Lenny Talks Sports

Tag: football

  • Jonathan Kuminga: A Fresh Start with the Nets?

    Jonathan Kuminga now says he would love to be Warrior 'For life' - NBC Sports

    After a rocky season with inconsistent playing time in Golden State, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga will not be returning to the team next season. One of the potential teams that has emerged as a candidate for Kuminga is the Brooklyn Nets, a rebuilding team looking to build its franchise around a young star, and Kuminga could be that player.

    At just 22 years old, Kuminga is entering free agency for the first time as a restricted free agent, meaning that any offer accepted by Kuminga from another team has the opportunity to be matched by the Warriors if they want to keep Kuminga. This is where Brooklyn comes into the mix; the Nets have upwards of $50 million in cap space and can offer Kuminga a contract in the $30 million range if they want. Golden State most likely wouldn’t match this deal, allowing the Nets to sign Kuminga without having to give up any assets in a trade. But how does Kuminga fit into the Nets’ lineup?

    The Nets need a young star to build their roster around and will look to this year’s draft and free agency to acquire that piece; with four first-round picks and well as Cam Johnson to use as a trade piece, expect the Nets to make some big moves on draft night. This could mean acquiring another top-ten pick in a trade package including Johnson and a couple of picks. With Johnson’s departure, a hole at the starting small forward spot would open, and Jonathan Kuminga could fill that role.

    Kuminga came out of G-League Ignite as a top prospect in the 2021 draft where the Warriors drafted him with the 7th overall pick; his 6-7 frame, as well as his freakish athleticism, made Kuminga a can’t miss prospect. But inconsistent playing time, injuries, and a potential rift with head coach Steve Kerr led to a disappointing start to his career. With a cross-country move to Brooklyn, a fresh start is provided for Kuminga who played great in the minutes he was given when he was given them. Kuminga’s stats won’t jump off the page from this past season averaging 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game in 24.3 minutes a night.

    But where we saw Kuminga show his potential was in the Western Conference Semifinals following Stephen Curry’s injury in Game One. While the rest of the team struggled, Kuminga took advantage of his opportunity and averaged 20.8 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 54% field goal percentage from the field and 42% from three in just 27 minutes a night. The scoring potential that Kuminga had shown in flashes this year with multiple 30-point games, had finally been shown in a consistent stretch filling in for the Warrior’s best player. Kuminga scored in a variety of ways with monstrous dunks, tough drives to the basket, and knockdown three-point shooting; while he’s not the best playmaker, he doesn’t have to be if put in the right system.

    If Brooklyn can draft a point guard such as Jeremiah Fears or Dylan Harper, Kuminga would not have to be the catalyst of the offense and can instead work off of Fears/Harper and Cam Thomas to create for Brooklyn’s offense. The addition of Kuminga would also generate some buzz for Nets fans after a season of disappointing basketball with one of the league’s worst rosters.

    Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, who did a fantastic job in his first season with such limited talent, has continuously talked about wanting to establish a culture and identity in Brooklyn; and with the additions they could make in the draft as well as adding a player like Kuminga the Nets could be on their way to doing just that.

  • The Rich get Richer: Eagles take Jihaad Campbell with the 31st pick

    Jihaad Campbell- 6 Things To Know About Eagles Draft Pick - 97.5 The ...

    Photo: Kirby Lee, Imaagn Images

    After winning the Super Bowl due to their stout defensive performance, the Philadelphia Eagles took the steal of the draft by selecting Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell with the 31st pick. Widely considered a top 15 player on many big boards, Campbell slipped to the end of the first round where the Eagles traded up one spot to grab him.

    Philadelphia traded No. 32 and No. 164 overall to move up to No.31 to grab their guy. GM Howie Roseman called the pick a “no-brainer” as they saw Campbell as a top-10 prospect in this draft. A player recruited to Alabama out of IMG Academy as an edge rusher, Campbell transitioned to an off-ball linebacker with the Crimson Tide being loaded at the edge position already. The transition took a year before Campbell burst onto the scene in his sophomore year recording 66 tackles with 4 tackles for a loss. This success only elevated his junior year where Campbell recorded 117 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and an interception; this was good enough to earn Campbell First-Team All-SEC as well as Second-Team All-America.

