Month: May 2024

The Cleveland Cavaliers will begin their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Tuesday night in Boston, as they will have to figure out how to handle the top-seeded Celtics coming off of a grueling 7-game series against Orlando.

However, that’s the challenge they’d prefer to have over having their offseason start early, and they’re in that position largely because of the effort of Donovan Mitchell. The star guard scored 89 points over Games 6 and 7 of the series and averaged 28.7 points across all seven games, even as he battles a lingering knee injury. While Mitchell put the team on his back in the third quarter of Game 7 to get them into the lead, he knew he’d need help to get across the finish line against a gritty Magic squad.

The 7-year veteran showed his leadership as the game got to the fourth quarter, pulling Darius Garland close amid a woeful shooting performance and trying to pump him up.

On Monday, the Cavaliers released a video from inside that scene on the bench with their two star guards, and the message from Mitchell was simple: I believe in you, believe in yourself.

Garland’s confidence was clearly a bit shaken in the game after an ice cold shooting spell, and he’s had some struggles in the second half of the year ever since returning from injury. That conversation paid off in the fourth quarter when Garland drilled the dagger three from the corner, and the first person waiting to celebrate the shot with him was Mitchell.

It’s a cool glimpse inside that moment with those two on the bench. Mitchell could tell his guy needed a pick-up, and rather than telling him “keep shooting” he made the message even simpler by making sure Garland knew his teammates hadn’t lost faith in him despite a rough shooting night. If the Cavs are going to have any chance against Boston, Garland’s going to have to be that All-Star caliber player he’s been in the past. To do that, he’ll need to get his swagger back as a shot-maker, and maybe this message from Mitchell and hitting some shots in the fourth quarter of Game 7 can get him going.

Isaiah Hartenstein has turned himself into a valuable member of the New York Knicks’ starting lineup. After bouncing around during his first few years in the league, Hartenstein has carved out quite a niche with the Knicks, as his physicality, rebounding, and deft touch around the rim have all be crucial as the team has turned into a contender in the Eastern Conference this year.

One thing Hartenstein is decidedly not known for is three-point shooting, as he’s 27-for-87 (31 percent) in his career and only went 1-for-3 from deep this year. Heading into Monday night’s Game 1 between the Knicks and the Indiana Pacers, Hartenstein had never made a triple in 19 playoff games. But in his 20th playoff game, Hartenstein finally made a three, and it was a pretty impressive one, because he pulled up from behind halfcourt at the end of the first half and drilled one from very long range.

With this three, Hartenstein is 1-for-2 from deep in his playoff career. That makes him a 50 percent shooter, and while this means absolutely nothing because Tom Thibodeau is not gonna suddenly ask him to be Karl-Anthony Towns, it’s a very nice way to get his first career postseason triple.

Father Time is catching up with LeBron James. Sure, you might not know that based on what he’s still capable of doing on the floor — we’ve never seen a player consistently reach the highs James is capable of reaching at his age — but he’s going to turn 40 in December and he’s already started speaking about the end of his basketball playing career.

It’s led to plenty of speculation about when James is going to retire, and if Charles Barkley has his way, it’ll happen sooner rather than later. Barkley appeared on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast and used his own experience at the end of his career to make the argument that James should retire “while he can still play.”

“I hope he retires soon,” Barkley said. “Because I hated the way I retired, cause I sucked.”

Barkley then made the case that “it ends badly for every jock,” and went on to point out some of the other Hall of Fame inductees who hung on for way too long, like Michael Jordan with the Washington Wizards and Patrick Ewing with the Orlando Magic.

“I remember telling myself my last two years, ‘Ok, I’m gonna get myself in great shape this summer, I’m gonna have a good year, then I’m gonna retire,’” Barkley said. “Then I figured out, like, playing against air, everybody’s good against air. Everybody is great against air. But when that 25-year-old is looking at you like, licking his lips, you’re like, ‘Oh, sh*t.’ And there’s nothing you can do.”

