Two months after falling just short at the NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers are making a coaching change. The team announced Friday that it had mutually agreed to part ways with assistant coach Mike Weinar.
In a statement, head coach Rick Carlisle praised Weinar’s character and his success. Carlisle and Weinar have worked together since 2008, starting with a 13-year stint with the Dallas Mavericks before both being hired by the Pacers in 2021.
“Mike Weinar has been a trusted friend and loyal colleague for 17+ years. As a coach, he is a proven winner with two National Championship rings with Florida Men’s Basketball in 2006 and 2007, and an NBA Championship ring from our 2011 championship run in Dallas. Mike also played a major role in this year’s historic Finals run with the Pacers,” said Carlisle in the statement. “Mike’s exemplary character as a father, husband, and man has been evident to me over nearly two decades. Professional success has followed Mike everywhere he has gone, and will no doubt continue to do so in the future.”
Earlier this month, multiplereports indicated that Weinar was in talks for a top assistant job with the New York Knicks under new head coach Mike Brown. However, Weinar reportedly pulled himself out of consideration, citing both a desire to keep his family in Indiana and to maintain his long-term partnership with Carlisle.
Weinar, however, will not be staying with Carlisle in this next chapter. With Weinar out, Lloyd Pierce remains the Pacers’ lead assistant coach, with Jim Boylen and Jenny Boucek as assistant coaches.
Two months after falling just short at the NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers are making a coaching change. The team announced Friday that it had mutually agreed to part ways with assistant coach Mike Weinar.
In a statement, head coach Rick Carlisle praised Weinar’s character and his success. Carlisle and Weinar have worked together since 2008, starting with a 13-year stint with the Dallas Mavericks before both being hired by the Pacers in 2021.
“Mike Weinar has been a trusted friend and loyal colleague for 17+ years. As a coach, he is a proven winner with two National Championship rings with Florida Men’s Basketball in 2006 and 2007, and an NBA Championship ring from our 2011 championship run in Dallas. Mike also played a major role in this year’s historic Finals run with the Pacers,” said Carlisle in the statement. “Mike’s exemplary character as a father, husband, and man has been evident to me over nearly two decades. Professional success has followed Mike everywhere he has gone, and will no doubt continue to do so in the future.”
Earlier this month, multiplereports indicated that Weinar was in talks for a top assistant job with the New York Knicks under new head coach Mike Brown. However, Weinar reportedly pulled himself out of consideration, citing both a desire to keep his family in Indiana and to maintain his long-term partnership with Carlisle.
Weinar, however, will not be staying with Carlisle in this next chapter. With Weinar out, Lloyd Pierce remains the Pacers’ lead assistant coach, with Jim Boylen and Jenny Boucek as assistant coaches.
If you’re in the market for a new computer—whether you want to buy one ready made, or build one yourself—Labor Day is a great time to save some cash on devices from Apple, Lenovo, Corsair, and others. Here, I’m focusing on desktop computers and components, but also be sure to check out our guide to the best Labor Day sales overall.
Apple Mac Studio with M4 Max
$1,899.00 at B&H
$2,099.00 Save $200.00
$1,899.00 at B&H
$2,099.00 Save $200.00
ThinkCentre M90a Gen 6 Intel (24″) All-in-One
$1,029.00 at Lenovo
$1,459.00 Save $430.00
$1,029.00 at Lenovo
$1,459.00 Save $430.00
VENGEANCE i7500 Gaming PC
$3,999.99 at Corsair
$4,999.99 Save $1,000.00
$3,999.99 at Corsair
$4,999.99 Save $1,000.00
Alienware – Aurora Gaming Desktop
$2,759.99 at Best Buy
$3,149.99 Save $390.00
$2,759.99 at Best Buy
$3,149.99 Save $390.00
Samsung Portable SSD T7
$102.00 at Amazon
$102.00 at Amazon
TP-Link Wifi Mesh System
$299.97 at Amazon
$449.99 Save $150.02
$299.97 at Amazon
$449.99 Save $150.02
Logitech MX Keys Mini Minimalist Wireless Keyboard (Graphite)
$89.99 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $10.00
$89.99 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $10.00
Logitech C920x Pro HD Webcam
$59.00 at Walmart
$139.26 Save $80.26
$59.00 at Walmart
$139.26 Save $80.26
For creative power users: Mac Studio with M4 Max
The Mac Studio, like the Mac Mini, is a Mac-in-a-box that lets you bring your own monitor and peripherals. Unlike the Mac Mini, these are pretty powerful little machines in affordable (for Apple, anyway) packages. This model comes with an M4 Max processor, 36GB of RAM, and 1TB of built in storage for $1,900 ($200 off its normal price).
