But when Team USA announced its roster ahead of this year’s tournament in March, Turner was left off it and he revealed Monday that it wasn’t because he turned down an opportunity to play.
Trea Turner said he would have been interested in playing for Team USA again in the World Baseball Classic, but “phone never rang.”
“It’s something I wanted to do, but the phone never rang,” Turner told reporters from his locker at the Phillies’ spring training complex. “It’s so much fun. I gladly would have done it again. I said it last time, if they ever ask, I would say yes.”
Team USA manager Mark DeRosa and general manager Michael Hill selected the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. and the Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson over the 32-year-old Turner as Team USA shortstops — giving the infield a different complexion as they look to win the tournament after falling to Japan in the 2023 championship game.
Trea Turner is pictured during the Phillies’ spring training session Feb. 16. AP
Led by captain and Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, Team USA’s star-studded roster also includes two of Turner’s Phillies teammates in Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.
“They’ve got a great roster this year,” Turner told reporters Monday. “It’s stacked.”
Trea Turner celebrates after hitting a grand slam during a March 2023 game in the World Baseball Classic. USA TODAY Sports
Instead, Turner will remain with the Phillies for the entirety of their Grapefruit League slate and spring training.
The next chance for Turner, whose vintage WBC moments in 2023 included a go-ahead grand slam against Venezuela in the quarterfinals, to play for Team USA will be in 2029, when the tournament unfolds next.
“I think we’re in a good spot to win,” Turner told reporters of Team USA, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’ll definitely be watching it, and I wish Kyle and Bryce and all these guys, [Edmundo] Sosa, everyone playing, I hope they perform well for their countries, and it’s a lot of fun.”
Turner won the National League batting title last season after collecting a .304 average — in addition to 15 homers and 69 RBIs — in what served as his best season since signing with the Phillies ahead of the 2023 season.
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 15: Anthony Edwards #5 of the USA Stars Team poses for a portrait with the Kobe Bryant 2026 Kia NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Trophy during the 75th NBA All-Star Game - Post Game Portraits as part of NBA All-Star Weekend on Sunday, February 15, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Zach Barron/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It was February of 2003. Kevin Garnett walked into the All-Star Game as the Timberwolves’ lone representative, our one-man franchise, and walked out with the MVP trophy after leading the Western Conference to a win. I remember sitting in my college apartment obsessively tracking every KG rebound and elbow jumper like it was Game 7 of the Finals. My roommates looked at me like I had lost my mind. “It’s the All-Star Game,” they said.
But they didn’t get it.
Back then, the Wolves were the NBA’s awkward cousin. Six straight first-round playoff exits. No playoff series wins. No lottery luck. No national respect. Kevin Garnett was all we had. So when KG was announced as All-Star MVP, it felt like Minnesota had finally been acknowledged. Not pitied. Not ignored. Acknowledged.
Fast forward 23 years.
Anthony Edwards is now the second Timberwolf to win All-Star Game MVP. On the surface, it doesn’t hit the same way. The All-Star Game has spent the last decade drifting into irrelevance, with think pieces every February asking whether we should just cancel it altogether. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, aren’t the NBA’s afterthought anymore. They’ve been to back-to-back Western Conference Finals. They’re in the contender conversation. They don’t need validation in the same desperate way they did in 2003.
And yet, what we saw this weekend from Edwards may end up being even more significant than what Garnett did that night.
Because this wasn’t just about an exhibition trophy.
It was about the face of the league.
For the better part of three years now, I’ve been beating the same drum: Anthony Edwards should be the face of the modern NBA. Not just one of its stars. The guy. The centerpiece. The billboard. The post-LeBron answer.
The modern NBA features a buffet of talent. Luka Doncic slicing defenses. Nikola Jokic doing robot savant things. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP and champion, playing with surgical precision. Victor Wembanyama looking like a basketball cheat code from a lab experiment.
But here’s the thing: there’s only one player on that stage who has the charisma, the relatability, and the sheer gravitational pull to capture both the American fan base and the global audience in the way Michael Jordan did in the ’90s, Kobe did in the 2000s, and LeBron did for the last two decades.
It’s Edwards.
Luka and Jokic are generational talents, but they don’t connect culturally with U.S. fans the way a homegrown, charismatic star does. Shai is brilliant, but he doesn’t command a room the way Ant does. Wembanyama is fascinating, but he’s a unicorn. Kids can’t replicate that body, that reach, that alien geometry. They can’t go into the driveway and pretend to be 7-foot-4 with an eight-foot wingspan.
They can pretend to be Anthony Edwards.
They can practice the step-back three. The downhill drive. The swagger. The grin. The playful trash talk. The confidence.
From the opening tip of the All-Star Game, Edwards stole the show. He went at Wembanyama with a wink and a challenge. He embraced the moment instead of sleepwalking through it. And when the final buzzer sounded and the cameras swarmed, he didn’t retreat into cliché answers or exhausted platitudes.
