Sports Teams Doing Things Right This Summer
It's easy to ignore certain aspects of professional sports during the summer.
We're months away from pennant races in Major League Baseball. The National Football League only begins to become interesting in August. Both the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League are in the middle of offseasons. A meaningful international soccer tournament such as the European Championship finishes before the middle of July.
Don't look now, those of you enjoying vacations and days at the beach, but plenty of teams are hard at work and winning the summer months.
The Golden State Warriors came within a few minutes and a couple of converted shots from retaining their NBA championship for another year. Rather than staying the course with a roster that set a record for regular-season victories during the 2015-16 campaign, the Warriors instead added one of the best players in the NBA to their squad in an attempt to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers and all other teams next spring.
Both the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers look like contenders to flirt with earning a berth in the 2016 World Series. The Tampa Bay Lightning showed that sometimes the smartest business is keeping players for the long term. Manchester United took multiple steps to reclaim its spot atop the Premier League mountaintop.
It's been an exciting summer, and the Olympics haven't yet started!
Trophies are not awarded to teams that win summer. A baseball club that dominates in July can suffer cold streaks in August and September. Even a single injury can devastate an NFL team that enters the preseason with momentum and high expectations. As Leicester City taught last season, Premier League titles are won on the pitch and not in transfer windows.
With that said, these 10 teams are going in the right direction during the heart of summer.
Cleveland Indians
1 of 10
We live in a strange world these days, one in which the sports fates smile upon the city of Cleveland.
It's true, at least it is so long as you pretend the Cleveland Browns don't exist. The Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA championship last month. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians sit atop the American League Central division standings, thanks, in part, to a pair of suspensions.
Cleveland outfielder Abraham Almonte received an 80-game suspension this past February for testing positive for a banned substance. During the season, the Indians lost outfielder Marlon Byrd for no fewer than 162 games because of a similar infraction.
Those bans were blessings for the Indians during the first half of the 2016 season, as fill-ins for those two players provided boosts to the Cleveland lineup.
Per ESPN.com, Tyler Naquin leads the Indians in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS among everyday players. Thirty-five-year-old Rajai Davis entered the All-Star break atop the American League in steals with 24. Lonnie Chisenhall was one of several Cleveland batters to catch fire during the team's historic 14-game winning streak.
Along with those three, the contributions of young shortstop Francisco Lindor, free-agent pickup Mike Napoli, Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis helped Cleveland fans quickly forget about Almonte and Byrd.
Cleveland's rotation of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer is maybe the Tribe's biggest strength. Don't sell this team's bullpen short. According to ESPN.com, the bullpen of the Indians produced the sixth-lowest ERA among AL staffs during the first half of the season.
Buster Olney of ESPN reported via his Twitter page on July 13 that the Indians are "sleepers" to acquire standout reliever Andrew Miller or closer Aroldis Chapman from the New York Yankees. The Indians possess, on paper, a starting rotation good enough to win a playoff series. Adding Miller or Chapman could theoretically make Cleveland's bullpen the best in the AL.
Los Angeles Lakers
2 of 10
The fanbases of the Los Angeles Lakers and of the New York Yankees are similar in that neither tolerate losing for a long period of time.
We have bad news for both.
The Yankees may hang around in the standings for the next several months. That's nice. Major League Baseball is a young man's game, maybe more so than ever before. Teams such as the Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians offer proof of this. New York is in the middle of a rebuild, one that will eventually include players such as Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran, Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia going off the books.
There is a least a glimmer of hope and a light at the end of the tunnel for the Yankees. That can't be said about the Lakers quite yet.
Kobe Bryant rode off into retirement earlier this year. The version of Bryant we saw in 2015-16 couldn't save these Lakers or any team. Even if the Lakers tripped and fell into a playoff berth, Los Angeles would not stand much a chance against the Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs or Los Angeles Clippers.
Those running the Lakers know this. It's why, as Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer explained, the moves the Lakers made earlier this summer are logical.
By awarding Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng what Spotrac reports to be roughly $100 million over the next three seasons, the Lakers admitted defeat for now. The next two years are essentially extended preseasons for the Lakers, during which the club hopes D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson will take the next figurative steps in their careers.
Assuming those three players complete positive strides and also that the Lakers don't pull the trigger on any bad transactions over that time, the team could, theoretically, be in a position to woo a top-tier player or two come the summer of 2018.
