Despite the beautiful arena and the constant development around it, the Golden State Warriors have officially moved into basketball's worst neighborhood. The Celtics strolled in and methodically dismantled the Dubs. Even with a little garbage-time hustle, the Steph-less Warriors looked exactly like what they are right now: a team walking slowly toward a dead end. This isn't hell. NBA hell comes with lottery ping-pong balls and a shiny new 19-year-old savior to sell the fanbase.
"I popped on a [conference] call, and I said my name and then hear the reaction," Ryans said Friday. "People are genuinely joyful about what these guys are able to do on the field and winning football. It changes the landscape of the city and how people feel. We can provide some joy to our community. That's one of the main reasons why I came back."
Rielly, the Leafs' longest-tenured player, has drawn trade calls due to his apparent lack of production. That's justified. Rielly is supposed to be the Maple Leafs' top offensive blueliner. While he's certainly leading Toronto defensemen in scoring this season, his comparative numbers aren't quite what Leafs Nation would hope for. In 41 games this season, Rielly has five goals and 21 assists for 26 points.
Ten games, two wins, two draws and six defeats. Twelve goals scored, 23 conceded. Eight debutants, two head coaches and one Nations League A relegation. It has been quite the 12 months since Scotland froze in Finland at the chance to reach Euro 2025 exactly one year ago on 3 December 2024. That devastating defeat and miserable missed opportunity always meant this year was likely to be one of rebuilding and reenergising.
The league seems to be going in a bleak direction due to the increasing salary cap and the rise of young players to stardom. This trend is mainly circulating around developing teams in small and big markets but presenting an emphasis specifically around teams that are undergoing a prolonged rebuild. With the Chicago Blackhawks tossing and turning between taking that next step towards contention, extending a forward that has had one semi-full year in the NHL seems to be perplexing to say the least.
A total mismanagement of a declining roster between Thomas Dimitroff and Dan Quinn in 2019 and 2020 led to a complete revamp in 2021. Two years of slow progression led to a season with credible expectations in 2023. That came crashing down in a division there for the taking, leading to Arthur Smith's dismissal. As exciting as the beginning of last season was under Raheem Morris, another late-season collapse resulted in another wasted opportunity to make the playoffs.
