The Rush: Anthony Davis returns, Lakers beat Nets despite James Harden triple double
After a report surfaced that James Harden is unhappy in Brooklyn and interested in exploring free agency, the Nets star dropped a triple double in a loss to the Lakers in which Anthony Davis made his return from a knee injury. In the NFL, Sean Payton is stepping down as head coach of the New Orleans Saints. In baseball, David Ortiz will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the class of 2022, while steroid-era stars Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens failed to be voted in during their final year of eligibility. Plus, on the anniversary of his death, The Rush remembers Kobe Bryant.
Video Transcript
- 31 points from Patty Mills. James lobs it up. Oh! Big finish! Anthony Davis to open play! Welcome back!
JARED QUAY: We're going to get back to Anthony Davis's return from injury in a minute. But first--
- Football, baby.
JARED QUAY: Sean Payton is stepping down after 16 seasons as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Payton is still under contract with the team until 2024, and says he wants to take some time to figure out what is next. So he hasn't ruled out staying with the team in some capacity. My man has been through a lot between Hurricane Katrina, winning the Super Bowl, Bountygate, and contracting COVID twice. But if there's anything that's going to drive a guy to retirement, it's having to have these four players start at quarterback in the same season. That's a scary movie! Ain't no amount of BAs worth that kind of stress!
- I'm calling you from Cooperstown, New York, to let you know that the baseball writers have elected you to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- Yes!
JARED QUAY: That's my dude David Ortiz finding out he's being inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in the class of 2022. And with stats like these, I get why he made it in on the first ballot. His induction is going to be a pretty lonely affair, though, because he's the only modern-era player voted in this year. Awkward. The bigger news is who didn't make it in. Steroids-era stars Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, in their last year of eligibility, didn't get enough votes to make it into Cooperstown.
- (SINGING) You don't have the votes.
JARED QUAY: Apparently, cheating and treating media members like trash might come back to bite you in the past come Hall of Fame time.
- And don't forget it.
- Harden, euro, swatted by Anthony Davis. Westbrook takes it in for two!
JARED QUAY: After missing 17 games with a knee injury, Anthony Davis returned to the Lakers lineup with a vengeance.
- I'm back, baby! I'm back!
JARED QUAY: After losing five of their last seven games, getting AD back and beating the Nets was exactly what the Lakers needed.
- Just what the doctor ordered.
JARED QUAY: But the real Hollywood drama is coming from Brooklyn. Before the game in which Harden dropped a triple double, Bleacher Report cited sources saying that James Harden is unhappy with the Nets, and is open to exploring other options in free agency this summer. The report says the beard is bummed out by having unvaxxed Kyrie Irving as a part-time teammate, KD's knee injury, the cold weather, and a little thing called income tax that comes with living in New York.
- That's quite a list.
JARED QUAY: The Nets are only like a game out of first place in the East, but are miserable as [BLEEP]. The NBA brings more theatrics than the Real Housewives, and I'm here for it.
Two years ago today, we lost one of the greatest hoopers to ever play the game of basketball when Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and a group of their friends died in a tragic helicopter accident. They're gone but never forgotten. And we want to celebrate Mamba mentality whenever we get the chance. Just a year before the accident, "The Rush" was with Kobe and Diana Taurasi when the GOAT surprised a bunch of kids at a basketball camp. Here's Kobe in all his glory, going 100% Mamba.
Right now, my jumper's off. So how can I get the Mamba mentality to start making these shots, so I can start buzzing people at the court?
KOBE BRYANT: Shoot every single day.
[CRICKETS CHIRPING]
JARED QUAY: How many? Is there a certain amount, a number?
KOBE BRYANT: No, it's whatever you can muster, my man. Depends how quickly you want to improve, bro. If you want to just kind of, eh, go out there and shoot 50 shots. Meh, you want to do better, shoot 200. 500, better. 1,000, right? But I don't want to see you up here, you know, a month from now complaining, my shot ain't working, my shot ain't working. Your shot ain't working cause you ain't putting in time.
JARED QUAY: Well, let's get buckets, then. That's all good.
KOBE BRYANT: All right.
JARED QUAY: Come on, baby. I appreciate you.
