The draw for the UEFA Champions League group stage took place in Monaco on Thursday and, as ever, threw up some intriguing story lines. Mark Ogden picks his highlights and makes some predictions.

Jump to: Group A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H

English clubs get it easy

It is the luck of the draw, but while the likes of Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid got groups with heavyweight rivals, the Premier League's quartet will all be happy with their outcomes.

Tottenham landed Bayern Munich, but will expect to overcome Olympiakos and Red Star Belgrade, while Liverpool and Manchester City will expect to coast through as group winners and Chelsea are favoured to take Group H.

Another year, another Man City vs. Shakhtar clash

The two clubs were paired together in the group stage for the third successive season, so it might take an imaginative publicity campaign to tempt supporters to turn out for this fixture again. City's executives will be happy to land yet another group lacking big-name glamour, but their fans might have wished for a bit more star quality.

Group F is the most difficult

Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Inter were drawn together in Group F, alongside Slavia Prague, whose cheerful directors chuckled at the prospect of three huge games in the Czech capital. It will be different for the hierarchy at the other three, however, with concerns over missing a top-two spot due to the strength of competition.

Messi and Ronaldo get along

In recent years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have sat stony-faced with each other, as they wait to discover who has won the Player of the Year and Forward of the Year awards. This time around, the pair were laughing and joking -- mainly at Eric Cantona's speech -- before the prizes were announced. Messi claimed best forward, but both missed out to Virgil van Dijk for the big one.

Eric Cantona

Having been given the UEFA President's Award, convention dictated that Cantona give an acceptance speech. Dressed in jeans, creased shirt and flat cap, the former Manchester United forward made the most of his moment by quoting Shakespeare and discussing science and the ageing of cells, before closing by saying "I love football." All of which left the audience utterly bewildered.

Group A: PSG and Real Madrid go through

Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid meet in heavyweight clashes and while both will expect to progress to the round of 16, the story of this group is likely to be about which team finishes top and earns a seeding in the knockout stages. Finishing second could lead to a nightmare draw against another Champions League big-hitter. Galatasaray and Club Brugge, meanwhile, will enjoy a tough battle for the Europa League spot that comes with third place.

B: Bayern Munich and Tottenham go through

Bayern and Tottenham will be favourites to qualify, but both must be wary of slipping up in hostile arenas when they travel to Athens and Belgrade for clashes with Olympiakos and Red Star. Red Star beat Liverpool 2-0 at home last season and are the dangerous outsider in this group; they could upset Spurs if last season's runners-up fail to rediscover consistency. Olympiakos can be tough to beat at home, though they are something of a soft touch on the road.

C: Man City and Dinamo Zagreb go through

This group is basically a case of who will finish runners-up behind City, who are many observers' favourites to win the Champions League. Shakhtar have the most recent pedigree in the competition, but Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta will believe they can reach the knockout stages. Champions League debutants Atalanta may suffer from losing home advantage by playing at the San Siro in Milan rather than their 21,000-capacity stadium in Bergamo.

- UEFA Champions League group-by-group draw
- Van Dijk beats Messi, Ronaldo to UEFA POTY award
- Cantona delivers unique acceptance speech

D: Juventus and Leverkusen go through

Juventus and Atletico Madrid, who met in last season's round of 16, are the two to beat in this group, but Bayer Leverkusen could separate them. Juventus have strengthened in the summer, but questions hang over Atletico following the departures of Antoine Griezmann, Rodri and Diego Godin. Diego Simeone remains at the helm and has signed Portuguese wonderkid Joao Felix, but Leverkusen will be a tough nut to crack; Lokomotiv Moscow could also challenge for second.

E: Liverpool and Napoli go through

Reigning European champions Liverpool meet Napoli again, having played out two big encounters in last season's group stage. Salzburg and Genk look to be making up the numbers, so Liverpool's encounters with Napoli should decide who tops the group. Only a last-minute save by Alisson at Anfield stopped Napoli from dumping Liverpool out at the group stage a year ago, so the Italians will fancy their chances.

F: Barcelona and Inter go through

The most eye-catching group of all features three previous winners -- Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Inter -- slugging it out for two places. Barca will expect to finish top, but Dortmund could beat them. Inter, meanwhile, are still an unknown quantity under Antonio Conte, but the nerrazzuri have plenty of quality so don't take your eyes off this group. Slavia Prague make up the numbers.

