Nikola Jokic makes history again; MLB pants are a problem everyone can see

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🏀 Good morning to everyone but especially …

NIKOLA JOKIC

There isn’t much individual history Nikola Jokic hasn’t made, but he found a way to add to his incredible resume yet again Thursday. With 21 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists in a 130-110 win over the Wizards, Jokic joined LeBron James and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history with a triple-double against every team he’s faced.

Furthermore …

• Jokic made all 10 of his shots from the field. It’s the first 20/15/15 game on 100% shooting in NBA history.
• It’s his fourth career triple-double with 100% shooting, which breaks a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for most all-time.

Ho hum, just another day at the office for the two-time MVP … except not really. This one came with a little bit of extra-special history. What an extra-special player Jokic is.

😊 Honorable mentions

• The Cowboys led the NFL in attendance for the 15th straight season.
• Terry Bradshaw endorsed Kenny Pickett as the Steelers‘ quarterback going forward.
• Chris Paul is getting “close” to returning to the Warriors.
• Brady Quinn believes J.J. McCarthy could be a top-10 pick.
• The Chiefs signed Matt Araiza.
• Feb. 22 is officially Caitlin Clark Day in Iowa.
• The Dodgers scored eight runs in their first spring training inning.
• The Pirates and Mitch Keller agreed to a five-year, $77-million extension.
• The Marlins signed Tim Anderson.
• The Tigers signed Gio Urshela.
• The USWNT continues its W Gold Cup quest against Argentina tonight. You can watch it on Paramount+.
• Check out this bat from LSU‘s Hayden Travinski.

😦 And not such a good morning for …

MLB UNIFORMS

“Universal concern is the pant.”

As MLBPA president, Tony Clark has to deal with a lot of issues. He probably never thought this would be one of them. The new MLB uniforms are awful, but the pants in particular are unacceptable. Why? They’re see-through.

I don’t need to explain why this is an issue. I do need to explain how we got here.

• Fanatics is manufacturing the Nike Vapor Premier spring training uniforms. The uniform weighs less and has drawn compliments from some players.
• The overwhelming response, though, has been negative. The players’ names are much, much smaller and there have been issues with the fit and feel. Miles Mikolas said they “look cheap,” and it’s hard to disagree.
• Several players have taken their complaints to the MLBPA.

That’s what prompted Clark to speak on Thursday. “A lot of the rhetoric is confirmation that the pants are see-through,” he said, and, uh, yeah … no kidding. 

An MLB spokesperson said adjustments are being made. For the sakes of players and onlookers alike, let’s hope they’re done sooner rather than later.

😖 Not so honorable mentions

• Jack Maloney has details on Doc Rivers‘ rough start with the Bucks.
• Khris Middleton (ankle sprain) remains out.
• Mohamed Wague was suspended one game for elbowing Alex Condon.
• LSU got fined $100,000 for fans storming the court after a wild win over No. 17 Kentucky.
• Kodai Senga (shoulder strain) will begin the season on the IL.
• Isaiah Stewart was suspended three games for punching Drew Eubanks.
• Mark Stone is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

🏀 Top 25 NBA players this season

Before the season started, our excellent NBA staff ranked its top 100 players for the 2023-24 season.

Now the season is about two-thirds of the way done, and with the last few weeks upon us, Brad Botkin selected the top 25 players of the season so far. No. 1 was a really tough call, but I think Brad got it right:

• Botkin: “1. Joel Embiid, 76ers — There’s no minimum games played rule on this list, and Embiid was tracking toward his second straight MVP before succumbing to meniscus surgery earlier this month. … Embiid’s 49.8 points per 48 minutes is tied with Wilt Chamberlain (1961-62) for the highest mark in history. … Embiid is also averaging a career-high 5.7 assists as a dribble-handoff traffic cone that Nick Nurse‘s offense, and all its trailing defenders, is constantly weaving around. His face-up jumper, the finesse to his post-up power, has effectively rendered him indefensible.”

Here’s the entire top five:

1. Joel Embiid (preseason: 6)
2. Nikola Jokic (1)
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo (2)
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (11)
5. Luka Doncic (4)

Victor Wembanyama came in 58th in our preseason rankings, and that seemed reasonable for a skinny rookie, even given the sky-high expectations. He’s somehow exceeded them, though, and he came in at 24th in Brad’s rankings.

• Botkin: “In one way I feel like I’m sort of squeezing Wembanyama into this list. In another way, I feel like he should be even higher. … Wemby leads the league in blocks by an appreciable margin. But it’s not just the blocks or the overall rim protection; his package of length and agility shifts allow him to help without really even leaving his man, and his recovery margin is huge. He bends the geometry of an offense the way Stephen Curry does a defense.”

🏈 SEC pushing to move Early Signing Day up, make December dead period

Amid a sea of change in college football, the SEC is leading the charge for yet another adjustment. Commissioner Greg Sankey is lobbying for an earlier early signing day and a December recruiting dead period. The hope is to clean up the final month on the calendar for coaches, staffs, high-school recruits and transfers alike. I’ll let Will Backus explain …

• Backus: “[In 2023], the transfer portal opened on Dec. 4 and the early signing period commenced just over two weeks later on Dec. 20. So, at the same time coaches are trying to keep their roster together and evaluate potential areas of need through the portal, they’re also closing up the high school recruiting ranks and tying up any loose ends on the trail. On top of all that, coaching changes frequently happen throughout December as assistants and even head coaches will look to make a move once the regular season ends. For most teams that won at least six games, there’s also bowl prep to worry about.”

The current overlap between high-school recruiting and transfer recruiting is one of several factors driving head coaches away, often to jobs of lesser titles. That trend is not going away any time soon, Dennis Dodd reports.

📺 What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

⚾ Padres vs. Dodgers, 3:05 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Cavaliers at 76ers, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Bucks at Timberwolves, 10 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ USWNT vs. Argentina, 10:15 p.m. on Paramount+

Saturday

🏀 No. 2 Houston at No. 11 Baylor (M), noon on CBS
🏒 Blues at Red Wings, noon on ABC
🏀 No. 8 Duke at Wake Forest (M), 2 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Rangers at Flyers, 3 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 20 South Carolina at Ole Miss (M), 3:30 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 No. 13 Alabama at No. 17 Kentucky (M), 4 p.m. on CBS
🏀 No. 10 North Carolina at Virginia (M), 4 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Texas at No. 9 Kansas (M), 6 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Villanova at No. 1 UConn (M), 8 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Texas A&M at No. 5 Tennessee (M), 8 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 22 Colorado State at UNLV (M), 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Celtics at Knicks, 8:30 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 19 San Diego State at Fresno State, 10 p.m. on CBS Sports Network

Sunday

🏀 No. 15 Creighton at St. John’s (M), noon on CBS
🏀 No. 13 LSU at Tennessee (W), noon on ESPN
🏀 Bucks at 76ers, 1 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Illinois at No. 4 Iowa (W), 1 p.m. on FS1
🏒 Lightning at Devils, 1 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Maryland at No. 2 Ohio State (W), 2 p.m. on BTN
🏀 North Carolina at No. 8 Virginia Tech (W), 2 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 No. 10 Kansas State at Kansas (W), 2 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Lakers at Suns, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏒 Flyers at Penguins, 3:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Ohio State at Michigan State (M), 4 p.m. on CBS
🏀 Xavier at No. 7 Marquette (M), 5 p.m. on FS1
🏀 No. 6 NC State at Duke (W), 5:30 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 Nuggets at Warriors, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Kings at Clippers, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN