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The Cleveland Cavaliers had a very eventful offseason a summer ago when they made a big splash by trading for Donovan Mitchell. That had the intended effect on the team in the regular season, as they earned the 4-seed in the East, but unfortunately for the Cavs they were unable to capitalize on their star power come playoff time, getting bounced in five games by the Knicks in a series that laid bare their shortcomings.

Two things stood out in that series, with the first being the need for internal improvement from their star frontcourt when things get more physical in the postseason. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley struggled mightily to keep the Knicks less-heralded bigs off the glass, as Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein dominated the offensive boards to effectively swing the series in New York’s favor. While that’s something that has to be addressed internally, there was also a clear hole in their wing rotation, as they simply didn’t have a reliable fifth starter, much less a bench wing that wasn’t a liability on one end or the other. Isaac Okoro’s shooting remains an issue for him, Caris LeVert gives up size on defense, and Cedi Osman was decidedly not the answer on either end. That message was heard loud and clear by the Cavs front office, that spent the summer looking to address their wing rotation in a big way to help alleviate the pressure on their core four.

Here we’ll grade out the Cavs offseason moves in the Draft, free agency and contract extensions, and on the trade market.

Draft: C+

The Cavs didn’t have a first round pick due to the Donovan Mitchell trade, and used their lone second rounder on Emoni Bates out of Eastern Michigan. The former highly rated prospect has had a rough past few years, struggling to find his place after a stint at Memphis and then returning home, and he simply never quite filled out physically to where he looked to be headed as a young high school prospect. Still, there’s clearly talent there as he showed in Summer League, and it’s a low-risk addition on a two-way for the Cavaliers to see if maybe they can bring the best out of him. It’s not a pick that figures to pay dividends this year (or even next), but it’s a perfectly understandable swing.

Free Agency/Contract Extensions: B+

The Cavs moved quickly to re-sign LeVert, bringing back the two-guard on a 2-year, $32 million deal. LeVert had a very solid regular season, averaging 12.1 points per game and shot 39.4 percent from distance. The playoffs were a bit rocky, but he was far from alone in struggling in that series for Cleveland. To give him some help in the wing rotation, the Cavaliers also signed Georges Niang to a 3-year, $26 million deal, poaching him from Philadelphia after a strong season as a knockdown shooter for the Sixers, shooting over 40 percent from deep, and becoming a better defender — which, again, finding guys that aren’t total liabilities on one end or the other had to be a priority for the Cavs. They also signed Ty Jerome to a minimum deal, as he comes off a strong shooting year in Golden State, providing another shooter for the regular season rotation.

Trades: A-

Their one trade was landing Max Strus in a sign-and-trade from Miami, as the sharpshooting wing capitalized on another strong playoff showing with the Heat to get a 4-year, $63 million deal from Cleveland. The Cavs sent Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, and a second rounder to San Antonio, with another second going to Miami. Strus is a considerable upgrade on Osman and Stevens, particularly with an eye on the playoffs. Last year, Cleveland’s main concern was building a team that could get them to the postseason. This year, they clearly recognized the need to build a team better suited for actually winning once they get there. It’s not all that dissimilar from how the Nuggets approached their offseason a year ago, sacrificing a bit of regular season depth to build a deeper playoff rotation with players that are trustworthy on the big stage. Now, the Cavs don’t have a Nikola Jokic so I’m not saying they’ve built a title contender, but I do think they’ve addressed the biggest roster need in a very successful way with Strus and Niang. The question now is whether Allen and Mobley can take the step forward in the frontcourt they need to in order to deal with the playoff physicality inside. If so, this is a team that will be a threat in the East. If not, next summer likely brings more changes and puts Allen on the trade market.

Before he decamped for the DCEU, James Gunn enjoyed one last hurrah with Marvel. This year’s summer movie season kicked off with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which closed out the most eccentric wing of the MCU. You’ll probably see some of the gang again; the final post-credits scene sure makes it seem like Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord will be back in some fashion. As for the film itself, if you missed it in theaters, you won’t have to wait long for it to be on streaming.

Since Marvel is owned by Disney, the third Guardians will first wind up on Disney+. But when will that be exactly?

The answer, as per Digital Spy, is Wednesday, August 2.

