Not many saw Kevin Garnett’s work ethic and intensity up close and personal like former Boston Celtics teammate Paul Pierce did. So, on the same day Garnett was named among the Basketball Hall of Fame honorees, Pierce told ESPN’s Rece Davis on SportsCenter what made his former teammate, and friend, so special on the court.…
Paul Pierce Shares Why Ex-Celtics Teammate Kevin Garnett Is Hall Of Famer — NESN.com
The 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class might be one of the best ever. Headlined by former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, fellow honorees include ex-Boston Celtic Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Tamika Catchings, Patrick Baumann, Barbara Stevens, Kim Mulkey, Eddie Sutton and Rudy Tomjanovich. The Basketball Hall of Fame officially released the…
Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett Headline 2020 Basketball Hall Of Fame Class — NESN.com
Verlander and Kate Upton announced that they’ll be donating each of Verlander’s paychecks to different charities.
Justin Verlander to donate paychecks to charity during coronavirus pandemic — HardballTalk | NBC Sports
The NBA is preparing for the possibility of a canceled season
NBA focused on figuring out plan for possible canceled season, report says —
When the NBA suspended its season in the middle of March, it initially did so with a 30-day timetable. The hope, at that point, was that the coronavirus could be contained enough for games to resume in the middle of April and for the postseason to take place under relatively normal circumstances, even if fans wouldn’t be allowed into arenas.
But now, as the outbreak continues to worsen in the United States, the league needs to consider other arrangements. In fact, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the league is preparing at the moment as if the season will be canceled.
“The talks between the players union and the league this week, I’ve talked to both sides of this issue, and it is clear that the NBA is angling to set up a deal that enables them to shut the season down,” Windhorst said. “Now they don’t have to do that yet, and the way they’re negotiating they’re leaving themselves an option either way, but they’re not having talks about how to restart the league, they’re having financial talks about what would happen if the season shuts down, and I think there is a significant amount of pessimism right now.”
Among the problems currently preventing a renewed season are limited testing capabilities, the issues that quarantining players in a single location would create and the integrity of next season.
“There comes a point where you go too far and start looking at damaging two seasons, and that is what the NBA is trying to evaluate. They do have runway here, I do think that if they had to go into August or September to finish this season, but I’m not sure they feel confident about that right now, and a big factor is testing. We just don’t have the testing. At some point not only does there have to be a test that’s quick and can evaluate whether or not a player is healthy enough to enter a game, but you have to know whether you have the tests available so you’re not taking them away from people who need them, and so right now, that’s not here. If in six or eight weeks, if it is here, we can have a different conversation, but the league is preparing for that answer to be no.”
It is far too early to say anything definitively at the moment. For now, the league and union are attempting to negotiate a pay-reduction that splits the burden of lost revenue fairly between the league and its players. For the rest of this season and next season to be viable, the two sides will have to agree to an altered financial structure that recognizes the severity of this situation.
Logistically speaking, holding the postseason as late as August or September would force next season to be pushed back to compensate. Christmas has been mentioned in various reports as a potential start date for the 2020-21 season, but doing so would force the NBA to either compress the schedule in order to fit enough games into a campaign with an eye on moving the schedule back to its original state by 2021-22, or permanently move the schedule back so that it always begins in December and ends in the late summer, as has been discussed by the league even before this crisis.
The league has billions of dollars on the line. If at all possible, it will attempt to save that money by putting some sort of postseason on the court. But with that growing less and less likely by the day, it makes sense for the NBA to at least begin considering what a world without a 2020 champion might look like.
NBA focused on figuring out plan for possible canceled season, report says
Some seriously impressive career stats are to be enshrined in Springfield this summer. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Friday that Kevin Garnett, the late Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan are to be inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Formal announcements will be made on Saturday, but it was alcready announced that Bryant…
These Stats Show How Impressive Reported NBA HOF Draft Class Is — NESN.com
On a conference call with the daily beat media, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse made it clear that while he’d love to resume his duties sometime soon, there are far bigger things on his mind. Read More
Nurse hopes special Raptors get to ‘keep this thing going’ but thinking safety first — Toronto Sun
On a conference call with the daily beat media, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse made it clear that while he’d love to resume his duties sometime soon, there are far bigger things on his mind.
Nurse’s priority, for weeks now and continuing for as long as the COVID-19 pandemic goes on, is encouraging his players, staff and fans to focus on safety and best practices during all of this.
“I’ve been really adamant on our safety and health, and doing the right thing,” Nurse said. “I was trying to make those messages clear that we needed to make sure … You know, people were concerned about working out and going to the OVO (training facility in downtown Toronto) and all this stuff, and I was really, really strong in my messaging to everybody that we’re gonna close this and stay shut,” he said.
“(The focus was) lead by example. Let’s make sure we get out and if we can provide any messages, washing hands and those kind of things.”
more….
