Midwest Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks kept their postseason hopes alive on Friday night beating the Indiana Pacers 117-101. Pacers lead the series 2-1.  Head Coach Doc Rivers inserted Gary Trent Jr in the starting lineup as the shooting guard and it paid off. Giannis and Trent both scored 37 points. Trent made 9 three pointers. That tied a Bucks record held by Ray Allen. Giannis and Trent are the first Bucks duo to each have at least 35 points in a playoff game. Giannis and Trent are just the 13th duo in NBA postseason history to each have at least 37 points. Let's see if the Indiana Pacers can slow down Giannis, Trent, and the rest of the Bucks today in game 4.

The Timberwolves hosted the Lakers for game 3 Friday night. Lakers were up by 4 points at half, but the Timberwolves surged pass them in the fourth quarter to take a 2-1 series lead. With 4:37 left, the game was tied 103-103, but Anthony Edwards scored 7 points, out scoring the entire Lakers team 7-1 and Minnesota ended the game on a 13-1 run. LeBron had 38 points, but it wasn't enough. It didn't help that Doncic was feeling under the weather (illness). 5 Timberwolves were in double digits. McDaniels led the way with 30 points. Edwards added 29 and Randle added 20. Game 4 is today in Minneapolis. It is a quick turnaround for a 40 year old LeBron and a sick Doncic. We'll see if the Timberwolves can keep the momentum going. 

Apparently Green Bay wide out, Christian Watson's father, Tazim Wajid Wajed and brother, Tre Watson were not happy with the Packers first round selection of Matthew Golden (WR from Texas). Christian Watson is expected to miss about three months of the regular season and most of the Packers current wide receivers are set to hit free agency in the next two years. This is a good pick. Golden is a speedy wide out that can help the Packers win. I think Christian Watson's family is just upset because the Packers' first round pick plays the same position as Christian...

The LA Clippers beat down the Denver Nuggets last night to take a 2-1 lead in their series. The Clippers were better than the Nuggets in almost ever statistical category which showed since they won by 34 points.  Nikola Jokic had a triple double, but only scored 23 points which is below his season average of almost 30 points per game. Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon both score in double digits, but the rest of team didn't help too much.  Denver and LA were 2-2 in the 4 games they played against each other this year. 

 The Oklahoma City Thunder were down by 26 points at half to the Memphis Grizzlies. However that lead was not big enough as the Thunder outscored the Grizzlies 63-31 in the second half. That gave OKC a 3-0 lead in the series. That's why the Thunder were the best team in the Western Conference and one of the favorites to win the NBA Finals this year. It doesn't hurt to have MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on their team either.  Ever think the Clippers regret trading him?

I really thought the Detroit Pistons were going to win last night. It was a close game, but the Knicks got to the free throw line more, the Knicks had 10 more points in the paint, and the Knicks had 5 less turnovers than the Pistons did. In a 2 point game every possession counts. Knicks go up 2-1 in the series.  The Pistons are 4-16 in their last 20 games against the Knicks...but they are 4-2 in their last 6 games. Game 4 is Sunday. Hopefully the Pistons can even up the series. 

The Milwaukee Bucks return home for game 3 in the first round of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately they are down 0-2. However they have a 28-14 record at home this season and the Pacers were 21-20 on the road. It should be a fun game to watch. It's also fun to see Damien Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton go at it. They do not seem to like each other.  The Bucks will have to stop a Pacers team that had 6 players in double figures in game 2. The Pacers have won 6 of the last 10 games against the Bucks. However of the 4 games the Bucks won, 3 of them were in Milwaukee.

Lakers are 2-14 in their last 16 games in Minnesota.  They are also 4-8 in their last 12 road games. Game 3 with Lakers at Timberwolves in Minnesota is tonight. 

Cleveland had the 2nd pick in the draft, but traded back with Jacksonville and acquired more draft capital. They picked DT Mason Graham (Michigan) with the 5th overall pick to help bolster up the Browns' defensive line. Chicago stayed at pick 10 and took one of the two best tight ends in the draft in Colston Loveland (Michigan). He can play the slot as well and should help Caleb Williams out and move those chains.  Indianapolis took the other top tight end with the 14th pick. They took Tyler Warren (Penn State). Warren is athletic and should help whoever wins the starting QB1 spot between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones make their offense more dangerous.  Cincinnati took edge rusher, Shemar Stewart (Texas A&M) with the 17th pick. He has talent and athleticism, but is a little raw. He should still help the Bengals' defense get after the quarterback.  Green Bay finally took a wide receiver in the first round. That hasn't happened since Javon Walker was taken in the ...

