Brian Flores keeps QB door open at first rookie minicamp

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Josh Rosen isn’t on the field yet.

Neither is Ryan Fitzpatrick.

That will happen Monday, for the first official day of OTAs, when two quarterbacks 15 years apart compete for a job that should go to Rosen, unless he’s awful.

Still, new coach Brian Flores — in typical Patriots style — isn’t giving anything away yet.

Asked prior to the first day of rookie minicamp whether Fitzpatrick would get a fair shot to start, Flores indicated the journeyman — last of Tampa Bay — would.

Flores doesn’t say a whole lot — he likes first round pick Christian Wilkins’s energy, for instance — but he did have a really good sound bite at the very end.

One of Adam Gase’s issues was that he knew everything, and that wore on players and media. He could not be questioned. If something went wrong, there was some silly excuse. Finally, the Dolphins front office got as tired of that as the players did.

Flores seems to take a different approach.

Here’s an example:

He added that if players aren’t asking why the Dolphins are doing something, that means they are disengaged, and that’s not what he wants.

It may take some time for the Dolphins to be competitive, but the mindset appears to be better — at least at the start.

Moves are coming in the shaky Marlins outfield

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Harold Ramírez could be finally getting the call to make his debut in the majors sometime soon.

The Miami Marlins keep struggling offensively after losing three out of four games at Wrigley Field in which they scored only 11 runs, and hit just five extra-base hits (four doubles and a homer).

Colombian outfielder Harold Ramírez could be the answer to those problems.

The Marlins outfield has been really unproductive in these first 37 games of the season.

The addition of Brian Anderson playing a few games in right field has helped a little, but the numbers are outrageous.

The only hitter above .200 is Austin Dean, who’s only played six games and is not even with the team anymore.

No one in the Marlins outfield is close to .300 of OBP, which is unbelievable.

Craig Mish and Jeremy Tache, of Swings and Mishes, talked about this subject in their most recent episode.

For Mish, Harold Ramírez “will see some action in the majors soon”.

Ramírez, who could play both corner outfields, is hitting .358/.414 OBP in 30 games with the New Orleans Baby Cakes.

If they call Harold Ramírez up the Marlins will have to add them to the 40-man roster, which would force them to take somebody out.

You can check his stats in the minors and playing winter ball in Venezuela here.

Who will get CF?

Harold Ramírez played winter ball in Venezuela with Leones del Caracas and got to play a couple of games in center field, but that is definitively not the best position for him.

Especially with that huge outfield the Marlins have at Marlins Park.

As Craig Mish and Jeremy Tache discuss, the Marlins have to sort out the centerfield position, and either Herrera or Galloway would have to go.

They can’t have both of these guys on the roster.

Granderson in left field, Herrera in center and Ramirez in right, with O’Brien as a fourth outfielder playing against lefty pitchers.

Listen to Swings and Mishes to hear the latest news about Garrett Cooper, a complete analysis of the moves the Marlins could make and a reaction to Ken Rosenthal’s article about Gary Denbow in The Athletic.

Dolphins make Xavien Howard highest paid defensive back in NFL history

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The day has finally arrived.

After months of speculating, the Miami Dolphins today, made Xavien Howard the highest paid defensive back in NFL history.  The former second-round pick from Baylor, struggled early on in his career-before taking the next step in 2018.  And for a team that has very little resembling a shutdown defensive back, the move was absolutely necessary.  Howard now becomes the face of the Dolphins’ defense, and will be tasked with shutting down the opposition’s No.1 wide receiver.

Here are the details according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Howard, 25, led the NFL in interceptions last season with seven.  He was also invited to his first Pro Bowl–if you believe those type of things matter.

Now that the Dolphins inked Howard to a lucrative long-term deal, they will now focus on resigning left tackle, Laremy Tunsil.

 

Dolphins sign a turnstile (er, tackle)

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It’s been said that the Dolphins don’t have a right tackle.

It’s still not clear they have a right tackle.

But they do have someone to stand there in a uniform.

Miami added Jordan Mills to the offensive line mix, taking the veteran off the Buffalo Bills’ scrap heap.

In his favor:

He has played 87 games, and started 82 of them.

Not so much?

This:

That’s 19.5 sacks allowed in the past three seasons.

That’s a lot.

That’s quite a few penalties too.

So this will be a dropoff from Ja’Wuan James, who is now a Denver Bronco.

Live look at Josh Rosen….

 

Latest Miami Heat Beat: Juwan, Lowry, Thrones, Rio

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Miami Heat Beat: Episode 206.

Giancarlo Navas, Brian Goins and Christian Hernandez discussed Juwan Howard staying in Miami, whether the Heat should have pushed harder for Jimmy Butler and then shifted to Game of Thrones to debate who has the best odds of ruling Westeros on the Miami Heat Beat’s 206th episode.

