Oh boy did this team need a center so very, very badly. Of course, you have to wonder if the timing makes sense now that Jimmy Butler is out for the season with an ACL tear.
What does Porziņģis offer Golden State in terms of a raised ceiling if the team can’t offer up the best version of itself? Even setting aside his substantial injury pattern, the Warriors don’t have much hope of making a real run this season, and who knows how this aging team looks in a year?
Porziņģis is a free agent this summer, so there is some hope that he’ll re-sign and offer them a consistent floor-spacing presence throughout next season, and perhaps beyond with Butler back in action.
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All in all, this deal is worth it if he stays healthy and is open to staying with the Warriors after the conclusion of this season.
Atlanta: B+
This is a pure upside swing, but one that doesn’t cost the Hawks a lot. Kuminga is cost-controlled this season, and the organization has a team option on him for next season, after which it’s free of any obligation should he fail to pop in Atlanta.
Hield is also easy to cut loose, as he’s on the hook for just $3 million in guaranteed money next year, which is peanuts under this CBA.
While Kuminga will have to defer to Jalen Johnson, he should be higher on the offensive totem pole in Atlanta, providing him with the opportunity to make some noise and some progress under these new circumstances.
MILAN — The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee chose not to put further pressure on LA28 organizing committee chairman Casey Wasserman amid calls for his resignation over flirty emails he exchanged with Jeffrey Epstein associate and convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell.
When asked during a Thursday news conference how concerned he is about the situation, USOPC chair Gene Sykes referenced the statement Wasserman released last Saturday saying that he deeply regretted his correspondence with Maxwell.
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“We have nothing to add to that statement,” Sykes said. “It sort of stands on its own.”
Sykes then pivoted to expressing his trust in the Wasserman-led organizing committee responsible for paying for, planning and delivering Los Angeles’ first Olympics since 1984.
“I have more confidence today in LA2028’s operational capabilities, its leadership, the quality of what it’s doing and how well it has executed than I have at any point in time,” Sykes said.
The series of Spring 2003 emails between Wasserman and Maxwell were among the millions of Epstein files released by the U.S. Department of Justice last Friday. In one exchange, Maxwell tells Wasserman that she’d thought of him “at inappropriate moments.” Responded Wasserman, “I think of you all the time… So what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit? I am in NY tonight, youre not, what am I to do?”
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Weeks later, Wasserman emailed Maxwell that he’s returning to New York City soon and asks, “Can we book that massage soon?” The following day, Wasserman wrote, “I thought we would start at that place that you know of, and then continue the massage concept into your bed…and then again in the morning…not sure if or when we would stop.”
Wasserman was married to Laura Ziffren Wasserman at the time. The high-powered Hollywood agent and businessman divorced his wife in 2021 after two decades of marriage.
“I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light,” Wasserman said in his statement on Saturday.
He also emphasized that he had “never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.”
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“I am terribly sorry for having any association with either of them,” Wasserman added.
Wasserman was originally appointed chairman of the LA28 organizing committee in 2017 by then-Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetiti. Since the release of the emails with Maxwell, a handful of Los Angeles-area politicians have called for Wasserman to step down from that position.
Wasserman appears to still have the backing of not just the USOPC but the International Olympic Committee as well.
During a press conference in Milan earlier this week, IOC Vice President Nicole Hoevertsz said she had “full trust” in Wasserman and the entire LA28 team.
⚾️ Tigers sign Valdez: Framber Valdez is heading to Detroit on a three-year, $115 million deal, giving the Tigers a durable lefty and two-time All-Star who compiled a 3.36 ERA across eight seasons with the Astros. The $38.3 million average annual value sets a record for left-handed pitchers.
🏒 Panarin to the Kings: The Rangers dealt Artemi Panarin to the Kings on Wednesday ahead of the NHL’s Olympic roster freeze. The four-time All-Star then agreed to a two-year, $22 million extension with Los Angeles.
