The team's most productive draft pick
Napsal: sob 25. srp 2018 7:07:38With the best regular-season record in the NBA all locked up Chris Taylor Jersey , the Houston Rockets have begun looking ahead to the playoffs.
The Rockets still have two games remaining before postseason play begins next week, however, and they don’t plan on taking any chances against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at Staples Center.
Those who are healthy will play at least some against the Lakers, but the Rockets (64-16) will likely keep shooting guard Eric Gordon and stretch forward Ryan Anderson on the bench as they recover from ankle injuries.
“We’re going to be very careful with whoever plays, let’s put it that way,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni told the Houston Chronicle. “When we play, we’re going to play hard. It might be for three quarters, it might be for a half, it might be for a quarter. That will be determined.
“Most guys want to play. If somebody needs a break, we’ll give him one, but we’ll be very careful about how much we play.”
Houston forward James Harden seems like a lock to win his first NBA scoring title. He’s averaging 30.6 points http://www.billsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-marshall-newhouse-jersey , though he has only bettered that mark once in the past eight games. He’s third in the NBA at 8.7 assists after leading the league in that category last season (11.2).
Winning individual awards means little to Harden at this point of his career, however.
“The ultimate goal is holding that trophy up,” Harden said. “So until we do that, there’s no celebrations. … We haven’t done anything yet.”
Los Angeles (34-46) will be playing its final home game of the season.
The Lakers will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season, but there’s plenty of optimism heading into the offseason.
The player generating the most excitement lately is rookie shooting guard Josh Hart, who’s coming off back-to-back 20-point games for the first time this season.
Hart had 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 113-96 loss to the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, and then came back with 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting in a 112-97 loss to the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
“Throughout the season, every time he gets the opportunity to play big minutes or have a bigger role, he has been pretty good for us,” Lakers coach Luke Walton told reporters after the game against Utah. “He is one of our best finishers, he’s one of our best rebounders Jarvis Landry Jersey , and he can push it in transition.”
Hart started in place of another rookie on Sunday. Kyle Kuzma missed the game after spraining an ankle against Minnesota. Los Angeles was also without rookie point guard Lonzo Ball (knee) and forward Brandon Ingram (concussion protocol).
“He’s done a nice job of figuring out what the NBA game is about,” Walton said. “I think he’s another one of those guys that’s going to have a big offseason, now that he’s gotten to experience guarding James Harden, guarding other teams’ best players, elite scorers, and also figured out where he can get his shots.”
Hart scored a season-high 26 points against the Rockets on Dec. 31, going 9 of 13 from the field in a 148-142 loss in Houston.
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch felt like he had filled a hole at middle linebacker when he drafted Reuben Foster in the first round a year ago.
Now with Foster facing legal trouble and possible league punishment following three felony charges in a domestic violence case, Lynch heads into this year's draft knowing he can't count on Foster to play this season.
"You have to think about those things," he said. "You have to take that into account. You would be foolish not to.
"So having said that, we grade all the players. We look at every position. I think with the improvements we've made on our roster last year, one of the things we're excited about Mike Gesicki Jersey Dolphins , does every team have needs? Of course they do. But we filled a lot of those."
They might need to fill the one at linebacker again and could have options with the ninth overall pick where Georgia's Roquan Smith or Virginia Tech's Tremaine Edmunds could be possibilities.
Foster delivered on the field as rookie after being taken 31st overall a year ago, ranking second on the team with 72 tackles in 10 games and looking like a key part of San Francisco's defensive future.
But he was charged with felony domestic violence on April 12 after being accused by authorities of dragging his girlfriend and punching her in the head, leaving her with a ruptured eardrum.
Foster is not participating in the team's offseason program and Lynch said he will be cut if it's proven that he hit a woman. He also faces a potential suspension, leaving his status in doubt.
Here are some other things to watch in the draft:
WATCHING QBS
The 49ers filled their glaring hole at quarterback by trading for Jimmy Garoppolo at last year's trade deadline and giving him a five-year contract this offseason. But how things play out with the quarterbacks will impact San Francisco's draft.
With Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield all projected as high picks, a quality player at another spot could fall to No. 9 or San Francisco could deal that pick if one of those four QBs is still on the board.
"I do think not needing a quarterback and all those quarterbacks likely being up there, it will push some really good football players back there," Lynch said. "You can't just fall in love with one guy, because who knows how it will break."
TRADER JOHN
Lynch was aggressive in his first draft, making six trades. He moved down from No. 2 to No. 3 overall to get more picks and then moved up from the second round to the end of the first to select Foster at No. 31. There were four more deals as Lynch was willing to move up to grab a player he coveted or down to get more picks when there wasn't an obvious selection.
"You better have multiple answers because multiple things could happen Kerryon Johnson Jersey Lions ," Lynch said. "We're going to be aggressive in finding the guys that we like."
DAY 3
Lynch filled several holes on day 3 of the draft a year ago, with fifth-rounders TE George Kittle and WR Trent Taylor, sixth-round DT D.J. Jones and seventh-round S Adrian Colbert all playing big roles as rookies.
"Everyone focuses on the work up top with No. 9, but we really try to take a holistic look at this thing and pride ourselves on being real strong on the back end of the draft," Lynch said.
HITS, MISSES AND BARGAINS
The team's most productive draft pick in recent years was 2016 first-round defense lineman DeForest Buckner, who is an anchor for the defense. Former GM Trent Baalke had far more misses in his final years, leading to his firing following the 2016 season. Baalke used seven picks from 2013-16 on players coming off serious knee injuries and none of those gambles paid off. All seven players are gone and only Tank Carradine and Keith Reaser played more than two games with San Francisco. Lynch had a strong first draft class with several key contributors coming in the late rounds, including Taylor and Colbert.
