Carmelo Anthony Commemorates $28 Million Salary by Laughing at His Haters

Carmelo Anthony has opted into his player option and will earn $27.9 million in 2018-19 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He did not exercise the early termination on the final year of his contract, which he originally signed with the New York Knicks in 2014. His decision to forgo free agency and remain with the Thunder on a monstrous salary just shy of $28 million irritated his detractors, including some Oklahoma City fans who hoped they had seen the last of the 34-year-old aging forward.

Carmelo Anthony will return to the Oklahoma City Thunder after struggling in his first year with the team. (USA Today Sports)

Firing back against his critics, Anthony left a message for his haters on his Instagram and on his Twitter account.

Oh You Mad, Huh? 😂 “Take A Step Back, Evaluate, What Is Important, And Enjoy Life”#STAYME7O pic.twitter.com/emlzaQr5pH

— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) June 24, 2018

Thunder fans have been vocal with their displeasure for Anthony’s disappointing play. They wanted Anthony to opt out after he posted career-lows in scoring (16.2 ppg) and shooting percentage (40.4 percent) in 2017-18. His assists (1.3) and minutes (32.1) per contest were also the worst of his 15-year career.

In the Thunder’s first-round loss to the Utah Jazz, Anthony averaged just 11.8 points in the six-game series.

Anthony doesn’t care about what his critics have to say. His contract of nearly $28 million handcuffs Oklahoma City—which still plans to offer Paul George a max-level contract, but in doing so will make its payroll one of the highest in league history—but that’s not Anthony’s problem. He can laugh all the way to the bank as one of the most overpaid players for the upcoming season.

Celtics Must Re-Sign Aron Baynes

Aron Baynes took a gamble on himself and was rewarded with a major role on a championship-contending team.

The Australian big man declined his $6.5 million dollar player option last summer, reliving him of his contract with the Detroit Pistons. Once he hit the open market, the Boston Celtics inked the center to a $4.2 million deal.

Sacrificing $2.3 million to play with a contender, Baynes became a key figure in the Celtics’ playoff run—playing a bigger role than anyone could have imagined. He started in 12 of Boston’s 19 postseason contests, after earning the starting nod in 67 of the 81 regular season games he appeared in. The Celtics employed a small-ball lineup in the games he did not start, sliding Al Horford from the four to the five position.

The Celtics were the No. 1 defense of the 2017-18 season, thanks in large part to Baynes. He had the top-ranked defensive rating on a team that surrendered just 97 points per 100 possessions. Baynes didn’t just top the Celtics’ marks—he had the best individual defensive rating in the entire NBA.

Aron Baynes manned the middle for the Celtics all season. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Baynes recorded career highs in minutes (18.3), rebounds (5.4) and assists (1.1).

Guarding the paint and providing elite rim protection all season, Baynes earned a spike in minutes (20.5 per contest) in the postseason. He was excellent defending Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

And seemingly out of nowhere, Baynes became a knockdown three-point shooter.
In six seasons in the NBA, Baynes had made only four three-pointers. But this postseason, he showed a willingness to drop back behind the arc and fire away from deep. He attempted 23 three-pointers and made 11. His 47.8 percent mark was the second-best among all players who attempted at least 20 3’s this postseason.

The Celtics’ first priority this offseason will be to re-sign Marcus Smart, a restricted free agent. They will look to keep the core intact for a team that reached Game 7 of the Conference Finals, despite season-ending injuries to All-Stars Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving, and backup center Daniel Theis.


Aside from Smart, Baynes is the only key rotation player that is not under contract for the Celtics. Assuming another team doesn't throw ridiculous money at the free agent center, the Celtics have no excuse not to lock up the put-together big man—whose defensive prowess and toughness are unmatched—for its title conquest next season.

Myles Garrett Rips Kevin Durant for Joining Warriors, Riding 'Somebody's Coat Tails for a W'

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett looks down upon Kevin Durant for taking the easy path to winning a championship. Garrett explained his frustration with Durant for joining the Golden State Warriors in the summer of 2016, fresh off the team’s record-setting 73-win season.

“KD broke the league,” Garrett said on Thursday in an interview with Ken Carman and Anthony Lima on 92.3 The Fan when asked if he watched this year's NBA Finals.

“You hopped onto a 73-9 team and he took the easy way out in my mind,” Garrett said.

Myles Garrett says Kevin Durant broke the NBA by signing with Golden State. (Ron Schwane)

Garrett wisely pointed out that Durant signing with the 73-win Warriors—who narrowly defeated Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2016 Western Conference Finals—is not comparable to LeBron James joining the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010. James left the Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency because the talent around him was subpar (Mo Williams was the second-best player on the 2009-10 Cavaliers!?!), unlike Durant who was playing alongside future Hall of Famer Russell Westbrook. James went to Miami, which had lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2010, to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Durant signed with a Golden State team that had already maintained significant success without him, winning the title in 2015 and reaching Game 7 of the Finals in 2016.

