THE $162M QUESTION: HOW SERIOUS IS THE INJURY TO THE YANKEES' STAR CODY BELLINGER?
Yankees star Cody Bellinger is sidelined with a minor back tweak, but Boone expects his $162.5M man back in action by Tuesday.
Yeah, it’s only February. I get it. The Grapefruit League standings matter about as much as the promises you made to yourself back in January, already collecting dust. But you can’t just shrug off a 7-2 start, not when the Yankees are making the Blue Jays look like they wandered in from Triple-A. Saturday’s 5-1 win? Pure business. No drama, no nonsense, just the kind of quiet dominance you want from a team that spent the winter actually strengthening itself, not just slapping on a fresh coat of paint.
On the mound, Paul Blackburn grabbed the spotlight. Let’s be honest: when the Yankees signed him to a one-year, $2 million deal, half the fanbase probably rolled their eyes. But he just went out there and threw four scoreless innings, looking like he’s been here forever. He knows he’s fighting for a spot in long relief or as a bridge guy, and he didn’t waste a single pitch against a Toronto lineup that usually feasts on mistakes.
Now, about Cody Bellinger. During that 17-5 blowout over the Twins on Friday, he tweaked his back. Suddenly, that five-year, $162.5 million contract felt a little more breakable.
But look, it’s not supposed to be serious.
“Cody Bellinger’s back went out on him yesterday, per Boone. The Yankees think it’s minor, and the hope is to get him back in a game potentially on Tuesday,” Greg Joyce wrote on X.
It’s the kind of update that makes you want to wrap Bellinger in bubble wrap and hide him until Opening Day. But the guy played 152 games last season. A little back hiccup in February isn’t going to keep him down.
Bryan Hoch pointed out that this is basically the same issue Bellinger had last spring. Honestly, that’s good news. If he can play almost every game, hit 29 homers, rack up a 4.9 fWAR and a 125 wRC+, and carry the outfield even with a cranky back, I’m not going to panic over him skipping a couple of bus rides to Dunedin. The Yankees are doing the smart thing here. There's no reason to have your $160 million player grimacing over a meaningless fly ball in a game nobody will remember.
So, the plan: keep him out until at least Tuesday. Boone can afford to be cautious because the rest of the team is humming, and let’s be real, the standings mean basically nothing right now. If you’re 7-2 and your “project” pitchers like Blackburn are dealing, you can let your stars take a breather. Bellinger is the heart of the lineup. After last year’s resurgence, he’s the guy you want healthy when it really counts.
If he’s back Tuesday, awesome. If it’s Thursday, who cares? The Grapefruit League doesn’t hand out rings. The real goal is to have Bellinger healthy and ready to start launching balls into the Short Porch when the games actually matter. Let the man rest.
MIKE BROWN BLASTS KNICKS AFTER EMBARRASSING FIRST HALF AGAINST BATTERED WARRIORS
Mike Brown rips into the New York Knicks after a sluggish 110-107 win over an undermanned Golden State Warriors squad.
The New York Knicks barely pulled off a comeback win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, edging them out 110-107. But honestly, looking at who the Warriors had available, it didn’t feel much like a win.
The Warriors were missing a tonne of key players: Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Jimmy Butler were all out. The Knicks, playing at home and coming in as 14-point favourites, should’ve had an easy night. Instead, they found themselves down by 21 and had to scramble just to get the job done. Even their head coach, Mike Brown, made it clear he wasn’t impressed. He spent most of his postgame press conference tearing into his team for letting things get so out of hand.
“At this point of the year, it’s good to get a win. But I was not happy the way we started the game,” Brown told reporters after the game.
Brown said he isn’t planning any lineup changes, at least not yet. But he’s not ruling anything out as the regular season winds down.
It’s not like this slow-start problem is new. Over their last six games, the Knicks have the third-worst net rating in first quarters, sitting at minus-18. That's nowhere near good enough with the playoffs about a month away.
These were supposed to be easier games on the schedule, but New York keeps making them harder than they should be. The Knicks had to come back from down 18 against the Jazz, and before that, they actually blew a 17-point lead to an undermanned Pacers team, barely hanging on for that win, too.
Brown’s frustration shows. He’s been vocal about the team’s poor starts, and after this Warriors game, he even decided not to name a Defensive Player of the Game – the first time all season he left that honour blank after a win.
“This is a veteran team… I shouldn’t have to call two timeouts in the first six minutes of the ballgame,” Brown said afterward.
With the playoffs coming up fast, the Knicks have no choice; they need to start games with more energy and focus. Falling behind early won’t always be something they can come back from, especially against tougher teams.
WHY DILLON BROOKS IS THE SURPRISE CHOICE TO REPLACE LEBRON JAMES
LeBron James may leave the Lakers this summer, with rumours swirling about Dillon Brooks arriving as his defensive replacement.
The Lakers have some big decisions ahead this offseason, and if the whispers about LeBron James leaving become reality, wing depth jumps to the top of the to-do list.
Now, the idea of LeBron and Dillon Brooks, of all people, teaming up sounds wild, maybe even impossible. And yet, there’s buzz about LA making a move for Brooks, who’s been a LeBron nemesis for years. In this scenario, though, Brooks would actually slide in as LeBron’s replacement, not his teammate.
The timing almost feels right for Brooks. He’s putting together the best season of his career, finally living up to that 3-and-D role people have been waiting for. If the Lakers really are building around Luka Dončić (now, suddenly, the centrepiece) and Austin Reaves, then Brooks fits in perfectly.
So, what would it take? Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz floated an idea: the Lakers send Jake LaRavia, Dalton Knecht, Adou Thiero, and a projected 2026 first-round pick (No. 25 overall) to the Suns for Brooks. That’s giving up some youth and a pick, but you get a proven scorer and one of the league’s top defenders. Honestly, for a team chasing championships, that’s not a steep price.
“If LeBron James leaves the Lakers in free agency, the team will need a new starting power forward,” Swartz wrote. “It would be hilarious for Brooks and LeBron to team up, but even without James, Brooks works; he’s a strong defender and can score. He’s averaging almost 21 points, nearly four rebounds, and a steal a game for the Suns this year. So, the numbers are there.
This isn’t the first time Brooks’ name has popped up with the Lakers, but before, that rivalry with LeBron always killed the idea. If LeBron’s gone, though, all bets are off. Brooks makes sense with Doncic, and that’s who the front office seems locked in on now.
Money-wise, Brooks will cost just under $20 million next season. For what he’s provided this year, that could actually be a bargain. If the Lakers want to shore up the wing, they need to think seriously about this.
Now, the LeBron era in LA feels like it’s finally winding down. In the past, the Lakers would’ve looped him into every big decision, but with Doncic getting a new extension, he’s the main guy now. LeBron, despite all he’s done, might just be an afterthought as he weighs his next move.
People have speculated about a LeBron exit for years, but it feels different now. Jovan Buha, who covers the Lakers closely, said on his show that it’s more real this time than ever before. “There’s always been a buzz he could head somewhere else, maybe finish his career in Cleveland again. But honestly, this is the closest it’s ever felt to actually happening.”
The Lakers plan to keep Reaves this summer and, surprisingly, have actually played better with LeBron off the floor. That’s another hint that a major shift is coming.
Bottom line: they need fresh wing talent to fill the void if LeBron walks. Plenty of names will pop up, but Dillon Brooks is one guy Pelinka and company can’t ignore as they chart a new direction.
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