Every now and then, the NBA’s award season gives us a result that absolutely no one saw coming. The 2023-24 Rookie of the Year award was not one of those times, as the frontrunner to take home the Wilt Chamberlain trophy did just that. On Monday night, TNT’s NBA crew announced that San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama will become the third player in franchise history to take home the award.

Wembanyama becoming the league’s best first-year player seemed to be an inevitability when the Spurs took him No. 1 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. While he took a few months to really find his footing in the NBA, he started to blossom when the calendar turned to January and never looked back. By the time the year came to an end, Wembanyama had already started to dominate on the offensive end of the floor, and established himself as one of the league’s most devastating defensive players — he is a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award, which will be handed out on Tuesday night.

On the year, Wembanyama averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and a league-best 3.6 blocks in 29.7 minutes per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field. He joins the last two Spurs players to get selected No. 1 overall, David Robinson and Tim Duncan, in winning the award.

Wembaynama earned all 99 first place votes, beating out Charlotte’s Brandon Miller, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft who missed all of last year with an injury.

For nearly two decades, people have been enjoying “Got Talent” competitions all over the world, inspired by the first “America’s Got Talent” in 2006. And thanks to social media and YouTube, we can enjoy the most memorable auditions over and over again.

For instance, this one from Taryn Charles on the 2024 season of “Britain’s Got Talent.”

Charles is a music teacher who works with special needs kids. She even brought one of her students and her parent to be part of the audience during her audition. When the judges asked why she wanted to be on “Britain’s Got Talent,” Charles said, “I love to make people smile and I think my voice is alright.”

Talk about an understatement.

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As she stands waiting for the music to start, she shakes her hand by her side a few times, clearly getting some nerves out. But as soon as she starts to sing the first line, “Looking out on the morning rain, I used to feel so uninspired…” it’s clear from her rich, raspy voice and easy stage presence that she’s got something special.

And it only gets better from there. “(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman” was written by singer-songwriter Carole King, then famously covered by Aretha Franklin, which is a hard act to follow. But Charles knocked it out of the park, blowing away the audience and judges alike. In fact, the performance earned her not one but two standing ovations and inspired judge Bruno Tonioli to smash the Golden Buzzer button before the judges even began to offer their feedback.

Watch:

What makes this performance especially memorable is how humble and unassuming Charles is before and after her knock-out performance. If you didn’t watch til the very end, you may have missed her hilariously real, “I think I’ve wet myself,” which only makes her even more endearing.

“WOW I was blown away with her angelic and powerful voice,” wrote one commenter. “And yet she is so humble and has a beautiful soul. Plus, I have never in my life seen a double standing ovation, she so deserves a golden buzzer, wishing her the best success.”

“This is how you do an audition, stunning tone to her voice…..if anyone deserves a chance it’s this lady……BOOM!!” wrote another.

“This was so inspirational. Taryn I am in tears,” shared another. “I know what it feels like to struggle with self-worth. You are a mirror to show me that that those people are not always right. You are phenomenally gifted and you have an amazing career as a professional singer ahead of you! Blessings!”

Talent competition judges often warn contestants about the challenge of singing songs done by big vocal divas, and we’ve seen singers attempt to sing the likes of Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey and fall flat. It’s not easy to sing an iconic song most people associate with Aretha Franklin—the Queen of Soul and Rolling Stone’s #1 singer of all time—and have any hope of impressing people. And yet, Taryn Charles managed to make the song her own and wow everyone in the process with her unique voice.

We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this humble music teacher as she makes her way through the “Britain’s Got Talent” gauntlet. Heck of a way to kick it off.

Ryan Gosling‘s career evolution is one of interesting twists, unique turns, and a certain magnetism that has always granted him passageway, whether he was playing a strung-out teacher, a social outcast with a sex doll girlfriend, an astronaut, spiraling soon-to-be divorcee, stunt driver with a violent streak, or music man. It’s a climb from child acting roles and the Mickey Mouse Club that’s made most impressive by the simple fact that Gosling still seems ultra choosy when it comes to the projects, filmmakers, and actors he works with, never giving us the chance to tire of seeing him on the screen or worry that he’ll disappoint with a flat performance in an uninspired role. That’s why we wanted to be ultra choosy here, making hard cuts and having full disagreements about the ultimate ranking of Gosling’s best work, including the recent action rom-com, The Fall Guy. So, if you think we missed something or think something else should be higher, believe me, we understand because chances are we had that fight while pulling this together. Nevertheless, here’s where we wound up, forced to pick from some of the best work of this century for a leading, song and dance, action guy with a well of intensity and a willingness to not take himself too seriously.