He leaned in.
The postgame press conference was almost more impressive than the on-court performance. After a long All-Star Weekend, it would have been easy to mail it in. Instead, he flashed that smile, cracked jokes, engaged with reporters, and turned a room full of microphones into his own late-night talk show set. He looked comfortable. Confident. Born for it.
This is exactly the kind of personality the league needs right now. The NBA is navigating a strange era. The talent level is absurdly high. The global footprint is enormous. But culturally? It feels fragmented. Polarized. Searching for its next unifying figure. After MJ came Kobe. After Kobe came LeBron. After LeBron… the answer has felt murkier.
The answer should be Anthony Edwards.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting for Wolves fans. For years, Minnesota has lived on the wrong side of the NBA’s gravitational pull. The superstar whistle? Rarely ours. The free-agent magnetism? Not exactly strong. The benefit-of-the-doubt calls in crunch time? Let’s just say we’ve seen them go elsewhere.
Edwards has yet to consistently get the “superstar whistle.” You can debate whether that whistle should exist at all, but anyone who watches the league knows it does. Ant drives to the rim, absorbs contact, throws his arms up with that signature “hey!” yell, and too often jogs back without a call. Some of that is self-inflicted, officials don’t love demonstrative reactions, but some of it is about status.
Status changes everything. As Edwards’ star continues its supernova trajectory, maybe the memo gets passed. Maybe some of those borderline no-calls start turning into trips to the free-throw line. Not because he’s flopping or hunting whistles, but because the league subconsciously understands: this is one of our tentpole guys now.
And if that happens, it doesn’t just elevate Edwards.
It elevates Minnesota.
For 36 years, the Wolves have fought uphill battles: officiating, market size, free agency perception, you name it. But if Edwards becomes the gravitational center of the league, that pull starts working in Minnesota’s favor. Suddenly, the Wolves aren’t just the scrappy small-market contender. They’re the home of the face of the NBA.
That matters.
It matters for calls. It matters for national TV slots. It matters for free agents who want to play with a megastar in his prime. It matters for legacy.
Because while Garnett’s 2003 All-Star MVP felt like validation for a franchise that had never won anything, Edwards’ 2026 All-Star MVP feels like confirmation of something bigger: confirmation that Minnesota might be housing the next global icon.
The NBA is full of brilliance right now. But there’s only one guy who feels like he was made for the camera, built for the moment, and wired to embrace the spotlight without flinching.
After MJ came Kobe. After Kobe came LeBron.
After LeBron?
It should be Anthony Edwards.
And if that’s true, Wolves fans may look back at this All-Star Weekend not as a fun midseason footnote, but as the night the rest of the basketball world finally caught up to what we’ve known for five seasons.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 27: Joey Cantillo #54 of the Cleveland Guardians throws a pitch during the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field on September 27, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
#Guardians Manager Stephen Vogt said today that Logan Allen and Joey Cantillo will be the starters in each of Cleveland's Spring Training games Saturday. Says he is not sure who will pitch against the Reds or Brewers just yet. #GuardsBall@WEWS
It is just about time for Guardians baseball to be back! The first full squad workout is today, and Steven Vogt announced that Logan Allen and Joey Cantillo will be the starters for the first two games Saturday. Vogt also mentioned that we would see a lot of Stuart Fairchild and Travis Bazzana before they have to leave for the WBC, which is very exciting.
FanGraphs posted their new top 100 and it includes six Guardians:
26. Chase DeLauter
40. Ralphy Velazquez
42. Angel Genao
54. Travis Bazzana
82. Parker Messick
91. Khal Stephen
In the past I have not been a fan of Eric Longenhagen, but I think this is a very good list. I would have Doughty in there as well, but I mostly agree with this order. Of course all of this will change by July, but it’s still fun to see where our guys stack up amongst the rest of the prospects in the league.
Sep 5, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Kevin Alcantara (13) singles against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
It’s another week here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and join us. We’ve waived the cover charge. The dress code is casual. We still have a few tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last week I asked you if the Cubs should sign Nico Hoerner to an extension. Normally this would be a no-brainer, but the presence of Matt Shaw complicates things. In any case, 55 percent of you thought my proposal of four years and $84 million sounded like a fair deal for Hoerner that the Cubs should make. Another 32 percent of you think my estimate was too low, but that the Cubs should pay what it takes (within reason) to sign Hoerner to an extension.
Basically, about 95 percent of you want to see Hoerner as a Cub for life. I hope Jed Hoyer is listening.
Here’s the part where we listen to music and talk movies. The BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic is almost over, but we still have a few contests left. But you’re free to skip ahead to the Cubs stuff at the end.
I guess real New Orleans people don’t say “Laissez le bon temps roulez,“ but it’s a good phrase anyways as it’s Mardi Gras time down in Louisiana. And since New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz, we can’t let the holiday pass without a tribute.
