Grading the Miami Heat’s 2020 offseason

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After an unexpected run to the NBA Finals, the Miami Heat are re-tooling for another run. Although they haven’t acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo or another NBA superstar, they’ve made enough big moves to keep them in the title picture.

 

The Heat will still be popular in the Florida sports betting circles as one of the favourites to emerge from the East. 

 

Keep a close eye on Miami as they aren’t done yet though we look and analyze at all the signings they’ve done these past few weeks: 

The Heat’s best deals

“Miami Heat” by HumongoNationphotogallery is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 

 

Miami may not have lured a certain superstar yet, but their best moves came in the form of securing two key players to their championship run plus getting the best fit during the draft.  

 

Signing Bam Adebayo to max rookie contract extension (A)

 

Although Miami tried to get Adebayo to wait, namely to structure his contract to allow for signing another max player like Antetokounmpo, they knew they had to secure their franchise cornerstone. 

 

Adebayo signed to the tune of $195 million over five years for an AAV of $39 million. The Kentucky product broke out last season posting 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 33 minutes. 

 

Most importantly, Adebayo is the centerpiece of this team. He anchors the team’s defense and is continually evolving as an offensive playmaker. 

 

At just 23, Adebayo can grow into a multiple time all-star and one of the best big men of his generation. This contract proves Miami is all-in on Adebayo even if it comes at the expense of other superstars.

 

Signing Goran Dragic to two-year extension (A)

 

Next to Adebayo, Dragic was the next crucial piece Miami needed to lock up and they not only did that but did so at a discounted price. 

 

The former All-Star signed a two-year deal for just $37.4 million with the second year being a team option.

 

Dragic was arguably the best Sixth Man last season posting averages of 16.2 points and 5.1 assists in 59 games. In the bubble, Dragic averaged 19.1 points a game and will continue to be one of the team’s main scoring options.

 

Drafting Precious Achiuwa with the no. 20 pick (B+)

“God’s gift Achiuwa about to make a pass at Madison Square Garden” by Marianne O’Leary is licensed under CC BY 2.0 

 

Few front offices can match the drafting prowess of the Heat as they scored another homerun in taking Memphis’s Precious Achiuwa.

 

The 6’9” forward is a defensive specialist and will slot in as a back-up PF. While his offensive game leaves plenty to be desired, coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff are used to molding specimens like Achiuwa.

 

While point guard was a bigger need for the Heat, Achiuwa has significant upside and could form one of the most defensively threatening frontcourts with Butler and Adebayo.

 

Secondary deals for the Heat

The biggest splash Miami made was in re-signing Adebayo. But they didn’t lay low in free agency and made some solid under-the-radar signings.

 

Signing Avery Bradley to a two-year contract (B+)

 

Miami bolstered their guard corps by adding Bradley, a two-time All-Defensive team standout. Bradley didn’t participate in the NBA bubble but was on a roll offensively averaging 10.9 points while shooting over 45% from deep in his final 17 games with the Lakers.

 

Bradley will be epitome of “3-and-D” and will slot in nicely as an alternative option to either Duncan Robinson or Tyler Herro.

 

Signing Maurice Harkless to a one-year contract (B)

 

Losing both Derrick Jones Jr. and Jae Crowder stings, but the Heat mitigated the losses by acquiring veteran Moe Harkless via their biannual exception. This means the Heat get the services of the eight-year pro at a discounted rate of just $3.6 million.

 

Harkless provides the Heat the ability to play both forward positions with some shooting on offense. He will fit in nicely behind Butler, Leonard, and Achiuwa.

 

Signing Meyers Leonard to a multi-year contract (B-)

 

Miami wasted little time in bringing back Leonard, inking him to a two-year deal north with a rough AAV of $9 million, which includes a no-movement clause and a team option for the second year akin to Dragic’s.

 

Although Leonard fell out of the rotation, he’s the quintessential backup 5 and spells Adebayo from the rigorous season. There were other free agent bigs the Heat could’ve gone for, but the team loves Leonard and that fosters better continuity in the group. 

 

Bringing back Udonis Haslem (Off the board)

 

While Haslem will be taking up that roster spot instead of a hungrier two-way guy, there is no Heat culture without Haslem. Expect to see the 40-year-old as a coach soon. But for now, Haslem rides for one more year.

