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Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Rockets 2025-2026 season in review: Fred VanVleet

HOUSTON, TX - MARCH 31: Fred VanVleet #5 of the Houston Rockets looks on during the game against the New York Knicks on March 31, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Yes, we know that Fred VanVleet didn’t play for the Houston Rockets this season. But given that GM Rafael Stone stayed quiet at the NBA Trade Deadline and cited VanVleet’s absence for why team management wasn’t making any moves to improve, which became a huge part of this season’s narrative, we wanted to include FVV here in our recaps.

So how important is VanVleet? We do know he was part of the Rockets culture change, teaming with now-Sun Dillon Brooks to add a veteran presence to the Houston locker room and a steady hand on the court. That was pretty dang important. But I think we can all agree that he’s probably not quite as important as Ime Udoka and Stone want us to believe (you know, for job security and all).

This is a guy who was coming off of a year in which he averaged 14.1 points and 5.6 assists, but he also shot just 37.8 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from deep on high volume (7.7 three attempts per game). There were nights when VanVleet downright shot the Rockets out of a game. Houston had more than enough of that this season. What would adding another inconsistent shooter have done? Yes, Houston really needed his steady hand, and yes, quality true point guard depth behind FVV was also an issue — but that job of securing depth by definition falls on Stone and Udoka. It’s their resonsibility to make sure the Rockets can weather such storms and that one injury doesn’t completely derail a season. And not only did they not do it, they came to us and told us they intentionally did not do it. Then tried to gaslight us into thinking it was all for the best.

The Kevin Durant window is limited. The Rockets gave up real player assets for KD. If Houston were ready to punt a full year just because of a VanVleet injury, it made no sense to go after KD, because you’re basically admitting that your team isn’t ready. If they’re not ready, it made more sense to take the long game and not trade for a limited-window Durant. But they made the move, signifying to the league and to the players that they thought they were going to make a real push. Then decided against it and told us that not making a push was the real plan all along. It honestly feels a little bit toxic.

Will I be happy to have VanVleet back? Yes, absolutely. Do I think he solves Houston’s issues? No, I do not. This team needs more shooters, more backcourt playmakers, and better locker room chemistry. FVV helps with the playmaking and the locker room issues (though certainly doesn’t solve them), but he’s no one’s answer to three-point shooting woes at this stage of his career.

He’s also 32 years old and coming off of a major surgery. Who knows how he looks when he comes back or how much time he’ll need to round into form. It’s possible he never does return to form. If so, the Rockets have some serious franchise-direction pivoting to discuss. Either way, they need more than VanVleet alone can provide. But hey, if he never does quite return to form, at least Stone and Udoka still have their built-in excuse.

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Packers sign Marlon Jones, undrafted cornerback who battled cancer in college

The Packers are bringing in an undafted rookie with a back story that makes him easy to root for.

Marlon Jones, a cornerback from Vanderbilt who missed the 2024 season while batting cancer, is signing with the Packers, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.

Jones began his college career at Eastern Washington and was one of the best cornerbacks in the FCS before deciding to step up to a higher level of competition and transfer to Vanderbilt. But the day before he was going to move to Nashville in the spring of 2024, he received a diagnosis of stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

That caused him to miss the 2024 season, but by 2025 he was in full remission and cleared to play. Although he didn't make a big impact at Vanderbilt last year, he showed signs that with enough time to recover from the ordeal that cancer treatments put his body through, he may be able to play in the NFL.

Jones is a long shot to make the Packers' regular-season roster, but he'll be given that shot, two years after a diagnosis that forced him to put football on hold.

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Monday, May 18, 2026

49ers News: One week closer

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 17: San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch interacts with Ricky Pearsall #1 prior to an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on January 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Could 49ers’ Week 1 be one of the better prime-time games of the year?
“With the game in Australia and it being the first week, something tells me it might be a bit of a mixed bag. Will it be good? Probably. The No. 3 prime-time game of the year? I doubt it. I’m expecting a lot of mistakes and clumsy plays from both teams as they play their first game of the season. Bergman did rank some games simply on the vibes of teams, and the 49ers/Rams deliver on that. Like most Week 1 games, I think you’ll see a lot of things that need fixing rather than defining moments—for both teams.”

49ers disaster: ‘Too many red flags’ have writer predicting rough 2026 season
“The 49ers might be expecting too much from Mike Evans, the soon-to-be 33-year-old receiver who missed nine games due to injury during his final season with the Bucs,” Manzano wrote. “As for another concern, wide receivers Christian Kirk and Ricky Pearsall have struggled to stay healthy.

“This is an aging roster that has dealt with several injuries in recent seasons. Now, San Francisco has to travel 38,100 miles in 2026 and starts the season with a 15-hour flight to Australia to face the hated Rams. Too many red flags here.”

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Sunday, May 17, 2026

49ers News: Another Sunday without NFL football

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 11: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after his team's 23-19 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field on January 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images

How the NFL came up with a plan to keep 49ers from becoming jet-lagged zombies in 2026 (paywall)
“It’s a lot of air miles,” North said. “We fully recognize that. Coach (Shanahan) wasn’t shy about his concerns. We spoke with John Lynch. We spoke with Al Guido. We were well aware of where they were hoping to land. Did they get everything they wanted? Probably not. But were we comfortable with where we landed? We were.”

Fox Sports predicts 49ers as NFC’s top team in 2026
“As for the seeding order, the NFC West is about as hard to predict as can be,” McKenna wrote. “The 49ers get the edge because they have a weak schedule and they put together a solid free-agency class, which includes veteran receiver Mike Evans. But the NFC’s top seed could just as easily be the Rams or Seahawks (again).”

