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Former Rebels McCoy, Wood, Pair Up On Milwaukee Bucks Summer League Squad

By
Kevin Fiddler
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Former UNLV Runnin’ Rebels Brandon McCoy and Christian Wood both know what it’s like to leave school early for the draft, only to not hear their name called on draft day. Separated by three years, these two have found each other in what would have been Wood’s senior summer in the most unlikely of places: The Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA Summer League team.

Wood left UNLV after his sophomore season under former head coach Dave Rice in 2015 while McCoy bolted after his freshman season under current head coach Marvin Menzies. The two never played together at UNLV. Both had similar physical traits, though. They were athletic standouts, gifted beyond measure, but still rough around the edges when it came to being NBA-ready.

Both decided it was in their best interests to leave UNLV early to chase their NBA dream and both found their expectations far superseded reality. Neither were drafted. Both were highly criticized, although Wood far less because he stayed for his second season. Neither responded with anything other than class. And, now, here they are as teammates, after being separately together within the Runnin’ Rebels brotherhood the last few years.

The duo are competing for their shot at glory, or at least an NBA roster spot, with the Bucks — who finished seventh in the Eastern Conference this past spring.

Wood, who is in his fourth NBA summer league, has logged 30 NBA games with Phoenix and Charlotte in his career. In that time, he averaged roughly eight minutes a game with 3.2 PPG and 2.2 RPG. Still, the gifted 22-year-old can’t seem to find a consistent role or NBA home. He has dominated the G League too.

Still, he is having to work through a minefield of competition to follow his dreams. Draft day was unusually cruel to Wood. One of the most heartbreaking pictures of the 2015 NBA Draft was this picture of him, moments after he found out his name would not be called at all.

At more than 7-feet tall with a 9-foot standing reach, one upside for McCoy — a McDonald’s All-American in 2017 — is he just turned 20 years old earlier this month. He will have plenty of time to develop, if he can get the right coaching. As much as one would like to trust the NBA developmental teams, hard to find quality coaching for that kind of money better than what a coach like Menzies could’ve provided.

Many Milwaukee fans are actually excited to have McCoy develop under their watch. UNLV fans were too, but it looks like Bucks fans will get more of McCoy than those of us here in Sin City.

In the predatory world of amateur athletics, there are countless stories like Wood and McCoy.

At some point, they were sold the bill of goods they’re a draft pick and then were convinced leaving school is a better long-term move for their future. All the riches in the world would be theirs.

That is, until is isn’t.

For many UNLV fans, the frustration of a struggling program trying to return to prominence is only matched by the program’s inability to keep players for more than a year or two. With great recruits, comes great temptation. So much temptation. In our small pond here in Las Vegas and the Mountain West Conference, it’s easy to be wowed by both of these two young men.

When McCoy signed with UNLV, he even said he hoped to bring UNLV back to its most recent heyday of the late 80s/early 1990s. The anticipation grew, especially within The Rebellion, hungry for another marquee center like Khem Birch, who became the largest prop in college basketball as “Khem Kong.” Fans all over town were giddy, especially when he said all the right things coming in.

“I felt very comfortable with the coaching staff and loved the campus. I want to get UNLV back the way it was in the 1990s,” McCoy told ESPN last April.

Still, the NBA lure was too much.

The same can be said for Wood. The kid could play and would jump right out of the gym, if you’d let him. I’m unable to think of one UNLV fan who didn’t drool at his potential. One can’t even count how many times Wood inspired a broadcaster to lose their shit on a telecast.

Coincidentally enough, Wood’s former Rebel teammate Rashad Vaughn used to play with the Bucks’ summer league team but has since moved on to play for the Miami Heat’s summer league team. Also competing in the NBA Summer League are fellow former Rebels Ikechukwu Nwamu (Miami Heat), Derrick Jones, Jr. (Miami Heat), and the aforementioned Birch, who is playing for Orlando Magic. Maybe Khem Kong will make an appearance during one of the games.

However the summer league plays out, it’s a small little homecoming for all the former Rebels. For Wood, it’s a chance to continue his push for an NBA role. For McCoy, who dealt with a lot of bitterness on his way out of UNLV, it’s a chance to show off his skills on a familiar floor with some familiar faces — like Coach Menzies — rooting him on, which is class defined.

One thing’s for sure, Wood and McCoy can surely trade stories of draft heartbreak while building — together — a new chapter in both of their careers. Here’s hoping for nothing but the best for both.