15. Only God Forgives (2013)

Gosling reunited with Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn for this arthouse grind that’s basically no plot, all vibes. And violence. So much violence. But the actor sells every bit of it, playing a hard-to-root-for anti-hero who grunts and punches his way through Bangkok’s seedy criminal underground. An almost speechless turn, Gosling does the most with what little the script gives him. – Toomer

14. Murder By Numbers (2002)

In the early aughts a baby-faced Gosling decided to chew some scenery in this crime thriller starring Sandra Bullock as a dogged-detective with an axe to grind. As Richard, a high school psycho whose extracurricular activities include strangling innocent women, Gosling plays the kind of bad boy Taylor Swift writes songs about, a rich teen with greasy hair and a hellish idea of fun. He’s obviously having a fantastic time, but Gosling never lets the villainy of Richard stray into camp territory, making him all the more terrifying. – Toomer

13. The Big Short (2015)

Neither Margot Robbie in a bubble bath nor Gosling’s grand hand gestures in a boardroom can dumb down the events that led to the housing crisis enough for them to be even mildly entertaining. And yet, Gosling’s performance as Jared Vennett, a Deutsche Bank executive with sleaze oozing from every pore, is just blunt enough to let us know he’s one of the bad guys in this venture. Plus, he’s got one of the most bizarre scenes in the whole film, a business pitch filled with racist jokes, Jenga props, and Gosling whispering “I smell money,” to a floor-to-ceiling window in a New York high rise. – Toomer

12. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

This Denis Villeneuve-directed sci-fi sequel didn’t earn enough love from critics when it landed in theaters a few years ago but, as is the case with everything, none of that was Ryan Gosling’s fault. As K, a non-human officer tasked with hunting down rogue replicants, Gosling is stoic, uttering a handful of words over the film’s lengthy runtime. Lonely and isolated, he seeks comfort in an artificial intelligence program and finds meaning in an unearthed conspiracy that sees him partnering with Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard to solve. They say the mark of a good actor is one who can convey a spectrum of emotions with just one look. Blade Runner 2049 feels like Gosling and Villeneuve got together solely to test that hypothesis. – Toomer

11. First Man (2018)

Another project with La La Land director Damien Chazelle, First Man sends Gosling into space as pioneering astronaut Neil Armstrong. But any zero-gravity shenanigans take a backseat to the introspective character study Gosling interests us in with his take on one of history’s most famous heroes. Demure yet determined, Armstrong was a man intent on etching his name in the annals of time and Gosling never shies away from the consequences of that driven-by-ego dream, showing him as goal-oriented to the point of obsession, and obsessive to the detriment of those who loves him most. – Toomer

10. Half Nelson (2006)

The inner city educator/savior film, long a critical fave, got a needed reinvention in filmmaking duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s feature debut with Gosling earning an Oscar nomination for his work as a teacher trying and failing to manage and mask his drug addiction. At 26, Gosling had already transitioned from child actor to terrifyingly intense turns in Believer and the aforementioned Murder By Numbers. The success of The Notebook offered another path of soft mainstream dramas, but Gosling’s ability to play vulnerable and damaged while still exuding a naturalistic charm in Half Nelson created a career off-ramp. This doubtlessly led to more varied and interesting scenic route with roles in Lars And The Real Girl, Blue Valentine, and Drive. – Tabrys