The Los Angeles Lakers recently interviewed Juwan Howard for its head coaching vacancy, but multiple reports expect Tyronn Lue to be named the next head coach and reunite with LeBron James. Hernandez prompted the thought of how it’s good that Howard will stay with Miami because the Heat retain its top assistant. However, there comes a time when an assistant eventually is expected to move on to higher positions, and if they don’t eventually climb the coaching ladder and get hired as head coaches, does that signify that they’re bad at their job?

The guys moved on to discuss the NBA Playoffs and how Jimmy Butler has impressed thus far. Navas debates whether the Heat made the right decision regarding Butler, and where the franchise would be right now if they had made the deal.

Butler continues to take over fourth quarters for Philadelphia. In clutch time situations in the postseason, Butler has been the most efficient player in the NBA.

The price tag of Kelly Olynyk, Josh Richardson and a future first rounder for a 30-year-old star with the baggage of Tom Thibodeau minutes and an eventual max contract on the books seems too high for Navas. The move may have put them ahead of the Indiana Pacers as a five or six seed, locking the Heat into a relatively higher mediocre level than they find themselves now. Hernandez argued that this Heat team was built for a player like Butler.

Miami lacks the fourth-quarter superstar that shines when all eyes are on him. Butler has proven he can be that player. However, the Heat’s cap situation in this what-if scenario makes the situation too difficult to debate whether the move could be reasonably justified long-term.

Navas, a known Kyle Lowry-apologist, then broke down the Toronto Raptors woes in its playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Raptors are making about 30 percent of its three pointers this series, and subtracting Kawhi Leonard from the equation drops the team to 23 percent from beyond the arc. The combination of Joel Embiid’s size, who has been covering Pascal Siakam since Game 2, and the 76ers adjustments defensively have caused Marc Gasol, Danny Green and Siakam to struggle throughout the series. Kawhi Leonard, however, has been one of the lone bright spots with his historically efficient play. Leonard’s career true shooting percentage increases in the playoffs compared to his regular season numbers, a massive anomaly among all current NBA players. Dwyane Wade’s true shooting percentage numbers also remained exactly the same in the regular season and playoffs, showing his consistent play throughout his career.

The guys shifted from NBA talk to an even more polarizing subject recently: Game of Thrones. The communal aspect that Game of Thrones has exemplified the past few weeks whether on Twitter or at work is unlike any other television show ever. Though this cultural phenomenon seems to be finding its way everywhere, fans continue to express their displeasure with where the plot and storylines are headed with just two episodes remaining in the series. Despite this, the guys headed to OddsShark to debate who they think will take the Throne. After an over-confident Night King blew an easy 3-1 lead to the Starks, Brian thinks the white-walker king may make a return and claim the Throne. Navas thought Arya Stark, described as the LeBron James of Westeros (or Justise Winslow, depending on who you ask #JustiseBetter), provides the best betting value at +1400 to sit on the Throne at the end of the series.

Rounding out the episode, the guys discussed the illustrious career of Miami’s best point guard in franchise history: Mario Chalmers. After claiming a European Championship overseas with Virtus Bologna this past month, the 32-year-old point guard is now a two-time high school state champion, an NCAA champion, a two-time NBA champion and a European champion. Chalmers is now taking his talents to the Big 3 League, where he was drafted this week in the third round by the 3 Headed Monsters. Stat of the Pod: Jason Terry outscored LeBron James in the 2011 NBA Finals (JT: 108, LJ: 107)

Liverpool y Tottenham deleitaron con remontadas históricas en las semis de Champions

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Tottenham y Liverpool jugarán una final inglesa en suelo español gracias a dos remontadas espectaculares y sorprendentes.

Lucas Moura anotó tres goles en 45 minutos incluyendo uno en el último segundo del descuento para voltear el encuentro y la llave semifinal ante el Ajax en Ámsterdam.

Luego de la remontada histórica del Liverpool ante el Barcelona el martes, llegó la sorpresa del otro equipo inglés, que parecía liquidado tras la primera mitad del juego de vuelta.

Los equipos ingleses sorprendieron al mundo del fútbol con dos remontadas espectaculares ante FC Barcelona y Ajax, que llegaban como claros favoritos tras los resultados de la ida, para convertirse en los justos finalistas de esta edición de la Champions League.

La final, que se disputará en el Wanda Metropolitano en Madrid, será totalmente inglesa por primera vez desde 2008 cuando Manchester United y Chelsea se vieron las caras.

Estos resultados dejan varias incógnitas:

¿Cuál remontada fue más impresionante?

¿Es hora de reestructuraciones en el FC Barcelona tras volver a fallar en la Liga de Campeones?

¿Cuántos jugadores venderá el Ajax en este mercado de fichajes?

¿Habrá más atención de la afición anglosajona en Estados Unidos al tener una final con dos equipos de la Premier League?

Leandro Soto, Ricardo Montes de Oca y Alejandro Villegas lo discuten en el episodio 33 de Cinco Razones Podcast:

Disfruta de todos lo episodios de Cinco Razones Podcast haciendo click en este link.

Is Juwan Howard the only man willing to coach the Lakers?

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It appeared the Miami Heat had escaped a bit of a crisis.