For Zoom calls (as well as work): Lenovo ThinkCentre M90a All-in-One
The last thing you want to worry about when you’re trying to get office work done is how you’re going to look on Zoom. Fortunately, this Lenovo all-in-one takes the guesswork out. In addition to packing solid specs into a 24″ 1080p monitor, it comes with a built-in 5MP webcam on an adjustable mount attached to the top of the display.
For power overwhelming: Corsair Vengeance Gaming PC
Corsair makes some excellent gaming PCs, and this Vengeance pre-built is a powerhouse. It packs an Intel Core i9-14900KF CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, 64GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 2TB M.2 SSD. This rig is down to $4,000, a $1,000 discount over its normal price. Given that the 5090 GPU can cost upwards of $2,000 alone, this is a great deal on your next gaming or video editing rig if you need as much power as possible.
For future-proof gaming (or work): Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop
For a PC that’s explicitly marketed as a gaming rig, this Alienware desktop could blend in surprisingly well in an office. It packs an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor, 32GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 GPU. At $2,760, it’s $390 off its normal price. This is a solid choice if you want a gaming rig that will last several years without becoming outdated, but it also works well if you need a regular work machine that has some horsepower behind it.
Deals on PC Accessories
The need for deals doesn’t end once you’ve got a computer on your desk. Peripherals, storage, and other accessories can add up, but here are some more things you can save on.
For all your peripheral needs: Anker 7-in-1 USB-C adapter
I’ve had this particular Anker dongle in my laptop bag for I don’t even remember how many years. It’s super cheap—on sale right now for $28, down from $36—and turns one USB-C port on your computer into an array of ports. It has space to plug in SD and microSD cards, and HDMI cable, two USB 3.0 devices, and even an Ethernet connection. It’s not quite a replacement for a full docking station, but for making sure you can connect to anything on the go, it’s my favorite.
For blazing fast storage: Samsung T7 External SSD
This is, by far, my favorite external storage solution. The Samsung T7 external SSD has an aluminum unibody frame that’s extremely durable, and reaches ludicrously fast transfer speeds of up to 1,050MB/s. I’ve used this to record and transfer uncompressed 6K video footage, which can quickly reach hundreds of gigabytes. If it’s fast enough for my outlier video needs, it’s likely enough for almost anything you can throw at it. Right now, the 2TB model is down to $130 (or $20 off).
For super fast home wifi coverage: TP-Link Deco Mesh Wifi
Mesh systems are a huge boon for covering large (or even medium-sized) homes with wifi. This TP-Link mesh router pack provides Wi-Fi 7 coverage from two access points, which you can expand with more points in the future if you need more coverage. It supports up to 5,188Mbps speeds on 6GHz channels, and it also supports 5GHz and 2.4GHz networks, for the older devices in your home that don’t support Wi-Fi 7 yet.
For versatile typing power: Logitech MX Keys Mini
The Logitech MX Keys Mini is a smaller variant of my daily driver keyboard. Logitech’s MX Keys line is a durable, comfortable, low-profile set of keyboards with great battery life and robust customization software. The Logi Options+ app lets you set custom macros, adjust functions of various keys, and tweak the device to your specific productivity needs. Personally, I prefer having a numpad, but if you could do without it, this model is down to $90.
For video call clarity: Logitech C920x webcam
Most tech gets outdated within a year or two, but the Logitech C920x webcam is one of those rare gadgets that has somehow managed to stay top of its class with minimal updates. I’ve bought multiple units of this webcam over the years, either to replace ones I’ve lost or as gifts for friends. It delivers excellent 1080p video, rests comfortably on almost any monitor or laptop, and has excellent automatic adjustments to brighten and color-correct your camera. It’s already pretty cheap usually, and now it’s down to $60 (from $70).
The Baltimore Orioles have extended Samuel Basallo a week into his major league career. The 21-year-old reportedly agreed to an eight-year, $67 million extension that can max out at $88.5 million with incentives. The Orioles seem to like what they see in the young catcher, but that leads to questioning what will become of Adley Rutschman. Nothing will happen to him right now as the former top prospect has gone to the IL with an oblique injury. What does his future with the Orioles look like, and when does Basallo become the guy? Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss this surprising turn of events.
