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Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm don’t miss beat with good starts at Sentry Tournament of Champions

Golf

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January 7, 2022

Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm don’t miss beat with good starts at Sentry Tournament of Champions

KAPALUA, Hawaii — All it took was one round for the new year to feel like the end of last season on the PGA Tour.

Cameron Smith of Australia opened the Sentry Tournament of Champions with a pair of long eagle putts and offset an early bogey for an 8-under 65 and a 1-shot lead at Kapalua.

For the rest of the warm, gorgeous afternoon, the focus quickly shifted to the two players golf hasn’t seen in quite some time.

Patrick Cantlay, who last competed on Sunday at the Ryder Cup on Sept. 26, seized on the scoring holes and the soft conditions and started running off birdies and one eagle. He had to settle for par on the par-5 18th hole and posted a 7-under 66.

Not bad for his first competition in 102 days.

Jon Rahm, who was in dire need of a break from a chaotic 16 months of majors and parenthood and COVID-19, was bogey-free and still mildly irritated by the pair of birdie putts he left short on the par-5s. He also shot 66.

They were the leading contenders for the FedEx Cup last year, when Cantlay closed with a superb 6-iron for birdie on the final hole and a 1-shot win at the Tour Championship, giving him the $15 million and ultimately PGA Tour Player of the Year.

They will be paired Friday.

“Again,” Cantlay said with a smile.

There was plenty of good golf, and attribute that to a day in paradise that felt and looked like one. The sun was blazing. A few humpback whales were breaching. The wind was not raging. The Plantation Course was soft from rain. Scoring was simply ideal.

Twenty-two players from the 38-man field of PGA Tour winners broke 70. Justin Thomas and Patrick Reed, both at 74, were the only players who didn’t break par.

But while everyone had a holiday break — that meant more fishing than golf for Smith while at his U.S. base in north Florida — Cantlay and Rahm seemed to have been gone forever.

It just didn’t look that way.

“I still think I’m a little rusty and I saw that in my start,” said Cantlay, who missed the first green and saw his chip run with the grain some 12 feet by the hole. “I got away with a couple of loose swings and one flier on the sixth hole where I was able to make a par, but maybe shouldn’t have.”

His shot sailed well over the green, some 40 yards away. He chopped that out to 8 feet for an unlikely par, had a two-putt par from 70 feet and saved par from the rough on the par-3 eighth. He was holding it together.

And then really got on a roll on the back nine,” Cantlay said.

It started with the 13th hole and a birdie, and while Cantlay missed a good chance at birdie on the 18th that would have tied Smith for the lead, he still played the final six holes in 6 under par. The big shot was a 35-foot eagle putt on No. 15. The most pleasing was a full pitching wedge over the ravine to a front pin on the picturesque 17th.

Rahm was a lot cleaner, playing bogey-free. He ran off three straight birdies on the front nine and then got hot, as Cantlay did, on the closing six holes.

Rahm finished with a long two-putt birdie in his first round in 83 days.

“You can always expect a little bit of rust,” Rahm said. “I took time off, but I wasn’t on the couch doing nothing. I was still working out. I was still practicing as if I was still in the season. I took maybe three weeks off of golf, which were very needed. But even though I was home, I was practicing.

“Again, not that I’m surprised that I played good, but it’s really good to come out and start the year off the right way.”

Throw Daniel Berger into that category. He joined Cantlay and Rahm just 1 shot off the lead.

Berger, who had to reconfigure a caddie’s clubs to practice earlier in the week when his golf bag was delayed two days, also opened with a 66.

Berger also went missing after the Ryder Cup, turning up in the Bahamas with plenty of rust and no lack of belief. He practiced a little bit more in the week before Kapalua, only to show up on Maui with his golf clubs nowhere to be found.

He had them two days later — Berger borrowed the clubs of caddie Brett Waldman, and even took the liberty of changing the lies and lofts on the irons — and didn’t miss a beat.

His only lapse was a long three-putt that was down the slope but into the grain on the 17th, though he atoned for that with a birdie on the last. Players could reach the 663-yard closing hole with a long iron in fast conditions last year. Berger couldn’t get home with a 3-wood.

