Steve Rhodes' term as Bangladesh's head coach has come to a premature end following the team's eighth-place finish at the World Cup.

Rhodes, who took over in June 2018, was on a two-year contract that was originally set to run until next year's World T20. The BCB and Rhodes have now agreed to terminate the contract by mutual consent.

"The board had a review following the Pakistan match [Bangladesh's last at the World Cup] in a meeting in London," Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the BCB CEO, told ESPNcricinfo. "There it was decided that the BCB and Steve Rhodes will not continue on their agreement. The separation was by mutual consent.

"The BCB has not yet decided on a new coach for the Sri Lanka series, which is their next assignment."

Bangladesh will tour Sri Lanka in late July for a three-match ODI series. They will be without most of the coaching staff who were at the World Cup for it.

Neil McKenzie, the limited-overs batting coach, will be on personal leave during the tour, while the contracts of fast-bowling coach Courtney Walsh, spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi, and physio Thihan Chandramohan - all of which ended with the World Cup - have not been extended. The only members of the World Cup backroom in Sri Lanka will be fielding coach Ryan Cook and analyst Shrinivas Chandrasekaran.

Walsh, who took over as fast-bowling coach in August 2016, also spent three months as interim head coach, between the time of Chandika Hathurusingha's resignation and Rhodes' appointment.

Bangladesh made an impressive start to their World Cup campaign with wins over South Africa and West Indies keeping them in the hunt for a semi-final spot. Their campaign petered away eventually, though, with only one more win - against Afghanistan - coming from their last four matches.

There was speculation about Rhodes' role - and future - through the course of the tournament, with BCB members saying in informal discussions that he wasn't living up to their expectations.

"Just two games." "A fresh start." "It's about how we play on the day."

These are the things Kane Williamson and New Zealand are telling themselves, ahead of their semi-final against India. Of the final four in the World Cup, New Zealand are easily the least-fancied outfit. Not only have they won fewer matches at this tournament than the other three semi-finalists, they have also lost three matches on the trot, going down to Pakistan, Australia and England. Their group stage match against India, meanwhile, was rained out.

And yet, although on paper New Zealand are the most flawed team remaining, knockout cricket can throw up any result. Some swing for Trent Boult, a furious Lockie Ferguson spell, Ross Taylor surging back into his best form - all of these are conceivable. India have substantial flaws themselves.

"I think for everybody it sort of starts fresh tomorrow, after what was a very tough round-robin stage," Williamson said. "Whether we are underdogs or not, it doesn't really matter. It is about how we turn up tomorrow, and look to commit to the plans that we want to implement. We have to go out and play with that freedom because every side has beaten one another on a number of occasions.

"Although we have qualified fourth, we have the same opportunity as anybody else does. There's only two games left in the tournament. During the round-robin we saw that anybody could beat anybody and we saw on a number of occasions that happened. Our focus once again is committing to the style of cricket we want to play that gives us the best chance."

Williamson himself has been the lynch pin in the New Zealand top order more than any other batsman has been for any team, supplying over 30% of the team's runs. Also vital to New Zealand's progress to the semi finals, though, has been the contributions of New Zealand's bowlers. Ferguson and Boult have been especially good, taking 17 and 15 wickets respectively, at averages of 18.58 and 24.66.

James Neesham (11 wickets at 18.18) and Matt Henry (10 wickets at 31.50) have also bowled crucial spells through the course of the of the tournament. Although India go in with more highly-rated attack, New Zealand's isn't far behind, particularly if there is swing to be had at Old Trafford. New Zealand also have a reputation for being an excellent tournament team, because they are adaptable.

"I think the bowlers have been brilliant throughout this whole campaign. We know in cricket that every day is different. Just trying to adapt as a unit as best you can is definitely the most important thing.

"By and large, our bowlers have done that outstandingly well and I think we have seen conditions change considerably from first innings to second innings, on some occasions, so how guys have had to operate in the start of their innings, then move into the second half of the bowling innings, has had to be quite different. By and large, they have been superb throughout."

"But we know we've got a different challenge coming up tomorrow, and that it's a different side, but different conditions again."

England have the chance to replicate the Ashes winners of 2005 and inspire a new generation of supporters, Joe Root believes.

A documentary focused on the series and shown on Channel 4 on Sunday revived memories of that summer: the gripping cricket; the passionate supporters queuing around the block in the hope of a ticket and the celebrations in victory. For a little while, cricket seemed to be the centre of attention.

This World Cup hasn't gripped the nation in quite the same way. Not yet, anyway. Whether due to the rain at the start of the tournament or the lack of visibility of a sport played behind a broadcast paywall, the impression remains that vast swathes of the nation remain untouched by a tournament that has taken a while to come to the boil.

But England have effectively been playing knockout cricket for the last couple of games. And now, with a semi-final against the old enemy at a ground on which England have an outstanding record, there is still hope this World Cup can capture the imagination in something approaching the way the sport managed in the summer of 2005.

"I can remember that 2005 Ashes as a kid and being really absorbed in that whole series at 14 years old," Root said. "It was magical.

"For us to have a similar opportunity, on a slightly different scale maybe, is very exciting. It is great to see people showing a huge interest in cricket and it is great that this group of players are playing their part in getting people interested.

