LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 15: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots a three point basket during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on January 15, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena 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 Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
Charlotte Hornets v Los Angeles Lakers
Are the Lakers a mediocre shooting team? Or are they a team with good shooters who are underperforming beyond the 3-point arc?
The answer to those questions will be a defining factor in the Lakers’ post-All-Star break success, which starts with Friday’s home game against the Clippers.
The Lakers entered Friday ranked No. 21 in 3-point percentage at 35%, worse than last season’s 36.6% 3-point shooting (No. 14) and the previous season’s 37.7% (No. 8).
Are the Lakers a mediocre shooting team? Or are they a team with good shooters who are underperforming beyond the 3-point arc? NBAE via Getty ImagesThe answer to those questions will be a defining factor in the Lakers’ post-All-Star break success, which starts with Friday’s home game against the Clippers. NBAE via Getty Images
While their perimeter shooting has been a factor in the offense not performing as expected, there are reasons for optimism that their outside shooting will be a strength in the final “sprint” of the regular season.
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The Lakers shot 37% from beyond the arc in their 19 games leading into the break, which ranked No. 7 across the league, despite their player availability being in flux for most of that stretch after previously being one of the league’s worst shooting teams (33.9% in the first 35 games).
As one of the more prolific pull-up 3-point shooting teams (12.2 attempts, fifth most in the league), which are naturally tougher and lower-percentage shots than catch-and-shoot 3s, the Lakers will fight an uphill battle with their raw 3-point percentage.
But if they can maintain the 37% shooting on catch-and-shoot 3s they shot over the last month (an average mark) instead of the 34.8% they were previously shooting (an abysmal number), then they should sustain the recent 3-point success.
And there are plenty of reasons why they should be able to.
Most of the Lakers’ higher-volume shooters are underperforming on catch-and-shoot 3s this season vs. their previous few seasons, including Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia.
Even Luke Kennard, the league’s most accurate 3-point shooter, significantly underperformed on his catch-and-shoot looks in the four games he played with the Lakers entering Friday.
Most of the Lakers’ higher-volume shooters are underperforming on catch-and-shoot 3s this season. Getty Images
The underperformance on catch-and-shoot 3s started to turn in the Lakers’ favor before the break.
And with the team overall becoming healthier, there’s confidence they’ll be able to sustain being a solid-to-good shooting squad, even if players who’ve shot better than expected (like Rui Hachimura) begin to regress to their mean.
The Lakers have shown they don’t need high-level 3-point shooting to perform well offensively.
They remain elite inside the arc and getting to the free-throw line.
But sustained 3-point shooting can be the difference between them being a good-to-very good offense like they have been so far and elite like they’ve been projected to be.
And they’re on the precipice of getting to that level.
New York Rangers center Matt Rempe (73) and New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech (3) fight during the second period when the New York Islanders played the New York Rangers Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY.
Matt Rempe is probably giving this season a thumbs down.
The Rangers forward is set to undergo a second procedure on his left thumb and is heading to injured reserve, The Post’s Mollie Walker reported Friday.
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After missing 24 games — including the entirety of November — and finally returning in mid-December, Rempe revealed he had undergone surgery after breaking his thumb in “many places” during the heavyweight bout.
Rempe admitted adrenaline kept him from feeling the injury until well after the fight.
In January, despite practicing fully, Rempe was a healthy scratch for seven games with the lingering effects of the thumb issue not allowing the hulking forward to play at his best level.
New York Rangers center Matt Rempe (73) and New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech (3) fight during the second period when the New York Islanders played the New York Rangers Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post
New York Rangers center Matt Rempe and San Jose Sharks right wing Ryan Reaves get into a scuffle in the first period at Madison Square Garden in New York, October 23, 2025. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
“Like, any time I don’t catch a puck perfectly, it felt like a hot potato on my stick. And like stick battles, I was dropping my stick multiple times a game, and any stick battles, if someone’s stick-lifting me, that puck’s gone.”
He did return to the Rangers lineup on Jan. 26 and played in the team’s final five games before the 2026 Winter Olympics break.
The 6-foot-9 winger has just one point in 26 games this season, a goal against the Penguins on Oct. 11.
Just over half the ball/strike challenges were successful on the first day of spring training games Friday as Major League Baseball prepared for the first regular-season use of the automated ball-strike system — the so-called robot umpires.
Thirteen of 23 calls were overturned during the five games, MLB said, which came to 56.5%.
There were an average of 4.6 challenges per game and 2.6 overturned calls per game.
Seven challenges were made of plate umpire Alex MacKay's calls during Arizona's 3-2 win over Colorado, and six were successful. The Diamondbacks had four of five decisions reversed and the Rockies were 2 for 2 in challenges.
MLB experimented with the ABS system during spring training last year and teams won 52.2% of their ball/strike challenges (617 of 1,182) challenges.
Each team has the ability to challenge two calls per game. Teams that waste their challenges get one additional challenge in each extra inning. A team retains its challenge if successful, similar to the regulations for big league teams with video reviews, which were first used for home run calls in August 2008 and widely expanded to many calls for the 2014 season.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 30: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors hugs general manager Bob Myers after the Warriors defeated the Kings 120-100 in game seven of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Golden 1 Center on April 30, 2023 in Sacramento, 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. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors returned form the All-Star break on Thursday night, and lost 121-110 to Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics. But before that game happened, I put out a call for mailbag questions … and Dub Nation didn’t disappoint! You all came through with some great questions. Hopefully my answers can do the questions justice.