He was no less pleased, and it was hard for anyone to be terribly upset given the location. Never mind that he still isn’t sure which island is Lanai and which is Molokai as he gazes out toward the ocean.

“I’m not good with islands. There’s too many of them,” Berger said. “I know we’re in Maui.”

The NBA’s most unbreakable records, including marks by Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James and Hakeem Olajuwon

Basketball

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January 7, 2022

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The NBA’s most unbreakable records, including marks by Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James and Hakeem Olajuwon

When the Los Angeles Lakers host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night (10 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App), the team and the NBA will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lakers’ 33-game winning streak in the 1971-72 season, regarded as one of the most unbreakable records in NBA history. It was Jan. 7, 1972, when the Lakers beat the Hawks 134-90 to run the streak to 33 games before falling in Milwaukee two nights later.

In the 75-year history of the NBA, there have only been five 20-game winning streaks within one season, an indication of just how rare such a run is. To frame what it takes to put together something even close, consider the last two.

The 2015-16 Warriors started 24-0, and all they had was the best regular-season team ever, finishing 73-9. The 2012-13 Miami Heat won 27 in a row, and all they had was LeBron James at the peak of his physical powers as well as three other Hall of Famers (Ray Allen, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade) playing in perfect harmony.

Yet the 1971-72 Lakers, led by Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich (Elgin Baylor had retired nine games into the season, literally just before the streak began), posted a record that has remained relatively safe.

Here is a look at some of the individual records that have stood and likely will stand the test of time as unbreakable, even 25 years from now when the NBA celebrates its 100th season.

Season

• Wilt Chamberlain‘s entire 1961-62 season is essentially written in statistical concrete, never to be duplicated. He averaged 50.4 points per game, the highest ever — and no one is close. Michael Jordan is the only player besides Chamberlain to average more than 37. Chamberlain averaged 39.5 shots per game, the highest ever — and no one is close. No one else has averaged more than 30. Elgin Baylor once averaged 29.7, Jordan and Allen Iverson each averaged 27 once.

Another mark sure to stand forever is his 48.5 minutes per game average. He was never substituted out that season; he only missed eight minutes of one game after he was ejected in the fourth quarter. He reached an average of more than 48 minutes because he played seven overtime games. He was miraculously almost never in foul trouble, averaging a career-low 1.5 a game.

• Rasheed Wallace‘s 41 technical fouls. Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference finals lives in infamy in Portland because of controversial whistles. Wallace’s relationship with officials went from bad to worse, and it played out the following season as he racked up a record 41 technicals on the way to 18 ejections. In 2006, the NBA put in new rules that called for suspensions once a player reaches 16 for a season, and it has probably iced Wallace’s record for good. He’s third all time in technical fouls with 317 over his 16 seasons, behind only Karl Malone, who had 332, and Charles Barkley, who had 329.

• Walt Bellamy‘s 88 games. In 1968-69, Bellamy started with the New York Knicks and played 35 games. Then he was traded to the Detroit Pistons and, because of an unbalanced scheduling quirk, played 53 games there to reach 88 for the season. Players have played more than 82 games 41 times, most recently when Josh Smith played 83 in 2014-15 for the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets. Second to Bellamy is Tom Henderson, who played 87 games between the Bullets and Hawks in 1976-77.

Career

• Moses Malone‘s 6,731 offensive rebounds. When you include his ABA numbers, it’s 7,382. That’s 2,500 more than second-place Artis Gilmore and 2,100 more than Robert Parish when looking at only the NBA numbers. He has the two highest offensive rebounding games in history with 21 and 19. The current active leader in offensive rebounds is Dwight Howard, who is still 2,600 behind Malone.

• John Stockton‘s 15,806 career assists. Stockton led the league in assists nine consecutive seasons from 1987 to 1996. He is nearly 4,000 ahead of No. 2 all time, Jason Kidd, and 5,000 ahead of No. 3, Chris Paul. At 36 years old, Paul is averaging a league-leading 9.9 APG this season. He’d have to keep that up until he was 42 years old to pass Stockton. The former Utah Jazz legend owns the four highest assist seasons in history and seven of the top 10. He had 31 games of 20 assists or more. Stockton is also the all-time leader with 3,265 career steals, which is almost 600 more than Kidd at No. 2.

