The post-Arsene Wenger rebuild is likely to continue at Arsenal following a season that saw them reach the Europa League final and narrowly finish fifth, albeit without hitting any particular heights in the Premier League. For most of the season, they were outside the top four, save for a brief run at the end.

One of the tricky things for Unai Emery to deal with is now that he inherited a club that had made very serious financial commitments to a quartet of players all in or close to their 30s: Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. At the same time, as this thread from the football finance blogger Swiss Ramble shows, the club is likely to make a heavy loss when it files its 2018-19 accounts, while a big chunk of the revenue from previous years has been down to player trading, rather than commercial growth, in part due to missing out on the Champions League. (They'll be absent again next season, too.)

Ogden: Breaking down the 2019-20 fixture list
- When does the new Premier League season start?
- Who has qualified for Europe from the Premier League?
- When does the transfer window close?

Gabriele Marcotti and Mark Ogden went through the squad, assessing what the club might want to do over the summer.

GOALKEEPERS

Petr Cech (37 years old, contract expires in 2019)

VERDICT: He's retiring so nothing to do here.

Bernd Leno (27, 2023)

VERDICT: Keep, he's now the No. 1.

Emiliano Martinez (26, 2022)

OGDEN: "He showed he can be a starter for half a season on a poor Championship club like Reading, but he hasn't shown he can play for Arsenal. Give him another year on loan somewhere and then try to sell."

MARCOTTI: "I'd give him the chance to be Leno's backup in preseason and if Emery still isn't convinced, you'll then find someone to take him on loan or look to sell. At this stage of his career, he can't be a No. 3."

VERDICT: Mixed.

Matt Macey (24, 2020)

OGDEN: "He was on loan in League One, at Plymouth Argyle, who got relegated. I don't think he has a future here."

MARCOTTI: "He has had one year as a starter, best to get what you can and move on."

VERDICT: Sell.

David Ospina (30, 2020)

OGDEN: "You need an experienced No. 2 on the bench. He did well on loan at Napoli, too. If he wants to come back, challenge Leno and maybe play for a new contract, you keep him. Otherwise you try to sell."

MARCOTTI: "I agree. Napoli hope to hang on to him and, right now, they're arguing over price; given his contractual situation, it won't be more than a few million. If he doesn't go, he's a very good backup to Leno. Only thing is, I doubt he'd want to extend his contract."

VERDICT: Mixed.

DEFENDERS

Shkodran Mustafi (27 years old, contract expires in 2021)

OGDEN: "You don't extend him because he's not good but you need bodies, even if somebody else comes in. So I'd keep him."

MARCOTTI: "I think he's been poor, but given he's 27 and you're not going to give him a new deal, you should try to shift him. Somebody will give you £10 million or so for him, surely? He's a World Cup winner, after all ..."

VERDICT: Mixed.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos (31, 2021)

VERDICT: Keep.

Calum Chambers (24, 2022)

OGDEN: "He's not good enough for a top-six club so sell him. You need to raise money."

MARCOTTI: "He's obviously not the player some thought he would be, but he's young, English and versatile. There's a market for that; I think you can get up to £20m."

VERDICT: Sell.

Rob Holding (23, 2023)

OGDEN: "Until his cruciate injury, he was doing quite well. He's not top notch, but he's the best of their young center-halves. He was even talked about as an England center-back, which I know isn't saying much, but still ..."

MARCOTTI: "He's been really unlucky with injuries but was seen as a guy with potential. He's locked into a long-term deal and you won't get money for a guy who hasn't played since 2018, so Arsenal might as well try to nurse back him to health."

VERDICT: Keep.

Laurent Koscielny (33, 2020)

OGDEN: "Sell if you can, but you probably can't. He's very overrated, always has a mistake in him. He's regarded as one of Arsenal's best defenders, but that's just because the rest have been so poor."

MARCOTTI: "I think some experience and leadership is useful on this team but I agree. With his injuries and performances, there's no reason to extend him."

VERDICT: Keep for now but don't extend his contract.

Konstantinos Mavropanos (21, 2023)

OGDEN: "He's done OK when he's played and he's had really bad luck with injury."

MARCOTTI: "You need to get him games, but it's not going to be here. You have Sokratis, you have Koscielny, whatever new central defender they sign and Holding to come back. Best to loan him."

VERDICT: Mixed.

Krystian Bielik (21, 2021)

OGDEN: "OK, so he had a good season on loan, but that was in League One. I'd get rid. Sell if you can get £4-5m for him; if not, loan him again."

MARCOTTI: "Charlton won promotion and he was good. He's only 21 and a season in the Championship will give us a better idea of what he can do. Loan him again and possibly extend his deal to retain his value if he looks good. Then you decide whether to sell or keep him."

