Miami, FL
Jimmy Butler sidelined vs. Pistons by foot bruise, his 20th missed game of season
![Jimmy Butler sidelined vs. Pistons by foot bruise, his 20th missed game of season Jimmy Butler sidelined vs. Pistons by foot bruise, his 20th missed game of season](https://www.sun-sentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Jimmy.jpg?w=1024&h=761)
DETROIT — The shorthanded Miami Heat became even more shorthanded Sunday, with forward Jimmy Butler listed as out against the Detroit Pistons due to a bruised right foot.
That latest news comes in the wake of the Heat ruling out forward Nikola Jovic on Saturday due to a strained right hamstring.
Those absences come with the Heat starting this four-game trip already without guard Tyler Herro and forward Kevin Love. Herro is dealing with ongoing tendinitis in his right foot, and Love is sidelined by a bruised right heel.
In addition to being without those four for Sunday’s matinee against the Pistons at Little Caesars Arena, the Heat also lost guard Josh Richardson earlier this month to season-ending shoulder surgery.
Sunday’s absence is the 20th of the season for Butler. He missed the third game of the season for rest, another game early in the season for personal reasons, two in November for an ankle sprain, four in December for calf strain, seven in January with a toe sprain, three in February for personal reasons, one in late February for a league suspension, and now the foot issue.
Since joining the Heat in the 2019 offseason, Butler, 34, has yet to play more than 64 regular-season games, his total last season.
For Herro, Sunday was the 11th consecutive game missed, the last eight with the foot issue. He is expected to miss at least one more week, and possibly longer, after taking an injection to the foot last week.
Love has missed the past nine games since Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton landed on his foot in the Heat’s Feb. 27 road victory.
For Jovic, Sunday is the first game missed this season due to injury.
Lowry reunion
Monday night’s game in Philadelphia on the second night of this back-to-back set will have the Heat facing Kyle Lowry for the first time since the veteran point guard was dealt in January to the Charlotte Hornets for Terry Rozier. Lowry subsequently was bought out by the Hornets and signed by his hometown 76ers.
Lowry’s statistics with the 76ers largely have mirrored his numbers with the Heat this season. He is playing 28.5 minutes per game in his 11 appearances with the 76ers, averaging 7.9 points on .412 shooting from the field and .349 shooting on 3-pointers, with 5.2 assists per game. In his 37 appearances with the Heat, he averaged 8.2 points on .426 shooting from the field and .385 shooting on 3-pointers, with 4.0 assists per game.
Lowry and the 76ers also are scheduled to visit Kaseya Center on April 4 to conclude the four-game season series.
The 76ers continue to play in the injury absence of center Joel Embiid, who underwent knee surgery on Feb. 6, with it uncertain whether he will return this season.
Asked if he believed Embiid would be back before the postseason, 76ers coach Nick Nurse said Saturday, “I’m still hoping so and pretty confident, yes.”
Embiid, who tore the meniscus in his left knee on Jan. 30, missed the teams’ first two meetings, a pair of Heat victories. The 76ers are 8-13 amid Embiid’s current absence.
Little relief
After the back-to-back set against the Pistons, the schedule largely is challenging for the Heat through the April 14 close of the regular season.
Starting Monday, the Heat’s next five games are against the teams with winning records, against the 76ers (37-30), Cleveland Cavaliers (42-25), New Orleans Pelicans (41-26), Cleveland Cavaliers again (42-25) and Golden State Warriors ((35-31).
In addition, the Heat also have games remaining against the New York Knicks (40-27), 76ers again (37-30) and Indiana Pacers (38-30).
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Miami, FL
Dolphins extend Tua Tagovailoa: Will the potential rewards outweigh the risk?
![Dolphins extend Tua Tagovailoa: Will the potential rewards outweigh the risk? Dolphins extend Tua Tagovailoa: Will the potential rewards outweigh the risk?](https://a2.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2024%2F0706%2Fr1355070_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg)
MIAMI — For just the second time since Dan Marino retired, the Miami Dolphins have signed a quarterback to a multiple-year extension.
Tua Tagovailoa agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million deal with the Dolphins that includes $167 million guaranteed, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It’s the richest contract in franchise history and the guaranteed money is the eighth-most among quarterbacks.
It also ends a two-day standoff between Tagovailoa and the team, in which he was a minimal participant in Miami’s practices at training camp.
