SI

Weekend Hot Clicks: Isaiah Thomas's Friday Night Ended Quite Early

Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas was ejected 88 seconds into Friday's game, and was ejected with conviction.

Andrew Doughty

Weekend Hot Clicks: Isaiah Thomas's Friday Night Ended Quite Early
Weekend Hot Clicks: Isaiah Thomas's Friday Night Ended Quite Early /

Is That a Record?

Eighty-eight seconds into the Wizards-Blazers game on Friday, Wizards’ guard Isaiah Thomas was ejected for making contact with an official.

On the Wizards’ third possession, Thomas was trapped by Carmelo Anthony and Damian Lillard and pushed—albeit lightly—an official, who, after clearly waiting for this moment his entire career, ejected Thomas with authority.

At least he didn’t headbutt the ref:

Moorhead No More

“Mississippi State is considering a change at its head coaching position,” SI’s Ross Dellenger reported on Thursday. A day later, Mississippi State fired Joe Moorhead after only 14 games as head coach.

“The timing is important here,” wrote Dellenger. “Before this season, you’d have to go back more than a decade to find three Power 5 coaches who were dismissed, primarily for on-field performance, before their third year. This year, we got three in a single season, two of them within a week of one another in early November—when Florida State fired Taggart after 21 games and Arkansas fired Morris after 22 games. On Friday, in an unusual move, we got No. 3 when Mississippi State fired Moorhead, the rare coach fired after his bowl game.”

Hours after Moorhead’s dismissal, one of Mississippi State’s top targets—or, per some reports, the top target—Louisiana head coach Billy Napier, turned down the Bulldogs’ advances. Here are more than a dozen other potential candidates, including UAB’s Bill Clark and former Mississippi State defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.

Burrow vs. Lawrence

One week until the CFP National Championship, which means one week until one of the best quarterback matchups in national championship history. But where exactly does Burrow vs. Lawrence rank among the best-ever championship matchups?

I ranked the 22 matchups of the BCS and playoff eras, which was a good reminder of how atrocious Jordan Jefferson was in LSU’s loss to Alabama eight years ago.

Garrett to Baylor?

I had Ari Temkin (of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas) on the High Motor podcast last week to talk about the NFL buzz around Lincoln Riley and Matt Rhule. And when I asked him who might replace Rhule at Baylor, his response: “Jason Garrett. I’m serious.”

Temkin added he wouldn’t bet on Garrett to Baylor, but he does think Garrett should go to college football instead of pursuing another NFL job.

Also of note: On Friday, Jason La Canfora reported Matt Rhule will take the Giants’ job or stay at Baylor.

“There is a strong sense among various executives involved in ongoing NFL coaching searches that Matt Rhule is either the next coach of the Giants or staying at Baylor. The Panthers definitely want an audience with him if possible, and the Cowboys surely will too once they get around to letting go of Jason Garrett, but it just may be the Giants or nothing.

Rhule has extreme leverage, with the rest of the Giants’ candidates list not exactly full of sure things, and with another new extension from his school already in his back pocket as he catches rays in Mexico and plans his next move. The Giants job is, frankly, a shell of what it was once considered to be after ownership keeps churning through coaches and refusing to let go of coaches and struggling general managers at the same time and, basically, continuing to steal plays from Jimmy Haslam's hiring manual.

The Giants are desperate, whether they realize it or not, and Rhule is far and away their best play. I continue to hear it is a job that uniquely appeals to him and tugs at his heart strings, and he has by no means closed the door on the NFL. Heck, he went deep into talks with the lowly Jets just a year ago. It could certainly happen, and league sources maintain that despite GM Dave Gettleman still being in charge, for now, there is a real possibility his role evolves (read: lessens) between now and right after the draft should an A List candidate strongly suggest as much.”

Saturday With Sailor

Odds & Ends

Study finds that tapping a shaken beer doesn’t prevent it from fizzing … The Vikings said Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman will be back next season … U.S. Soccer canceled their upcoming training camp in Qatar … Snoop Dogg makes a hip-hop lullaby album for babies … Hang this photo in a museum … People to watch in the NFL in 2020 … National Geographic lists best trips to take in 2020 … NFL attendance hits a 15-year low.

Ahhh what?

5 Years Ago...

Follow me on Twitter, check out my podcast, and bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.

Published
Andrew Doughty
ANDREW DOUGHTY

Home/Extra Mustard