G: Lyon and Leipzig go through

Zenit St Petersburg's Twitter feed joked prior to the draw that the Russian champions were the top seed that everyone wanted to get. Benfica, Lyon and Leipzig were the lucky clubs in each pot and while this group might lack glamour, it is perhaps the most competitive, with all four teams having a chance to qualify. Lyon made it to the knockout stages last season and will be favourites.

H: Chelsea and Valencia go through

Europa League winners Chelsea will be delighted to get an Ajax team weakened by the departures of Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie De Jong, as well as a Valencia outfit that scraped in as Spain's fourth qualifier and Lille, who finished a distant second to PSG in France. Chelsea, with Christian Pulisic signed to replace Eden Hazard, are in transition under Frank Lampard, but should top this group.

Australians 77 for 0 (Harris 52*, Khawaja 18*) trail Derbyshire 172 (du Plooy 86, Neser 3-31, Starc 3-46) by 95 runs

Not even present for the tour game at Worcester, Australia's coach Justin Langer underlined the impending pointy end of this Ashes series by intently watching day one of the encounter with Derbyshire from behind the wicket, accompanying the selection chairman Trevor Hohns for long segments of play at the county ground in Derby.

What they saw, joined at various junctures by the captain Tim Paine, the resting David Warner and the former New Zealand coach John Wright, was more or less as might have been expected, save for the curious initial decision to field rather than bat first on a straw-coloured pitch.

Michael Neser claimed two wickets in as many deliveries with the brand new ball and later added a third, Mitchell Starc went wicketless for 12 overs before blasting out three Derbyshire batsmen in his 13th, two by splaying the stumps, and Peter Siddle bowled eight overs for 11 runs while accounting for the hosts' top scorer, the elegant Leus de Plooy.

Wrapping up Derbyshire's innings shortly after tea, the acting captain Usman Khawaja and the opener Marcus Harris then got comfortable against modest bowling, taking their time in the knowledge that only one of them is likely to play in the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford. Khawaja, as the senior player of the two, appears more certain of retaining his place, and one or two of Harris' signature airy cut shots through a gully area not overly staffed by Derbyshire did not inspire a great deal of confidence.

Nonetheless, he scored more freely of the batsmen, and in staying undefeated to the close, Harris and Khawaja ensured that Steven Smith's return to the middle following his concussion substitution at Lord's and subsequent absence from Headingley would be delayed by another day.

"He's always looking to score," Paine said of Harris. "I think if you bowl a bad ball to Harry he puts it away and I think that puts guys under pressure. He's just an attacking opening batter and he keeps the scoreboard moving, but as he's shown in Shield cricket he's got the ability to bat for a long time and score big hundreds when he gets in, we know that Harry's got Test runs in him, and when he gets set hopefully he starts well tomorrow, gets a big score and he can continue putting runs on the board like he has for the last 18 months.

"Steve Smith is going to come back in and play. So obviously someone from the last Test is going to miss out. There's no doubt about that. You have the best player in the world coming back into your line-up. I suppose this tour game is important for guys to make sure that you're keeping your name up in front of the selectors. And so far a few guys have done it, which is very pleasing. That's what we want. We want to have depth and we want our selectors to have to make difficult decisions."

In fact Smith's only involvement was a single over of ropey off-spin, including one practice delivery that sailed over the head of a startled Siddle at mid off. Neser, Starc and Siddle all bowled better than that, demonstrating what the selectors could expect should they choose any for Manchester. Paine said that Starc's bowling was steadily on the improve in terms of what the team needed him to do in English conditions.

"I think if anyone's stops trying to get better, that's a problem," Paine said. "We know what Starcy can do in terms of blowing teams away. We also know that coming to England in the past that hasn't worked. So he's been working really hard on getting his length right more so than anything. I think his opening spell today was really good. I thought he bowled in very good areas.

"He bowled with good pace on a wicket that was very slow. So I thought the signs that he showed with the new ball were really good. And then, like we saw again at the end, when he can go back to what his strengths are, attack the stumps and use his short-balls, he's a handful for the tail as well.

"He's been working on his length and I think he showed some really good control in his first spell. He bowled a long spell too [seven overs and eight overs] which he doesn't do a lot when he plays for Australia. I thought he controlled pretty well and, the areas he has been trying to improve so he can be important for us in English conditions, I thought he showed today he's going really well with that."