The Detroit Pistons haven't made the playoffs since 2019. They had an 8 point lead over the Knicks, but the Knicks went on a 21-0 run to keep the lead and win game one. It didn't help the Pistons turned the ball over 8 times in the fourth quarter. Clean up those mistakes and this could be a series. 

The Los Angeles Rams and cornerback, Jalen Ramsey apparently have mutually agreed to explore trade options. Many teams have been linked to trading for Ramsey.  Minnesota trading for Ramsey would be hard as they only have 4 picks entering the draft Thursday. They resigned Byron Murphy, but after him their cornerback depth is thin. It would be fun to see Ramsey work with Defensive Coordinator, Brian Flores. Green Bay trading for Ramsey seems like more of a reality as they have 8 picks right now. They have Nixon and Hobbs at corner, but Jaire Alexander is still up in thr air about whether he'll play for the green and gold, be traded, or even cut.  Cincinnati trading for Ramsey would help a weak cornerback room. The Bengals have 6 picks ahead of Thursday. Cam Taylor-Britt was terrible at times last year getting benched and allowing over an 118 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks. Let's see where Jalen Ramsey ends up playing this year.

I thought this series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers would be close as most series between the 4 and 5 seeds are, but it is hard when Giannis doesn't get any help. He scored 36 and had 12 boards. He did only have 1 assist and his teammates were 1 of 12 when he passed to them. This isn't the 2021 Bucks. Middleton, Holiday, and Tucker are gone. Lopez is 37 years old, Connaughton can't get off the bench, and Portis was suspended for 25 games this year. Oh yeah, and Damien Lillard didn't play. It also doesn't help that Kuzma scored ZERO points in 22 minutes.  The Pacers had six players in double digits. Haliburton had 12 assists to go along with his 10 points. Indiana had 22 transition points off bad Bucks possessions. Indiana looks like the more complete team after game one. Yes it is only game one and the Bucks still have Giannis, Kuzma shouldn't be held scoreless again, and hopefully they'll get Lillard back soon.

Going into game one many "experts" and ESPN analysts picked the LA Lakers to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in this series in 4 or 5 games.  Minnesota has a superstar (Anthony Edwards) to go along with a good team that has depth. Rudy Gobert had an off night with only 2 points and 6 rebounds, but Minnesota had four players in double digits and two more players who scored 9 points.  Doncic had 37, LeBron had 19, and Reaves had 16 points, but after that the Lakers didn't have much help.  The Timberwolves play good defense and can score. Minnesota is one of four teams in the NBA that ranked in the top ten in both offensive and defensive efficiency.  I think this series is going to be a lot closer than people think.

Green Bay has the 23rd pick in the draft. Their main draft needs are OT, CB, and edge. Both of their starting offensive tackles will be free agents after this season. They need to draft a corner because of the Jaire Alexander mess. Alexander and free agent signing Nate Hobbs could be one of the better cornerback duos if they get to play together. The Packers didn't get after the quarterback enough last year on defense so drafting an edge rusher or d-lineman should be high on Gutekunst's list. Minnesota has the 24th pick in the draft. Their main draft needs are CB, S, and RG. The Vikings resigned Byron Murphy, but need more depth in the secondary. Minnesota needs a starting right guard. They could use a backup quarterback as well, but it sounds like they are happy rolling with Brett Rypien as McCarthy's backup. Detroit has the 28th pick in the draft. They don't have many needs. It would have been interesting to see how they would of ended up if they didn't have all t...

Cleveland has the 2nd pick in the draft. Their main draft needs are quarterback and offensive tackles. Is the starting QB going to be Watson returning from am achilles injury, 40 year old Flacco, newly acquired Picket, a rookie, or someone else? Chicago has the 10th pick in the draft. Their main draft needs are edge, RB, and OT. The Bears added defensive linemen Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo and already have Montez Sweat, but could use a game wrecker next to Sweat. At the running back position they have D'Andre Swift, but need a solid backup running back. Chicago addressed the interior o-line in free agency, but needs to upgrade the offensive tackles. Indianapolis has the 14th pick in the draft. Their main draft needs are in the secondary, IOL, and TE. They signed Camryn Bynum to be a starting safety, but need help at cornerback. Colts lost IOL Kelly and Fries through free agency so they need help at center and guard. I can't name a tight end on the Colts roster. Cincinnati ...

