Do the Lakers need to make a trade? That is the crucial query.

 Welcome back to the Lakers newsletter, everyone. I'm Dan Woike, and I apologise for the brief break while I finished up a lengthy profile of Darvin Ham. It's only available to subscribers, but you can acquire access for six months for $1. I'd really appreciate it if you checked it out.

Anyway, let’s get down to the Lakers and the topic of talk that’s most surrounding them.

the smallest corner that is feasible

The Times talked to a number of NBA scouts and executives ahead of the start of this season about the Lakers and their best course of action. At the time, the franchise's main trade asset to bring back two or more rotation players in a transaction that would end up costing them both of their first-round picks eligible to be traded—2027 and 2029—was Russell Westbrook, a $47 million albatross with an unknown role on the team.

The organisation made the decision to wait, hoping that the market might open up a little more as teams became more aware of one another and as the deadline for trades on February 9 drew closer.

Since Victor Wembanyama impressed NBA officials in a pair of preseason games in Las Vegas, there hasn't been the aggressive rush to the bottom that some people anticipated. Perhaps cooler heads prevailed once teams once more grasped the more even odds in the NBA lottery.

As a result, the trade market has been rather quiet, with just occasional rumblings about deals that haven't seen any movement.

The Lakers would undoubtedly need to take action at some time, especially with their players doing well after a difficult start.

But now that more than a third of the season has passed, Westbrook has established himself as a player who is rather crucial to the club. LeBron James has injuries. The future of the club is further complicated by Anthony Davis' recent foot injury, which is being handled with such ambiguous wording that it's difficult to get anyone to affirm that he still has both a right and a left foot.

It has somehow put the Lakers in a tighter situation than they were in the summer, which is amazing given how stuck between a rock and a hard place they were before camp. On the one hand, the Lakers are on the outside looking in for the playoffs and have obvious needs, especially without Davis. On the other hand, Davis is out — once more — and team executives are left debating whether or not the present is worth sacrificing the future for given the team's obvious requirements that have put them out of the postseason picture.

In order to learn whether Davis' injury might lead the Lakers to become more aggressive on the trade market, The Times contacted executives from competing companies.

The majority of personnel professionals thought the organisation would push for a trade, although some hedging — "depends on the severity [of the injury]," one Eastern Conference GM noted.

One CEO from a competitor company commented, "[They are] within striking distance and [have] opportunities to improve." You "must."

Another rival claimed that, if dealt with appropriately, the Davis injury would actually strengthen the Lakers' negotiating position. Since the summer, the team has tried to gain advantage in negotiations, and many league observers have labelled them as "desperate" to complete a trade.

The asking price has remained quite high because to this and the early-season date of any conversations. This official believed that if Davis were injured seriously, the Lakers would gain leverage they haven't had since the summer by having a compelling reason to end negotiations and concentrate on the offseason.

In-house criticism of that reasoning was present, but it does have some validity.

Regarding potential targets for the Lakers? That is still disorganised.

People in the organisation are particularly interested in 6-foot-8, 23-year-old wing Cam Reddish of the New York Knicks, who would fill a critical need for the Lakers by adding size on the wing.

Additionally, he was a lottery pick in the past; the Lakers have had some success this season with players like Lonnie Walker IV who are part of this type of reclamation project.

According to league sources, the Knicks are looking to trade Reddish for a protected first-round selection (they surrendered one to Atlanta in the deal to get him, and the Hawks later used it in their trade for Dejounte Murray). Since Reddish isn't part of the Knicks rotation right now, the asking price is probably going to decrease with time.

The potential that clubs saw in Reddish when they selected him as a top prospect in the 2019 NBA Draft, according to some evaluators, may be unlocked with the right teammate, such as someone with the gravity of James.

Now, does this count as a significant move? Most likely not, and certainly not the kind of talent boost the Lakers would require to compensate for an injured Davis or the roster's current problems.

The consensus is that once teams have a better understanding of their future, asking prices may decrease around the league in January (keep an eye on Chicago). However, this has two implications for the Lakers, as it does with so many other things.

