Sports
Jimmy Butler Is Modern NBA's Andre Iguodala for Golden State Warriors
Eleven years ago, Andre Iguodala did the seemingly impossible: He made Mark Jackson look like a good basketball coach.
Turns out, it didn’t help Jackson, who had already burned enough bridges with the Warriors that they fired him despite back-to-back playoff appearances.
Jackson has never been hired as a head coach again—maybe because he could never convince Iguodala to come with him.
The veteran swingman remained with Golden State, where his mere presence helped Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green post better numbers in 2014—his first year with the Warriors—than they had the season before.
One year later, with the proverbial coach on the floor helping a guy who had never been at the head of the bench before, Steve Kerr and the Warriors won an improbable championship—the franchise’s first in 40 years.
In a rare moment of sensibility, Iguodala was selected MVP of the 2015 NBA Finals, even though Thompson had suffocated J.R. Smith, he had been outscored by Curry, and he had been outrebounded at one end by Barnes and at the other by Green.
All Iguodala had done was spearhead a defense that held LeBron James to 39.8% shooting.
Oh, he also did all the little things, as the saying goes. He passed to Curry. He covered defensively for Thompson. He encouraged Barnes. And he kept Green focused.
He surely was the MVP, and he was acknowledged as such.
In an era of 3-point shooting and what some would call soft basketball, the NBA needs more Iguodalas. Fortunately, it already has one.
When the Warriors scheduled the Mavericks as the opponent for Iguodala’s jersey retirement Sunday, they did so to allow Thompson to share in the moment.
Never did they think they’d also be providing that opportunity to Iguodala’s mirror image.
The Warriors were a lottery-bound team led by a coach with an uncertain future when they dealt four players and a first-round draft pick to acquire Jimmy Butler from the Heat earlier this month.
Five games later, Kerr looks like a genius again, Curry has been rejuvenated, Green has gotten his head on straight, and Golden State’s supporting cast—led by Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody, their current version of Barnes—has suddenly looked ready for prime time.
All because of Butler.
After being banished for all but five games since Dec. 20, Butler has been Iguodala-like since joining the resurgent Warriors.
He’s scored—102 points, second on the team to Curry’s 144—and done so efficiently, shooting 45.5%.
He’s rebounded—31 boards, just three fewer than team leader Kevon Looney.
He’s gotten the ball moving—28 assists, second only to Green’s 34.
He’s defended—eight steals, third to Green’s 13 and Podziemski’s 11.
Most importantly, he’s injected an aggressive mentality by example—getting to the free-throw line 47 times (making 41) and crashing the offensive glass with a team-leading 19 rebounds.
All of a sudden, Curry is shooting better (27-for-67 on 3-pointers), Green has rediscovered his all-around game (44 points, 24 rebounds, 34 assists, 13 steals, eight blocks), and Moody and Podziemski have silenced the pundits who complained about trading away valuable depth—combining for 135 points, 40 rebounds and 32 assists.
With four wins in five games in the Butler era, the Warriors have distanced themselves from the Spurs, passed the Suns and Kings, and—with a win Sunday—would move within a half-game of Dallas for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.
A top-six finish, which guarantees a postseason berth, looks realistic. A fifth championship in 11 years?
Never underestimate Iguodala … er, Butler.
Actually, the confusion is understandable, even though one has made his biggest impact on offense and the other on defense.
Iguodala is 6-foot-6, Butler 6-7. Both played for the Warriors, 76ers and Heat. Both have been All-Stars and All-Defensive selections.
And in the 21st-century version of the game, who would have imagined this? Both will get their numbers retired—possibly by multiple franchises—despite ranking among the worst 3-point shooters of their era.
At least they were smart enough to limit their attempts.
And get this:
Butler has played 844 career games, accumulating 4,513 rebounds.
In the first 844 games of his career, Iguodala totaled 4,606 rebounds.
The difference is negligible.
Butler has 3,622 assists; Iguodala, through game 844, had 3,947. Advantage: push.
Butler has 1,358 steals; Iguodala had 1,413. You get the idea.
Butler has 373 blocks; Iguodala had 407.
Butler has shot 47.2% overall and 32.9% from 3; Iguodala was at 46.2% and 33.3%.
The Warriors will raise Iguodala’s No. 9 on Sunday, but Chase Center has a high roof with plenty of room for more banners.
Butler might get his No. 10 retired up there someday. In the meantime, he and Warriors fans can improbably dream of something else.
An eighth championship.