"Every player wants to see the game grow and flourish so it would be great to be able to help do that by achieving something very special. I think it is one of the most pleasing things that you can do as a sportsman. It would be brilliant if we could take that even further by doing what we have done in the last couple of games."

England will have been pleased to return to Edgbaston and not just because Trevor Bayliss suffered a theft before they left Manchester. The England coach's car was broken into and, slightly bizarrely, thieves made off with his floppy sunhat - though judging by the look of it, there's a chance it ran off on its own - but left his golf clubs. He was protected from the fierce Birmingham sunshine by a fetching new straw number.

More pertinently, they will have been happy to return to a ground where their record is excellent. They have won their last 10 international games across the formats here, while Australia have not won an ODI at the ground since 1993. England have also won 10 of the last 12 ODIs between the nations. They may have been further encouraged by news that the groundsman expects the pitch - a fresh one - to neither offer much to bowlers or deteriorate as the game progresses. It does not, at this stage, look like a two-spinner surface, which may be better news for Liam Plunkett than it is for Moeen Ali.

While the whole Australia squad - including those who are injured and those who are on stand-by - came to the ground on Monday (and, for a while, walked barefoot around the playing area in a habit that Justin Langer calls "grounding"), only a few of the England squad attended optional training. Among the batsmen, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler, Moeen and Root had a net, while Chris Woakes and Jason Roy had light fitness sessions on the outfield. And while the latter did not look completely comfortable, you do wonder how many legs he would have to lose before England chose to recall James Vince in his place.

Australia have some pretty encouraging stats of their own. They have played seven previous World Cup semi-finals and progressed every time - including in a memorable tied game here in 1999 - and they won the last ODI between the sides. As ever, if you torture the data for long enough, it will tell you pretty much anything you like.

England may not have quite the level of support they anticipated, though. It would appear many of the tickets for this game were originally sold to supporters of India. And while a decent portion of those are now being offered on the ICC's resale platforms, there is a danger that some will not come back on the market or will be cancelled having been offered for resale on other platforms. The ICC have reiterated that, if you want to be sure of gaining entry with a resold ticket, you have to have bought it on the official platform.

Whatever happens, England know they give themselves the best chance if they are focused yet relaxed, aggressive though adaptable, open to enjoyment but intense and ruthless. They have managed it in their previous two games but will know that, in previous high-pressure situations - not least the Champions Trophy final played at this ground in 2013 - they have come up a little short.

"We know that when we play the right kind of cricket and we think clearly under pressure then we will give a great account of ourselves," Root said. "The more we can stick to our style and philosophy, and the more we can remember the conversations we had before that India game the better. I feel like we are in a good place coming into it. The last two games have been like knock out games for us played in a high pressure environment that will hold us in good stead going into this game. We have to make sure our minds are right and we really enjoy the occasion.

"In the past, I found myself on occasions not playing the game at the speed that suits me. I need to make sure I'm in control of what is going on out there as much as I can. And I need to be absolutely clear on how I want to approach different scenarios because you can very easily get wrapped up in the bigger picture and look too far ahead, especially in high profile games.

"Having experienced it before and got it wrong - and sometimes got it right - that should stand me in good stead for this game. You also have to remember that the guys in the opposition will be feeling exactly the same."

They probably will. But while reaching World Cup semi-finals is something approaching routine for Australian international sides, it is anything but for England's. Coping with the moment as much as the opposition will be crucial.

WIMBLEDON, England -- American teenager Coco Gauff said she was "super proud" of her run to the last 16 at Wimbledon and will continue to "dream big" as she makes her way on the women's tour over the coming months.

The 15-year-old, who was the youngest player ever to qualify for the main draw and beat five-time champion Venus Williams in the first round, lost 6-3, 6-3 to the former world No. 1 Simona Halep in the fourth round at Wimbledon on Monday.

Playing on No. 1 Court, the second-biggest stadium at the All England Club, Gauff had plenty of support from the crowd. But Halep, the 2018 French Open champion and a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2014, had the better shots. She broke Gauff five times and took advantage of 29 unforced errors.

Gauff did manage to save two more match points when serving at 5-2, but Halep won the next game to reach the quarterfinals.

Gauff, whose Wimbledon run caught the attention of the likes of former First Lady Michelle Obama, said she had enjoyed every minute of her first Grand Slam event.

"If somebody told me this maybe three weeks ago, I probably wouldn't believe it," she said, wiping away a tear or two. "I think just putting in the work definitely raised my confidence because I knew how hard I worked and I knew what shots I could make and what was possible.

"I lost second round of qualifying in Paris (at the French Open). Now I made it to the second week. I'm super proud of myself. I'm excited to see what I'll do at the US Open and the next couple tournaments coming up. But these past two weeks have been amazing. I'm excited to be back next year.

Having won three matches in qualifying, each without dropping a set, Gauff outplayed Williams in the first round.

But she was even prouder of the way she battled in the third round, when she saved two match points and came from a set and 5-2 down to beat Polona Hercog of Slovenia.

"I hope they (people watching) learned about me that I'm a fighter," she said. "I'll never give up. I hope they learned from me that... anything is possible if you work hard, just continue to dream big.

"I learned a lot. I learned how to play in front of a big crowd, I learned what it was like to be under pressure. I learned a lot and I'm really thankful for this experience.

"Definitely, I would say my attitude on the court, continuing to fight for every point, that definitely helped me win the last three matches. I think if I keep that up, I'll keep doing well."

Gauff thrilled the crowds at Wimbledon throughout the first week and her efforts were noticed around the world, with the likes of Magic Johnson, the Miami Heat and Reese Witherspoon all offering their congratulations and best wishes.

Gauff said the attention had been "crazy," especially when Obama tweeted her support.

"It meant a lot to me because I've looked up to her for a long time," Gauff said. "She's such a role model. I mean, I was really shocked. I wasn't expecting that. Some of the celebrities that tweeted me I didn't even know followed tennis. They probably don't follow tennis, but... I don't know, it's crazy how big this has gotten."

Gauff's ranking is now projected to rise from No. 313 to No. 139 but WTA Tour rules limit the number of tournaments players can play before they turn 18.

Gauff says she will finish her high school work in the next couple of weeks and will continue to study online but said she is excited for the future.

"I'm only 15," she said. "I've not nearly gotten or developed my game. I started tennis at 6. I'm so excited to see, if I continue to work hard, what other success I can do in the future."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Kevin Durant will have a new jersey number with the Brooklyn Nets.

The star forward announced on social media Sunday that he will switch to No. 7 after previously wearing No. 35 for the first 12 seasons of his NBA career.

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@35ventures

A post shared by 35 (@easymoneysniper) on Jul 7, 2019 at 4:00pm PDT

He explained the decision in a statement posted via Thirty Five Ventures, his business venture with manager Rich Kleiman.

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A post shared by Thirty Five Ventures (@35ventures) on Jul 7, 2019 at 4:00pm PDT

Durant wrote in the statement that: "35 took my family and me from Seat Pleasant, MD and showed us the world. 35 allowed me to meet people that I never would've had the chance to meet, experience things I would never have had the chance to experience, and achieve things that I never would have been able to achieve. 35 allowed me to go to the University of Texas to play basketball, 35 allowed me to achieve my dream of playing in the NBA in Seattle. 35 allowed me to play basketball in Oklahoma City and form bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime. Lastly, 35 allowed me to go to the Bay Area and win two championships and form brotherhoods that no time or distance will ever break. 35 was chosen in honor of someone very near and dear to me. I will always honor him and honor the number 35. But as I start this new chapter in my basketball life, the number I'll be wearing on my back is the number 7 next time you see me on the floor. One time Brooklyn."

Durant agreed to a four-year contract worth up to $164 million to play for the Nets after spending the past three seasons with the Golden State Warriors, winning two titles and being named NBA Finals MVP twice.

The Nets officially announced the addition of Durant on Sunday night as part of a sign-and-trade transaction with the Warriors that sent guard D'Angelo Russell to Golden State. The Warriors also received guard Shabazz Napier and forward Treveon Graham and sent a protected 2020 first-round pick to Brooklyn.

The Warriors announced last week that they will retire Durant's No. 35.

"Along with the rest of the league, our coaching staff has long admired Kevin's incredible skill, resilience and tenacity," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said in a statement. "He has already established himself as a champion and one of the best players of all-time, and we couldn't be more excited to welcome him into our program in Brooklyn."

Durant's on-court debut for the Nets might not come until after this upcoming season; he ruptured his right Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 10 in Toronto and underwent surgery two days later.

Durant, who turns 31 in September, finished the postseason averaging 32.3 points per game on 51% shooting from the field, 44% shooting from 3-point range and 90% shooting from the free throw line. He became the first player in NBA history to average 30 points per game on 50-40-90 shooting in a single postseason (minimum five games).

He is a 10-time All-Star (winning MVP of the game in 2012 and '19) and six-time All-NBA first team honoree and also won Rookie of the Year in 2007-08 and league MVP in 2013-14. He has led the NBA in scoring four times, and his current 27 points-per-game average ranks sixth all time.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are trading forward Jerami Grant to the Denver Nuggets for a 2020 first-round pick -- a deal that saves the Thunder $39 million in salary and tax and stockpiles their sixth future first-round pick in recent days -- league sources told ESPN.

Oklahoma City gathered five future first-round picks in the Paul George blockbuster deal to the LA Clippers on Friday night, and moves Grant onto a Nuggets roster arming itself for a Western Conference title contending run.

In the George trade, the Thunder received three unprotected first-round Clippers picks (2022, 2024 and 2026) and two future Miami Heat first-round picks (2021 unprotected and 2023 lottery protected). The Thunder also have the rights to swap picks with Los Angeles in the 2023 and 2025 drafts.

The Thunder are gathering assets and lowering payroll and tax in the post-George era -- with Russell Westbrook remaining among the Thunder stars whose future could be elsewhere, league sources told ESPN. Westbrook and his agent, Thad Foucher, are discussing his future with Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti, sources said.

The Thunder solidified Grant's power forward position in the Clippers trade, acquiring Danilo Gallinari. Denver absorbs Grant's $9 million salary into the trade exception created with the Wilson Chandler deal to Philadelphia on July 8, 2018. That exception expired Monday. Grant has a $9.6 million player option on his 2020-21 contract.

