New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson ascended to stardom under Tom Thibodeau. His father, Rick Brunson, played under Thibodeau when he was an assistant for the Knicks and the Houston Rockets. Then Rick Brunson coached on Thibodeau’s bench, first with the Chicago Bulls, then with the Minnesota Timberwolves and most recently with the Knicks.

All three of them were part of the Knicks making the Eastern Conference finals this past season for the first time since 2000. New York fell two wins shy of its first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999.

But, less than a week after the team’s Game 6 defeat to the Indiana Pacers, the Knicks fired Thibodeau. In July, they hired Mike Brown as their next head coach.

Jalen Brunson spoke publicly about the coaching change for the first time Tuesday when the Knicks held their season-opening media day.

“It’s sad to see a man I’ve known for a long time part ways with this organization,” Brunson, now a two-time NBA All-Star, said while fielding a question about Thibodeau’s removal.

“But he’s meant a lot to me. I’ve expressed that to him publicly and personally.”

Brunson added: “Yeah, he’s meant a lot to my career up to this point.”

Brunson, a 2018 second-round pick of the Dallas Mavericks who won two NCAA championships at Villanova, signed with the Knicks in free agency ahead of the 2022-23 season and immediately made a splash. He’s averaged 26.4 points per game over the course of his first three seasons with the organization, leading New York to at least one playoff series victory each season.

During that stretch, he’s been joined by a collection of his college teammates, including Josh Hart, who previously played for the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers but signed a four-year, $81 million extension with the Knicks leading up to the 2023-24 season. This past season, Hart recorded a league-leading 37.6 minutes per game while averaging 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

After talking Tuesday about enjoying the summer with his family, Hart stopped a reporter midway through their question about the coaching change.

“We were just talking about summer. Damn,” Hart said jokingly. “Messing up the mood already? Alright, go on. Let’s do it.”

Hart eventually noted: “Yeah, obviously, I love Thibs. I’m always going to have love for Thibs for the things that he helped me with and putting me in a position to be successful, to be paid. So always got love for him, and I hope he’s doing well right now. But obviously we have Mike, and we’re extremely excited about what he brings to the table offensively and defensively. And obviously there’s going to be a little bit of a feeling out process. 

“But we’re excited. We’re excited with what this team has, what this team can be. But now it’s about gelling.”

“Excited” is the same word Brunson used to describe his early takeaways from working with Brown, who most recently led the Sacramento Kings for two-plus seasons and is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year and four-time NBA champion as an assistant.

“I think it’s going to be fun,” said Brunson, who pointed out he and his teammates have to be willing to adapt.

“It’s a new year. Everything’s going to be new, so everything’s going to be exciting in the beginning. Just really excited to get this season started. I think I can probably answer some of these questions better once we actually start practicing and get to know each other a little better.”

The 2025-26 season marks the second straight season the Knicks have entered coming off a seismic change. They began the 2024-25 campaign after trading for center Karl-Anthony Towns and wing Mikal Bridges.

Despite back-to-back 50-win seasons — the Knicks’ first since 1993-95 — the organization has switched things up.

“For me, it’s my job to go out there and just find a way to help this team win,” Brunson said after being asked about those changes. “There’s different people in this organization with different jobs and different things that they have to do to be able to make this team better, and that’s their point of view. 

“So, for me, I have to just come in and do my job as best of my abilities.”

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson ascended to stardom under Tom Thibodeau. His father, Rick Brunson, played under Thibodeau when he was an assistant for the Knicks and the Houston Rockets. Then Rick Brunson coached on Thibodeau’s bench, first with the Chicago Bulls, then with the Minnesota Timberwolves and most recently with the Knicks.

All three of them were part of the Knicks making the Eastern Conference finals this past season for the first time since 2000. New York fell two wins shy of its first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999.

But, less than a week after the team’s Game 6 defeat to the Indiana Pacers, the Knicks fired Thibodeau. In July, they hired Mike Brown as their next head coach.

Jalen Brunson spoke publicly about the coaching change for the first time Tuesday when the Knicks held their season-opening media day.

“It’s sad to see a man I’ve known for a long time part ways with this organization,” Brunson, now a two-time NBA All-Star, said while fielding a question about Thibodeau’s removal.

“But he’s meant a lot to me. I’ve expressed that to him publicly and personally.”

