Michael Jordan says his final NBA championship season with the Chicago Bulls was a “trying year.” Jordan told Good Morning America on Thursday via video conference from his home in Florida that the Bulls were all trying to enjoy that year “knowing (the dynasty) was coming to an end.” Jordan appeared on the show to promote the “The Last Dance,” a 10-part documentary series focused on the final year of the 90′s Chicago Bulls dynasty that won six NBA titles in eight years. It begins airing on ESPN and internationally on Netflix Sunday night.
The Detroit Lions should have an opportunity to turn a weakness into a strength in next week’s draft. Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah makes sense if they chose to keep the #3 pick overall. The Lions were last in the league against the pass last season and their chances to give up more big plays seemed to increase by trading three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay to Philadelphia for draft picks. Detroit did attempt to fill the void at cornerback by signing veteran Desmond Trufant after Atlanta released him.
The Chicago Bears have re-signed cornerback and special teams contributor Sherrick McManis to a one-year contract. The team’s longest tenured player, McManis will return for his ninth season in Chicago. He spent two years with Houston after being drafted by the Texans out of Northwestern in the fifth round in 2010. McManis has 45 special teams tackles since 2015 — tied for fourth in the NFL over that period.
The Indianapolis Colts still have last year’s starting quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, on the roster. And they added this year’s starter, Philip Rivers, in free agency. But general manager Chris Ballard and coach Frank Reich still may be in the market for a quarterback on draft weekend. Brissett and Rivers each have one-year contracts. But Brissett has failed twice to get Indy into the playoffs, and even the 38-year-old Rivers acknowledges his career is winding down. So if the Colts can find a long-term solution with one of their two second-round picks, they might take Andrew Luck’s long-term successor.
Southern California quarterback J.T. Daniels has entered the transfer portal, although head coach Clay Helton says he’d welcome him back if he decides to stay at USC.
Daniels immediately became the Trojans’ starter as a freshman in 2018, passing for 2,672 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions during an inconsistent season. He won the starting job again out of camp last summer but lost it to Kedon Slovis when Daniels injured a knee.
The new CEO of the U.S. Tennis Association says he expects a decision on the status of the 2020 U.S. Open to be made by June. Mike Dowse said in a conference call with reporters Thursday that “time is on our side at this point” because the U.S. Open is not scheduled to begin until late August.