Grant, 25, averaged 13.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 77 starts for the Thunder a season ago. Grant has played five NBA seasons, including his first three with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Grant, son of ex-Washington Wizards star Harvey Grant, is a player whom Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly has known as a young man, as Connelly worked with the Wizards early in his career. Grant joins Paul Millsap at power forward, bringing a dynamic athletic component to that position on Denver's roster.

Forward Jabari Parker, who played for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards last season, has agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks, his agent said Monday.

Mark Bartelstein told The Athletic that the deal has a player option for the second year.

The Wizards held a $20 million team option with Parker for the 2019-20 season, and the deadline to exercise it was June 29, but the team declined it, making him a free agent.

The former Duke star and second overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft landed in Washington in February. He came off the bench in all 25 of his appearances for the Wizards, averaging 15.0 points on a career-high 52.3% shooting to go with 7.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. 

It was a welcome change of scenery for Parker. He had signed a two-year, $40 million deal with his hometown Bulls last offseason but quickly fell out of favor in Chicago, losing significant playing time before he was traded. Defense was the culprit; on the season, Parker ranked 87th of 100 qualified power forwards in defensive real plus-minus (-0.91). 

Parker, 24, spent his first four seasons with Milwaukee before signing with Chicago. He holds career averages of 15.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

Free-agent guard Avery Bradley plans to sign a two-year, $9.7 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, his agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports tells ESPN.

Bradley is expected to clear waivers Monday after Memphis waived him on Saturday, clearing the way for him to join a Lakers team that now includes the offseason additions of Anthony Davis and Danny Green.

The deal will include a player option in the second year, Duffy said.

The Lakers will use their room exception to sign Bradley.

The 6-foot-2 guard is known for his defensive versatility, having been reared in Doc Rivers' system. Noted offensive talent Kyrie Irving once said that Bradley guards him better than anyone in the league.

Bradley started 49 games for the LA Clippers last season before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in February for forward JaMychal Green and guard/forward Garrett Temple.

He then started 14 games in Memphis, averaging 16 points, 4 assists and 3.2 rebounds a game in that span after overcoming knee and shin injuries.

The 28-year-old guard is a career 36.4 percent 3-point shooter. He will give Lakers coach Frank Vogel an additional switchable piece to use in a guards corps also featuring Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Green, Quinn Cook, Rajon Rondo, Alex Caruso and Troy Daniels.

Bradley has 39 playoff games to his credit, averaging 12.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals in the postseason. He started at guard for the Boston Celtics in their run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2017.

Bradley spent the first six and a half seasons of his career with the Celtics before being traded to the Detroit Pistons during the 2017-18 season. He was traded to the Clippers that same season in a deal highlighted by Blake Griffin being sent to the Pistons.

The addition of Bradley will bring the Lakers roster to 14 players, with one open spot remaining.

OK, so that happened. We just experienced the wildest week ever in the NBA. We've covered the big stories already: Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Brooklyn's coup, New York's disappointment, the Lakers going 1-for-2 on star-chasing.

Let's zoom further out and scan the league's remade terrain.

Winner: Kawhi Leonard and the (temporary?) new NBA landscape

For three years running, the cap spike of 2016 headlined the losers category. It enabled an unprecedented four-star superteam, and came as close as any single event possibly could to eliminating competitive balance. It benefited one class of players -- call them Biyozgovs, or the Mozgombos -- above everyone else, though reduced contract lengths mitigated that; players get back into free agency faster than ever.

The spike has mostly run its course. Kevin Durant is in Brooklyn. In one backroom power move, Kawhi Leonard rescued Paul George from a capped-out low-level playoff team; rejected the Lakers' attempts to build perhaps the greatest big three in basketball history; and left the league as open as it has been in years. The league's quietest superstar "found his voice," as one executive put it. He recruited George, Durant and even Kyrie Irving at points, sources say.

We now have three pairings of top-15 players (depending on how you rank Irving): Irving and Durant; Anthony Davis and LeBron James; Leonard and George. Depending on your taste, the Warriors (Stephen Curry/Klay Thompson or Draymond Green) and Sixers (Joel Embiid/Ben Simmons -- the latter outside my top 15) are on the edge of sporting such a duo. If not, they have one supernova and two (Thompson, Green) or three guys (Simmons, Al Horford, Tobias Harris) from the next tier.

Utah brings three from that second tier: Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell, though Mitchell has to improve his passing and consistency to cement his status there. Three other top-15s benefit from some combination of complementary second-tier stars, roster continuity and snug surrounding fit: Nikola Jokic, Damian Lillard and James Harden.

The reigning MVP might have the weakest supporting cast in terms of star power, but the entire Milwaukee Bucks roster is built to suit Giannis Antetokounmpo. Also: He's the freaking MVP, and perhaps heir to "Best Player In The League" status.

This season is going to be awesome.

Now the ol' turd in the punch bowl: Will parity, if this is parity, last? There might be something about the star duos-vs.-trios thing. Might be. In a lot of circumstances, you have to strip everything away to fit three max players -- picks, players, cap room. It is hard to engineer, harder to sustain. Maybe there is something conscious about moving to a two-star model.

It may also be random. What happens if a third star wants to go to the LA Clippers? The geography is worth monitoring, too. The New York Knicks struck out again, but five superstars forced their way to Los Angeles and New York.