Brunson added: “Yeah, he’s meant a lot to my career up to this point.”

Brunson, a 2018 second-round pick of the Dallas Mavericks who won two NCAA championships at Villanova, signed with the Knicks in free agency ahead of the 2022-23 season and immediately made a splash. He’s averaged 26.4 points per game over the course of his first three seasons with the organization, leading New York to at least one playoff series victory each season.

During that stretch, he’s been joined by a collection of his college teammates, including Josh Hart, who previously played for the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers but signed a four-year, $81 million extension with the Knicks leading up to the 2023-24 season. This past season, Hart recorded a league-leading 37.6 minutes per game while averaging 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

After talking Tuesday about enjoying the summer with his family, Hart stopped a reporter midway through their question about the coaching change.

“We were just talking about summer. Damn,” Hart said jokingly. “Messing up the mood already? Alright, go on. Let’s do it.”

Hart eventually noted: “Yeah, obviously, I love Thibs. I’m always going to have love for Thibs for the things that he helped me with and putting me in a position to be successful, to be paid. So always got love for him, and I hope he’s doing well right now. But obviously we have Mike, and we’re extremely excited about what he brings to the table offensively and defensively. And obviously there’s going to be a little bit of a feeling out process. 

“But we’re excited. We’re excited with what this team has, what this team can be. But now it’s about gelling.”

“Excited” is the same word Brunson used to describe his early takeaways from working with Brown, who most recently led the Sacramento Kings for two-plus seasons and is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year and four-time NBA champion as an assistant.

“I think it’s going to be fun,” said Brunson, who pointed out he and his teammates have to be willing to adapt.

“It’s a new year. Everything’s going to be new, so everything’s going to be exciting in the beginning. Just really excited to get this season started. I think I can probably answer some of these questions better once we actually start practicing and get to know each other a little better.”

The 2025-26 season marks the second straight season the Knicks have entered coming off a seismic change. They began the 2024-25 campaign after trading for center Karl-Anthony Towns and wing Mikal Bridges.

Despite back-to-back 50-win seasons — the Knicks’ first since 1993-95 — the organization has switched things up.

“For me, it’s my job to go out there and just find a way to help this team win,” Brunson said after being asked about those changes. “There’s different people in this organization with different jobs and different things that they have to do to be able to make this team better, and that’s their point of view. 

“So, for me, I have to just come in and do my job as best of my abilities.”

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With the NBA season approaching, Jayson Tatum is speaking candidly about the Achilles tear that abruptly ended his 2025 postseason and is threatening to sideline him for the entire upcoming season.

It was a devastating injury that struck down an All-NBA player in his prime and prefaced an unexpected breakdown of a Celtics roster one season removed from an NBA championship. 

An Achilles injury is arguably the most dreaded in sports and one that used to threaten careers. But advancements in treatment and recovery have allowed athletes in recent years to return and thrive. 

Kevin Durant remains an All-NBA talent six years after rupturing his Achilles tendon in the 2019 Finals. Aaron Rodgers has returned to productive quarterback play at 41 years old, two years after suffering the same injury.

But even with the injury’s improved prognosis, the recovery for athletes is long and arduous — and one that’s generally expected to sideline Tatum for the upcoming NBA season. But Tatum isn’t ruling out a return.

Tatum talks 2025-26 comeback

“First thing, I haven’t said I’m not playing this season,” Tatum told ESPN’s “First Take” on Tuesday.

That said, he doesn’t intend to take any unnecessary risks. 

“The most important thing is a full recovery,” he continued. “And I’m not rushing it … at all. But also, I don’t go to rehab six days a week for nothing.”

Tatum spoke with People about the moment he suffered the injury late in Game 4 of Boston’s playoff series against the New York Knicks. He knew immediately what had happened. He said he still hasn’t watched a replay of the injury and that “it’s been a long journey” back.

“It sounded like a gunshot,” Tatum said. “It was almost as if I had headphones on when I heard it. It was the loudest pop.

“I just kept saying, ‘No, no, no way this just happened to me.’ I’m turning on my butt, smacking the ground, ’cause I knew right away what just happened.”

Tatum isn’t the only NBA star going through recovery from an Achilles rupture. Pelicans All-Star Dejounte Murray suffered one in January. Bucks All-Star Damian Lillard, like Tatum, ruptured an Achilles tendon in the playoffs. 