One, they might have a better idea of who would be available at a fair price in a few weeks. However, two, the Lakers might be in trouble without their star centre in a few weeks, making a move both more urgent and less necessary (because, maybe, the hole will be too deep).

The right choice is undoubtedly not simple to make, and it may not even exist.

Phoenix and Bill Murray's "Alone on Christmas Day" is the song of the week.

I'll be away from home for the holidays since I'll be in Dallas for the Lakers' Christmas game against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks. And no song better expresses that mood than this delightfully odd debut by my favourite French dance-rock trio and the "Scrooge" actor.

The memory of "The Immaculate Reception" is only made more poignant by Franco Harris' passing.

 Few days before the "Immaculate Reception," widely regarded as one of the greatest plays in NFL history, celebrated its 50th anniversary, Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers passed away on Wednesday.

The game took place in Harris's rookie season in 1972. He would later go on to play for the team for a decade and win four Super Bowls, including Super Bowl IX, where he was named the game's MVP. He was also elected into the Hall of Fame the first year he was eligible.

The Steelers and Oakland Raiders were playing in the AFC divisional round playoff game on December 23, 1972, and Pittsburgh was down 7-6 when quarterback Terry Bradshaw fired a pass downfield. When Raiders defender Jack Tatum and Steelers running back John Fuqua collided, the ball ricocheted off of them and into Harris' hands. Harris was several yards behind and caught the ball just as it was about to touch the ground. Harris ran 60 yards to the end zone in a flash for the game-winning touchdown amidst the commotion.

"Just a good narrative, really. As time goes on, we gradually add to it because it's better, "NFL.com was told by Bradshaw. "I loved making fun of him for his ball catching and blocking. We rarely threw the ball his way. Just a good story, really. I love these stories now more than ever at the age of 74."

This weekend, the group will celebrate the catch.

Although it's unclear if Harris' passing will affect the schedule, the Steelers have a number of events planned this weekend to honour the play.

Harris had planned to meet up with his 1972 teammates on Friday at the Immaculate Reception memorial in Pittsburgh, which is situated directly where Harris made the grab at the now-demolished Three Rivers Stadium. The Steelers have stated that the play's original radio broadcast will also be heard.

On Saturday, the Raiders and Steelers will square off once more, and the Immaculate Reception will be revered all through the game.

The Steelers announced that Harris will become just the third player in franchise history to have his jersey number 32 honoured during halftime.

Fans of the Raiders and Steelers recall the game.

While Franco Harris and the Immaculate Reception are commemorated with a statue and a memorial in Pittsburgh, some Raiders supporters were heartbroken to witness their team suffer such a shocking defeat.

However, on Wednesday, supporters of both sides were able to acknowledge what a fantastic player Harris was and expressed their condolences online.

According to one commenter, "The Immaculate Reception" was the play that ignited the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty.

Another user wrote, "As a little boy and a passionate #Oakland @Raiders fan, I grieved like, well, a small boy when the Raiders fell to the Steelers in the Immaculate Reception game 50 years ago. RIP Franco."

"shockingly surprised Additionally, on the week of the 50th anniversary of his Immaculate Reception, when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders play, "Someone stated. "A supporter of #FrancoHarris need not be a Pittsburgh fan. Salutations, Champion."

some takeaways from the Patriots' dramatic loss to the Raiders

The Patriots-Raiders game had a startling ending as it seemed destined for overtime but was stopped in 
the dying seconds by a puzzling and devastating move by New England.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Patriots initially trailed by 14 points at the half before mounting a remarkable comeback to briefly grab the lead. Then, however, things started to go wrong as the offence blew the game's final play with Chandler Jones taking an unfortunate lateral to the house for the most shocking game-ending since the Miami Miracle in 2018. First, the defence allowed a late game-tying touchdown, and then the offence blew the game's final play.
 
 
 
The Raiders' surprising 30-24 victory put a significant dent in the Patriots' playoff hopes.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A blocked punt right before the half loomed enormous, as the Patriots' blunders stacked up and directly affected the score. The late-game error equaled the early-game errors.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Patriots were unable to create a strong enough offensive effort to offset their own errors and the dangerous weapons on the Vegas squad that produced enough plays to win, even with a boost from Kyle Dugger's pick-six and numerous defensive stops. While Davante Adams was well defended against by a battered New England secondary, Rhamondre Stevenson had a good game with several excellent runs.
 