Two of those fortunate teams -- the Clippers and Brooklyn Nets -- had no prior record as free-agent destinations. They got there by piling smart move atop smart move. George and Leonard have never been shy about wanting to return home, and they are two of the last current NBA stars from a golden generation of Los Angeles-area basketball.

Management matters. But markets still matter, too. Let's see where it all goes before anyone declares a wide-ranging systematic victory.

Winner: The West

All eight incumbent Western Conference playoff teams have a case to make it again, unless and until the Oklahoma City Thunder trade Russell Westbrook. (It feels mean to label Westbrook a "loser" here after doing so following another first-round flameout. It's also unavoidable. The Thunder have won zero playoff series since Durant left. They still have the same issues on offense despite at least five years of empty rhetoric -- aimed at Westbrook -- about adjusting. Another star left him. It's not great.)

The Lakers are dislodging one of those eight. Three other lottery teams have "if everything goes right, we can crack the race for No. 8" upside: New Orleans, Sacramento, and Minnesota. (The Minnesota Timberwolves were solid before Robert Covington got hurt, though they spent the summer in a holding pattern.) Optimists might add Dallas, but its roster beyond Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis is blah. We have to see how those two mesh, and the state of Porzingis, after a year away.

I refuse to punt on the idea of slotting the 16 best teams into the playoffs regardless of conference.

Loser: The East

Again.

Even the Bucks are worse off for losing Malcolm Brogdon, their second-best player for parts of the Eastern Conference finals. (One of biggest swing questions in the 2020 title race is whether Eric Bledsoe has permanent playoff-itis. With Brogdon, the Bucks almost made the NBA Finals despite Bledsoe struggling. Without him, they have limited margin for Bledsoe error.)

Recouping one first-round pick in the Brogdon sign-and-trade with Indiana matters; the Bucks were out two, and they need trade currency. Expect them to search out ways to flip that pick for talent, provided such a deal does not take them into the luxury tax.

They could also have kept Brogdon despite some long-term injury concerns, and paid the tax. That's what contenders do. I would assume Milwaukee took Giannis Antetokounmpo's temperature on this. Signing his older brother, Thanasis, to a two-year deal was certainly nice.

Tentative winners: Small-market teams spurned by star wings from the 2010 draft

The Utah Jazz are loaded after trading for Conley and splurging on Bojan Bogdanovic -- a last-minute pivot after Nikola Mirotic spurned them. Jeff Green and Ed Davis bring needed depth.

Utah will miss Derrick Favors. An injury to Green or Davis would bring more danger than it should. But the Jazz will be really hard to guard with four shooters around Gobert and two ball handlers who can score from anywhere, in Conley and Mitchell.

In the past, Quin Snyder leaned on complex motion to mask a lack of go-go talent. The Jazz can simplify now and run more classic spread pick-and-roll around Gobert. They remind of the peak Dwight Howard-era Magic, down to Gobert grabbing enough offensive rebounds on his own to mimic the effect of a normal team having two or even three guys crash the glass.

Gobert faces a huge burden on defense, but is it really so much bigger with Bogdanovic as small-ball power forward than with Jae Crowder? Gobert is back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year. It's his job to handle that burden.

Utah can make the Finals, but I'm a tick lower on the Jazz than the consensus. They don't feel soft, exactly. Maybe lacking in force? Compare them to last season's Philadelphia 76ers, who overwhelmed opponents -- and unnerved the champion Toronto Raptors -- with sheer size and athleticism. Even Conley doesn't scare you in that sense. He's fast, but he's barely 6-foot-1; he beats you with craft. Gobert is not as powerful or coordinated rolling to the rim as peak Howard.

Which projected starter is defending huge alpha wing scorers like LeBron, George and Leonard? What about James Harden? That job fell mostly to Ricky Rubio in last season's playoffs.

Dante Exum and Royce O'Neale figure into those questions. They bring some of that missing oomph. But will Utah be able to score enough against elite defenses with one or both on the floor? Bogdanovic is 30; that four-year, $73 million deal may not age well.

Meanwhile, Bogdanovic's old team retooled around players in Victor Oladipo's age range: T.J. Warren, Jeremy Lamb and Brogdon. If Brogdon's foot holds up, he is an ideal fit next to Oladipo; I argued before free agency that the Pacers should sign him instead of Rubio. Brogdon can space the floor, allow Oladipo to function as point guard, and soak up as much ball-handling duty as Oladipo asks.

Brogdon cost a ton, including a lottery-protected pick heading to Milwaukee. Lamb, at $10 million per year, is a steal. Warren has to show Nate McMillan he cares about anything beyond scoring. Joining a winning culture should nudge him there.

The Pacers are still one rotation guy short, and the gaping hole is at forward. They could fill it down the line by trading Myles Turner or Domantas Sabonis for a wing. For now, the Pacers are all-in playing their two bigs together. The results improved last season, in limited minutes. It is a really nice NBA subplot that both Turner and Sabonis want it to work -- that neither sees the other as a threat.

Top big wings rarely become available. They are the most valuable player type in the NBA. Most realistic deals for one amount to Indiana selling low on Sabonis or Turner. One natural trade match to monitor: Boston, with three such players in Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward (and Marcus Smart can play up a position or two) and a shortage of proven bigs.