9. The Notebook (2004)

On paper, the choice between Ryan Gosling and James Marsden in The Notebook is a no-brainer. One’s a broke war vet fixing up a rotting house in the hopes that his teenage sweetheart might one day come back to him. The other’s a rich, handsome suitor with some serious dance moves and an endless amount of patience. Sorry to Noah Calhoun, but if Gosling hadn’t infused the character with unlimited amounts of visceral yearning and desperate desire, Rachel McAdams wouldn’t have imploded her life for that man. And we would’ve supported her in that choice. – Toomer

8. Lars And The Real Girl (2007)

Lars And The Real Girl goes from being a movie about a socially awkward man weirding out his family and community by introducing a life-sized doll as his girlfriend to a surprisingly tender story about what it takes, sometimes, to draw someone out of their shell. Gosling is deft in his portrayal of a character who is lost in a fiction he builds for himself until he finds something that might just be really real. – Tabrys

7. Crazy Stupid Love (2011)

Gosling takes his “Hey Girl” meme-ergy to the extreme in this silly rom-com that’s experiencing a bit of a resurgence thanks to TikTok. Here he plays Jacob, an uber-wealthy playboy dripping in charisma and designer suits who somehow agrees to give Steve Carell’s divorced dad, Cal, a makeover. That mostly involves tossing his New Balance sneakers in the trash and teaching him to chat up women using Dirty Dancing references, but things get complicated when Jacob unknowingly falls for Cal’s daughter (played by repeat collaborator Emma Stone). With his photoshopped abs and sensual scarfing down of a slice of pizza, Gosling leans into the womanizing vibes, but finds a surprising amount of vulnerability in the character that elevates the whole thing. – Toomer

6. The Fall Guy (2024)

Though it’s technically a remake of a popular ‘80s TV show and a salute to the underappreciated stunt community, The Fall Guy mostly feels like a rom-com with an action twist, an oft-attempted (Ghosted, The Lost City) and rarely well-executed genremash. But where others have failed, this one absolutely delivers thanks to the off-the-charts chemistry of Gosling and Emily Blunt. One part Ken and one part Holland March from The Nice Guys, Gosling’s Colt Seavers is a perfectly goofy, well-meaning himbo head over heels in love and eager to save the day for Blunt’s director character while also getting thrust into a little sleuthing in between his stunts. We don’t know how likely a sequel is to The Fall Guy, but this amalgamation feels like Gosling’s most perfect form, especially if he’s happiest playing fun roles and avoiding some of the more tortured characters he played in the past. – Tabrys

5. La La Land (2016)

Nearly a decade ago, Ryan Gosling saved jazz. He did it by tapping into those Mickey Mouse Club roots to play Sebastian “Seb” Wilder, a struggling pianist whose entire personality can be summed up as “white guy, loves jazz.” And yet, despite his lack of a well-paying job, his dismal career prospects, and the aimless nature of his life, Gosling’s chemistry with star Emma Stone more than convinces us that dating an LA creative might actually be a good idea. In La La Land, the actor harnesses every tool in his artistic arsenal to give us a swoon-worthy love story with a bitter-sweet ending. It’s almost enough to excuse that Oscar’s gaffe. – Toomer

4. Blue Valentine (2010)

The heartrending destruction of a marriage is shown in great detail with Gosling and Michelle Williams playing a couple living through the tragedy of growing apart while also showing us the origins of their heady love story. From writer/director Derek Cianfrance, Blue Valentine is a deeply affecting film and a labor of love for Cianfrance, Gosling, and Williams that they nurtured for years. While the term disaster film is typically reserved for ones where cities are decimated by space aliens or earthquakes, this also fits, showing a kind of devastation that’ll hit in a more personal way for anyone who has ever felt love slip away from their grasp. – Tabrys

3. Drive (2011)

That scorpion jacket, that thumping neon-dream soundtrack, the balletic car chases, and the contrast between near wordlessness and thunderous violence from Gosling’s wheelman turned protector – you could make a case that Drive is Gosling’s best work, but you’d die on a hill defending it as his coolest. A hyper-stylized neo-noir LA crime story with big nods to Michael Mann films and westerns, Drive commits the sin of wanting to be iconic, but it also accomplishes that feat with Gosling at the center of it all in what was and will forever be a star-making turn. Eminently re-watchable, Drive lingers in the corner reminding us of Gosling’s sharp edge even as we fall deeper and deeper in love with the idea of him as, to quote Brian Grubb, “a charming lil goofball.” – Tabrys

2. The Nice Guys (2016)

Written and directed by Shane Black and cut from the same cloth as his Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, Nice Guys takes us to the ‘70s, introducing us to a pair of PIs who go too hard and play too loose while bumbling through their day to day. Pushed together by circumstance, they annoy each other to the point of violence and deception before, somehow, breaking the case. It’s an odd pairing, Gosling and Russell Crowe, each at very different stages in their career and neither really known for their comedic chops. But the subversion of a “type” is such a beautiful thing and something Gosling keeps doing over and over again in winning performances that make us long for more. – Tabrys

1. Barbie (2023)

Mojo Dojo Casa Houses. Mini fridge meltdowns. Singin’ in the Rain-style dance-offs. His sincere utterance of the phrase “Just Beach.” It’s almost misogynistic how good Ryan Gosling is in this movie. As Ken, Barbie’s himbo sidekick perpetually longing for the warmth of her blue-eyed gaze, Gosling is both in on the joke, and the joke itself. His entire performance is an exaggerated wink to camera, the consequence of a Hollywood heartthrob happy to objectify himself for the collective good. His comedic timing is a thing of beauty, his ability to “play dumb, look pretty” entirely unmatched. And yet, for all the laughs, Gosling genuinely sympathizes with Ken and the unrealistic standards he has – for himself and his relationship with a plastic doll craving sentience and independence. And he makes us feel for Ken too, despite all the horse-girl propaganda and Matchbox Twenty ballads. Gosling didn’t have to Ken that hard, but cinema is all the better for it. – Toomer

David Beckham was not afraid to call out his wife, Victoria, on their Netflix special, Beckham, when the former “Posh Spice” (falsely) claimed to have grown up “working class.” To Victoria’s credit, she handled that moment well, which probably says plenty about their cheeky dynamic and long-lasting (especially by Hollywood standards) marriage. Also, they weathered that reported Tom Cruise breakdancing, which is surely not the most unexpected sight that they have seen together.

To briefly recap the “be honest” moment, that was the reaction that David had while cameras were rolling for a Victoria interview. The former professional footballer was not supposed to be at home, but of course, David proved everyone wrong by coyly busting in as soon as Victoria made that claim.

In case you missed that Netflix moment, feel free to relive it.

Via Hollywood Reporter, Beckham (during an awards-season consideration event over the weekend) looked back at this moment alongside director Fisher Stevens, who was apparently “very angry with me” for his unscripted moment:

“It was Victoria’s first day filming, and she was sat there in the lounge, looking great. She had the dogs running in and out and Fisher thought that I’d left the house, but I was in the kitchen making a coffee before I went to the office … I put the set of headphones on, and all of a sudden I heard my wife go, ‘Well, we’re down to earth.’ … And I was like, ‘No, no, no.’ As soon as I heard her say, ‘We’re working class,’ I stuck my head in and I was like, ‘Be honest.’”

Fisher then admitted to being “quite upset” that David had interrupted the interview, “but it actually turned out to be brilliant.” Very quickly, he did realize, “We have gold, I think.’” Finally, the world realizes that Beckham is actually very funny. You can watch the remarks on video below.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)

It has often been said that rap is wrestling — i.e., that the tangled web of feuds and over-the-top personalities that make up hip-hop’s galaxy of stars is just a reflection of similar rivalries in the world of sports entertainment. But now, Drake and Kendrick Lamar have the opportunity to make the saying literal, as the WWE’s Shawn Michaels has invited them onto the promotion’s NXT brand to settle their differences with Michaels as mediator. Now that would actually be exciting.

Of course, considering the WWE has just entered its “Triple H” era — titled after the stage name of chief content officer Paul Levesque, who took over for the ousted Vince McMahon — there’s a non-zero chance that all of this was just a kayfabe buildup for an in-ring rivalry for the two rap superstars. After all, there are only so many achievements left for them in their chosen field, so why not branch out?