It's not going to be pretty. The Lakers are going to lose...a lot. Remember this summer, though, if the Lakers are playing meaningful basketball in May 2020.
Jacksonville Jaguars
3 of 10
It's difficult for any NFL team to screw things up at this time of year. Free agency already came and went. Journalists, analysts and fans distributed draft grades months ago. Training camps are still weeks ahead of us.
The NFL is a 12-month-a-year business these days, though, and thus we can't help but look back while also looking ahead. Upon doing so, one could say the Jacksonville Jaguars are the big winners of this past offseason.
For the time being, let's leave rookies Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack out of the discussion. Ramsey and Jack are two promising defensive rookies drafted by the Jaguars. Injury concerns hovered over both not that long ago, and we do not, for sure, know what Ramsey and Jack will be as pros.
We do, however, know that safety Tashaun Gipson can earn a spot on a Pro Bowl roster if he is healthy and playing at his best. Gipson showed that while with the Cleveland Browns back in 2014. The 25-year-old signed with Jacksonville this past March.
The New York Giants allowed cornerback Prince Amukamara to test free agency this past winter. Amukamara agreed to terms with Jacksonville on what is, per Spotrac, a one-year deal with no promises past the 2016 regular season. Amukamara is now tasked with earning his keep with his second NFL club, a direct challenge for a young man selected in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft.
In writing about why the Jaguars won this past NFL offseason, Danny Kelly of The Ringer also touched upon moves Jacksonville made regarding the team's offense.
"On the other side of the ball, Jacksonville added depth and talent to the offensive line by signing quality tackle Kelvin Beachum away from Pittsburgh, and he’ll get a shot at the left tackle job provided his surgically repaired ACL holds up. As another injury-return bonus, the Jags get one of their best interior linemen, Brandon Linder, back after he missed all but three games in 2015. He’ll compete to start at center.
They also signed Chris Ivory, a tough inside runner who adds a fierce mentality to an already-burgeoning backfield, and made smart moves in extending receiver Allen Hurns and re-upping tight end Marcedes Lewis.
"
Allen Robinson will again line up alongside Hurns in 2016. SI.com recently listed Robinson as No. 10 on its list of top fantasy football wide receivers. Quarterback Blake Bortles, who made significant strides during his second season, will again lead the Jacksonville offense into battle this coming fall.
Jacksonville possesses a solid cornerstone for a roster. That's great in the summer. We'll see if it translates to the Jaguars winning more than a handful of games later this year.
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Tampa Bay Lightning
4 of 10
The Tampa Bay Lightning came to within a game of playing in the Stanley Cup Final this past spring. That's remarkable when you consider the setbacks Tampa Bay encountered.
The Lightning earned a berth to the Eastern Conference Final without captain Steven Stamkos on the ice. Stamkos remained sidelined until Game 7 of the conference final due to blood clot issues. Tampa Bay ran into a hot Pittsburgh Penguins team in the conference final. Then, Tampa Bay starting goaltender Ben Bishop suffered a leg injury in the opening game of the series against the Penguins.
The Lightning nevertheless took the Penguins to seven games before falling just shy of their ultimate goal.
The Lightning giving it a second go with the team's core unit made all kinds of sense at the start of summer. Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman agreed.
The Lightning wisely re-signed Stamkos to a long-term deal. Tampa Bay then, per the club's official website, locked defenseman Victor Hedman down to an eight-year contract extension. Hedman was arguably the top overall player for the Lightning during the team's playoff run.
Last but not least, Tampa Bay agreed to terms on a deal with young goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vasilevskiy impressed while filling in for the injured Bishop. According to the team website, Vasilevskiy signed a three-year contract extension with the Lightning.
It's rough for a player to lose his job to injury. It's also the nature of the business. Signing Vasilevskiy gives Tampa Bay leverage as it pertains to trading Bishop and strengthening a different part of the roster, a roster that nearly won a conference title when not at its absolute best.
Texas Rangers
5 of 10
The data and also the injury reports seem to indicate that the Texas Rangers should not hold the best record in the American League heading into the second half of the regular season.
Texas has a run difference of plus-16. That, per ESPN.com, is good for third-best in the AL West. The Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros sit above the Rangers in this category. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians are responsible for a run difference of plus-81, the highest in the American League.