VERDICT: Mixed.

Sead Kolasinac (25, 2022)

VERDICT: Keep.

Nacho Monreal (33, 2019)

OGDEN: "He's been poor, time to let him go. I'm displaying the ruthlessness that's been missing at Arsenal for many years!"

MARCOTTI: "If he'll take a one-year deal, maybe you keep him. Only reason I say this is that funds are going to be limited and there are other priorities beyond a reserve left-back. Another season of Monreal might be a cheaper option."

VERDICT: Mixed.

Hector Bellerin (24, 2023)

OGDEN: "He's one player they could actually get decent money for, and they have a natural alternative in Ainsley Maitland-Niles ... but of course the Spaniard is coming off an injury so you don't want to sell him just yet. In fact, he's someone they ought to build around."

MARCOTTI: "Keep him. You're not going to sell an injured player. And Maitland-Niles is versatile anyway."

VERDICT: Keep.

Carl Jenkinson (27, 2020)

OGDEN: "He's the Phil Jones of Arsenal, the great survivor. He's an honest performer, too; you keep him because he's another body and he's not 33."

MARCOTTI: "You sell him if you can, but I doubt anyone will give you money for him. You don't really need him because you have enough right-backs. (In fact, they had four last season.) Send him on loan if he wants to go, if not, you're stuck with him."

VERDICT: Sell if you can.

Stephan Lichtsteiner (35, 2019)

VERDICT: Contract is expiring so let him go.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles (21, 2023)

VERDICT: Keep.

MIDFIELDERS

Lucas Torreira (23 years old, contract expires in 2023)

VERDICT: Keep.

Granit Xhaka (26, 2023)

VERDICT: Keep.

Mohamed Elneny (26, 2022)

VERDICT: Keep.

Aaron Ramsey (28, 2019)

VERDICT: Already leaving, having agreed to join Juventus on a free transfer.

Matteo Guendouzi (20, 2022)

VERDICT: Keep and extend but only if he continues to improve.

Mesut Ozil (30, 2021)

OGDEN: "Get rid of him. I'd even take £10m just to get his wages out of the club. He's such a drain, he's all flair and no effort and is obviously not a player Emery rates."

MARCOTTI: "You're on the hook for another two seasons of massive wages, so I don't think anybody is going to buy him, and he seems content in London. I agree, though: A change of scenery would be best, even on loan, but unless Emery freezes him out or he takes a pay cut, it's not going to happen."

VERDICT: Sell if you can.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan (30, 2021)

OGDEN: "He doesn't do enough and games seem to just pass him by. He's not going to make a difference and he's on big wages. If you can't get rid of Ozil, get rid of him. Maybe you can get up to £20m."

MARCOTTI: "I'd sell him for the right price but I doubt, given his wages, that Arsenal will get that. So best to try and make it work with him. Emery seems to like him, and you have enough other issues to address."

VERDICT: Mixed.

Alex Iwobi (23, 2022)

OGDEN: "I find him frustrating as he hasn't really developed since coming on the scene. I guess he stays by default; you can't sell everybody."

MARCOTTI: "The problem is that you want to rebuild but you have very few sellable assets. He's one of them and I'm not as down on him as Mark, but unless you get big money you keep him around."

VERDICT: Keep, unless you get a big offer (north of £30m).

Reiss Nelson (19, 2022)

OGDEN: "He has a bright future. Keep him and give him a chance to show what he can do in preseason."

MARCOTTI: "He started out great at Hoffenheim and then fell away a little bit, but I agree, he can definitely contribute off the bench next season."

VERDICT: Keep.

FORWARDS

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (29 years old, contract expires in 2022)

VERDICT: Keep.

Alexandre Lacazette (28, 2022)

VERDICT: Keep.

Eddie Nketiah (20, 2021)

VERDICT: Keep and look to extend.

Danny Welbeck (28, 2019)

OGDEN: "I would have given him another season rather than releasing him as they did. He had a bad injury, but he's an experienced player and a good guy in the dressing room."

MARCOTTI: "I thought the way it ended was harsh, but you don't want him to stand in the way of other players who need minutes."

VERDICT: Mixed.

Takuma Asano (24, 2020)

VERDICT: Sell, if not loan.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Top of Arsenal's shopping list has to be an elite central defender, ideally one who is equally comfortable in a back four or back three. You'll need an alternative at left-back to Kolasinac, too, because he struggles in a back four (unless you take the cheap option of giving Monreal another season). If Ospina goes and Emery decides he doesn't trust Martinez as a backup, they will need a viable reserve keeper, too.

