Good idea. Works for both teams.

Atlanta gets Giannis & picks

Milwaukee gets Jalen Johnson & Kristas Porzingis

Atlanta
Okongwu
Giannis
Risacher
Daniels
Young

Milwaukee
Turner
Portis
Johnson
Porter
Rollins
Porzingis
Kuzman

Milwaukee get top 10 player in Johnson plus he?s from Milwaukee area & Porzingus is a FA at season end

Quote from: Vermont Green on Yesterday at 02:35:45 PM

The Red Sox were 4th in the AL for OPS and 3rd in the AL for runs in 2025.  That is without Bregman or Anthony for much of the season.  Getting middle of the line up bats is great, but BOS scored runs last season.  Granted, some guys like Romy Gonzalez had surprising seasons, but I don't think they need to overreach for improved position player production.  5 more seasons for guys already in their 30s is likely to turn out to be overreaching.

I wish it was the old days where BOS was in on every hot FA, it just isn't anymore.  I would rather they focus on pitching.

But they might not be able to replicate all of that offense this season with the same personnel. Can Romy have another good season? Can Story again stay healthy a full season and hit well again? Is Narvaez for real?

And there are other big questions related to the offense: If they bring Bregman back, will he stay healthy and have a decent year, or continue to decline? If they don't bring him back, how will the mostly unproven Mayer do as the full-time 3B? Is Casas finally going to do something significant or completely wash out? Is Yoshida ever going to make a big impact? Will the Sox again be stuck with so-so platoon situations at 2B and RF?

I don't disagree.  They have some opportunities to improve the line up, primarily 1B and 2B.  And if they lose Bregman, add 3B.  Yoshida (DH) could be improved upon.  And I feel that they should spend some money on a couple of these weaknesses.  I don't expect that they will spend big on early 30's sluggers who can't field though.

I could see a scenario, maybe this is the worst case from a lack of spending standpoint, where Bregman comes back, Campbell everyday at 2B, and Casas at DH.  Then a platoon or something at 1B.  My point is that even with that, they are probably top 3 or 4 in scoring and slugging again and with improved/deeper pitching, are contending.  If you added Alonso to that, what is it, a couple more wins?  5 more wins?  That is how the Red Sox are looking at it I suspect.

Dereck Lively II will undergo season-ending surgery on his right foot. The surgery will be performed by Dr. James Calder at the Fortius Clinic in London.

Lively is expected to make a full recovery and be available for the start of training camp.

A big loss for Dallas. Lively is probably their best player after AD, Kyrie and maybe Cooper Flagg.

It does smooth out some rotation decisions now. AD move over to center. Gafford as reserve center. Cooper Flagg and PJ Washington at forward with Naji Marshall as reserve. The frontcourt less of a log-jam. Things fit again.

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I don't know what is wrong with Lively's foot. That release is intentionally vague. It is strange how limit information they are giving people about his injury while telling us he is out for the season.

It is the same foot Lively broke a bone in last year which caused him to miss time. He then had off-season surgery on it. So either the surgery did not fix the problem, it caused another problem, or perhaps it is a totally new injury separate from last year's problem.

Why are they being so vague? It is strange.

Update: The offseason surgery was to remove bone spurs from the foot.

Update: "lingering discomfort" throughout the season in that foot. That is the most information I can find.

Update: A reddit comment said that Nico's medical staff is to blame for this. They misdiagnosed Lively's foot last year and let him play an additional week with a broken bone in his foot. That they believe all these downhill problems are due to that.

They are also talking about Nico trying to foce Luka to return early from a calf strain. That medical malpractice was common during Nico's tenure. ESPN had that article on all the problems in that medical team and how bad they were.

How do you misdiagnose a broken bone?

Another comment said if it was a stress facture it can be hard to see on an X-Ray and you need an MRI to see it. No idea whether it was a stress facture or not but at least that makes some sense.

Are they being vague because they do not want to admit how badly Lively was treated last season? And that his problems now leading him to miss all of this season is due to their poor medical treatment of Lively? It looks that way to me.

Update: Hadn't heard this nickname for Lively before - Sideshow Lob. Good one.

Quote from: Neurotic Guy on Yesterday at 09:47:17 PM

Quote from: Goldstar88 on Yesterday at 09:04:07 PM

With Jayson Tatum already back to playing one-on-one after tearing his right Achilles tendon in May, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked Wednesday when the team will begin conversations about the All-Star?s potential return. It?s all up to him, Mazzulla said after his team?s practice. At the end of the day, his health is the most important thing, his process is the most important thing. You trust him, trust the team that?s around him he?s got a great team and then you just kind of go from there. So it kind of just all starts (with) where him and his team think he?s at.

Interpretations?

I don't think this organization has the drama some organizations have.

But it sounds like maybe some of the medical people would like Tatum to take his time.

Meanwhile, Mazz wants to rely on Tatum's ability to make the right decision with his body.

Ultimately, this will be a non-issue. Stevens won't let this become an issue.

If Tatum is cleared by the doctors and he feels ready to play, he will. Brad isn?t going to shut him down.