 
 
Unfortunately, the Patriots lost, dropping to 7-7 with three games remaining. Here's what happened and what the main lessons were.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Early penalties and errors reduce the score.
 
 
 
The Raiders took the opening kickoff and embarked on a lengthy drive, but the drive ultimately came to an end due to two self-inflicted penalties, a delay of game call, and an ineligible receiver downfield who cost them ten yards in the high red zone. The promising drive was ended with a field goal to start the game.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After a first four-and-out, the Patriots offence would regain its footing on their second possession. Mac Jones struck Tyquan Thornton on a crucial third-down conversion to keep the drive going.
 
 
 
However, as has happened far too frequently this season, the Patriots' offence would stall as they got closer to the end zone. They were forced to settle for a 24-yard field goal despite having a first-and-goal situation from the two-yard line.
 
 
 
On 4th-and-goal from the two, New England initially demonstrated that they were going for it. However, Mac Jones snapped the ball for the QB sneak before Jonnu Smith was set, and the ensuing penalty—a false start—moved them back five yards and eliminated the option of going for it. Following a timeout that prevented what would've been a Jakobi Meyers score, this happened. The Patriots' sloppiness and communication errors persisted in the red zone.
 
 

Fields and his illness

 three days ago Fields (illness) participated fully in practise on Thursday.

Spin: Fields' ailment, which prevented him from participating in the Bears' first practise on Wednesday following the team's Week 14 bye, was easily overcome in just one day. Fields, who missed the Bears' Week 12 defeat to the Jets due to a separated non-throwing shoulder before playing in the team's Week 13 loss to the Packers, benefited greatly from the bye week. The absence of Fields' shoulder problem on the Bears' Week 15 injury report signals that the team is not very concerned about it going forward.

Fields starts his second NFL season as Chicago's undisputed starter, according to ESPN Fantasy. The fantasy performance of the 2021 first-round choice in his first seven outings was about as awful as it gets. He finished with single digits in six of them. After that, he appeared to turn a corner because each of his following four complete games saw him finish as a top-12 fantasy quarterback. Despite playing in only 12 games, Fields finished the season with the fifth-most rushing yards among quarterbacks. Although his rushing gave him a lot of fantasy appeal, he was also an aggressive passer who led the league with a 9.8 average depth of throw.

Although the dual-threat QB has a very mediocre supporting cast, his legs make him a breakout potential worth considering in the late rounds.

Mac Allister will play in the World Cup Final for Brighton and Hove Albion for the first time ever.

 As the Seagulls' number 10 gets the start in the World Cup Final this afternoon (Sunday, December 18), it will be one of the most incredible achievements in Brighton & Hove Albion's 121-year existence.

For Argentina's match against the reigning champions France, Alexis Mac Allister has been named to the starting lineup.

The 23-year-presence old's on the field embodies the club's astounding development over the last 25 years.

Additionally, Mac Allister is extremely likely to make history as the first Hove inhabitant to ever play in a World Cup Final.

Colts against. Vikings in Week 15 Inactives

 The Minnesota Vikings (10-3) revealed on Saturday which players will miss Week 15's game against the Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1):

Cornerback K. A. Barnes

Garrett Bradbury, centre

Linebacker Ross Blacklock on defence

Pat Jones II, a linebacker outside

Parry Nickerson, a cornerback

Due to a back issue, Bradbury is out for a second week in a row.

On Thursday, Jones' health (sickness) was questioned.

Barnes has only recently joined the group.

Blacklock's most recent game was in Week 12.

On Friday, Nickerson was promoted from the practise squad.

Inactive Colts

According to Indianapolis, the following players won't be participating:

Sam Ehlinger is a quarterback.

Mike Strachan, a receiver

Kenny Moore II, the cornerback

Brandon Facyson is a cornerback.

protective end Banogu Ben

Center Theodore French

protective tackle Williams, Chris

Related Articles

Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah stand out as Liverpool destroys AC Milan 4-1 in a friendly

 At the Dubai Super Cup on Friday, Liverpool defeated AC Milan 4-1 thanks to goals from Darwin Nunez (2), Mohamed Salah (3), and Thiago.

