NBA
– The deal that would send Magic’ F Dwight Howard to the Nets is not imminent, and the Magic are still seeking other offers. According to CBS’s Ken Berger, GM Rob Hennigan is trying to negotiate with the Rockets, Lakers, Hawks and possibly the Mavs. Additionally, Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that a third team would need to get involved for Howard to go to the Nets. NBA.com’s Scott Howard-Cooper also reported on Monday night that the Warriors are no longer in the Howard sweepstakes and David Aldridge reports that the Magic are in “no hurry” to trade Howard. A potential end to the Howard saga could come within the next few days.
– The Suns are said to be offering free agent G Steve Nash a 2-year/$12M contract. The deal is roughly half of what the Raptors have offered him, increasing the chances that Kid Canada will play for Toronto next season. The Knicks are also believed to be preparing an offer. Nash is expected to make a decision in the next few days. Stay tuned.
– Free agent G Ray Allen will visit the Heat on Thursday and the on Friday. He’s also being targeted by the Grizzlies and Timberwolves, but no meetings have been scheduled. There’s also a chance he re-signs with the Celtics after all of this. Stay tuned.
– The Mavericks are making a “big push” to sign F Brandon Roy, a source tells Yahoo! Sports. The Timberwolves, Cavaliers and Lakers are all rumoured to be interested, although ESPN LA previously reported that the Lakers did not have Roy on the radar.
– The Hornets will match any offer RFA G Eric Gordon receives, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported on Monday night that the Suns were “considering” offering him a max deal, but New Orleans will have no qualms about matching that right away.
– The Rockets and UFA G Goran Dragic are “far apart” on a new contract, according to Hoopsworld. Dragic is looking for a contract that starts at around $10M per season, but the Rockets are only reportedly offering around $8M annually. ESPN’s Marc Stein reported that the Rockets are “pessimistic” about their chances of retaining Dragic.
WWE
– According to the PWInsider, Wade Barrett (dislocated elbow) is now healthy and ready to return to action. Barrett was scheduled for a big push before undergoing surgery for dislocated his elbow back in March, and is expected to get that push once WWE comes up with a storyline to bring him back to television. It was initially rumored that WWE wanted Barrett to win Money in the Bank and challenge for the World Heavyweight title, but he’d have to return to action on tonight’s live SmackDown in order to qualify.
– According to the PWInsider, Alberto Del Rio squashing Sin Cara so decisively on RAW has many wondering about Cara’s standing with the company. After recently being repackaged with a new look and scoring a series of television wins, getting destroyed on RAW is not a good sign regarding where WWE views him on the roster hierarchy.
– According to the PWInsider, Rey Mysterio was reportedly backstage at Monday’s RAW from Laredo, Texas, but did not appear on television. After serving a 60 day suspension for his second violation of WWE’s Wellness Policy, he has been cleared to return to action for the past two weeks. He has yet to appear at any WWE events since his suspension ended and is not advertised for any upcoming shows.
– Paul Heyman announced on Monday night that Brock Lensnar will deliver an in-person response to Triple H’s SummerSlam challenge at the 1,000th RAW Celebration on July 23rd
– Interim General Manager Teddy Long told Alberto Del Rio on RAW that the Board of Directors has declared him the #1 contender to the World Heavyweight title and will wrestle Sheamus at Money in the Bank. With that match set, here’s the updated card for the upcoming WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view:
WWE Championship Match: CM Punk (c) vs. Daniel Bryan (Special Referee: A.J. Lee)
World Championship Match: Sheamus (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio
MITB Match (WWE Title Match Contract On The Line): John Cena vs. Chris Jericho vs. Big Show vs. Kane
MITB Match (World Title Match Contract On The Line): Christian, Tensai, Damien Sandow, Santino Marella, Tyson Kidd (More participants to be named)
WWE Money In The Bank 2012 takes place on Sunday, July 15, 2012 from the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
– WWE released the following comedy video promote RAW’s expansion to 3 hours starting July 23rd:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWVsfC62R4k
– A commercial aired in the St. Louis, Missouri market Monday night during Raw SuperShow advertising WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart as appearing at the historic 1000th show taking place at Scottrade Center. As reported earlier, WWE formed a list of 15 to 20 former Superstars they hoped to have appear on Raw in the weeks building up to and including the historic 1000th episode.
– According to the Wrestling Observer, following her release from TNA Wrestling over the weekend, there is already talk that WWE is interested in signing Angelina Love.
– Mark Henry tweeted an update last night on his recent shoulder surgery:
Twitter family I’m good! Healing at a fast rate. Not out of the woods yet!
