Warriors have perfect silver lining to take from brutal Al Horford update
The Golden State Warriors will be without Al Horford for at least three games as the veteran center manages what the franchise is listing as sciatic nerve irritation stemming from Friday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
It's a brutal update for the Warriors who already have question marks surrounding their center rotation, but Horford's absence does offer them a perfect silver lining in being able to evaluate their options before the mid-season trade deadline.
Quinten Post has major opportunity in Al Horford's injury absence
With Horford out, head coach Steve Kerr will have no choice but to lean more heavily on the young duo of Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis. This offers a major opportunity, particularly for Post, to grab hold of the sort of consistent rotation role that hasn't been forthcoming so far this season.
Despite easily ranking second on the team in plus-minus behind Draymond Green through the first 18 games, Post has averaged just 15 minutes per game which not only ranks 10th among all Warrior players, but is also less than he played during an impressive rookie campaign.
The 25-year-old did start in the second-half against the Trail Blazers, finishing with seven rebounds, four rebounds and three steals in just under 17 minutes. Steve Kerr confirmed after the game that he and the coaching staff would have to consider bringing Post back into the starting lineup, particularly after a game in which they were out-rebounded 62-38 on the way to a 127-123 defeat.
Horford's absence means we'll almost definitely see an uptick in Post's minutes, allowing fans and the coaching staff to get a better guage on whether his reasonably positive per 36 numbers can actually be sustained, or if they're just a by-product of a lesser role.
This is also an incredibly important period to assess the frontcourt rotation as a whole, with many already believing that the Warriors need a trade to fortify that area. They've already been listed as a potential destination for All-Star big man Anthony Davis, while Domantas Sabonis is another big name who has been brought up in speculation.
Yet if Post can start delivering consistent performances on the back of consistent opportunity, then Golden State may not need to concern themselves with a center upgrade. That starts on Monday against the Jaz where, given the presence of seven-footers Jusuf Nurkic and Lauri Markkanen, Post could be ushered back into a constantly changing starting lineup.
Denver Broncos made strong push for free-agent running back, who ultimately landed with rival
When the Houston Texans released running back Dameon Pierce earlier this week, the Denver Broncos were immediately
According to 9News insider Mike Klis, the Broncos made a push to sign Pierce, but the running back ultimately chose to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he will start on their practice squad.
It's an unfortunate turn of events for the Broncos, who needed a new running back, but instead, he has gone to Kansas City, which kept its season alive with an overtime win over the
However, this does show that the Broncos are considering adding running back help and though Pierce is off the market, the team still needs to find one. The trio of RJ Harvey, Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie not only lacks experience, but it also lacks size. The team needs a player who can come in and get those tough yards in short-yardage situations as well as help grind out victories in late-game scenarios.
Deuce Vaughn is on the practice squad, but at 5-foot-6, he doesn't quite fit the bill. The Broncos are going to have to check the free-agent market and sign a guy who likely hasn't played much, if at all, this season, and see what comes of it. There are