(I’m only sort of joking here —- obviously, there’s got to be some real bad blood after Kendrick accused Drake of pedophilia while Drake insinuated Kendrick’s kids are his, but wouldn’t it be hilarious if they had really been planning this all along?)

They wouldn’t be the first music stars to enter the ring; in recent years, Snoop Dogg has dished out haymakers to The Miz, and Bad Bunny has frog-splashed Damien Priest into oblivion. So, it wouldn’t be completely out of the realm of possibility to see Drake and Kendrick don some tights and come to (scripted, but no less painful) blows.

The NBA Playoffs have gone from 16 teams to eight now that the first round has been completed, meaning half of the teams that got to the the playoffs have officially started their offseason.

A first round exit can affect teams differently, depending on what the expectations were on them coming into the year. For a young team like the Orlando Magic, this feels like the building block to something else and a lesson on what’s needed to reach the next level. For banged up teams like the Sixers and Bucks, it’s a disappointing end that will lead to “what if?” thoughts and force them to sort through what gets fixed if they’re healthy and what still needs to be addressed even if they were at full strength. And then for a veteran team like the Phoenix Suns, with cap space tied up and little in the way of flexibility, there’s an awful lot of soul-searching required because reinforcements aren’t on the way.

The common thread, no matter what stage you fall in as a team, is that there is clearly improvement needed as a team to accomplish your goals. As a front office, the task is to figure out how to address those areas of need that were exposed at the playoff level with the resources you have available this summer. Here, we’ll highlight a trade or free agency target for the eight teams eliminated in the first round, as they look to bounce back in 2024-25.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers are a mess and have a lot of uncertainty to deal with this offseason. Paul George and James Harden can both be unrestricted free agents and if they lose either or both, they still won’t have any cap space to replace them. That puts a lot of pressure on them to make the right decisions about what to offer those stars, and there’s reportedly trepidation on their end to give George a full four-year max. That’s understandable, but the alternatives aren’t great. The truth is, there isn’t an obvious fix to this Clippers team. They’ve always had talent, it just has never coalesced into much of anything. Lawrence Frank said Monday they won’t just try running it back, but also noted they want to bring back Harden and George if they can.

My guess is, if they can bring those two back, they’ll look at a trade involving Norman Powell to bring in some frontcourt help. The rotation behind Ivica Zubac was a real problem and after investing so heavily on the wing in recent years, it might be a good idea to try and parlay some of that into some more floor balance. If the Magic (who we’ll get to in a bit) are willing to part with one of their bigs, Powell could be a good fit going back to Orlando as they really need shooting. Jonathan Isaac looked very good in spurts coming back from injury, and is a DPOY caliber guy, just with health concerns. If the Magic are set on keeping Isaac, maybe Wendell Carter Jr. is more expendable and would be a very nice addition to the L.A. frontcourt, particularly with the way he’s grown as a shooter.

If that doesn’t come to fruition, I think they’ve got to look at adding some depth behind Ivica Zubac in free agency. Precious Achiuwa might not be a priority in New York given their frontcourt rotation is a strength, so maybe he’d be available and would provide them with some energy off the bench. That’s not exactly a “change the team’s trajectory” signing, but as we’ve learned by now, no one available for the minimum will.

Target:Wendell Carter Jr. (trade), Precious Achiuwa (free agency)

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers enter this offseason feeling an awful lot like they did a year ago, this time losing to the Nuggets in five close games instead of four. They will once again be attached to plenty of trade rumors, with both of the Atlanta Hawks star guards (Trae Young and Dejounte Murray) being potential targets. I’m not totally sold they’ll be able to pull off a big swing via trade, but if they are bringing back LeBron James I’d expect them to at least try. I’m not sold on Murray being the answer, but I would guess he’s more available than Young, particularly given what the Lakers have to offer.