• A.C. Green‘s 1,192 consecutive games. The run lasted 16 consecutive seasons with four different teams from 1986 to 2001. Green passed Randy Smith, who played 906 consecutive games from 1972 to 1982. The longest recent streak was that of Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles, who played in 384 consecutive games from 2015 to 2021. Tristan Thompson played 447 consecutive games with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2011 to 2017.

• LeBron James‘ 1,067 consecutive regular-season games (and counting) of double-digit scoring. James started the streak in 2007 and has had a few close calls, including last season when he hit a 3-pointer to reach 10 points only after badly spraining his ankle in a game and then leaving for the locker room. Earlier this season, he left a game with an abdominal injury after scoring 10 points. James passed Jordan, who had the previous record of 866 consecutive games, in 2018. The only ongoing streak that was close belonged to James Harden, but that ended last season at 450 games after he had to leave a game with a hamstring injury. James has scored fewer than 10 points in two playoff games during the span, the last in 2014 when he scored seven points against the Indiana Pacers.

• Hakeem Olajuwon‘s 3,830 blocks. Mark Eaton‘s record of 5.56 blocks per game in a season is far-fetched, too, but Olajuwon’s number is enormous. He’s more than 500 ahead of second-place Dikembe Mutombo, who is closer to ninth place than first on the list. To match Olajuwon, a player would need to play every game for 15 seasons and average 3.1 blocks a game. There are only three active players who have averaged 3 blocks in a season even once (Myles Turner, Serge Ibaka and Hassan Whiteside).

Game

• Scott Skiles‘ 30 assists. This record has already stood the test of time, as it’s been on the books for more than 30 years dating to Dec. 30, 1990. He was stuck on 29 assists, the record held by Kevin Porter from 1978, for six minutes in the fourth quarter before getting the record dime with a minute to play. Skiles, who averaged 8.4 assists per game that season and later had a 20-assist game, scored 22 points that night (and the Orlando Magic scored a team-record 155 points in a win over Denver). The closest anyone has come recently was in 2017, when Rajon Rondo had a 25-assist game with New Orleans. Over the past 10 seasons, Rondo and Russell Westbrook are the only players to have more than 22 assists in a game.

• Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points. The 60-year anniversary of this feat, accomplished March 2, 1962, is coming up, and there’s an excellent chance the 100th anniversary will come without it being touched. Chamberlain had a 78-point game earlier that season (in a triple-overtime loss to the Lakers when Elgin Baylor put in 63 points) and two 70-point games the following year. The key was at the line, where he was 28 of 32. He was a career 51% free throw shooter, and it was easily the best-percentage free throw night for him in that magical season. Second-most ever, of course, were the 81 points Kobe Bryant scored in 2006 taking 17 fewer shots (46 to Wilt’s 63). Since Bryant, Devin Booker is the only player to reach 70 in a game, still 30 points shy of Chamberlain’s record.

• Wilt Chamberlain’s 55 rebounds. This happened Nov. 24, 1960, in a game Chamberlain later said was one of the most exhausting of his career. The opponent was Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics, who won by three points. It broke Russell’s record of 51 rebounds set the previous season. Chamberlain and Russell have the 12 highest-rebound games in history. Only two other players have had 40 (Nate Thurmond and Jerry Lucas) in history. There have only been a few 30-rebound games in the past two decades, the most recent being one from Enes Freedom, who had 30 in a game last season. To put in perspective how unlikely this record is to be broken, there have been fewer than 50 instances of a team having at least 56 rebounds in a regulation game this season. The Jazz had 68 in a December win over the Hornets (Rudy Gobert pulled down 21 of them), matching the season high the Grizzlies set in a November win over the Kings (no Memphis player had more than 12).

SLC lifts international ban on Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella

Cricket

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January 7, 2022

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SLC lifts international ban on Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella

News

SLC says if the trio ends up with a disciplinary breach within the next two years, the remainder of the suspension would also kick in

The trio of Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella have had their one-year bans on playing international cricket lifted less than six months into the suspension period. The decision follows a request made by them – similar to the one which saw their six-month domestic ban lifted early as well to allow them to compete in the LPL in December – while the last few months have also seen each of them undergo counselling.