Short on assistant coaches with real playing experience who connect in that way with their current players, the Heat appeared to be keeping Juwan Howard through at least this offseason. About a month ago, our Greg Sylvander wrote this piece about Howard’s importance in the locker room and on the practice court, and why the Heat could not afford to lose him now.

Then, amid the rumors of the Los Angeles Lakers’ interest in Howard, Monty Williams and Tyronn Lue (LeBron James’ former coach) emerged as primary candidates.

Now both have turned down what was once among the prized jobs in sports.

Jason Kidd remains somewhere in the picture.

But here we are…

This makes sense for a lot of reasons, foremost among them James’ respect for Howard — and also Howard’s lack of head coaching experience, which may make it easier for James to get his way. James has played better for coaches with some experience than those without any (David Blatt, Luke Walton).

And it’s not like elite proven candidates are clamoring for the job.

If you want a full list of Lakers coaching candidates, look here.

Or here…

 

What’s not clear is what the Heat will do if Howard leaves. Dan Craig is still around, as is Chris Quinn, but the reality is that it helps to have a strong black voice on a staff in the NBA, and the Heat don’t have one. Anthony Carter is a relative newbie, and didn’t have Howard’s playing chops.

 

Miami Heat looked better than they played

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The Miami Heat had one of their more mediocre seasons in the past quarter-century.

But, in the eyes of some fans, they’ve never looked better.

By any measure, the Vice jerseys were a huge hit from the start, even though the Heat could never seem to win in them. The personnel department is going through a rare rough stretch, but the marketing department has been on fire for a while now, from the jerseys to the court color change to everything that revolved around Dwyane Wade’s #OneLastDance.

And the numbers prove it:

Twenty-four percent.

There are 30 teams, so the Heat should have been at three percent.

So it’s really a remarkable achievement, and the timing was right to coincide with the Wade celebration.

Now they just need another star to wear them, one in his prime, so they’ll win a bit more often.

Demolition At Lockhart Begins As Inter Miami Start 2020 Ticket Sales

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The clock starts now for Inter Miami. Their inaugural MLS season is due to kick off in 10 months, and for the first time today we saw signs of construction. Or rather demolition. The club held a ceremony for the beginning of the work to be done at Lockhart Stadium.

They’ll probably have to work at a quicker rate of speed than that original thunk of a dilapidated ticket booth if they are to destroy Lockhart, Fort Lauderdale Stadium, and get an 18,000 seat stadium built in time for next season. But, if you’re interested in buying tickets for a yet to be constructed stadium, you can do so now.

While demolition begins today, at the moment Inter Miami only have a temporary agreement with the City of Fort Lauderdale to demolish the two stadiums that currently sit there. A full agreement for construction and occupancy is still being ironed out. Mayor Dean Trantalis told me today that those talks are going well and as long as Inter follow the city’s codes, it should go ahead as planned.

Why is Pat Riley assisting the enemy?

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One of the remarkable things about the late-career Pat Riley story is that he keeps getting asked for his advice about other franchises — even as he’s uncharacteristically struggling to fix his own.

First, there was all that Los Angeles Lakers chatter, following the resignation of Riley favorite Magic Johnson — and reports that owner Jeannie Buss wanted to bring Riley back aboard.

And now, the organization that supplanted the Heat as the power brokers in the NBA apparently has consulted with Riley as well.

This was an interesting nugget from the only person on ESPN, Stephen A. Smith, in reference to scuffling Warriors guard Klay Thompson who, like Kevin Durant, is due to become a free agent.

“Even folks like Pat Riley have spoken to folks within the Warriors organization to say, ‘Your priority had better be keeping the Splash Brothers together. Not only have they heard that from Pat Riley, they’ve heard it from Jerry West, they’ve heard it from others. Keeping the Splash Brothers together. Obviously you know that Kevin Durant is the best player on the team, he’s one of the top two players on the planet. But the point is they anticipate — although they hope otherwise — they anticipate that he may leave….”

That is typical Riley thinking, it would seem, not wanting to sink to the bottom. Recall that after the Heat added Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger in the summer of 2014 — and then watched LeBron James walk — Riley immediately maxed out Chris Bosh to top a competing offer from Houston, while giving Dwyane Wade just enough to stay. (Riley has later said he regretted the decision not to max Wade first, which ultimately contributed to the fractious negotiations in 2015 and the ugly departure of 2016).

But there’s a deeper question here:

Why is Riley, the man who would fine his players for picking opponents off the floor and scowled every time BFF’s Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing went to dinner during a Heat-Knicks series, helping the team he and the rest of the NBA have been chasing? West, Riley’s mentor, isn’t even with the Warriors anymore, but now with the Los Angeles Clippers, who are far better positioned than the Heat. Did anyone — save perhaps Riley pal Gregg Popovich — offer the Heat advice during the Big 3 run?

No. They were all too busy legislating against the Heat, voting through punitive luxury tax penalties to ensure the Heat’s eventual breakup. If the Warriors are dying their last breaths, let them die Pat. Don’t throw them a lifeline. Or just tell them to sign a contract equivalent to James Johnson’s.