Author: teddoncic

Rookie development will define the Pistons in 2026-27 because the days of harmless teaching moments at Little Caesars Arena are over. Two years ago, a blown rotation could become film-room material for the next morning. Detroit could absorb the mistake, teach the lesson and move on. After 60 wins and the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed, those same errors carry different consequences. The Pistons pushed through a 3-1 deficit against Orlando before their season ended against Cleveland in Game 7 of the conference semifinals. Now every possession has teeth. Leave Tyrese Maxey enough space and the mistake can become three…

The Nuggets’ free-throw pressure problem is not that Denver cannot make foul shots. It is that a playoff opponent can spend the final minute trying to keep Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray from taking them. That distinction should shape David Adelman’s work before training camp. Denver shot 80.8 percent from the line during the 2025-26 regular season. The Nuggets then improved to 82.3 percent during their six-game first-round loss to Minnesota. On the surface, there is little to fix. Look underneath that playoff number, though, and the problem changes. Jokić and Murray combined to make 79 of 83 free throws…

Screen navigation will define the Nuggets in 2026-27 because Nikola Jokić cannot solve every problem once Denver’s perimeter defense gets caught behind the play. Picture the moment. A guard calls for a high screen, the screener catches a defender across the shoulder, and Jokić suddenly has two bodies charging into his space. A lazy rotation in November might cost Denver two points. In a tight playoff series, that same mistake can send a team home. The Nuggets learned enough about that margin last spring, when a 54-win season and the NBA’s best offense ended with Minnesota knocking them out in…

Tee-shot placement decided the 2026 AIG Women’s Open in the cruelest possible way. Esther Henseleit stood on the 18th tee during the second playoff hole with a major championship still within reach. Seconds later, her drive shot toward the right side and disappeared into gorse. Shiho Kuwaki, meanwhile, had ripped hers straight down the middle. There was no 300-yard missile that separated them. No heroic carry over water. Royal Lytham demanded something colder: put the ball where the next shot remains possible. Kuwaki understood that demand better than anyone. She finished the week at five-under, survived Henseleit’s 30-foot birdie at…

Approach accuracy at the AIG Women’s Open will mean more than firing irons at flagsticks. A perfectly struck shot can land beside the pin at Royal St George’s, catch firm turf and bound toward a steep-faced bunker. Another player might flight the same club beneath the wind, land safely on the correct tier and watch the ball settle. The second shot may look less spectacular, but over four days it could prove far more valuable. When the championship reaches Sandwich from July 28 to August 1, 2027, the world’s best women will play Royal St George’s for the first time.…

Michael Thorbjornsen stood over a 26-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole with his first PGA Tour victory already within reach. He had spent four days showing plenty of speed, entering the week averaging 313 yards off the tee while taking on a rebuilt Detroit Golf Club that gave players every reason to lean on driver. Now distance had done its work. The putt started on line, bent toward the right edge and disappeared. Thorbjornsen snapped his fist upward as the crowd rose around the green. His closing birdie completed a bogey-free 7-under 63, moved him to 18-under 262, and…

Mavericks offensive rebounding became painfully predictable last season. A jumper hit the rim, Dallas failed to reach the loose ball, and another possession died while five Mavericks turned and ran the other way. The numbers make that problem difficult to dismiss. TeamRankings placed Dallas 25th in offensive rebounding percentage at 23.2% during the 2025-26 season. The Mavericks also finished 27th in offensive rating at 111.2, according to Basketball Reference, despite playing at the NBA’s fourth-fastest pace. For a team that finished 26-56, those lost possessions piled up. Now Dusty May inherits a frontcourt built to change that. Dereck Lively II…

Mavericks wing depth should feel like a luxury. Instead, heading toward Dusty May’s first training camp, it looks like a traffic jam around the most important player in the building. Cooper Flagg is coming off a Rookie of the Year season, Zaccharie Risacher has arrived as another former No. 1 pick, Naji Marshall just earned a contract extension, and Max Christie has played his way into a larger role. Klay Thompson and Caleb Martin still bring veteran value, while Tarik Biberović adds another 6-foot-7 shooter. That is a lot of talent fighting for the same strip of hardwood. The question…

Rocket Classic contenders stepping onto the first tee at Detroit Golf Club face a rude awakening. For seven years, this tournament rewarded players willing to floor the accelerator. Winning scores ranged from 18-under to 26-under, and four par 5s offered escape hatches whenever a loose iron or crooked drive cost somebody a shot. That safety net has shrunk. Architect Tyler Rae’s $16.1 million restoration brought Donald Ross features back into view, enlarged and elevated greens, deepened bunkers and pushed the tournament setup to 7,328 yards at par 70. Most notably, the old par-5 seventh and 17th now play as bruising…

When Cooper Flagg grabs a defensive rebound this October, Dallas does not want him looking toward the sideline for instructions. The Mavericks want him gone. Three dribbles. Head up. Defenders backpedaling. Sneakers squealing as everybody races toward the other rim. Pace control will define what happens next. Dallas spent last season running as fast as almost anybody and going almost nowhere. The Mavericks played at a 101.7 pace, fourth in the NBA, yet finished 26-56 with the league’s 27th-ranked offensive rating at 111.2. Speed produced more possessions. It did not produce enough good ones. There were reasons for the collapse.…