📰 Farewell to an institution: The Washington Post eliminated its sports department on Wednesday as part of a widespread purge that saw one-third of the paper’s staff laid off.
🏒 Top prospect facing charges: Penn State forward Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick in June’s NHL Draft, has been charged with felony aggravated assault and other counts following an alleged altercation in downtown State College.
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🏀 This is what dominance looks like
(Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)
The top brass in men’s college basketball has been remarkably dominant so far this season. How dominant, you ask?
Well, consider this: Three years ago, the AP Top 10 had a combined 36 losses in the first February poll. Two years ago? 40 losses. Last year? 34 losses. This year? Just 18 losses. And nine of those losses came against each other!
(As fate would have it, two top-10 teams lost last night, which was just phenomenal timing for this story. Ugh. But the point still very much stands.)
Top 10:
Wild stat: This past Tuesday marked the third time this season that at least four D-I teams with a 19-1 record or better were in action on the same day. Prior to this season, that had happened three times this century.
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The big picture: There are multiple factors at play here, and we’ll dive deeper into the sport’s current landscape at a later date. For now, all I’ll say is this: Clear your calendars in late March and early April. You’re not going to want to miss this year’s tournament.
💯 Big numbers
An all-time great photo from their March 2024 matchup. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
🏀 88th meeting
This Saturday’s game between No. 4 Duke and No. 14 North Carolina will be the 88th meeting in which both teams are ranked. That’s 47 more than any other matchup (Syracuse vs. Georgetown).
Head-to-head: The Tobacco Road rivals have split those first 87 matches almost exactly, with the Tar Heels holding the slightest of edges in wins (44-43) and points per game (77.9-77.4).
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🏈 60 Super Bowls
Just four people on Earth have attended all 59 Super Bowls to date, and all four are set to extend that streak to 60 this weekend.
Kucherov (R) celebrates after scoring a goal during the Stadium Series. (Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
🏒 1.80 ppg
Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov has been on an absolute heater since the calendar flipped to 2026, scoring 39 points (11 G, 28 A) in just 15 games to push his season total to 90 in 50 games. If he keeps up that pace, he’d be just the 12th player in NHL history to eclipse 1.80 points per game in a season.
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Who would he join? Wayne Gretzky (11x), Mario Lemieux (6x), Phil Esposito (2x), Connor McDavid (2x), Jaromir Jagr, Mike Bossy, Steve Yzerman, Bernie Nicholls, Adam Oates, Bill Cowley and Jari Kurri.
⚾️ 31 runs
The Dominican Republic’s Leones del Escogido won a 16-15 slugfest over Panama’s Federales de Chiriquí on Wednesday in the Caribbean Series, breaking the tournament record for most runs scored in a single game.
Where it stands: The defending champion Leones are 3-0 entering the final day of round-robin play, after which the top four teams (out of five) will advance to tomorrow’s semifinals. As it stands, the Federales are the odd man out behind two teams from Mexico (Charros de Jalisco, Tomateros de Culiacán) and one from Puerto Rico (Cangrejeros de Santurce).
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📈 Vandy AD: This is the moment to invest in women’s sports
Vanderbilt AD Candice Storey Lee applauds during a recent women’s basketball game. (George Walker IV/AP Photo)
This is a guest post from Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee, published on National Women and Girls in Sports Day.
Long before women were formally recognized, funded or celebrated by their institutions, they were already competing — playing, organizing and building teams with little more than determination and belief.
The absence of institutional support never erased their talent or ambition. It only delayed acknowledgment of what was already true.
That history matters because it reminds us of a persistent pattern: opportunity often exists before institutions are willing to name it, fund it or lead it. And progress depends on leaders who are willing to close that gap — not with symbolic gestures, but with sustained investment.
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Today, on National Women and Girls in Sports Day, we are at one of those moments. Women’s sports are experiencing unprecedented visibility, competitive excellence and fan engagement.