Tagovailoa joins Ryan Tannehill as the only quarterbacks to re-sign with Miami since Marino retired after the 1999 season. Tagovailoa, who the Dolphins selected fifth overall in 2020, is also the fourth quarterback from the 2020 class to sign an extension with the team that drafted him, joining Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts.
“We’re strong believers in him. And you guys all feel (coach) Mike (McDaniel’s) passion about him when he talks about him,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said in February. “Just in the two years of what he’s done, he’s grown in areas to where he led the league in passing and did some great things this year. And we all feel there’s still another level he can take it.
“The way he’s attacked this and wants to be great and the combination of Mike and working with that and that trust and belief in each other, we do think there’s still another level which he could go.”
The Dolphins have publicly supported Tagovailoa over the past two years under McDaniel but offered their largest display of faith to date by giving the new deal.
Here’s how both sides got to this point.
Why did the Dolphins make a commitment to Tagovailoa?
Tagovailoa was unremarkable during his first two NFL seasons, completing 66.7% of his passes for 4,467 yards and 22 touchdowns against 15 interceptions in 2020 and 2021.
He has blossomed under McDaniel while completing 67.4% of his passes. The Alabama product led the NFL in passing yards in 2023 with a career-high 4,624, playing a full season for the first time in his career (more on that later).
His draft classmates got off to stronger starts to their careers, but Tagovailoa’s first two years in Miami were marked by a lack of continuity. The Dolphins cycled through three offensive coordinators and two quarterback coaches in those first two seasons before hiring McDaniel in February 2022.
Since McDaniel’s arrival, Tagovailoa has thrown for the fourth-most passing yards (8,172) and fifth-most touchdowns (54) in the NFL. Tagovailoa’s 102.9 passer rating and 67.4% completion percentage also rank second and fifth in the league, respectively.
The Dolphins have started 25 different quarterbacks since Marino retired at the turn of the century, but Miami believes Tagovailoa is its franchise cornerstone and has rewarded him as such.
Is there any risk in the long-term deal?
Entering the 2023 season, there was considerable skepticism regarding Tagovailoa’s ability to stay healthy for an entire season — skepticism which he met by changing his offseason preparation.
Tagovailoa bulked up to 225 pounds and trained in a jiu-jitsu break-fall course to learn how to keep his head from hitting the ground as it did on three notable occasions in 2022. It worked, and he finished the 2023 season without any major injuries.
But while Tagovailoa has thrived inside the structure McDaniel has built, he has struggled to create when plays broke down. He ranked third in quarterback rating when he attempted a pass in under 2.5 seconds (78.9). Beyond 2.5 seconds, he dropped to 16th (43.2).
His off-target throw percentage doubled on passes that took longer than 2.5 seconds to throw, from 11.2% to 22.1%. Considering his concussion history, teams don’t fear him as a runner; he picked up five first downs on the ground in 2023, which ranked 41st among qualified quarterbacks.
Tagovailoa’s accuracy and anticipation are his trademark strengths. His playmaking ability falls short of some of his peers, such as Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, but the Dolphins are banking on his strengths outweighing his weaknesses moving forward.
What took so long?
The negotiations left Tagovailoa feeling “ansty” as he watched the Detroit Lions sign quarterback Jared Goff to a four-year, $212 million deal with $170 million guaranteed.
The feeling didn’t subside after the Jacksonville Jaguars inked Trevor Lawrence to a five-year, $275 million extension with up to $200 million in guaranteed money.
Tagovailoa was absent for a portion of the team’s offseason program prior to mandatory minicamp — which he attended, in full — and kept an eye on how the quarterback market was managed this offseason.
“I’m not blind to people that are in my position, who are getting paid,” he said. “Am I concerned about it? I’m not concerned about it, but there’s a lot of discussion that we’ve had. We’re just trying to move that thing in the right direction to where everyone can be happy.”
The guaranteed money — which ended up being $167 million — Tagovailoa’s deal may have been a point of contention through the negotiating process, a front office source told ESPN in May. Tagovailoa’s durability concerns were prevalent entering the 2023 season (more on that later), but he played all 18 games for the Dolphins last season and seemingly debunked said concerns.
What does this mean for the Dolphins’ Super Bowl window?
It’s still open, but it’s time to capitalize.