The Kansas City Chiefs are trying to sign right guard, Trey Smith to a long term deal. Kansas City placed the franchise tag on Smith, a one year fully guaranteed deal worth over $23 million.  Smith has one of the lowest sack percentage (0.2) among NFL linemen. In 2024 he didn't give up any sacks. However he did allow 5 hits, 26 pressures, and had 9 penalties.  The Chiefs made the right decision in keeping him and hopefully keeping him for 3-4 more years when he is younger and in the prime of his career.  Trey Smith has an important job, keeping one of the leagues best quarterbacks upright. 

Offensive Guard, Dalton Risner possibly signing with Cincinnati Bengals? It is always good to have as many good offensive linemen as possible and Risner comes with six year of experience playing for Denver and Minnesota.

Who will be the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback come week one of the regular season? Kenny Pickett or Joe Flacco? Will Deshaun Watson be back from his achilles injury? Will they somehow manage a trade for Kirk Cousins? Maybe draft one of the top rookie quarterbacks? Who knows? 

Could JJ McCarthy take a similar path as Patrick Mahomes? Mahomes was first round pick and then sat a year behind Alex Smith before taking over for the Chiefs. JJ McCarthy was a first round pick and then sat behind Sam Darnold last year. Alex Smith had a 50-26 record in five seasons as the starting quarterback for the Chiefs from 2013 - 2017 leading them to four playoff appearances in five years, never having a losing record. Then Mahomes takes over and the team trades Smith to Washington. People forget that the Chiefs were already good, Mahomes just put them over the edge. Minnesota's situation is different. JJ McCarthy sat behind Darnold last year because he had a season ending knee injury and Sam Darnold was a free agent that signed with Seattle. I'm not suggesting that McCarthy will be the next Mahomes, but it's fun to compare and talk about them. What if McCarthy leads the Vikings to five of the next six superbowls, winning three of them? Viking fans would be ecstatic....

The Green Bay Packers have three starting offensive linemen who will be free agents in 2026. Those include Sean Rhyan (RG), Zach Tom (RT), and Rasheed Walker (LT). The Packers won't be able to afford to keep all three. One, maybe two of them. The Packers also have wide outs Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson set to hit free agency next year. Wide outs Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks are going to be free agents in 2027. The wide receiver room could look very different in a couple years. My guess is that General Manager, Brian Gutekunst will draft an offensive linemen or wide receiver in the first round this year. The Packers haven't taken a wide receiver in the first round since 2002 when they took Javon Walker. With the Jaire Alexander situation still unresolved, the Packers may take a cornerback as well. We'll see in a week.

Why the heck did the Denver Nuggets fire head coach, Michael Malone with less than a week left of the NBA season?  The Nuggets sit in 4th place in the western conference with a record of 49-32. The west is a tight bunch of teams with the 3rd place sitting with 50 wins and 8th place sitting with 47 wins. So a lot of movement could happen in the standings with 1 game to play before the playoffs start.  The Nuggets still have one of the best players in the world in Nikola Jokic so they can still do damage and make a playoff run, but firing Malone who was instrumental in bringing Denver it's only NBA championship is a strange move. We'll see if long time assistant coach (now interim head coach) David Adelman can help bring Denver it's second NBA championship. 

 Kansas City Chiefs: 11.5 Detroit Lions: 10.5 Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals: 9.5 Minnesota Vikings: 8.5 Indianapolis Colts: 7.5 Cleveland Browns: 5.5 If I was a betting man, I would take the over on the Chiefs, Lions, and Vikings. I would definitely take the under on the Bears. I would take the under on the Colts and Browns too. The Packers and Bengals are difficult because the Packers weren't very active in free agency and the Bengals didn't improve their defense and they have the Trey Hendrickson issue. I'd take the over on the Packers and under on the Bengals. 

Detroit's wide out, Jameson Williams and Minnesota's wide Jordan Addison got into a friendly argument about who has the best receiving corps in the NFL. Detroit 2024: Amon-Ra St. Brown had 115 catches, 1,263 yards, & 12 TDs.  Jameson Williams had 58 catches, 1,001 yards, & 7 TDs (plus 1 rushing TD). Tim Patrick had 33 catches, 394 yards, & 3 TDs. Minnesota 2024: Justin Jefferson had 103 catches, 1,533 yards, & 10 TDs Jordan Addison had 63 catches, 875 yards, & 9 TDs (plus 1 rushing TD) Jalen Nailor had 28 catches, 414 yards, & 6 TDs Lions totals: 206 catches, 2,658 yards, & 22 receiving TDs and 1 rushing TD Vikings total: 194 catches, 2,822 yards, & 25 receiving TDs and 1 rushing TD. The top 3 Lions receivers had 12 more catches. The top 3 Vikings receivers had 164 more yards and 3 more TDs. Both groups are close and both groups are good. Add the tights ends on each team (Sam LaPorta & TJ Hockenson) and they both are even better.

