Independent reporter says he was denied access by the Pacers and Fever

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It’s never a good day when a reporter has his credentials snatched for doing his job. Scott Agness, the independent reporter who created his Substack newsletter Fieldhouse Files, says the Indiana Pacers (in 2024) and the Fever recently took his.

 

He reported on Caitlin Clark’s absence that it was “part of a strategic management plan for the season,” and stood by it when challenged by the Fever’s PR department. Their position is that he spread misinformation, when his reporting is consistent with Clark’s handling.

 

Keep in mind that Agness has been on the scene, covering the Fever since 2013, way before they were the biggest attraction in the WNBA. He was also there when they were in the Finals in 2015.

 

The type of treatment Agness describes from the W is not a surprise. In my case, I’ve only ever found the league communications office helpful when asking about something that could help them (Asking for numbers on national TV games when the league started — my point was highlighting how growing a league takes a lot of years.) 

 

Two years ago, I emailed one of the two directors for WNBA Communications, Ron Howard, if the league was looking into Diana Taurasi’s dangerous late-game hit on Cheyenne Parker-Tyus at a critical moment in the game. His first response back was, “Are you a member of the media?”  when we had communicated in the past, and I had been on a conference call with him on it, and he refused to let me ask a question.

 

Perhaps they would have treated Agness with respect if ESPN or CBS were attached to his byline. Or maybe he should have been a shill, and then he’d still have his pass. As long as he remains out of the press room, the public suffers for it.

 

The WNBA Communications office did not respond to a request for comment, and Agness did not answer a request for an interview. 

 

Update: Five Reasons Sports was able to talk to Scott Agness after this was published. Check that out here.



Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The 2026 Finals will be a special series

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What a time to be alive for New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs fans. The former have patiently waited to get back to the promised land since their magical eighth-seed run in 1999, and the latter has come this far in the build’s first playoff run.

 

Keep in mind that these have been the most-watched playoffs in 28 years, per NBA Communications. The Finals start on Wednesday in San Antonio and those numbers should be great as well. 

 

The Knicks last won in 1973 defeating the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time, and Willis Reed, who hit a momentous mid-range jumper late, was the Finals MVP. Yet, it shouldn’t be forgotten how critical Walt “Clyde” Frazier’s third-quarter takeover was in the closeout Game 5, which was also Wilt Chamberlain‘s last outing.

 

The Spurs’ fifth ring came in 2014 after they savaged the Big Three Miami Heat. Kawhi Leonard was Finals MVP, and he erupted into Miami’s bringer of panic, pain and partition. 

 

So it’s been a long time coming — and this encounter can’t be a bigger embarrassment for Vivek Ranadivé, owner of the wasting Sacramento Kings, which had De’Aaron Fox and Mike Brown both on the team as late as the 2023-24 season.

 

The Knicks had their guts tested when down 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks, and haven’t lost since. Take a look at these playoff stats:

 

Jalen Brunson has been tearing up any scheme, and is making 54.7 percent of his two-pointers.

 

Karl-Anthony Towns has more than doubled his playoff assists average (5.9).

 

Mikal Bridges is scoring 16.6 points, shooting 63.8 percent over his last 11 games.

 

The Knicks have the top defensive rating in the playoffs (103.5).

 

New York has the highest rebounding percentage (54.8).

 

One of their most important tasks will be limiting the Spurs in transition. Notably, the Spurs have the highest playoff frequency, but the Knicks have been more efficient, logging a sharp 1.32 points per possession. 

 

Now take a look at these playoff numbers for San Antonio:

 

They have the second-best defensive rating (104.4).

 

Victor Wembanyama is scoring 11.2 points in the paint and taking 6.8 free throws per game (87 percent).

 

De’Aaron Fox averages the most deflections on the team (3.4) and recovers the most loose balls (offense 0.6, defense 0.6).

 

One of the things to keep an eye on is the 3-point shooting. They allow between 17 and 18 wide-open 3-point attempts per night, but New York has been drastically affected less, giving up 31.8 percent to San Antonio’s 37.1. The winner of this series could be determined by which team is more disciplined, staying attached to shooters, especially late if the game is close.

 

Another thing to key in on will be who Karl-Anthony Towns guards if OG Anunoby is checking Wemby. Expect the Spurs to test Towns’ resistance defending at the level of the screen, too. 