SkinnyButt
From what you’ve seen of Will Richard so far, do you think with some work on his shooting and handles he could provide us with a reasonable facsimile of Melton in case we’re unable to sign him for next season?
There are certainly some key differences in their games, but yes, I think that’s fair to say. I think it’s asking too much to expect Will Richard to be able to match De’Anthony Melton’s value as early as next year, but reasonable facsimile? Yeah, I think that’s very doable.
Melton has skill with the ball in his hands that is far above what Richard is currently capable of. It would be a major win if Richard is ever able to penetrate the defense, get to the rim, playmake, and score in isolation the way Melton does; and if he does get there, it probably won’t be for a few years. But he can make up some of that with his transition offense and his cutting, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to hope he is as good of a shooter and defender as Melton is, as early as next year.
The biggest issue is that Richard is, in my eyes, fundamentally an off-guard, whereas Melton is a combo guard who is quite comfortable running the point. Unless the Warriors are comfortable letting Pat Spencer be a 20-minutes-per-game backup point guard, they’re going to need to make sure they have someone on the roster other than Steph Curry who is comfortable (and talented) with the ball in his hands, and I don’t think that’s Richard.
scotmac
What will it take for the warriors to get OUT of the play-in tourney? ok:
* Porzingis will have to stay healthy, fit the system well, and play VERY well.
* Steph will have have to….well, play like steph and not get injured
* Dray will have to consistently play good OFFENSE
* And they will need to OVERALL play good defense
That seems like a LOT to ask for.
This isn’t a fun answer, but I think it’s an honest answer: the key to the Warriors rising into one of the top six spots in the Western Conference is for someone on another team to get injured. The Warriors are five games out of the sixth seed, with only 26 games remaining. With Jimmy Butler III out for the year and Steph Curry out for, at minimum, a handful more games, I don’t think it’s realistic for Golden State to play their way out of that deficit.
But the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the teams six games ahead, and they’ve dramatically outperformed their net rating (which is significantly worse than Golden State’s); if LeBron James or Luka Dončić misses some time, they could tumble down. The Minnesota Timberwolves are also six games up on the Dubs, and they would fall apart entirely if Anthony Edwards suffered an injury.
Hopefully those things don’t happen. But I don’t see the Warriors getting further than the No. 7 seed without a whole lot of help.
Warriorrallis
Will a coach finally stand up and tell Dre and Steph to knock off the one handed whip pass to nowhere
Last game Dre had only two turnovers and played an all around great game and Steph is golden no matter what he does but it would be nice
I don’t mean this to sound patronizing, but I think sometimes fans aren’t aware of how much coaches and players talk about things. Steph Curry and Draymond Green making careless passes that result in turnovers is something that Steve Kerr has probably talked with them about thousands of times. It probably gets mentioned in almost every film session. Sometimes there’s a sentiment among fans that because something hasn’t been fixed, that no one is addressing it, and that’s not the case. Kerr has called out those two in the media a notable number of times for careless passes … and it’s safe to assume that any criticism Kerr is levying through a presser is something that has been said to the player at least 10 times.
The reality is, this is who Curry and Green are. It’s a weakness in their respective games — one of the few weaknesses, in Curry’s case. But it’s also a situation where you can’t always have the good without the bad. They are exceptional playmakers, and it’s probably not realistic to ask them to cut back on the careless passes while maintaining all the good ones.
Spartan83
I think many people would agree that world championships are often won first by the front office…
if you go back to 2009, the Warriors had a stretch where they drafted Stephen Curry (2009), Klay Thompson (2011) and Harrison Barnes + Draymond Green (2012). We all know what that group did to produce a decade-plus of excellence that none of us will ever forget. I like to refer to these as the Jerry West years.
The next critical draft stretch for the Warriors was 2020-2021 when the Dubs had picks 2, 7 and 14, which produced James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody… I don’t think we need to say much more about this absolutely critical stretch to restock for additional championships. I referred to these as the Bob Myers years.
So here’s my question for the Mailbag: Now that we’ve had a few years of separation, what will Bob Myers legacy ultimately be?
Bob Myers’ legacy is simple: he is the architect of the greatest stretch of basketball in Golden State Warriors history, and one of the greatest dynasties of all time. When all is said and done, that’s how he’ll be remembered; and it’s how he should be remembered.
First off, let’s clarify some facts. Myers was hired a month before Jerry West was. West had no involvement with the Warriors when they drafted Steph Curry; he wasn’t hired for another two years. He had a role in drafting Klay Thompson in 2011, but so did Myers, who was the assistant general manager at the time, and a very respected voice in the organization as he was viewed as the heir apparent (a voice that was part of the team hiring West, it should be noted). Myers was promoted to GM in 2012, before the draft … meaning he was the man in charge when they selected Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes later that year. So if you want to call those the Jerry West Years for narrative’s sake, that’s fine, but just remember that Myers had as big — and I’d argue, a much bigger — role in acquiring the dynastic trio as West did.
More importantly, Myers played an absolutely critical role in building the dynasty. He was the primary person involved in the — at the time, unpopular — decision to fire Mark Jackson after a successful season, and against the wishes of his own players. And he was the primary person involved in hiring Steve Kerr. That sequence of events is, after drafting Steph Curry, the most important move of the century for the Warriors. The dynasty doesn’t exist without that, nor does it exist without the slick maneuvering to add Andre Iguodala and the signing of key veterans like David West and Shaun Livingston, or his role in acquiring Kevin Durant. The shocking 2022 championship doesn’t happen if Myers didn’t use Durant’s departure as a chance to overpay D’Angelo Russell for the sake of maintaining a salary slot that he then used to add Andrew Wiggins … to make no mention of drafting Jordan Poole, a move that drew criticism at the time, and for a full year, before paying massive dividends en route to a trophy.