Here we have New Orleans trumpeter Kermit Ruffins playing “Drop Me Off in New Orleans” inside of a van in 2012.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Directed by Nicholas Meyer. Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Ricardo Montalban. oday I have to play teacher and scold some of you who are ruining things for everyone. Once again, someone stuffed the ballot box in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic. So no matter what the final vote total says, I’m declaring 2001: A Space Odyssey the winner of Godzilla (Gojira) since it seems clear to me that more of you voted for it than Godzilla, even if one or more of you decided to vote for Godzilla a few dozen times.
Should this kind of ballot stuffing continue, I’m going to discontinue this feature in future winters.
So 2001 advances to the final where it will definitely take on a sequel. I know this because the two pictures we have this evening are two of the greatest sequels ever made: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan versus Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Ironically, neither one of these films were ranked by me atop their brackets, although I do remember making up the brackets and saying to myself “Man, the ‘modern’ bracket is tough if Terminator 2 comes in seeded third.“
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Directed by Nicholas Meyer. Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Ricardo Montalban.
I should point out that it was TWOK that established Star Trek’s “Magnificent Seven” of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov. Anyone familiar with the original sixties television show knows that only Shatner, Nimoy and DeForest Kelley were listed in the opening credits and Kelley only in the second and third seasons. The other four weren’t in every episode and it was TWOK that elevated the other four over characters like Nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett), Yeoman Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney) and a few other recurring characters that showed up on the original series from time to time.
Here’s the scene that didn’t have a dry eye in the house for. Spoiler I guess, but it’s a 43-year-old film and pretty much all of you know what happens here.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Directed by James Cameron. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Robert Patrick.
Here’s the scene where the T-800 (Schwarzenegger) and John Connor (Edward Furlong) break his mom Sarah (Hamilton) out of the psychiatric prison. The T-1000 (Patrick) is hot on their heels. Schwarzenegger also gets out one of his catchphrases: “Come with me if you want to live.”
Now it’s time to vote!
The winner will take on 2001: A Space Odyssey for the tournament title on Wednesday!
Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.
Spring Training has started, which means we have a month of arguing over who should make the Opening Day roster. And since most of the roster spots are already set, most of what we discuss is who is the last guy on the bench or the final spot in the bullpen. That’s assuming there isn’t some major injury that we don’t want to think about.
Maybe the biggest discussion for Spring Training is who is going to be the fourth outfielder for the Cubs. The candidates are prospect Kevin Alcántara and three players who were added over the winter: waiver claim Justin Dean and free agent non-roster invitees Dylan Carlson and Chas McCormick.
That’s a debate for another day after we get a few Spring Training games in. I promise you we will revisit this topic later in Spring Training. But of the four players named, Alcántara is the one with the most promise and the one most likely to have a long career with the Cubs.
So tonight we’re going to focus on Alcántara. Whether or not you think he’ll break camp with the Cubs on Opening Day, there’s a good chance that he’ll spend some time in the majors this year. But how much? Will Alcántara be so good that he forces his way into a regular roster spot by May? Will he serve much of the season as a part-time player? Or will he, like in 2024 and 2025, just get a short cup of coffee with the major league team?
Just to refresh your memory, the Cubs acquired Kevin Alcántara at the deadline in 2021 in the trade that sent Anthony Rizzo to the Bronx. At the time, Alcántara had just turned 19 and had all of nine games in the rookie ball Gulf Coast League. Since then he’s slowly worked his way up the Cubs system until spending all of last year in Triple-A Iowa, save for that short major-league call-up in September. With Iowa, he struggled through some injuries but still hit a respectable .266/.349/.470 with 17 home runs and ten steals over 102 games.
“The Jaguar,” as Alcántara is nicknamed, is still in many ways the raw prospect the Cubs traded for in 2021. Yes, he’s made a lot of progress, but he’s still a player who gets by more on his raw athleticism than baseball skills. He has made progress in pitch selection, but he still has a ton of swing-and-miss in his game, especially against breaking pitches from right-handed pitchers. At 6’6”, he may always have trouble covering the strike zone. But his raw athleticism, power and speed mean that if he ever does put things together, he has the ceiling of an All-Star.
But it should be noted that he has become a very good defensive outfielder, both in center and right field. No, he’s not on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s level, but no one is. That makes him an ideal 4th outfielder. The problem is that turning him into a major league reserve player means he won’t be getting the regular at-bats that he needs to improve at the plate. So making Alcántara a regular fourth outfielder now might help the team win in 2026, but itcould stunt his growth as a regular right fielder for the future.
So whether or not you think Alcántara breaks camp with the Cubs at the end of March, how many major league games do you think he’ll play in 2026? I realized that I probably should have made this poll read “With the Cubs,” but I didn’t. So if you think the Cubs will trade Alcántara to the Tigers for Tarik Skubal (not happening) at the deadline, I guess you can add in the 45 games he’ll play in Detroit after the deal if you want.