 

Considering how the Knicks will be the strongest opponent the Spurs have seen, it might be a good idea for coach Mitch Johnson to play Wembanyama more than 37.7 minutes per game, like was allowed in the Western Conference Finals against Oklahoma City. He’s a top-shelf athlete so he should be able to power into the 40s.

 

The outcomes are tantalizing. If the Spurs win, Wembanyama will be crowned as the new face of the league. And if New York triumphs with Brunson leading the charge, like he has been, the he will join rarified air next to Isiah Thomas and Stephen Curry as the small guards of history to lead their team to a championship.

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Notes on the Western Conference Finals between OKC and San Antonio

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The Western Conference Finals are headed for Game 7 in Oklahoma City on Saturday, deciding which team will face off against the New York Knicks in the championship round.  As it was correctly pointed out on Game 6’s NBC/Peacock broadcast, it’s been the best WCF since 2018. 

 

Here are some quick stats ahead of Game 7:

 

1.The Spurs haven’t been able to punish OKC from the corners (29.8 percent).

 

2.OKC’s bench (49.1) has outscored San Antonio’s (28.8) in all but one game. 

 

3.The leading scorers for each team have been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (24.3 on 37.9 percent shooting) and Victor Wembanyama (28.2 on 48.2 percent accuracy).

 

4.Before this postseason, home teams won a Game 7 74.2 percent of the time. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers were the only teams that won a Game 7 on the road this year.

 

5.The only road victories of the series were Game 1 for the Spurs and Game 3 for the Thunder. 

 

Naturally, both sides are sick of each other; the Thunder have flopped, plus Lu Dort has deployed dirty tactics, like recklessly jumping into De’Aaron Fox’s leg. Carter Bryant has given it back to them by ramming into Shai Gilgeous-Alexander twice in Game 6 and was lucky he didn’t get ejected. 

 

The champs are at a disadvantage because their second-best player (Jalen Williams) made an ineffective return from hamstring injury following a three-game absence, and Ajay Mitchell missed the last three outings with a calf strain, too. Yet Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is further validating his MVP crown by picking up the slack for them and others. While the sportsbooks favor the Thunder, it will still take a top-notch performance from SGA to eliminate the Spurs since Chet Holmgren has been physically overmatched for much of the series.

 

The same can be said for Wembanyama if he wants to put down the champs. The best way he can do that is to catch most of his passes from the middle to short range, so he doesn’t have to work as hard. Putting him in motion as the curler around stagger and down screens, or passing to him after using him as the screener, would help.

 

On top of that, since its Game 7, coach Mitch Johnson can’t conserve Wemby’s minutes, and has to be prepared to let him go into the 40s without overtime, especially when Fox has been having a rough series. Playing him below 40 was one of the reasons they lost Game 2, 3 and 5 as well.

 

The Thunder are chasing history to be the eighth team to repeat and the first since 2017 & 2018 (Golden State Warriors). The Spurs are the new kids on the block that want what they have. This will be a series that’s remembered.

 

AJ DeLaGarza Opens Up On Miami Days to FiveReasons

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After establishing himself as one of the most iconic soccer players of all time, David Beckham has spent the past decade building Inter Miami from the ground up as the club’s President and Co-Owner. Only two players have had the privilege of working alongside Beckham both as a teammate as well as an employee of his team: Blaise Matuidi, who played with Beckham at Paris Saint-Germain, and A.J. DeLaGarza, who played with him at LA Galaxy.

 

Born on November 4, 1987, Adolph Joseph DeLaGarza was raised in Bryans Road, MD and quickly established himself as one of the best young talents in the state, eventually earning a move to the University of Maryland, College Park. He led the Terrapins to the National Championship in his freshman and senior year, prompting the LA Galaxy to select him with the 19th overall pick of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by LA Galaxy. DeLaGarza quickly emerged as a vital cog in defense, leading the Galaxy to three MLS Cups and becoming one of just a handful of players to make 200+ appearances for them. He also made a name for himself at the international level, playing two friendlies for the USMNT in January 2012 before switching to Guam and registering 11 caps – including their first-ever two World Cup qualifying wins vs. Turkmenistan and India.