There were some bad moves, but those are going to happen when you run a team for well over a decade. I don’t criticize him as much as others do for the Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody picks, and I think if you glance at the history of the No. 7 and No. 14 slots, you’ll offer him some grace there, as well.
It wasn’t a perfect tenure, but it was a great one. And it should be remembered as such.
LacobsMoney
Sounds like Curry’s knee needs more time to heal. Say he misses 5+ more games and maybe it leads to shutting him down.
Rather than admittedly say tank and avoid a fine from Silver, at this point is it all bad if the dubs drop to 10th or 11th in west?
This draft could line up to be very deep and potential stars available in the back half of the lottery especially if Lendeberg, Ament, Wagler, Carr etc are available in picks 10-15. Dubs need to develop a future all star. That player is not on the roster now. Others could also see it as a better asset to trade for Giannis.
I think most people would prefer that the Warriors get a lottery pick rather than lose in the play-in tournament, that’s for sure. It would massively help them in their retooling efforts, either as an opportunity for talent or as a trade chip.
That said, there would be a downside, apart from the lost revenue of a potential series. If the Warriors fall out of the play-in — which would require a lot of losses — then that means they’re playing awful basketball, and that’s a bad sign for a team trying to compete next year. It means Kristaps Porziņģis is either injured or not playing well, and that hurts their plans. Ultimately, the best outcome is that they play good basketball that offers confidence for their 2026-27 plans. But a lottery pick is a very nice consolation prize if they fail.
hewhoisnt
Thoughts o Nic Batum or Kyle Anderson if they hit the buyout market? Batum can bring shooting and still can play defense. Anderson can actually play off the bench since all 3 of the warriors centers can shoot, and can bring his high IQ and solid defense, plus familiarity with the warriors previously.
I love both of those players for the Warriors. That said, I’m not sure that veterans who are known entities should be their target in the buyout market this year, since they’re not contending. I like the idea of them using the market as an audition for less proven players who could play a role on next year’s team, like Lonzo Ball.
nelllieballler
I’m a big fan of Gui Santos, and am happy he’s been making the most of his time on the court. What does he have to do the rest of the year to show that he belongs in the league as a starter, and what is his ceiling? Or is he on the Eric Paschall / Anthony Lamb trip?
I think Gui Santos is already better than Eric Paschall and Anthony Lamb, to be honest. Paschall was really a one-trick pony: a north-south scorer who couldn’t defend or shoot threes. And Lamb was a guy who never really played well, he just provided energy and effort when Steve Kerr was desperate for some. Santos, with his solid defense, smooth three-point shot, and ability to score in transition or with cuts, is already a better player, I’d say.
My guess is he’s a few years away from being an honest-to-goodness starter. He just needs a little more seasoning so that the game can slow down for him. Let’s not forget that he’s only 23 years old, and has barely played 1,600 career minutes. In minutes terms, he’s played one full season at fewer than 20 minutes per game. There’s a lot of growth left for him to do.
Onepunman
Who are the candidates for the first round pick?
I’ll be honest, I’m not a very knowledgable draft guy, and it’s early, so I don’t have a good sense yet. But in the latest SB Nation mock draft, Ricky O’Donnell has the Dubs taking Baylor guard Cameron Carr, who has a long wingspan and a slick three-point shot. Seems about right.
The King
Dear Santa, all I want for the rest of the year is to beat the Lakers in the playoffs. Is that possible 😉
It’s very difficult to envision, less because the Warriors are incapable of beating the Lakers, and more because the logistics of it just don’t line up. The Warriors are play-in bound, meaning if they make the playoffs, it will be as the No. 7 or 8 seed. The Lakers don’t have a realistic shot of reaching one of the top-two seeds. That means that, for the Warriors and Lakers to even face each other in the playoffs, the Dubs would have to escape the play-in tournament, beat either the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs in a seven-game series, and hope that the Lakers both land in the right spot in the bracket, and pull off a first-round upset of their own. None of that seems likely.
There’s better hope for the teams meeting in the play-in tournament, though I doubt that happens, either.
Togna Balogna
Who is the player hated on the most by the “fans” and why is it Podz?
Who would win in a game of pickleball and why is it Pat Spencer?
Who actually goes around SF and enjoys the culture it has to offer, and why is it Gui?
Seriously though…
Will Moody’s lack of a first step mean he has hit his ceiling on offense?
If you ask the internet, I’d say Draymond Green is more hated than Brandin Podziemski. Pat Spencer is surely great at pickleball, but I’m picking Steph Curry over anyone in any hand-eye coordination dominated sport. Gui Santos is definitely the guy who enjoys SF the most, though I imagine Al Horford is up there as well. They’re hitting up different spots, but I imagine they both are relishing what the city has to offer.
As to your actual question … I don’t think Moses Moody has fully hit his ceiling, but it’s close. I think we can give up on him ever being a guy who can take his defender off the dribble to create a shot. But I do think he could add something of a low post game to his arsenal. Maybe Jimmy Butler III can teach him a thing or three.
Nylake
Yo Brady, do you think that the Warriors will fill out the remaining roster spot? If we are to fill it out, who are your preferred candidates??
