Kevin O’Connor sits down with former Denver Nuggets GM Calvin Booth for an unfiltered look inside team building, executive strategy and the realities of finding success in the NBA. How did he manage the team during their championship run?
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Booth also shares candid reflections on his relationship with former head coach Michael Malone, insights on sustaining a championship window and his philosophy behind drafting players and developing talent.
(1:11) Keys to building a championship team
(10:06) Bruce Brown’s development
(11:30) Jokic’s growth in Denver
(16:30) Nuggets post-championship
(31:33) Friction between Booth & Malone
(40:43) What would Booth do differently looking back?
(49:42) Is Denver on the path to a dynasty?
(52:18) College basketball landscape & impact on Draft
(1:03:53) Overrated traits & underrated players
Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets looks on against the Golden State Warriors in the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on February 22, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
When Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese showed up to his NFL scouting combine media availability on Wednesday morning, the nameplate at his podium said his first name was “Vell.”
That surprised him.
“No, no, no. You can stick with Arvell,” Reese said at the podium, via Chat Sports.
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What’s clear is that all NFL fans who don’t know Reese’s name will soon, and probably by the end of the week.
In an NFL Draft that only has one quarterback expected to go in the first few picks, Reese might end up as the second overall pick off the board after Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Reese’s athleticism, versatility and production is going to appeal to teams in the top five. Reese said Wednesday that he has already met with the Jets, who have the second pick of the draft. Interviews at the combine do not tip off that a player will go to a certain team, but it also shouldn’t be a surprise that teams selecting in the first few picks of the draft want to get to know Reese better. He’s one of the most intriguing talents in the draft.
Arvell Reese said he prefers to be outside linebacker or an edge defender in the NFL. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Reese played all over Ohio State’s front seven last season, and the Buckeyes’ defense led FBS by allowing only 9.3 points per game. Reese would play off-ball linebacker but also line up on the edge in pass-rushing situations. That’s similar to Micah Parsons’ role at Penn State. Reese has said he has been asked where he wants to play.
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“I’ll tell them outside linebacker, or edge,” Reese said.
That makes sense, because edge rushers have a lot more value in the NFL. Reese said he was on the edge about 60% of the time last season, and he has room to grow as a full-time edge player. He had only 6.5 sacks last season, mostly because he wasn’t rushing all the time.
“I haven’t even scratched the surface of what really I can do pass rushing,” Reese said.
This week could be big for Reese. He talked about needing to get better at many parts of his game, but the athleticism is pretty easy to see on tape. Reese said he’s doing all the drills at the combine, including all edge drills and all linebacker drills, and while he doesn’t have a goal for his 40-yard dash time, “I just want to make sure I run fast.”
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He should do well during the drills and if he does, he will be in the mix to be a top-three pick with other edge defenders like Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. and Texas Tech’s David Bailey. While Reese’s versatility at Ohio State says a lot about him as a football player, there will be some projection for teams at the top of the draft because he wasn’t full time at any one position. But the raw ability should make for an easy transition, and a high spot in the draft.
“I think I have a lot to get better at, at outside linebacker and edge, as far as pass rushing and coverage, but I think I can adapt to it quick, for sure,” Reese said.
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🚨 Headlines
⚾️ Griffin’s viral blasts: Super prospect Konnor Griffin, 19, fueled the hype machine on Tuesday by hitting two titanic blasts out of “Fenway South” during the Pirates’ spring training win over the Red Sox. Get to know the name, folks. Scouts are calling him the best hitting prospect in at least a decade.
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🏒 Near-record viewership: 20.7 million viewers tuned in for Team USA’s gold-medal victory over Canada on Sunday, making it the second-most watched hockey game ever on NBC. Only 2010’s gold-medal game drew a larger audience (27.6 million).
⚽️ Survive and advance: Bodø/Glimt (over Inter Milan), Atlético Madrid (over Club Brugge), Newcastle United (over Qarabag) and Bayer Leverkusen (over Olympiacos) advanced to the Champions League Round of 16 after winning their playoffs.
🇺🇸 Another medal for Helly: Team USA goalie Connor Hellebuyck will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his outstanding play in the gold-medal game from President Trump, who welcomed the men’s hockey team to the Capitol for Tuesday’s State of the Union.
🏈 “America’s Game” on the move? The Army-Navy game, played annually in mid-December, may move up a couple weeks so that it would count towards the conference title race and potential CFP inclusion. It would also give the playoff more scheduling wiggle room as it prepares for expansion.