Pitching and defense wins championships in baseball, right? Maybe, but the Rangers found ways to win in spite of their bullpen. According to numbers offered by ESPN.com, the Texas bullpen posted the second-highest ERA in the league during the opening half of the regular season. If that wasn't bad enough, injuries sidelined starting pitchers Yu Darvish, Colby Lewis and Derek Holland during the first half of the campaign.
None of those issues stopped the Rangers from sitting 5.5 games ahead of the Astros and atop the division standings at the start of the All-Star break.
What's going right for Texas? To begin with, the Rangers cross home plate a lot. According to ESPN.com, only the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays scored more runs than the Rangers from April through early July among AL clubs. As Victor Mather of the New York Times pointed out, the key members of the Texas lineup are consistent contributors even if there is not an MVP candidate in the bunch.
There is good news on the horizon. According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), Darvish is returning to the rotation on July 16.
The Rangers could also be buyers before the trade deadline. Texas fans may, however, want to wait before getting too excited about the Rangers making a trade with a certain club that calls the Big Apple home. Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News took to Twitter on July 14 to shoot down any rumors that the Rangers are trading for New York Yankees relief pitcher Andrew Miller.
The Rangers could use that type of arm in their bullpen this coming postseason.
Cleveland Cavaliers
6 of 10
The Cleveland Cavaliers are somewhat boring this summer.
Coming off the franchise's first-ever NBA championship and Cleveland's first professional sports title since December 1964, the Cavaliers elected to not make any massive moves up through the first couple of weeks of July. Cleveland did not overpay to sign Dwyane Wade. The Cavaliers allowed Matthew Dellavedova and Timofey Mozgov, two players who did little during the NBA Finals, to sign elsewhere. Kevin Love remains on the Cleveland roster as of July 15.
Good.
Unlike the Golden State Warriors who went all-in on next season by signing Kevin Durant (more on that later), the Cavaliers are the reigning champs. Cleveland doesn't have to rock the boat at the moment. Mike Dunleavy, a catch-and-shoot artist who should theoretically thrive in Cleveland's uptempo offense, may be an upgrade over fan favorite Dellavedova. Chris "Birdman" Andersen joining the Cavaliers, if reporters such as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal are correct about this rumored signing, adds depth and also a bit of needed toughness and nastiness to the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers did not deal Love before the 2016 NBA draft. As Matt Borcas of The Ringer explained before the draft, that may be because LeBron James is 31 years old and not in a position to wait for a rookie to match Love's regular-season numbers and also the offensive statistics that Love posted during the Eastern Conference playoffs.
That's a positive, Cleveland fans. Neither James nor anybody else within the organization is panicking. The Cavaliers are winning the summer by being smart, which is more than can be said for other teams in the NBA.
We're looking at you, Chicago Bulls.
Manchester United
7 of 10
Where to begin with Manchester United?
It's been a rough few years for Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson retired as manager. David Moyes and Louis van Gaal both failed to keep United atop the Premier League table. Leicester City, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City all finished ahead of United in the league table this past season, and the Red Devils are relegated to the Europa League for the upcoming campaign.
Those of you who enjoyed United becoming rather ordinary should get those laughs out of your systems while you can.
United unofficially kicked the offseason off by introducing Jose Mourinho as the club's next manager. Critics can say whatever they want about how Mourinho's recent stints at Real Madrid and Chelsea ended. Mourinho's resume and his successes in domestic and European leagues speak for themselves, and Mourinho brings a legitimacy back to United that the club didn't have under either Moyes or Van Gaal.
Any manager, even a Mourinho, can only do so much. United bolstered their squad at the start of the summer transfer window by acquiring international superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The 34-year-old striker may be closer to his retirement than to his physical prime, but Ibrahimovic joined United after winning Ligue 1 Player of the Year honors. Per the official Ligue 1 website, Ibrahimovic won that award for the third time in four seasons before leaving Paris Saint-Germain for United.
United's summer hauls don't end there. Attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan left Borussia Dortmund for United earlier this month. Defender Eric Bailly completed a move from Villareal to United during the first week of July. Mourinho praised Bailly in a piece published by James Tuck for the official Manchester United website.
Don't think United are done yet. As Sachin Nakrani of the Guardian explained on July 14, United continue to be linked with stellar Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.
Pittsburgh Penguins
8 of 10
When a team wins the Stanley Cup, its biggest concern is losing its top stars. That is not a problem for the Pittsburgh Penguins following the club's latest championship run.