REPORT: Highly-Ranked Cubs Pitching Prospect Suspended 80 Games

By
Aldo Soto
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Major League Baseball announced that right-handed pitcher Oscar De La Cruz has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for Furosemide, which is a Diuretic and masking agent.

De La Cruz was ranked third in the Chicago Cubs minor-league system by MLB Pipeline.

The 23-year-old has struggled in 2018, posting a 5.24 ERA in 16 starts with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies.

Overall in his minor-league career in the Cubs farm system, De La Cruz has a 3.39 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 332 innings.

Bears Defense Confirmed To Be Facing Toughest QB Division

By
Erik Lambert
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bears defense

The Chicago Bears defense can never have things easy these days. People think the main reason the unit has struggled at times over the past few years is because they’re not good enough. That’s not looking at the full picture. Yes, it’s partly true but there is another factor in play. The level of competition has continued to take big steps up seemingly every year.

Think about it. In 2008, the Green Bay Packers transitioned from an old but still good Brett Favre to a young and ascending Aaron Rodgers. That alone was bad enough. Then a year later the Detroit Lions drafted Matthew Stafford with the #1 overall pick. Though it took some time he soon developed into a Pro Bowler and has given the Bears problems ever since.

If that weren’t bad enough, even the Minnesota Vikings have had a run of good fortune at the position of late. They drafted Teddy Bridgewater who became a Pro Bowler. Sam Bradford had his best season with them when Bridgewater went down. The same went for a resurgent Case Keenum. Now they’ve signed former Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins as a free agent.

It’s little wonder the NFC North was officially tabbed as the QB-richest division in football.

Chicago Bears defense faces a stiffer challenge than any in the NFL

Adam Schein of NFL.com faced the difficult task of trying to determine the strongest quarterback division in the league. There were some great challengers including the NFC South with Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and Drew Brees along with the NFC West with Russell Wilson and Jared Goff. Still, there was no topping the ‘Norse’ division.

“This is a significant jump up from last year’s rankings, but I am very comfortable with it. Rodgers is the most talented quarterback in NFL history. I love Green Bay bringing in Jimmy Graham to help in the red zone. Stafford has been fantastic the last few seasons, a true maestro in the clutch. And Detroit improved the offensive line and run game this offseason — that will provide the 30-year-old quarterback with some needed protection and balance.”

If people want to know what the Bears are up against, there’s this chilling stat. All told the three opposing QBs they will face in 2018 are 27-10 in their combined careers against Chicago. They threw 70 touchdowns over that span. This just doesn’t feel like a battle the defense will be able to win.

Not on their own.

Luckily Schein believes they’ll have backup this time in the form of their own quarterback.

“I think Trubisky will be this year’s Jared Goff, taking a major leap forward in Year 2 with a new head coach and more talent around him. Lastly, Cousins swings the pendulum in favor of this division. He’s the answer to the franchise-quarterback question for the Vikings.”

Part of the challenge in beating great quarterbacks is they’re hard to stop even when you have a good defense. That means the only true way to overcome them is by scoring more points. This has been a persistent problem for the Bears going back decades and why they’ve consistently failed to challenge for a Super Bowl for long stretches of time. With Mitch Trubisky in place, it feels like they may finally be on a level playing field.

Chicago Bears Get Predictably Shafted in Rankings for Best Backfields

By
Erik Lambert
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ryan pace

The Chicago Bears backfield will be the strength of this new offense. This is in no way a disrespectful slight at either Mitch Trubisky or the array of new wide receivers the team has assembled. It’s a simple statement of fact. Right now Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen are the most proven offensive assets on the roster and both have a chance to shine brighter than ever in this new system being installed by Matt Nagy and his staff.

Keep this in mind. Last season the Bears had the 3oth ranked offense in the league. This included the worst passing attack in the NFL. It was pretty bad. Yet in spite of that Howard and Cohen combined for 1,970 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns. That’s 42.8% of the teams’ total yardage production and 48% of its scoring. This was in spite of every single defense they played loading the box to stop them.

So try to imagine how much worse it would’ve been had they not been on the roster. Not exactly something that’s pleasant to think about. They deserve a fair share of respect for their talents. That’s why when ESPN delivers its rankings of the best backfields in the NFL, it was more than reasonable to have high expectations.

As usual, it ended up being a disappointment.