Rather less of a chance to figure in Lancashire is Cameron Bancroft, who must have been informed of a fairly lowly posting in the batting order after heading, at change of innings, for an extended practice session in the Derby nets. Langer, meanwhile, kept both eyes firmly on the middle.

Australia have had plenty of time to address but also rationalise the madness of their final hour at Headingley, resulting in conclusions such as the evident fallibility of Ben Stokes against Nathan Lyon, the impending return of Steven Smith and the fact that only one of the final two Tests need end in victory for the touring side to ensure they retain the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001.

Following a day in Derby where senior members of the Australian set-up, from the selection chairman Trevor Hohns and the coach Justin Langer, to the captain Tim Paine and the opening batsman David Warner, all spent time ensconced in discussion behind the wicket at the county ground, the skipper emerged to note that Stokes, while seeming a miracle worker, has been riding a more than generous share of luck since Edgbaston.

"Hold our chances would be a good start," Paine said of how to combat England's talismanic allrounder. "We've looked at, I think Nathan Lyon in the last two Tests alone has got him out five or six times had we held our catches or referred our lbws. Lyono's still a huge weapon against him, and there's some things we've spoken about with our fast bowlers where we think we can do things a little better than him.

"But he's a world class player, he puts bowlers under pressure and makes them do things and captains do things that you wouldn't normally do. That's a huge weapon England have got and one we've got to try and contain in the last two Test matches."

Also read: Harris fights for spot with fifty to delay Smith's batting comeback

Those things that captains don't normally do were relevant to Paine, given his struggles to find the right way to either cope with Stokes or keep his bowlers and far flung fielders thinking clearly when they only required one more wicket to retain the Ashes. There have been plenty of discussions since, not least a most animated one between Paine and Ricky Ponting to one side of the post-match presentation at Headingley.

"I think you've just got to address it, we had some honest conversations and we know we made some errors as a team and as individuals, but we can't be holding onto that, we're in the middle of a massive series and it can happen," Paine said. "We've moved on, we're ready for Manchester, the group's in a really good spot, if we were 1-1 I think most people would've taken it.

"Without Steve Smith playing I don't think we were given any chance of winning that Test match, so without Steve Smith playing i think most people wrote us off in that Test, so we're tracking ok.

"We're sticking to our plans and our process, I think it's working quite well and I said in post-match we've been in a position to win every game so if we continue to do those things and tidy up a few things we didn't quite get right at the end there then we think we'll be in the thick of it in Manchester and at the Oval."

Something that pleased Paine from the boundary was the energy of the players taking part in Derby. At the back end of a World Cup and Ashes campaign, Paine knows as well as anyone that stamina, both mental and physical, will be vital to how the final story of this series is told.

"We knew we were going to bounce back well. Things like energy and the way we hold ourselves is something we can control easily," he said. "We've passed that last hour in Leeds. We were tested as a group, we know where we can get better from it.

"We've learnt from it. And now it's about getting up for the next Test match and making sure we're prepared as well as we can be for Manchester. I thought today was a good display by our team. There's a huge opportunity for guys in this game to make sure we've got our selectors making really tough decisions."

Ajinkya Rahane lifted his bat high and looked up into the sky, closing his eyes for a brief moment - his first Test century in two years and 17 matches.

The India vice-captain is stoic - sometimes unbelievably so - but on that day in North Sound, anybody watching him could tell he was going through a lot.

"I was a little bit emotional," he said during the press conference before the second Test match at Sabina Park. "I thought 10th hundred was really special. I wasn't thinking about any particular celebration, it came out automatically. It took me two years to get that 10th hundred. As I said the process always matters to me a lot. Preparations before each and every series is very important. I was actually doing that throughout the two years, and so [this hundred] was really special."

Both in the second innings when India needed to build a lead and in the first innings when West Indies had reduced them to 25 for 3, Rahane hadn't thought of personal milestones.

Pitch for the 2nd test match tomorrow: India vs West Indies. pic.twitter.com/vTsNCfdnav

— Ian bishop (@irbishi) August 29, 2019

"We were under pressure [in the first innings]. I thought West Indies bowled really well in that session, throughout that day. It was an opportunity for me to do something special for my team [he scored 81]. I think because of the situation I wasn't thinking about myself because it was important to get that partnership going - one player has to stay and bat and we knew that. I thought it was something special for me personally as well because we knew we were in a difficult position at that point of time and happily we did really well and came back strongly from that point.