Central midfield is fine, as are the strikers, but you could use another option in attacking midfield given Ramsey's departure and the uncertainty surrounding Mkhitaryan and Ozil. In a perfect world, you'd shift one or both but that's nearly impossible given their wages.

Arsenal's financial situation isn't great, though the great exodus of two years ago and new deals with Emirates and Adidas should get them another £60m. So you can imagine a net spend of £60-80m this summer. Ordinarily you'd boost this with sales, but as we wrote earlier, there are very few guys who can fetch any serious money.

The alternative is rolling the dice and sacrificing a Torreira or an Aubameyang if you can get a massive fee and then using that to secure three quality players. But that's a risky proposition and probably not advisable.

Shoaib Malik will be in Pakistan's XI in their game against India at Old Trafford on Sunday. Malik's participation in the game has been the subject of some speculation after a series of poor returns in the World Cup, but in a rare public show of faith, both Sarfaraz Ahmed and Mickey Arthur have confirmed that he will play.

Malik has played in two of Pakistan's games in this campaign, making 8 and 0 against England and Australia. Those numbers are part of a longer run of low returns since the start of 2018 - averaging 26 across 29 games, with just three fifties and a strike rate under 80. And those, in turn, are part of an even longer history of poor scores in England: in 28 ODIs since 2001, he averages 13.57, the lowest by any visiting batsman with a minimum of 20 innings in the country.

He had a poor game in the field against Australia, though his seven overs across the two games have come in handy. But since then, Sarfaraz has backed him in a column written for the PCB website and, on Saturday, Arthur all but confirmed he would play.

ALSO READ: The meaning of India-Pakistan, for India and for Pakistan

"I can tell you a guy that's played over 200 ODIs, tomorrow presents a real opportunity for him," Arthur said. "As far as I'm concerned, Shoaib Malik didn't play the West Indies game because of balance. He batted in the last three overs against England and failed against Australia.

"So to say he's failed, there's not much of a barometer just yet. That will be determined over the next couple of games. What I do know is Shoaib Malik brings a hell of a lot to our dressing room. He is an incredible team man. He has incredible skills, and I'm hoping that, on the biggest stage tomorrow, those skills come to the fore."

There was a time in Malik's career, across the middle of the poor returns, when his record against India stood out. But it has been nearly a decade since his Champions Trophy hundred against them at Centurion and, in limited opportunities since, he averages just 33 against them, with a solitary fifty.

That's worth noting because Pakistan still seem to believe that his performances against India hold relevance for Sunday. That and his experience.

"Let's not forget - I mentioned it in one of the previous questions - that is still a fairly young cricket team," Arthur said. "Shoaib Malik's experience, Mohammad Hafeez's experience tomorrow will go a long way out in the middle to help these young boys through it."

Malik, 37, has already said that he will be retiring from ODI cricket after this World Cup.

Australia 334 for 7 (Finch 153, Smith 73, Maxwell 46) beat Sri Lanka 247 (Karunaratne 97, Kusal Perera 52, Starc 4-55) by 87 runs

As it happened

Australia's best stuff, personified by Aaron Finch, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc, looked world-beating against Sri Lanka at The Oval. Yet there were still signs that Finch's team have plenty of kinks to iron out, not least problems in an unbalanced batting order but also the continued reliance of the bowling attack on Starc and Pat Cummins, currently first and second on the tournament wickets table.

There were times, when Finch, Smith and Maxwell were in full flight, and when Starc helped cut Sri Lanka down from 186 for 2 to their final tally of 247, when the Australians appeared irresistible; indeed, this win took them to the top of the competition table. But these moments were interspersed with issues that seem hard to fathom from a team contending for a World Cup, such as how Shaun Marsh ends up trying to start a top-order innings in the final five overs, and why Australia persist in ignoring Nathan Lyon as their best fourth-bowling option.

At some point in this tournament these issues will rear, as they did against India, also at The Oval, but Sri Lanka were neither confident nor accomplished enough to take advantage of the opportunities afforded them by Australian blind spots. They pulled Finch back from a rapid start but then allowed him to reset with Smith. They were able to sprint to 115 for 0 and then 186 for 2 before losing momentum and creating a scenario in which Starc bowled with scoreboard pressure behind him.

WATCH - Highlights of Finch's punchy 153 on Hotstar

Even so, Finch's performance in particular was worthy of praise, being crisp and punishing in equal measure, and the contributions of Smith, Maxwell and Starc were very much in line with what the team expects of them. On current form, Australian look set fair to also defeat Bangladesh, meaning their final trio of games against England, New Zealand and South Africa will be met with a minimal degree of anxiety.

