With the NBA currently in its All-Star break and some 50 games into the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers which consists mostly of a young crop of talent, are enjoying some time off the court in preparation of the final stretch. But while the team sent zero players to participate in the actual All-Star Game itself, the organization has remained every bit as busy in the front-office. And on Tuesday, team owner Jeanie Buss made the announcement that both Mitch Kupchak who had been with the Lakers organization since 1981, including six years as a player before spending the last two plus decades in the front-office as general manager, and Jim Buss (executive vice president of basketball operations) would be relieved of their duties. And the man Jeanie would replace her own brother with is one that knows the Lakers franchise as well as anyone -- Mr. Earvin "Magic" Johnson. After helping lead them to five NBA titles in the 80's, Magic isn't quite done helping the Lakers return to being the dominant franchise he remembers them as.
The move to bring Johnson aboard is a seismic shift in the landscape of the Lakers organization and is one Jeanie Buss says she should've made years ago as the franchise is suffering from its worst playoff drought in team history which will reach four consecutive seasons come seasons end. And in just his first day on the job, Johnson wasted little time before making phone calls to get a deal done just days before Thursday's trade deadline as he shipped guard Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets in exchange for small forward Corey Brewer and a first round pick in this year's draft. Williams, a former Sixth Man of the Year Award winner in 2015 with the Toronto Raptors, is having the best year of his career while averaging 18.6 points per game coming off the bench. With the Rockets (40-18) being one of the better teams not only in the Western Conference this year but in the entire Association, the acquisition of Williams provides depth to a team already stacked with shooters including Eric Gordon who won Saturday's Three-Point shooting Contest and is second in the league in points off the bench, trailing only his new teammate.
The trade figures to help both teams as the Lakers add another draft pick in their ongoing efforts to rebuild and Houston adds another shooter which now gives them the top two highest scorers coming off the bench. Not to mention Rockets superstar James Harden gets some much appreciated help while leading the league in assists per game (11.3) and trailing only Russell Westbrook and Isaiah Thomas for the scoring title. With the Western Conference looked at as being Golden State's to lose, Houston is one of the teams that isn't expected to stand in the way of the Warriors but at least stands a punchers chance and could cause problems for the back-to-back Western Conference Champions come playoff time.
Back to the Lakers, Los Angeles is suffering yet another disappointing season at 19-39, one win better than the Phoenix Suns for the worst record in the West and third worst overall, but has already surpassed last season's win total of 17-65 under first-year head coach Luke Walton. After a fast start to the season which saw L.A. win six of its first ten games for the first time since the 2011-12 season, Walton's team has taken a step back whether that be a result of a series of injuries they've endured or the young guys are experiencing exhaustion while still getting acclimated to the grind of the NBA season. Or perhaps a combination of the two. Moving forward, Johnson promised in his interview with Spectrum Sportsnet that when it comes time to making a pitch to a player in the free-agent process, that it won't be about telling old stories about the organization's past success during the Showtime Lakers or the Kobe-led Lakers, but rather "the new Lakers." For me personally, this comes off as especially important considering its an area that Kupchak struck out in numerous times in the past few seasons when attempting to lure star players via free agency. With a new GM expected to be announced in the coming days, only time will tell if the hiring of Magic will pay off. But at least for now it's a hire that ensures Lakers fans they've got someone in the drivers seat who cares dearly about the organization and one who will give it his all to try and right the ship in Tinsletown just like he did on the court.
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From Niners ball boy to head coach - For 49er fans the wait is finally over as the once proud San Francisco football franchise held a press conference on Thursday to officially introduce and announce the hiring of John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan as their newest general manager and head coach. It's been a long time coming for the Niners who have been without a coach for over a month after deciding to relieve Chip Kelly of his duties following the final game of the regular season -- a 25-23 loss to Seattle. GM Trent Baalke was also let go following the loss, though his firing wasn't as big a surprise. Since then 49ers CEO Jed York searched high and low to find the next candidates to help pull the franchise from out of the rubble. And while the hiring of Shanahan would make him the team's fourth head coach in as many years, it finally feels like Jed got it right with this one.