When the first Guardians of the Galaxy was released in 2014, it was the MCU’s 10th-ever film. It also featured an eclectic crew who wouldn’t join the Avengers for another few years, namely with 2017’s Infinity War. (Some good that did: It was Peter Quill who let his emotions get the better of him and obstruct the team from defeating Thanos, leading to that infamous snap.)

It was also the strangest Marvel movie at the time, with strong traces of Gunn’s early days at the legendary exploitation house that is Troma. It loosened up the franchise, paving the way for Taika Waititi’s to take the Thor wing in sillier directions.

The third and final Guardians entry is arguably the strangest yet, filled with scores of violence, tons of deaths, and a backstory about the Bradley Cooper-voiced Rocket Racoon that’s unexpectedly tearjerking. Disney+ subscribers are free to enjoy it starting August 2.

(Via Digital Spy)

Just when the whispers of the Drake curse began to fade away, his latest comments have sports fans on edge. On Saturday, July 29, during Drake and 21 Savage’s It’s All A Blur Tour stop at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, his special guest reignited the sports fan superstition.

In an attempt to show love to a sports hero in the DMV area, Drake decided to bring out Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. However, the seemingly kind gesture had Ravens running to social media. While introducing the athlete to the sold-out crowd, Drake threw his arm around Jackson and said, “This is my quarterback Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, yeah,” to which backlash ensued.

“No tf it ain’t! You not cursing us with your loser energy,” wrote one person.

Another added, “If Drake curses this man’s season, so help me God.”

“Aww man, Drizzy Drake wyd man?? Too much attention we cooking right now,” nervously penned another.

One person posted, “If the Drake curse affects Lamar Jackson, I promise imma give that address to my driver and make it my destination.”

“Either we’ll be undefeated or complete ass after this one, lmao,” wrote one.

“Doesn’t he have some curse affiliated with him whenever he attaches himself to a team? Naw, Drake, he is NOT your QB; we’re good over here,” wrote another.

Meanwhile one fan completely lost faith in the team’s potential to make it to the Superbowl, writing, “Welp, it’s”over for the season.”

The Indiana Pacers were just outside the Play-In picture in the East a year ago, but that was still a strong season for a team many had pegged as a potential tank candidate entering the year. Tyrese Haliburton emerged as an All-Star, Myles Turner continues to fight off trade rumors and inked a new extension in Indy, and they have a number of intriguing young players, headlined by All-Rookie selections Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard.

This is a team that hopes to enter that Play-In conversation in the East this year, as they set out to use their cap space to lure some veteran help to a young squad take that step forward. There is clearly no plan for a lengthy rebuild in Indiana, as they’d like to get back into the playoff hunt sooner than later, believing they have their young star of the future in Haliburton and are now setting off on working to surround him with the complementary talent needed to get back to where they spent years as a mid-seed in the East.

Here we’ll grade Indiana’s offseason work from the Draft, free agency and contract extensions, and the trade market to accomplish that goal this summer.

Draft: B

With two first round picks, the Pacers were able to attack two areas of need on their roster by attempting to add more defense and more shooting. After moving down one spot from No. 7 to No. 8 in a deal with Washington that netted them two future seconds, the Pacers selected Jarace Walker out of Houston, adding one of the top defensive prospects in the draft in the form of a big, physical forward with versatility on that end. At No. 26, they took a swing on a fast riser in Ben Sheppard out of Belmont, who is a terrific shooter. Our Brad Rowland gave the Pacers a B+ for Walker and a B- for Sheppard on Draft night, explaining his grades as follows.

Indiana was able to extract extra capital from Washington and still got the player they likely would have taken at No. 7. Walker isn’t a terribly sexy prospect offensively, but he is a very strong passer for his size with an emerging skill level that brings on intrigue. His primary appeal is defense, with an NBA-ready physical strength and feel to defend multiple positions, which is one of the Pacers biggest needs.
…
What a rise for Ben Sheppard. He was almost entirely off the mainstream radar during the season, but the upperclassman from Belmont brings a dynamic overall skill set. He is a modern player with his shooting and movement skills.