Basallo hasn’t been the only young player making moves as multiple teams have recently called up star prospects. The Pirates, Rays, Red Sox, Reds and Guardians have all made moves that caught Jordan’s attention. He fills you in on all of the prospects who have been brought up and shares his insight on each of them.
Later in the show, the ever-evolving world of media rights is the hot topic. It appears that Major League Baseball’s media rights situation is starting to wrap-up with ESPN, Netflix and NBC all being involved. Apple is also, potentially, joining the group. What does this mean for the fans’ ability to watch games going forward? Jake and Jordan give their thoughts on the whole situation. Plus, Jake gives a special Little League World Series report. With the championship games to be played this weekend, the guys reflect on the tournament and Jake reviews who the players’ favorite MLB players are. They discuss what kind of insight this gives to the state of the game and the players who were selected.
Lastly, everyone’s favorite time of the week. The Good, The Bad & The Uggla. A former MLB player announces his new baseball academy, a current MLB player notches his first steal in the majors and a potential future MLB player’s father takes to X about his son’s fender bender incident. Plus, an ugly Red Sox vs. Yankees matchup.
Close out your week at the Baseball Bar-B-Cast.
Orioles extend Samuel Basallo
Photo by Joe Sullivan/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Photo by Joe Sullivan/MLB Photos via Getty Images
(1:48) – Samuel Basallo gets an extension
(22:23) – Top prospects who have recently been called-up
(35:08) – MLB’s TV rights decision
(44:26) – Jake’s report on the Washington Nationals
If you have a smartphone and spend any time on the internet, it’s likely that at least some of your personal data has been collected, shared, and sold at some point. Many apps you use every day are highly invasive—but you don’t have to make it easy for companies and data brokers to obtain and use your information.
It probably comes as no surprise that social media apps conduct a significant amount of data collection and sharing, and those from Google and Meta are among the worst culprits. That said, any category of app has the potential to be invasive in the data that’s collected and how that data is used, according to Thorin Klosowski, a security and privacy activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
For example, weather apps are notoriously poor when it comes to privacy, and ad-supported games like Candy Crush Saga also collect a decent amount of data that may track you across apps and/or be shared with third-party advertisers. As Android Police points out, Uber Eats also tracks way more than you might expect.
Many apps need some amount of your personal data to function properly—but probably not as much as they are taking by default.
Know what data your apps collect
Before you download an app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, review what data the app collects and how it is used on the app’s listing (under App Privacy with Apple and Data safety with Google).
Meta’s Messenger, for example, clearly states that it collects an enormous amount of data for third-party advertising, developer advertising and marketing, analytics, product personalization, and “other purposes.” Meanwhile, Signal, a much better pick for privacy and security, collects only your phone number for app functionality and does not share any data with third parties.
This also applies to your random, single-purpose apps—flashlights, unit converters, guitar tuners, etc.—when you have a dozen or more options to choose from and no specific recommendation to go off of. Look for those that explicitly say that they do not sell data to third parties. In some cases, paying a few dollars for an app that isn’t ad supported (rather than defaulting to whatever is free) will net you some additional privacy protection.
You can also review TOS about, which has summaries of terms of service and privacy policies for many companies and services with ratings and specific elements considered good, bad, and ugly.
Finally, do a little bit of research to see if the app you’re considering has been reviewed and recommended by privacy experts or has known alternatives that are more privacy-centric.
How to protect your privacy with apps
If you are going to use apps that collect a lot of data, you should try to minimize their access as much as possible, removing permissions that aren’t essential for apps to function. Location sharing is a good place to start: you can turn off precise location sharing on both iOS and Android or disable location services entirely for specific apps. Even your weather app doesn’t actually need access to your location—you can type in a zip code instead.
Klosowski also advises auditing the apps on your device and removing anything that isn’t currently needed—for example, apps downloaded for one-time use (like a conference) or those built into your OS, such as a compass or measurement tool. These apps may be ad-supported or otherwise collecting data in the background for no reason.
If you want to be especially vigilant when it comes to your privacy, you can also consider alternatives to data-hungry apps, such as swapping in DuckDuckGo for Google Chrome or utilizing services like Uber Eats on the web instead.
Early Labor Day sales are already here. I’ve already written about sales on iPads and other tablets, but if the screen you’re after is a little bigger, there are plenty of TVs available at great prices, too. Here are the best ones I’ve found so far.
XR Processor with AI Technology,120hz Television with Dolby Vision/Atmos, Exclusive Features.
Sony BRAVIA 5 65 Inch Google TV
$1,198.00 at Amazon
$1,499.99 Save $301.99
$1,198.00 at Amazon
$1,499.99 Save $301.99
Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, HDR10, AI Super Upscaling 4K, Filmmaker Mode, Wow Orchestra, Alexa.
LG 65-Inch OLED evo AI 4K C5 Smart TV
$1,796.99 at Amazon
$2,696.99 Save $900.00
$1,796.99 at Amazon
$2,696.99 Save $900.00
I’ve been lucky enough to test TCL’s new QM6K QLED TV firsthand for a couple of months. It’s hard to believe it’s considered a budget TV, considering how good it is. The 55-inch model starts at $447.99 (originally $698 at launch) right now.
Also from TCL is the QM7K QD-Mini LED TV, which is a step up from the budget QM6K, for those who are okay paying a bit more for a better picture quality. Right now, the 65-inch size is $997.99 (originally $1,499.99) after a 33% discount. There are other sizes also seeing good discounts. You can read more about this TV in PCMag’s “excellent” review.
I love Roku TVs because of how practical they are. The remote is a Roku remote, and the TV’s OS is Roku, so it makes navigating and playing media very easy without needing to stick any streaming stick in the back. Right now, the Roku 75-Inch Pro Series TV from 2025 is $799.99 (originally $998), the lowest price it has been. You can read more about this Roku TV in PCMag’s “excellent” review.
If you’re looking for a truly massive TV, consider the Hisense 98″ Class QD5, a QLED TV currently going for $1,497.99 (originally $2,298), the lowest price since its release earlier this year. It has my favorite OS, Google TV, which lets you cast your phone or computer seamlessly. It also has a native 144Hz refresh rate with AMD FreeSync Premium, so gaming will be smooth. The Dolby Vision Atmos and HDR 10+ support will make movie nights pop.
The Sony BRAVIA 5 is the mid-tier TV from Sony’s 2025 LED TV lineup, with a decent amount of dimming zones and using the Mini LED backlight technology that makes it look crisp and bright. It comes with Google TV OS, supports Dolby Vision, and has good brightness on SDR content; just be careful with glare from reflections, since it’ll make viewing a challenge. You can get the 65-inch version for $1,198 (originally $1,499.99).
For those looking to splurge on an OLED TV, the 55-inch LG C5 is $1,396.99 (originally $1,799.99) and the 65-inch is $1,796.99 (originally $2,696.99). This OLED model came out this year and it’s impressive to already see it with such a steep discount. It has excellent image quality like you’d expect from any OLED, has great gaming specs, and the contrast looks great even in bright rooms, according to CNET’s review.
It’s hard to find a good, reliable app to download videos off the internet. It seems that whenever I find one of these tools that I enjoy, there’s a good chance that, soon, it’ll either stop working, be abandoned by its developers, or get sold to a shady new owner. One app that’s never faced these issues is Downie for Mac. Downie is a one-click video downloader for hundreds of websites, including YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, Vimeo, and many more. It has been regularly updated for many years, and comes with a simple business model—a one-time payment of $20. It’s easily the best, most reliable option I can reccomend, assuming you have a Mac.
How to use Downie to download videos
Credit: Pranay Parab
Once you install Downie on your Mac, the simplest way to use it is to install its browser extension in whatever browser you use. There are options for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera.
After that, just open any webpage that has a video, press the Downie button in your browser’s toolbar, and the app will handle the rest. It really is as simple as that. The only issue you might run into is if there are multiple videos on a page. For example, if you open your Instagram feed in a browser, and press the Downie button, the app can’t just download every video from your feed. The trick is to open the specific post you want to download in a new tab first, before pressing the Downie button.
If you have the URL of the video you want to download, you could also just copy and paste it in Downie directly, which lets you skip installing any browser extensions. For sites that Downie doesn’t support, there’s also a user-guided extraction mode to help you download videos, although it’s not foolproof. I haven’t come across any site where I’ve needed to use it yet, but if you need to, you can check out the developer’s guide to using the feature. Just don’t expect to get past copy protection with it.
In my testing, Downie was able to download most of the videos I needed to save. I tried Downie on a bunch of other social media sites and video platforms, and it worked quite well, even on tricky ones like Instagram Reels. The most notable exception was Instagram Stories, which it couldn’t download with any degree of reliability, but you can use other websites to download those.
Configuring Downie’s settings
Credit: Pranay Parab
While Downie seems simple on the surface, it’s extremely configurable, so it’s worth going through its settings to customize it to you. While Downie is open, click the Downie button in the menu bar and select Settings. Now, go through each of the available tabs to see what the app has to offer. In the General tab, you can select download quality options, which is helpful if you don’t want to fill up your Mac’s storage by downloading 4K videos.