Losers: The woebegone Hornets

I just cannot get over the Charlotte Hornets failing to make a real run at trading Kemba Walker if they knew they would not come close to offering him a max contract, let alone the supermax. They then let Jeremy Lamb -- a good wing who just turned 27 -- walk for nothing, and finished the trifecta by paying Terry Rozier nearly twice as much as the Pacers paid Lamb.

Yeah, Rozier plays a position of need with Walker in Boston. There is just not much evidence he plays it all that well -- he has shot less than 40 percent overall in all four career seasons -- and certainly not well enough to merit almost $20 million per season.

Also, what in the world is this tweet?

Is Charlotte saying that the college version of Rozier -- the one who went 16th in the 2015 draft, two picks outside the lottery -- would have been a lottery pick in this draft? Or worse: Are the Hornets arguing present-day 25-year-old Rozier would have been a lottery pick in 2019?

Umm, yeah: The veteran you just agreed to pay $58 million should probably rank in the top 14 of the draft that just happened.

But why are we surprised? This team turned down four first-round picks to draft Frank Kaminsky. Charlotte apologists can pretend this didn't happen, but it absolutely did, and current and former higher-ups have more or less admitted it. The Hornets turned down two more picks -- from Chicago -- to draft Noah Vonleh, sources have told ESPN. In a whirlwind last summer, they turned Dwight Howard into Bismack Biyombo and second-round picks instead of simply buying out Howard -- as the Nets did after acquiring Howard days later.

The Hornets had the bad luck of several players hitting free agency in the summer of 2016 -- i.e., the summer of the cap orgy. Drafting well requires good luck. But the Hornets missed on every top-10 pick aside from Walker. Drafting may be an inexact science, but any franchise needs a higher hit rate than this.

At least now we get to see what the kiddos can do. Unleash Malik Monk!

Winner: A continuity test case

Two years ago, a GM told me "continuity is the lost currency of the NBA." I liked that.

There is a tendency as teams load up to assume those who stand pat have fallen behind. But basketball is a rhythm sport. Teams improve as players develop deeper familiarity with each other. Continuity can be a strength. It might grow more powerful amid crazy year-to-year turnover.

The Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets are all banking on that. It has seemed like an awful summer for Houston. The Los Angeles teams loaded up. The Clippers will enter this season ahead of the Rockets; the Lakers might, too. There have been firings and contract disputes and rumblings of near-fatal chemistry issues.

Houston is really good. It was the only Western Conference team to challenge the Durant-era Warriors. It is bringing everyone back. But a lot of its players are on the wrong side of the aging curve. If the rumored fissures are real, it may indicate that Houston's style of play (i.e. James Harden's) has a shelf life -- that stylistic continuity would not carry the usual benefits.

Still: Too many discussions about the reloaded West have ignored the Rockets.

Denver has the compound power of youth and continuity. The Nuggets are deep at every position, though another injury to Michael Porter Jr. chips away at that -- and at what had been overflowing excitement from higher-ups about how ready Porter looked. The Nuggets are also primed for a consolidation trade on the wing. I will not stop beating the "Bradley Beal to Denver" drum until I speak it into existence.

The Spurs might have the most vanilla tentpole All-Stars in the league, but they also get Dejounte Murray back to join Derrick White. Remember: The normally stolid Spurs could not hide their enthusiasm last year over what Murray was about to do before his knee injury.

They snagged two tweener forwards -- DeMarre Carroll and Marcus Morris -- at good value. Add Rudy Gay, and San Antonio has lineup flexibility and more switchability on defense. The Spurs know how to win in the regular season. They never beat themselves -- unless they need to foul in the final seconds of an elimination game.

Loser: Phoenix Suns

Phone rings at league office.

NBA cap nerd: Hello, Phoenix Suns. Do you have a trade?

Suns: Baaaah baaa baaah! Baaah.

Nerd: What's that? You're trading Josh Jackson, the No. 4 pick two years ago, to the Memphis Grizzlies for Kyle Korver and Jevon Carter -- and you're going to waive Korver?

Suns: /plaintive bleating

Nerd: Wait -- you're throwing in De'Anthony Melton and two second-round picks? Are you sure you aren't getting another player or something?

Suns: BAAAAA BAAAH BAAAAAAA! /sound of hooves smashing random buttons

Nerd: Kelly Oubre Jr.'s cap hold? Is that what you're trying to say? You're doing this to fit Oubre's cap hold?

Rationalize it all if you want. Before the draft, Phoenix had only about $9 million in cap space -- not enough to sign a real point guard, and the Suns made the startling discovery last season that having a real point guard helps. They dumped Warren, a decent player on a good contract, and paid the giddy Pacers the No. 32 pick for taking him. Sure.

After subsequent trades and signings, the Suns on July 3 found themselves about $2 million short of being able to squeeze in Oubre's $9.6 million cap hold -- and re-sign him. The Memphis trade rectified that.

Jackson had been available for nothing. The Suns decided they didn't want him for reasons that had little to do with his on-court performance -- which was mostly frenzied and unproductive anyway.

But incentivizing another team to take him in part because you screwed up your cap sheet is a disaster. It borders on malpractice. Like, why is Aron Baynes and his $5.45 million salary on this team? The Suns acquired Baynes in a draft-day trade in which they swapped roughly equivalent first-round picks with Boston: Phoenix got No. 24, which it used on Ty Jerome, in exchange for Milwaukee's top-seven protected pick in 2020. There is no way the pick Phoenix got was worth $5.45 million more than the one it gave up. It wanted Baynes.

