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🏈 Good morning to everybody however particularly …

MIKE MACDONALD AND THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

The Seahawks are going from having the NFL’s oldest head coach to having the NFL’s youngest head coach. After an excellent two-year run because the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, 36-year-old Mike Macdonald signed a six-year deal to grow to be Seattle’s head coach.

• In 2023, Macdonald’s protection turned the first ever to steer the league in scoring protection, sacks and takeaways.
• He began his teaching profession with the Ravens in 2014 and has been with Baltimore yearly since aside from 2021, when he was Michigan‘s defensive coordinator .
• Macdonald succeeds Pete Carroll, 72, who was moved to an adviser function after teaching the crew for 14 seasons, a stretch that included two Tremendous Bowl journeys and one title.

Macdonald has huge footwear to fill, and I feel he’ll be as much as the duty. I used to be tremendous impressed with him this previous season as he not solely received essentially the most out of his celebrity, Roquan Smith, but in addition elevated the sport of his upcoming children (Kyle Hamilton, Justin Madubuike, Patrick Queen) and his veterans (Jadeveon Clowney, Kyle Van Noy). Clowney, who did not even signal with Baltimore till properly into the preseason, completed with a profession high-tying 9.5 sacks. Van Noy, who wasn’t on any crew at season’s begin, completed with a career-high 9 sacks.

That bodes properly for Macdonald’s prospects in Seattle, which has some younger defensive expertise, led by rookie Professional Bowl nook Devon Witherspoon, however wants reinforcements. The unit completed thirtieth in complete protection final 12 months. I might count on a right away enchancment.

The transfer earned a “B” in Cody Benjamin’s teaching rent grades.

• Benjamin: “On paper, he is a stable match for a crew with a number of younger defensive items. How he outfits the opposite facet of the ball is, in fact, a pivotal query. One factor’s for certain: His rent is extra intriguing than going again to the properly of acquainted previous associates.”

The Commanders are the ultimate crew on the lookout for a head coach.

👍 Honorable mentions

😓 And never such a superb morning for …

JOEL EMBIID AND THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Joel Embiid will miss tonight’s recreation towards the Jazz after sustaining a knee harm towards the Warriors on Tuesday. He will not journey with the crew and can as an alternative get evaluated and obtain therapy in Philadelphia.

• The 76ers stated Embiid’s newest harm is just not associated to the knee harm that saved him out of video games not too long ago.
• Total, this will probably be Embiid’s thirteenth missed recreation this season. That pattern is clearly (and most significantly) worrying for the crew, however individually, gamers can solely miss 17 video games earlier than changing into ineligible for MVP and different season-ending honors.
• That new 65-game minimal is inflicting rising consternation throughout the league. Tyrese Haliburton, who can also be nearing the edge, known as it “a silly rule.” Draymond Inexperienced had extra specific criticism.

I understood (and even was a fan of) the NBA instituting the rule forward of the season. It desires stars to play extra. Everybody does. However what the NBA wants is stars wholesome when it issues most — within the playoffs. That is why Brad Botkin says Embiid ought to neglect about MVP in his newest Star Index.

• Botkin: “It is potential that Embiid was coming again before he ought to need to attempt to keep within the race for MVP, which now requires a minimal of 65 video games performed. … If Embiid tries to pressure himself into video games and permits even a nagging harm to hold round, this season, which has been so promising for the Sixers and the perfect of Embiid’s profession, will probably be for naught, as a result of the Sixers are usually not going wherever that the large man would not take them.”

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🐊 Florida beats No. 10 Kentucky in additional time

One other night time, one other top-10 crew happening. Florida went into Lexington and topped No. 10 Kentucky, 94-91, in additional time. It is the Gators’ first top-10 highway win since 2003; they’d misplaced their earlier 19 coming into Wednesday.

• Walter Clayton Jr. made a deep 3-pointer to pressure additional time. Kentucky had led by 4 with beneath 20 seconds left.
• Clayton additionally hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in additional time, and the guests would by no means path once more. Total, Clayton completed with 23 factors and made seven 3-pointers.
• Florida is now 6-65 all-time towards top-10 groups on the highway. 4 of these six wins have come at Kentucky.

Kentucky was with out D.J. Wagner and Justin Edwards, however that is nonetheless a really spectacular win for Florida, which has gained 4 straight improves to 15-6 total (5-3 SEC) and is rounding into kind in its second 12 months beneath Todd Golden.

We very practically had a fair larger upset, however No. 2 Purdue survived at dwelling towards Northwestern, 105-96, in additional time. Northwestern coach Chris Collins had an all-time ejection/handshake/crowd pump-up.

🏀 WNBA free company opens, trades and signings already underway

WNBA free company formally begins at this time, however the information began coming in droves Wednesday, with a pair of trades and a number of other notable signings.

The most important transaction to this point is the Storm sending the No. 4 total choose and Kia Nurse to the Sparks for Los Angeles’ 2026 first-round choose. The Sparks obtained an “A” for the blockbuster transfer, Jack Maloney says.

• Maloney: “They will have two of the top-four picks in what’s extensively believed to be probably the greatest draft courses of all time. That’s considerably depending on how lots of the prime prospects find yourself declaring for the draft, however even in a worst-case state of affairs, the Sparks will probably be including two extraordinarily gifted gamers to the combination for subsequent season. … Nurse made the All-Star Sport in her second season, however missed all of 2022 whereas recovering from a torn ACL and struggled to regain her kind with the Storm final season. Now two years faraway from the harm, Nurse could possibly be in for a bounce-back marketing campaign and is a brilliant low-risk wager for Curt Miller and Co.”

Seattle obtained an “incomplete” as a result of it has main free company plans. Talking of these plans, Jack ranked the prime 10 free brokers. Here is his prime 5:

1. Breanna Stewart
2. Jonquel Jones (re-signing with Liberty)
3. Skylar Diggins-Smith
4. Satou Sabally (re-signed with Wings)
5. Nneka Ogwumike 

We additionally had one other commerce between the Solar and Lynx.

Lastly, our free company tracker is up and operating.

NOTE: The next part accommodates delicate and disturbing content material. 

🏒 4 NHL gamers charged with sexual assault in 2018 case

Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, Devils ahead Michael McLeod, Devils defenseman Cal Foote and Flames ahead Dillon Dube have been charged with sexual assault in London, Ontario, on Tuesday, in response to their respective authorized groups. 

• All 4 authorized groups stated their respective shoppers are harmless. Former Senators ahead Alex Formenton — now enjoying in Switzerland — turned himself in to police to face an analogous cost. His legal professional additionally stated his shopper is harmless.
• All 5 gamers had taken leaves of absence from their groups earlier than the costs turned public.
• The alleged assault concerned members of Canada’s world junior crew in 2018. The sufferer alleged that one man, “John Doe #1,” took her to a resort room, and invited seven different people within the room to interact in sexual acts following a Hockey Canada Basis gala.
• The sufferer had sought $3.55 million in damages and later settled with Hockey Canada.

The NHL launched its personal investigation in 2022. NHL deputy commissioner Invoice Daly stated the league would launch a press release as soon as it was applicable.

📺 What we’re watching Thursday

🏒 NHL All-Star Draft, 6 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Virginia at No. 17 Virginia Tech (W), 6 p.m. on ACC Community
🏀 Lakers at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 No. 24 UNC at No. 5 NC State (W), 8 p.m. on ACC Community
🏀 No. 6 Wisconsin at Nebraska (M), 8:30 p.m. on BTN
🏀 No. 12 Texas at No. 13 Baylor (W), 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 76ers at Jazz, 10 p.m. on TNT