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🏒 Back in action: NHL resumes play
(Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)
The 2025-26 NHL regular season resumes tonight after a 19-day break for the Winter Olympics. Eight games are scheduled for the return, marking the start of a critical push toward the March 6 trade deadline.
Eastern Conference: Parity, or “competitive balance,” as commissioner Gary Bettman calls it, is alive and well this season. That’s especially true in the East, where 15 of 16 teams have a points percentage over .500. Get it together, Rangers! You’re ruining the whole vibe.
(Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)
Western Conference: The West is home to the Stanley Cup favorites (Avalanche) and three of the top four Hart Trophy contenders in Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (-225 at BetMGM), San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini (+325) and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (+850). The only other serious contender is Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov (+550).
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⚾️ Mount Rushmore of homers
Maz heads toward home plate after his historic blast. (Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
In the wake of Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski’s recent passing, we felt it prudent to honor his iconic World Series walk-off with its rightful place on the Mount Rushmore of MLB home runs.
The top four: Maz’s World Series clincher sits alongside three other homers that, in our humble opinion, represent the most iconic in the game’s 150-year history.
Bill Mazeroski (1960): World Series, Game 7 … The first walk-off homer to win the Fall Classic, and still the only one to come in Game 7, gave the Pirates their first championship in 35 years. The light-hitting second baseman went on to make the Hall of Fame for his glove, but will always be remembered for his blast against Yankees reliever Ralph Terry.
Bobby Thomson (1951): The Shot Heard ‘Round the World … Thomson’s Giants trailed the crosstown Dodgers by 13 games on Aug. 11 before finishing the season on a 37-7 run to tie them on the last day, forcing a best-of-three playoff for a spot in the World Series. Thomson’s walk-off, three-run shot against Ralph Branca in Game 3 triggered an all-time great call from Russ Hodges: “The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!”
Joe Carter (1993): Touch ’em all, Joe! … The only other World Series-clinching walk-off home run came in Game 6, where Carter turned a 5-3 deficit into a 6-5 victory over the Phillies for Toronto’s second straight title. A quick shoutout to this Blue Jays lineup, which featured three future Hall of Famers in Rickey Henderson, Paul Molitor and Roberto Alomar.
Hank Aaron (1974): No. 715 … Babe Ruth’s record of 714 home runs stood for nearly four decades before Hammerin’ Hank hit No. 715. Naturally, Vin Scully was on the call:
“What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol.”
An illustration of Ruth “calling his shot.” (Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images)
*The Babe’s legendary “called shot” in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series would have probably made it on Mount Rushmore if not for the mystery surrounding its true nature. Accounts differ as to whether the Yankees slugger was calling his shot or simply pointing at the Cubs dugout to remind his opponents, who had been jawing him all game, that he still had one strike left. As they say, “print the legend.”
💯 Big numbers
(Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
⛸️ 5.4 million new followers
Figure skating gold medalist Alysa Liu has gained an astonishing 5.4 million Instagram followers since the start of the Milan Cortina Olympics, going from 211k before the Games to 5.6M as of this morning.
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The Olympics bump: Liu isn’t the only American hero to see a spike in IG followers. Jack Hughes jumped from 681k entering Sunday’s hockey finale to over 1M after his golden-goal heroics. That makes the Devils star just the third active NHL player to eclipse that mark, joining Alexander Ovechkin (1.7M) and Connor McDavid (1.4M).
⚾️ -105
Team USA has won just one of the first five World Baseball Classics, but their stacked roster has positioned them as the odds-on favorite to win the upcoming 20-team tournament (-105 at BetMGM), which begins next week.
Top contenders: Defending champion Japan (+350) and 2013 champion Dominican Republic (+425) are viewed as Team USA’s strongest competition. The only other countries with better than 50-to-1 odds are Venezuela (+900), Puerto Rico (+2000) and Mexico (+2000).
(Maria Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images)
⚽️ 16 Americans
Atlético Madrid midfielder Johnny Cardoso’s beautiful strike in Tuesday’s win over Club Brugge made him the 16th American to score a goal in the Champions League.