Captain Sidney Crosby, a two-time winner of the Stanley Cup who hoisted that famous trophy and who won the Conn Smythe this past spring, isn't going anywhere. Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford is not shopping Evgeni Malkin, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (h/t ESPN.com news services).
One issue facing the Penguins this summer is the future of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. The 31-year-old held a firm grasp of his spot in the starting lineup until concussion issues sidelined him for the early stages of the postseason. Matt Murray ultimately received an opportunity to stand in for Fleury during the playoffs, and the NHL rookie who turned 22 years old played like a veteran of multiple championship runs.
Fleury briefly regained his starting gig during the Eastern Conference Final after Murray was benched in favor of the one-time Stanley Cup champion goaltender. That experiment lastly only one game before Murray returned to the lineup, and Murray remained between the pipes through the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final.
With a young goaltender who proved he can handle the bright lights of the playoffs already on the roster, logic suggested that the Penguins may consider shopping Fleury at the start of July. Hockey Central reporter John Shannon poured cold water over such speculation when he stated via his official Twitter page that Fleury is penciled in on Pittsburgh's roster for the upcoming campaign.
A lot can change between now and the start of the 2016-17 NHL season. All should recognize that the Penguins chose to not make an emotional and rash decision regarding either goaltender. Pittsburgh holds the rights to both players. The Penguins can wait to sell Fleury off to the highest bidder, either later this year or in early 2017, before any concerns about losing him to an impending expansion draft arise.
Sometimes, a team wins by doing nothing at all.
Washington Nationals
9 of 10
Both the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals deserve to be near the top of the overall National League standings. The Cubs took steps to bolster a squad that completed a run to the 2015 National Leauge Championship Series this past offseason. Washington, meanwhile, appeared to be headed toward the playoffs last summer until a cold streak coupled with the New York Mets catching fire ended the Nationals' postseason hopes in September.
The Nationals entered the All-Star break a game ahead of the Cubs in the NL standings. Washington can thank a former member of the Mets for much of the team's success.
While the Mets focused on retaining the services of Yoenis Cespedes, the Nationals signed former New York infielder Daniel Murphy. That deal, via Spotrac, is worth $37.5 million in guaranteed money up through the end of the 2018 season.
Murphy is a steal for the Nationals halfway through the current campaign.
John Harper of the New York Daily News named Murphy as his midseason NL Most Valuable Player.
"(Murphy) was almost single-handedly responsible for the Nationals winning nine of 13 games against the Mets so far, with seven home runs and 21 RBI s. And
Murphy was also the driving force throughout the first half for the Nats’ offense, so good that nobody noticed Bryce Harper really didn’t hit much after April.
You can make cases for Kris Bryant or Anthony Rizzo with the Cubs, and maybe even Corey Seager, with the Dodgers, but nobody had more impact on his team than Murphy.
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When Murphy didn't torch his former club during the opening half of the season, he hit well enough to enter the midseason break atop the NL in batting average (.348). Per Baseball-Reference.com, Murphy is on his way to finishing with career highs in batting average, hits and RBI. The 17 home runs Murphy blasted from April through early July are already more than he previously hit in any one season.
Golden State Warriors
10 of 10
The butterfly effect is a theory that one small cause or event can lead to massive repercussions. We're seeing that play out in the NBA this summer.
What would the NBA look like today had the Oklahoma City Thunder closed the Golden State Warriors out in the Western Conference Finals after the Thunder won three of the first four games of that series? What if Draymond Green would have kept his cool and not received a one-game suspension during the 2016 NBA Finals? Maybe, in one of those simulations, either the Thunder or Warriors and not the Cleveland Cavaliers reign as NBA champions as of July 15.
Neither of those scenarios played out. Golden State defeated Oklahoma in three elimination games, only to then lose a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals to the Cavaliers. The outcomes of those six games affected the landscape of the NBA, as Kevin Durant elected to ditch Oklahoma City and head west to a Warriors team that won a record-high 73 regular-season games in 2015-16.
Keep any and all hot takes about Durant "chasing rings" to yourself. Save the jokes about their being only one basketball for four superstars on any given night. No reasonable person out there honestly believes the Warriors aren't better than when they took the court for Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, right?
Not only did the Warriors add a superstar in Durant. Golden State did so without mortgaging the club's future. Per Spotrac, Durant is signed for 2016-17 with a player option for the following season. Two years from now, Golden State and all involved can revisit the matter.
The Warriors are winning the summer. Will it be enough for Golden State to reclaim the NBA crown 11 months from now?
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