An overcast morning and a pitch tinged green swayed both sides to ignore their specialist spin bowlers and also Dimuth Karunaratne to send the Australians in - Finch would have done likewise. Immediately it was apparent that the surface was easier paced than expected with very little sideways movement, allowing Finch to get into stride with a series of beautifully crisp drives off both front and back foot - aided too by some substandard ground fielding.

David Warner, despite his Taunton century, was less fluent, rather mimicking his struggles at The Oval against India. The part-time spin of Dhananjaya de Silva put a clamp on the scoring and then found a way through Warner when he sought a way off strike by leaning back to try and cut off the stumps.

Usman Khawaja, returning to No. 3 after a couple of demotions, did not fare any better, having to swerve out of the way of a Nuwan Pradeep bouncer before trying to slog-sweep Dhananjaya and picking out deep midwicket. Sixty-nine for no loss after 13 overs devolved to 110 for 2 at the halfway point, but Finch and Smith needed only a brief few overs of settling down before going on the attack.

They were in many ways a perfect duo, Smith busy and inventive, Finch brutal and simple in approach. Between them they left the Sri Lankans with next to no margin for error, putting together a stand worth 173 from a mere 118 balls. Finch's hundred was his second in World Cups, and by the time he fell to an Isuru Udana slower ball, he had tallied the third-highest individual score by an Australian at the World Cup - putting Adam Gilchrist's 149 in the 2007 final in the shade.

Smith looked similarly intent on a hundred, only to be tunnelled under by a Lasith Malinga yorker that left the former captain looking to the heavens in frustration. But his innings had been a sparkling one, full of the energy and resolution that suggested he was fresh in both body and mind. Smith has not played a truly big innings in this tournament yet, but he looks ready to unleash one at a moment of import.

Maxwell's arrival brought a typical flurry, including 22 off Pradeep's final over to leave him nursing figures of 0 for 88 from 10 overs. At 302 for four with five overs remaining, a score in the region of 360 looked plausible, but Sri Lanka were to push back with the help of Australia's still-unbalanced batting. Shaun Marsh looked as suited to the middle order as Maxwell does the top order in cobbling three from nine balls, the resultant slowdown reaping a pair of run-outs as Malinga, Udana and Thisara Perera all finished well. Maxwell nudged a boundary from the final ball, but 32 from the last five overs might have been match-losing on another day.

As it was, Sri Lanka threatened for more than half the chase, starting out with a starburst of shots from Kusal Perera and Karunaratne that brought the many Sri Lankan supporters in the crowd to vocal life. Australia's liberal diet of short balls was feasted upon, and the curious decision to call up Jason Behrendorff and then not give him the new ball contributed to his first three overs costing 32.

When Kane Richardson made a speculative caught-behind appeal and Finch called for a review, the lack of any evidence on replay meant that when Maxwell pinned Karunaratne in front of the stumps from around the wicket, but far enough down the pitch for Richard Illingworth to say not out, there was no referral to discover that ball-tracker would have brought three reds and the first Sri Lankan wicket.

Finch, though, was able to bring Starc back, and a full, straight delivery knocked back Kusal Perera's middle stump. Karunaratne persisted, however, with help from Lahiru Thirimanne and Kusal Mendis, and at 186 for 2 in the 33rd over the game was well and truly alive. However, Karunaratne was slowed by the tidy bowling of Maxwell, playing the stopping role earlier performed by Dhananjaya, and in trying to cut his way from 97 to 101 found Maxwell lurking to take the catch in the gully.

Four wickets in four overs were soon to follow, three of them to the intimidating Starc - including two in as many balls removing Thisara and Kusal Mendis - the reward for pressure impose area but also the precision of the left-armer now well established in World Cup matches.

It was unsurprising in a few ways that things devolved so dramatically, for this is a Sri Lankan team short on confidence and experience, while the Australians are growing ever more confident of their ability to defend a target, not least when Starc and Cummins are lurking. Starc's haul took him to 13 wickets for the tournament - he is two clear of the next best, Cummins. In their fortunes, lie Australia's.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Tiger Woods missed a short birdie attempt on the sixth hole Friday, trudged toward his waiting caddie, then profanely informed Joe LaCava that his ball took an unscheduled hop on its way to the cup. The scene summoned Woods' assessment of Pebble Beach's Poa annua putting surfaces during the previous U.S. Open played here nine years ago.

"The greens," Woods said in 2010, "are just awful."

David Fay, then the executive director of the USGA, ripped Woods for ripping the greens, and Tiger responded by maintaining that a lot of players felt the way he did but didn't have the nerve to say so. The good news? Nobody this time around has picked apart the greens, the rough or the tees. In fact, Zach Johnson, who assailed the USGA at Shinnecock Hills last year, was among those who raved about all the above.

"I think it's fantastic," he said. "Whatever they're doing, it's great."