I read an article about a trade proposal involving the Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins. Minnesota would send wide out Jordan Addison and a 2026 2nd rounder to Miami in exchange for Tyreek Hill and a 2026 3rd rounder. This probably won't happen, but Justin Jefferson and Addison are one of the top wide receiver duos in the NFL. Imagine if defenses had to pick Jefferson or Hill to double team? JJ McCarthy would be one happy camper. 

Do the Vikings need to rush and sign a backup quarterback? Honestly it doesn't really matter too much who the backup quarterback is. If your starter goes down, your season does as well. Yes Minnesota Viking fans will point out that Randall Cunningham led the 1998 Vikings to a 15-1 record, Case Keenum led the 2017 Vikings to a 13-3 record, and Sam Darnold led the 2024 Vikings to a 14-3 record. All three of those quarterbacks were backups. They did have good years, but none of them made it to the superbowl.  Yes, Nick Foles and Kurt Warner are the famous examples of having a quality backup can still lead to superbowl victories, but those are the exceptions.  Vikings have built a solid roster around JJ McCarthy. He has a good offensive line and play makers to get the ball to. The Vikings should be just fine with Kevin O'Connell calling the plays for the offense and Brian Flores calling plays for the defense.

The Kansas City Chiefs are signing a familiar name. They are signing corner, Mike Edwards. Edwards played for the Chiefs in 2023 helping them win the Superbowl that season. Last year he played for the Bills, Titans, and Bucs.

The Detroit Lions say they aren't done adding pass rush help. Come on, please trade with Cincinnati so we can see Trey Hendrickson amd Adian Hutchinson get after the opposing team's quarterback.

Chicago is signing wide out, Miles Boykin. He is only 28 years old and has potential. He has been a solid special team player. He joins a wide receiver room that has DJ Moore and Rome Odunze atop the depth chart. 

Will the Bengals leave Cincinnati? There lease with Paycor Stadium is set to expire in June 30th of 2026. Will they actually relocate? Columbus, San Diego, Oakland, St. Louis, and Portland could all use a pro NFL team.

Brian Gutekunst was the Director of Player Personnel from 2016 - 2017. He has held the title of General Manager since 2018 for the Packers.  Many fans have expressed frustration with Gutekunst's lack of moves throughout free agency. He says he wants to build through the draft, but if you look at all the draft picks on the defensive side of the ball since 2016 it has not led to very many pro bowlers or game wreckers.  If you got back  to 2016 the best defensive players drafted have arguably been defensive tackles, Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary. When corner, Jaire Alexander is healthy you could make the argument he's the best defensive player drafted in the last 10 years by the Packers.  My point is Gutekunst doesn't want to pay premium free agents and says he wants to build through the draft, but he has missed on 10 years worth of defensive picks. If Aaron Rodgers had the defenses that Tom Brady had in New England, he would have won more than one superbowl for the green...

The Cincinnati Bengals and the Trey Hendrickson dispute over an extension continues. It sounds like Cincinnati wants him back. Head Coach, Zac Taylor said so.  Will the Bengals extend Hendrickson, call his bluff, or trade him? We'll see.

Cleveland Browns Head Coach, Kevin Stefanski said he believes in newly acquired quarterback,  Kenny Pickett. Now no head coach, general manager, or owner will talk bad about one of their own players. Pickett was on the Philadelphia Eagles last year. He was not their starting quarterback, but I'm sure he took it all in and learned plenty. Pickett may not be the long term answer for the Browns, but he's a better option then...Deshaun Watson. Watson was a "swing and miss" as Browns owner recently said.

The Green Bay Packers are moving Elgton Jenkins to center since they signed guard, Aaron Banks in free agency this offseason. Banks will play left guard. Jenkins is the best offensive linemen the Packers have. He can play any of the five positions on the o-line. Jordan Morgan and Rasheed Walker will battle out for the left tackle position. The Packers are looking to extend right tackle, Zach Tom. Going into 2025, it is looking like the offensive line is just fine for Green Bay.

The Minnesota Twins start the year with four straight losses. A little surprised for a team that was in the playoff hunt towards the end of last season. 

The Milwaukee Brewers didn't ever lose four straight games all of last season. The Brewers started this season with four straight losses. Reason to be concerned? How many pitchers for Milwaukee are on the IL?