Does the Heat have a chance to beat the Nuggets? Plus, John Calipari has another Kentucky makeover

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Good morning to everyone, but especially to…

THE DENVER NUGGETS AND THE MIAMI HEAT

Welcome to the NBA Finals! The Gold nuggets And Heat meet in a championship match that few could have predicted, but now that they are here, we should get a great series.

Let’s start with our expert predictionsand our crew Real loves Denver. So unanimously. Brad Botkin explains his reasoning:

• Botkin: “Nuggets in 6. Miami deserves a lot of credit for coming this far, but Denver won’t beat itself up the way Boston did. Nikola Jokic guarantees good looks every time on the field, Jamal Murray is cooking, Denver is defending, the shooters are firing, everything is set and the Nuggets are ready for the first championship in franchise history. MVP: Nikola Jokic“

I’m going with Denver too, and the biggest reason is the offense. Yes, Miami is excellent defensively. But the Nuggets are on track for one of the best offensive postseasons ever, and they absolutely shred the zone defense, which Miami loves to deploynotes our Jack Maloney.

But the Heat has been fought before, and yet here they are. That’s a huge honor Erik Spoelstrawho our Bill Reiter calls a great coach of all timeand to Jimmy Butlerwho was convinced that this group would be in the finals before they even made the playoffs. I can’t wait to see Spoelstra and Butler tackle their toughest task yet.

Here’s what else you need to know:

Honorable Mentions

And not such a good morning for…

THE WILD CATS OF KENTUCKY

Kentucky has a lot of work to do, and not much time to do it. The Wildcats lost two key pieces on NBA Draft Deadline Day on Wednesday, with 2022 National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe stay in design alongside Chris Livingston.

• Tshiebwe averaged 16.5 points and 13.7 rebounds last year, and in 2021-22 averaged 15.1 rebounds, the most of any player since 1980. Still, he barely made the rankings of Kyle Boone’s prospects, and his decision could have gone either way.
• Livingston, a 2022 five-star recruit, is an athletic, 6’6″, 240-pound forward who showed flashes but was outside Kyle’s top 75.
• Anthony Reevesa sniper transferred from Illinois state last offseason, returns to college basketball. Whether that’s to Kentucky remains to be seen.
• Cason Wallace And Jacob Toppin are also in the NBA Draft. Sahvir Wheeler, Lance Ware, C. J. Fredrick And Daimion Collins are all transitioning.

Kentucky does land the No. 1 recruiting class, with five five-star prospects, but depth and experience are major concerns.

Kentucky has not progressed beyond the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019, and Calipari now has arguably the biggest makeover of his career on his hands – and he’s had many. The coming months will be exciting in Lexington.

Not so honorable mentions

More NBA Draft Decisions: Zach Edey Returns to Purdue, FAU Reloads 🏀

Zach Edey was the face of college basketball last season and finished as the face of the team going 16-1 for the second time ever. He makes sure this won’t be the last image of him in a Purdue uniform.

Edey, player of the year 2023, withdrew from the NBA Draft and returns for his senior season at West Lafayette.

• Edey, the Boilermakers’ 7’4″ center, average 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks last season. The last player to produce that statistic was Adonal Foyle back in 1996-97.
• Purdue won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles, but fell to the No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the NCAA Tournament, participating in 2018 Virginia as the only 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed.

As for a team that won the title, UConn lost all-rounder Andre Jackson Jr. to the design. He’s in Adam Sango And Jordan Hawkins while Huskies leave for the next level. Sad Newtonhowever will return.

Here are other key developments:

• After a magical run to the Final Four, FAU returns both Johnell Davis And Alijah Martin.
• Terrence Shannon Jr. And Coleman Hawkins are back for Illinois.
• Julian Phillipswhich was in the transfer portal remains in the draft, and Arthur Calima pulled his name from the draft and is still listed in the transfer portal.
• from Calum Creighton teammate, Trey Alexanderreturns to the Bluejays
• michigan state brings both back A. J. Hooggaard And Jaden Akin

NFL Potential Cuts After June 1, Plus Why Today Matters 🏈

It’s been quiet on the NFL front for the past few weeks. Too quiet, if you will. However, that is all about to change because today is June 1 and June 1 is a big day on the calendar.

Let a former NFL agent, Joel Corry, explain.

• Teams can release up to two players per league year before June 2, and they will be treated under the salary cap as if they were released after June 1.
• The team must wear the player’s full cap number until June 2, even if he is not on the roster. The player’s salary is off the books at that point unless it is guaranteed.
• The remaining funds on players released with a designation after June 1 can be spread over two years.
• Basically, it gives the team a bit more flexibility financially and allows players designated for a release after June 1 to get a free agency sooner and potentially monetize a bigger payday.

The Cardinals used their designations, for example JJ Watts And Rodney Hudson. Then, last week, she issued Andre Hopkins and will eat over $21 million in dead cap, all in 2023.

So we could soon see big names on the move. Our Cody Benjamin has eight prominent veterans who may find new teamsincluded…

• Benjamin: “Vikings RB Dalvin Cook — Probably the favorite among all the big names on the list to be let go, Cook has an outstanding resume with four consecutive seasons of 1,100-meter rushing under his belt. It’s entirely possible that he’ll eventually take a pay cut to stay in Minnesota, where the attacking ghosts are Kevin O’Connell adores his natural athleticism. … His release would save a moment $9 million.”

Pistons hires Monty Williams with a huge contract 🏀

The Pistonsup and down young core gets a firm, successful guiding hand: Monty Williams reportedly agreed to become Detroit’s head coachAnd he will be awarded a deal worth up to $100 million to lead the long-term rebuild.

The Sun tanning dismissed Williams, 51, after she lost to the Gold nuggets in the second round of the playoffs.

• Williams had a strong point in Phoenix, with a 194–115 record overall, playoff appearances in three of his four seasons, one Finals appearance, and one Coach of the Year award.
• Williams’ Suns had the third-best record in the NBA over the past four years, behind the money And 76ersboth of whom also fired their coaches this offseason.
• Williams also coached the Hornets from 2010-15, posted a 173-221 record and made the playoffs twice.

Williams is regarded as one of the game’s best coaches, and his departure from Phoenix was a difficult one. There were impossibly high expectations after that Kevin Durant joined mid season, and new owner Matt Ishbia was also eager to take a big step in the coaching field.

In Detroit, Williams inherits a roster of intriguing young talent Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren And James Wijsman but also joins a franchise that has the NBA’s worst record in the last five years. The Pistons moved Dwayne Caseyanother former Coach of the Year, from coach to the front office earlier this offseason.

The Pistons have the fifth pick in the NBA Draft. In its latest mock versionKyle lets them take Houston ahead Jarace Walker.

What we watch Thursday 📺

⚾ Angels at Astros8:10 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Heat at Nuggets8:30 p.m. on ABC