Thanks for stopping by this evening. It’s always good to start the week with a friendly face. Don’t be a stranger. Please get home safely. Stay warm and dry. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow evening for more BCB After Dark.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 19: Relief pitcher Walker Buehler #31 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the sixth inning at Chase Field on September 19, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Phillies defeated the Diamondbacks 8-2. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
How did San Diego Padres President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller celebrate his new multi-year contract extension? By continuing to add to the 2026 roster.
Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune posted on social media that San Diego and right-hander Walker Buehler agreed to a minor-league contract, Monday. The post contained a link to his article for the U-T.
Buehler was a first-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015 and broke into the big leagues with the club in 2017. Buehler pitched for the Dodgers until 2024 and left via free agency. He spent the 2025 season with the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies.
Buehler holds a career record of 57-29 with a 3.52 ERA. He has amassed 846 strikeouts over 839.2 innings pitched. Buehler finished the 2025 season with a combined record of 10-7 with a 4.93 ERA with 92 strikeouts in 126.0 innings pitched.
The Padres have added multiple arms since Saturday with Griffin Canning, German Marquez and now Buehler being added to the mix for a backend of the rotation. The three additions will compete with JP Sears, Kyle Hart, Matt Waldron, Marco Gonzales and Triston McKenzie throughout Spring Training for one of the final rotation spots. Randy Vasquez has been the presumed No. 4 starter for much of the offseason, but with the added competition he will have to earn it.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 14: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during a press conference during 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome on February 14, 2026 in Inglewood, California. 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 GettyImages License Agreement. (Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the unfair and unprecedented fines against the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers last week, there has been a tipping point of frustration for fans and media over how poorly things have gone for the NBA under the leadership of Adam Silver.
Adam Silver has done one thing right in his time as Commissioner: he has made money for the Owners, those with one of thirty memberships in the league.
In terms of the product on the floor, he’s done a terrible job. The actual on-court elements of the game have consistently gotten worse under his leadership.
Problems with the product
Tanking
Instead of focusing on the two-thirds of the league vying for playoffs, Silver has made it important to punish and terrorize the small markets of the league, doing everything they can to try to be competitive. Steph Curry, over had a great quote over All-Star weekend about the state of the league and the “tanking problem.”
Steph Curry was asked what he thinks the NBA should do to reduce tanking:
“Is it really that big of a problem? I’m asking. We feel like there’s obviously a lot of competition. It’s something I’m sure every year the NBA wants to address, why the Play-in Tournament exists. Things… pic.twitter.com/tMVMb1VaNK
Tanking, which has been done for forty years, is just now apparently ruining the “integrity of the league.” Teams that are focusing on having their young players play, knowing that they won’t win, are receiving threats from the commissioner to do things that aren’t in their best interest. You’d better play your vets, we’re monitoring your substitution patterns! Win meaningless games, so you miss out on the talent in the draft, or else! That’s the message from Adam Silver recently.
In Silver’s disastrous press conference over All-Star weekend, in which Silver had All-Star Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night during the day, he claimed that all things are on the table to punish teams for tanking, including losing draft picks. So, the one thing teams like the Utah Jazz have to bring top-tier talent on their team, the one thing that allows them to make trades to improve, Silver wants to remove.
Adam Silver: "What we're doing, what we're seeing right now, is not working…"
David Aldridge: "Is there any talk of taking draft picks away from teams… as opposed to fining them?"
There are so many things he says that show an absolute misunderstanding of fans. First, Silver mentions that fans don’t want tanking. Maybe for the casual fan, but for the diehards, the ones paying for league pass and going to games in losing seasons, that’s just not the case. Silver is treating fans like a tech company treats users of its apps, they’re data points. Fans may not like tanking, nobody does, but they understand the necessity of it. I see that in our site’s numbers and in my own YouTube and social media. Fans view the draft as hope, and tanking as the means of restoring it. They know that you can’t get anywhere in the NBA other than drafting top-tier players on draft night. And for small market teams, tanking is the only way they’ll get their own superstar. Silver throwing around threats about losing draft picks is the worst possible type of leadership. It’s a tyrannical leader, unchecked, threatening the smaller markets to bend the knee to his beloved larger markets like LA and New York, as well as his beloved gambling companies (more on that later).
Yes, there are season ticket holders who would like to see their teams win. And at some point, you have to make sure that NBA owners are actually making a profit, but the NBA taking draft picks away from a team like the Jazz would only hurt the fans, the ones that Silver claims he is worried about.
Season Length
For far too long, the NBA season has been too long. Players are still playing back-to-backs and three games in four nights that is leading to a wide variety of issues. Load management has been a problem that has plagued the league for all of Silver’s tenure. We don’t hear as much about it now because the commissioner wants you to think it’s been solved. To his credit, Silver did add the rule that players must reach 65 games to be eligible for awards and all-star consideration, and that appears to have curbed some problems. But this rule alone should tell you about the need for a shortened season.