I touched on this earlier, but I would like them to use the spot on someone who they might be considering signing this summer, and want to give a test run in the system to. Lonzo Ball is a great fit in my eyes, as he constantly keeps the ball moving and plays great defense. He could thrive in the Warriors system, but we’ve said that about a lot of players who struggled, instead. If they can find out now, instead of after giving him a guaranteed contract for next year, then that’s a win.
Cosmo4gsw
It’s easy to picture Porzingis’s floor: he remains unplayable and retires or signs elsewhere as a free agent. Brady, what do you think is a realistic ceiling for him? I would say a return to all-star form after he signs a very team-friendly long term contract, leading to a championship next season, assuming Jimmy also returns to form.
I definitely think Kristaps Porziņģis can return to All-Star form, and it’s worth noting he never fully lost that form, he just lost the ability to stay healthy. In his All-Star season, Porziņģis had per 100 possessions averages of 34.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks, while shooting 39.5% from three-point range; last year, his averages were 33.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks, while shooting 41.2% from deep.
There are really just two questions for Porziņģis: can he stay on the court, and can he fit a system that has stymied plenty of good players in the past.
I will say, I don’t think him signing a long-term contract is particularly feasible. I’d be very surprised if he signs — with the Warriors, or with anyone else — for more than two years. He’s just in that awkward spot where he’s too talented to take a long-term deal at a discount, but too injured to be offered a long-term deal that’s not at a discount. I do think he’ll stay on the Warriors, and it could become a long-term thing if he stays healthy. His minutes will likely always be monitored, so I think the ceiling is an All-Star level talent who is only playing 25 minutes a night.
Splashalishous
Hello Brady, could you explain the coaching philosophy behind guard heavy line ups, particularly 4G line ups. In particular, how are these line ups supposed to succeed against young long athletic teams. For the life of me, I can’t see any logic to this.
The boring answer is that they work. The Warriors have had a lot of success with four-wing lineups. The NBA, as a whole, has had a lot of success with four-wing lineups, and it’s why you see players like Moses Moody and Scottie Barnes sometimes being classified as power forwards when you’d be inclined to call them shooting guards. Where the Warriors struggle from a lineup construction standpoint is that their guards and wings aren’t as athletic as the rest of the league’s, and they don’t shoot as well, either. But, for the most part, that still offers better results than throwing out two-big lineups and getting run off the court.
9ergold: What’s your over/under on # games played out of remaining games to end of regular season for …
Steph
Kristaps
Al
Dray
Melt
Seth
Great question. There are 26 games left. Here are my over/unders for games played:
It’s been four months since the Seattle Mariners played a baseball game. Four months can feel like a long time. A lot happened: the holidays came and went, various roster moves were (and weren’t) made, Rick Rizzs announced his impending retirement, the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, nearly the entirety of the Winter Olympics have happened… et cetera. Still, despite how much has happened, just 123 days have passed since the Seattle Mariners last played a baseball game.
“123 days” feels like a lot less time than “4 months”. I’m not sure why — maybe just a quirk of human bias and perception. For most of the last month, I’d identified more with the “4 months” side of things. It seemed like forever since we had baseball. To have gone from each day being punctuated with the joy of the 2025 Mariners, to each having no clear punctuation at all… well, they call it the bleak midwinter for a reason.
Today, though, it felt like baseball never left. From the moment this morning that the Mariners posted the first lineup card of 2026, all the way through the last pitch that non-roster invitee Nick Davila delivered to close out the ninth inning, today was a continuation of the excitement, joy, and momentum of 2025. Peoria Sports Complex looked and sounded like it was at capacity. Nary a patch of grass in the outfield was unoccupied, and every exciting moment on the field was answered by a chorus of jubilant cheers.
It helped that the Mariners’ starting lineup was mostly comprised of their actual projected Opening Day lineup. The same cannot be said of the pitching, as the team looks to more slowly bring their big-league staff up to speed. Non-roster invitee Dane Dunning took the bump for Seattle. Dunning, who projects to be a (hopefully unneeded) depth piece for the Mariners this year, ended up throwing 1.2 scoreless innings after working around some early traffic. His fastball, which last year averaged a hair above 90 MPH, sat around 89 MPH for most of the day. The presence of full Statcast numbers in Spring Training this year is fun. However, as I scour Dane Dunning’s February 20th velocity and vertical break, searching for meaning, it occurs to me that the availability of these data may not be optimal for my mental health. Verdict: Dunning looked fine.
The rest of today’s pitching staff for Seattle was comprised mainly of Guys on the Pile. One highlight was newcomer Cooper Criswell, acquired from the Red Sox over the offseason. Criswell, a soft-tossing righty, induced three strikeouts over two innings, including a particularly nasty one of Manny Machado.
Another familiar face was Troy Taylor, who looks to bounce back from a disappointing 2025. Taylor’s velocity was great: he was already up and over last year’s average speed of 96. Less great was a hung sinker that Romeo Sanabria whacked 416 feet over the center field fence.
Right hander Alex Hoppe, who the Mariners also acquired from the Red Sox this winter, had a doubly disappointing afternoon. A dinger surrendered to Jose Miranda might have been bad enough, but the broadcasting team outed Hoppe as a true sicko: apparently his favorite player growing up was Jack Flaherty? First of all, Flaherty is literally 30 years old and Hoppe is 27, so I truly do not know when he would have idolized Flaherty. Secondly, even if the timeline did make any sense, Hoppe is likely the first person ever to idolize Jack Flaherty.
Fortunately, the hitters on Seattle’s side were a lot more interesting than the pitchers. Luke Raley, Julio Rodríguez, Josh Naylor, Leo Rivas, and Dom Canzone each checked in with hits in their first game back (Raley had two). Canzone made a flashy play in right field, laying out for a sinking line drive to rescue Dunning’s first inning. The real story of today, though, was the young guys. Most specifically Michael Arroyo.
Arroyo, a 21-year-old second baseman who just today was revealed to be working out at third base and in the outfield, watched the first pitch he was thrown. It was a changeup on the corner, called a ball. The Padres challenged, and it was overturned. Arroyo fouled off a second changeup to go down 0-2. A third changeup went right down the middle, and Arroyo took it the other way. It looked somewhat innocuous off the bat, but the ball carried, and carried, and carried. 406 feet later, Arroyo had recorded Seattle’s first home run of 2026.
Star prospect Colt Emerson immediately hit a ball in nearly the exact same spot, but it died before reaching the fence.
Arroyo’s very next at bat saw him hit another ball hard to the same spot. This one dropped short of the fence, but Arroyo was left standing on second base for a double. Not a bad showing for the 67th ranked prospect in all of baseball.
The final effort from today that I wanted to highlight was from fellow Top 100 Prospect Lazaro Montes. In the box score, Montes’ day didn’t look overly impressive: 1-for-3 with a single and a strikeout. The single, however, was one of the more difficult ones you’re likely to see.
The at bat in question was against Padres flamethrower Mason Miller, who we all know well from his days with the Athletics. Montes started by working a 2-2 count off Miller — an impressive feat in its own right. Miller responded by dialing up a 101.5 MPH fastball, which he lost control of. The resulting errant pitch nearly decapitated Montes, who had to leap out of the way. With a slight smile on his face, Montes dug back into the box and fouled off another 101.5 MPH fastball. Miller tried to switch it up with a slider, which Montes pulled for a line drive single into right field. Talk about Big League stuff from the 21-year-old.
Countless battles of NRI-on-NRI later, the Mariners were left standing with a 7-4 advantage over the Padres. Sure, the game was meaningless. Though, isn’t every game meaningless in the long run? Everything, even?
With meaning ultimately left as an exercise for the reader, I hope you enjoyed seeing the sunlight today, even if it was through a laptop or television screen. Fewer than five weeks remain until Opening Day and fewer than three until Daylight Savings. We made it.
Numerous programs around the country are virtually eliminated from NCAA Tournament contention, barring a surprise conference championship win. Some athletic directors are already starting to get ahead of the curve and filing away candidates.
Kansas State's Jerome Tang was one of the first major dominos to fall, although there's still discourse between Tang and the school regarding his $18.7 million buyout. Kansas State claims it has bounds to fire Tang for cause, which would invalidate the total.
There are multiple mid-major coaches that are also on the rise and could be next up for Power Four gigs. Names like Saint Louis' Josh Schertz, New Mexico's Eric Olen and Utah State's Jerrod Calhoun have all been wildly successful in 2025-26.
Here's a running list of every head coaching change during the 2025-26 men's college basketball season:
College basketball coaches out in 2026: Full list
This story will be updated live.
Feb. 20: Joe Scott, Air Force
Scott was suspended indefinitely in January while being investigated for treatment of Air Force's cadet-athletes. It was announced Feb. 20, however, that he and the school mutually agreed to part ways.
"Coach Scott's passion for the game of basketball has long been evident in his competitive and direct coaching style. It was this coaching style that guided Air Force Basketball to some of the program's most memorable achievements during his initial tenure at the Air Force Academy," Air Force athletic director Nathan Pine said in the announcement. "This is a different day, and now is the right time for a new voice and a new approach to drive the culture and success of the men's basketball program, aligned with the Air Force Academy's mission of forging leaders of character developed to lead in our Air Force and Space Force.
"We thank Coach Scott for his 10 years of service to the Academy and wish him and his family well."
Air Force went 97-183 in Scott's second tenure as head coach from 2020 onward. He also led the program from 2000-04, taking the team to an NCAA Tournament berth in 2004. - Austin Curtright
Feb. 18: Steve Lavin, San Diego
Lavin won't return to San Diego for the 2026-27 season but will remain as head coach for the remainder of the current campaign. The former UCLA and St. John's coach has a 46-79 record at San Diego in four seasons, and currently holds an 11-17 mark this season.
"As my coaching tenure at USD begins to wind down, I would like to pause and express my heartfelt appreciation to President Jim Harris for presenting this life-changing opportunity in 2022," Lavin said in the announcement. "Teaching and coaching at the University of San Diego has been an experience of unparalleled pride and joy. Specifically, I will carry forward the gift of participating in our players' journeys, and will treasure the relationships forged along the way." - Austin Curtright
Feb. 17: Jerome Tang, Kansas State
Tang led Kansas State to the Elite Eight in his first season at the helm in 2022-23, but it was a downward spiral from there. The Wildcats failed to reach the NCAA Tournament the next two seasons and had a 10-15 record with a 1-11 mark in conference play this season before Tang was fired.
“This was a decision that was made in the best interest of our university and men’s basketball program," K-State athletic director Gene Taylor said. “Recent public comments and conduct, in addition to the program’s overall direction, have not aligned with K-State’s standards for supporting student-athletes and representing the university. We wish Coach Tang and his family all the best moving forward.”
Kansas State is attempting to fire Tang for cause after he called out his players in a press conference after a blowout loss against Cincinnati. - Austin Curtright
Jan. 12: Marvin Menzies, Kansas City
Kansas City announced in January that Menzies would finish out the season at Kansas City but wouldn't be returning for the 2026-27 season. The Roos hired former Maryland coach Mark Turgeon shortly after. - Austin Curtright
SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Kansas City Royals agreed to a minor league deal with catcher Elias Díaz on Friday and said the 11-year veteran will join the big league camp next week.
Díaz spent last season with the San Diego Padres, hitting .204 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 106 games. It was Díaz’s lowest career average when getting at least 250 at-bats.
Díaz spent his first five seasons in Pittsburgh and the next four in Colorado before the Rockies traded him to the Padres during the 2024 season. The 35-year-old Venezuelan was an All-Star with Colorado in 2023.
Salvador Perez, a nine-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, has been Kansas City’s starting catcher since 2013. Top prospect Carter Jensen, still a rookie after making his debut and playing 20 games last season, is expected to the backup.
NEW YORK — Jen Pawol will umpire during spring training for the third straight year but the major leagues’ first female umpire did not get one of the permanent staff openings.
Tom Hanahan and Brian Walsh were promoted Friday to replace Mark Carlson and Phil Cuzzi, who are retiring. Carlson will become an umpire supervisor.
Jordan Baker, who worked the plate in Game 7 of last year’s World Series, will replace Carlson as a crew chief.
Pawol, 49, became the first female major league umpire Aug. 9 and worked a total of five big league games last year. In 2024, she became the first woman to umpire big league spring training games since Ria Cortesio in 2007. Pawol has been a minor league ump since 2016 and has worked at Triple-A since 2023.
Walsh, 41, has worked 339 major league games as a call-up umpire and Hanahan, who is 35, has worked 329. Both made their major league debuts in 2023.
The 56-year-old Carlson made his major league debut in 1999 and has been a crew chief since 2021. He worked the World Series in 2015, 2020 and 2024, and he was behind the plate for a no-hitter by the Los Angeles Angels’ Jered Weaver on May 2, 2012.
Cuzzi, 70, worked his first major league game in 1991 and worked the World Series in 2017. He was the plate umpire for no-hitters by St. Louis’ Bud Smith on Sept. 3, 2001, and by Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels on July 25, 2015.
TAMPA, Fla. — Gerrit Cole reached 96.9 mph in his first session against hitters since the New York Yankees ace underwent Tommy John elbow surgery last March.
The right-hander threw about 20 pitches of batting practice Friday, facing Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge and Jasson Domínguez at the Yankees’ spring training facility. He threw his first bullpen session a week earlier.
New York expects Cole to be ready at some point from May to September, which would fit the recovery range of 14 to 18 months that the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner has said was the target all along.
“It sounds like it was really good,” manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees’ exhibition opener against the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota.
The 35-year-old Cole has altered his windup, putting his hands over his head. Before he was hurt, he stopped at his chest.
Cole’s last official outing was in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series that Oct. 30. He pitched in two spring training games in 2025, the last on March 6. Surgery was five days later.
CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 19: Nolan Traore #88 of the Brooklyn Nets drives to the basket during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 19, 2026 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It wasn’t a pretty return from the break, and it won’t get any easier on Friday. The injury report is stacked on both sidelines. Second night of a back to back only means the tank engines get a little louder! The Flatbush Five remains the Flatbush Four with Saraf on Long Island.
🏀 KEY INFO
WHO: Brooklyn Nets (15‑39) @ Oklahoma City Thunder (42‑14) WHEN: 8:00 PM ET WATCH: YES Network
🩹 INJURY REPORT
Nets
Nic Claxton
Ziaire Williams
Ben Saraf
Josh Minott
Tyson Etienne
Chaney Johnson
E.J. Liddell
OKC
Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander
Jalen Williams
Ajay Mitchell
Thomas Sorber
📰 GAME PREVIEW
“For the Nets, they’ve had to consistently find ways to pick themselves up from blowout losses. Four out of their last five losses have been by at least 16 points. You learn a lot during the course of a long season, and for this young Nets team, they hope the lessons (and losses) from this year will carry them into 2027 and beyond.” – Brian Fleurantin
💬 DISCUSSION
Share your thoughts and react, but please be respectful. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.
SARASOTA, Fla. — Pete Alonso homered in his spring training debut for the Baltimore Orioles, providing the only runs in a 2-0 exhibition victory over the New York Yankees on Friday.
In his third plate appearance in a big league uniform other than the New York Mets, Alonso pulled a first-pitch curveball over the fence in left-center field against right-hander Bradley Hanner in the sixth inning.
Most of the regulars had exited the spring training opener, but Alonso wanted another trip to the plate and some more work at first base.
“He wanted it, and he made the most of it,” first-year manager Craig Albernaz said. “It speaks a lot. Pete just wants to play.”
Alonso spent his first seven major league seasons with the Mets before signing a five-year, $155 million contract with the Orioles in December. The 31-year-old was a fan favorite in New York.
“Obviously, hitting homers feels amazing, doesn’t matter what time of year. Happy to break the seal,” Alonso said. “I feel honored to wear (this uniform). I feel great in it, I feel like I look good in it. So, it’s fantastic. I honestly couldn’t feel any better.”
Alonso’s parents attended the game a short drive from the five-time All-Star’s home in Tampa. His youth travel baseball team was the Sarasota Salty Dogs, and they played games at the Cal Ripken Complex across the street from Ed Smith Stadium, the Orioles’ spring home.
“As a kid, I remember riding shotgun, just getting ready, getting dressed,” Alonso said. “It’s really cool kind of driving by because I had many, many, many games and weekends over just right across the street at that complex. So it’s really special.”