"[In the second innings] I knew that [106-run] partnership with Virat was very crucial. And basically, because of that team thinking, the pressure was completely off. And really special getting that hundred after two years."

With Hanuma Vihari also getting runs and solidifying the middle order, India are likely to keep faith in the same batting line-up that won the North Sound Test, with Rohit Sharma sitting out again. "Vihari did very well in India A tours and he did really well in the domestic circuit," Rahane said. "It's good that players who actually did consistently well over a period of time in domestic cricket are doing well at the international level.

"At the same time Rohit is also a quality player, a special player - it's hard to see him miss out on a Test match."

West Indies understand that they are under pressure but they have performed well in such situations. The team also hasn't lost a Test series at home in two years. And as one of the key players in this side, experts have said that captain Jason Holder should try to bat higher up the order but he felt the work he puts with the ball sometimes prevents him from taking the plunge.

"It's something that I've obviously been wanting to do for a long time. It's just been a team composition - I've been asked to bowl a lot of overs, that's primarily my role, just trying to keep the run flow down. I've had a lot of success with the ball as well, having to bowl 20-30 overs and then come out and bat high has been difficult. If we can ease the burden off myself and get people like Roston Chase [to bowl longer], then I'd be able to give a little bit more attention to my batting."

Holder also added that while he thought West Indies were already clicking as a bowling unit, they needed to do more with the bat.

"I think we got to be decisive with our footwork, decisive with our shot selection - if we are going to play or if we are going to leave. That's just standard cricket. We just got to be a little bit more certain with what we are looking to do and back our defenses, trust our preparation that we had and just fight through the tough periods." he said.

"The starts have been crucial for us. We have had guys get in and get out, so it's just a matter for us to stay a little but longer in our game plan and be a little bit more patient as well and wear the Indian bowlers down. We saw a little bit in the second innings after a spell or two they tend to be a little jaded. So just to keep them a little bit more on their feet as possible and here in Jamaica it tends to be very hot and humid as well, so the longer we keep them on their feet, the better off we will be."

NEW YORK -- Naomi Osaka smacked a forehand winner into the open court, bringing Colin Kaepernick and Kobe Bryant to their feet in applause.

Osaka has power in her strokes and star power in her corner.

The defending US Open champion moved into the third round Thursday with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Magda Linette, setting up a possible third-round showdown with Coco Gauff.

With Kaepernick and Bryant sitting with her team just a few rows off the Louis Armstrong Stadium court, Osaka did her part and waited to see if the 15-year-old Gauff would win her match later that night.

Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who three years ago began kneeling during the national anthem before games, has been working out in the area in hopes of getting another shot in the NFL. Bryant, the retired NBA superstar, came to the US Open on Thursday to promote "Legacy and the Queen,'' a new book that he conceived and that Osaka has supported.

Osaka was grateful for their attendance, she said, and motivated to win quickly so she wouldn't keep them in the sun too long watching.

The No. 1 seed gave them plenty to cheer along the way, especially the forehand winner on break point that gave her a 4-3 lead in the second set after Linette had grabbed the first three games.

Gauff was scheduled to face qualifier Timea Babos in the leadoff night match on Armstrong, where she picked up her first US Open main-draw victory Tuesday against Anastasia Potapova, coming from behind just as she kept doing during her run to the fourth round of Wimbledon in July.

"It's amazing at that age," Bryant said. "Not just the skills she possesses, but the poise."

While Osaka moved on, another two-time Grand Slam champion was eliminated when No. 6 Petra Kvitova was upset by Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 6-4. Wimbledon champion Simona Halep tried to avoid falling when she played Thursday afternoon.

Other early winners included No. 16 Johanna Konta, who routed Margarita Gasparyan 6-1, 6-0; and No. 20 Sofia Kenin, who swept past Laura Siegemund 7-6 (4), 6-0.

The Golden State Warriors promoted Mike Dunleavy Jr. to assistant general manager Thursday and added former player Zaza Pachulia as a team consultant.

Dunleavy, a Warrior from 2002 to 2007 and a veteran of 15 seasons in the league, has worked for the past year as a scout for the team. Dunleavy, the son of former head coach Mike Dunleavy Sr., also played for the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks.

"As I was winding down my career, I knew I wanted to stay in the game," Dunleavy said last year. "I knew I didn't want to do media. Everybody always asks me if I want to coach, expecting me to say yes because my dad coaches, my brother coaches. I just always had more of an interest in this side of it, the front-office side.