Imagine the NBA reduced games to something in the 70-72 range. Teams would actually be able to practice (what a novel thought). It would literally improve the product on the floor with teams being prepared for each game. It would also make each game matter more, in a way that has given the NFL an advantage. Each NFL game matters more because every game counts towards the playoff picture. If the NBA had a shorter season, spread out, there would be less tanking in general because, when it would happen, it would be late in the season when people wouldn’t care anyway. The playoff picture would hinge on every game that much more. As it currently stands, the season is more or less decided by February and March. Teams like the Utah Jazz have to make decisions for what’s best for them earlier because the season is so long.
In addition to improvements to the games themselves, we’re seeing players sustain more and more injuries. The game is faster, harder, and requires more skill than ever before. Players have to be at an elite level, and they’re pushing themselves to the absolute limit, and we’re seeing more injuries, which is costing stars to play. And if there’s one thing the NBA likes to boast about, it’s its stars. It is not good to boast about those stars if they’re always out with calf injuries, or worse.
How to fire Adam Silver
The decision to single out the Utah Jazz specifically was not for the integrity of the league, the lie that Adam Silver told. It was to protect the thing that he is most worried about, the revenue of the league. But not in the way you would think, with attendance or viewership, he is most worried about the integration of gambling. There are a lot of legacies that Adam Silver will leave whenever he stops being the commissioner (player injuries, bad officiating, a ruined all-star experience, a poor league-pass experience, tournaments no one asked for, the list could go on), but the one he will be most known for is the invasive implementation of gambling in every aspect of the game. Gambling companies need reliable information for games to remove issues with their lines. For the Utah Jazz to rest players puts those lines at risk and could cause bookkeepers to lose reliable data. That’s the worry for Adam Silver.
One of the most telling stories about Silver’s interest in the gambling aspect of the league comes from this Ringer article on pitch-counting scandals and their relationship to prop bets. Something that sounds very familiar to things we’ve seen with Terry Rozier and Jontay Porter. But what’s interesting from that article is what it revealed from Adam Silver talking to Rob Manfred, commissioner of the MLB.
With parlays, the house almost always wins. With prop bets, the house almost always wins except when it’s set up to lose by a duplicitous, unscrupulous player. In 2021, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred divulged that NBA commissioner Adam Silver had advised him not to dwell on baseball’s deliberate pace because all that time between its hundreds of thousands of pitches per season made the sport perfect for micro-betting—an in-game, real-time form of prop bet along the lines of the kind Clase is accused of abusing, which wasn’t even feasible in sports betting’s bookie-based era, before smartphones and apps. Micro-bets are made for problem gamblers—both the kind that can’t lose and the kind that can’t win.
This bit of information is everything you need to know about what Adam Silver’s focus is. It’s not what’s best for the game and the fans, it’s not the integrity of the game, it’s how much money he can squeeze from every opportunity he can. It’s why every change for the league always entails some addition/change that doesn’t actually improve the actual product, it’s just to manipulate things in a way that keeps revenue while also manufacturing interest. The integrity of the game is the last thing he’s worried about.
In the NBA’s constitution, Article 13 talks about the ways that an owner can lose their membership in the NBA. One of those (Article 13, section g) is for a team, or a member of a team, who willfully manipulates scores, but for bets/wagers. There is nothing there regarding losing games for draft purposes. But for a removal of a member of the NBA, it would take the member breaking one of the rules of the league and having a 3/4 vote by the Board of Governors consisting of a representative of all 30 NBA teams.
The problem? Adam Silver is the commissioner, he is not a member of the association. He recently received a contract extension through 2030. It’s clear that if the NBA Board of Governors wanted to remove Adam Silver, it would take a special meeting, and then a vote would have to be taken. That vote would require a 3/4 majority. With 30 NBA teams, 23 teams would have to vote for it.
The cynical part of me makes me think that this is very unlikely. There may be a lot of team owners that are perfectly fine with the direction that Adam Silver is running things. But the small market teams have to pay attention to what is happening. Adam Silver appears to be using this situation as an opportunity to make drastic changes to the draft, the only way a team like the Utah Jazz or the Indiana Pacers can actually build toward a title. Recently, the idea of abolishing the draft has been bandied about online. Apparently, Adam Silver is actually considering it.
Adam Silver and his advisors would “seriously consider” abolishing the rookie draft and turning rookies in free agents if it is the only way to stop tanking, per @joevardon
If there is anything that small markets should avoid at all costs, it is this. If you are putting the choice for rookies to choose between going to LA, Miami, New York, and a smaller market? You’re never going to see the small markets be competitive again. Even if the player might want to go to a better situation, the agents are going to steer their client to the place they think will generate more deals and earning power. And what’s obvious from Adam Silver lately is that he couldn’t care less about the fans from Utah or Indiana. What he’s interested in is the data points that tell him he needs to always give the advantage to larger markets while coming up with new ways to squeeze more from the fans.