Brought in to become the 20th head coach in franchise history, Kyle Shanahan who spent the last two seasons as offensive coordiantor of the Atlanta Falcons, grew up around the 49ers organization, serving as the team's ball boy as a teenager while his father Mike Shanahan served as offensive coordinator for three years. The elder Shanahan helped lead San Francisco to a victory in Super Bowl 29 before heading off to Denver where he would win another pair of Super Bowl's as head coach of the Broncos. With son Kyle now in the drivers seat, he'll try to instill the same success his father did with the team he grew up helping as he and his father become the seventh father-son coaching tandem in NFL history. But with Shanahan behind schedule due to Atlanta's trip to the Super Bowl which prevented the 49ers from hiring him until after the Falcons' season concluded, there's lots of work to be done in between now, the start of free-agency and April's Draft. One glaring hole is the vacancy at the team's defensive coordinator position. As for the offensive job, there won't be any interviews needed as Shanahan has expressed he'll be the one in charge calling the plays on offense.
What's different this time around compared to San Francisco's hiring's of the past, is the patience and commitment York figures to have with Shanahan and Lynch. With both Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly each fired from the head coaching job only one season into their four year deals, it's obvious that the rebuild is going to take much longer than the time each of the past two coaches were given. Hoping the third time is a charm for the Niners after York's decision to part ways with Jim Harbaugh which proved to be a day in infamy and a decision that has left a sour taste in the mouths of 49er fans as the team's been trying to pick up the pieces ever since, both Shanahan and Lynch agreed to six-year pacts. Though both guys are new to their positions, the excitement by the 49er Faithful couldn't be greater heading into next season. And with a projected cap space of $87.6 Million dollars on the books, San Francisco could make a splash in the free-agent market.
One position they'll surely have their eyes on is at quarterback as the 49ers currently have zero QB's under contract. With Colin Kaepernick most likely to exercise his player option to opt out of his contract to play elsewhere in 2017 and Blaine Gabbert, Thad Lewis and Christian Ponder all free-agents, next year's staff could look entirely different at the quarterback position. Early rumors have Shanahan kicking the tires with several potential QB candidates such as Matt Schaub, Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins. Having worked with Cousins for two years in Washington where Shanahan served as OC, the two have history together. The same can be said about Schaub who served three seasons with Shanahan as a Houston Texan and this past season as Matt Ryan's backup with the Falcons. Serving as Schaub's QB coach in 2007 before moving to OC for each of the next two years, Shanahan helped Schaub lead the league in passing in 2009, earning him his first of two Pro-Bowl appearances. Unfortunately, Schaub is entering his year 36 season and is over a year removed from his most recent start. But given the fact that he knows Shanahan's system already and could sign at a much more affordable rate as a free-agent opposed to having to be traded for like both Cousins and Garoppolo, it might not be such a bad move.
First we'll have to see what direction the Niners go in with the Draft and whether or not they'll take the risk of drafting their quarterback for the future with the second overall pick. Even so, Schaub starting while the rookie QB watches from the sideline and learns from a distance instead of being thrown into the mix right off the bat, might not be such a bad idea after all. Shanahan brings with him his impressive resume that helped the Atlanta Falcons put together the number one offense in the league as well as aid Matt Ryan to an MVP Award. Under Shanahan's tutelage, the Falcons ranked 1st in the league in points per game (33.8), 2nd in total yards (6,653), 3rd in passing (4,725), 5th in rushing (1,928) and tied for the fewest giveaways. Those stats are a day and night difference from what the 49ers produced on offense this past season, ranking among the league's worst in almost every category. However, Shanahan's most recent performance in the Super Bowl has drawn criticism for the way the final two quarters played out on offense. With Atlanta leading by 25-points midway thru the third quarter, the Falcons would fail to score again as New England pulled off the largest comeback in Super Bowl history to win its fifth title. Part of the blame was put on Shanahan for not running the ball as often as many say he should've, especially considering how well the run game worked in the first half. Then again it was Atlanta's defense which allowed their opponent to score on each of their final five possessions.
From commentator to GM - For John Lynch who attended school at Stanford and played collegiate football under 49ers great Bill Walsh, the general manager position is entirely new for the 9-time Pro-Bowler who played strong safety with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos. Though he has zero front-office experience, Lynch has a plethora of football knowledge having played the game at a Hall of Fame level and serving the past eight years in the broadcast booth as a color commentator with the NFL on FOX. Despite his inexperience at the position, those who know Lynch best have had nothing but positive things to say after news broke that he would become the 49ers next general manager. The news came as a surprise to everyone considering his name was under the radar and was never mentioned by the media among candidates interviewing for the job. Lynch later revealed that it was his request that the interview process was kept a secret between him and 49ers brass to test whether or not he could trust 49ers CEO Jed York.