Yet the infrastructure that supports them — scholarships, facilities, staffing and long-term resources — too often lags the reality on the field and court. If we believe in excellence, we must be willing to invest accordingly.
Candice Storey Lee hugs Commodores basketball star Mikayla Blakes. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
A recent report by McKinsey found that between 2022 and 2024, revenue from women’s sports grew 4.5 times faster than men’s. And yet, even with that growth, revenues generated by women’s sports represent less than 2 percent of the total U.S. sports market.
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“The next frontier of growth for women’s sports,” the report concluded, “will be closing this monetization gap and realizing women’s sports’ full potential as a high-revenue market.”
But supporting girls and women in their athletic endeavors goes well beyond the idea of increasing revenues — and it aligns with what we know sports can do for any young person.
It’s also about developing leaders who will help build a better society. Whether a girl or young woman plays competitively in high school or college, goes on to the Olympics or simply plays at the recreational level for the pure enjoyment of the game, sports can teach us so much.
It’s no surprise that studies consistently show that more than 90 percent of women in C-suite positions have a background in playing sports. Studies also show that 85 percent of women who played sports attribute their career success to the skills learned through athletic participation. Count me among them.
Canada’s Brett Gallant sweeps the stone during Wednesday’s match. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
🇮🇹 Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy — The Milan Cortina Olympics kicked off on Wednesday, with Canada, Great Britain, Sweden and Switzerland all winning their openers in mixed doubles curling. And while you were sleeping, Team USA won its opener, too.
Working out the kinks: The pre-Opening Ceremony event felt a bit like a dress rehearsal when the power went out just five minutes into the competition, causing a brief delay. Here’s hoping similar issues don’t befall the hockey arena, which remains under construction.
Freshman Joel Foxwell, who scored a game-high 27 points, is swarmed by teammates after the win. (Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
🇺🇸 Portland, Oregon — Portland stunned No. 6 Gonzaga, 87-80, on Wednesday to snap the Bulldogs’ 15-game winning streak and notch one of the biggest upsets of the season. The Pilots, 21.5-point underdogs, had never beaten a top-10 team in the 73-year history of their program.
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Historic night: Unranked Minnesota also upset No. 10 Michigan State, 76-73, marking the first time in 36 years that two teams with losing records beat top-10 ranked opponents on the same day.
Omar Marmoush celebrates his first goal. (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
🏴 Manchester, England — Manchester City beat Newcastle United, 5-1 on aggregate, to advance to their first EFL Cup final since winning four straight titles from 2018-21.
What’s next: City will face Arsenal in the final on March 22 at London’s Wembley Stadium in a clash of the top two teams in the Premier League standings.
Marc Leishman plays a shot on the eighth hole. (Francois Nel/Getty Images)
🇸🇦 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — The fifth LIV Golf season opened at Riyadh Golf Club, where all 72 holes (up from 54 in previous seasons) will be played under the lights.
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Meanwhile, in Arizona: The PGA Tour’s Phoenix Open held its Pro-Am on Wednesday, and Travis Kelce came a few feet from acing the par-3 16th in front of a raucous stadium crowd.
📺 Watchlist: Thursday, Feb. 5
Team USA poses for a picture on Wednesday. (USA Hockey)
🏒 Women’s Olympic Hockey
The 10-team tournament begins today, headlined by two-time gold medalist USA vs. Czechia (10:40am ET, USA) and five-time gold medalist Canada vs. Finland (3:10pm, Peacock).
More Olympics: The USA’s mixed doubles curling team takes the ice against Switzerland (8:30am, USA) and Norway (re-airing at 5pm, CNBC), while qualifiers get underway for men’s snowboard big air (1:30pm, USA).
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⛳️ Phoenix Open
The loudest weekend in golf has arrived (9:20am, ESPN+; 3:30pm, Golf), as TPC Scottsdale and its famed “Party Hole” host a field of 123 golfers, led by two-time champion Scottie Scheffler.
Betting favorite: Calling Scottie the favorite does a disservice to the word. He’s +240 to win at BetMGM. The next-best odds? Xander Schauffele, at +2000!