49ers have two Thursday games, but only one on three-day rest—this could change
“And this is why you see the 49ers sitting at five games, or some teams at six. The NFL doesn’t want to max out a team’s prime-time schedule, and said team is having a train wreck of a season. On the flip side, they also don’t want to take a team that has things locked up in Week 15 and subsequently benching starters for the game.”

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Saturday, May 16, 2026

Spurs beat Timberwolves to advance to Wester Conference finals vs. Thunder

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Stephon Castle, who scored 32 points, drives past Anthony Edwards during the Spurs' 139-109 Game 6 series-clinching win over the Timberwolves on May 15, 2026 in Minneapolis, Image 2 shows Victor Wembanyam, who scored 19 points slams home a dunk over Julius Randle during the Spurs' Game 6 series-clinching win over the Timberwolves

MINNEAPOLIS — The San Antonio Spurs were well on their way to the Western Conference finals in the fourth quarter when Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards went down to their bench to briefly offer his congratulations.

The young Spurs left no doubt they’re already a serious NBA title contender.

Stephon Castle had 32 points and 11 rebounds to highlight another dominant performance from the backcourt, and Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs romped past the Timberwolves 139-109 on Friday night to finish in the second-round series in six games.

Stephon Castle, who scored 32 points, drives past Anthony Edwards during the Spurs’ 139-109 Game 6 series-clinching win over the Timberwolves on May 15, 2026 in Minneapolis. Getty Images

“I just tip my hat to them,” Edwards said. “They were just the better team.”

De’Aaron Fox added 21 points and nine assists and rookie Dylan Harper had 15 points off the bench for the Spurs, who set their franchise postseason record for 3-pointers made by going 18 for 38.

They will face defending champion Oklahoma City in Game 1 on Monday night. The Thunder swept their first two series.

“Of course we’re confident, but we need to keep the right confidence level,” Wembanyama said. “Right now, I’m not even thinking about it. I’m just thinking about recovering.”

Wembanyama, who bounced back from his stunning Game 4 ejection with 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the Game 5 blowout, was well-guarded by the Wolves in Game 6 and had a quiet 19 points in 27 minutes. But he still served as a constant defensive deterrent in the paint, and he dutifully joined the Spurs in transition whenever they had the opportunity to run — which was often.

The size, smarts and shooting touch of the Spurs guards were too much for the Wolves, who predictably had their hands full with the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama.

Victor Wembanyam, who scored 19 points, slams home a dunk over
Julius Randle during the Spurs’ Game 6 series-clinching win over
the Timberwolves. Getty Images

Castle made his first five 3-pointers and finished 11 for 16 from the floor. Fox was 3 for 3 from deep, and Julian Champagnie made four 3s among his 18 points for the Spurs, who outscored the Wolves by a whopping 97 points in the series and never once trailed by double digits. The Spurs breezed by Portland Trail in five games in the first round.

“It shows that we already gained a little bit of experience from our short playoff time,” Wembanyama said. “I feel like we put ourselves in the best conditions, as simple as that.”

Anthony Edwards had 24 points on 9-for-26 shooting for the Wolves, who got another spark from reserves Terrence Shannon (21 points) and Naz Reid (18 points) but were again flustered by the Spurs and their relentless switch-heavy defense. Julius Randle had just three points on 1-for-8 shooting.

“It just felt like we kind of ran out of bullets as this series went on,” coach Chris Finch said.

This no-show in the elimination game might’ve felt familiar to Wolves fans, who’ve otherwise enjoyed an unprecedented run of success in the playoffs over the last three years.

Minnesota trailed by 33 points at halftime in a 30-point loss at Oklahoma City in the Game 5 ouster in the Western Conference finals last year and were down by 29 points at the break to Dallas in losing the Western Conference finals in 2024 in a 21-point loss in Game 5.

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Roger Goodell wanted Falcons-Saints MNF game to mark 20 years since return from Katrina

One of the most memorable games in Monday Night Football History took place in Week Three of the 2006 season, when the Saints beat the Falcons in their return to New Orleans for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. Twenty years later, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wanted a Falcons-Saints Monday night game in New Orleans on the 2026 schedule.

NFL VP of broadcasting planning Mike North says the 2026 schedule has a Week Four Monday night game between the Falcons and Saints at the Superdome because Goodell himself requested that it happen around the time of the 20th anniversary.

"It's really to the Commissioner's credit, it was, 'We're gonna play Falcons at Saints on Monday night this year, fit it in in that kind of three-week window.' So, it wasn't a requirement it had to land in a special week, but it was a requirement, straight from the boss, that it landed on our schedule," North said.

Some in New Orleans wanted the 2026 game played in Week Three, as the 2006 game was, but North said playing the game in Week Four proved to be a better fit for the NFL's overall schedule.

"Relative to the exact date of the anniversary, honestly, we figured if we were within a couple of weeks, we were in good shape," North said. "Fans remember that moment, the electricity, the excitement. If we were a week early, or closer to the day, or a week later, weren't gonna throw away our best schedule just by being off a couple days. Plus, as you know, there's a lot of events going on in that region. I don't have the stadium availability off the top of my head, but relative to the Dome itself, the arena across the street, there's concerts, there's basketball games, there's other things going on at times. It wasn't a, 'This game has to be in this week.'"

The 2006 game, remembered most for Steve Gleason's blocked punt that was recovered by Curtis Deloatch for the Saints' first touchdown, was a classic. The 2026 game will be an opportunity for New Orleans to celebrate that great moment in Saints history.

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