The Destination tab lets you configure where you want your downloaded videos stored, and the format you want for video files. It also lets you save video thumbnails as images. You can also extract audio from video files, which means that if you want to convert a YouTube video to an MP3 file, Downie can do that for you. You can configure this feature in the Postprocessing tab in Downie’s settings, where it lets you choose if you want to download audio as MP3, M4A, or in the original format.
The Subtitles & Audio settings section is also helpful, especially if you’re hard of hearing. It has a neat option that lets you download all available subtitles, even across multiple languages. The Proxy Server tab lets you enable a feature where you can download videos blocked in your region, too. Finally, there’s the Supported Sites tab, where you can configure individual download settings for each site that Downie supports. There are a few more settings pages that you can go through if you want even finer control, but you should be fine with just these basics.
Getting Downie at a lower price
Credit: Pranay Parab
Downie’s $20 price tag may seem a bit steep for some, but maintaining an app like Downie is a lot of work. Websites keep changing their code all the time, which means that Downie has to stay ahead of the game to ensure that you can download videos from them. I’ve seen plenty of instances where apps that don’t get updated wind up useless, and that’s why I value having a trustworthy app where the business model is clear.
Having said that, Downie is available as a part of Setapp, which lets you access over 200 Mac apps for $10/month. My colleague Justin Pot has given Setapp his own endorsement, and I have to agree that it’s a good deal. If you plan to use more than just Downie, it could be a good way to save money overall.
Golden State is interested in free agent wing Cody Martin, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported.
“Another name on the Warriors’ list of bench targets, sources say, is Cody Martin,” Fischer said.
Entering what would be his seventh NBA season, Martin averaged 6.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 rebounds over nearly six seasons with the Charlotte Hornets — not too shabby.
But Martin struggled after getting traded to the Suns at the 2024-25 NBA trade deadline and averaged 3.7 points per game while making just three of 27 3-point attempts over 14 games with Phoenix. That is all before mentioning that the 29-year-old Martin has dealt with his fair share of injuries, playing in just 93 of a possible 246 games over his last three campaigns.
Martin clearly isn’t the most exciting option, but he is generating interest from competitive teams beyond the Warriors.
“The veteran swingman has received interest from numerous playoff teams this summer but is said to be waiting to see whether an opportunity with Golden State proves to be his most attractive option … or if it’s better to let the season start and see what opportunities arise after training camps begin,” Fischer wrote.
Golden State seemingly is waiting for the end of the Jonathan Kuminga saga to begin rounding out its roster. Once that happens, Fischer reiterated that the Warriors probably will go after other end-of-the-rotation pieces.
“We’ve reported previously that Seth Curry and Malcolm Brogdon are candidates for a Warriors roster spot after Kuminga’s situation is resolved and the above three signings are completed.”
The Warriors are interested in trading for another player to complement Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler.
Golden State has been aggressive in looking for potential trades to fill out the roster, and they have a big interest in New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported.
“Sources say that the Warriors have a strong affinity for Murphy and have made outreach to New Orleans as recently as this summer,” Fischer said. “Yet sources say that the Pelicans, to be clear, have batted away calls for the 25-year-old, valuing him highly. The two-way forward will be playing on a contract in 2025-26 — at precisely $25 million — as desirable as his talent.
With contract talks at a standstill with Jonathan Kuminga, the Golden State front office has been looking elsewhere to find young talent that could complement their core trio. Murphy III would fit in with coach Steve Kerr’s motion-heavy offense, especially considering his shooting skills.
“You could certainly understand why the Warriors would want Murphy,” Fischer said. “It’s not hard to picture his length, defensive prowess and 3-point shooting meshing nicely alongside Curry, Butler and Draymond Green. Murphy is a career 38% shooter from deep; having enough shooting to surround their three core pillars is among the reasons why the Warriors have been willing to go only so far in their Kuminga talks.”
The 25-year-old averaged 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game last season with the Pelicans.
Kuminga and the Warriors still are in a stalemate in contract negotiations, with the 22-year-old appearing unwilling to sign a deal that would make it easier for him to be traded next season. That level of long-term security seems to be the sticking point, which has prompted the front office to inquire about trading for other players.
With Curry, Green and Butler still performing at a high level, the challenge for the front office will be to find cheap, young players that can fill out the roster and perform when needed.
Murphy III could be that missing piece if the Pelicans are willing to part with him, though they have a steep asking price so far.