🏀 NCAAW: No. 17 Duke at No. 6 Louisville (7pm, ESPN); No. 5 LSU at No. 4 Texas (9pm, ESPN) … The Tigers handed the Longhorns their first loss of the season last month.
🏀 NBA: Bulls at Raptors (7:30pm, Prime); Warriors at Suns (10pm, Prime) … All four teams are in playoff (or play-in) position entering deadline day.
⛳️ LIV Golf: Riyadh (10am, FS1) … Thomas Detry and Peter Uihlein (-7) lead after Round 1.
Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. Get tickets now!
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🏈 Super Bowl trivia
Sam Darnold and Mike Macdonald on the sidelines. (Harry How/Getty Images)
The Seahawks are one of two franchises this century to send three different QB-head coach combinations to the Super Bowl, with Sam Darnold & Mike Macdonald joining Russell Wilson & Pete Carroll (2014-15) and Matt Hasselbeck & Mike Holmgren (2006).
Question: Can you name the other franchise, and their three QB-HC combos?
Hint: Two Nicks.
Answer at the bottom.
🏀 Deadline day
(Giphy)
The NBA trade deadline is today at 3pm ET, and plenty of high-profile names could still be moved. Follow along for live updates.
Trivia answer: Eagles: Donovan McNabb & Andy Reid (2005), Nick Foles & Doug Pederson (2017), Jalen Hurts & Nick Sirianni (2023, 2025)
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Set to the soundtrack of Andy Grammer’s “Don’t Give Up On Me,” Vonn’s video includes footage of her doing a series of barbell squats, agility exercises, side lunges and box jumps with a brace on her injured left knee. Her caption included the following message:
“I’m not giving up, working as hard as I can to make it happen! Thank you to my team and everyone for your incredible support. Keep believing.”
The Instagram post echoes what Vonn said during a press conference earlier this week: She plans to be at the starting gate Sunday for the women’s downhill despite the ACL injury.
Orthopedic experts told Yahoo Sports that while Vonn returning this quickly to an Olympic level of competition does not have much precedent, it’s not inconceivable.
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Though the ACL is the main stabilizer in the knee, “what you’re relying on is great eccentric quad strength, hip strength and hip control (plus) external bracing to reduce any of that rotational force,” Dr. Catherine Logan, an orthopedic surgeon at the Joint Preservation Center in Denver who also works with U.S. Ski and Snowboard, told Yahoo Sports. “She can do all those things without an ACL.”
Essentially, while Vonn may risk further damage to her knee, she came out of retirement for this chance at the Olympics. If she feels stable enough on the knee to make it down the hill — and, after multiple knee surgeries across the years, Vonn knows her body well enough to make that call — there is a pathway for her to be competitive in the event.
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Vonn must complete a training run to make the starting field for Sunday’s downhill event, but one of her opportunities was eliminated Thursday when officials in Cortina cancelled training due to heavy snow in the area. It’s unclear what the forecast looks like for Friday and Saturday, but according to the rules of the event there must be one training run before the competition takes place.
The Bulls are trading Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips to the Timberwolves, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Thursday, just hours before the trade deadline. Minnesota will receive Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller and four second-round picks in return.
This is just the latest move for a Chicago team that has been busy in recent days as it looks to rebuild, shipping out Kevin Huerter, Dario Šarić (acquired in an earlier trade), a 2026 first-round protected swap, Nikola Vučević, Coby White, Mike Conley Jr. and Dalen Terry. In return, including the Dosunmu trade, they’ve added nine second-round picks and nine players, some of whom they flipped in other trades.
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Dosunmu was drafted by his hometown Bulls in the second round in 2021 out of Illinois and was named to the All-Rookie team. Now in his fifth season in Chicago, Dosunmu is averaging a career-high 15 points per game, plus 3 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
Phillips was drafted by the Celtics in the second round in 2023 and eventually landed in Chicago after a post-draft trade to the Wizards. The Tennessee product has played minimal minutes for the Bulls over the last three seasons, averaging 3.6 points per game.