Miami now has premier offensive players signed for the foreseeable future in Tagovailoa, wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, and running back De’Von Achane. The NFL’s top-ranked offense last season also added veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as well as rookie wideouts Malik Washington and Tahj Washington.
With a couple tweaks and some good health, Miami’s offensive line is good enough to give its playmakers time to make an impact.
Defensively, the Dolphins have several young core players under team control, plus a star veteran in Jalen Ramsey. But the clock is ticking. Eventually, those budding stars will need contracts and Tagovailoa’s deal will ultimately hinder Miami’s ability to bring everyone back at market value.
The AFC features a gauntlet of talented quarterbacks Miami must get through to reach its first Super Bowl since 1984. It believes that, with Tagovailoa under center, it has enough to do exactly that.
Miami, FL
Miami Stealth Overpowers NYC Attitude to Secure Semifinal Spot
![Miami Stealth Overpowers NYC Attitude to Secure Semifinal Spot Miami Stealth Overpowers NYC Attitude to Secure Semifinal Spot](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_522,h_293,x_0,y_117/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/boxing/01j3qhzv1z5m2z3prs9f.jpg)
By Mohamed Bahaa
In a high-energy showdown at Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena on July 21, 2024, the Miami Stealth triumphed over the reigning champions, NYC Attitude, with a score of 229-222, advancing to the Team Combat League (TCL) Season 2 semifinals. Coached by Herman Caicedo, the Miami team showcased remarkable prowess, securing an early lead and maintaining it throughout the match.
The Stealth’s initial momentum was unstoppable, winning four of the first six bouts. Despite NYC Attitude’s efforts to narrow the gap, coming within a single point in Round 13 after Kayla Yontef’s 10-9 victory over Katharina Lehner, Miami’s Yordan “El Diamante” Barrera extinguished their hopes with a decisive knockout of Eslih Owusu in Round 14. Barrera’s performance earned him the night’s first star award.
“This feels excellent. I train very hard to do that, especially when my team needs it,” Barrera expressed. She also mentioned that she appreciates NYC’s strong competition. Thanks to TCL, teammates hard work in the gym is paying off, and it feels like they’re on our way to winning it all.
Miami’s middleweight Raidel Rodriguez also shone, earning the second star for his victories over NYC’s Lasha Gurguliani in Rounds 6 and 19, both scored 10-9. The third star went to NYC’s Pryce Taylor, who secured dual 10-9 wins against Nestor Santana and Gustavo Trujillo in Rounds 8 and 23, respectively.
NYC’s welterweight Ryan Zempoaltecatl, a dual nominee for TCL Rookie of the Year and TCL Most Entertaining Fighter, had a mixed night, defeating Orestes Velazquez 10-9 in Round 12 but falling to Claudio Marrero by the same score in Round 20. Similarly, Yunieski Gonzalez, a nominee for the TCL Most Resilient Fighter Award, defeated Tre’Vaughn Jones 10-9 in Round 18 but lost to Atif Oberlton in Round 15.
Among other notable performances, Enrique Leon, a featherweight Rookie of the Year nominee, was defeated 10-9 by Opeyemi Adeyemi in Round 1. “Queen” Ronica Jeffrey, a former world champion and TCL Most Resilient Fighter Award nominee, won her bout 10-9 against Tyler Schaefer.
Miami’s welterweight Samantha Ginithan, a Rookie of the Year nominee, experienced her first TCL loss, dropping to 8-1 after a 10-9 defeat by NYC’s Feifilimai Faiva in Round 5.
NYC’s Lightweight Sherbek Rakhmatulloev had a fierce Round 3 with Miami’s Armando Rabi, featuring mutual knockdowns. Rabi emerged victorious 9-8, boosting Miami’s lead to 29-26.
Coach Herman Caicedo praised his team’s cohesion, saying, “We’ve been together the whole year and I’ve been able to coach them. They know what to expect. I believe that’s an advantage. I feel fabulous and I’m happy to be here.”
With this victory, Miami Stealth eyes the championship, driven by teamwork and relentless training.
Miami, FL
Miami police officers forced to use deadly force
![Miami police officers forced to use deadly force Miami police officers forced to use deadly force](https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/07/26/5553a249-ce9f-4f1f-b2af-615d98ed8878/thumbnail/1200x630/58f5d50a1c54888925abda9bed58189b/d4eafc752d846f4824416bccfab8071c.jpg?v=5501038cbc281520ff9fdc308faab7dc)
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