Wemby tops France's preliminary Olympics roster

Associated Press

May 16, 2024, 02:19 PM ETOpen Extended Reactions

PARIS — With Victor Wembanyama as the focal point, France coach Vincent Collet announced an extended list of 19 players Thursday for his preliminary roster for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Fresh off winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award, the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama will bolster France’s medal aspirations alongside key players such as Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum, and Evan Fournier.

In Gobert and Wembanyama, France boasts two of the NBA’s best defensive players. Gobert won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award for the fourth time of his career, narrowly beating out Wembanyama.

“The key to building the team will be establishing an uncompromising defense,” Collet said at a news conference. We have profiles that excel in this area.”

The roster, to be trimmed to 12 players for the tournament, includes newcomers Bilal Coulibaly, Ousmane Dieng, and Killian Hayes, who all also played in the

Fueled by Conley, Wolves roll by 45 to force G7

Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff WriterMay 16, 2024, 11:11 PM ET

CloseLakers and NBA reporter for ESPN. Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09.Open Extended Reactions

MINNEAPOLIS — It wasn’t the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ dominant defense that Anthony Edwards credited for his team’s 115-70 shellacking of the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 on Thursday. It wasn’t his own ascendant offense either, after Edwards led all scorers with 27 points and helped the Wolves outscore Denver by 43 in the 34 minutes he was on the court.

No, according to Edwards, it was simply the presence of Minnesota’s 36-year-old point guard that made all the difference in the Wolves snapping a three-game losing streak in the Western Conference semifinals to force Game 7 on Sunday.

“We got Mike Conley back,” Edwards said. “That was

Simms: Sean Payton will be vengeful toward Russell Wilson


Minnesota Vikings v Denver Broncos
Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images

Wilson’s former head coach will have Week 2 circled

It’s no secret that Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos’ relationship ended on bad terms.

The Super Bowl-winning quarterback and head coach came to odds during the season, so much so that Wilson was benched, with rumors of behind the scenes contract talks becoming ugly in terms of Wilson refusing to negate the money owed to him.

Wilson was released by the Broncos, who will eat over $80 million in dead cap over the next two seasons. Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers will visit Denver in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season, and former NFL quarterback and analyst Chris Simms says Sean Payton will be playing with extra motivation of wanting to stick it to his former quarterback.

“Sean Payton’s gonna want to make a point there and go, ‘Wait, I’m not gonna let the guy that I wasted all this salary cap on, and moved on from, and had to waste all this time talking about and blah, blah, blah,’” Simms said. “‘I don’t want him to come in here and win that game.’ I know Sean Payton. He’s chippy. He’s certainly not gonna want that.

Pittsburgh will have two “revenge games” of sorts to kickoff the season, as they’ll take on Arthur Smith’s former squad, the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 before their trip to Mile High in Week 2.

Optimism that Kristaps Porzingis returns sometime during Eastern Conference Finals

By | May 17, 2024

What’s the buzz on Twitter? Bobby Manning @RealBobManning
#Celtics practice SUN. Will be interesting to see where KP is at by then. C’s have been very tight-lipped on his outlook. Monday marks 3 weeks since he suffered it. G1 is TUE, G2 THU, G3 SAT, G4 MON – the 4-week mark. Return later in series seems feasible, but I’ve heard nothing – 6:03 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Joe Mazzulla asked for an update on Kristaps Porzingis’ injury recovery timeline: “I have no idea. I don’t have an update on that.”

Keep reading this article on HoopsHype - NBA.

Sources: Porzingis likely out for start of East finals

Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPNMay 17, 2024, 07:58 PM ET

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Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis is expected to remain sidelined for Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference finals next week, but there’s optimism he’ll be able to return sometime in the series — barring any setbacks, sources told ESPN on Friday.

Porzingis has been making progress in his recovery from a soleus strain of his right calf, ramping up his on-court activity for an anticipated return in the conference finals, but still needs more time for a return to play, sources said.

The Celtics are awaiting the winner of the New York Knicks–Indiana Pacers semifinal series. The Knicks lead 3-2 entering Game 6 Friday (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

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Porzingis — out since suffering the injury in Game 5 of the Celtics’ first-round series against the Miami Heat on April 30

Steelers RB Najee Harris cutting weight ahead of 2024 season


NFL: DEC 03 Cardinals at Steelers
Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Steelers running back is cutting weight

The Pittsburgh Steelers have leaned heavily on Najee Harris over the last three seasons. The former first-round pick has carried the ball 834 times in that span for 3,269 yards and 22 touchdowns. And heading into a contract year, Harris is cutting weight in order to be lighter on his feet.

Harris’ trainer, Josh Scott, spoke with Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette where he said No. 22 is currently hovering at 235 pounds, which is about seven pounds lighter than he was in 2023.

“He’s motivated to say the least,” Scott said.

He also noted that Harris has been eating much cleaner and obsessing over his diet and cutting the pounds.

The Steelers declined Harris’ fifth-year option ahead of the May 2nd deadline to do so. However, that doesn’t mean 2024 will 100 percent be the last we see Harris in a Steelers uniform. It does mean, though, that he’ll be testing the waters of free agency unless the Steelers place the franchise tag on him after this season.

Friday Open Thread: Schedule Release Sound Off


Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York.
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Happy Friday, Steelers Nation! Gather round to chat all things Black and Gold with your fellow Steelers fans 🙂

  • The Steelers schedule for 2024 is out! It’s a tough one. What’s the greatest challenge it poses to the team’s chance of resounding success moving forward? What’s the toughest game on the schedule? Do you like the Week 9 bye? Sound off!
  • The Steelers currently have two quarterbacks playing on one-year deals, with Cowboys QB Dak Prescott set to hit free agency in 2025. Would you prefer to lock one (or both) of Pittsburgh’s new QBs between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields now at a discounted rate, or be in pursuit of Dak Prescott in 2025 (assuming he hits the market)?
  • We are on our way to a birthday party for my little cousins (siblings turning 7 and 11!). What’s the best birthday party you’ve ever had (or attended celebrating someone else)?
  • Outside of a Super Bowl loss, what is the most painful loss you’ve witnessed the Steelers suffer in your lifetime (either on TV or in person)?
  • Predict the Steelers final record in 2024, whether or not they make the playoffs, and if so, what seed in the AFC?

Murray, ice-cold in G6, adds elbow to injury woes

Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN Staff WriterMay 17, 2024, 01:41 AM ET

CloseOhm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly a decade. He joined ESPNNewYork.com after working at the New York Daily News for almost 12 years and is a graduate of Michigan State University.
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MINNEAPOLIS — Clearly affected by a right elbow injury suffered early in Thursday night’s game, Denver Nuggets star guard Jamal Murray said he hopes it will improve by Sunday’s Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Murray hurt the elbow when he ran into a Rudy Gobert screen and shot just 4-for-18, finishing with 10 points in a 115-70 blowout to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.

With two days off before Game 7, Murray said

Budenholzer: I'd coach this Suns team if on moon

ESPN News Services

May 17, 2024, 05:30 PM ETOpen Extended Reactions

PHOENIX — Mike Budenholzer got a little teary-eyed talking about his past in Arizona, describing an idyllic childhood in the small town of Holbrook, about three hours northeast of Phoenix.

Those tears dried up in a hurry when talking about his future.

“It’s mind-boggling to me, like mind-blowing, to think that I’m going to be the head coach of the Phoenix Suns,” Budenholzer said Friday during an introductory news conference in downtown Phoenix.

Budenholzer, 54, replaces Frank Vogel, who was fired May 9 after one disappointing season. The two-time NBA Coach of the Year will be charged with getting more out of the team’s All-Star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal as the franchise continues to chase a championship.

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The group never quite meshed last season under Vogel, finishing with a 49-33 record before getting swept by Minnesota in the