Forward After combining well with Joel Matip on the edge of the box, Salah scored the game's first goal in the fifth minute, calmly placing the ball into the bottom corner.

- Streaming on ESPN+: Bundesliga, LaLiga, and more (U.S.)

A wide ball from AC Milan's Ante Rebic was intercepted by forward Alexis Saelemaekers, who surged into the box and finished with a low shot into the far corner after beating defender Andrew Roberston to it.

Just before halftime, Liverpool regained the lead when Thiago, a midfielder, controlled the ball outside the box with an excellent touch before blasting it past Antonio Mirante in the goal.

Both teams made multiple replacements in the second half, and Liverpool sealed the victory with two goals from substitute Nunez in the last moments.

Every game in the Dubai Super Cup is followed by a penalty shootout, and Milan won it 4-3 after Liverpool's first two attempts were saved.

On December 22, Liverpool will play Manchester City in the EFL Cup's round of 16, then on December 26, when the Premier League resumes, they will travel to Aston Villa.

Twitter disables links to Mastodon servers and suspends Mastodon's account.

 The controversy continues a day after Twitter created a new policy to justify its choice to block an account that tracks Elon Musk's private jet.

Mastodon, an open source rival of Twitter, was reportedly removed from the service on Thursday afternoon. According to archives, just before it was suspended, Mastodon (@joinmastodon) tweeted a link to the jet tracking account on its own service.

Update: Twitter marks many of the links to Mastodon as "possibly dangerous" as of 6:30 PM Pacific Time. In our testing, tweeted URLs to some servers without Mastodon in the domain appeared to still function. Mstdn.social and mastodon.social have been blocked, however links to journa.host and other sites continue to function.

As the Mastodon alternative gained popularity, many Twitter users included a link to their Mastodon profile in their bios. The warning "Warning: this link may be hazardous" is now displayed next to any links to prohibited Mastodon servers.

As of 8 p.m. PT, Twitter has disabled links to more Mastodon servers, including journa.host and SciComm.xyz, that don't have a mention to the service in the domain name.

Jack Sweeney, a University of Florida student, is the owner of the now-banned Twitter account @ElonJet. He also runs a variety of other flight-tracking bots that compile flight data from public sources. Along with many of the bots, including one that provided updates on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Sweeney's personal account on Twitter was also suspended.

Early in November, Musk had a different opinion about the account, but he has now changed his tune and modified Twitter's platform policies to reflect his own views. Even though there is a clear risk to his personal safety, he tweeted that he would not ban the account that was tracking his jet because he was committed to free expression. Currently, there are community comments explaining the @ElonJet saga that go along with that tweet.

Since the company's hands-on new owner took aboard, Musk's personal and political inclinations have influenced a number of Twitter policy decisions. Musk first said that Twitter would permit any lawful speech, but he has since banned several accounts for private reasons.

Earlier last month, Musk reinstated a number of prominent Nazis and white racists, but he drew the line at Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, citing his own parenthood.

One person cannot impose restrictions on the entire network on Mastodon, an open source, federated Twitter alternative. Users can leave a server and join another if they disagree with the decisions being made by the administrators of Mastodon's servers, which are independent yet open instances of the social network.

Why is Japan increasing its money and arsenal?

 Japan — (AP) This week, Japan adopted a new national security plan that includes a commitment to having the ability to "counterstrike" to prevent enemy attacks as well as doubling spending to take a more offensive stance and strengthen its resilience in the face of rising risks from China, North Korea, and Russia. Since the end of World War II, Japan has only practised self-defense, but the new plan represents a historic shift. Here is a look at how Japan's new security and defence policies will alter its defensive posture.

CAPABILITY FOR COUNTERSTRIKE

The National Security Strategy has undergone the most alteration as a result of Japan's "indispensable" "counterstrike capabilities." Within ten years, Japan wants to be able "to disrupt and destroy attacks against its nation considerably early and at a wider distance."

This ends the 1956 government policy that ignored the capacity to attack enemy targets and only acknowledged the concept as a last-ditch constitutional defence.