From a free agency standpoint, they won’t have any real money to throw around, but whether they make a splashy trade for backcourt help or not, they have got to figure out a viable backup center behind Anthony Davis. Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood, and Mo Bamba simply were not functional options for playoff basketball, and while it’s not easy to find good help on the vet min market, I think Andre Drummond would be a genuine upgrade (even if he’s not a ceiling raiser) for a Lakers team extremely light on size in the middle.

Target: Dejounte Murray (trade), Andre Drummond (free agency)

Miami Heat

Things are going to get interesting quickly in Miami, as they have a big decision to make regarding Jimmy Butler extension talks. At this point, it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen, and they have to figure out what the short- and long-term are going to look like for the franchise. The Heat will almost assuredly be in the mix once again for a star guard via trade, but after swinging and missing last year on Damian Lillard, the trade package they’ll be shopping didn’t really gain much more value. On Monday, Riley indicated Miami may be focused less on star chasing than they are on acquiring depth. So, what does a Miami offseason that’s more about depth than stars look like?

Well, there’s not much money to spend, but they need to add more players that can be trusted in the postseason. Their depth took a hit this year and while the backcourt figures to be where they look on the trade market, I think generally they need more “Heat guys” around their core group. One guy who would fit the bill would be Naji Marshall, who morphed into a good shooter on top of being a very strong defender this year, and would be a wing I think Erik Spoelstra would very much enjoy having in his rotation.

Target: Naji Marshall (free agency)

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks have some work to do this summer, even understanding their three stars weren’t healthy in their early exit. Their depth was always going to be a question, and their defense was a real issue from start to finish this season. Milwaukee can’t make wholesale changes to this roster, but they should be looking to find some 3-and-D depth on the wing and maybe an upgrade in the frontcourt.

I think it’s possible they look to do so by trading Bobby Portis, who had a rough series and was on the block at the deadline. The Bucks might feel they can address the backup big man position more easily than getting wing help with what they have available in free agency. If so, they might take a look around the league and see if Portis plus a young player might net them some more immediate help. Dorian Finney-Smith would fit the bill financially, and would provide some of what the Bucks need in terms of more defensive versatility, while still providing a spacing threat.

Target: Dorian Finney-Smith (trade)

New Orleans Pelicans

We saw against the Thunder the limitations of this New Orleans offense as currently constructed. Even if Zion Williamson is on the floor, they really lack a player that creates for others. Brandon Ingram’s struggles and looming free agency next year make things very interesting, as the Pelicans will need to decide soon if he’s part of the long-term future or if they’d be better off moving him for some help in a position of weakness while letting Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III step into larger roles. That is what I would do, but what you get back for Ingram is a bit of a mystery. He’s clearly talented, but his skillset is not one that every team is clamoring for and his value certainly took a hit with his postseason run.

So, what if the Pelicans are dangling Ingram and picks for another star who maybe isn’t in a perfect fit with their current team? I think my first call this summer if I’m David Griffin is to my old team in Cleveland, and see whether they’re willing to split up their guard duo to bring in some more balance on the wing. Donovan Mitchell was incredible to close out their series with the Magic, but his future in Cleveland has been a question for a bit. I think there’s a decent chance the Cavs are able to re-sign Mitchell, but if they do, given how this year went, I’m not sure they’ll want to keep Mitchell paired with Darius Garland long-term. If I’m the Pelicans, I’d be happy with either one, but I think Garland would be a particularly tremendous fit in New Orleans. He struggled after returning from injury this year and never really found his fit back in the lineup with Cleveland, and a fresh start might be good for all parties involved in this deal.

Target: Darius Garland (trade)

Orlando Magic

The Magic have to feel the best out of all the teams in this group, with a talented young core and a lot of cap space. What I think they need the most — a veteran point guard who can shoot — isn’t something I really see available at this moment. It’s possible we could see Chris Paul hit the market and be an option to fill that void (but he might be more interested in a more veteran contender), but the ideal guy (Mike Conley or, while he doesn’t let it fly all that much, TJ McConnell) just won’t be out there to sign. Plus those two won’t likely be considered for trade.