 

DeLaGarza departed for Houston Dynamo in 2017, leading them to a first playoff spot in three years, before enjoying a brief sojourn with expansion side Inter Miami during the 2020 season. He spent the final two seasons of his career with New England Revolution before retiring in November 2022: since then, he’s passed his time raising his three children in the Carolinas, bouncing around from various startup companies like ZALA and Photon Sports, working as a Match Director for MLS, and launching The GoalDen, an elite indoor soccer facility in Charlotte. Five Reasons Sports spoke to DeLagarza about a number of topics, including:

 

You grew up in Charles County…what was it like playing in this region of Maryland, and trying to prove yourself as not just one of the best players in the state, but one of the best players in the country? It does seem like early on, you were recognized as one of the top young players in Maryland. Was that a lot of pressure dealing with that?

 

Well, just for geography, Charles County is in southern Maryland, so I was actually right outside of Washington D.C., but I did play for a club team that was in Baltimore. The travel and the commute there every week to get to training, I remember going to training right after high school ended, and I would go sit up there and just wait for practice to start because of that commute, and if you waited too long, you were gonna be stuck in traffic and potentially miss practice. I would go there and take a nap in the parking lot if I needed to and all that in high school, but yeah, I would say that I kind of felt some pressure not until I was in high school, when I was one of two freshmen to make varsity. I was a starter, and I was also a forward, and as a freshman in high school, I probably weighed 95 pounds. But here I was, playing against grown men, right?

 

There were guys who were 3-4 years older than me, which I was not used to. I ended my first year as the leading scorer, making the all-conference team and the all-county team. I won’t say I had a target on my back, but everyone knew who I was at that point, if they hadn’t already. I would say that freshman year in high school was really where my name really started to get out there. and then I had expectations to follow that, and unfortunately, my sophomore year did not go as well as my freshman year. Our team went 0-16, we didn’t win a single game, and I still had to show up every day and try to be a leader. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, but I think that going through that tough year helped me be a better teammate and a better communicator.

 

It was a challenge that most kids nowadays are like, ‘I don’t want to do that,’ whereas that helped me and made me stronger. I remember crying on the field in our playoff game. We all make the playoffs, so we actually lost 10-0 in the playoffs, and it was on Halloween night, and a few of our starters decided to go trick-or-treating instead of coming to our playoff game. Unfortunately, that was the commitment level of some of my teammates, whereas I was out there doing whatever I could, and at the end of the day, I was still all-county, and still all-conference, and all that. I try to put my best foot forward, even under very difficult circumstances.

 

Talk to me about your move to Inter Miami; did your previous relationship with David Beckham play a role in your transfer, or not really?

 

I mean, I’m sure it did. Obviously, he knew who I was and my character and all that, so I’m sure he had a little bit of an influence on certain moves. It’s cool to be one of two players that he played with, and then employed as an owner alongside Matuidi…pretty cool experiences.

 

Overall, what did you make of your time in Miami? Obviously, they were just starting off at that point, what was it like playing with an expansion side?

 

 Yeah, that’s one of the biggest what-ifs. Obviously, we all wish COVID didn’t happen, but I wish the experience was a little bit different in year one, especially with that team. But also, I remember being in preseason, and I was actually doing finishing drills with the strikers, and the defenders were doing defending drills, and I was like, ‘Hold up, does this coach know who I am? He’s got me on the wrong side of the field, like, what am I doing up here? It was hard because we were not good; we were not playing well. I had asked manager Diego Alonso midway through the year, ‘What do I need to do to get on the field?

 

And he told me, ‘You do everything great, but I like my center backs to be taller and faster. And I was like, ‘You really don’t know who I am, right? It’s not all about being tall and fast. You have to be able to read the game and control moments, and give the balls to the proper people to make things happen, right? That’s what I felt like I was good at, and unfortunately, I wasn’t given that opportunity until really late into the season, and we started doing well, we were the last team to make the playoffs, and then the COVID bug hit us again. We were missing too many folks in the playoffs, and we got bounced by Nashville. I was a free agent again, and left to go to New England, so that’s one of the biggest what-ifs, because I really enjoyed my time in Miami and where we lived, and the culture, and all that.

 

Do you feel like that’s the biggest regret of your soccer career?

 

Yeah, I would’ve liked to have stayed there a little bit longer to see that club evolve, obviously, to what they are today. It would have been great to be a little bit more stable, right? Like, I had to move two cities in one year, so that was hard on my family, and I had young kids at the time as well.