The current interceptor-based missile defence system used by Japan, according to the country, is insufficient since missile attacks against it have turned into "a real menace." China fired ballistic missiles into waters close to southern Japanese islands, and North Korea launched more than 30 missiles this year alone, one of which overflew Japan.

Japan claims that the employment of counterstrike capabilities in the event of an impending enemy assault is constitutional, but experts claim it is very challenging to carry out such an attack without running the risk of being held responsible for striking first. Opponents claim that the pacifist constitution of Japan prohibits strikes that go beyond self-defense.

The left-leaning Asahi newspaper declared that "(Japan's) exclusive self-defense policy is gutted."

The left-leaning Asahi newspaper declared that "(Japan's) exclusive self-defense policy is gutted."

DEFENSE SPENDING IS DOUBLED

Through 2027, Japan wants to quadruple its defence spending to 43 trillion yen ($320 billion), or approximately 2% of its GDP. After the United States and China, Japan's annual budget will eventually reach approximately 10 trillion yen ($73 billion), which is the new spending target that adheres to NATO standards.

Kishida estimated that his administration would require an additional 4 trillion yen ($30 billion) a year, and he suggested tax increases to cover a portion of that cost. The five-year defence building plan had to be issued without full funding plans as the ruling party continued to discuss how to cover the shortfall after his appeal for a tax increase flopped.

LARGE-SCALE MISILES

Japan will invest nearly 5 trillion yen ($37 billion) over the next five years in long-range missiles, with deployment set to start in 2026. Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industry will upgrade and mass-produce a Type-12 surface-to-ship guided missile, while Japan will buy Tomahawk and Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles developed in the United States. Defense officials in Japan stated that the terms of the Tomahawk purchase are still being worked out.

For prospective cooperation with the F-X next-generation fighter jet that Japan is building with Britain and Italy for deployment in 2035, Japan will also develop various forms of arsenals, such as hypersonic weapons and unmanned and multi-role vehicles.

At many secret locations, standoff missile systems are in operation.

CYBERSECURITY

In order to deliver long-range cruise missiles at designated targets, analysts say Japan will have to significantly rely on the United States because it has adequate cybersecurity and intelligence capabilities.

According to the five-year defence programme also agreed on Friday, "Self-Military Force superiority or Japan-U.S. interoperability without cybersecurity is difficult to achieve." This acknowledges the necessity of ensuring cybersecurity at the SDF and Japanese defence industry.

This is a positive development for the United States because, in the words of Christopher Johnstone, senior advisor and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, "weak cybersecurity by the Japanese government has been a critical impediment to deeper alliance cooperation and expanded information-sharing."

Over the next five years, Japan will spend 8 trillion yen ($58 billion) on cross-domain defence, including cybersecurity and space.

The "greatest strategic challenge" is China.

The change of Japan's strategy has been motivated by concern about what has been dubbed "the severest and most intricate" regional security environment in the postwar era.

According to the policy, China poses "an unparalleled and the largest strategic challenge" to the peace and security of Japan and the rest of the world due to its rapid arms buildup, assertive military activities, and competition with the United States.

The initiative to strengthen Japan's deterrent during the next five years was accelerated by concerns of a Taiwan emergency provoked by Russia's assault on Ukraine. Despite North Korea's continued advancements in nuclear and missile technology, China remains Japan's principal threat, for which Japan has had to prepare "by using North Korea's threat as a cover," according to former admiral of the Japanese navy Tomohisa Takei.

STILL ONLY SELF-DEFENSE AT THIS POINT?

Japan's postwar policy placed the economy over security by relying on American forces stationed in Japan under their bilateral security pact, in a division of responsibilities known as "shield and dagger," because of its history as an aggressor during WWII and the destruction following its defeat.

The possibility of even closer military cooperation with the U.S. military under the new policy has raised worries that Japan will assume a greater offensive role.

Japan claims it will uphold its pacifist concept of strict standards for the development of new weapons systems and technologies. But in order to support the nation's defence equipment industry, some softening is planned to permit heretofore prohibited exports of offensive machinery and parts, including those for the F-X fighter jet's next generation.