2022 NBA offseason grades for all 30 teams: Celtics put on masterclass; Lakers underwhelm; 76ers earn ‘A’

The 2022 NBA offseason has been like a furious game of “Red Light, Green Light,” with only slightly less dire consequences than “Squid Game” (hey, remember Squid Game?). It began with a flurry of moves in the first couple days of free agency, then a long cool-off period during which we were promised a holding pattern while the Brooklyn Nets contemplated what to do about Kevin Durant’s trade request.

Then, boom, suddenly the Utah Jazz and New York Knicks are reportedly discussing a Donovan Mitchell trade. After that, Deandre Ayton signs a max offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers only to have it matched within minutes by the Phoenix Suns. Man, time for a deep breath.

A good way to take a step back is to look at every team’s offseason in its entirety. Including the draft, trades and free agency, who’s in and who’s out on all 30 NBA teams? It’s not easy to keep straight, but thanks to the folks over at NBA.com for their handy list. It also took some extra research to add all the deals that have reportedly been agreed upon but aren’t yet official.

And just because we can, we decided to throw in some offseason grades — with the obvious caveat that no evaluation is set in stone with so many free agent signings and potentially gargantuan trades still on the horizon. Hopefully this gets published before the light turns green again.

Who’s in:

Who’s out:

Just a year after a surprising run to the conference finals that catapulted the Hawks into young contender status, they mortgaged their future by

Read More

Raiders, Falcons trade grades: Bryan Edwards dealt to Atlanta as Vegas parts with wide receiver

After Bryan Edwards spent two years in Las Vegas, the Raiders have traded the receiver to the Falcons, the team announced. The Raiders traded Edwards along with a 2023 seventh-round pick to the Falcons in exchange for a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft, according to ESPN. 

A third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Edwards caught 45 passes for 764 yards and four touchdowns during his two seasons in Las Vegas. In 16 games last season, Edwards caught 34 of 59 targets for 571 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 16.8 yards per catch. He caught three passes for 41 yards in the Raiders’ wild card playoff loss to the Bengals. 

The 6-foot-3, 212-pound Edwards went over the 80-yard receiving barrier three times last season. He played an integral role in the Raiders’ playoff-clinching win over the Chargers in Week 18, as he caught four of five targets for 63 yards. 

headshot-image

Edwards played collegiately at South Carolina, where over four seasons he caught 234 passes for 3,045 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also returned 12 punts while averaging 11.6 yards per return. 

Edwards joins a Falcons offense that includes rookie first-round pick Drake London, former Bengals receivers Auden Tate, veteran wideout Damiere Byrd and running back/receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. Edwards will reunite with quarterback Marcus Mariota, who served as Derek Carr’s backup in Las Vegas over the past two seasons. 

Here’s our initial grades for the trade that sent Edwards to Atlanta. 

Falcons: A- 

Edwards isn’t a star, but he is a young (he turns 24 in November) yet experienced player who should be entering his most productive seasons. He also adds depth to a Falcons receiving corps that is devoid of a big-name veteran wideout. Edwards’ experience with Mariota, along with the fact that he is still playing

Read More

Seacoast location hospitals earn top rated grades for safety: Seacoast well being information

Wentworth-Douglass grant provides $50K for group transportation

DOVER – Wentworth-Douglass Healthcare facility has awarded a $10,000 community advantage grant to the Alliance for Group Transportation (ACT), a group that coordinates and provides group transportation, mostly for seniors and adults with disabilities, in Southeastern New Hampshire. The grant will permit the firm to entry an further $40,000 in federal funds.

“Our crew right here at Wentworth-Douglass knows firsthand from our patient population how important it is to take away barriers to transportation, and with the capacity to purchase supplemental federal pounds, there is no doubt this system will have a significant effects on the health and wellbeing of our neighbors,” stated Michelle Hanson, director of strategic organizing and group profit at Wentworth-Douglass.

ACT’s lead agency and fiscal sponsor is the Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation (Coast), but its perform is largely funded by Federal Transit Administration money that are passed by way of the NH Office of Transportation. ACT ought to supply non-USDOT funding to leverage the $40,000 in federal dollars.

