NFL
By: Larry Bisagni
Weekly snapshots consist of quick observations around the sports world, limited to three sentences or less per subject.
Many people believe that while the Los Angeles Rams came up short in SB LIII, it’s the beginning of a dynasty, but it remains to be seen how they bounce back. Some teams (See: Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons) never seem to find their way after falling apart on the biggest stage. Drew Brees and company will be back next season, as will Jimmy Garoppolo and the Niners, so I wouldn’t count my chickens just yet on this one.
Despite a lot of backlash and lawyering behind the scenes, the Oakland Raiders may close out their chapter in the Bay Area in San Francisco. While this may seem kind of ironic, it isn’t unprecedented: the team came into existence San Francisco’s Kezar Stadium in the early 1960’s when they couldn’t reach an agreement with UC Berkeley to play at Cal’s Memorial Stadium. Keep your eye on this one, because this Vegas divorce could get very messy.
Pitchers and catchers begin reporting in less than one week, and the two biggest free agent prizes since Alex Rodriguez have yet to be signed. Manny Machado and Bryce Harper are each generational talents in their primes and will change the course of franchises for a decade. Collusion, anyone?
Basketball has historically done very well in smaller markets such as Portland and Salt Lake City, but Times are clearly a changin’. With Anthony Davis to the Lakers all but done, the handwriting is on the wall for 75% of the league that doesn’t play in destination markets: draft well and win fast. Trade assets if you have to because that window to win is smaller than ever.
Speaking of which, the acquisition of Tobias Harris from the Clippers is a clear indicator that the Philadelphia 76ers are hedging their bets. I’m hearing already that Jimmy Butler is becoming a handful and this move guarantees a “Big Three” in the event that it reaches a boiling point. This also frees up space for the Clippers to aggressively pursue Kawhi Leonard, but I wouldn’t rule out him staying in Toronto, especially if they make a run to the NBA Finals, which is well within their reach.
The word on the street that keeps bubbling up is that should the New York Knicks win the lottery, Kevin Durant is gone, no question about it whatsoever. They already cost a small fortune, but Zion and KD could make a home ticket in the Garden one of the most coveted (and pricy) in sports for the next five years. I don’t know that leaving behind one of the best run organizations that happens to be moving into a world-class playpen is necessarily the best move, but the Big Apple is a stage that every great performer covets, and if I’m KD and want to carve out my own legacy, I get it.
Don’t look now, but Nikita Kucherov has the Tampa Bay Lightning running away with the Wales Conference, or as it has come to be known, the East. He could win the Hart Trophy (MVP) and Ross Trophy (leading scorer) this season. I know it’s been roughly two decades, but I still miss the old conference and division names of the NHL.