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The full list: Christian Pulisic is the leader (12 goals), followed by Weston McKennie (10), Ricardo Pepi (6), Folarin Balogun (5), Malik Tillman (5), DaMarcus Beasley (4), Jordan Siebatcheu (2), Tim Weah (2) Fabian Johnson (2), Jermaine Jones (2) and one each for Tyler Adams, Sergiño Dest, Maurice Edu, Jovan Kirovski, Sacha Kljestan and Cardoso.
🏀 655 appearances
UConn’s Geno Auriemma made his 655th appearance in the AP Top 25 this week, breaking a tie with Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer for the most by a head coach in the history of the women’s poll.
Huskies on fire: The defending champion Huskies (29-0), who’ve been ranked No. 1 all season, have won 45 consecutive games dating back to last February. That’s the seventh-longest streak in D-I women’s basketball history — and four of the six winning streaks with longer durations also belong to UConn.
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📺 Watchlist: Wednesday, Feb. 25
The Nuggets beat the Celtics in their first meeting last month. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
🏀 NBA on ESPN
Tonight’s heavyweight doubleheader begins in Detroit, where the Pistons are hosting the Thunder in a battle of first-place teams (7:30pm ET). Then it’s off to Denver for a game between the second-place Celtics and fourth-place Nuggets (10pm).
Title contenders: OKC (+135 at BetMGM), Denver (+550), Boston (+1200) and Detroit (+1200) are four of the five betting favorites to win the NBA championship.
🏒 NHL on TNT
The NHL’s first post-Olympics doubleheader is a doozy, with the first-place Lightning hosting the Maple Leafs (7:30pm) and the first-place Golden Knights visiting the Kings (10pm).
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Team USA on display: Four gold-medal winning Americans are set to take the ice tonight, including Team USA captain Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs). The others: Jack Eichel (Golden Knights), Noah Hanifin (Golden Knights) and Jake Guentzel (Lightning).
⚽️ Champions League
The knockout playoffs conclude today with four second-leg matches featuring an array of European giants, including the reigning champions (Paris Saint-Germain) and the winningest club in tournament history (Real Madrid). The winners advance to the Round of 16.
Full slate: Atalanta (0-2) vs. Dortmund (12:45pm, Paramount+); Real Madrid (1-0) vs. Benfica (3pm, Paramount+); PSG (3-2) vs. Monaco (3pm, Paramount+); Juventus (2-5) vs. Galatasaray (3pm, CBSSN).
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More to watch:
🏀 NCAAM: No. 15 St. John’s at No. 6 UConn (7pm, NBCSN) … The Johnnies (22-5) are 15-1 in the Big East for the first time since the 1984-1985 season, when they made their most recent Final Four appearance.
🏀 NCAAW: No. 8 Michigan at No. 13 Ohio State (8pm, Peacock) … Sophomores Jaloni Cambridge (Ohio State) and Olivia Olson (Michigan) are both on the Wooden Award late midseason top 20.
⛳️ LPGA: HSBC Women’s World Championships (9:30pm, Golf) … Nine of the world’s top 10 players headline the field at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club.
Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events happening in your city. Get tickets now!
⚾️ MLB trivia
(Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Norway is one of eight countries with territory located within the Arctic Circle.
Question: Can you name the other seven?
Answer at the bottom.
📸 Photo finish
(Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
I’ve viewed thousands of photographs from the Milan Cortina Olympics. There are more iconic shots… More memorable moments… But this right here is my favorite photo.
Australia’s Abbey Willcox (aerials) looks like she’s handplanting on the mountain!
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Kevin O’Connor is joined by Jason Timpf to check in with unhappy fan bases across the NBA. They discuss whether the criticism of Karl Anthony-Towns is fair and offer solutions to the problems in New York. Then, they break down the root of Atlanta’s issues since the Trae Young trade. Plus, what’s going on in Los Angeles and can it even be fixed?
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Next, KOC shares why Collin Murray-Boyles could be the next Draymond Green and why the Celtics-Pistons matchup is the game of the week. Who should the Pistons target before the trade deadline? KOC gives his picks! Plus, is Ja Morant’s stock rising? Do the Timberwolves need to make a trade to find success this season?
Later, Justin Boone joins to discuss why the Buffalo Bills parted ways with Sean McDermott, recap the wild NFL divisional games and preview the upcoming championship weekend.
(0:15) Jason Timpf joins
(1:23) Unhappy fan bases: New York Knicks
(9:18) Unhappy fan bases: Atlanta Hawks
(15:49) Unhappy fan bases: Los Angeles Lakers
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(25:16) Collin Murray-Boyles = Draymond Green
(29:13) Celtics vs. Pistons preview
(41:56) Is Ja Morant’s stock rising back up?