"For me, it's not much of a change from just watching games. I'm always evaluating, whether it's opponents or rookies. So it's somewhat natural for me."

Pachulia, 35, won titles with the Warriors as a member of the 2017 and 2018 teams. His role, the Warriors said, will include consulting on both the basketball and the business sides of the operation.

A 15-year veteran known for his toughness and leadership, Pachulia spent last season with the Detroit Pistons. He averaged 6.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 20.3 minutes over 1,098 career games.

"Zaza was such an important part of our foundation," Steve Kerr said earlier this year. "He was a key player for us, with his screening and his size and his physicality, but he was also a key human being for us because he was a leader. He was funny, he was hard working, humble -- everything you want in a player, that's Zaza."

The Warriors also announced promotions for Kirk Lacob and Kent Lacob, both sons of the team's owner, Joe Lacob.

Kirk Lacob was promoted from assistant general manager to executive vice president, basketball operations.

Kent Lacob, who spent the previous three seasons as general manager of the Santa Cruz Warriors, was named director of team development.

An arrest warrant for Los Angeles Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge has been issued in Mobile, Alabama.

The Mobile municipal court website lists a third-degree harassing communications charge against Cousins, but no other details have been disclosed. A police spokesperson told USA Today Sports that "an arrest warrant has been issued."

Christy West, a former girlfriend of Cousins', is seeking a restraining order against him after she said in court documents and in a police report obtained by TMZ that he threatened her and has previously choked her.

West, according to TMZ, alleged that Cousins said he would put a "bullet in (her) f---ing head" during an argument over allowing their 7-year-old son to attend Cousins' wedding to another woman.

The NBA and Lakers on Tuesday said in statements that they were "investigating the allegations."

Cousins has declined to comment.

TMZ shared an audio recording West took of the incident, and she said that the male voice heard is that of Cousins.

During the argument, the man says, "I'm gonna ask you this one more time before I take it to another level ... Can I have my son here, please?"

After West responds "No," the man makes the threat and the audio clip ends.

Cousins got married in Atlanta this past Saturday, and his son was not there, according to TMZ.

The 29-year-old former All-Star suffered a torn ACL earlier this month and could miss the entire season -- his first with the Lakers.

Skill. Age. Versatility. A proven track record. What's the criteria to be a top-level NBA player? What's the most important quality if you were going to build a team around a superstar?

The Hoop Collective crew debated the topic and re-drafted the league's best players from 1 to 21. If they could select any player on a four-year max contract, elite-level skill and the length of the star's prime window were high on the list.

Here is the discussion from Brian Windhorst, Tim MacMahon and Royce Young. You can watch the full re-draft on ESPN's YouTube page.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

Windhorst: This is re-draft the NBA. And not for tomorrow's game. Like, if you're starting a franchise, then that's the guy that I want.

MacMahon: And we're doing this like fantasy? As a snake draft?

Windhorst: Right. Royce, you can go first.

Young: Well, I called dibs. I think it's a pretty easy pick. I think it's Giannis Antetokounmpo, right?

Windhorst: I don't think anybody's going to argue with that.

MacMahon: No, I mean when you're talking about age, talent --

Young: And upside, too. I mean, he's only going to get better. He's an MVP and he's going to get better.

MacMahon: Second pick. I would take Luka Doncic.

Young: Second?

Windhorst: Talk about living in Dallas.

MacMahon: Well look, obviously I'm looking for a guy who I think has about a 15-year window as an All Star, superstar and I believe in short order will be -- two or three years from now -- I think we're talking about an MVP candidate.

Windhorst: I agree with that. And in fact, the list that I have, I have nobody under the age of 20. So I'm pretty much knocking out a lot of the rookies. And I have nobody over 30.

Young: You have nobody over the age of 30?

Windhorst: Nobody over 30. If you're 29 today, you could be on my team. If you're 30, I don't want you. That's the way I'm going.

MacMahon: Yeah, I'm definitely erring on the side of youth and upside.

Windhorst: All right, so I'm going with Kawhi Leonard.

Young: He's about to turn 30.

Windhorst: Is he 30 right now?

Young: OK. Fits your criteria.

Windhorst: Next pick, I'll take James Harden.

MacMahon: So you were pushing up against your age limit on both these. And just to be clear, we're just kind of ranking the players in terms of who you'd want to build around.