Sports
LeBron James Gambled Legacy Over Nostalgia With His Sixers Decision
In a lot of ways, LeBron James picking the Philadelphia 76ers is a storybook ending.
On Saturday morning, fans of the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers are feeling scorned by their former hero. James brought two championships to Miami and broke Cleveland’s 52-year professional sports title drought. Both teams were in contention for James, who joined his fourth franchise in the Sixers for what he says is his final decision.
Fans in Miami thought LeBron would return to close that chapter the right way. Others in Cleveland believed that LeBron’s hometown deserved the farewell tour, and the chance for another ring.
But the documentary will end with LeBron in Philadelphia. Seriously. A film crew has been following LeBron for nearly a decade. It’ll have footage of LeBron playing with Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in Philadelphia uniforms.
Certainly it’ll take some getting used to. But by the end of the season? LeBron could be facing his former teams, the Cavaliers and the Heat, in the NBA postseason. In pursuit of a fifth championship, LeBron decided that bringing a title to a fourth organization would be more powerful to his legacy than winning another one in Cleveland or Miami.
And that’s what makes this decision so polarizing. The Cavs and the Heat are both contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland was on the doorstep of making it back to the NBA Finals without LeBron for the first time in the history of the Cavs. The New York Knicks swept them out of the conference finals, but the Cavs showed signs of improvement in Kenny Atkinson’s second year coaching the team.
The Heat have remained consistent playoff contenders even after LeBron left South Beach. LeBron’s Los Angeles Lakers beat the Heat in the bubble to win the 2020 NBA Championship. So there’s a complicated history. But a return to Miami to team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo would’ve improved the Heats’ title odds in this improved Eastern Conference.
Yet LeBron chose Philly, a team that traded for Brown just a few weeks ago. They’ll hope Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe continues to develop. They’ll really hope Joel Embiid can stay healthy.
But it’s a storybook ending for LeBron because he picked the most stacked roster. It’s something he’s done in every decision since he left the Cavs the first time back in 2010.
The Heat assembled a super team with LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. He returned to Cleveland as Kyrie Irving emerged as one of the best young guards in the sport, and the Cavs lucked into the No. 1 overall draft pick, something that could be traded for Kevin Love, who was an MVP candidate the year before.
Many fans were quick to assume that LeBron’s move to Los Angeles was about establishing his business ventures off the court. In Cleveland, some reporters discussed the likelihood of LeBron leaving for Hollywood during the 2016 championship parade. It felt like an inevitability.
But it was also a spot for LeBron to have plenty of control over a young roster of moveable assets. Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart were packaged with three first-round draft picks (including No. 4 overall in 2019) so LeBron could team up with Anthony Davis.
The Sixers have floated the idea of trading Embiid, who has struggled to stay healthy, for the last few years. Also, if their objective is to win a title with Brown and LeBron in these next two seasons, a young star like Edgecombe could become available if the pressure cooker gets really hot to land another proven commodity.
LeBron’s deal with the Sixers is a two-year minimum deal with a player option. There’s no promise when the end of his career will be. There’s no certainty the Sixers will win a ring, or do enough in Year 1 to prove to LeBron to return to Philadelphia for another year.
Sports
Phillies likely to call up ex-Yankees prospect to make MLB debut vs. New York
Mar 25, 2018; Port Charlotte, FL, USA;New York Yankees starting pitcher Brian Keller (96) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images Brian Keller’s dream to pitch in the major leagues is expected to become a reality on Saturday evening when he makes his debut for the Philadelphia Phillies against the visiting New York Yankees.
Keller has made eight starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2026, going 0-1 with a 2.23 ERA. Across two levels of the minors this season, the 32-year-old right-hander has a 2.06 ERA. Those numbers look pretty good to the Phillies now, as they have struggled to find production at the end of their rotation.
Thus, the team is expected to promote Keller to make Saturday’s start — or perhaps to pitch in bulk relief following an opener. In either case, it will be quite a moment for Keller, who has endured a roller coaster over the past decade.
“I wanted this so bad, a chance of playing in the big leagues,” he said recently. “I was not ready to give that up.”
Keller’s journey to the majors began in the Yankees’ farm system. He was a 39th-round pick by New York in the 2016 MLB draft. Since then, he also has pitched in the minors for the Boston Red Sox and Phillies, plus a stint in Japan and a long recovery from Tommy John surgery.