(49:19) Do Timberwolves need to make a trade?
(1:06:23) All-Star starters announced
(1:10:26) NFL 6 Points! with Justin Boone
Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks reacts during the game against the Phoenix Suns at Madison Square Garden on January 17, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images)
Nate Tice & Matt Harmon react to the latest NFL coaching hire news before determining what went wrong for playoff losers and what each team can do to get further next season. The duo start with their thoughts on the latest coaching hires, including the Miami Dolphins hiring Jeff Hafley, the Tennessee Titans getting Robert Saleh, the Detroit Lions hiring OC Drew Petzing and the Kansas City Chiefs hiring OC Eric Bieniemy.
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Next, Nate & Matt deep dive on the four Divisional Round losers, determining what direction each team needs to take to retool and get even closer to a Super Bowl next season. The duo cover the post-Sean McDermott Buffalo Bills and their need to nail the next coaching hire, the Chicago Bears and how they can fix their defense, the Houston Texans and next steps to fix C.J. Stroud and the San Francisco 49ers, who are entering a sketchier offseason than you may realize.
(5:00) – Titans hire Robert Saleh
(14:10) – Dolphins hire Jeff Hafley
(20:30) – Key OC hires: Petzing to Lions & Bieniemy to Chiefs
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(41:00) – Bills deep dive
(1:00:45) – Bears deep dive
(1:06:45) – Texans deep dive
(1:20:15) – 49ers deep dive
DENVER, CO – JANUARY 17: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills reacts after a play against the Denver Broncos during the second half of an AFC Divisional Playoff game at Empower Field At Mile High on January 17, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
The New York Mets struck big last year when they reeled in Juan Soto from the Bronx to headline an eventful winter. However, after a disappointing 2025 campaign, the Amazin’s have been on a mission to retool this offseason, and thanks to David Stearns, they’ll go into 2026 with plenty of new faces and hope for success.
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On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about the retooled lineup that the Mets have assembled, which includes signing Bo Bichette and trading for Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox. In addition to the signings of Devin Williams and Jorge Polanco, the new-look Mets are looking forward to a redemption season in 2026.
Later, Jordan and Jake talk about Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, why the Houston Astros cheating scandal caused Beltrán to have to wait and the improbable climb for Jones to make it into the Hall. Then the guys discuss the Philadelphia Phillies bringing J.T. Realmuto back to the City of Brotherly Love, Elly De La Cruz rejecting a big contract extension from the Cincinnati Reds and take a look at the LIDOM Championship Series.
1:12 – The Opener: New-look Mets
22:09 – Luis Robert Jr. trade
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33:24 – Hall of Fame results
54:26 – Around the League: Phillies re-sign Realmuto
1:03:02 – Three-team trade
1:06:47 – Elly turns down extension
1:09:33 – LIDOM Championship Series
Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images
(Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Leading figures include Olympic veterans Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin and Chloe Kim. Vonn, who won gold in the downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics, returned to the sport in 2024 after retirement and a partial knee replacement. Three-time Olympian and two-time gold medalist in snowboard slopestyle Jamie Anderson was not on the 97-person list.
Shiffrin, the most decorated Alpine skier, will compete in her fourth Olympics. Kim, a three-time Olympian, aims to be the first snowboarder to win a third straight gold in halfpipe.
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“In many ways, making this team is even harder than the Olympics themselves,” snowboard program director Rick Bower explained in a statement. “The depth of our field is incredible, and selection truly came down to the wire.”
On the men’s side, the U.S. team will be led by three-time Olympian and 2018 slopestyle gold medalist Red Gerard, snowboard cross racer Nick Baumgartner, and 17-year-old Alessandro Barbieri, who’s seen as a medal contender in halfpipe.
Four-time Olympian Nick Goepper will head the freeski halfpipe squad, which also includes two-time Olympic medalist Alex Ferreira, Birk Irving and first-time Olympian Hunter Hess. Irving’s sister, Svea Irving, qualified for the women’s freeski halfpipe. Defending Olympic freeski slopestyle champ Alex Hall is also set to compete in his third Olympics.
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Olympic champion and three-time cross-country skiing medalist Jesse Diggins will participate in her fourth and final Olympics. Chris Lillis is returning for the aerials team. He took gold at the 2022 Games.
