Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta says GM Daryl Morey’s job is safe

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has declared his intention to rely on Daryl Morey to lead the franchise’s coaching search, squashing speculation that Fertitta would also seek to make a change at general manager.

“Daryl Morey’s job is safe, and I’m sure he’s going to pick the right head coach,” Fertitta said Tuesday during his weekly appearance on CNBC.nike nfl jerseys for cheap

The Rockets, who were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals, are searching for a new head coach after Mike D’Antoni informed the franchise on Sunday that he did not intend to return. D’Antoni’s contract expired at the end of the season after extension discussions broke down last summer.4

There had been leaguewide speculation about Morey’s job security since his tweet supporting protesters in Hong Kong in October damaged the NBA’s and Rockets’ business relationships with China, costing Fertitta millions of dollars in sponsorship money. However, Fertitta has been consistently adamant that he was committed to Morey, calling him “the best general manager in the league” in an interview with ESPN on the night of the controversial tweet and never wavering in his plan for Morey to continue running the Rockets’ basketball operations.

Morey has been the Rockets’ general manager since 2007-08, and Houston has not had a losing record during his tenure, advancing to the playoffs in each of the past eight seasons. He signed a five-year contract extension in March 2019.

This will be the fourth coaching search that Morey has conducted with the Rockets but the first since Fertitta bought the franchise. Fertitta made it clear that Morey will be primarily responsible for the hire to replace D’Antoni, whose 217-101 record with the Rockets gave him the best winning percentage (.682) in franchise history.

“I personally wouldn’t know what coach to hire,” Fertitta said on CNBC. “That’s why you have a basketball operations team made up of a half-dozen people that use all sorts of analytics and experience. They’ll make a recommendation to me. I’m the sign-off guy.cheap nike nfl jersey

“I wouldn’t know how to interview a basketball coach. To be successful in business — and I say this in my book — you better know what you know, and you better know what you don’t know. And I surely know what I don’t know when it comes to basketball.”

Toronto Raptors’ Serge Ibaka plays vs. Boston Celtics despite ankle sprain

Despite his sprained left ankle, Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka played in Wednesday night’s double-overtime victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Ibaka came off the bench and played 21 minutes, contributing 13 points, three rebounds and three blocks as the Raptors won 125-122 to even the series at 3-3.nike nfl jerseys for cheap

Ibaka was in a walking boot while he addressed the media on Tuesday.4

Coach Nick Nurse said pregame that Ibaka was “OK” and that there wouldn’t be any limitations on him.

Ibaka, who has not started any games for the Raptors in this playoffs but serves as a key figure off the bench, is averaging 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game against Boston this series while shooting 49.7% overall and 49.4% from 3-point range. He also had three 20-point games in the Raptors’ first-round sweep against the Brooklyn Nets.

On Tuesday, Raptors guard Fred VanVleet said he was confident that Ibaka was going to play because of how well Ibaka takes care of himself.nfl nike jersey cheap

“Obviously we need him out there,” VanVleet said on Tuesday afternoon. “I haven’t spoken to him about how he’s feeling or anything, but just knowing him personally, I would be surprised if he wasn’t out there. Serge is probably the best I’ve ever seen at taking care of his body and recovering and following his routine. Hopefully he can get back feeling good today and be ready for us tomorrow.”

Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic thrilled with ‘lucky’ birthday winner vs. Brugge

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Christian Pulisic said that a bit a of luck was involved in scoring a late winner on his birthday against Club Brugge in a 1-0 Champions League victory on Tuesday night.

Pulisic, who replaced Champions League debutant Jadon Sancho in the 69th minute to make his 100th appearance for Dortmund, stuck his leg out to deflect the ball over goalkeeper Karlo Letica and into the net.

“It was great to come back after a small injury and being with the team again,” Pulisic, who turned 20 years old on Tuesday, told Sky. “Obviously, it’s great to get a goal although it may have been a bit lucky but I’ll take it on my birthday so I’m very excited.cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale

“I just saw the ball the being played through. It looked like Marco [Reus] wanted to get a touch to it and then the defender just tried to clear it and I was just in the right spot at the right time to get my leg in and it went perfectly into the goal. Like I said, I’ll take it. I think we deserved a goal on the day.”12

Asked if there was going to be cake waiting for him after the match, Pulisic replied: “We’ll see, I hope so. Some cake would be nice. I’m just going to enjoy the rest of the night with my team.”

The team captain told Sky: “We were absolutely terrible going forward, we did not create any scoring chances whatsoever. We did not position well in the dangerous areas against five defenders. Our movement was not good either.

“Brugge had a couple of good chances in the first half where we were fortunate not to concede. We’ll gladly take the dirty win because it is important to start the Champions League on a high note.”

Dortmund coach Lucien Favre agreed with Reus’ assessment of the performance, saying after the game: “It was a tough one. It was no coincidence that the game would be hard for us because Brugge are on top of the Belgian league, which is a difficult championship. They ran a lot and were very athletic. They utilised their wings well and played with a lot of pace. They got tired about 60 minutes into the game and we could profit from that.cheap nfl jerseys china nike

“We didn’t have enough movement up front to find solutions [on the ball], which is why we didn’t create any chances. The goal might have been lucky in the end, but the through ball from Mo Dahoud was terrific. Reus made a good run into space, provoking the defender to make the clearance that ultimately led to [Pulisic’s] goal.

Alex Smith gives Redskins new look, new Week 1 outcome

The beauty of Alex Smith, and what the Washington Redskins hoped to have in their new quarterback, was evident Sunday. He avoided bad plays and made good ones with his smarts, his legs, as well as with his arm.nfl nike jersey cheap

Smith was far from the only reason Washington beat Arizona 24-6 on Sunday. But he orchestrated the offense in a performance the Redskins would like to see duplicated. Of course, it helps when a team can run the ball the way Washington did Sunday, finishing with 182 yards. Then again, part of the reason Washington ran well was because of Smith’s ability to handle a heavy dose of run-pass option plays. It’s what they hoped for when making the trade for him, moving on from Kirk Cousins.

For a first game with a new quarterback, the Redskins were able to dig deep into their playbook. Why? Because they overloaded Smith at the start of camp with a heavier-than-normal installation of their offense and he showed he could handle it all. The key now will be to continue building on what they showed Sunday. The Week 1 output is even more impressive considering Washington’s offense had several key players either limited or out for much of camp because of lingering injuries and an abundance of caution.10

On Sunday, Smith completed 21-of-30 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball eight times for 14 more yards and used his legs several other times to avoid danger, either throwing the ball away or running.

“I thought he was sensational,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said.cheap nike nfl jersey

Smith made strong decisions, which is one reason why they turned the ball over only one time — on a late fumble by Adrian Peterson. In Gruden’s first four openers, the Redskins had lost the turnover battle each time, thanks to 10 combined giveaways. Gruden mentioned the turnover stat leading into the game whenever he was asked about being 0-4 in openers.

Smith also avoided a safety when, with Robert Nkemdiche bursting clean through the middle, he flipped an underhand pass to receiver Josh Doctson. It was a pass that had no chance of being complete, but it saved the Redskins two points.

“That’s what he’s done his whole career,” Gruden said. “He does a great job not making a bad play worse and living to fight another day and moving on to the next play. That’s what he’s always done.”