Windhorst: Harden and Kawhi are kind of perfect because they're in their prime right now and then they've got some more time.

Young: Also players that should age well too, I would think. Especially Harden. I think he'll age well in the NBA.

MacMahon: I would go Anthony Davis. This is the guy where obviously the talent speaks for itself. And although he's been in the league for awhile, you look at the age, he is just starting his prime. So I would get the entire prime of a perennial All-NBA player.

Windhorst: You're going to sign him to a long-term contract? You're going to lock him down?

MacMahon: I'm like the Lakers: That would definitely be the preference.

Young: For my pick, he may not be popular with current players and popular with the rookie class, but he's popular with me because I'm taking Steph Curry. I know this violates the 30-year-old philosophy --

MacMahon: How much prime is left there?

Young: I think he's a player that will age very well. What do we always say ages well in the NBA? Shooting. And has he ever been a supreme athlete? He's somebody that you may have to hide a little bit more on the defensive end, but I actually had him No. 2 on my list.

Young: And for my next pick, another good guard that I think will age well: Damian Lillard. Shooting again. I've got a bias for shooting.

MacMahon: Yeah. You like the guys who pull up from 30.

Young: And a bias for Dame because he's one of my favorite players.

Windhorst: You were there when he waved away the Thunder.

Young: I saw it firsthand. I think he was actually waving at me and saying, 'I'll see you personally next round, Royce.'

MacMahon: And the rest of y'all go home.

MacMahon: I'm taking Nikola Jokic with Pick 8. A legitimate MVP candidate. Hasn't even hit his prime yet. I think there's still upside there.

Windhorst: You don't think he'll break down at all?

MacMahon: I'm gonna hire a good strength and conditioning director and we're going to get him in the best shape of his life. Which shouldn't be too difficult.

Windhorst: I'm taking Paul George at nine. In his prime, plays both ends of the court.

Young: Some injury concerns there.

Windhorst: There's a lot of guys who have injury concerns. Anthony Davis has injury concerns. I like guys who can play at both ends. That's why I took Kawhi. Maybe not so much with Harden.

Young: This is a case where everybody's got a different philosophy. You can look at it as 'am I trying to build a 10-year team, a 15-year team?' You can look at it as a three- or four- or five-year team. But this is why I'm not scared of 30-year-olds. Because in today's NBA, you're not going to have a guy for 10 years.

Windhorst: I know, but you might have a guy for five.

Young: Right. So if you get a guy from 30 to 35?

Windhorst: All right. My next pick is Klay Thompson. Again, I want guys who can play both ends of the court. I actually thought Klay was playing the best basketball of his career when he got hurt. And I expect him to have a full recovery. So I'm not taking old guys. I'm not taking rookies who I don't know yet. I don't think we've taken any rookies so far.

MacMahon: Oh, actually I'm going to take one now. I'm taking Zion Williamson.

Young: He's the one rookie you can justify, right?

MacMahon: I think what Zion has the potential to be is a hyper-athletic version of Draymond Green. I really see a guy who plays a lot of power forward, but some of his best minutes are going to be as a small-ball center. I mean, he is a dude who looks like a defensive end and is one of the most explosive athletes that we've ever seen.

Young: Breaking news: "Tim MacMahon says Zion Williamson has NBA potential."

MacMahon: And NFL potential. He looked like a left tackle at summer league.

Young: So I had this guy in front of Zion and I hesitated about it, but I've got Kevin Durant next. I understand the injury issue. Achilles is a scary thing.

Windhorst: It's awfully early in this draft to take a guy with a torn Achilles.

MacMahon: You just took a guy with a torn ACL!

Windhorst: Well, it's not the same thing, is it?

Young: I think there's an exception to the rule when it comes to Kevin Durant. He already battled against one career-threatening injury -- the Jones fracture that he experienced. That threatened his career. He came back better than he's ever been. Look, the Nets are clearly willing to take this gamble.

Windhorst: I understand why they're taking it. I wouldn't take it because he's over 30.

Young: If Kevin Durant can give me three years at his peak, I would be willing to risk it.

MacMahon: Well even if he's not at peak, 80% of Kevin Durant is still an All-NBA player.

Young: I hate who's next on my list. I've got LeBron James next. Again, I think that you're going to get three good years of LeBron left. And maybe I'm taking the wrong perspective in this draft, but if you give me three great years of LeBron ... is LeBron even on your lists?