At the 2022 Beijing Games, skiers and snowboarders earned 15 of the 25 medals for Team USA. For the 2026 Winter Olympics, they’ll make up nearly half of all the athletes representing the U.S.
When the New York Mets signed Bo Bichette and traded for Luis Robert Jr., many wondered if President of Baseball Ops David Stearns was finished making major moves this offseason. On Wednesday night though, Stearns had one more big surprise up his sleeve when he acquired someone from his past days in Milwaukee.
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On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss the big trade that saw the Mets deal for Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers in exchange for a package of top prospects Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams. With Peralta now headlining the Mets’ starting rotation, does this addition make them a World Series contender again? Also, how will the new additions to the Brew Crew’s prospect pipeline help them in the immediate future?
Later, Jordan and Jake talk about the New York Yankees and Cody Bellinger reuniting after his impressive 2025 season in pinstripes on a five-year, $162.5 million contract. The move further solidifies the Yankees’ belief in their offense, essentially running it back from last season—but could Brian Cashman and company have one more front-page deal before Spring Training kicks off? The guys then close the show by making their picks for this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad & The Uggla.
2:03 – The Opener: Freddy Peralta to the Mets
29:43 – Jordan’s Prospect Hut: The Brewers’ return
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38:28 – Yankees re-sign Cody Bellinger
52:00 – Scott Boras Scoreboard update
54:37 – The Good
1:01:13 – The Bad
1:06:44 – The Uggla
Photo by Vincent Carchietta/Getty Images Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
(Photo by Vincent Carchietta/Getty Images Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros react to a chaotic AFCON final and ask the uncomfortable question: was the spectacle a nightmare for the sport? The guys break down what went wrong, what it says about tournament organization, and why moments like this matter for global soccer’s credibility. Christian and Alexis dive into viral territory as iShowSpeed encounters his first ultra fans in Algeria — and quickly learns that not every football culture rolls out the red carpet.
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Next, Copa90 creative director Shawn Francis joins the show to talk World Cup 2026 coming to America, why he’s completely flipped his stance on MLS’s new schedule, and what the league needs to do to actually become “cool.”
The episode wraps with a look at Manchester City’s recent slump and whether Pep Guardiola has the answers to pull City out of their funk.
Timestamps:
(8:00) – Was the AFCON final an embarrassing moment for the sport?
(26:30) – IShowSpeed encounters Algerian ultras
(34:15) – Shawn Francis joins The Cooligans
(1:11:15) – Can Pep save Man City again or has he lost control?
It is officially the offseason, unfortunately, but just because the confetti has been cleaned up does not mean the conversations about the CFP have stopped. In fact it is quite the opposite. The difference is these conversations are not about what is happening on the field. The debate continues to rage on as commissioners discuss potential expansion of the CFP. Andy Staples and Ross Dellenger discuss what happened in the meetings that were held in the week leading up to the National Championship. The Big Ten and the SEC seem to be at an impasse of how much they want the College Football Playoff to expand. With the deadline fast approaching, no decision appears in sight. Ross explains why these two commissioners hold all the power for this decision.
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Then, the guys shift from one hot button topic to the next. The transfer portal. Specifically one athlete. Darian Mensah. The Duke quarterback has officially entered the transfer portal even though he has a signed NIL contract with Duke. The Blue Devils are suing Mensah to prevent him from leaving. It is expected he will head to Miami to be their new quarterback. Andy and Ross discuss the differences between this situation and the one with Demond Williams and Washington. They share why it seems like Mensah has a good chance to win this case and how schools can prevent these situations in the future. Plus, they dive into Adidas’ potential impact in this situation and their overall aggressive handling of NIL. Also, Duke wide receiver Cooper Barkate has entered the portal as well, with Miami being a favorite to land him too.
Later, the big news in college athletics is no longer about football. It is over in the college basketball world as Charles Bediako has temporarily been granted the ability to return to Alabama basketball. There is a hearing next week that will determine whether or not he can return full-time. Bediako previously played at Alabama and entered the 2023 NBA Draft. Although he has never played in an NBA regular season game, he has played on multiple Summer League and G League teams. Andy and Ross discuss Bediako being allowed to play college basketball again and the impact this could have on college athletics.
The season is over but the news never stops with College Football Enquirer.
Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti & SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