“The latest decision was taken following a request made by the three players to Sri Lanka Cricket to lift the ban imposed on them, pursuant to the conclusion of the LPL 2021,” an SLC media release stated. “Based on such request, Sri Lanka Cricket obtained a report from the doctor appointed by SLC to provide counselling for the three players during their period of suspension.”

They will now be eligible for selection in domestic cricket as well as for the national side.

SLC stated that if the three players end up with a disciplinary breach within the next two years, then the remainder of the suspension would also kick in, which in their case is a little over six months. “The lifted suspension will remain suspended for a period of two years, during which the three players’ conduct will be closely monitored by the SLC,” the release added.

The ban was enforced by SLC following Sri Lanka’s tour of England last year, during which the trio was found to have breached bio-bubble protocols. The suspension meant all three missed out on Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup campaign, though their absence paved the way for exciting talents such as Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka.

Their return to competitive action in the LPL saw each attain success, but to varying degrees. Dickwella produced explosive cameos early in the tournament before runs dried up as it progressed. But Gunathilaka couldn’t quite replicate the dominance that had seen him top the charts in the first LPL in 2020. However, his belligerent display in last month’s final – albeit in a losing cause – offered a glimpse into his potential. Meanwhile, Mendis, who was instrumental in Galle Gladiators’ run to the final, finished as the top-scorer this time with 327 runs at a strike rate of 148.63.

“Accordingly, the three players will be able to engage in playing domestic cricket with immediate effect and will also be available for national selection, subject to complying with mandatory fitness standards,” the release concluded.

While Dickwella and Mendis will be available for selection in both red- and white-ball cricket, Gunathilaka would be there only for limited-overs internationals. The 30-year-old has informed SLC of his retirement from Test cricket; with 299 runs in eight Tests, Gunathilaka was rarely a mainstay in the format and hadn’t played a Test since 2018. The news comes in the same week that Bhanuka Rajapaksa announced his retirement from international cricket.

Sri Lanka’s next assignment is a three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe in Pallekele, which begins on January 16.

Djokovic could play in French Open: French sports minister | The Guardian Nigeria News

Tennis

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January 7, 2022

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Djokovic could play in French Open: French sports minister | The Guardian Nigeria News

Tennis world number one Novak Djokovic would be granted entry to France for the French Open even if he was unvaccinated against Covid-19, the sports minister said on Friday.

The 34-year-old Serb is in an immigration detention hotel in Melbourne while he appeals against his visa being dramatically revoked for failing to meet the tough Covid-19 restrictions in Australia, leaving his hopes of playing in the Australian Open in the balance.

Those granted permission to enter Australia must prove they are fully vaccinated or have a doctor’s medical exemption, with authorities saying he provided evidence of neither.

French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu told radio station France Info that Djokovic, who has openly been sceptical about the vaccine, would benefit from a special case scenario in France for major events such as the French Open.

Djokovic had travelled to Australia having been given a medical exemption by the Australian Open organisers but it fell short of the demands of the immigration authorities.

“There are health protocols imposed for major events by the relevant federations which would permit someone like Novak Djokovic to enter the country,” Maracineanu said.

“In France today we do not have the same regulations as Australia for entry to the country, either for athletes or any citizens from other countries.

“An athlete who is unvaccinated can compete in an event because the protocol, the health bubble for these major events, permits that.”

Maracineanu added that she hoped the situation would be clearer by May, when the French Open is scheduled to get underway.

“We hope there will be no need for such measures by then.”

Raptors Watanabe, Mykhailiuk enter NBA’s protocol

Sport News

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January 5, 2022

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Raptors Watanabe, Mykhailiuk enter NBA’s protocol

By
Staff

The Canadian Press

Posted January 4, 2022 12:30 pm

Updated January 4, 2022 12:31 pm

TORONTO – The Raptors have announced that Yuta Watanabe and Svi Mykhailiuk have entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and will not be available for Toronto’s game Tuesday night against visiting San Antonio.

Covid-affected Senegal delay Cup of Nations departure — Sport — The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

Football

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January 5, 2022

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Covid-affected Senegal delay Cup of Nations departure — Sport — The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

The Senegal squad delayed their departure for the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon after three players tested positive for Covid-19, the sports ministry told AFP.