As such, I think they’ll look for shooting. As I noted above, there are guys that they might be able to trade for (Norman Powell being one of them), while Klay Thompson is a name already attached to Orlando’s free agency wishlist. I actually think they look a little more north and try to pry Malik Monk out of Sacramento. Monk fits the Magic’s timeline a little better than Thompson and gives them more on-ball juice than Klay at this stage of his career. Having a more reliable microwave type scorer, who can also serve as a spot-up threat around Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner when not leading a bench unit, would be an upgrade for the Magic as they look to continue moving up the East standings next year.

Target: Malik Monk (free agency)

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers got tremendous efforts from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, but their two stars simply didn’t get enough support. Tobias Harris is the biggest culprit there, averaging under 10 points per game in the first round, and with him coming off the books, they’ll be looking to upgrade his spot. There are other roster needs on this team beyond a wing upgrade (they still need a more reliable backup center than Paul Reed, especially when going up against a bigger team like New York), but wing is where they will start.

With the Sixers being in an incredible position of having max cap space this summer thanks to Maxey being an RFA (who will get a max deal after they use that space), they can go big game hunting to add a third star either in free agency or via trade. The name everyone is connecting to Philly is Paul George, and he certainly seems like an ideal fit for this Sixers squad between Maxey and Embiid. If George does end up re-signing in L.A. (or goes elsewhere), then things get real interesting because the Sixers have a lot of money that they won’t have again and will need to use it to make a long-term impact, either via free agency or in a trade.

Target: Paul George (free agency)

Phoenix Suns:

Finally, we have the Suns, a team with very few options this summer, but an awful lot of improvement needed. That’s a tough combination, and after Mat Ishbia and James Jones’ comments coming out of their first round sweep against Minnesota, it sure seems like the plan is to run it back. Maybe they try to find a trade involving Jusuf Nurkic to bring in some help, but given they have no picks to offer, any trade has to be with another contender, and I’m having a tough time finding a contender that would want to bring in Nurkic (that doesn’t mean it can’t happen, I’m just not seeing it).

Truthfully, there just aren’t many avenues to upgrade this roster other than going back to the vet minimum well. That doesn’t usually work well, but one position they have to address is point guard. There are a handful of options they could go with, whether that’s Patrick Beverley, Delon Wright, or Kris Dunn. I’ll go with Dunn, who had a nice year in Utah and would give them someone at least capable of running a second unit. If he’s willing to take a vet minimum, that’d be one heck of a value.

Target: Kris Dunn (free agency)

There are some movies that could only have been made in the ’90s, simply because the premise is just too insane to work now. A movie where you have to keep driving a bus or else it will explode is just insane enough to work in 1994, because in 2024 that bus might have been a Tesla and could have already exploded before it left a lot.

Speed is a perfect storm of weirdness tied together by Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock’s infectious charm. The film follows SWAT officer Jack (Reeves) as he tries to save a bus full of civilians (including Bullock) after a bomb is triggered to detonate if the bus goes below 50 mph.

At the end of the movie, the two leads share a kiss, despite barely looking at each other the entire time. Bullock and Reeves joined the podcast 50 MPH to celebrate the movie’s 30th anniversary, and Bullock admits the ending was a little unexpected.

“We didn’t really look at each other in this movie except for maybe three times, three or four times where there was just — because we were constantly battling the elements,” she said. “And I think that’s what made it so electric, too, is that, watching it, I guess you want them to connect. So, that was really clever, a really clever setup to sort of, you know, keep people apart. Foreplay, I guess.”

Even more unexpected than the ending was the films’ success. Speed went on to become a cult classic, win two Oscars and helped launch Bullock and Reeves’ friendship.

Reeves added that the two were able to be so convincing because the stakes felt a little real. Reeves added, “I think, you know, working with Sandy and being in that moment, you know, making — being able to pretend at such a believable way at heightened circumstances. You know, going into that bandwidth of, like, ‘Oh, my God! Oh, my God! What are we doing?’” Now, Reeves is really used to fast cars, so he knows what he’s doing.

(Via IndieWire)