.
COVERS INTEL:
MIA vs 
NYM
CHC vs 
STL
KC vs 
TEX