The NBA Draft needs to return to the old lottery odds that favor the worst teams with the best odds of getting the top pick. Silver’s decision to flatten odds has created this “tanking problem” he’s talking about.
And that’s the reason that a change needs to happen. There needs to be a commissioner committed to improving the product, one who understands what’s actually best for the league. THAT is where the integrity of the game is on the line. The person who has “undermined the foundation of NBA competition” is Adam Silver, who puts gambling companies’ interests over those of the fans at every point. His leadership has hurt the “integrity of the league,” and it’s time for a change to happen.
Mets pitcher Christian Scott (45) throws live batting practice during spring training. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Hanging in there
Justin Hagenman also threw multiple innings of live batting practice.
The right-hander was a spot starter for the Mets last season after arriving on a major league contract despite having never pitched above the Triple-A level.
Caught my eye
Carlos Beltrán was around the batting cage in uniform for the team’s first full-squad workout.
Selectors under fire after Steve Smith unused against Sri Lanka
Fate now rests with Ireland and Sri Lanka beating Zimbabwe
Australia’s aura as a white-ball heavyweight has all but petered out in the space of two disastrous defeats at the T20 World Cup where the absence of their champion fast bowlers has been ruthlessly exposed.
Philadelphia made a couple of moves on Monday to help solidify and add depth to its roster for the final 30-game push into the playoffs.
The first is signing veteran point guard Cameron Payne for the remainder of the season, something first reported by Marc Stein of The Stein Line. Payne played for 10 seasons in the NBA — he was in 72 games for the Knicks last season, averaging 15 minutes and 6.9 points a night — but couldn't land a contract this season, so he signed to play with Partizan Belgrade in Serbia, where he averaged 12.4 points and 3.9 assists but in just 10 games. The team has agreed to release him.
Partizan Belgrade will receive $1.75 million in the buyout, according to Stein, but under the terms of the CBA, the 76ers can contribute only $875,000 of that.
Philadelphia has All-Star Tyrese Maxey at the point, but is a little thin at the guard spot after trading Jared McCain to Oklahoma City at the deadline. Payne provides depth that coach Nick Nurse can trust.
The other piece of business was much more straightforward: Converting Jabari Walker from a two-way to a standard, two-year contract, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN.
Walker has played in 45 games for the 76ers this season, starting six, and giving the team solid rotation minutes at the four. He was bumping up against the two-way contract limit of 50 games and the Sixers did well to just lock him up. It is very likely that the second year of this contract is not (or is minimally) guaranteed.
Carlos Lagrange throws a pitch during the Yankees' Feb. 16 session at spring training.
TAMPA — Carlos Lagrange stepped onto the mound at Steinbrenner Field on Monday afternoon, looked toward the batter’s box and thought, “Damn, it’s Aaron Judge.”
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A few pitches into the live batting practice, Judge crushed a 99.3 mph fastball into the seats for a home run.
But Lagrange, one of the top Yankees pitching prospects, showed his mettle and high-end stuff throughout the rest of the session, coming back to fan Judge on a 102.6 mph heater, a showdown that had the sizable crowd buzzing on the first day of full-squad workouts.
“He’s going to be special,” Judge said. “You can look up at the radar and see 103 mph — the fastball he threw by me — but I think it’s also just a presence he has on the mound. He’s a kid that, we sent up a nasty lineup against him today and he didn’t care. He wanted to be out there and he came right after us. That’s what you need.”
Carlos Lagrange throws a pitch during the Yankees’ Feb. 16 session at spring training. Charles Wenzelberg
Across three simulated innings, in his first big league camp, Lagrange got a stiff test by facing Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham.
But the 22-year-old did not back down from the challenge, showing off a fastball that often hits triple digits to go with what manager Aaron Boone called a “special” changeup and sharp sweeper.
“When I see those guys, I feel really good because I’m here [in big league camp] with them,” Lagrange said. “But I try to do the same thing: throw in my zone and go through my pitches.
“I know 102 is really hard, but I work out hard in the offseason. When you do a really good job in the offseason, that’s the result.”
Lagrange, whose biggest hurdles in the minor leagues have been throwing enough strikes and staying healthy, finished last year at Double-A Somerset, where he made 15 starts and posted a 3.22 ERA.
Carlos Lagrange prepares to throw a pitch during the Yankees’ Feb. 16 session at spring training. Charles Wenzelberg
He is already far along in his buildup for this season, throwing 49 pitches in Monday’s session.
While Lagrange is expected to get every chance to remain a starter, the Yankees could fast-track him to The Bronx in a relief role, with his stuff likely playing up in the bullpen.
For now, though, they continue to be impressed by how he is handling himself and his stuff in the early days of camp.