The Teranga Lions, who are favoured to finally win the continental crown after two runners-up spots, were meant to fly out on Tuesday but put it back to Wednesday.

The trio of players have been placed in quarantine.

“There are at least three cases: Saliou Ciss, (Mamadou) Loum Ndiaye and Habib Diallo,” an official at the Senegalese Ministry of Sport told AFP.

“There are other suspected cases too.”

The squad had been hosted by Senegal President Macky Sall on Tuesday who had called on them to “bring us the cup.”

Senegal’s challenge, led by Liverpool forward Sadio Mane and Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, begins against Zimbabwe on January 10, followed by further Group B matches against Guinea and Malawi.

The biennial showpiece was given the go-ahead only last month despite fears over Covid and with European clubs threatening to prevent their players from going.

Covid though forced the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday to make adjustments to spectator capacities for the tournament that kicks off on Sunday.

Stadiums will have their capacity capped at 80 percent for the host’s matches and other fixtures in the competition will only be played in front of 60 percent of the ground’s capacity.

Sunday’s opening match between Cameroon and Burkina Faso will be played at the 60,000-seater Olembe stadium in Yaounde.

Senegal head coach Aliou Cisse has made it a personal goal to lift the trophy having twice missed out in finals.

The 45-year-old tasted defeat in a final, first as captain in 2002 — he missed a penalty in the shootout defeat to Cameroon — and then as coach in 2019.

“I want this Africa Cup of Nations. I have been running after it since 1999,” he said last month after unveiling the squad.

Anthony Joshua ramps up training for Oleksandr Usyk fight by sparring with world champion | Boxing | Sport

Boxing

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January 5, 2022

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Anthony Joshua ramps up training for Oleksandr Usyk fight by sparring with world champion | Boxing | Sport

Anthony Joshua has pulled in some boxing giants to help him prepare for his career-defining rematch with Oleksandr Usyk later this year. AJ lost his titles to the Ukrainian in a shock defeat in September, but has the chance to take them back with a second bout set to take place at some point in 2022.

In truth, the Briton was outclassed by his opponent when they met at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Usyk looked the superior boxer, and his dominance was rewarded with a unanimous points victory once the final bell had rang.

Joshua lost his WBA, WBO, ABF and IBO world heavyweight titles for the second time, after an even bigger surprise when he lost to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019.

He made light work of the rematch that time, and will hope for a similar result in his second meeting with Usyk – though that bout is unlikely to be as easy.

AJ’s boxing future is potentially on the line, as a second defeat could end his hopes of becoming a world champion again in the future.

JUST IN: Boxing cancelled in Britain for January with Eubank Jr among affected

And now WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie has become the latest man to spar with AJ at his training camp.

Footage of the pair was shared on social media by the boxing duo’s friend Napper.

Joshua says he is so deep in his training because it is the only way he can healthily vent his anger over the agonising defeat to Usyk in his own back yard.

He also says he has had to make changes to the way he works, but vowed he had more to give the next time he steps into the ring with the Ukrainian.

“I had to make changes. If you remain the same, you get the same results. I’ve got to look at myself, I can only be accountable for me,” he told the BBC.

“I’m angry at myself and the only way I can be in a better place is to get myself right by going out there and performing.

“It’s going to be like this for a few months. I do things with a smile on my face, but behind that, there’s a lot of tension brewing and the only way to get it out is by training and performing.

“I know I can be better than that night. It’s easier to say than it is to do, but within my heart and soul, my brain and body, I truly feel I’ve got a lot more to give.

“I’m angry. It’s growing, but it’s fuelling me every day.”

Sainz: If the car is good this year, we are ready!

F1

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January 5, 2022

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Sainz: If the car is good this year, we are ready!

carlos sainz ferrari f1 podium

Carlos Sainz was one of the standout drivers not battling for the 2021 Formula 1 World Champion, the Spaniard using his first year to entrench himself at Maranello and give his highly-rated Ferrari teammate some serious food for thought.

Stats show that Sainz finished fifth in last year’s Drivers’ Standings, best of the rest (behind the Red Bull and Mercedes quartet) and most importantly ahead of teammate Leclerc, the team’s chosen one.