– According to F4WOnline, another WWE Legend is scheduled to return to RAW next week for the ongoing storyline with Heath Slater. There will reportedly a big payoff to the angle, most likely at RAW’s 1,000th episode celebration on 7/23.
– DDP tweeted the following about his appearance on Monday’s RAW, sounding excited about the experience and noting that he got 10 more WWE superstars to try out his DDP Yoga program:
What a RUSH 2Nite! Hangin with The Boys! 10 more SuperStars on @DDPYoga! Walking OUT LIVE! Getting that POP! Pretty Sweet Thanks Laredo #DDP
– WWE Diva Eve Torres has been named Woman of the Month by “Made Woman.” An article at MadeWomanMag.com looks at the Colorado native’s road to WWE as well as her outside projects, namely, philanthropy (through WWE, Make a Wish, Tribute to the Troops) and teaching Mixed Martial Arts to women. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blue belt, Eve teaches self defense classes at the Gracie Academy, where a smaller, weaker person could defeat a larger attacker. “There are subliminal insecurities that come with being weaker.” In addition to the women’s Jiu-Jitsu classes that she teaches, she was also asked by the Gracie family to appear in the “Women Empowered” series of training videos on self-defense. Eve says that getting to teach young girls self-defense is one of the biggest accomplishments in her career. They also wrote that she hasn’t drank alcohol in 3 years and is very protective of her image. She said, “I stopped drinking three years ago and have had to turn down sponsorships because they don’t fit my brand.”
– Doink the Clown was portrayed by Steve Lombardi (aka Brooklyn Brawler) during Monday’s Raw SuperShow. Lombardi portrayed the character at various points in the nineties.
– A new DVD documentary about ECW is in the final stages of production, according to PWInsider.com. The documentary will feature interviews with ECW wrestlers, fans and personalities dating back to 2001 (when ECW shut down) and will look at the events that have transpired in the decade following ECW’s demise.
– AW tweeted the following after RAW about having his Prime Time Players team walk out on yet another match:
#AWPromotions don’t run from anybody! I set that match up as a feeling out process. I saw weakness in the tag champs tonight. #ArtofWar
WWE tag team champion Kofi Kingston tweeted the following about AW’s team bailing on their match:
@AWPromotions good showing tonight. Your form on your sprints was perfect. Never seem you guys run so fast.
– Former WWE Superstar Zach Gowen was asked on Twitter if he would ever return to WWE. The one-legged wrestler responded:
“Of course, id love the opportunity to reach more people on a larger scale”
Gowen worked for WWE back in 2003-2004.
NFL
– CBS’ Jason La Canfora doesn’t “sense any real motivation” from the Patriots to sign franchise player WR Wes Welker to a long-term extension before the July 16 deadline. La Canfora believes the Pats are “perfectly fine” with letting Welker play under his 1-year/$9.515M tender.
– A federal arbitrator has ruled in Saints’ QB Drew Brees’ favour in his franchise tag grievance. Brees successfully argued that players can be franchise tagged only three total times in their careers. The Saints were arguing players could be tagged three times by any one team. Before this year, Brees was also franchised by the Chargers in 2004. It means Brees would be eligible for a 144% raise were he to be tagged for a third time in 2013. That would put his total 2012-13 earnings at $40M instead of $36M.
– A source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT the Redskins have “reached out” to franchise player TE Fred Davis about signing a long-term deal. Per the report, however, “nothing is imminent.” The July 16 deadline to sign franchise players to long-term extensions is less than two weeks away. Davis is coming off a four-game suspension for multiple violations of the league’s substance abuse policy, and is likely to play under his 1-year tender.
MLB
– Ken Davidoff of the NY Post reports that the Mets have Brewers’ RHP Francisco Rodriguez on the list of trade targets. The Mets traded K-Rod to the Brewers after a failed stint in New York, but could bring him back as the team seeks bullpen help. The 29-year-old has a 4.00 ERA and 32/15 K/BB ratio over 36 innings this season, and is still owed roughly half of his $8M salary.
TNA
– X Division wrestler Shannon Moore has been granted his release from TNA Wrestling. He wrote on Twitter,
“Just want to let you all know I asked for my release from TNA and they granted me my release. Wanted you all to hear it from me. Thanks all.”
Moore stated last month that he would not be returning to the organization due to his desire to spend time with his family and focus on outside endeavors. Following news Sunday night that Angelina Love had been granted her release from TNA Wrestling, the record-setting five-time TNA Women’s Knockout Champion was a top trending topic throughout most of Monday. Regarding this, she wrote,
“Sooo flattered that I’ve been trending Worldwide for an entire day now thanks to the incredible support of my wonderful fans! Thank you loves!!!”
Despite their respective announcements, both Love and Moore remain listed as members of the TNA roster on ImpactWrestling.com.