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOVEMBER 15: AJ Dybantsa #3 of the BYU Cougars drives to the basket against Jayden Ross #23 of the UConn Huskies during the second half at the TD Garden on November 15, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Brooklyn Nets will not be tanking tonight in OKC. After resting one or both of Michael Porter Jr. and Egor Demin on back-to-backs for two months, both players will play vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder in OKC, start time 9:00 p.m. ET.
The organization certainly would be within its rights to sit them without facing outrage over violating the game’s core ethos: winning. It was the second time a little more than a week that the Nets could point to as an example of them being ethical. The night the Washington Wizards caught the basketball world’s ire by sitting nine players, Brooklyn presented the league with a clean bill of health.
Are the Nets getting nervous that they’re too often being lumped alongside the NBA’s most notorious tankers? Are they trying to be the good boy compared to the Wizards, the Utah Jazz and the Indiana Pacers, the latter two both being fined six figures earlier this month? Afraid of deeper sanctions? Or is it simply that MPJ and Demin are good to go or that Sean Marks, Jordi Fernandez, et al want to see how Demin does against the defending champs.
On the other side, of course, Joe Tsai is the only NBA owner to sorta admit his team is trying to get as high a pick in the 2026 Draft Lottery
“Well, I have to say that we’re in a rebuilding year,” Joe Tsai said at the start of the season . “We spent all of our (2025) picks — we had five first-round draft picks this past summer.
“We have one pick in 2026, and we hope to get a good pick. So you can predict what kind of strategy we will use for this season.”
On Thursday, things got more interesting when ESPN reported that Adam Silver was considering further rule changes, beyond those democratizing the lottery between winners and losers back in 2019. Shams Charania wrote this Friday afternoon, discussing Silver talks with owners in December and GMs Thursday:
Sources with knowledge of Thursday’s meeting as well as a late January competition committee meeting told ESPN that these concepts have been discussed to curb tanking:
First-round draft picks can be protected only for top-four or top-14-plus selections
Lottery odds freeze at the trade deadline or a later date
No longer allowing a team to pick in the top four in consecutive years and/or after consecutive bottom-three finishes
Teams can’t pick in the top four the year after making the conference finals
Lottery odds allocated based on two-year records
Lottery extended to include all play-in teams
Flatten odds for all lottery teams.
During Thursday’s GM meeting, Silver, the NBA office and the league’s 30 top team executives shared a desire to have ongoing discussions to safeguard the integrity of the sport.
None of these changes would effect what looks like a generational draft in June of this year. Any changes wouldn’t take place till 2027 or later. That said, the team with the most at stake in all this would be the team with the most draft picks: your Brooklyn Nets who have 13 first rounders (10 tradeable) and 20 seconds. They even have six picks in the 2032 Draft, two firsts and four seconds. If the Nets rebuild is going to succeed to the point that Tsai, Marks, Fernandez etc., hope, those picks will have to retain full value. So you’d think Brooklyn would oppose some of the more stringent measures being discussed.
Of course, the reason is that the 2026 Draft is seen as one of the best ever, challenging the 1996 and 2003 draft in both star power and depth. Somewhere between three and seven are seen as “franchise changing.” As Silver noted in his State of the League talks over All-Star Weekend, that’s led to an imbalance in fandom.
“I think there was a more classical view of that in the old days, where it was just sort of an understanding among partners in terms of behavior,” Silver said. “I think what we’re seeing is modern analytics, where it’s so clear that the incentives are misaligned. …The worst place to be, for example, is to be a middle-of-the-road team. Either be great or be bad, because then that will help you with the draft.
“In many cases, you have fans of those teams — remember, it’s not what they want to pay for to see poor performance on the floor, but they’re actually rooting for their teams in some cases to be bad to improve their draft chances.”
Been there, as Nets fans have long been divided on social media between tanking and anti-tanking contingents.
There are some, like Ricky O’Donnell of SB Nation, who’ve opined that the depth of the tanking is unlikely to become an entrenched phenomenon. The 2027 Draft, he (and others) note, is seen as mediocre. No need to distort the game if the reward is simply not worth the effort.
[T]he 2027 NBA Draft doesn’t look like it’s worth tanking for. While we knew prospects like Victor Wembanyama, Cooper Flagg, and Cameron Boozer were studs by the time they were sophomores in high school, there’s no one that looks the part of a future NBA superstar yet in the current senior class. I’d say the top prospects in 2027 right now are Tyran Stokes, Caleb Holt, and Anthony Thompson, but none of them are even close to a sure thing. The 2028 NBA Draft also doesn’t have an obvious top prospect at this point.
Things, he believes, will resolve itself.
Also, and this isn’t talked about. With the board of governors about to approve expansion, presumably to Seattle and Las Vegas, the league will have to schedule an expansion draft. Does the NBA basketball operations personnel want to plan for both a newly configured NBA draft and an expansion draft?
Meanwhile, at HSS Training Center, the scouting staff is inputting reports from the field whether the NCAA, or the NBL in Australia or the Chinese Basketball Association. This year’s picks – an almost certain high lottery pick and picks at the top and middle of the second round – will be unaffected.
Is all the tanking worth it. Just Thursday, Brian Windhorst of ESPN said in talking to NBA executives that the overall No. 1 pick in the draft could be worth $100 million … if the NBA rules didn’t limit cash considerations.
And Brian Lewis did some math and just how different the top of this year’s class is from previous ones.