Third place in Abu Dhabi, behind the feuding Title contenders Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, was the best send-off he could have wished for, going into the off-season on the front foot and for sure a big smile each morning.

During last year Ferrari’s pair scored five podiums each in total, but Sainz edged ahead in the final standings by 5.5 points with four podiums to his name, which might not seem much, but the fact he beat his teammate in his first season of trying is certain to have won over the hearts and minds of all those at Maranello, and the long-suffering Tifosi as he did many pundits, us included.

Throw into the feel-good factor for the Madridista is the fact that his peers on the Grand Prix grid and F1 team principals gave him the nod ahead of Leclerc as a driver they admire.

Sainz: I have to improve in everything

If Sainz is more Alain Prost or Niki Lauda in his approach to racing – cerebral, effective; then Leclerc shows shades of Gilles Villeneuve and Jean Alesi – brave, lovable.

Right now one could argue Ferrari needs large dollops of the former. Step-up Sainz who has evolved into a driver that could well lead the great Italian team to more success, provided his team deliver a race-winning package.

But the evolution of Sainz is by no means over, so says he: “I have to improve in everything. As a driver, I am never one hundred percent satisfied with any of my facets. I think they all have room for improvement.

“Every year I go into winter knowing that I have to improve in all those areas if I want to continue my progression as a driver and to be a F1 world champion.”

Looking back on an epic year, Sainz emerged as a cool and calm force within Ferrari costing his team far less than Leclerc in crash damage expenses and instrumental in the Reds beating McLaren to third place in the 2021 F1 Constructors’ Championship.

For now, the two drivers have adapted well, far better than the toxic environment that prevailed in 2020, during Sebastian Vettel’s last season in Red.

Sainz: As a driver, I want to fight for a F1 world title

But the reality of the last decade in F1 is a team or two have dominated, leaving crumbs for those who have not managed to keep up. Hence for 2022, with the promise of a level playing field, spirits are upbeat ahead of what might be.

“What I do know is as a driver I want to fight for a world championship and that I am prepared for what comes next season, it could be that there is a very close F1 or there might be someone who hits the button and dominates.”

Sainz arrived at Ferrari as they were undergoing one of their worst spells in an illustrious history at the pinnacle of the sport. In 2020 they were sixth in the F1 Constructors’ Championship, this year third place is a mighty and impressive improvement.

The 27-year-old can take credit for making it happen by adapting fast to being in the unique spotlight of being a Ferrari driver, avoiding conflict and giving it all for the cause with his hearty cry of “Vamos!” that sends all the right signals to his team, and anyone who doubted Sainz is the real deal.

No matter who you are, you can’t beat a driver if his car is one-second faster

He also staunchly believes he can take the battle and compete successfully against the current driver benchmarks, namely Hamilton and Verstappen, saying so in an interview with AS: “With the same car yes I can, or at least with more equal conditions.

“The problem is that last year Mercedes and Red Bull were between eight tenths and one second per lap faster, that’s the car. The difference between drivers I think is not more than two or three tenths.

“If there is a driver in a car eight tenths faster than yours, no matter how good you are, you will not be able to beat them. I hope that F1 next year is more even, we can all have more fun and compete equally.”

While all the right noises have been flowing from the HQ about next year’s rules and the car they have developed for the new era, Sainz is cautious: “Regarding Ferrari in 2022, it is very difficult to know where we are going to be next year.

“But I think the team has grown a lot and during the season we became a much stronger team in terms of pitstops, strategy, tires, the way to execute on weekends… If the car is good this year, we are ready!” declared Sainz.

Trading Rajon Rondo helps Los Angeles Lakers’ roster flexibility, coach Frank Vogel says

Basketball

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January 5, 2022

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Trading Rajon Rondo helps Los Angeles Lakers’ roster flexibility, coach Frank Vogel says

LOS ANGELES — The Lakers valued roster flexibility in the moment over potential playoff contributions in the future when it came to trading Rajon Rondo, L.A. coach Frank Vogel explained Monday.

L.A. sent out Rondo, a couple of players stashed overseas and $1.1 million, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, as part of a three-team deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks on Monday. The trade landed Rondo with the Cavs; Denzel Valentine, draft rights to Brad Newley (54th pick in 2007), L.A.’s draft rights to Wang Zhelin (57th pick in 2016) and cash to the Knicks (New York later waived Valentine); and brought New York’s draft rights to Louis Labeyrie (57th pick in 2014) back to the Lakers.

