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By Marc Lawrence
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Thursday, Mar 12 |
MAXXED OUT
AFC North QBs rejoice, AFC West QBs feel free to weep.
The Baltimore Ravens are out on Maxx as the biggest − not yet official − trade of the 2026 NFL offseason is apparently becoming the biggest non-trade in recent memory.
According to the Raiders, the Ravens "have backed out" of the clubs' trade involving Pro Bowl pass rusher Maxx Crosby, which was agreed to on the evening of March 6. The Ravens were set to send two first-round draft picks (2026 and 2027) to Las Vegas, in what was going to be the first trade in franchise history that included Baltimore exchanging a Round 1 selection for a player.
Per NFL Network, the Ravens called off the trade for medical reasons pertaining to Crosby, who had a meniscus injury that cut his 2025 season short.
"Maxx continues to be on track in his recovery and if anything is ahead of schedule,” reported the Raiders. “His return during the offseason program & will undoubtedly return as the dominant game wrecker he has been these past 7 seasons."
Crosby made something of a statement of his own on his Instagram account, his Tuesday reel showing video apparently taken from Baltimore and what is presumably Crosby, legs stretched out inside a private jet, with the location set as "Boomerang" in a nod to his seeming return to Sin City.
The trade could not be officially processed until 4 p.m. ET on March 11, the start of the new NFL league year. Las Vegas is already fielding new offers from "several" teams inquiring about Crosby, though the Raiders may simply choose to retain the man who had been the face of their franchise in recent years.
Crosby expressed his goodbye to the Raiders and their fan base over the weekend during a lengthy video shared on social media before heading to Baltimore, where he said he looked forward to embracing the Ravens and their fans. That post has since been removed from his X account.
"I wanted everything good for the Raiders," said Crosby, a fourth-round pick in 2019 whose 69½ career sacks have all come for the Silver and Black, before deleting the post. "I bleed silver and black. That will never change and I'm a Raider for life. And I truly wanna finish when it's all said and done, in a Raiders jersey, whenever that time comes."
Last year, the five-time Pro Bowler played extensively through a knee injury, one that led the team to place Crosby on injured reserve for the final two weeks of the 2025 season − causing a rift with a player known for his organizational loyalty but also helping the Raiders secure the No. 1 pick of the 2026 draft, which is expected to be used on Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Crosby, seemingly defiantly, posted videos of himself playing basketball after he was shut down but eventually had surgery in January.
Indeed, it looks like Crosby is now a Raider for life. |
ON TODAY'S SCORECARD
Wham Bam!
Erik Spoelstra has walked the sidelines for more than 1,600 games as the head coach of the Miami Heat. But he'd never seen one quite like the one he coached on Tuesday.
With all due respect to one of the greatest coaches in NBA history … no. Accidents will happen. S*** happens. Bam Adebayo scoring 83 points in an NBA game, though? That doesn't just happen. Yet it did this past Tuesday.
Every other player with a 70-point game to his name — Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Nikola Dončić, David Thompson, Damon Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, David Robinson, Elgin Baylor, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker — ranks in or just outside the top 50 scorers in NBA history in terms of points-per-game average; Adebayo ranks 221st.
Bam entered Tuesday averaging 18.9 points on 15.2 field-goal attempts per game on the season. In fact, he's just the third-leading scorer on the Heat, behind guards Norman Powell (22.5 ppg) and Tyler Herro (22.1 ppg).
But both Powell and Herro were out of the lineup; so were starting swingman Andrew Wiggins and second-year big man Kel'el Ware. That left a shot-creation and shot-making void in the heart of the Heat's lineup … and the heart of the Heat franchise set about filling it.