 

Injustice in the main event in Giza, Rey Mysterio’s colossal collab and more

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The spectacle in front of the Pyramids of Giza was a grand production, that featured Frank Sanchez scoring an upset KO over Richard Torrez Jr., but the public lost thanks to a waste of time for the WBO vacant title fight (Hamzsah Sheeraz KOed Alem Begic), and a criminally premature stoppage, favoring Oleksandr Usyk.

 

This is pay-per-view.

 

Rico Verhoeven, the kickboxer, was supposed to be the guy he walked through for an easy payday, but Usyk got his own lesson in bravery and class. By the look of him, the reigning heavyweight champ (IBF, WBC, WBA), didn’t prepare like he did for high-profile engagements against Tyson Fury, Daniel Dubois plus Anthony Joshua, and now some top dogs of the division might think he’s vulnerable.

 

Usyk lost the first two rounds on all three score cards. It was as if Mobb Deep’s Survival of the Fittest was flowing through Verhoeven’s veins as he made a name for himself, landing power shots and bothering him with awkward movements.

 

The judges even had it 96-94, 95-95 plus 95-95, and it was going to be an Usyk round because he battered Verhoeven and scored a knock down with a right uppercut. Verhoeven got extra time by spitting out his mouthpiece, yet still, one of the greatest potential shockers was derailed with a second left in the 11th round.

 

Mark Lyson has refereed 1,158 fights, but was as sophomoric as an official in the amateur ranks.  He also smugly shook his head, defending his position to Verhoeven’s protesting corner, yet it only would’ve been justified if he had a lobotomy. It was arguably just as pathetic as Howard Foster’s foolishly abrupt stoppage of the Fabio Wardley versus Joseph Parker fight back on Oct. 25.

 

Usyk remains undefeated but his résumé now has a blemish, in similar way that Fury stained his by going the distance with MMA monster Francis Ngannou. Naturally, all fighters have a day at the office, performing below their standards and Saturday’s showing highlighted that Usyk is more human than The Terminator he’s been known to be. He also dodged the question in his post-fight interview on if he thought he needed a stoppage/KO to win.

 

Perhaps, this is what age 39 looks like. Yet his mind is elsewhere since he offered the information that his home country is at war, affecting those close to him.

 

That rising British  star, Moses Itauma, must have seen Verhoeven’s work, thinking, “Forget this development plan —  I better put this down this Ukrainian chap before he takes off the gloves for good,” and he wouldn’t be wrong. It takes beating the man to be the man, and this is a young person’s game.

 

Usyk’s handlers and those that care for him should want him far away from Itauma, eliminating the risk of an undignified wipe out this late in his career, yet the public will call for it or one of the few remaining big fights, like seeing German heavyweight Agit Kabayel. Or maybe Fury will try to scheme his way into a third fight.

 

Quick takes:

 

–Fabio Wardley exercised his rematch clause to get back in the ring with Daniel Dubois after suffering an 11-round stoppage on May 9. Respect to him for wanting to reclaim his honor, but part one was a one-sided beatdown, despite Dubois being knocked down twice. There isn’t much need for a rematch, at least at this time. The sickos won’t mind running it back, but might grumble them if it is PPV like the first.

 

-Claressa Shields smacked Alycia Baumgardner at MVP Promotions’ Ronda Rousey versus Gina Carano MMA fight on May 16 after they got into a verbal exchange. Shields was subsequently banned from promotional events. Both have hurled venom in interviews and to each other’s faces previously, but Shields, while she is financially exposed if Baumgardner wants to seek restitution through civil court, which has been threatened, put her smaller foe in a lose-lose situation: Shields would hurt Baumgardner at a catch weight, and if the latter does nothing, some will hold it against her forever that she didn’t defend her honor. Additionally, Shields has also threatened to sue, accusing MVP Promotions’ statement and Baumgardner’s of defamation.

 

WWE Legend Rey Mysterio reveals big plans

 

If you’re not listening to the Duke Loves Rasslin podcast, do yourselves a favor to correct this behavior. The show exclusively broke in a interview with the superstar wrestler that he is partnering with Footballco “to launch an official, Team Mexico-inspired World Cup Soccer Jersey.”