Foreign to his new position, Lynch wasted no time to make his first move by adding Broncos Vice President of Player Personnel Adam Peters to his staff. The hire garnered praise and many around the league have called the move a home run as Peters is said to be one of the most respected talent evaluators in the NFL, not to mention he comes from a winning background having been a part of three Super Bowl victories with the Broncos and Patriots. Lynch followed up that move by naming former Lions GM Martin Mayhew as the team's Senior Personnel Executive. With a long way still to go for the Niners, the franchise finally appears to heading in the right direction with the foundation in place to return the 49ers to prominence. But of course, only time will tell.
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For the fifth time, the New England Patriots are Super Bowl Champions. Led by the greatest quarterback-coaching tandem in NFL history, the Patriots pulled off the unthinkable by completing a 25-point comeback in the first ever Overtime Super Bowl. With the Falcons leading New England by a score of 28-3 midway through the third quarter, the game seemed to be all but over as Atlanta appeared to be on their way to claiming their first ever Lombardi Trophy. So much so that President Trump even reportedly left his Super Bowl party early once the Patriots fell into their 25-point hole. But Tom Brady and company would have none of that as they would soon orchestrate the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, while treating us to an instant classic in the third most watched Super Bowl ever.
Making their record-setting seventh Super Bowl appearance, Brady and coach Bill Belichick would have their fair share of mistakes early on as the tide quickly turned against them following a scoreless first quarter. With New England marching on offense and putting together what appeared to be a promising drive, things would soon go up in flames as running back LaGarrette Blount was stripped of the ball just two plays into the second quarter. The play would ignite a scoring barrage by Atlanta who scored 21 unanswered-points in a span of 12 minutes. After Devonta Freeman began things off with a 5-yard touchdown in which he cut far left and found his way into the end zone untouched, QB Matt Ryan who was named MVP the night before, needed only five plays to extend that lead, ending the drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass to his tight-end Austin Hooper. Things would only get uglier the rest of the half as the Patriots were plagued by a series of unfortunate firsts.
After failing to score in a quarter for the first time in their last 32 quarters, came Blount's first fumble in 16 games. It would also mark the first time the Patriots would trail in a game since Week 12. Then came an 82-yard interception returned for a touchdown by Robert Alford to make it a 21-0 game. It would be the first return for a touchdown of any kind all year against New England and the first pick-six thrown in Brady's postseason career. It wasn't long before you began seeing coach Belichick on the sidelines, pencil and paper in hand, making early adjustments to address in the locker room come halftime. With only a field goal to show for at the half, the Patriots would watch their deficit climb to 25-points following a second touchdown pass from Matt Ryan on Atlanta's second possession of the third quarter. Leading 28-3 with a quarter and a half remaining, New England would need to pull off the largest comeback in Super Bowl history if they wanted to award their future Hall of Fame coach and quarterback duo with an unprecedented fifth ring. But while most teams would fold under pressure when facing such a deficit, Brady remained calm and poised as ever despite his team having its back against the wall. After a touchdown pass to backup running back James White who had himself a game to remember, the Patriots managed to inch a bit closer before the start of the fourth quarter, despite a missed extra-point by kicker Stephen Gostkowski, his fifth missed PAT of the year.
With Atlanta ahead 28-9 thru 3 quarters, the Falcons seemed destined to win and had the odds in their favor considering teams leading by 19 points thru 3 quarters in the postseason were an unbeaten 93-0 all-time. But if anybody was going to put that record to the test, you knew it would be Brady. Another Gostkowski field goal to start the fourth quarter helped make it a two-score game. And on Atlanta's ensuing possession, the New England defense would step up and put the ball back into their captain's hands. Facing 3rd and 1, the Falcons elected to opt for a pass play as Ryan was blindsided by middle linebacker Dont'a Hightower who made it to the quarterback freely after Devonta Freeman failed to pickup the blitz, resulting in a fumble recovered by New England. With new life and only 25-yards to go, you could feel the momentum shift immediately as Atlanta suffered their first turnover of the postseason. A touchdown pass from Brady to Amendola five plays later and a successful 2-point conversion on a direct-snap up the middle to James White made it an 8-point game.