“I thought he was excellent,” Boone said. “First one to go out there, first full-squad day, the crowd’s full, he’s facing the big boys. What I liked is he was filling up the zone with it. The stuff obviously jumps off the page at you, but at a point where he’s going three ups, 49 pitches, he held his stuff and most importantly held his strike-throwing.
“Again, it’s February, but really good to see him out there.”
UNIONDALE,NY OCTOBER 30: Nate Williams #19 of the Long Island Nets poses for a portrait during G League media day on October 30, 2025 in Uniondale,NY. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Luther Schlaifer/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Per NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Golden State Warriors have signed Nate Williams of the G League’s Long Island Nets to a two-way contract.
The Golden State Warriors are signing Nate Williams of the Long Island Nets to a two-way contract, according to league sources.
Williams will occupy the recently vacated two-way slot previously held by Pat Spencer, who was signed to a standard roster contract. He will join Malevy Leons and LJ Cryer as one of three two-way-contract players on the roster.
Williams is a 6-foot-5 wing who averaged 17.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 steals on 48.2 percent shooting from the field (34.5 percent on 5.1 three-point attempts per game) in 22 regular season games for the Long Island Nets this season. He has previously played for the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets in the NBA.
Being 27 years old, Williams is a bit on the older side but does have a bit of experience as an NBA contributor. However, it remains unlikely that he will see actual rotation minutes outside of garbage time situations this season.
Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani walks by fans during spring training at Camelback Ranch in Arizona on Monday. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)Mookie Betts throws a ball during Dodgers spring training at Camelback Ranch in Arizona Monday. (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)Yoshiki Ideguchi, who traveled from Tokyo, watches at Dodgers spring training at Camelback Ranch in Arizona Monday.
Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles TimesChildren lean against a fence and wait to greet players during Dodgers spring training at Camelback Ranch in Arizona on Monday.
Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles TimesA fan holds a World Series bobblehead while waiting to greet players at Dodgers spring training at Camelback Ranch in Arizona on Monday.
Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles TimesDodgers manager Dave Roberts watches players work out during spring training at Camelback Ranch in Arizona Monday. (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)Fans hold a sign with pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto's name while waiting to seek autographs at Dodgers spring training in Arizona Monday. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow laughs while walking across the field at Dodgers spring training in Arizona on Monday. (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)A Dodgers hate and glove rest on grass during Dodgers spring training at Camelback Ranch in Arizona Monday. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
The Yankees right fielder was coming back from a flexor strain in his right elbow and, after strictly DHing for the first month off the injured list, returned to the field in September trying to do the best with what he had.
“That was the toughest thing for me last year, was the pitcher’s working his butt off and the guys around me are working their butt off and then the ball’s hit to me and I had no shot [to throw a runner out],” Judge said Monday.
But his arm began to look more like itself in October and now, four months later, Judge is feeling back to normal.
“It’s feeling great,” Judge said after the first full-squad workout of spring training. “Haven’t had any issues so far. I think we’re ready to go. I’m throwing out there confident. I’ve thrown to bases a couple times already, so no worries. Just excited to get back out there and have the confidence.”
Aaron Judge prepares to catch a ball during the Yankees’ spring training session Feb. 15. Charles Wenzelberg
After taking about two weeks off from throwing at the start of the offseason, Judge began his throwing program earlier than usual on the advice of the Yankees training staff.
Once he got to long tossing and could “really let it go,” he felt like he was in the clear.
Aaron Judge makes a throw during the Yankees’ Feb. 15 workout at spring training. Charles Wenzelberg
“The training staff did a great job, they were really the ones pushing for, ‘Let’s have you throw all offseason,’” said Judge, who will leave camp in just under two weeks to play right field for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
About nine months removed from breaking his ankle and suffering ligament damage on a brutal slide home in Seattle, Oswaldo Cabrera is feeling good and took live batting practice Monday.
But there are evidently still barriers for the utility player to clear in order to be ready to start the season on time, with manager Aaron Boone indicating that it depends on how he looks over the next few weeks.
“We’ll take a little time before we get him into [Grapefruit League] games, but the fact that he’s doing everything now is encouraging,” Boone said. “Hopefully, he can continue to get that last layer of maneuverability and things like that.”
Anthony Volpe was scheduled to begin his hitting progression Monday, the latest milestone in his rehab from October surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
The shortstop was set to take dry swings in the training room, Boone said, though he has been able to take ground balls and throw without issues.
Ryan McMahon was held out of the first full-squad workout because of flu-like symptoms.
The Yankees outrighted Yanquiel Fernández to Triple-A, after designating him for assignment last week, and invited the outfielder to big league camp.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Los Angeles Dodgers utility man Tommy Edman won’t be ready for opening day following offseason surgery on his right ankle.
Manager Dave Roberts on Monday made official what was expected, saying Edman was taking swings and doing light jogging but that the versatile second baseman wouldn’t be ready for the start of spring training workouts or the regular season.