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The Rockets still have two games remaining before postseason play begins next week, however, and they don’t plan on taking any chances against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at Staples Center.
Those who are healthy will play at least some against the Lakers, but the Rockets (64-16) will likely keep shooting guard Eric Gordon and stretch forward Ryan Anderson on the bench as they recover from ankle injuries.
“We’re going to be very careful with whoever plays, let’s put it that way,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni told the Houston Chronicle. “When we play, we’re going to play hard. It might be for three quarters, it might be for a half, it might be for a quarter. That will be determined.
“Most guys want to play. If somebody needs a break, we’ll give him one, but we’ll be very careful about how much we play.”
Houston forward James Harden seems like a lock to win his first NBA scoring title. He’s averaging 30.6 points http://www.billsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-marshall-newhouse-jersey , though he has only bettered that mark once in the past eight games. He’s third in the NBA at 8.7 assists after leading the league in that category last season (11.2).
Winning individual awards means little to Harden at this point of his career, however.
“The ultimate goal is holding that trophy up,” Harden said. “So until we do that, there’s no celebrations. … We haven’t done anything yet.”
Los Angeles (34-46) will be playing its final home game of the season.
The Lakers will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season, but there’s plenty of optimism heading into the offseason.
The player generating the most excitement lately is rookie shooting guard Josh Hart, who’s coming off back-to-back 20-point games for the first time this season.
Hart had 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 113-96 loss to the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, and then came back with 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting in a 112-97 loss to the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
“Throughout the season, every time he gets the opportunity to play big minutes or have a bigger role, he has been pretty good for us,” Lakers coach Luke Walton told reporters after the game against Utah. “He is one of our best finishers, he’s one of our best rebounders Jarvis Landry Jersey , and he can push it in transition.”
Hart started in place of another rookie on Sunday. Kyle Kuzma missed the game after spraining an ankle against Minnesota. Los Angeles was also without rookie point guard Lonzo Ball (knee) and forward Brandon Ingram (concussion protocol).
“He’s done a nice job of figuring out what the NBA game is about,” Walton said. “I think he’s another one of those guys that’s going to have a big offseason, now that he’s gotten to experience guarding James Harden, guarding other teams’ best players, elite scorers, and also figured out where he can get his shots.”
Hart scored a season-high 26 points against the Rockets on Dec. 31, going 9 of 13 from the field in a 148-142 loss in Houston.
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch felt like he had filled a hole at middle linebacker when he drafted Reuben Foster in the first round a year ago.
Now with Foster facing legal trouble and possible league punishment following three felony charges in a domestic violence case, Lynch heads into this year's draft knowing he can't count on Foster to play this season.
"You have to think about those things," he said. "You have to take that into account. You would be foolish not to.
"So having said that, we grade all the players. We look at every position. I think with the improvements we've made on our roster last year, one of the things we're excited about Mike Gesicki Jersey Dolphins , does every team have needs? Of course they do. But we filled a lot of those."
They might need to fill the one at linebacker again and could have options with the ninth overall pick where Georgia's Roquan Smith or Virginia Tech's Tremaine Edmunds could be possibilities.
Foster delivered on the field as rookie after being taken 31st overall a year ago, ranking second on the team with 72 tackles in 10 games and looking like a key part of San Francisco's defensive future.
But he was charged with felony domestic violence on April 12 after being accused by authorities of dragging his girlfriend and punching her in the head, leaving her with a ruptured eardrum.
Foster is not participating in the team's offseason program and Lynch said he will be cut if it's proven that he hit a woman. He also faces a potential suspension, leaving his status in doubt.
Here are some other things to watch in the draft:
WATCHING QBS
The 49ers filled their glaring hole at quarterback by trading for Jimmy Garoppolo at last year's trade deadline and giving him a five-year contract this offseason. But how things play out with the quarterbacks will impact San Francisco's draft.
With Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield all projected as high picks, a quality player at another spot could fall to No. 9 or San Francisco could deal that pick if one of those four QBs is still on the board.
"I do think not needing a quarterback and all those quarterbacks likely being up there, it will push some really good football players back there," Lynch said. "You can't just fall in love with one guy, because who knows how it will break."
TRADER JOHN
Lynch was aggressive in his first draft, making six trades. He moved down from No. 2 to No. 3 overall to get more picks and then moved up from the second round to the end of the first to select Foster at No. 31. There were four more deals as Lynch was willing to move up to grab a player he coveted or down to get more picks when there wasn't an obvious selection.
"You better have multiple answers because multiple things could happen Kerryon Johnson Jersey Lions ," Lynch said. "We're going to be aggressive in finding the guys that we like."
DAY 3
Lynch filled several holes on day 3 of the draft a year ago, with fifth-rounders TE George Kittle and WR Trent Taylor, sixth-round DT D.J. Jones and seventh-round S Adrian Colbert all playing big roles as rookies.
"Everyone focuses on the work up top with No. 9, but we really try to take a holistic look at this thing and pride ourselves on being real strong on the back end of the draft," Lynch said.
HITS, MISSES AND BARGAINS
The team's most productive draft pick in recent years was 2016 first-round defense lineman DeForest Buckner, who is an anchor for the defense. Former GM Trent Baalke had far more misses in his final years, leading to his firing following the 2016 season. Baalke used seven picks from 2013-16 on players coming off serious knee injuries and none of those gambles paid off. All seven players are gone and only Tank Carradine and Keith Reaser played more than two games with San Francisco. Lynch had a strong first draft class with several key contributors coming in the late rounds, including Taylor and Colbert.
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