This week’s moves signal a shift for a Bulls team that hasn’t made it past the play-in tournament since the 2021-22 season, when they lost in the first round. Chicago hasn’t made it past the first round since the 2014-25 season, Tom Thibodeau’s final year as head coach. This season, they’re 24-27, hovering around 10th in the Eastern Conference.
As for the Bulls’ return, Dillingham has averaged 10 minutes off the bench for Minnesota, scoring 4 points per game, while Miller has played in just 49 games over the past three seasons.
Announced on Thursday, Yahoo Sports and the Sports Card Nonsense (SCN) Media Network are partnering to deliver some of the most engaging and entertaining collectibles-related video content directly to users on myriad platforms, including Yahoo Sports Network, a free streaming TV (FAST) channel.
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“The Sports Card Nonsense Media Network is an ideal partner to help us continue to scale our video programming and collectibles content,” Sam Farber, Head of Yahoo Studios and Sports Content said in a release announcing the news. “They have some of the most beloved shows in the hobby and we look forward to bringing their collectibles conversations and insights to fans across Yahoo Sports platforms.”
As part of the partnership, a selection of SCN Media Network shows — including its twice-weekly flagship show, Sports Cards Nonsense — will be part of a unique collectibles-focused block on the Yahoo Sports Network. Additional clips from these shows will featured on the Yahoo Sports Collectibles Hub and Yahoo Sports website.
“Sports Cards Nonsense hosts the most knowledgeable and entertaining content creators in the collectibles space focusing on trending topics, education, investment, and the industry’s evolution. With the SCN-Yahoo partnership, sports fans, hobby fans and collectors will now be able to find SCN content across one of the most trusted and far-reaching platforms in media,” Jeremy Aisenberg, SCN Media President said in the release.
“Beyond distributing our existing programming, we’re excited to collaborate on new, original content that explores additional dimensions of the hobby — including its growing cultural and business impact. Together, we envision a powerful opportunity to inform and entertain the next generation of collectors while continuing to serve the passionate hobby community.”
Yahoo Sports and the SCN Media Network will also explore opportunities to produce new content together that expands coverage and reach in the growing collectibles space.
Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris will not compete in big air after crashing Wednesday night during training and needing to be stretchered off the course ahead of the Milan Cortina Games.
McMorris announced on Instagram on Thursday that he was pulling out of the event and turning his focus to slopestyle, which begins Feb. 16.
“I hit my head and I will not be able to compete in Big Air tonight, unfortunately,” McMorris said. “Fortunately, things are looking up for Slope Style, so [I’m] just trying to stay positive and shift my focus to that event.”
It was unclear what exactly happened, but the Canadian snowboard team described the crash as “heavy.”
“Working in tandem with the Canada snowboard and Canadian Olympic committee medical teams, it was decided that as a precaution, Mark will skip the big air event to focus his efforts on being fully healthy for slopestyle,” said Canada Snowboard team in a statement.
The 32-year-old is making his fourth Olympic appearance for Canada. Qualifying for the big air competition is set for Thursday night, one day before the Opening Ceremony.
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McMorris has won three bronze medals in his Olympics career. He claimed third in slopestyle in each of the past three Olympics, and he finished 10th in the big air competition in both the PyeongChang Olympics in 2018 and the Beijing Olympics in 2022. He has won four of his 12 X Games gold medals in the big air competition, which was added to the Olympics in 2018. In the big air competition at the Olympics, riders take off from a ramp that is more than 165 feet tall.
McMorris, per the CBC, suffered life-threatening injuries after he slammed into a tree during a backcountry snowboarding accident in 2017. That resulted in him having a rod placed in his leg, a plate in his arm and another plate in his jaw. Despite that and other significant injuries, McMorris said last month that he felt he was in good health entering these Games.