The Suns already had full Bird rights on Richaun Holmes, another center who carried a teensy $1.62 million cap hold, per an estimate by ESPN's Bobby Marks. Boom, there's almost $4 million in savings -- eliminating any need for the Memphis robbery. They later signed Frank Kaminsky, another backup center, with the room exception.

Did it really require $17 million per season to sign Rubio? What was Rubio's market once Indiana pivoted to Brogdon? Is Rubio a good fit next to Devin Booker? Is Oubre worth all this trouble? He looks like a 3-and-D guy. He's a long-armed menace defending the ball. He's still just 23. But he's a 32% career shooter from deep who daydreams away from the ball on defense. Seriously: Count the backdoor cuts.

You can't criticize the Suns for signing Booker to a max extension a year ago instead of waiting until restricted free agency this summer -- a move that added $17 million to their cap sheet. Phoenix is trying to repair its image with top players. Holding Booker in limbo does the opposite.

But the rest? It's just a mess.

Winner: The suddenly prudent Bulls

Did the Chicago Bulls experience some secret transfer of power? Three summers ago, the Bulls gave themselves the Barry Horowitz premature pat on the back for sitting out the cap spike -- before tossing money at Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo. Last summer, they spent $20 million on Jabari Parker, labeled him a wing, and hoped everyone would nod and turn their gaze to some other misshapen team.

The Bulls made Otto Porter Jr. their first de facto free-agency signing of this summer by flipping Parker and Bobby Portis -- both on expiring contracts -- for Porter at the trade deadline. Absorbing Porter's megadeal, which could run through 2021, marked an uncharacteristic acceptance of reality: No one good takes our cap space. Enough flailing at shiny objects. Our young players are about to develop to the point where we will be too good to outright tank. Let's just be decent and figure it out later.

Thaddeus Young might be the human manifestation of that mindset: He's not a star, but he's good enough -- smart, creative, tough as hell -- to win games. He can play power forward next to either Lauri Markkanen or Wendell Carter Jr. Tomas Satoransky is an upgrade on offense over Kris Dunn. Satoransky's pass-first approach is a better fit in lineups featuring Zach LaVine, Markkanen and Porter. He has hit 42 percent from deep over the past two seasons, though on low volume.

Ryan Arcidiacono and Luke Kornet are good value signings. I ... I like what Chicago did? I feel like Homer Simpson (and his kids) did upon realizing he had predicted the disintegration of the comet headed for Springfield.

Porter's $28.5 million player option for 2020-21 now becomes one of the league's most interesting contract wrinkles. If he picks it up, Chicago will have no cap space next summer. If he declines it with an understanding that a fat long-term contracts awaits -- the move Harrison Barnes just pulled in Sacramento -- Chicago could be capped out in 2021 and beyond as Markkanen, Carter and LaVine come up for new deals.

The Bulls won't be good this season. They'll probably top out as mediocre. That's fine. At some point you have to stop fetishizing the transaction game and build an actual basketball team. If they disappoint, the revamped lottery odds provide a better chance at leaping up the draft board.

This is a huge year for LaVine and Markkanen. If LaVine grows into more of an all-around player -- and not an empty calories hog -- Chicago's ceiling and position in the trade market change. Markkanen should be good. He has a good stroke, some handle and vision, and a bit of a nasty streak. But this will be his third season. It's time for production to catch up with appearances.

Winner: The Memphis Predators

Memphis is a couple of steps behind Chicago. The Grizzlies can prioritize the transaction game.

Odds are Josh Jackson stagnates. Most sexy second draft types do. But taking a no-cost flier on him is Rebuilding 101. Ditto for snaring a lightly protected first-round pick along with Andre Iguodala -- and getting Golden State to delay that pick obligation until 2024 (at the earliest), when the Warriors will be at risk of real decline. The Grizzlies maximized Conley's trade value, and they are in position to do the same with Iguodala and Crowder.

I don't love the three-year, $45 million extension for Jonas Valanciunas, but it's ultimately harmless considering Valanciunas' production and the state of the franchise.

General loser-ish-ness: Washington Wizards

Just over two calendar years ago, the Washington Wizards were one Kelly Olynyk outburst from the Eastern Conference finals. Now they are basically tanking, though they have Beal, which amounts to holding Beal hostage. Players have only so many NBA minutes in them. It is such a shame that Beal -- who led the league in minutes last season -- might have to waste 3,000 more carrying this sorry roster.

In mid-December, Washington traded a young player (Oubre) for an adult in the room (Trevor Ariza) to save their unraveling season. Six weeks later, the Wizards gave up by dealing Porter.

Their payroll is so bloated, they had to pass on re-signing potentially useful players -- Portis and Satoransky -- in favor of cheaper deals to Thomas Bryant (promising!), Ish Smith and Isaiah Thomas.

They didn't have the flexibility to hunt blue-chip future picks in salary dumps the way Memphis and Atlanta did. Instead, they gathered fringe prospects and second-round picks in junior versions of those deals. That is something -- a reversal of past pick hemorrhaging, assuming ownership does not mandate the sale of all those second-rounders.