“It's different when LeBron left. He went to [Miami to join] Wade and Bosh but it wasn't something that was already guaranteed, something you already knew was going to have immediate success. [James] had to gel and work things into place.”

The Warriors have won two straight titles with Durant. Garrett, the first overall selection of the 2017 NFL Draft, is not surprised by Golden State’s dominance.

“They were 73-9 before and you put the second-best player in the world on an already all-time great team and of course you're going to have success, pretty easy success. Anyone can have an off night and they can still find a way to win.”

Game 3 of the Finals supports Garrett’s assertion. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson struggled to get anything going offensively that night. Curry (11 points) had a horrific shooting night—missing 13 of 16 shots, including nine of his 10 three-point attempts—while Thompson was held to 10 points. But Durant bailed out his teammates with an otherworldly performance, scoring 43 points (15-of-23 shooting) with 13 rebounds and seven assists.

Now a two-time Finals MVP, Durant has played tremendous in each of the past two postseasons with the Warriors. But the fact remains that Durant is dominating on a roster that was already a powerhouse without him.

A competitive drive would prevent Garrett from ever hopping onto the best roster in the league just to win a championship, he says.

“If I were him I would've never made a move like that in the first place,'' he said. “Me, I'm too competitive to try and ride on somebody's coat tails to get a W. But for him, you might as well stay at the spot you're at now. There's no point in leaving since you've already taken that moniker where he's been called the snake and cupcake and all that. You might as well stay and just keep on winning.”

It’s hard to argue with any of Garrett’s criticism for Durant.

Durant undoubtedly took the easiest path to a championship. While a member of the Thunder, Durant almost dethroned the Warriors with the help of superstar teammate Russell Westbrook. Leaving the Thunder for the Warriors—a month removed from the teams’ seven-game Conference Finals showdown—was a snake move, no matter how you spin it.

Garrett, who shined with Cleveland when healthy (11 games played) in his rookie season, is preaching to the choir of many NBA fans who are upset with Durant. The media far too often coddles Durant, who spited his former Oklahoma City teammates and coaches passive aggressively with burner Twitter accounts, while also whining about the criticism sent his way for his move in free agency.

It’s refreshing to hear a fellow professional athlete speak out against Durant, who has coasted to consecutive championships.

Rams Ordered to Pay Reggie Bush $12.5 Million for 2015 Injury

Reggie Bush has hit the jackpot.

A St. Louis jury ruled in favor of the former Heisman Trophy winner, ordering the Los Angeles Rams (formerly of St. Louis) to pay $12.5 million for damages he suffered in 2015 at Edward Jones Dome.

Bush was playing for the San Francisco 49ers when he endured a season-ending injury in a regular season contest at St. Louis on Nov, 1. 2015.

After returning a punt and running out of bounds, Bush slipped on concrete and suffered a torn lateral meniscus.

Reggie Bush was carted off the field after tearing his lateral meniscus, ending his 2015 season. (Tom Gannam/AP)

The suit was originally filed in 2016 when Bush’s legal term alleged the Rams and the public authorities “allowed a dangerous condition to exist at the [Edward Jones] Dome.” The suit called the out-of-bounds territory where he fell “a concrete ring of death.”

The Rams moved to Los Angeles after the 2015 season, while Bush latched onto the Buffalo Bills on a 1-year, $1.5 million contract in 2016. This was Bush’s final season in the NFL and was a disastrous campaign for the running back/punt returner—rushing for minus-3 yards on 12 carries and catching seven passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. In the lawsuit, Bush argued he could have signed a bigger contract (and performed at a higher level on said deal) had he not suffered what he believed to be a preventable injury.

The 33-year-old Bush played in the NFL for 11 seasons, suiting up for the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, 49ers and Bills. He was named an All-Pro punt returner in 2008 as a member of the Saints and won a Super Bowl with New Orleans in the 2009 NFL season.

Bush was pleased with the result of the verdict that gave him a lucrative payday.

“I'm very happy with the verdict,” Bush told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “The people spoke and decided very fairly.”

Pistons, Coach Dwane Casey Reportedly Agree to 5-Year Deal

The most successful coach in Raptors franchise history didn’t stay unemployed for long. Dwane Casey, who served as Toronto’s head coach for each of the past seven seasons before his firing in May following an early playoff exit, signed a five-year deal with the Detroit Pistons, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 61-year-old Casey will become the 36th head coach in Pistons franchise history. He helped lead the Raptors to five consecutive playoff appearances—winning division titles in each of the past four seasons—highlighted by a berth in the 2016 Conference Finals, which the team lost in six games to the eventual NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

The top-seeded Raptors were swept in the second round of the 2018 NBA playoffs by the Cavaliers—who have defeated Toronto in three consecutive postseasons—setting up the shocking ousting of Casey.