    Campbell skyrocketed up draft boards leading into the combine where he dominated; measuring in at 6’3″, weighing 235 lbs, running a 4.52 forty-yard dash, and recording a 10’7″ broad jump. Campbell showed the traits of what every time looks for in a linebacker; long, rangy, and showing the sideline-to-sideline speed coaches dream of. Combining these rare traits along with his potential to rush the quarterback made Campbell a surefire prospect. But he fell down the board right into the defending Super Bowl champions laps.

    A defense filled with Georgia stars Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Jordan Davis, and Nakobe Dean; the Eagles went with the Crimson Tide star to bolster their defense. While Campbell still has plenty of room to grow, by slotting in next to All-Pro Zach Baun, Campbell will be able to learn from one of the league’s best and adapt to the Vic Fangio defense.

  • Tougher Team Wins: Texas Tech Advances to the Elite Eight in Historic Win

    Picture: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

    Down sixteen in the second half, down thirteen with 4:43 to play, down six with 1:15 left, Texas Tech never wavered. Coach Grant McCasland’s mantra of “Toughest Team Wins” shined on Thursday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco, where the Red Raiders battled for 45 minutes in their win over Arkansas to advance the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight on Saturday night.

    No. 10 seed Arkansas came out on fire with Karter Knox drilling three early threes for the Razorbacks as they jumped out to an early lead. A team who shot 33% from three up until Thursday night, the Razorbacks went out and shot 7-14 from three in the first half; while the Red Raiders who as a team shot 37.9% from three for the season, shot just 3-16 from three in the first half with second-leading scorer Darrion Williams shooting 2-12 in the first half. With everything going the Razorbacks’ way, McCasland told his team: “We’re still winning, see how many they can make, let’s see how far we can get down and still win this game” he said on Field of 68: After Dark. The Red Raiders went into half trailing 38-31, with nothing going their way, McCasland dared the Razorbacks to keep shooting.

    The Red Raiders came out the second half and with fans thinking to themselves that Tech would start making shots they missed their first eight three-pointers of the half. A Billy Richmond III layup gave the Razorbacks a 61-45 game lead with 10:23 left to play in the second half and it seemed as if the Red Raider’s chances were dwindling. But one possession turned this game around for Texas Tech, following a Federiko Federiko missed free throw, Kevin Overton came down with an offensive rebound, then a missed layup, another Overton offensive rebound, a missed jumper from Overton led to a Federiko rebound, a kick out three from Christian Anderson missed but Federiko came down with the rebound, back out to Elijah Hawkins who missed but Federiko once again came down with the board, another Tech shot missed but Federiko tips it in to cut the lead to 61-50. Arkansas proceeded to call a time out and the Red Raiders had some life back in them. Eventually, cutting the lead back down to single digits, Nelly Davis of Arkansas who finished with 30 points would not go down without a fight as he took the game over stretching the lead to 69-56 with 4:43 left. An Anderson three on the following possession started the Red Raiders run, as Arkansas started missing, Tech finally saw their threes begin to drop. The lead got down to three when Knox hit his fourth three of the night to give the Razorbacks a six-point lead, but Anderson came right back at the Arkansas defense hitting a three of his own. With 27 seconds left, Razorbacks center Jonas Aidoo missed the front end of a one and one and the Red Raiders had a chance to tie; the Arkansas defense extended out and Tech couldn’t get a shot off until Williams put up a contested three that dropped. DJ Wagner missed a jump shot at the other end that would have won the game for Arkansas; Texas Tech had gone on a 27-11 run over the last ten minutes to send the game to overtime.