Winner: The deep Pelicans

It started with one immense stroke of luck, but David Griffin reinvented the New Orleans Pelicans in a matter of weeks. New Orleans could roll 12 deep in solid NBA players. (Don't sleep on Kenrich Williams, Frank Jackson and Christian Wood.)

They are perhaps a little light on shooting, though Josh Hart is a good bet to bump his 3-point accuracy back up after surgery to clean up festering knee issues. Alvin Gentry can stagger the rotation so that two of Hart, Jrue Holiday, J.J. Redick and E'Twaun Moore are out there as much as possible around the Pelicans' non-shooters. Gentry will also have the Pelicans running like hell, and a lack of shooting doesn't hurt as much if you live on a permanent fast break.

But spacing will get cramped. Young teams generally struggle, though a couple of New Orleans' key young guys -- Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram -- are at the point where they should take major steps.

Playoff expectations feel a little premature. That's not really the point, though. Two months ago, the Pelicans had no direction -- no future. Now they are stocked with interesting young players and own damn near the Lakers' entire future draft catalog -- a portfolio that got more valuable when Leonard picked the Clippers. If the Lakers somehow avoid even a one-year dip over the next half-decade, it won't change the fact that the Pelicans had an incredible spring and summer of 2019.

Winner: Portland, not satisfied

I don't mind the Portland Trail Blazers' gamble on Contract Year Hassan Whiteside, even if it cost them Maurice Harkless -- meaning Portland lost both its rangy starting forwards (Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu) in the span of 36 hours. The Blazers have to get by with guards sliding up a position and bigs -- Zach Collins -- sliding down. (Anthony Tolliver can fill minutes, too.)

Eh. Harkless and Aminu appear more essential in stature -- big wings who can guard other big wings -- than they are in reality. Every postseason, opponents dared Harkless and Aminu to shoot 3-pointers. Every year, they missed until Portland cut their playing time. The Blazers are just getting that process over early.

Whiteside is comfortable with almost everything Portland asks of its centers: hang near the rim on defense; gobble up offensive rebounds when opponents swarm Lillard and CJ McCollum; and post up the occasional mismatch. His entitled pouting won't fly on Lillard's team. In Miami, Whiteside could talk himself into the (false) idea that he was both the Heat's best and highest-paid player. Neither is true in Portland. Even Whiteside must recognize that.

One Portland-specific area of concern: Whiteside has no track record making plays in space, something every Blazer screen-setter must do given how defenses trap Lillard. (Whiteside is a lazy, noncontact screen-setter to boot.)

Whiteside is a sloth with the ball. He has averaged fewer than one assist per game every season of his career save 2017-18 -- when he averaged exactly one. He makes Enes Kanter look like Draymond Green.

Still: Whiteside will have some monster statistical games mooching off Portland's star guards, and that raw production matters over the slog of the regular season. He's a fine placeholder for Jusuf Nurkic.

Portland's young players are primed for leaps. Kent Bazemore and Rodney Hood stabilize the outside shooting. Portland is still one move from being a real title threat, but it will enter this season in good position to strike.

Loser: Everyone, because Bobi and Tobi were separated

Some team is going to reunite these guys someday out of pure sentiment, and will be lauded as heroes. I hope these two go out dancing the night before the first Dallas-Philly game and film the whole thing.

Tentative winner: Good extension candidates

There won't be as much cap space next summer, but that is more than counterbalanced by the massive drop in the number of max-level veteran free agents. The top remaining extension-eligible guys -- Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, Caris LeVert, Sabonis, Buddy Hield, maybe Ingram -- can reasonably warn their teams: If you don't give me what I want now and I have a big year, watch out next summer.

Next summer. It can't possibly live up to the week that just reoriented the entire NBA. Right? Right?

For Cody Decker, his 204th minor league home run was a walk-off blast in every sense of the word.

Yes, the two-run shot gave the Triple-A Reno Aces a 10-9 walk-off win Friday night, but the 32-year-old first baseman also chose that moment to walk off into the sunset, stealing a page from the script for the movie "Bull Durham."

Decker, a real-life Crash Davis, retired as the active home run leader in the minor leagues.

Cody Decker has announced his retirement.

The active @MiLB home run king went the best way he knew how - a walk-off bomb!

Congrats on an amazing career, @Decker6. pic.twitter.com/v2ZSJCxC7F

— Reno Aces (@Aces) July 7, 2019

"I never really knew I'd get the chance to do it," Decker told TahoeOnStage.com about retiring after hitting a game-winning homer. "It was a really special night and one of the best of my career, something I'll never forget. The fact I got to share it with these teammates, you can't beat it."

Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 22nd round in 2009, Decker played 1,033 games over 11 seasons for 13 teams, retiring with a .260 batting average and 645 RBIs to go with his 204 homers. He hit .240 with seven homers and 21 RBIs for Reno -- the Arizona Diamondbacks' affiliate in the Pacific Coast League -- this season

Decker's major league career consisted of eight games with the Padres in 2015 when he went 0-for-11 with one RBI.

The time in the minors, though, provided memories for a lifetime. None, though, may top the memories provided by his final at-bat and trip around the bases.

"That moment coming off the field is something I never knew would happen," Decker told TahoeOnStage.com. "Getting all those hugs at home, then having a curtain call from the fans. It wasn't just the fans which is amazing, it was my teammates on the top step both giving me a standing ovation."