It seems the governing body of the U.S. Open has finally governed itself and allowed the staggering beauty of this iconic course to carry the day, while allowing the world's best golfers to decide this championship on the merits.

Players are happy with the ballpark, fans are happy with the names in contention and everyone is happy with the oceanside visuals.

"A golfer's heaven," Adam Scott called it.

Now, the USGA's elders -- those reigning masters of disasters -- need to spend the weekend honoring this one simple term of sports-and-entertainment engagement:

Don't screw it up.

Sounds pretty simple, right? When you have great actors on a great stage, how hard is it to stay out of the way and let the performance speak for itself?

But the USGA has a grim history of spoiling its most compelling dramas. Over the past four years, the Chambers Bay greens, the Dustin Johnson rules fiasco at Oakmont, the comically forgiving conditions at Erin Hills and the Saturday spitshow at Shinnecock conspired to leave the USGA in a defenseless state. Dozens of players and other figures in the game recently fired away anonymously in Golf Digest, while others aired their grievances on the record.

At the Memorial two weeks ago, Phil Mickelson, six-time runner-up, said that the USGA has screwed up its national championship "100 percent of the time" and that only rain can save the tournament because the ruling body's decision-makers "don't know how to control themselves."

There is no weekend rain in the Pebble Beach forecast.

Of course, this is a good time to remind everyone that Mickelson himself delivered the mother of all U.S. Open clown shows last year by swatting a rolling ball; his recent Memorial massacre surely left USGA officials wishing they had a mulligan on their decision not to disqualify him from the Shinnecock field.

Either way, the USGA has to be careful, very careful, with its pin placements here in the third and fourth rounds. Pebble Beach contenders, including Mickelson, have almost unanimously praised the course setup. USGA officials acknowledged this as a crucial week in the process of rebuilding their reputation. They swore they had done a lot of listening to players, and it appears they were telling the truth.

But Scott pointed out that the greens can firm up "in an instant here." To a man, the players said the greens Friday were faster than the greens Thursday, when 39 players broke par -- the most ever in an opening U.S. Open round not played at Erin Hills. Henrik Stenson said he didn't think the USGA "particularly liked the low scoring we had" -- some 44 players still managed to break par Friday -- and predicted tougher course conditions to come.

"I think the USGA would probably have loved the course setup, but they'd probably have loved 5 mile per hour more breeze both days," said Justin Rose, at 7 under, two shots off Gary Woodland's 36-hole lead. "I think the golf course has plenty of teeth in it. Because you're playing near the ocean, you have to respect Mother Nature. You can't set it up for perfect weather and not get it."

And that's a problem -- a big one. Graeme McDowell, the 2010 champ, called Pebble Beach "a sleeping giant." The wind could pick up on the weekend more than USGA officials think, which could make lethal a potential decision to move pin placements tighter to the edges of the smallest greens these players will see all year.

"They got it right where they want it," Woods said after shooting a 1-over 72 to land at even par for the tournament. He mentioned the firmness of the course's run-up areas: "So if they get the greens anywhere like that, it will be a hell of a test."

Another member of Woods' group, Jordan Spieth, advocated for faster weekend conditions -- if only to help his chances to climb the leaderboard -- but suggested it would be a bad idea to speed up the 580-yard 14th, the longest hole on the course.

"That got a little out of hand in the 2010 U.S. Open here," Spieth said. "So there's certain holes where they probably got to watch it."

The 14th wasn't the lone culprit nine years ago. The impossible pin placement on the par-3 17th inspired some players to aim for the bunker and take their up-and-down chances at par. Ryan Moore, once an amateur champion in multiple USGA events, called the 17th in 2010 "completely unreasonable, just a horrible golf hole the way they set it up."

Even with Woodland, Rose and others threatening to move into double figures under par, USGA officials don't need to cook up any horrible holes as part of an unnecessary overcorrection for Saturday or Sunday. Will they resist temptation and embrace this opportunity to, as Rory McIlroy said, redeem themselves by declining to cross the line separating fair and foul play?

John Bodenhamer replaced Mike Davis as the man responsible for setting up U.S. Open courses. Bodenhamer said he has played more than 100 rounds at Pebble since the 1970s and that he has never seen the course in better shape. But as much as he acknowledged that the USGA has heard the players' criticisms, Bodenhamer made it clear that the ruling body isn't about to abandon its approach.

"Our philosophy has not changed," he said the other day. "We will continue to endeavor to provide the toughest test, the ultimate test, the most comprehensive test ... and really just to create something where players' shot-making ability, mental resolve and physical stamina are tested. We're not going to lose that."