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The men’s big air final is set for Saturday night at the Livigno Snow Park.
An attorney for freshman Georgia defensive tackle London Seymour said Seymour was arrested on multiple felony charges for allegedly taking part in a TikTok challenge.
Seymour, the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame member Richard Seymour, was arrested on Jan. 29 along with three others. He was charged with 11 felony counts of criminal damage to property for alleged incidents that took place on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 at a UGA residence hall.
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Seymour’s attorney, Kim Stephens, told the Athens Banner-Herald that Seymour was taking part in a “door kick challenge.” The viral escapade that is similar to ding dong ditching, but involves kicking a door instead of ringing a doorbell.
News of Seymour’s arrest emerged Wednesday night via multiple outlets reporting an erroneous number of charges despite the Athens-Clarke County jail site listing 11 charges on his booking profile.
Stephens told the paper that University of Georgia police “took 11 warrants in a case that they could have and should have taken a single warrant. … I expect Mr. Seymour’s case will likely be dismissed upon completion of a Pretrial Diversion Program that would include paying for any damage to property.”
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The Georgia athletic department has declined to comment about Seymour’s arrest.
The freshman is a walk-on from Suwanee, Georgia. He appeared in one game in 2025 as he played in the team’s season-opening win over Marshall.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — New England Patriots receiver Mack Hollins might be the first player ever to show up barefoot for his Super Bowl media availability.
That’s tough to research, but this seems like an indisputable proclamation: Hollins is definitely the first player to show up to talk to the media while carrying the book, “Pastured Poultry Profit$.”
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At Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday, Hollins goodheartedly stopped all questions about Super Bowl LX with a “No football! No football!” He was willing to talk about mostly anything else, including that he doesn’t eat vegetables, doesn’t like to drink water (and only spring water when he does), typically doesn’t use any utensils when he eats, how he doesn’t trust wireless headphones and his preference to never wear shoes.
“He’s probably No. 1 on the unique list,” Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs said. “He’s actually taught me a lot. Alternative medicines, things he does, things he eats, how he moves on the daily. He is definitely one of my different teammates.’”
NFL players, especially during Super Bowl week, often try to avoid saying anything unusual to avoid any whiff of controversy. Hollins didn’t say anything that would cause any problems this week, but he has been the quirkiest interview subject of the week, sharing his various theories.
“I’m not like so deep that I’m on the flat earth side,” Hollins said. “Yet.”
Mack Hollins of the New England Patriots warms up prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills on December 14. It was 32 degrees at kickoff. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
(Kathryn Riley via Getty Images)
Mack Hollins is his own individual
If you’ve heard about Hollins’ alternate views on life, it was probably because of the oft-told story of him not wearing shoes.
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Hollins said it started when he met with Melbourne Muscular Therapy, a group of trainers from Australia, to find answers for a groin injury he had when he was with the Philadelphia Eagles. Hollins flew them to the United States, and they exposed him to the idea of living barefoot when possible. That’s why you might see him walk into a stadium on a cold and snowy day with no shirt and no shoes.
It has become a trademark. He wore a hoodie at the Patriots’ availability on Wednesday that had “HOLLINS” written across it, with footprints replacing the Ls, and “Free the feet” underneath his name. He said he’ll wear shoes in airport bathrooms. When he’ll be outside in less than 35 degrees for an extended period of time he’ll wear shoes. If he wears a military outfit as one of his many interesting pregame outfits he’ll wear shoes too, because he wants to respect the uniform.
“Oh! if I’m going out with the guys I’ll wear them. I don’t want them to kick us all out of the restaurant, ” Hollins said. “If I’m by myself? I’ve been kicked out of many a restaurant. It’s all right.”
Hollins believes in grounding, which is the positive health effects of feeling the Earth’s electrical charge through walking on ground with bare feet. He said he believes he has better mobility and has healthier hips and knees due to grounding.
“I feel like I’m healthier because of it,” Hollins said. “So yeah, I think there’s significantly more positives than the few negatives when I step on a rock or something.”