Nurse hopes special Raptors get to ‘keep this thing going’ but thinking safety first — Toronto Sun
VIRTUE AND RIELLY ‘TRYING TO KEEP EACH OTHER SANE’ Read More
Leafs’ Rielly hopes comeback wasn’t for just one game — Toronto Sun
It took eight weeks of hard slogging in the gym and on the ice before Morgan Rielly finally made it back from a broken foot — to play just one game.
Now it could be much longer down time than that before putting on his Maple Leafs sweater again.
But holed up in his North Vancouver house, Rielly does not consider the recovery period or the unplanned hiatus that’s followed as wasted energy.
“Yes, it was terribly long trying to heal, to keep yourself in shape,” he said Thursday on a conference call with Toronto media. “Eight weeks goes by and to come back and play one (game) is certainly not ideal. When you’re training at the gym and trying to get back to play, you’re picturing 12, 13 games and playoffs, not taking a pause again.
“But in that same breath, if I hadn’t came back and still hadn’t played since Jan. 12, I think it would’ve made things worse.
“You have to take the positives. I came back, played and we won (2-1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, just before COVID-19 put the NHL on hold). Look at the big picture, you have to be happy you got one game in. I’d be going crazy if I hadn’t played since early January.”
The 26-year-old defenceman, the rest of the players and team management have slowly de-escalated, respecting that what’s going on around them is far more serious than sports, yet totally out of their element at home this time of year.
more….
Leafs’ Rielly hopes comeback wasn’t for just one game — Toronto Sun
You can bet Pascal Siakam didn’t spend his 26th birthday the way he wanted to or has in the past. Siakam, a noted gym rat who likes nothing better than working on his game, would, in normal times, have been getting a few shots up at the Raptors practice facility on the bridge day between…
Happy birthday to Raptors’ Pascal Siakam, here’s to better times for all of us — Toronto Sun
ou can bet Pascal Siakam didn’t spend his 26th birthday the way he wanted to or has in the past. Siakam, a noted gym rat who likes nothing better than working on his game, would, in normal times, have been getting a few shots up at the Raptors practice facility on the bridge day between games against NBA-leading Milwaukee, Toronto’s opponent in last year’s Eastern Conference final.
Instead, he was cooped inside like the rest of us. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down the entire world and also put a pause on Siakam’s second straight breakout season. The league’s reigning most improved player took several more steps forward in 2019-20, emerging as Toronto’s top scoring option, as well as an ultra-elite defender.
The good news for Raptors fans is that there is no reason to think he is done improving and he’ll do it in Canada. Siakam signed a long-term, max-deal before the season, which should keep him in Toronto for at least four more years.
“(He’s) somebody we’re definitely going to keep for a long time here,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri had said before the deal was even signed. “And we see what the potential of that could be.” In a recent Instagram Live chat, DeMar DeRozan said Siakam had “the blueprint” to become the greatest Raptor ever in time.
more….
Happy birthday to Raptors’ Pascal Siakam, here’s to better times for all of us — Toronto Sun
It sounds like Kemba Walker just wants to play. It’s unclear when the NBA season will resume, but several team and league officials told SI.com that any chance of a traditional postseason is out, suggesting this year’s path to the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy could get weird. NBC Sports Boston recently floated the idea of…
Celtics’ Kemba Walker Down To Get Wild With Revamped NBA Playoff Format — NESN.com
t sounds like Kemba Walker just wants to play. It’s unclear when the NBA season will resume, but several team and league officials told SI.com that any chance of a traditional postseason is out, suggesting this year’s path to the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy could get weird.
NBC Sports Boston recently floated the idea of a single-elimination playoff format — a la the NCAA Tournament — to Walker, and the Celtics point guard acknowledged he’s open to such a change.
“I guess I wouldn’t mind it,” Walker said. “I love to hoop. At this point it doesn’t really matter because of the way things went and suddenly the season just got postponed.”
The NBA suspended its season indefinitely on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. Several other players since have tested positive, including Celtics guard Marcus Smart, and a dark cloud of uncertainty continues to hang over the entire sports landscape as the world fights the coronavirus pandemic.
But sports will return at some point, and the hope is the NBA will be able to salvage its 2019-20 campaign, even if that requires radical changes to the usual postseason format. If nothing else, a one-and-done tourney sure would be entertaining, and Walker already knows a thing or two about thriving under such conditions, having won a national championship with UConn in 2011.
“It would be fun,” Walker told NBC Sports Boston. “It would be different.”