But they shouldn't lose their minds, either, and bury their credibility for good at sea. They should count on stronger-than-expected winds off the Pacific Ocean and firmer-than-expected greens. They should keep the pins reasonable, let Pebble be Pebble and, in the end, let the players play.

"A lot of great storylines this weekend," McDowell said.

Here's hoping the USGA doesn't wreck all of them.

When Vince Carter arrived at the Atlanta Hawks' training facility last September, the first thing he said to newly hired head coach Lloyd Pierce and general manager Travis Schlenk was, "Who do you want me to talk to and what do you want me to tell them?"

As the Hawks' season progressed, Pierce stopped providing Carter the specific message. From Pierce's perspective, he didn't need to.

"He's been a guy who now I just go up to and say, 'Have you talked to John [Collins] lately? Have you talked to Trae [Young] lately? This is what he's worried about,'" Pierce says. "Then I let Vince address whoever it is in the locker room on his own, knowing he'll have the right message for a young player with that concern."

At 42 and planning to enter his final NBA season in 2019-20, Carter is the oldest player in the league by a considerable margin. He's still a solid bench performer at about 18 minutes per game, but Carter's real benefit to young teams is his institutional knowledge of NBA locker rooms.

How do you quantify the value of a veteran imparting the wisdom accumulated over 21 years in the NBA to a player who didn't exist when that career began? Is it even possible to measure the tangible worth of a late-night conversation on a team flight between Carter and a rookie who, hours earlier in a rough performance, encountered real doubts about himself as a basketball player for the first time in his young life?

Assignments like these in his latter NBA years have been every bit a part of Carter's professional portfolio as play calls or defensive coverages. It was evident on a January 2018 afternoon in Sacramento, when the Kings' brass led the team on a tour of the organization's business side operations. There was Carter, fully engaged, with the team's youngest players -- De'Aaron Fox, Malachi Richardson, Skal Labissiere -- following him through the cubicle farm as he provided relevant addenda to the business execs' spiels on topics like brand marketing. Carter's young teammates couldn't get enough of his authority and presence.

Carter has lived through seismic shifts in pro athlete culture and league trends. The smartphone wouldn't land until halfway through his career, and much of the power claimed by players in today's NBA is a relatively new advent. Carter has seen can't-miss talents bust, and obscure prospects rise to fame. He has a pretty good sense of why many NBA players succeed or fail, and agreed to discuss some of these beliefs with ESPN ahead of the 2019 NBA draft (Thursday on ESPN).

Think of it as Vince Carter's Guide for Young Ballers.

On personal hygiene

You see it more often now, where guys are just like, 'Eh, yeah, the facility, that's where I live.' No, no, no, you're in a house now, and it's not walking distance. Go hop in the shower!

So hygiene, believe it or not, is just as important as anything else. With the season going so long, with the travel, hygiene plays an important part of this, as far as just getting sick, and obviously getting everyone else sick. My third year in Dallas, I want to say, we had one guy get sick who, in essence, ended up getting five guys sick. And it just spreads like that, because we spend so much time together, more than in college.

Reading list
+ The 2011 norovirus

On the hazards of nightlife

Let's say you live in those smaller markets. The excitement of going on the road to other cities can be dangerous, as opposed to living in Miami, Dallas, Houston, L.A., New York, where you see it every day. Trouble can happen, particularly for a young guy -- though not just young guys.

The NBA is different -- it's a whole new world. I remember as a rookie it was like, 'Oh man, I'm on my own. No responsibilities of going to class, the tutors, whatever the case may be.' And you're free to do whatever.

When you make those decisions like, 'OK, if I hang out this late I've gotta be able to still be at the facility early to do your rookie duties, or to get my early lift in, to get my shooting in.' And if you're not performing up to par, it tends to carry over on your minutes, and then you wonder why you can't get your minutes. Well, it's because you're looking tired, and fatigued, that's the thing that a first-year player doesn't think about

Reading list
+ The tinderization of today's NBA

On winning the locker room as a young player

Perform your rookie duties, whatever it might be. Sometimes it's, 'Hey, grab a towel young fella.' 'Hey, can you grab me a water.' Simple things.

For second- or third-year guys, team functions -- participate. Like when guys want go to dinner together, go to eat, or guys want to just hang out together? Let's go out together, because it builds a camaraderie on the court. Or even after practice, if we sit in the locker room, and laugh and joke, just be in there even if you don't speak.

Reading list
+ How the Sixers cracked the culture code

On the frustration of not getting minutes

At first, you felt like you were gonna get the minutes. Maybe it didn't work out for the team, or they brought somebody else in. And now you don't get many minutes.

What do you tell that young player? First of all, you say the most cliched thing you can say: 'Don't get discouraged, and continue to work on your game.' But after a while, you don't wanna hear that.