    Overtime was a back-and-forth battle with Red Raiders All-American JT Toppin establishing himself in the pain scoring six points during overtime to give him 20 points on the night. But, the biggest three points of overtime came from Hawkins, the senior point guard was 0-9 from the field until he hit a transition three that lit up the Red Raiders bench. Texas Tech’s lead got to as big as three in overtime before Trevon Brazile tied the game at 81. The teams traded baskets, and Texas Tech had possession with 34 seconds left and a chance to wind the clock down, Williams drove to the paint where he posted up Knox before spinning to his right hand and laying it up and in. A frantic Arkansas possession led to a fadeaway by Wagner over Hawkins that fell short. Texas Tech has won 85-83 and completed the second-largest comeback in Sweet Sixteen history.

    It all comes back to “Toughest Team Wins”, many teams could have looked up at the scoreboard and thought that Arkansas would run away with it. But not the Red Raiders, they wanted the adversity, and they knew that their mental and physical toughness would prevail. The Red Raiders came down with 22 offensive rebounds (Federiko had seven of them), and outrebounded Arkansas 51-39 overall; McCasland also knew that the Red Raiders would hit their shots, and the Razorbacks would miss theirs; making five threes in the last four minutes of regulation and overtime the Red Raiders had caught fire, while Arkansas shot 3-11 from three in the second half and overtime.

    A historic comeback and a game to remember not just for Texas Tech but for all basketball fans around the world. No month is better than March.

  • The Rise of Ben McCollum: Going Back Home

    Hawkeye Basketball: Iowa's Coaching Search Candidate Profiles - Ben McCollum - Black Heart Gold Pants

    Picture: © Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

    Following a fantastic first season coaching at the Division One level, Ben McCollum is leaving Drake to take the head coaching position at the University of Iowa. McCollum’s Bulldogs fell 77-64 to the Texas Tech Red Raiders ending Drake’s historic season in the second round of the NCAA tournament. In McCollum’s first season with the Bulldogs, he recorded the most historic season in program history where the team finished 31-4, won the Missouri Valley regular season and postseason title, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1970. Now McCollum leaves Des Moines to head 114 miles east along I-80 to replace Fran McCaffery as the coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

    For McCollum taking the job at Iowa is a homecoming, born and raised in Iowa City, McCollum looks to bring the same success he has had at each previous job to the Hawkeyes program. Before Drake, McCollum was the head coach of Northwest Missouri State where he won four national championships and five National Coaches of the Year awards; he was an unknown commodity to most when he replaced Darian Devries at Drake after Devries took the job at West Virginia, but McCollum may have been the best hire of the coaching carousel. McCollum brought his stifling defense and methodic offensive approach to Des Moines and dominated the MVC in his first year. A team that was picked fifth in the preseason poll, the Bulldogs dominated conference play going 17-3 winning both the regular season and postseason titles. McCollum would be named MVC coach of the year and led the Bulldogs in an upset of the Missouri Tigers in the first round of the NCAA tournament before being knocked out by Texas Tech.

    Now McCollum takes over an Iowa program that has struggled recently going 17-16 this past season while being just 7-13 in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes parted ways with longtime coach Fran McCaffery as they look towards the future and getting the Hawkeyes back in the NCAA tournament. They knew exactly who they wanted in the coaching search and got their man in McCollum. A known winner and someone who will bring some help from Drake with him; McCollum will most likely bring with him MVC Player of the Year Bennett Stirtz and Tavion Banks who averaged double figures for the Bulldogs. The Hawkeyes also have some players who if they stay will give McCollum a great starting point for next season, with players such as Josh Dix and Owen Freeman who both averaged over 14 points per game this past season.

    With newly gained resources moving to a high-major program, expect McCollum to continue his success as he leads the Hawkeyes for years to come. His coaching style has proven to translate to the Division One level, a team that will methodically break you down and not give up any easy baskets will be perfect for the Big Ten. Even if they are not the most talented team on the floor, they will not take a possession off on either side of the floor, McCollum is a coach players want to play for. As he attracts more talent, expect greater success for the Hawkeyes.