Whatever term you wish to use for Hollins’ views, he comes by them honestly.
“I think I’ve always been like that,” Hollins said. “I’ve always wanted to try things and do things. I used to take things apart all the time when I was a kid. I used to just do new things and, oh, let me try this out. And YouTube was as close a friend of mine as anything can get. I think you can figure out anything on YouTube.”
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Among the beliefs Hollins will share are that wireless headphones aren’t healthy, due to the EMF (electromagnetic fields) emitted by bluetooth.
“I think around the locker room, more guys have started to pay attention to wired headphones versus wireless headphones, the impact that I can have on the human body,” Hollins said.. “And it seems hokey-pokey or whatever you want to say, but if there’s science, I can back it, and I think there is science that can back, maybe not direct correlations to human health, but I know on plant health, they’ve done enough things, studies on how plants grow when affected by EMF.”
This isn’t a normal conversation during Super Bowl interviews. And he’s just getting started.
The Super Bowl’s most interesting man
Whatever you want to ask Hollins about, he typically has an answer. Or wants to look into it.
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Hollins said he hasn’t eaten vegetables in five or six years. And if he did it wouldn’t be with a fork: Hollins generally doesn’t use utensils to eat.
“I never liked vegetables to begin with,” Hollins said. “I think they have other purposes other than nutrition. I think they’re better or if you’re not well or something for more medicinal purposes than anything else.
“But to each their own, I tell people if you’re going to have a diet, make sure it’s the highest quality stuff. I don’t care if you’re vegan, you’re a carnivore, you’re anything in between. Just make sure the quality is good. I think the quality of food in the United States has, I mean, basically crumbled. People choose convenience, and that’s what most people do. They want convenience, convenience, convenience, and convenience comes with a cross.”
On his avoidance of water, he’ll drink spring water if he has it at all. He prefers watermelon juice. He was also happy to land in California this week, because they have raw milk in stores.
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“I’m not big on the water thing,” Hollins said. “I think that’s kind of a scam.”
The three snakes he has as pets are “alive and well.”
The book he’s carrying around? His latest curiosity has been with farming, and specifically regenerative agriculture.
“So this book is just about chickens and how they can help, really help the world because our food,” Hollins said. “The way we raise animals in general is a huge problem, number one. not only from a health standpoint, but from an environment standpoint. It’s bad.”
At some point in Super Bowl week, most players get tired of the endless questions about the game or the off-the-wall queries that come out of nowhere. Hollins seemed like he could talk all week about his world views.
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“I think there’s just a lot out there to try out and learn and be cool with,” Hollins said.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Seattle Seahawks didn’t get the respect they probably deserved over the course of what was a dominant regular season. Now that Super Bowl LX is here, after two great wins by Seattle in the playoffs, there might be an overcorrection.
Just about everyone seems to be picking the Seahawks to beat the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl LX rout. Go find anyone, outside of New England, who likes the Patriots to win straight up. Of the 10 oddsmakers Yahoo Sports’ Ben Fawkes asked, nine thought the Seahawks would win. Two-thirds of the bets at BetMGM are on the Seahawks to cover the 4.5-point spread. Around the host city early in the week, it was hard to find anyone who was taking the Patriots.
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As we know, when everyone seems to be on one side, that can be dangerous.
While the respect for the Seahawks has spiked, the disrespect for the Patriots has gotten a bit out of control. Judging by the pre-Super Bowl chatter, you wouldn’t know they’re 17-3 counting playoffs.
Drake Maye of the New England Patriots (left) and Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl Opening Night. (Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images)
(Logan Bowles via Getty Images)
Here’s why New England +4.5 is the pick for Super Bowl LX, with a reason to believe the moneyline at +190 is in play too:
The Patriots are excellent at the two most important positions: Somewhere along the line, it seems to be forgotten that the Patriots arguably had the best coach and the most valuable player in the NFL this season. Mike Vrabel will probably win NFL Coach of the Year, and while Drake Maye seems likely to finish second in the NFL MVP race, the quarterback who will win the award isn’t in this game. It’s not bad to take an elite coach/QB combo.
