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Good morning! Roll the dice today.
Menaces: Put Trae Young at MSG permanently
I will watch every game Trae Young plays in Madison Square Garden. This small, talented man is maybe the most entertaining antagonist of a specific team — in this case, the Knicks — that we have in today’s NBA.
We got another chapter, in Atlanta’s 108-100 NBA Cup quarterfinals win at MSG last night:
Trae Young rolled the dice on the Knicks logo 👀
Next stop: Las Vegas 💰 pic.twitter.com/M707Rgvl0W
— ESPN (@espn) December 12, 2024
That’s New York’s least favorite point guard, mimicking rolling dice on the Knicks logo as time expired. Just delightful, in my opinion. Read this story from way back in 2021 to see the beef’s genesis. After last night’s game, Young called it a “love-hate relationship.”
Those Hawks and the Rockets — who won thanks to a wild final sequence — advanced to the NBA Cup semifinals. Later this morning, Zach Harper will have a full explanation of what happened in Houston in our free NBA newsletter.
Let’s keep moving:
Hello, College: Bill Belichick’s new frontier
After a gap year or two, Bill Belichick, like so many other teenagers, is finally heading to college. Except Bill Belichick is 72, has won more Super Bowls than any coach in NFL history and sits 14 victories shy of the league record. Again, yes, this is very real:
I can only see this unfolding two ways:
1. He wins big. He’s Bill Belichick. Of course he wins. After seeing the Washington Huskies run his defensive scheme this season under his son Steve, the elder Belichick knows how to coach college guys — and how to prepare them for the NFL, a huge selling point on the recruiting trail. Add in a weak ACC and a patsy schedule next year, and we’re talking immediate Playoff contention, depending on how his organization can recruit.
2. He crashes out hard. There is so much about Belichick’s aura that doesn’t fit with the college game. He’s gonna enjoy meeting boosters instead of studying film? Historically, forcing NFL strategies on college programs has not worked out. See: Herm Edwards, Charlie Weis, etc. You can’t even compare the NFL-to-college success stories like Jim Harbaugh or Nick Saban, because those guys had been college coaches first. Belichick has never coached in college, and just a reminder, no matter the resume: This man turns 73 before kickoff. He is the oldest coach in FBS.
- One thing he’ll have going for him: NIL money should flow in, as The Athletic’s Brendan Marks told me, which will help finance a good roster on top of Belichick’s salary — which is tied for seventh nationally.
Brendan also helped me land on what would count as a successful season in Year 1 of the Belichick regime: eight wins, an upgrade from this year’s 6-6, which is basically the program’s average in this millennium. Before we go further, I want to know what you think: Will North Carolina improve by two or more wins next season?
Vote yes or no here. We’ll publish the results tomorrow.
P.S. Joining Belichick yesterday in the “old faces, new places” club was Rich Rodriguez, who is heading back to West Virginia as head coach.
News to Know
Red Sox land Crochet
Boston won yesterday’s hot stove, acquiring White Sox starter Garrett Crochet for a haul of prospects. Crochet had been a hot name on the trade block since last season’s deadline, but talks never gained full traction until late Tuesday. When healthy, Crochet is one of the best pitchers in baseball — and he’s still just 25 years old. The Red Sox will have two years of control before Crochet hits free agency. Read the inside story on how the trade happened.
Bronny to play a road game after all
It’s a strange time in Lakerland, where LeBron James is away from the team on an undisclosed excused absence, per coach JJ Redick, and his son Bronny — who was set to only play home G League games — will now play in a road contest for the South Bay Lakers. Jovan Buha has a good breakdown of everything wrong with the Lakers right now.
Davis ‘very disappointed’
Raiders owner Mark Davis isn’t pleased with Antonio Pierce’s first full year as head coach, he said yesterday at the NFL owners’ meetings. Curiously enough, he also declined to say the former interim coach would return in 2025, though he added he will not decide on the matter until season’s end. The Raiders are a mess.
More news
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Things You Need to See: An American soccer first
The times are still troubled for Manchester City, whose quick rebound in the Premier League did not translate in Champions League play yesterday in a 2-0 loss to the USMNT Juventus. Just look at this clincher:
Scored in Torino, made in America! 🇮🇹🤝🇺🇸
Juve’s #USMNT duo combine for a goal to remember as Tim Weah sets up Weston McKennie 🪄 pic.twitter.com/ZaZsL3u7jY
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) December 11, 2024
That’s Tim Weah on the far side out there, setting up American teammate Weston McKennie for an absolute golazo. The strike put Juventus — 14th in the CL standings — up by the match’s final margin.
It also marked the first time an American has assisted another American for a goal in the Champions League competition. Pretty cool.
Watch and Play
📺 NFL: Rams at 49ers
8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video
A massive game with playoff implications, mostly for 7-6 L.A., who can slide into the NFC West lead with a win and help this weekend. San Francisco has had a lost year … but is still just one game under .500 in this tight division. Expect a playoff feel.
📺 NCAAW: No. 2 UConn at No. 8 Notre Dame
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
A stellar matchup between two of our top four teams, according to this week’s Power Rankings. Paige Bueckers and the Huskies are undefeated. Let’s see if that sticks.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
What are the top 10 front offices in the NBA? Dozens of executives and coaches voted in our anonymous poll, and one team came out lightyears ahead of its peers.
Zion Williamson on the trade block? It could be the start of a teardown here in New Orleans.
It’s possible the Yankees’ failed pursuit of Juan Soto came down to a free suite.
A former NFL player has found a purpose in woodworking. Yes, woodworking. Millions of people are watching, too.
Saudi Arabia got the 2034 World Cup, even before the vote took place. Philip Buckingham shines a light on the shady process.
How are the women of the PWHL adapting to a more physical game? Hailey Salvian has a good one on the art of hitting in women’s hockey.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Andrew Marchand’s report on NBC hiring Jamal Crawford and eyeing Reggie Miller. Catch up here.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Brett Favre’s apology to Mark Gastineau about his sack record dive.
(Top photo: Robert Deutsch / Imagn Images)