Windhorst: No, he's over 30.

MacMahon: LeBron was on my list of the others getting consideration.

Windhorst: OK, that was the 13th pick. This'll be the 14th pick. So it's kind of the end of "the lottery." MacMahon?

MacMahon: Trust the process, baby.

Windhorst: Damn, I was going to take Joel Embiid. I'm a little bit surprised he goes in the lottery because of his injury history.

MacMahon: Again: young, already dominant, hasn't even hit his prime yet. Can he stay healthy during his prime? We'll see.

Windhorst: All right, so in that first 14, we only had one rookie in Zion.

Young: Aside from Luka, were there any second-year guys?

MacMahon: No, I'm surprised you didn't go Boomer Sooner. Trae Young. You guys went old.

Windhorst: Everyone I took was under 30!

MacMahon: You took guys who've been in the league a decade.

Windhorst: Yeah, well you win with men in this league, says Phil Jackson, and I agree with that.

MacMahon: Yeah? Well I'm trying to win for a decade and a half.

Windhorst: I'm trying to win today. I'm trying to win for the next four or five years and I went with men.

Young: Probably all those players you just drafted are going to demand a trade in two seasons and want to leave, so you aren't going to have them anyway.

Windhorst: All right, so 15th pick, I'm going Kyrie Irving.

Young: That feels a little high to me.

MacMahon: That feels ridiculously high to me based on talent, age and building a franchise around Kyrie. There's some risks there.

Windhorst: Well, I still think he's really valuable in the playoffs. I know that he didn't show that in last year's playoffs, but his resume in the playoffs is really good. Now, you're going to have to put a team around him to get him there. But, I mean, the list kind of gets a little tough from here. There's some hard calls from here going forward, especially if I'm sticking to guys in their 20s. I also think even though he's had injury issues, his prime years are ahead.

Windhorst: And then the next guy, Donovan Mitchell. Again, I'm focusing on going younger. He's going into his third year.

Young: This is a big year, though, for him because last year was a little down.

MacMahon: Right. And the foot injury lingered into the summer. He didn't get to work on his game all last summer.

Windhorst: He looks so much like Dwyane Wade to me. I know it's a cliche thing to say, but he's like Dwyane -- he's got a very big, strong lower body, so he moves side to side really, really well.

Young: He was so good in that playoff series against the Thunder (in 2018) and it was like we had anointed him the next star of the NBA. And so it was one of those things where he didn't really live up to it. He was good last season, but he didn't ascend into superstardom.

MacMahon: You know, honestly, he wouldn't be the first guy on the Jazz that I'd take. I'd take [Rudy] Gobert simply because you know you will be dominant on one end of the floor.

Windhorst: You've taken all centers.

Young: He has a bias for size.

MacMahon: We're not building a team here.

Windhorst: I know, but --

MacMahon: I'm taking centers in a league that's going away from centers, right?

Young: But they say that's a position that's dead in the NBA and here you're taking centers.

Windhorst: You took Embiid. You took Jokic -- I thought Jokic was a little high. And you just took Gobert.

MacMahon: And Zion's the small-ball center.

Windhorst: I don't know if he can play center.

MacMahon: I've got a love for big men.

Windhorst: Are we surprised we still haven't heard Russ' name?

Young: I've got him next on my list. I've got him in the 14, 15 range and that's where I'd go. But he's a complicated pick for a lot of different reasons. Obviously there's a health and injury issue and I talked about Steph Curry and Damian Lillard aging well in the NBA. Russell Westbrook is the flip side of this.

Windhorst: Like, to me, if you're asking me who I would rather take a guy to build a team for, I would rather take Kyrie even though Kyrie and Russell have both had a number of injuries. I think Kyrie's game will age better.

Young: What do you value if you're an NBA owner, or an executive? Russell Westbrook is going to field a competitive, exciting team. You're going to win 45 games with whomever you put around him. But can he be your best player on an NBA title team? I don't know about that. And honestly, we'll probably find that out this upcoming season.

MacMahon: But he won't be their best player.

Young: Right, exactly. Look, and if Russell Westbrook is your second-best player? We saw that with Kevin Durant and we saw it at points last year, too. When the Thunder were really good last year, Russell Westbrook was their second-best player.

Windhorst: All right, you're up again, Royce.

Young: I'm going to go Ben Simmons. He's a little bit of a complicated pick because of where the modern-day NBA sits. But this was a young player with upside.