 

Mysterio said, “The fact that we’re created something based on my nationality, my representation, you know, Mexico… I remember sitting down with my dad, you know and watching the World Cup in ’86 when the World Cup was in Mexico City, in Estadio Azteca, you know, so to be able to collaborate based on the cartoon (Rey Mysterio vs. The Darkness) and based on the colors of Mexico, representing all the players that are in the lineup for the World Cup is truly an honor.”

 

Mysterio will also be featured at the River City Wrestling Con on June 6 at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida. He will be presenting his cartoon series, which first aired on Cartoon Network Latin America. “And we’re bringing the cartoon (Rey Mysterio vs. The Darkness) over to the U.S. for the first time,” he said. Mysterio has been passionate about this since he started in the business.

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Adjustments the Spurs can make ahead of Game 3 against the Thunder

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The Western Conference Finals are deadlocked at 1-1 in what’s shaping up to be a classic series. It’s appointment viewing for hardcore hoop heads because it’s two 60+ win teams with one side having the MVP (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) and the other having the next face of the league, who is averaging 31 points and 20.5 rebounds (Victor Wembanyama).

 

Coach Mitch Johnson didn’t have an immediate update after Game 2 on Dylan’s Harper’s status. Harper is currently questionable for Friday’s outing. Additionally, Jalen Williams’s hamstring injury is somehow being treated as day-to-day by the OKC Thunder.

 

With the next two games in San Antonio, there’s a few things the Spurs could try to help take control of the series. Let’s review. 

 

Keldon Johnson needs more minutes

 

Keldon Johnson’s strength allows him to have success against bigger OKC players at close range. Keep in mind that all five of his rebounds in Game 2 were offensive.

 

The role of sixth man is important, but he is better than a 24-minute player in a high-stakes series. He can create his own shot and handle physicality better than Julian Champagnie, who should not be playing more than 27 minutes, but has to now if De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper are out for Game 3.

 

Consider how the lineup featuring Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, Victor Wembanyama with Champagnie and Johnson has been one of their best in the playoffs, logging an excellent 105 defensive rating in 10 minutes. It’s never a bad idea to lean hard on the defense and while this unit hasn’t been tested for long spurts in the playoffs, it could turn into an ace in coach Johnson’s sleeve: it has two ball handlers, two snipers who can guard and a demigod.

 

The non-Wemby minutes

 

Luke Kornet played an important role in being the team’s reserve big man this seasion, yet it’s ideal to limit his minutes, potentially to less than the 10 he’s averaging. The Thunder are a bad matchup for him, and insist on attacking his weaknesses through screen rolls. 

 

There’s two solutions: use veteran Harrison Barnes as the backup center, which would bring in the threat of an accurate release valve who can guard up. A double would have to come to help depending on how deep his matchup catches an inside pass, but this must be considered since he can play at the level of the screen better than Kornet. 

 

Then there’s Carter Bryant, the extremely athletic and strong perimeter pest. He’s age 20, but like Harper, shouldn’t be looked at as a rookie anymore since they’ve lapped their peers in experience. Bryant can do all the things Barnes does defensively as a small-ball five at a higher level.  

 

Castle needs to cut down on turnovers 

 

The team is averaging 22 turnovers, and Castle is responsible for 10 per game. The Spurs are in a tricky situation here because De’Aaron Fox (ankle) is also questionable on the injury report. Assuming Fox and Harper don’t play, Castle has to step up with his ball security by not recklessly passing and driving into traffic.

 

Consider how the Thunder are only averaging 12 fastbreak points per game. The Spurs can be even sharper in getting back if they play with less mistakes.

 

Yet most importantly, they need to be cut down so Wemby has as many opportunities as possible with the ball. As much as pick-and-pop plays are useful, Castle needs to get him the ball closer to the rim in half-court actions so he doesn’t work as hard. In Game 2, the first shot Wemby took starting his offense inside the arc was in the third quarter, and nearly all of his possessions started from the outside. 

 

Perhaps Castle will make easier passes if Wemby is put in more motion.


Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Pistons need to get Cade Cunningham more help

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The 60-win Detroit Pistons disappointed with a Game 7 blowout loss at home in round two to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but their weaknesses were exposed in the quarterfinal against the Orlando Magic. 