Dynamic duo: Adebayo and his girlfriend, A'ja Wilson, now own the highest scoring games among active players in their respective leagues (Wilson erupted for a WNBA-record-tying 53 points in 2023). "I see the countless hours, the early morning workouts, I see all that," said Wilson, who was sitting courtside and joined Adebayo for his press conference. "I know he says I'm his inspiration, but I don't think he has a clue how much he inspires me." | |
GRINDING OUT THE PROFITS
Ups and Downs
Victor King’s
NBA POWER RATINGS &
DAY TO DAY TRENDS
THURSDAY, March 12th
Phoenix @ INDIANA – Pho: 0-8-1 OU Thursdays / Ind: 1-8 ATS home after 3+- away games, 1-8 OU L9 vs Suns (227.6)... Washington @ ORLANDO – Was: 2-10 ATS in 1/0 rest sit, 2-9 ATS after Heat / Orl: 1-5 OU L6 div HG... Philadelphia @ DETROIT – Phi: 1-6 OU L7 vs .700 > opp, 1-4 OU L5 vs Pistons (216.4) / Det: 1-7 ATS home vs > .500 opp, 1-6 ATS Thursdays TY... Milwaukee @ MIAMI – 1-11 OU away in 1/1 rest sit / Mia: 1-7 OU before Magic, 1-4 OU after Wizards... Brooklyn @ ATLANTA – Brk: 1-9 ATS Thursdays, 1-4 ATS L5 vs SE Div / Atl: 0-5 OU Thursdays, 2-13 OU in 1/1 rest sit... Denver @ SAN ANTONIO – Den: 6-0 OU in 0/1 rest sit vs conf, 8-2 OU aft Rockets / San: 5-1 ATS L6 vs Nuggets, 14-0 ATS on Thursdays... Boston @ OKLAHOMA CITY – Bos: 8-1 OU L9 vs Thunder (239.1) / OkC: 8-1 ATS L9 vs Celtics, 5-1 OU in 2/1 rest sit... Chicago @ LA LAKERS – Chi: 5-1 ATS Thursday RG, 4-1 OU w/ game next day / LAL: 8-1 OU L9 vs Bulls (239.4).
The results above are from this week’s Playbook Hoops Newsletter
Click here to download a copy now.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY |
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"Music is the soundtrack of your life."
- Dick Clark |
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TRENDING TODAY
Espresso For Everyone |
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Italy stunned Team USA with an 8-6 victory on Tuesday at the World Baseball Classic, putting the Americans in jeopardy of not advancing to the knockout round.
Game recap: Team Italy — comprising mostly American big leaguers with Italian heritage — raced out to an early 8-0 lead in Houston behind 4.2 shutout innings from veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen (Royals) and home runs from Jac Caglianone (Royals), Kyle Teel (White Sox) and Sam Antonacci (White Sox prospect).
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Team USA made it a game in the later innings, scoring six runs in the final four frames on three dingers — one from Gunnar Henderson and two from Pete Crow-Armstrong.
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Red Sox reliever Greg Weissert struck out Aaron Judge, the tying run in the ninth, to end the proceedings and conclude one of the biggest upsets in international baseball history.
Where it stands: Thanks to Italy’s statement-making win over Mexico last night, Team USA (3-1) the Americans advance alongside them inot the second-round.
This year marks the sixth iteration of the international baseball tournament, with Japan the reigning champion after defeating Team USA 3-2 in the 2023 final. The Americans have taken home one WBC title, back in 2017, and they’re looking for a second with a loaded roster that includes 22 MLB All-Stars — the most of of any roster in the tournament. |
AROUND THE WATER COOLER
Where Are You, Kyler
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Sometimes, where there is smoke, there is fire.
Things don't need to be overcomplicated; they don't need to be discussed further; they just are what they are.
And then, sometimes, there is a situation like the Vikings quarterback position that can't be that simple or lack complexity.
That being the case, Minnesota feels like a lock for Kyler Murray right now.
Due to the connection that Kevin O'Connell has had with quarterback reclamation projects, it makes sense.
Murray would provide a new dynamic to the Vikings as a dual-threat quarterback. The team has not truly had one at the position in some time, and with the weapons he would have around him, it could allow him to turn things around quickly.
At the very least, he will bring some stiff competition to challenge J.J. McCarthy. |
PERCOLATING
NBA Title Odds
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Title favorites: Boston (+600) and San Antonio (+650) have the second- and third-best odds to win the NBA Finals, behind only the defending champion Thunder (+145). Minnesota (+3000) and Los Angeles (+10000), meanwhile, are the first two teams off the graphic above. |
STAT OF THE DAY
43 |
The record for most free throw attempts
by a player
(Bam Adebayo) in an
NBA game. He broke the
previous
record of 39 by Dwight Howard.
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