The Celtics (43-21) currently sit in third place in the Eastern Conference, trailing just the Milwaukee Bucks (53-12) and Toronto Raptors (46-18). All three teams have clinched playoff spots. Walker, an All-Star in his first season with the Celtics, also told NBC Sports Boston he’s “doing well” with his lingering knee issue during the current sports pause. More Celtics: How C’s Staff Prepares For NBA
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/04/celtics-kemba-walker-down-to-get-wild-with-revamped-nba-playoff-format/
Philadelphia 76ers center Al Horford reportedly is the latest professional athlete to pitch in for coronavirus relief, and he’s spreading his generosity all over, including Boston. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the former Celtics center is donating $500 thousand to fight the pandemic in his native Dominican Republic, along with every region in which…
Al Horford Donates $500K For Coronavirus Relief Everywhere He’s Played — NESN.com
Philadelphia 76ers center Al Horford reportedly is the latest professional athlete to pitch in for coronavirus relief, and he’s spreading his generosity all over, including Boston.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the former Celtics center is donating $500 thousand to fight the pandemic in his native Dominican Republic, along with every region in which he has played basketball.
Those places include Michigan where he played in high school, his college town of Gainsville, Fla., and his NBA stops in Atlanta, Boston and Philadelphia. Horford is one of the many athletes to help out amid concerns of the outbreak, with Kevin Love among the participants, and teams and entire leagues have stepped up as well.
Thursday it was also reported that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft bought and helped transport protective N95 masks to the United States using the team plane, and former Patriots tight end Rob Grownkowski donated masks to Boston Medical Center.
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/04/al-horford-donates-500k-for-coronavirus-relief-everywhere-hes-played/
Marshall Leonard remains a capable defender in his new career. The former New England Revolution defender, who now works as an emergency-room doctor in New York City, delivered a gripping message to athletes Wednesday night during his appearance on on ESPN’s “SportsCenter With Scott Van Pelt.” After acknowledging the paralyzing uncertainty many athletes feel as…
Ex-Revolution Defender-Turned NYC Doctor Has Powerful Advice For Athletes — NESN.com
Marshall Leonard remains a capable defender in his new career. The former New England Revolution defender, who now works as an emergency-room doctor in New York City, delivered a gripping message to athletes Wednesday night during his appearance on on ESPN’s “SportsCenter With Scott Van Pelt.” After acknowledging the paralyzing uncertainty many athletes feel as they wait to wait to resume play amid the coronavirus outbreak, Leonard explained to them why it’s so important for them to do whatever it takes to stay in shape. “… I’m a sports fan, I was an athlete previously before, and all the health care providers we’re missing sports just like everybody else,” Leonard said. “As an athlete, I can’t imagine not having a season all of a sudden. One day you wake up and you can’t finish out a championship, you worked so hard for that. “We’re not able to watch it on tv (as healthcare workers). That (used to) give us a lot of relaxation, we come back from a hard shift, we sit back and watch a game. I know I do, and I know a lot of my colleagues do. “… (athletes should) Use this time — and I know it’s completely awkward — use this time to keep yourself in whatever shape possible because when this is done, I’m telling you right now, we need you. We’re doing our thing now but after this we’re going to need you because we’re going to want to watch those games at a high level as well.” These words undoubtedly will resonate with players and fans alike during these unsettling times. Leonard played 63 games for the Revolution between 2002 and 2007. He helped New England win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2007 and finish runner-up in the MLS Cup final in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/04/ex-revolution-defender-turned-nyc-doctor-has-powerful-advice-for-athletes/
MAPLE LEAFS SIGN FILIP KRAL AND KRISTIANS RUBINS
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the hockey club has signed defenceman Filip Kral to a three-year entry level contract and defenceman Kristians Rubins to a two-year entry level contract.
Kral, 20, appeared in 54 games with the Spokane Chiefs (WHL) during the 2019-20 season and registered 49 points (12 goals, 37 assists), which ranked second among Spokane defenceman and tied for 10th among WHL defenders. In 154 career WHL regular season games, Kral has recorded 120 points (31 goals, 89 assists), while adding a pair of assists in 17 career WHL playoff games. He represented the Czech Republic at both the 2018 and 2019 IIHF World Junior Championships.
Kral was originally drafted by the Maple Leafs in the fifth round (149th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft.
Rubins, 22, appeared in 47 games with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) during the 2019-20 season and registered 14 points (two goals, 12 assists). In 2018-19, he split his season between the Marlies and the Newfoundland Growlers (ECHL). The Riga, Latvia native recorded three assists in 15 games with the Marlies in 2018-19, while recording two goals and 16 assists in 56 games with the Growlers. Rubins skated in 17 playoff games with Newfoundland and recorded a goal and two assists, capturing the Kelly Cup in the franchise’s inaugural season.
Rubins originally joined the Maple Leafs organization on August 3, 2018 after signing an ECHL contract with the Newfoundland Growlers. He signed his first AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies on October 31, 2018 and was re-signed by the club on July 3, 2019.
The view from left field 