Box plus-minus (which estimates a player’s total contribution to team performance) is considered a great indicator of future NBA success, with the elite starting between 8.0 and 10.0 (per Basketball Reference) and the truly transcendent reaching over 13.0. Since 2010-11, only 11 freshmen — so, less than one per year — have recorded a 12.0 or better, with all but two becoming top-3 picks.
This season alone, a staggering half-dozen freshmen stars are currently above 12.0: Boozer (19.4), uber-athletic North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson (13.9), Peterson (13.5), two-way Houston point guard Kingston Flemings (12.9), sharpshooting Illinois guard Keaton Wagler (12.8) and Dybantsa (12.3).
For perspective, Boozer’s historic freshman campaign trails only Zion Williamson and is ahead of the aforementioned Davis and Cooper Flagg, all top overall picks. Meanwhile, even the last of that sextet grades out ahead of Brandon Miller, the No. 2 pick in 2023 and currently thr No. 32-rated player on The Ringer’s latest NBA Trade Value Rankings.
No Net cracked the top 81 in that list, not even leading scorer Michael Porter Jr.
So better to focus on the 2025 rookies or the 2026 draft.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 19: Infielder, Kyle Karros, top left, and Infielder/Outfielder, Chad Stevens, top right, point to the next field they need to go to during spring training for the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Field at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 19, 2026. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) | Denver Post via Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies lost their spring training opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2. For more details, go here.
We’re not yet to the point in the season where we’re doing game recaps, but we wanted to share manager Warren Schaeffer’s postgame comments.
Elmer Rodriguez throws a pitch during his Grapefruit League opener Feb. 20.
SARASOTA, Fla. — Watching the Yankees’ veteran pitchers in his first week of big league camp, Elmer Rodriguez noticed their presence on the mound and how calm they looked.
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Tasked with a notable assignment of his own Friday — starting the Grapefruit League opener against an Orioles lineup full of regulars — the 22-year-old Rodriguez took a page out of their books and continued to show why the Yankees are so high on his future as one of their top pitching prospects.
Rodriguez tossed three shutout innings against the Orioles, flashing his six-pitch arsenal and navigating a nearly full-strength lineup without much issue.
“First inning, the adrenaline was high in the moment,” said Rodriguez, who scattered three singles, struck out one and recorded seven of his nine outs on the ground. “But I was able to channel it and use it to my advantage. I felt like I was executing well and felt good.”
Elmer Rodriguez throws a pitch during his Grapefruit League opener Feb. 20. Charles Wenzelberg
Rodriguez, acquired from the Red Sox last winter in exchange for catcher Carlos Narváez, broke out last season while posting a 2.58 ERA across three levels, with 176 strikeouts in 150 innings.
Depending on which scout you talk to, Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange are, in some order, the organization’s top minor league arms — Rodriguez with a higher floor as a starter but Lagrange perhaps with a higher ceiling, both with plenty of potential.
And while the stakes are about to get higher for Rodriguez when he goes to pitch for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, the Yankees were still interested to see how he handled Friday’s environment.
“That was pleasantly surprising for Elmer, just because you never know what it’s going to look like the first time you get on the major league mound with a major league lineup up there,” pitching coach Matt Blake said. “That’s borderline their ‘A’ lineup there, minus one or two pieces. But to have some poise out there, to control the strike zone, to move some different shapes around and just see that his stuff’s going to play in the zone versus these types of hitters, that was really encouraging.”
Blake described Rodriguez as having “a good, crafty arsenal” that he could use on all hitters.
The right-hander used his sinker most often, sitting 94-97 mph, but also mixed in a changeup, cutter, curveball, slider and four-seam fastball.
“I thought he was great,” catcher Austin Wells said. “He mixed it really well, hit the spots when he needed to and got some big ground balls. … He’s got a lot of really good pitches, got the talent and he’s just got to go do it.”
Rodriguez, who is likely to start the year at Triple-A as long as the Yankees get through camp relatively healthy, indicated that it was at least a somewhat difficult decision whether to leave his first big league spring training for the WBC.
Elmer Rodriguez reacts during the second inning of his Feb. 20 Grapefruit League start for the Yankees. Charles Wenzelberg
But he has always wanted to represent his country, which he will do in a starting role, and believes he can continue to show the Yankees what he is capable of on an even bigger stage than he would be facing in the Grapefruit League.
“Just trying to use everything to my advantage,” he said. “Get some experience there, learn from guys here, learn from guys there. Having the experience to play there against good competition, just trying to learn as much as I can and get the most experience.
“I feel like it’s probably going to be higher-intensity games. Everybody says it’s like playing in the playoffs.”
It will only add to it that Puerto Rico is serving as a host for pool play, allowing Rodriguez to pitch in his native country.
Before then, Rodriguez passed his first test in big league camp.
“Very much under control,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Obviously running up against a pretty real lineup there. The poise that we continue to see is something you like, even though it’s not that big a deal, but first time in a big league spring training game, kicking off the spring, handled it well.
“I really think he’s got a bright future,” Boone added. “So he’s going to get some run down here.”
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - FEBRUARY 19: Nickeil Alexander-Walker #7 of the Atlanta Hawks defends the play during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on February 19, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Hawks (27-30) kick of a (frankly very winnable) five-game homestand against the Miami Heat (29-27).
Starting lineup:
PG Dyson Daniels
SG Nickeil Alexander-Walker
SF Zaccharie Risacher
PF Jalen Johnson
C Onyeka Okongwu
Please join in the comments below as you follow along.
Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Start Time: 7:30 PM EDT
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (FDSNSE)
Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM)
Streaming: FanDuel Sports Network app, Fubo (out of market), NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)
