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The Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly parting ways with head coach Ryan Saunders just 31 games into the season. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski , Saunders was dismissed by the team on Sunday night following a 103-99 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. But the coaching search did not take long as the Timberwolves have already found his replacement. Stadium’s Shams Charania reports that Toronto Raptors assistant Chris Finch has been hired to take over in Minnesota. The head coaching change comes after a disappointing start to the season for the Timberwolves, who have dropped 24 of their first 31 games. The team currently boasts the league's worst record at 7-24. Saunders was promoted to interim head coach in early 2019 after the Timberwolves fired Tom Thibodeau. He was just 33 years old when he made his head coaching debut, making him the youngest head coach in the NBA. In his first two seasons leading the franchise, Saunders’ team posted a 36-70 … [Read more...] about Report: Timberwolves fire Ryan Saunders, hire Chris Finch

On face value, the trade is interesting enough on its own: the Edmonton Oilers sent center Sam Gagner to the Tampa Bay Lightning for winger Ted Purcell on Sunday. That much we knew for sure when it happened. Immediately after the move was announced , the scuttlebutt began about the Lightning buying Gagner out on Monday. As it turns out, Gagner was instead flipped with B.J. Crombeen to the Arizona Coyotes for cap space and a sixth-rounder. ( Click here for the specifics. ) Tampa Bay wasn’t done making moves, either, as they sent Nathan Thompson to the Anaheim Ducks for two low draft picks. ( More here .) As dramatic as the situation is for the Lightning, the Oilers have some questions to answer regarding how Purcell, 28, will fit into the mix and how they’ll replace Gagner, 24, in the lineup: Gagner's future is as a winger, IMO. Oil now short at C, unless they've penned Draisaitl in at No. 2 C. — Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) June 30, 2014 It was certainly an … [Read more...] about Lightning send Purcell to Oilers, briefly acquire Gagner (Update)

Now that we are closing in on the halfway point of the 2020-21 NHL season and are starting to get a sense for what each team is capable of, we are going to take a closer look each week at some teams right on the edge between Stanley Cup contender and Stanley Cup pretender. We start today with the Oilers, who are currently one of the hottest teams in the NHL. After their 3-0 win over Vancouver on Thursday, they are on a five-game winning streak, have won 11 of their past 13 games, and have rapidly gained ground on the Maple Leafs for the top spot in the North Division. So with that said, is it time to believe in this team? The situation favors them this season And by situation, I mean the schedule and season format. The temporary realignment of the divisions and divisional playoffs has put them with a group of teams that isn’t exactly a who’s who of Stanley Cup contenders. It is starting to look as if they might the second best team in the division after Toronto, while two of … [Read more...] about Contender or Pretender: Is it time to believe in the Oilers?

Jayson Tatum joined a Celtics team brimming with possibility. Boston had just become the first playoff team to win the lottery . Even beyond a roster good enough to make the Eastern Conference finals and the No. 1 pick, the Celtics had a treasure trove of assets and flexibility. By trading down for Tatum, Boston got the draft’s best player and another valuable-looking pick. The Celtics, it seemed, could contend for championships for the next decade. Nearly four years later, Boston is 15-17, expensive and devoid of extra first-round picks. Suddenly, it’s time to do what we do with stars on losing teams – speculate about their future. It’s now even more conspicuous Tatum negotiated a 2025 player option into his max rookie-scale extension last offseason. “Obviously, I don’t want to leave Boston,” Tatum said. “I don’t have any intentions on that. It’s just more of a flexibility thing. But I love being here. I love this organization. I love the city. So, I don’t want people … [Read more...] about Jayson Tatum looking forward to future with Celtics, even as they stumble

Manchester City – West Ham: Pep Guardiola and Co., will look to extend their 17-game unbeaten run when they host the fourth-place Hammers at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday  (Watch live at 7:30 am am ET, on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com ). MANCHESTER CITY – WEST HAM STREAM LIVE Not only are the Premier League champions-elect unbeaten since mid-November, but they have won 13 straight in the league while allowing just three goals in that time (and just four in 17) — that’s a goal conceded every 382 minutes (more than four full games) over a three-month span. In a word, absurd. With a 10-point gap between themselves and second- and third-place Manchester United and Leicester City, respectively, it hasn’t mattered on bit that Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, the club’s only recognized center forwards, have four goals scored between them this season, nor has it mattered that Jesus has all four and Aguero has played just 142 minutes. Aside from Manchester City’s utter … [Read more...] about Manchester City – West Ham: How to watch, team news, start time, odds, prediction