I think sometimes coaches and organizations -- and they would probably disagree when I say this -- I feel they do things like that to see where your character, and your heart is. How do you handle adversity? I really believe that. Because sometimes I can't figure out how you have guys who deserve to be in the rotation and don't get to play. And they play well, and then all of sudden it's like, 'Hey, let's just see how he handles this adversity.'

So what do you tell them? I just tell them to continue to work at, and do the things. Ask questions. You know, sometimes it's the thing that we as athletes, a lot of us, but particularly young athletes don't think about: Go talk to the coach. 'Coach, what do I need to get my minutes back? Or get into the rotation?' A lot of times they don't want to do that. You have to work your game, and you also have to work on your mental game -- and that's part of it.

Reading list
+ How Khris Middleton became a star

On preparation

It's the individual work that is key, and paramount for a young guy. You're still developing your game, and you're developing the mental game -- which is confidence.

So when you get in the game, there's no doubt that you can compete and play. The team will have what it sees as the kind of player you are, but maybe you have your agenda in what type of player you think you are, which is a different vision. And you have to kinda find a way to intertwine the two, and I think that's the toughest thing. So you go talk to the coach.

And obviously most teams, most coaches, in the beginning of the season, they say, 'Hey, Vince, here's your role. This is what you bring for us right now.' Well then be the best at that until they give you a little more rope, when you can kinda be that player you think you're supposed to be. Prepare for that role they've designed for you, even if it's not the role you'd design for yourself.

Reading list
+ Inside the dark, daunting art of the NBA's toughest position

On family and friends asking for money

Guys wanting to come and hang out for a couple of weeks and just do nothing, sit around, and I've never been good with that. When I was a rookie, my guys would say, 'Oh yeah, we're going to hang out.' No we're not. I'm working, and if you're coming here, that means you're gonna work. Then you get into the issue where you're funding, funding, funding. It's the toughest thing to do, and I had to go through it, and family members that to this day, going on to 20 years, haven't talked to me since then for saying no.

Giving a young guy the formula on how to handle that is tough. There's no real blueprint in my opinion, but you have to be honest.

Some of the requests are a little far-fetched. You feel like, 'Hey, I don't have the money to give you. Yes, I signed a contract, but I don't have anything to give you.' You start there. You have to buy yourself time until you feel comfortable telling that uncle, that friend, mom, or whatever, 'No.' The hardest thing to do is telling mom, grandmother, brother, sister, whoever, 'No.'

And then you have guys from your neighborhood, from your community who've looked after you. Now they're like, 'Hey, I was looking out for you, making sure you were comfortable. Now I want mine.' That's the toughest one. You always want everybody in your corner, and you want to keep everybody happy. Because once you say no, that's the first thing. That is the first thing, 'Oh, you're big time now? Oh, cuz you're in the NBA now you think you're better than us.'

Reading list
+ How much NBA stars actually earn

On expressing yourself politically

If you're a guy who feels comfortable doing it, go for it. That's your business. I would say, educate yourself on the situation before you speak out on it. Don't just haphazardly speak out if you don't know what you're talking about.

So I don't have a problem with guys speaking up, and having an opinion, even if sometimes we're criticized for having an opinion. But pick your spots.

Reading list
+ 'I am a voter': How NBA players from LeBron to KD are making an impact

On how to balance the team's medical opinion vs. your own specialist

Players now have the option to go and get a second opinion. I feel like it all stems from the Kawhi [Leonard] thing [with the San Antonio Spurs]. And most teams are willing to work with us. So there, again, most of the problems that occur now are lack of communication, from player to coach, player to organization, agent to organization. We don't get on the same page. So it's about establishing trust.

As a young guy you don't really know. Obviously you could say, 'I don't trust them.' But based on what? You haven't been around long enough. So ask questions -- talk and communicate. Talk to the veterans who have been around long enough.

Reading list
+ Inside the tensions between Kawhi and the Spurs

On dealing with referees

Vets can help you. I remember Charles Oakley before games, he'd bring me as the rookie to the referees, and introduce me to them. Whether I knew them or not, that's where it started. Maybe it was Joey Crawford. 'How are you doing?' 'Oh, I know who you are.' 'I just wanted to introduce myself.' Keep it at that. It was something simple, and it was a little awkward at first. But then I started, as I grew, to gain a little more respect, and a little more rope from the officials. They allow you to show your emotions sometimes.

When there's a bad call, walk away. The rookies are actually pretty good at it. It's when they get to that second, third year is the problem. It was easy for me, because every time I would go to say something, Oak would move me out of the way, and take care of it. They've been around long enough, so they have the power to talk. And that's what I try to do with these guys now. I tell Trae all the time, even if he gets beat up, no calls, I say, 'Hey let me do it. Let me get the fine. Let me get the technical before you. Save your money.'