Free Agency/Contract Extensions: A-

The Pacers made two big moves once the league year opened, with the first being the signing of Bruce Brown, swiping arguably the hottest commodity on the free agent market with a 2-year, $45 million deal (with a team option for the second year). Brown, coming off of a season where he was a key cog in the Nuggets championship run, cashed in on his popularity as the most sought after mid-level talent and got a deal worth nearly double the mid-level in Indiana, who were willing to pay the tax all rebuilding teams must to add well-respected veterans to their roster. While it’s certainly more money than most anticipated Brown getting, I think it’s a good short-term deal from the Pacers to ahnd out, not all that different from when the Sixers gave JJ Redick a similar two-year deal when they were trying to break free from the lean years of The Process and take a step forward. For a team desperate to find some floor balance between a high-octane offense and a rather woeful defense, Brown is an ideal addition. They have a great rim protector in Myles Turner, but had little in the way of perimeter defense or versatility, and get that in Brown. If it works, they’ll have him for two years and if for some reason they take a step back, they can move him or flat out release him next year.

The other move was giving Tyrese Haliburton a 5-year, $207 million max extension, which brings some sticker shock but for a young guard that averaged a 20/10 double-double, shot 40 percent from three, and became a first-time All-Star last year, it’s a very solid deal. Haliburton is the guy the Pacers want to build around and he seems thrilled to be there. Now the task is to build something great around him, but they’re already making those efforts

Trades: B+

Aside from the shuffle down on Draft night, the Pacers have only made one other trade this offseason but I think it was a very solid deal to take a swing on Obi Toppin, flipping two second round picks to New York to land the former lottery pick. Toppin has had ups and downs in New York and wasn’t a particularly good fit for how the Knicks play, in large part due to his scratchy shooting from three-point range (although he posted a career-best 34.9 percent from deep a year ago). In Indiana, he figures to be in an ideal fit with a team that likes to get up and down the floor and run in a way the Knicks don’t, and his athleticism in the frontcourt will be a welcome boost to the Pacers rotation. There’s little downside to the move from Indiana, as they’ll get a year to figure out what Toppin could be for them before he hits restricted free agency while only moving a pair of future seconds (making this summer a net neutral in terms of future picks acquired and traded). Toppin isn’t a massive addition that makes them a playoff contender suddenly, but he’s the type of player a team like Indiana should be taking a swing on and there’s a chance he pops with the Pacers in a way he didn’t in New York simply because of the difference in how the two teams play.

Overall, this felt like a very good summer for the Pacers, albeit this is the time where it’s easy to have positive feelings about moves. There’s little in the way of expectations and they pretty clearly made their roster better. The question, of course, is how much better they are compared to the rest of the East and how far they can climb the standings. Once that’s answered, the far more difficult task begins of how to take the next leap, where there’s far more competition.

The 2024 Hollywood Walk Of Fame inductees list has been revealed, and Dr. Dre, Gwen Stefani, and Def Leppard are amongst the 31-person list of honorees. Last year, Stefani delivered her speech as she joined her husband, country music star Blake Stelton, during the ceremony to reveal his placement among the legends.

Dre himself has attended several ceremonies in the past when his friends were being acknowledged by the organizing committee, including the ones for 50 Cent (2020), Ice Cube (2017), and Snoop Dogg (2018). Now, all eyes are on him as the producer will bring out a host of special guests when his ceremony is held.

Brandy Norwood, Charles Fox, Darius Rucker, Glen Ballard, Sammy Hagar, and Toni Braxton round out the rest of the new inductees. However, those aren’t the only musicians to be honored next year. The late Otis Redding will also receive his posthumous star. Instead of being recognized for his impactful music career, the soul legend is being honored for his contributions to live theater. The same goes for Sheryl Lee Ralph, whose career started in musical theatre. Ralph is being acknowledged in the television category.

Although the official date of the ceremony has not been revealed, radio personality Ellen K shared her excitement for the big day as an official selection committee member. “The committee did an amazing job choosing these very talented people,” said Ellen. “We can’t wait to see each honoree’s reaction as they realize that they are becoming a part of Hollywood’s history with the unveiling of their star on the world’s most famous walkway.”