Chicago Bears backfield dismissed as a couple of average joes

Mike Clay continued the longstanding tradition of no respect from ESPN towards the Bears when he ranked their backfield a distant 15th in the league. There were some obvious ones that were easy to accept like the Saints, Rams, Steelers, and Falcons. Fine. Yet to see Browns (8th) and Patriots (10th) ranked ahead of them? That’s a travesty.

“Howard and Cohen form one of the league’s most intriguing young duos, but there’s a reason why the two recent mid-round picks aren’t ranked higher here. Howard has been a great rusher since entering the league in 2016, ranking fifth in carries (528) and third in rushing yards (2,435), but he’s not well-rounded. While Howard’s efficiency dropped from “elite” as a rookie to “solid” in 2017, he has been one of the league’s worst receiving backs (5.4 career yards per target) so far.

Cohen was an explosive playmaker as a rookie, but a deeper look shows a 1.3 YAC (second worst at the position) and a shaky 5.26 yards per target. At 5-foot-6, 190 pounds, Cohen simply isn’t built for anything more than a change-of-pace role. There are some red flags here, but also massive upside, especially in new coach Matt Nagy’s offense.”

It’s clear Clay views Howard as a one-trick pony and Cohen as nothing more than a gadget player. This is a classic case of a man getting lost in the stats and likely never watching the actual film. He didn’t account for the fact that both men were facing eight or nine-man boxes almost exclusively most of last season. It’s hard to be efficient under those conditions.

Ask reigning Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley whom Clay seems to adore. He averaged a paltry 3.2 yards per carry in 2016 and just 7.6 yards per reception. People were ready to proclaim him a one-year wonder. Then Sean McVay arrives with a new offensive scheme and those numbers jump to 4.7 and 12.3 respectively.

So maybe it’s never the best idea to go strictly by the numbers.

In-Depth 2017 Stats Reveal Likely Expectation For New Bears Offense

By
Erik Lambert
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matt nagy
Credit: Chicago Bears

It’s no secret the Chicago Bears offense in 2017 was atrocious outside of the running game, and even that had its problems. Head coach John Fox, if he ever looks back at the one mistake that likely cost him his job, it was not replacing Dowell Loggains as offensive coordinator. It became clear as the weeks went on that the man was overmatched by his responsibilities.

The Bears often lacked creativity and didn’t adjust to the strengths of his players nearly enough to have success. The talent was a problem to a degree, but in those situations, a coordinator must adapt to what he has. Loggains did not do this. Instead he simplified things, became predictable and thus the Bears became easy for even modest defenses to stop.

Now Matt Nagy is in charge and things are going to change. I became curious about what could be different this year. Not so much from a schematic standpoint but more from a mode of operation and execution standpoint. Graham Barfield of Fantasy Guru posted a fascinating collection of stats from last season.

On it was three categories that caught my eye regarding the Nagy offense in Kansas City and how it my change what the Bears do in 2018.

Pass-Run ratio percentage:  58.7% to 41.3%

This paints a clear picture of where Nagy will likely focus the offense. He intends to be a pass-first team, gearing things around Trubisky. That shouldn’t be a surprise. He’s a former quarterback himself and sees the game through that position. At the same time, he still showed deference to the run game as 13 other teams had a lower percentage of run plays than the Chiefs did last year. So why he may run it less than the Bears did last year, Jordan Howard will still see plenty of action.

Passing yards per attempt:  7.56 yards

This was the second-highest number on the list. In other words, Nagy’s aim is clear. He’s going to attack defenses down the field. The vertical play was a huge part of the Chief’s success last season with Alex Smith throwing for more yards than any other season in his career. Having the pieces like Tyreek Hill certainly helped.

This explains the addition of Taylor Gabriel, Anthony Miller, and Allen Robinson. All have that ability to create separation down the field. Considering Trubisky averaged just 5.94 yards per attempt, this will be a serious change.

Rushing yards before contact:  1.75 yards

This stat is interesting as it reflects the ability of an offensive line to generate space for the running back at the line of scrimmage. The higher the number is, the longer it takes for the defense to get a hand on him. In the case of the Chiefs, they were again the second-best team in the NFL at this. There’s a big reason why Kareem Hunt was the rushing champion. He often got to the second level of a defense before getting touched.

Credit for this must be given to excellent blocking by the offensive line along with great scheming by Nagy. The Bears should end up having both with the arrival of line coach Harry Hiestand. So try to imagine what Howard might do with that kind of space to work with. Not to mention Tarik Cohen.