Windhorst: This was what the Sixers had to be like, you know. They had to make a decision this year on an extension and they were like, 'Listen, we're going all-in on this guy.'

MacMahon: Well, another thing is Ben Simmons is also a potential trade asset. But despite the fact the guy can't shoot, there's not a whole lot of 6-10 guys with that physique, that athleticism and that vision. Like, zero.

Young: And to me, he has a significant flaw in his game that we all recognize. And he's still a dominant player. And so that speaks to how good he is at those other things. And yes, if he can round out the shooting, then we're talking about one of the top four or five players in the NBA, most likely.

Windhorst: All right, MacMahon.

MacMahon: Bradley Beal. For how good he is, I feel like he's an under-the-radar guy. To me, he's right there -- Beal, Donovan Mitchell, it's kind of neck and neck. Still young and a guy who is productive across the board. He's just on an irrelevant franchise right now. But, I mean, look at his numbers last year after John Wall went out. He was unbelievable.

Windhorst: All right, so I'm going to make the last pick. I've got a couple of different guys here.

Young: There's a lot of players on the board here still.

Windhorst: I'm not picking him, but we haven't heard Jimmy Butler's name. He just got a max contract.

Young: Blake Griffin, I assume you're not taking him?

Windhorst: Blake Griffin. Sorry, OU. If you had the last pick right now, who would you take?

Young: I think I have Karl Towns.

MacMahon: That's who I have, too, and I don't like it. I don't love him. Talent's obvious. But in terms of building a franchise around him ...

Young: It feels like at about 15, 17 -- once you get into that range -- the pool gets very muddy.

Windhorst: So, I like Pascal Siakam here. I know their team's not going to be as good, but I think he's going to blossom even more. I like De'Aaron Fox here a lot because I think De'Aaron Fox has the makeup of a guy who could be a star point guard in the league. I like Victor Oladipo here. Obviously, it's a major injury but again, two-way player in his prime. But I'm going to go with Jayson Tatum. I had been on Tatum after his rookie year and I was one of the people that got burned being a real big believer in him last year. And I potentially could be wrong about this. I think he just made a misstep last year. I think this guy is an absolute stud. I think his makeup is great.

Young: And judging a player after Year 2 is never a great idea.

MacMahon: And it's not like he fell off a cliff. You're just thinking that after that rookie year he's taking off and he just fell flat.

Young: And I don't know if you can really judge anybody based on last year's Celtics team.

MacMahon: Especially the young guys in such a chaotic situation.

Young: There's a lot of guys that you can look at their Year 2 and now we look at them differently. Victor Oladipo, for example.

Windhorst: All right. I'm done with this.

Watch the full re-draft on ESPN's YouTube page. Which players would you take to start an NBA franchise? Vote below.

Vote now: Rank the players you'd want to build a franchise around

CHICAGO -- The Minnesota Twins broke a major league record for most home runs on the road, getting back-to-back homers in the third inning Thursday for 140.

Jake Cave led off the third with a solo shot off Chicago White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease to give the AL Central leaders the record. That surpassed the 138 set by the San Francisco Giants in 2001.

C.J. Cron followed with a drive to center to give Minnesota 140 long balls on the road.

Cave homered again in the seventh inning with another solo blast to right field off of Hector Santiago.

The Twins have a major league-leading 261 home runs overall this season.

Sprinter’s representative seeks an expedited hearing ahead of Doha world championships and says Williams “bears no fault”

Jamaica’s double world under-20 sprint champion Briana Williams is facing a race against time to be considered for the IAAF World Championships in Doha after testing positive for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide.

According to Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner, her representative Dr Emir Crowne “confirmed earlier Gleaner reports that the substance was contained, but not listed as an active ingredient, in an over-the-counter cold-and-flu medication that was given to her by a close relative and that she had declared on her doping control form while being tested by Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) officials”.

The 17-year-old Williams, who is coached by former world champion and multiple Olympic medallist Ato Boldon, reportedly tested positive at the Jamaican Championships in June, where she clocked a world under-18 best of 10.94 to finish third in the 100m to put her well in the running for a place on the team for Doha.

Crowne is ­hoping that any hearing on the case will be expedited, with the Jamaican world championships team set to be named on September 6.

“Our primary position will be that Ms Williams bears no fault in the circumstances and there should be no sanctions levied against her,” Crowne is reported to have told The Gleaner.