Betting on Horse Racing: Updates on the Pegasus World Cup

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Horse racing is a game enjoyed by millions of spectators and bettors around the world. It has been around for centuries with varying rules over time but is nonetheless a thrilling sport. The Pegasus Cup is one of the many anticipated horse racing events in North America. The South Florida-based event will be coming back in January 2021 for its fifth annual race.

 

Whether you’re new to this particular franchise or a fan of horse racing in general, or you just want to know more about the upcoming race, here’s a few information on the Pegasus World Cup 2021.

 

About the race

The Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes is an annual American Thoroughbred horse race event in Florida’s Gulfstream Park. It is a Grade 1 race, which means it is in the highest tier in thoroughbred horse racing standards, such as the Triple Crown Series and the Breeder’s Cup. 

 

Competing in the race are horses ages four and above, but such horses to join the race are invitation-only. There are currently two signature races for the event: the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf, which tracks spans 1 3/16 miles, and the $3 million Pegasus World Cup, which tracks spans 1 ⅛ mile.

 

History of the Pegasus World Cup

Compared to its fellow grade 1 thoroughbred horse racing events, this is not an old racing franchise as the first Pegasus World Cup event was held last January 2017. 

 

The idea for the event was brought up in January of 2016 by businessman Frank Stronach, who proposed a race that would not interfere with the schedules of other big races like the Breeder’s Cup and the Triple Crown races. It would also be a fitting final race for competing horses before they finally retire.

 

The Pegasus World Cup races would then continue to the present, with the races held in late January. Since 2017 there have been four champions, namely: Arrogate, Gun Runner, City of Light, and Mucho Gusto, in chronological order.

 

Pegasus World Cup 2020

The Pegasus World Cup 2020 was the most recent race, which happened on January 25 just this year, at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, State of Florida. Ten competitors were there that day to compete for the $3 million titles, as witnessed by millions of viewers. The 2020 title race’s purse was $3 million, which was significantly lower than all of the previous races, but there are no longer entry fees, as people can witness the race for free.

 

Participants

There have initially been twelve competitors for the race.

 

The competitors were;

 

  • True Timber, with jockey Joe Bravo and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, 
  • Tax, with jockey Jose Ortiz and trainer Danny Gargan, 
  • Diamond Oops, with jockey Julien Leparoux and trainer Patrick Biancone, 
  • Seeking the Soul, with jockey John Velazquez and trainer Dallas Stewart, 
  • Omaha Beach, with jockey Mike Smith and trainer Richard Mandella, 
  • Higher Power, with jockey Flavien Prat and trainer John Sadler, 
  • War Story, with jockey Joel Rosario and trainer Elizabeth Dobles, 
  • Mr. Freeze, with jockey Luis Saez and trainer Dale Romans, 
  • Spun to Run, with jockey Javier Castellano and trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero, 
  • Mucho Gusto, with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and trainer Bob Baffert, 
  • Tenfold, with jockey Tyler Gaffalione and trainer Steve Asmussen, 
  • Bodexpress, with jockey Emisael Jaramillo and trainer Gustavo Delgado.

 

A few days before the event, Omaha Beach and Spun to Run were scratched from the race due to an injury and a skin rash, respectively.

 

Odds

The ten final competitors of the Pegasus World Cup are now assigned odds. Odds in horse racing mean that the first number will represent the profit you will get in return for investing the amount of the second number. 

 

For example, if the odds read 8-3, it means that there will be an 8 dollar profit in return for every three dollars invested. If you win the bet, you will get 11 dollars back, which will increase depending on the number of times you placed your bet on your horse. There are always odds that are released once there is an official lineup, but the initial odds can change.

 

The following were the odds for the Pegasus World Cup: True Timber with 30-1, Tax with 8-1, Diamond Oops with 10-1, Seeking the Soul with 20-1, Higher Power with 5-2, War Story with 30-1, Mr. Freeze with 15-1, Mucho Gusto with 2-1, Tenfold with 30-1, and Bodexpress with 15-1. The favorite among the lineup is then five-year-old Higher Power.