Dexter Fowler: They’re The Ones Texting Me, Saying It’s Bullshit

By
Aldo Soto
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It is a complete shit-show down in St. Louis with the Cardinals and outfielder Dexter Fowler.

Earlier this week Cardinals’ GM John Mozeliak publicly questioned Fowler’s effort on a podcast and was immediately met with some backlash for calling out a specific player.

Here’s what he said about Fowler.

I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and question his effort and his energy level and those are things that I can’t defend. What I can defend is trying to create opportunities for him, but not if it’s at the expense of someone that’s out there hustling and playing hard. I think everybody just needs to take a hard look in the mirror and decide what they want that next chapter to look like. In Dexter’s case, maybe taking a brief timeout, trying to reassess himself and then give him a chance for a strong second half is probably what’s best for everybody. I’m hopeful to touch base with him in the near future to really just decide what makes the most sense, but clearly he’s not playing at the level we had hoped.

Mozeliak tried to clarify his comments soon after.

Via MLB.com.

In clarifying his comments afterward, Mozeliak dismissed any perception that Fowler is not trying hard to correct things, noting that while “he has a different approach with how he deals with stuff … I know Dex is working.”

Those comments were made while Fowler was with his wife, who was preparing to give birth to their second child.

Fowler and Mozeliak spoke over the phone, but Fowler talked about the comments more on Thursday, when he returned to the team.

Let’s just say Fowler isn’t having the best time in St. Louis.

At least his teammates have his back through a brutal year, but everyone else seems to have a terrible working relationship with one of the most out going players in the game.

The hope for Fowler is that he eventually gets traded away because his situation with the Cardinals has gone from bad to worse.

Via Mark Saxon of The Athletic.

In his first public comments since president of baseball operations John Mozeliak questioned his effort and energy level in a series of interviews earlier this week, I asked Fowler, “This is a blunt question, but do you enjoy being a St. Louis Cardinal? Have you enjoyed this last year-and-a-half?”

After a three-second pause, Fowler responded, “Um, like you said, I’ve had my ups, I’ve had my downs, to say the least.”

The relationship between Fowler and Cardinals management is more fraught even than Mozeliak’s comments hinted at. According to multiple sources on and around the team, Fowler and Matheny barely talk and haven’t for months. Mozeliak, in fact, had been Fowler’s strongest supporter, at least until recently. Fowler seems popular among his teammates.

Fowler has been terrible in 2018, but the lack of support by the organization and the fan base has been atrocious as well.

Just like Joe Maddon said earlier this week, this is an unfortunate situation for one of the most beloved players on the 2016 World Series Cubs.

Cubs Prospect Trent Giambrone Caps Off 3-HR Game With GRAND SLAM!

By
Aldo Soto
-

The Chicago Cubs have scored five or more runs in eight straight games, but they had the day off Thursday. However, the Tennessee Smokies more than made up for their absence, as they scored 16 runs in a win over the Jackson Generals.

The 16-3 win was highlighted by Cubs prospect Trent Giambrone, who went 4-for-5, with THREE home runs. Hitting three homers in a game is already awesome, but Giambrone’s night was even better as he his third long ball of the game was a grand slam in the ninth inning.

Unbelievable!

Definitely a night to remember for Giambrone. Three dingers, a double and nine RBIs. Have yourself a game.

He was drafted back in 2016 and after struggling at Myrtle Beach in 2017, Giambrone has had a nice bounce back season. The second baseman upped his OPS to .818 and slugging to .494 after his three-home run game Thursday.

Giambrone has 14 home runs and 37 RBIs in 76 games for the Smokies in 2018.

You might have seen him in spring training back in March, when he played in five games down in Arizona and showed off his power too, hitting a three-run home run against the Kansas City Royals.

Good to see Giambrone having a solid year so far in Double-A.

NBA Summer League Update: Grayson Allen Is Already Being A Giant Douchebag

By
Aldo Soto
-

Even if you’re a Duke basketball fan you hate Grayson Allen.

If you’ve never watched a single second of basketball, but one day decided to watch Allen you’d also immediately hate him. Easily hated in college and it didn’t take Allen long to show just how much of a douchebag he is on the court in the NBA.

The Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks squared off in NBA Summer League action Thursday night and Allen did the following guarding fellow rookie Trae Young.

That shit-eating grin. Can’t wait until someone gives Allen his “welcome to the NBA” moment.