Fun fact: Did you know Rudy Giuliani was once Donald Trump’s cybersecurity adviser? It was an informal role, but for a time it was the former “America’s Mayor” — and the future instigator of such blunders as the Four Seasons Total Landscaping debacle and the wine lady witness — who was going to keep America safe from foreign online interference. Jump to the summer of 2023 and here’s a sample of what the same guy is doing on social media.

On Sunday, Giuliani took to Twitter (or X, or whatever it’s called now) to share an article from conservative writer Joe Hoft, whose bibliography includes multiple books claiming, as Rudy has, that the 2020 election was stolen. The piece airs Giuliani’s recent denial that he denied there was interference in Georgia’s wing of that election. Fair enough. But far more interesting was the text of the tweet, which goes like this:

“FAKE%20NEWS%20%26%238211%3B%20Rudy%20Giuliani%20Says%20It%5C%27s%20Fake%20News%20%26%238211%3B%20He%20Made%20No%20Admission%20in%20Georgia%20Election%20Crimes%20Case”

It’s almost certainly part of a link. How only part of a link wound up in the body of a tweet is anyone’s guess, but this is the guy who once hosted a press conference while black mystery goo drizzled down his head, so what do you expect?

Rudy’s tweet certainly caught people’s attention.

There were plenty of jokes.

Of course, Giuliani has suffered bigger humiliations before. After all this is the guy who torched his career for a guy who wouldn’t even help out with the financial woes he accrued while doing his bidding.

The Milwaukee Bucks came into this offseason with some apparent work to do after getting upset by the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs. That performance led to Mike Budenholzer’s firing, prompting the team to hire Adrian Griffin out of Toronto, hoping that a new voice can bring something more out of this core and freshen things up offensively.

With a new coach in place, the focus then shifted to retain their biggest free agents and then make moves on the periphery to build out their bench rotation. While there was some wonder if the Bucks might try to make some sort of bigger change to their roster, they chose instead to run it back and hope a new coaching staff can bring out their best again in the postseason. What remains to be seen is whether they’ll take any steps back in the regular season, where Budenholzer had turned them into a machine, amid a change in system, but that’s a sacrifice they’re willing to make if they think they can become more dynamic (and less prone to upsets) come playoff time.

Here we’ll grade out their work this offseason in the Draft, free agency and contract extensions, and on the trade market.

Draft: B

The Bucks, like any capped out contender, has to find ways to add talent through the draft to bolster the end of their rotation. This year Milwaukee traded up for the 36th overall pick to take Andre Jackson Jr. out of UConn before using the last pick in the draft, No. 58 overall, to take Chris Livingston out of Kentucky. Jackson was a key piece of the Huskies title team a year ago serving as a solid connector offensively and a good defender. Like many of the second round wings that got drafted this year, his biggest question is whether he can develop as a shooter to provide the spacing teams crave out of wings. Livingston likewise is a big wing with a strong defensive profile given his strength and athleticism, but also has questions about his offensive impact after a rocky season at Kentucky. The Bucks will hope one of them can pop and become a part of their rotation in the future, even if they’ll likely both spend plenty of time in the G League.

Free Agency/Contract Extensions: B

The most important part of the Bucks offseason was keeping Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez long-term, as there was simply no way for them to replace either’s production should they walk. Middleton was seen as a formality and quickly signed a 3-year, $102 million deal, but Lopez took a long look at Houston before finally agreeing to a 2-year, $48 million deal to return to the Bucks. It’s hard to overstate Lopez’s impact defensively, as he was a worthy DPOY finalist a year ago and is the anchor that allows Giannis Antetokounmpo to roam and Jrue Holiday to pressure opposing guards relentlessly, knowing if they get beat Lopez is always there to clean things up at the rim. His unique ability to be an elite rim protector while also spacing the floor on offense to create space for Giannis and others makes him a necessity to this current roster. Had they seen him walk to Houston, this offseason would’ve been a minor disaster for Milwaukee, but with him (and Middleton) back, it’s pretty much a success.

From there, the Bucks turned to the vet minimum market to fill out the roster, re-signing Jae Crowder, signing Malik Beasley after he was let go by the Lakers, and adding Brook’s twin brother, Robin, for some frontcourt depth. There is still a very real question about the backup point guard spot after Jevon Carter left for Chicago on the taxpayer midlevel after a strong year in Milwaukee. He has not been replaced as of yet, and for a team that already has issues with their offense bogging down in the halfcourt, not having a clear backup guard who can run things is a concern. Still, overall the Bucks did what they needed to this summer in free agency to keep their core intact and give themselves a chance to once again be among the East’s top teams, even if the roster isn’t perfect.