Dwane Casey, who compiled a 320-238 record in seven seasons with Toronto, will be named Detroit's new head coach. (AP Photo)

A finalist for the 2018 NBA Coach of the Year—which will be announced later this month with Boston’s Brad Stevens and Utah’s Quinn Snyder also up for the award—Casey won a franchise-best 59 games this year, finishing the season with a better record than the 2018 NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

Casey has the challenge of utilizing big men Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin together in a league that has gone small. Drummond is one of the league’s most dominant centers, while Griffin is one of the top athletic talents in the NBA when healthy. Griffin, who Detroit traded for last season and is under contract through 2022, has struggled to stay on the court throughout his career. His health could determine the success of the Pistons—and ultimately Casey’s coaching tenure in Detroit.

Taking over for Stan Van Gundy, who made one playoff appearance (2016) in four seasons with Detroit, Casey is expected to bring the Pistons to the playoffs immediately.

Casey gave high praise to Drummond, Griffin and Reggie Jackson, the team’s three best players, when he made an appearance on ESPN's The Jump on Friday.

“(Griffin's) ability, his IQ are off the charts. I’ll let you know when I coach him down the road,” Casey said. “You got Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, so you've got some good pieces there in Detroit.”

Pistons senior adviser Ed Stefanski, who was hired in May and will run the team’s basketball operations, worked with Casey in Toronto from 2011-13 and helped lure the head coach to Detroit.

Red Sox Security Guard Tackles Fan Rushing the Field

The Boston Red Sox won their fourth straight game on Wednesday night, paced by a 5 2/3 innings, one-run showing by lefty hurler Eduardo Rodriguez. Andrew Benintendi and Christian Vasquez delivered solo homers in the 7-1 win over the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park.

Boston’s victory was overshadowed, though, by a Red Sox security guard tackling a heedless fan who ran onto the field.

A Red Sox security guard decked a fan who ran onto the field. (Charles Krupa/AP)

The fan made a dash in the outfield and evaded security for a bit, but was abruptly leveled by a security guard.


Here’s some views of the blindsided hit:

Fan gets wrecked by @RedSox security! pic.twitter.com/hXclDibGT9

— Michael Shepard (@mcshepard) June 7, 2018

@Jared_Carrabis @Steve_Perrault pic.twitter.com/79YiRmi92f

— Anthony Delmolino (@delmolino24) June 7, 2018

As if getting arrested wasn’t bad enough, the intruding fan will likely be aching for some time after that bruising takedown.

This crazy moment would have been intensified even further had legendary broadcaster Kevin Harlan been present to illustrate the action.

Skip Bayless Caught in Lie Regarding MJ and LeBron

LeBron James looked exhausted at times during the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Game 2 loss at Oracle Arena on Sunday night.

James has been incredulous in Cleveland’s deep playoff run. In his past four postseason games—two against the Golden State Warriors and two versus the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals—he has averaged 41.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists in a whopping 46.5 minutes per contest.

LeBron looked exhausted in Game 2 of the Finals. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Given those gaudy numbers, his usage rate on the court and lack of rest, James should be tired.

Just don't tell that to Fox Sports 1 Analyst Skip Bayless, who has spent much of the past decade hating on James and diminishing the many accomplishments of the greatest player of the 21st century. Bayless mocked how James was called tired by ESPN Analyst and former NBA player Chauncey Billups and asserted NBA icon Michael Jordan would never be labeled tired.

Think about this: Chauncey Billups just said on ABC that LeBron "looked a little tired." IT'S ONLY GAME 2 OF THE NBA FINALS. I covered Michael Jordan when he was year older than LeBron is now. NOBODY EVER EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT MJ BEING TIRED. That would've been blasphemous.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) June 4, 2018

Interestingly enough, Jordan actually was called “tired” twenty years ago—by none other than Bayless himself in a column he wrote during the 1998 NBA Finals.

Twitter users took notice and exposed Bayless.

THIS IS ART, a two-part classic. pic.twitter.com/NkdhLNObxo

— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) June 4, 2018

Fantastic twitter own right here pic.twitter.com/M8Z8Q5kvDI

— Alex Kantrowitz (@Kantrowitz) June 4, 2018

That is some poetic justice right there. Bayless tried desperately to pedal the Jordan/James storyline, and it backfired. He must not have remembered writing that column, but people (aided by some quick research) don’t forget, Skip. People don't forget.