When he likely makes his MLB debut, he’ll face a Yankees team that has won four of its last five games. New York nipped Philadelphia 1-0 in Friday’s series opener as Cam Schlittler struck out 12 over 7 1/3 innings.
“They’ve got a great lineup,” Schlittler said. “They’re going to make you battle, and you’ve got to make the right pitches.”
Paul Goldschmidt’s solo homer in the fourth inning accounted for the only run of the game. New York totaled only three hits, while Philadelphia was limited to four.
The Phillies are 2-5 since the All-Star break and have scored more than one run in a game only three times during that stretch.
“We’ve been playing good teams,” Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “And we definitely would like to be playing better baseball. I think we’re just a little inconsistent right now throughout the lineup, not scoring enough runs, to be quite frank. Obviously the talent’s there. We feel good about our team. We’re not playing our best baseball right now.”
The Phillies will aim to bounce back against left-hander Ryan Weathers (3-7, 4.40 ERA), who lasted only 4 2/3 innings Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates — and needed 99 pitches to record 14 outs. He gave up five runs, seven hits and a pair of walks in his team’s 8-5 victory.
“Wasn’t a great one for him; got hit around early on a night we’re up against it pen-wise,” New York manager Aaron Boone said of Weathers’ last start, “but I love the fact that he hung in there.”
Weathers has appeared in three games (two starts) against Philadelphia in his career, going 0-3 with a 9.53 ERA. He has given up six homers in 11 1/3 innings in those outings, including a homer to Kyle Schwarber in each of his last two games against the Phillies.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nick Fortes, Rays focus on continuing success in rematch vs. Guardians
Jul 24, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Chris Roycroft (56) and catcher Nick Fortes (40) celebrate after defeating the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images Catcher Nick Fortes has emerged as an unlikely force for the Tampa Bay Rays, who will continue their three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Fortes is 11-for-19 during a five-game hitting streak, including four hits with two RBIs in an 11-3 win over the Guardians on Friday.
The Rays reportedly are in the market for a catcher with the trade deadline approaching on Aug. 3, but Fortes’ play might change their plans.
“I’m just trusting the work and staying consistent with it,” said Fortes, who has a .281 batting average, four homers and 27 RBIs this season. “There’s going to be ups and downs, but you’ve got to continue with the same approach and routine, and that’s just kind of where I’m at right now.”
Tampa Bay owns the best record in the American League at 60-43 and is a major-league-best 36-15 at home.
Ryan Vilade hit a two-run homer and Richie Palacios added a three-run blast on Friday for the Rays, who pounded out 15 hits.
Cleveland trailed 5-1 after four innings and lost its third straight game. Right fielder Chase DeLauter extended his season-high on-base streak to 16 games with a first-inning walk before lining a double to right field in the fourth.
“I thought early in the game … we were getting some momentum going there,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “I thought we had some good at-bats. We just weren’t really able to get much, and then they kind of stretched the game out.
“Just kind of took the wind out of our sails. But, again, tough night. These nights happen. We’ll flush it and be ready to go tomorrow.”
Before Friday’s game, Cleveland activated outfielder/infielder Angel Martinez and left-handed reliever Tim Herrin from the injured list and optioned utilityman Daniel Schneemann and left-hander Will Dion to Triple-A Columbus.
Saturday’s pitching matchup will feature a pair of right-handers as Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee (4-9, 3.86 ERA) opposes Tampa Bay’s Nick Martinez (9-2, 2.59).
Bibee, 27, allowed two runs over six innings in a 13-4 home win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday. After going 0-7 with a 4.57 ERA to start the season, Bibee is 4-2 with a 2.88 ERA in his last eight starts since the beginning of June.
Yandy Diaz is 4-for-13 (.308) with a home run in his career against Bibee, who is 1-3 with a 3.82 ERA in five career starts vs. Tampa Bay.
The Rays will counter with Martinez, who tossed six innings of one-run ball in a 7-1 road win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.
“He’s been huge for us all season long,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Martinez. “We needed a really good start, he gave us one. Pitched out of a couple jams there early on but then got on a roll where he was just super efficient, throwing all his pitches and letting the defense play behind him.”
Martinez, 35, has allowed three earned runs or less in 18 of his 19 starts this season.
Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez is hitless in eight at-bats against Martinez, who is 2-2 with a 5.66 ERA in seven career games (three starts) vs. Cleveland.
-Field Level Media
LeBron James Gambled Legacy Over Nostalgia With His Sixers Decision
Phillies likely to call up ex-Yankees prospect to make MLB debut vs. New York