 

Keep in mind that the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that beat the Pistons, have another capable ball handler next to their best player. The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, which are the best two teams in the playoffs now facing off in the Western Conference finals, have three shot creators each. It only adds to the urgency that the Indiana Pacers will return to contending status next season after a gap year because of the injuries, and they also have at least three dependable ball handlers.

 

Ausar Thompson is entering his fourth year, but he is not ready to be even the third offensive option in Detroit. Tobias Harris had great moments in the playoffs, but can’t be the second scorer, and Duncan Robson is a top-notch release valve. 

 

The worst thing the Pistons could do is get comfortable because title windows are short. Cade Cunningham, who averaged an awful 5.6 turnovers through two rounds, needs more help on offense in the form of another high-level shot creator, and finding one should be the top priority of the off-season. They should be thinking about big fish like Jaylen Brown or Ja Morant, and if they have to give up something valuable, then so be it. 

 

It will be a painful offseason for those kept around, and Thompson even said in the locker room after defeat that the team would “let it sting.” Their effort in Game 7 lacked the same intensity they displayed in three-straight elimination games against the Magic and two nights previously in Cleveland. It was similar to how flat the Miami Heat came out at home in Game 7 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, which they lost after being the first seed that year.  

 

Humiliation is one of the best teachers and it’s something great players have experienced before taking a leap. Nobody should be writing off Jalen Duren, who averaged 9.3 less points in the playoffs, and Thompson for that reason.

 

The Pistons had a 16-win improvement in the 2025-26 regular season — if they make a similar leap next year, not in terms of wins but in potency, then they’ll be one of the top squads in the league with a better shot at the tile.



Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Jamahl Mosley is the new coach of the New Orleans Pelicans

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 Despite the Orlando Magic blowing a 3-1 lead to the Detroit Pistons in round one of the playoffs, the New Orleans Pelicans found their new head coach in recently fired Jamahl Mosley. They clearly like him because they gave him a fifth year in his contract, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

 

At the very least, Mosley established he is a gateway coach that will help legitimize a team. The Magic were not as defensively potent this season as they were in 2024 and 2025 (second ranked in both), but some of that is on the injuries to key players and a bit of the message going stale after a while. 

 

One thing he will demand more out of the team is commitment on defense, especially from Zion Williamson in screen rolls and in small lineups. As the playoffs have shown, teams need to be able to bang with the big boys at close range because versatile size is king. 

 

The Pelicans have more talent than the typical 26-win team, yet they play in the superior conference and do not have a first-round draft pick this season, as it was owed to Atlanta. A good year in 2026-27 would be reaching the first round of the playoffs, whether by going through the Play-In Tournament or not. Those are only modest expectations because it’s hard to expect more when the ultra-talented Williamson has logged at least 60 games thrice since 2019-20. If he, who is going into his eighth season (well, seventh because he didn’t play in2021-22 due to injury), can change the narrative on his health, the Pelicans have a chance to be more than a respectable team early. 

 

Keep in mind that the Pelicans were only the seventh seed in 2024 with 49 regular-season wins. The Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns (before the Play-In Tournament) in the following years were the seventh seed with 48 and 45 wins.

 

Notably, the area Mosley’s teams needed an upgrade is the offense because they didn’t have enough movement, passing and screening. Hiring some different minds for his assistants could alleviate some of those issues, yet he also needs to improve the same way it’s expected of players. 

 

It will be the area he is judged most critically, and he at least has to have the team be better than the 11th-ranked attack since that was the best it was during the Willie Green era. The next area of importance will be the development of the youngsters such as Jeremiah Fears, Yves Missi, Derik Queen. 

 

Mosley has a great agent in Bret Just of WME Basketball for getting him a gig where he doesn’t have to start over from the basement. Now it’s on him to show he was the guy and not just the best name available on the coaching market.



Ruiz becomes secret weapon for speedy Marlins

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Speed is a weapon that has been well wielded by the Miami Marlins so far this season. 

Led by Jakob Marsee (13), the Marlins have demonstrated to be the fastest team on the base paths, leading MLB with 57 stolen bases. However, on the other side, the have also been caught stealing 17 times, which is among the highest in the big leagues. 