 

Results

Among the ten contenders that participated in the race, it was Mucho Gusto who emerged victoriously. He gave out an $8.80 win, $5.00 place, and $3.80 show. The competitor second to the said horse is Mr. Freeze, and the third is War Story. The rest of the results, in order, are Diamond Oops, Bodexpress, Seeking the Soul, True Timber, Tax, and Higher Power.

 

Takeaway

The Pegasus World Cup, despite being younger than most grade 1 thoroughbred races, has proven its audience a thrilling race for four years now. As it approaches its fifth year in a few weeks, several speculations are now being made on who competes for the 2021 cup. Who do you think will be the competitors, and who among them will get the Pegasus World Cup 2021? Always remember to bet wisely.

 

It is time for Tua Tagovailoa to start at quarterback for the Miami Dolphins.

What is Tua’s Status After Injury?

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The Miami Dolphins had a great win from their march with Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday with an ending of 8-4. With that, the team was able to maintain its position in the AFC playoff race ladders and the team’s fans are just now more looking forward to seeing their play now that Tua Tagovailoa is back on the game.

Tagovailoa’s availability for the last game of the Dolphins was questionable due to his thumb injury but he was still able to play last Sunday. His left thumb injury happened when he hit his teammate’s helmet on a follow-through as he attempted to make a pass during the team’s match on November 25. Since then, he was only able to participate in practices with a limited capacity. 

During the match against the Bengals last week, the athlete appeared to have a slow start in the first half of the game with the Bengals but he seems to have been able to ramp it up in the second half.

Even if he is still limited in practice participation for the next game, he will likely be involved in all of the upcoming Dolphins’ schedule. On Wednesday, he was no longer wearing a black splint on his left hand for his injury but coach Brian Flores said that Tua is already feeling better.

Flores said, “Like everyone else, he’s got bumps and bruises he’s attained over the last few games. He’s feeling better as far as the hand. He’s preparing as best he can for a very, very strong opponent. They do a lot of things from a disguise standpoint, a front standpoint. He shed that on his hand but he’s got other issues dealing with the Chiefs.”

As Tua’s injury completely heals, he may be able to play with more ease in the coming weeks. Tua recently talked about the whole experience with the NFL. He said, “It’s a continuous learning process in the NFL. You learn day to day, week to week. There’s always something to learn because defenses aren’t going to stay the same.”

With his return, he was also able to work closely with the veteran offensive coordinator, Chan Gailey. When asked about Gailey, he said, “I’d say I’m comfortable with what I’m given, whatever plays that I’m given, I’m comfortable with them.

“Mind you, we talk about these things, me and Chan, we talk about what I like, talk about what I don’t like. I have as much input as anyone else does in our quarterback room and that’s what makes me feel comfortable to tell Chan, you know, ‘Hey, can we run this, or ‘Can we not run this?’ So, yeah, I would say I’m pretty comfortable with what I’m given.”

There are a few great reasons why Tua will feel more comfortable with being back on the game. He was not sacked last Sunday as he was able to perform solidly. He has also been using up-tempo plays that he enjoys. 

He also explained how seeing the defense helps the team perform. He said, “It helps to see the defense and see what the defense is going to give us.  they want to blitz or if they’re checking out of a blitz into coverage, that helps. That’s the biggest thing — indicator formations.”

Coach Flores also spoke about how Tua has been doing in the professional league. Flores said, “He’s kind of learning on the fly how to be a professional in this league, the things you’ve got to do in meetings and walkthrough and practice, to have success in games. I think he’s improving every day, getting better, and hopefully, we just continue to get better. We are about developing players.”

The coach also said how Tua is a tough and resilient athlete. He’s been accurate and continuously improving. He said that the fact that the athlete did not wear a splint or some sort of brace on this left hand to protect his thumb injury during the practice that is open to the media is a positive act.

Tua is also great inside the locker rooms as he appears to have good relations with his teammates. Raekwon Davis shared how fun Tua could be. Davis said, “Oh, he’s got this little weird dance he does. I recorded him doing it one time. It’s so funny. I don’t know where he got it from, a Hawaiian thing, I guess. He’s got some moves. But I’ve got (Jerome Baker). Bake is the best dancer on the team right now.”