Trades: INC

The Bucks have not gotten involved in the trade market at all this summer aside from landing the 36th pick from Orlando for a 2030 second round pick, doing all of their work in free agency to bolster the roster.

Last week, Harry Styles might hagve said goodbye to the demands of life on the road after wrapping up his Love On Tour in Italy. However, some things aren’t as easy to walk away from, especially past romantic endeavors. Fans online have speculated that despite his rumored fling with Emily Ratajkowski, he could still have some lingering feelings for his Don’t Worry Darling co-star Olivia Wilde.

In a picture shared by Pop Crave, Styles has a thigh tattoo of the actress’ name. Based on how healed the area is, it’s clear that this isn’t new ink. Wilde and Styles reportedly dated for two years, splitting before their on-screen debut hit theaters.

After the image was posted to the account, people flooded the platform with mixed responses to the image. One wrote, “I know that’s right,” cheering on the body art.

Others emphasized that no one should get worked up over it, as Styles and Wilde are no longer an item, writing, “It’s not new he had it over a year ago. They broke up months ago. It’s obviously old.”

Another pointed out that a 2015 song by Styles’ former group One Direction by the name could have been the true catalyst of the singer’s ink. “Ok and? I would’ve gotten the same tattoo when this banger dropped,” penned the person.

When the Denver Broncos hired Nathaniel Hackett in 2022 they did so in part hoping he could help them lure Aaron Rodgers out of Green Bay given his close connection to the MVP quarterback from their time together with the Packers. That didn’t happen and instead the Broncos went out and traded for Russell Wilson, who had a disastrous year that was not aided by Hackett struggling to run the team and make timely decisions in games.

Hackett was fired late in the season and new Broncos coach Sean Payton made waves last week when he ripped Hackett for what he called “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL.” While Payton has since tried to walk back those comments (and a shot taken at the Jets in the same interview), he’s certainly made a few enemies in the Jets camp. Robert Saleh took exception to Payton’s comments about his team last week, and on Sunday Aaron Rodgers made it clear that he was furious with how Payton threw Hackett under the bus, calling his comments “out of line” in a sitdown with Peter Schrager on NFL+.

“I thought it was way out of line, inappropriate, and I think he needs to keep my coach’s name out of his mouth,” Rodgers said. He would add that Hackett was arguably his favorite coach he’s played for in his NFL career, noting he loves Hackett and still speaks with him regularly. Rodgers then turned the comments around and noted he felt Payton was trying to deflect blame towards the previous regime in case the Broncos fall short again this season.

“It made me feel bad that someone (Payton) who’s accomplished a lot in the league is that insecure that they have to take another man down to set themselves up for some sort of easy fall if it doesn’t go well for that team this year,” Rodgers said.

The Jets and Broncos will meet in Week 5 of this season, and Payton has ensured Rodgers and the Jets will be preparing for that game with their full attention to try and deliver a message in Denver.

The rebranding of X, formerly known as Twitter, has seen the return of some who had left the platform, some by force. One of the most notable one is Kanye West, or Ye. His account was suspended in December 2022, but on Saturday, July 29, West’s Twitter account has been reinstated. However, according to WSJ, he had to make a few promises beforehand to make it so.

An anonymous source told the publication, “After receiving reassurance that he wouldn’t use the platform to share antisemitic or otherwise harmful language,” which was the reason behind his suspension back in December 2022. In a now-deleted post, West shared a photo of a Nazi swastika embedded inside the Star of David. Musk, who then served as the platform’s CEO, commented on the matter, saying West’s account was suspended for “incitement to violence,” violating the platform’s user terms.

Elsewhere in the platform’s report, West won’t be eligible to monetize his account. Advertisements won’t appear next to his posts either. That said, West’s verified status has at least been reinstated.

Weeks ago, Musk uploaded cover art for West’s 2018 album Ye, which people found to be random. Now that West has rejoined the platform, it could have been a tease of his social media return.