The Marlins player with the second most stolen bases doesn’t have everyday playing time. Outfielder Esteury Ruiz has been used as a secret weapon by the Marlins. He came into Saturday’s 10-5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays as a pinch runner to score in the 10th inning. The Marlins kept scoring that Ruiz ended having a plate appearance, in which he drove in a run on a base hit. 

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said during his postgame press conference on Sunday that the Marlins “try each day looking at how to best utilize the 13-man position player group in one way.”

“Those guys that aren’t starting to be ready for whether they come off the bench to play defense in a game, pinch-hit, pinch-run, whatever it may be,” McCullough said. “Do something that day. Be ready for your moment that may come.”

Ruiz is 6-for-27 with two home runs in his limited opportunities but also has seven stolen bases and seven runs this season. He started the season on the injured list and didn’t make his Marlins debut until April 23.

“He has swung the bat well,” McCullough said. “He put together some good at-bats and handled himself well versus left thus far. It’s a nice dynamic to have him on our team, and he’s a great guy.” 

The Marlins acquired Ruiz over the offseason from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade for international pitching prospect Adriano Marrero. Adriano Marrero the other way. Ruiz’s potential for base stealing came in 2023, when he swiped 67 bags as a rookie with the Oakland Athletics.

The Marlins (21-26) went 2-4 during their recent road trip, including falling to the Rays in the Citrus Series this past weekend. The Marlins return home on Monday for a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves and a three-game series against the New York Mets. 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Hall-of-Famer Carmelo Anthony shares his thoughts on the upcoming Western Conference Finals

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The Oklahoma City Thunder are still the team to beat on their quest for back-to-back titles, even with Jalen Williams hamstring injury keeping him absent so far, but the San Antonio Spurs are reaching for the throne. The upcoming clash between the regular season’s top-two Western powers will begin on Monday in OKC.

 

They played five times before the playoffs, which included an NBA Cup game, with the Spurs winning four of them, but considering how the physicality has been raised 80° since, it’s hard to use those games to gauge which team has the advantage.

 

Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony imparted his wisdom in his interview with D.J. Siddiqi on these matters, saying, “ “Regular season doesn’t mean anything right now. It’s a different brand of basketball. I know people want to put one up against the other, but it’s a different brand of basketball. Nobody’s even thinking about regular season once you’re in the playoffs.”

 

Another thing the Hall of Famer is sure about is that great players can’t be shut down. Much of that has to do with the rules favoring the offensive player since hand checks are outlawed and carrying violations are not always enforced, which is a huge disadvantage for the man back peddling. Nonetheless, when it comes to Victor Wembanyama, the challenge is making it difficult for him for “48 minutes.”

 

The Thunder will try but, Wembanyama‘s height and passing gifts make him a threat to dissect double teams. That’s a lethal combination with three high-level ball handlers that eat up schemes at the point of attack. The challenge gets tougher since he is a good roamer without the ball behind the arc and on the baseline. He’s shown he can be dormant while he waits for his teammates to get going, then he turns into a supernova.

 

Guarding Wemby presents even more problems because he can dribble up court, and pull up from long range. Setting early pick up points against that are not the same as sending them at someone like Kevin Durant, who is still close to seven feet, but not skyscraper big.  The playoffs have made it clear that using bully-ball to bother Wembanyama gets canceled out by his length.

 

On the other side, one thing the Thunder could try is to make Wembanyama work by limiting Isaiah Hartenstein’s minutes on the floor with him. While Hartenstein has a nice jump hook from the short to mid range area, Wembanyama can complicate things for OKC by sagging off to the middle like he did against Portland and Minnesota successfully. If Chet Holmgren is playing center, it will force Wembanyama to guard a real scoring option.

 

As the stakes rise with each round and coverages get tighter, this could be a tough series for Luke Kornet because he is a slower-footed disruptor, most ineffective outside of the lane. It’s not what the Spurs want to do, but this could mean Wemby playing close to 40 minutes a game because he’s a much stronger against screen rolls, especially if they are coming from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

 

Anthony said Wembanyama is the best defender in the NBA — it helps that he’s got major help because opposing ball handlers have a quality disruptor switched on to them at every turn. Still, the Thunder are capable of matching San Antonio’s defensive potency and bring their own edge to that side.

 

All of the talent featured in this Western Conference Finals could create a classic series that will be remembered for decades. Make no mistake: this series will be the equivalent of two heavyweights facing off in a title eliminator.