Former Warrior McCaw signs 1-year deal with Raptors
Former Warriors guard Patrick McCaw has reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Toronto Raptors, a league source confirmed to Bay Area News Group. ESPN first reported the news.
Shortly after the Cavaliers waived him this week, McCaw sought interest from at least eight other NBA teams, a source said. McCaw agreed to a deal with Toronto shortly after clearing waivers on Wednesday.
The NBA has continued its formal review into Cleveland signing McCaw to a two-year, $6 million deal and subsequently waiving him three days later before his contract would become guaranteed. The league plans to speak to McCaw’s representatives on Thursday to probe into if McCaw and the Cavaliers reached an agreement to waive him so he could become an unrestricted free agent, sources said. The Warriors encouraged the NBA to investigate the situation. NOEL UNDER CONCUSSION OBSERVATION >> Nerlens Noel of the Oklahoma City Thunder has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol after he collided with Andrew Wiggins and hit the floor Tuesday night during Oklahoma City’s game with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The team announced that Noel was held overnight at the University of Oklahoma’s hospital for tests and observations and was released Wednesday. There is no timetable for Noel to complete the protocol process. ANTETOKOUNMPO BESTS HARDEN, ROCKETS >> Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points and grabbed a season-high 21 rebounds to help the visiting Milwaukee Bucks withstand a 42-point performance from James Harden and get a 116109 win over the Houston Rockets.
In a matchup of the two early front-runners for MVP, Harden and his teammates were done in by a shooting slump late in the third quarter that spilled into the fourth and left them down by 15 points.
Baseball
A’S MURRAY REPORTEDLY TO TEST NFL >> The A’s expect Heisman Trophy-winning Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, the team’s top pick last June, to declare for the NFL draft on Sunday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Murray, an outfielder picked ninth overall, could
still wind up playing baseball even if he does opt for the NFL draft, although it would put his future with the A’s in serious doubt. He’d also almost certainly miss spring training as he prepares for the NFL draft. EARLY OPENING FOR MAJORS >> The New York Yankees host Baltimore and Washington is at home against the New York Mets on March 28, the first games of the earliest regular major league opening day. The season opens with a two-game series between Seattle and the A’s in Tokyo on March 20-21, MLB’s fifth opener in Japan after 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. MLB also has opened in Monterrey, Mexico (1999), San Juan, Puerto Rico (2001) and Sydney, Australia (2014).
All 30 teams are scheduled for opening day for the second straight year. MILLER AGREES TO DEAL WITH RANGERS >> Free agent right-hander Shelby Miller signed a $2 million, oneyear contract with the Texas Rangers and can make another $3 million in performance bonuses.
College football
ALABAMA’S HURTS CONSIDERS TRANSFER >> Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts has taken an important step toward transferring. Hurts entered his name into the NCAA transfer database portal, two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the NCAA list is not publicly accessible. Putting his name on the list allows other schools to contact Hurts, who has already graduated and is eligible to play his final season
as a graduate transfer. It’s not a binding decision to transfer.
Hurts is likely to join other high-profile quarterbacks in moving to other schools. Georgia freshman Justin Fields , who had been one of the nation’s top recruits, has enrolled at Ohio State and former Clemson starter Kelly Bryant picked Missouri.
Hurts played in 13 games this season, rushing for 167 yards and two touchdowns and passing for 765 yards and eight scores. He even caught two passes as he and Tagovailoa lined up together at times.
FORMER OREGON PLAYER FILES LAWSUIT OVER WORKOUT >> Former Oregon football player Doug Brenner has filed a lawsuit against the university, the NCAA, former coach Willie Taggart and a former strength coach for negligence over a strenuous workout that sent him and two other players to the hospital.
Brenner is seeking $11.5 million in damages from the January 2017 workout that caused rhabdomyolysis and other injuries, the lawsuit said. Rhabdomyolysis is a potentially lifethreatening condition that occurs when muscle tissue breaks down and leaks into the blood. The condition can cause kidney damage. SUSPENDED CLEMSON DT LAWRENCE AMONG 3 TIGERS OFF TO NFL >> Suspended Clemson defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is headed to the NFL. Lawrence is the 350-pound, 6-foot-4 lineman who missed the Tigers’ College Football Playoff games after he and two teammates tested positive for the banned substance ostarine. He is the third Clemson starter on defense to give up his eligibility to go pro. Earlier, cornerback Trayvon Mullen and linebacker Tre Lamar said they would enter the NFL draft.
College basketball
HOWARD SCORES RECORD 53 POINTS TO LEAD MARQUETTE >> Marquette (13-3, 2-1 Big East) junior guard Markus Howard scored a Big Eastrecord 53 points, with 14 coming in overtime as the No. 21 Golden Eagles beat host Creighton (10-6, 1-2) 106-104. Howard’s dazzling offensive performance set a Marquette record and broke his record for points in a Big East game, set last season when he had 52 against Providence.
Tennis
DJOKOVIC, HALEP TOP SEEDS FOR AUSTRALIAN OPEN >> Top-ranked Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep, as expected, were given the No. 1 seedings when the Australian Open announced its singles seedings list. Serena Williams, who won the Australian Open in 2017 while pregnant with daughter Alexis Olympia, returns as the 16th-seeded player after missing last year’s tournament. Fifth-ranked Juan Martin del Potro will miss the Australian Open while he recovers from a fractured right kneecap.
Motors
INDYCAR CLOSE TO SIGNING NEW TITLE SPONSOR >> The search for IndyCar’s new title sponsor may be nearing an end — and just in time for NBC to provide more value with expanded television coverage of the series. Mark Miles, the president and CEO of IndyCar parent Hulman & Co., said he hopes to make a formal announcement before February’s scheduled test at Austin, Texas.
NTT Data, a sponsor with Chip Ganassi Racing, has been mentioned as a potential replacement for Verizon, which announced in October 2017 it would be leaving IndyCar at the end of last season.
Winter sports
VONN RETURN DELAYED >> Lindsey Vonn’s return to World Cup racing will have to wait another week. Heavy snowfall has forced organizers to call off downhill and super-G races scheduled for the Austrian resort of St. Anton this weekend. Vonn was planning to return this week after sitting out the start of the season with an injured knee.