🏀 Drama before the draft | Sports Daily Newsletter
We’ll see if the Sixers pick Ace Bailey anyway.
It’s almost a relief that the NBA draft is nearly here, given the drama surrounding the Sixers and the No. 3 pick. Rutgers star Ace Bailey created some of that drama, of course, by canceling a workout with the team that was supposed to happen today.
Scouts and a few prominent former players say the 6-foot-8 Bailey has loads of potential at age 18. It seems as if he is trying to handpick his team, though. Multiple NBA sources told our Keith Pompey that Bailey’s agent, Omar Cooper, wanted the Sixers to commit to him before his scheduled workout.
Pompey writes that the Sixers have three options here: Throw caution to the wind and take Bailey at No. 3, draft Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe, or come up with a plan to get another player they covet. That probably would mean a draft-night trade.
Bailey is far from the first draft prospect to refuse to work out for a team. Mike Sielski recalls that Kobe Bryant did exactly that in 1996 in a move that paved the way for his eventual arrival with the Lakers. But Sielski does not think Bailey’s skipped workout is grounds for the Sixers to pass on him. If they think he’s the answer, they’ll pick him anyway.
We’ll know soon enough. The first night of the draft is Wednesday.
— Jim Swan, @phillysport, [email protected].
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The Phillies have called up infielder Buddy Kennedy, a popular player during his stint with the team last season, and sent Weston Wilson to triple-A Lehigh Valley. Wilson had been Max Kepler’s platoon partner in left field, but he was batting .194. Manager Rob Thomson plans to platoon Otto Kemp with Kepler in left.
To clear a spot for Kennedy on the Phillies’ 40-man roster, Aaron Nola was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Nola is recovering from a stress fracture in his right rib. July 14 is the earliest date that he can return.
Nick Castellanos says he doesn’t believe his one-game benching has impacted his relationship with Thomson. The right fielder is poorly rated for his defense, but he made a leaping grab to end the game Wednesday night.
And the Phillies secured a 2-1 series win over the Marlins on Thursday, thanks to Kyle Schwarber’s solo homer in the eighth inning.
Next: The Phillies open a three-game home series against the Mets tonight at 7:15 (Apple TV+). Zack Wheeler (7-2, 2.76 ERA) will face a New York pitcher to be determined.
In 2013, tight end Adam Breneman helped coach Bill O’Brien turn Penn State around in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. His time with the Nittany Lions was short-lived, though, because of a chronic knee injury that wound up ending his career. After a brief foray into coaching, Breneman reinvented himself as a podcaster and it has turned out well, to say the least.
Next Up With Adam Breneman has grown in popularity after his interviews with coaches including James Franklin, Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Syracuse’s Fran Brown, and more. “You always hear in football, ‘We control our own destiny,’” Breneman says. “I’d argue that you control your own destiny every day of your life.”
With more than $20 million in salary-cap room and loads of draft capital and other trade assets, the Flyers are in a position to add talent this summer. We identified 10 forwards they could target to upgrade their roster, either via trade or free agency. Could Marco Rossi, Trevor Zegras, or JJ Peterka fit the bill?
The Flyers reportedly are hiring former Capitals head coach Todd Reirden as an assistant. Reirden will run the defense.
The Club World Cup will turn things up a notch today at Lincoln Financial Field when England’s Chelsea and Brazil’s Flamengo square off at 2 p.m. More than 50,000 fans are expected. The game will be a reunion for some: Flamengo manager Filipe Luis and midfielder Jorginho played for Chelsea in the past, and Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos played against Luis in Brazil.
In Wednesday’s Club World Cup match between Morocco’s biggest club and English giant Manchester City, the game itself was secondary to the experience. Wydad AC’s fans put on a show of their own.
Worth a look
Record breaker: Eastern High’s Natalie Dumas tied a New Jersey track mark held by an Olympic gold medalist.
Racing and textbooks: NASCAR competitor Stephen Mallozzi is pursuing his law degree at Temple.
From football to NASCAR: Two former NFL players will be working the pit crews for Trackhouse Racing at Pocono this weekend.
Women’s trailblazer: NFL assistant coach Lori Locust will take part in a girls’ flag football camp at Millersville University.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Keith Pompey, Mike Sielski, Matt Breen, Lochlahn March, Gustav Elvin, Jackie Spiegel, Kerith Gabriel, Jonathan Tannenwald, Devin Jackson, Gabriela Carroll, and Sidney Snider.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Thanks for reading as another week of Sports Daily comes to a close. I’ll see you in Monday’s newsletter. — Jim