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Mike Vrabel (and others) have experience: This is a matchup of two teams mostly new to the Super Bowl experience. Only nine players on both active rosters have been in a Super Bowl before.
One head coach has Super Bowl playing experience. Vrabel appeared in three Super Bowls. Listening to him speak about how he has laid out the week for his team, it’s clear he picked up lessons from Bill Belichick. Also, his offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has been a part of 10 Super Bowls. It might seem insignificant but the Patriots’ leadership being on this stage before matters.
The strength-of-schedule argument is overblown: Never before has strength of schedule come up so often for an NFL team. The Patriots had the easiest strength of schedule in the NFL, and that did factor into their success. But it’s not like they played in the Mid-American Conference. Winning 17 games against NFL competition is hard. While worth a mention, strength of schedule has dominated the conversation with New England recently, and that’s off base.
The Patriots can combat Seattle’s best player: Jaxon Smith-Njigba is likely to win NFL Offensive Player of the Year this week, and it’s deserved. So is all respect for Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, one of the team’s best players who will likely see a lot of JSN on Sunday. Nobody should expect Gonzalez to shut out Smith-Njigba. But if he can limit him to some extent, that’s big. Smith-Njigba had 36.2% of Seattle’s targets in the regular season, which was the highest mark in the NFL. If Gonzalez can keep JSN from going off, Seattle’s offense doesn’t have many other counterpunches.
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The Patriots match up well with Seattle’s weakness too: Seattle doesn’t have many weaknesses, but the interior of the offensive line is one. Guards Grey Zabel and Anthony Bradford ranked 44th and 72nd among all NFL guards in Pro Football Focus’ grades this season, and starting center Jalen Sundell was 19th. They’ll be blocking defensive tackles Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, who have been very good this postseason. That could be a big matchup, especially since Sam Darnold’s struggles come against pressure.
Sam Darnold still has turnover issues: The criticism of Darnold is overdone. He has been good for all but a few games the past two seasons. But it is worth noting that Darnold led all NFL quarterbacks with 20 turnovers this season (14 interceptions, six lost fumbles). Could a Patriots defense that has allowed 26 points in three postseason games get a turnover or two to turn the game? Perhaps.
As a bonus, here are some props for Super Bowl LX, with all odds from BetMGM:
Rashid Shaheed MVP (33-to-1): Here’s the thing: If the Patriots win the Super Bowl, Drake Maye is very, very likely to be the game’s MVP. At +230 odds, there’s no value in that. If the Seahawks win, it’s more wide open. If Sam Darnold doesn’t play great, Jaxon Smith-Njigba doesn’t go over 100 yards against Christian Gonzalez and Kenneth Walker III doesn’t have a big day against a good Patriots run defense, who could be MVP? It might be the explosive returner who can change the outcome with a big special teams touchdown, or a huge play at receiver too. The odds are enticing. I also love Shaheed over 19.5 receiving yards; that’s probably one catch for him.
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Drake Maye first TD (+1600): The Patriots’ best offense this postseason might be Maye scrambling. Whether it’s a scramble or a designed run, Maye’s legs make him live to be the first scorer.
Hunter Henry anytime TD (+230): The Seahawks’ defense is fantastic, but they will give up some plays to tight ends. Henry led the Patriots with seven receiving touchdowns in the regular season. He has a shot to score in the Super Bowl and there’s value in the odds. I’m good with any Henry over props, like over 39.5 receiving yards.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba under 93.5 yards: This is a scary one. JSN was amazing this season. He could blow past 100 yards, of course. But Christian Gonzalez is pretty good too.
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Coin toss is heads (-102): Last year, tails didn’t fail. With that win, tails leads 31-28 over heads in the Super Bowl coin toss history. This has to come back to the middle, right?