Pinned back at their own 10-yard line, the Falcons quickly found themselves at mid-field as a wide-open Devonta Freeman gained 39-yards on the first play of the drive. Two plays later Julio Jones would display the type of footwork that would make Super Bowl hero Santonio Holmes proud as Jones somehow contorted his body and got both feet in-bounds to make a spectacular 27-yard catch, despite his momentum falling towards the sideline all while securing the ball. It would be the last positive of the day for Atlanta, however, as they soon found themselves going backwards. With the ball at the 22 and kicker Matt Bryant standing by in case of a field goal attempt to make it a two-score game, the Falcons would be doomed by a 12-yard sack and an offensive holding call which knocked them out of field goal range and allowing Brady and company to pull off a comeback for the ages. Entering the game, the longest drive the Patriots had put together all season was 91-yards, and with the game on the line, New England would need to duplicate that mark in order to tie the game.
With three and a half minutes to go and a pair of timeouts remaining, Brady would march his team into the end zone with time to spare. But not before a miraculous catch that almost wasn't as Atlanta nearly intercepted the ball which would've sealed the win for the Falcons. Instead, receiver Julian Edelman came down with an awe-inspiring reception that rivaled that of David Tyree's helmet catch against Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Surrounded by three defenders, Brady looked for Edelman down the middle but had the pass batted up into the air by Robert Alford. With Alford falling back on the play and landing on his back, the combination of Alford's foot and the hand of safety Ricardo Allen prevented the ball from hitting the ground which then allowed Edelman to get both hands on the ball as all four players hit the ground simultaneously. Though the catch would feature" 70% of luck" according to Edelman himself, it would help gain another 23-yards to keep the drive alive and avert disaster. Four plays later, James White scored his second of three touchdowns with a 1-yard run up the middle. Still needing to tack on the game-tying 2-point conversion, New England would to just that. With WR Danny Amendola in motion, Brady threw a dart to his receiver who was met at the goal-line, barely breaking the plane and knotting the game at a dead-even 28-28.
Heading into overtime, the Patriots seemed destined to win whereas Atlanta was left stunned at the fact that they had squandered a 25-point second half lead. And after winning the coin toss and electing to receive, New England marched their way to the 2-yard line before once again handing the ball to James White who put the finishing touches on the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history by breaking the plane to win it, 34-28. Hoping to get another crack at it and pull off some late-game heroics of his own, the reigning MVP was left watching hopelessly from the sideline as his defense was unable to keep the Patriots out of the end zone. While many have blamed the Falcons collapse on the offense for simply disappearing in the fourth quarter, Atlanta's defense allowed New England to score on each of their last five possessions, including their game-winning touchdown in OT to the tune of 31-unanswered points. Though I agree that they probably should've ran the ball more, if Atlanta stands their ground and stops at least one of New England's two-point conversion attempts, it's Matt Ryan and the Falcons who are the ones celebrating a tinker-tape parade. Instead, the Brady-Belichick regime etches yet another milestone into their legacy, becoming the first-ever QB and coach to hoist five Lombardi Trophies.
As for the Falcons who remain one of 13 NFL franchises yet to win a Super Bowl, the road back to Super Sunday figures to be a much harder task given they'll be without offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan who agreed to take the reigns as the next head coach of the San Francisco 49ers on Monday. Shanahan will be replaced by college offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian after serving in last month's BCS title game with the Alabama Crimson Tide. As for the Patriots, they now trail only the Pittsburgh Steelers' 6 Super Bowl titles and tie the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys with 5. With the loss, Matt Ryan became the eighth MVP since 2000 to make it to the Super Bowl and lose (0-8). Completing 17 of 23 passes, Ryan threw for 284 yards and 2 touchdowns but suffered that pivotal fumble which helped New England turn things around. Brady on the other hand set Super Bowl records for the most pass attempts (62), completions (43) and pass yards (466) to go with his pair of touchdowns and one interception, helping him claim Super Bowl MVP honors for a record 4th time. Many (Brady included) think it was Patriots backup running back James White who deserved the award, as he rushed six times for 29 yards, tallying a record 14 receptions for 110 yards and adding three total touchdowns to become the first player to ever record two rushing touchdowns and one receiving in a Super Bowl.
Now begins the speculation and chatter of whether or not we've seen Tom Brady in uniform for the last time. With a record five Super Bowl's under his belt and a promising young quarterback behind him in Jimmy Garoppolo for the Patriots to fall back on if need be, the man has nothing left to prove having already etched his name alongside his boyhood idol Joe Montana as the game's all-time greats, regardless of how you want to rank them. But with Belichick at his side and no real threat in the AFC to get in the way of yet another title run, why wouldn't he return for No. 6? After sticking it to his critics and redeeming himself from the Deflategate scandal, it's obvious that the fire still burns inside of Brady and that he's not ready to release his grasp on the league just yet.
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