Edman, who replaced a struggling Andy Pages in center field during the Dodgers’ World Series victory against Toronto last year, nursed the ankle all season. The 30-year-old had surgery in November to repair a ligament and remove bone spurs.
“I had a month last year,” Edman said, referring to when his ankle was healthy. “Hopefully I have a full season this year.”
While Edman never wanted to rule out being ready when the two-time defending champions play Arizona at home on March 26, he knew it was a long shot.
“Opening Day was going to be a really aggressive goal, just in case it happened to be, like, we recover faster than we expected it to,” Edman told reporters at the team’s spring training facility. “I think everything is based on past instances with this kind of surgery. I feel like I’m on schedule with that, and we’ll just kind of see how it goes with each step along the way.”
Edman has hit just .229 over two seasons with the Dodgers, but his presence gives Roberts options throughout the lineup. Even though he mostly plays second, Edman would be the first choice behind Pages in center and has filled in for Max Muncy at third base.
Kiké Hernández gives the Dodgers another solid utility player as long as Edman is out. Los Angeles probably would employ a platoon at second until Edman returns.
When Chris Klieman decided after last season that his health couldn’t take the unruly state of college football, and that Kansas State wasn’t helping matters by how it approached player procurement for the front porch of the university’s sports programs, he retired and left no doubt why.
“You guys are smart enough to realize that those who have the most money, have the best players,” Klieman said after K-State’s regular season final against Colorado. “And they’re spending $40-50 million. The ones like us that don’t, man, we’ve got to scratch and fight and claw.”
So K-State accepted the resignation of the best coach it could possibly ask for since Bill Snyder’s second retirement, and hired former Wildcats great Collin Klein.
I don’t think I’m breaking news by saying K-State had to have made significant financial promises to Klein to get him to take the job. You’re not winning at a high level in the Big 12 if you’re not spending, and Klein could’ve waited at Texas A&M until the right job opened at an SEC school.
We now circle back to Tang, who led K-State to the NCAA tournament after his first season in 2023, and then signed a lucrative seven-year extension. The program has struggled since, and K-State has every right to terminate the contract of a struggling coach.
Then pay him what he is owed on the remainder of his deal: $18.7 million.
Now here’s where it gets fuzzy, and quite frankly, more than disturbing.
After an ugly home loss to Cincinnati, Tang ripped into his players, saying they “don’t deserve to wear this uniform” and “they don’t love this place, so they don’t deserve to be here.”
Then he said he’d wear a paper bag on his head, too, if he were a K-State fan.
If John Calipari said this at Arkansas, if Rick Pitino said this at St. Johns, they’d be celebrated for not pandering to today’s lavished student-athletes.
Hell, Mick Cronin does it nearly every game at UCLA — win or lose.
But now — now — K-State is deep in its feelings. Now we’re supposed to believe the hardscrabble, no guts, no glory athletics program is offended by a basketball coach spitting truth to a bunch of players paid to play a game?
Mommy, the mean man said I won’t be around much longer because I’m not playing defense and giving effort!
I’m gonna puke.
Make no mistake, K-State took the fiscally prudent road out. Even with all the inherent potholes of trying to fire for cause.
K-State officials say Tang ripping his team embarrassed the university, and is just cause for dismissal. Uh, folks, your basketball team embarrassed the university.
And this decision is a close second.
By firing for cause, K-State is trying to avoid losing millions in buyout money, and that $18-and-change million owed to Tang sure would look good supporting the new coach of a football program that won six games in 2025.
The football program that has again fallen behind in the Big 12, this time after an elite coach could take it no more. The state of college football is bad enough, it’s worse when the financial support isn’t there.
So you better believe K-State is going down this road, reputation be damned. They’ll take it to court and hope Tang wants to coach again, and just wants a resolution to the whole mess.
Pay him half of what they owe him (or less), and use the rest to support the one program that fuels all in Manhattan. It’s not like this hasn’t happened before.
Tennessee self-reported NCAA violations to get out of paying Jeremy Pruitt’s buyout, paying an $8 million fine to the NCAA instead. Michigan State did the same to Mel Tucker when he was accused of sexual harassment — a case from the alleged victim that was later thrown out in court.
This is how universities clean up their contractual messes: by starting fires in the other corner as diversionary tactics.
I’m guessing Snyder, the man who orchestrated the greatest turnaround in college football history at woebegone K-State, told players on some of those early teams in Manhattan that they didn’t deserve to wear the purple. Told many that they weren’t coming back the following season.
After a one-point loss to TCU in 2018 that included a missed extra point and a critical fumble by wide receiver Isaiah Zuber, Snyder said, "It wasn't special teams as much as it was an individual."
And that was tame compared to how he held players accountable.
But Snyder is a hero in the heartland. Has a statute in front of the stadium that bears his name.
Hell, he probably puked, too, when he heard the news.
Until he learned it could help the football program.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