“I’m very grateful to Wentworth-Douglass for stepping up and funding this critical group initiative,” reported Jeff Donald, regional mobility supervisor for ACT and TripLink, a regional transportation phone center. “Particularly as we emerge from the pandemic, this $50,000 will enable to ACT to react to essential support fluctuations or staffing modifications in real time,” he mentioned.

TripLink has operated continuously through the pandemic, making certain that the region’s most susceptible residents go on to have accessibility to clinical care, grocery purchasing, and other transportation requirements. In November 2021, ACT re-released its website, re-branding it to target mainly on TripLink and on reaching people in need of transportation and their caregivers. The firm says the new site will make it possible for older adults and grown ups with disabilities to sign-up

Read More

2022 NFL free agency grades, Day 3: Raiders earn high marks for multiple moves; Ravens, Bills add pass rushers

We are now officially in the midst of the 2022 league year in the NFL. At 4 p.m. ET, the league rang in the new year, meaning teams are now able to make all of their free-agent agreements they reached during the two-day legal tampering period official, along with any trades that have occurred to this point. Of course, there has been plenty of action leading up to the start of the new league year, and several superstars are going to officially land with their new teams Wednesday. 

While it’s technically the first day of free agency, it’s really Day 3 when factoring in the legal tampering period and the deals that have been agreed to over the last few days. In this post, we’re going to dive into the top new moves that were made Wednesday and hand out our grades for those transactions across the league. 

Ready? Let’s dive in.

Von Miller leaves Rams for Bills

Von Miller was traded from the Broncos to the Rams in the middle of last season, and he helped L.A. win a Super Bowl. Buffalo is hoping Miller can do it again, as the Bills stole him from the West Coast with a six-year, $120 million deal that includes $51.345 million guaranteed, per CBS Sports NFL Insider Josina Anderson. The deal is constructed a bit differently, as it’s not $20 million per year. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport says the deal is backloaded, and averages $17.5 million over the first four years.

The length of the deal and the dollar amount are pretty shocking, but the bottom line is that this makes the Bills immediately better. It took a lot to steal Miller away from the Rams, Broncos, Cowboys and other suitors, but they were able to find a way to do

Read More

2022 NFL free agency team-by-team grades: Raiders, Bills, Buccaneers, Chargers, Rams and Jets among winners

The 2022 NFL offseason is officially upon us. Several big-name quarterbacks found new homes ahead of the kickoff of the legal tampering period Monday, but now dozens of notable veterans are actually hitting the market, free to negotiate with other teams. From blockbuster moves to bargain-bin shopping, we’ve got you covered below with a running tracker of every team’s 2022 additions, including external signings and trade acquisitions:

Acquisitions:

It’s not that the players the Cardinals added or retained are bad; Conner and Ertz are vital to their offense. But paying those two a combined $50M+ on long-term deals? What is this, 2017? Arizona went all in on older and/or injury-prone veterans a year ago, but it’d be nice to see the team go a little greener if its gonna spend big money. It has also got pass rusher to address.

Locking up one of the NFL’s most accurate kickers is fine. But they’ve got lots of holes still to fill, especially if they plan on competing with Matt Ryan (or, somehow, Deshaun Watson) at QB. Letting Russell Gage walk may haunt them. They did recently take a step in the right direction by inking Casey Hayward to a two-year deal to be the team’s No. 2 corner. 

There are other areas (OL, DL) that need addressing, but Williams is a top-flight ball hawk who will instantly improve their defense in transition, especially alongside a healthier Marcus Peters, Marlon Humphrey, etc.

Von Miller will be a huge difference maker on defense. They basically swapped out Daryl Williams for Saffold, which isn’t an obvious upgrade. Settle is a solid pickup for the D-line, as is Howard for the offense.

Foreman gives them big-bodied insurance for Christian McCaffrey, which is smart. And Corbett is their best O-line investment in two years. Woods, meanwhile,

Read More