One of the first things you talk about in preseason with young guys, you kind of give them the rundown on each referee. 'These are not the guys to mess with. We leave him alone.'

Reading list
+ Behind the crucial calls NBA refs make on the biggest stage

Closing thoughts

For the young baller, I'd say, in the beginning, tread lightly and ask questions. Utilize your veterans.

I think you win your teammates from the beginning, in pick-up games in the summer, in training camp, when you're learning how to play this game, and how this game works. When you're frustrated, and a vet comes to you and says, 'Hey, try this. Look at it like this,' Don't, 'Nuh uh, I got this. I got it.'

Don't think you're bigger than the game. Nobody is bigger than the game.

A Babe Ruth New York Yankees jersey has sold for a record $5,640,000 at auction.

The jersey, dating to around the 1928-30 period, broke the previous mark of $4,400,000 for a 1920 Ruth jersey, according to Hunt Auctions.

The over 400 pieces of Ruth memorabilia at auction was supplied by the late Hall of Famer's family and a few other collectors.

"For many years, we cherished the items within his personal collection and have been blessed to represent his legacy through our many family endeavors," said Linda Ruth Tosetti, granddaughter of Babe Ruth. "The decision to share items from his personal collection was made with careful consideration and the intent to further his legacy within a new generation of baseball fans. Babe's collection has remained largely unknown to the general public and we felt it was time to bring these amazing pieces of his life to light. There could be no other place to showcase these items than Yankee Stadium and we are also thrilled to be able to benefit related charitable entities through the sale of these items."

Ruth hit a then-record 714 career home runs from 1914 to 1935 including a single-season record 60, in 1927. He played 22 seasons, mainly with the Boston Red Sox and Yankees.

Britain's Dan Evans is into the last four of the second-tier Nottingham Challenge event after beating Dominik Koepfer in a lengthy three-setter.

Evans, 29, took a 62-minute opener in a tie-break, before losing the second to German Koepfer on another shootout.

The British number three eventually prevailed 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 in two hours and 41 minutes.

Evans will play Japan's Go Soeda later on Saturday for a place in Sunday's final after a week of rain delays.

Thirty-four year-old Soeda will also be playing his second match of the day after overcoming Czech 16th seed Lukas Rosol 6-4 6-4.

World number 70 Evans is climbing the rankings after serving a year's ban for cocaine use. He is on a steak of eight successive victories after lifting the title in Surbiton last week.

In the Nature Valley Open event being held at the same venue, Croatia's second seed Donna Vekic recovered from losing the first set to sweep into the final with a 5-7 6-0 6-0 win over Germany's Tatjana Maria.

She will play either top seed Caroline Garcia of France or Jennifer Brady of the United States.

Tournament officials in Nottingham have been criticised by Sascha Bajin, the current coach of French player Kristina Mladenovic who has also worked with Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams, for how they have handled the week's weather conditions.

The German tweeted on Friday that "many bad decisions have been made here in Nottingham".

However, Great Britain Davis Cup captain Leon Smith and the Lawn Tennis Association's director of international events Stephen Farrow were among those to defend the organisation.

"Our great team in Nottingham have dealt with five complete washouts in the past seven days," Farrow said.

"This is unprecedented for any tennis event in the UK. Easy to criticise but in the circumstances they've done an outstanding job."

BRANDON, S.D. — With South Dakota’s Huset’s Speedway struggling to find a buyer, track officials are taking a radical step to find a new owner.

On Aug. 13, Huset’s Speedway will play host to a first of its kind 410 sprint car race that will see the winner become the new owner of the entire 70+ acre facility, including the track, buildings, lights, website and branding.

Though the rules for the event are unofficial at this time, track officials said in a post on husets.com that each team that enters will be required to pay a non-refundable $200,000 deposit. Anyone choosing to enter after the registration deadline will be required to pay an extra $75,000. The race will feature a minimum field of 18 cars and a maximum field of 36 cars.

Should the track not get the required minimum field of 18 cars, the race will not take place and all money will be returned to those who have entered the race.

The race will feature three heat races of 12 cars, with 24 cars advancing to the 40-lap main event that will decide the new owner of the facility.

In addition to the race winner becoming the new owner of the facility, the runner-up will earn $200,000 while the drivers who finish third and fourth will each earn $100,000.

The event will feature standard 410 sprint car rules for the cars for specs and technical inspection. The rules will be posted in advance of the event and will match those ran at the Knoxville Nationals just days prior.

According to the Huset’s Speedway website, official rules, processes and procedures will be released on or before June 19 at www.husets.com.