With Labeyrie not joining the team, the move opened up a roster spot for L.A., which had been carrying the maximum allotment of 15 full-time players, two two-way players and not to mention a handful of players who cycled through the locker room on 10-day hardship exemptions because of all the players unavailable due to COVID-19 protocols.

“Obviously the ability to have flexibility with the roster spot for what we have coming forward, which is still unknown, I think Rob [Pelinka] just saw value in that,” Vogel said of the Lakers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager.

As a 16-year veteran, Rondo was making the maximum veteran’s minimum of close to $2.6 million. By keeping the roster spot open, L.A. could save nearly $4 million in salary plus luxury tax fees. Or, L.A. could fill the spot with a younger veteran making less money on a veteran’s minimum contract based on his experience — like seven-year vet Stanley Johnson, whose 10-day hardship contract with L.A. expired Monday — and still save money from what the team would have paid keeping Rondo.

Vogel said the Lakers are “partners” with all the players on their team and finding Rondo an opportunity to “have more of a role in the rotation” made him happy. Vogel said that when Rondo signed a deal in the offseason to return to the Lakers after spending last season with the Atlanta Hawks and LA Clippers, there was an understanding that he would not play much.

“It would be more of a non-playing role, a third-string point guard role, but to use his I.Q. and intelligence,” Vogel said. “And that will certainly be missed.”

Rondo, who will wear No. 1 for the Cavs, joins a Cleveland team that recently lost its backup point guard, Ricky Rubio, to a season-ending ACL tear and was already playing without guard Collin Sexton, who underwent season-ending surgery on his left knee in November.

Rondo, 35, averaged 3.1 points, 3.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 16.1 minutes per game for L.A. this season and appeared in 18 games. The Lakers went just 5-13 in the games he appeared in and the last time he played for L.A. was Dec. 23 before he entered into the league’s health and safety protocols.

The production was a far cry from the impact “Playoff Rondo” had on the Lakers in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida when he averaged 8.9 points on 40% shooting from 3, 6.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals en route to the title.

“Rondo means the world to me,” Vogel said. “He’s one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached. He was an integral part of us winning the championship two years ago, me winning my first championship and he’ll always be a special player and special friend to me. So I wish nothing but the best to him for now and we’ll continue to stay in touch and whatnot.”

The thing is, nearing the midpoint of the season and sitting at No. 7 in the Western Conference with a 19-19 record, there might not be a postseason run L.A. was hoping to have Rondo around for unless it makes moves to shore up the roster with players that can help it compete right now.

“It wasn’t like we wanted to depart from Rondo,” Vogel said. “But it’s just one of those front-office decisions that you have to make difficult decisions and to lose a guy like Rondo is obviously very difficult.”

Johnson, 25, averaged 6.8 points on 45.8%, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals in the five games he played for L.A., making three starts. He was lauded for his toughness and commitment to the defensive end as L.A. has adjusted on the fly to almost exclusively playing with small ball lineups while Anthony Davis is out with a sprained MCL in his left knee.

“In terms of what is next, we still don’t know,” Vogel said. “Rob and Kurt [Rambis] are going to make those decisions as they see fit and that will all play out in the next few days. We still hope to have [Johnson] back for some more games. All those answers will reveal themselves over the next few days.”

Darren Collison‘s 10-day hardship contract with the Lakers also expired and he was not with the team on Monday. L.A. currently has zero players in health and safety protocols.

The next few days are significant when it comes to guard Avery Bradley‘s contract, too. The remainder of his $2.6 veteran’s minimum deal becomes fully guaranteed if the Lakers do not waive him by Friday.

Bradley is averaging 6.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 40% from 3. He’s started in 25 of the 30 games he’s appeared in for L.A. after signing a non-guaranteed deal to return to L.A. once the Golden State Warriors cut him during training camp.

“Over the stints we’ve had him in uniform he’s played extremely well for us,” LeBron James said of Bradley on Sunday. “When he’s on the floor he just makes plays on both ends of the floor.”