Jordan Howard Makes It Clear Who the Real Bears Leader Is

By
Erik Lambert
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jordan howard

Jordan Howard is currently the best player on the Chicago Bears offense. That’s simply a statement of fact. He’s the only player on that side of the roster who’s consistently produced. His back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and Pro Bowl nod as a rookie prove that much. It’s clear this has given him the confidence to let his voice be heard more often.

That was evident when he went on NFL Network and guaranteed the Bears would make the playoffs this season. He felt somebody had to set the level of expectation for this team and clearly felt he was in a position to do so. The question is does Howard view himself as the unquestioned leader of this new offense?

While he is a leader, the 23-year old running back made it clear that he’s not the leader. In his mind, and in the minds of everyone else on that team, there is one man who has assumed that mantle:  Mitch Trubisky. He told Chicagobears.com as much.

“He asserted himself a lot last year, but I definitely feel like a lot more people are listening to him. He has a lot greater command of the locker room and stuff because he’s the quarterback for sure now.”

Clearing up any quarterback controversies is a big deal.

Mike Glennon is long gone. Nobody is left on the roster to be a direct challenge to Trubisky now. Both of his backups aren’t there for that. Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray have one job and that’s to help him assimilate the Matt Nagy offense as quickly as possible.  All the while the young quarterback has grown into his role as a leader.

Not only is he more vocal on and off the field, he’s also setting the pace in the training room and with charity activities. He’s truly a model citizen and everything the Bears could’ve hoped for from the face of their franchise. Howard believes in him. Now others are following suit. Everything is falling into place. The games can’t get here fast enough.

Max Holloway Scratched From UFC 226 With Concussion-Like Symptoms

By
Corey Roveri
-

As UFC 226 rapidly approaches, yet another huge fight has been dropped from a 2018 UFC event. Max Holloway has been scratched from UFC 226 after being hospitalized for a second time due to “concussion like symptoms.” Holloway was set to defend his featherweight belt against Brian Ortega.

The news came just hours after Holloway participated in the UFC 226 open workouts, which took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The decision was an anti-climatic result given the fact that neither fighter has lost in years (Ortega has not been beaten in the UFC).

The news came quickly, and confused many fight fans around the world. After all, I had just watched Holloway perform in his open workout hours prior. During the workout, he looked pretty good, fluid, agile and mobile.

During a recent interview with Fox Sports, however, Michael Bisping noticed something off about Holloway:

UFC and fighting aside, this is obviously a serious situation with Holloway. He was admitted to a hospital on Monday evening, practiced during open workouts, then returned to the ER Wednesday.

Most importantly, nothing but the best in health, and a very speedy recovery for Max Holloway.

With Max Holloway scratched from UFC 226, the UFC reportedly contacted two potential contenders inquiring as to their ability to step in, but no fight materialized.

What does this mean for UFC 226?

Ortega will not fight Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. Instead, the organization has scrapped the fight altogether. Rumors are swirling that the organization is eyeing the UFC 227 card in Los Angeles as a potential fight date between Holloway and Ortega.

Instead, UFC 226 will move forward featuring 11 fights. The new co-main event features top heavyweight contenders Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis. In addition, Paul Felder gets his long anticipated match-up against Mike Perry. Felder and Perry were originally scheduled to fight as part of the preliminary card, but instead will be bumped to the main card.

UFC Official Statement
The 2018 Withdrawal Fallout

Thus far, it seems like no event so far this year has been without fight-card-casualty. Just recently at UFC 225 we saw Yoel Romero miss weight, costing him the chance at Robert Whittaker’s title. According to Fox Sports: UFC, a large number of fighters who missed weight in so far in 2018 have actually won their respective fights, and it’s raising some questions.

If that weren’t enough, according to Mike Bohn, this withdrawal is the 17th main event or co-main event to change thus far during 2018. To take it a step further, International Fight Week has not been kind to its competitors. This is the third straight year a championship match has been lost during fight week, as well as the fourth consecutive year overall.

With Max Holloway scratched from UFC 226, it casts a relatively significant shadow on the event. Make no mistake, UFC 226 will go off without a hitch, but it would have been viewed in a much greater light if Holloway and Ortega were able to move forward with the featherweight championship match. At the same time, it would be nice to have one fight card go as scheduled during 2018.

During the open workout, many in the crowd were talking about this “Super Fight” in particular. It provided a certain allure, if for no other reason than Holloway is on a twelve fight win streak and Ortega has never been defeated inside the octagon. For now, we’ll keep our eye on a possible match-up between the two for UFC 227.

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