And Tyrese Haliburton, in heartbreaking fashion, suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals that his Pacers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Tatum on contact with fellow injured All-Stars

Tatum told “First Take” he’s been in communication with all of them about their injuries — specifically with Murray and Lillard to get an idea of what to expect since their recovery timelines are ahead of his.

“We have all been in communication,” Tatum said. “It all happened this season. We’re all at different points of our rehab and recovery. … 

“I text Dame and Dejounte all the time because they’re ahead of me like, ‘What are you doing now? What are your workouts looking like now?’ We’re just all in the same boat, kind of checking in on each other, keeping in touch. It’s been very helpful.”

Could Tatum actually return this season?

So is a return for Tatum this season realistic? It’s not fair or reasonable to project from here. But in the instance that he does return, what would that look like for the Celtics?

Beyond medical clearance, a return for Tatum in 2025-26 would likely be contingent on the Celtics being competitive. Gone are Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday from an offseason roster purge to get under the the NBA’s punitive second salary apron. 

But there is talent on the Celtics’ roster. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are still in Boston. And, thanks in part to the injuries to Lillard and Haliburton, the Eastern Conference projects to be wide open next season. 

From this vantage point in September, a lot of things have to go right for Tatum to return in 2025-26. First and foremost, he has to be physically and mentally ready. And the Celtics would have to remain afloat in the East without him, to the point that his return would give them hope of competing in the postseason. 

It adds up to a long shot. But it’s one that Tatum is not willing to rule out. 

With the NBA season approaching, Jayson Tatum is speaking candidly about the Achilles tear that abruptly ended his 2025 postseason and is threatening to sideline him for the entire upcoming season.

It was a devastating injury that struck down an All-NBA player in his prime and prefaced an unexpected breakdown of a Celtics roster one season removed from an NBA championship. 

An Achilles injury is arguably the most dreaded in sports and one that used to threaten careers. But advancements in treatment and recovery have allowed athletes in recent years to return and thrive. 

Kevin Durant remains an All-NBA talent six years after rupturing his Achilles tendon in the 2019 Finals. Aaron Rodgers has returned to productive quarterback play at 41 years old, two years after suffering the same injury.

But even with the injury’s improved prognosis, the recovery for athletes is long and arduous — and one that’s generally expected to sideline Tatum for the upcoming NBA season. But Tatum isn’t ruling out a return.

Tatum talks 2025-26 comeback

“First thing, I haven’t said I’m not playing this season,” Tatum told ESPN’s “First Take” on Tuesday.

That said, he doesn’t intend to take any unnecessary risks. 

“The most important thing is a full recovery,” he continued. “And I’m not rushing it … at all. But also, I don’t go to rehab six days a week for nothing.”

Tatum spoke with People about the moment he suffered the injury late in Game 4 of Boston’s playoff series against the New York Knicks. He knew immediately what had happened. He said he still hasn’t watched a replay of the injury and that “it’s been a long journey” back.

“It sounded like a gunshot,” Tatum said. “It was almost as if I had headphones on when I heard it. It was the loudest pop.

“I just kept saying, ‘No, no, no way this just happened to me.’ I’m turning on my butt, smacking the ground, ’cause I knew right away what just happened.”

Tatum isn’t the only NBA star going through recovery from an Achilles rupture. Pelicans All-Star Dejounte Murray suffered one in January. Bucks All-Star Damian Lillard, like Tatum, ruptured an Achilles tendon in the playoffs. 

And Tyrese Haliburton, in heartbreaking fashion, suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals that his Pacers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Tatum on contact with fellow injured All-Stars

Tatum told “First Take” he’s been in communication with all of them about their injuries — specifically with Murray and Lillard to get an idea of what to expect since their recovery timelines are ahead of his.

“We have all been in communication,” Tatum said. “It all happened this season. We’re all at different points of our rehab and recovery. … 

“I text Dame and Dejounte all the time because they’re ahead of me like, ‘What are you doing now? What are your workouts looking like now?’ We’re just all in the same boat, kind of checking in on each other, keeping in touch. It’s been very helpful.”

Could Tatum actually return this season?

So is a return for Tatum this season realistic? It’s not fair or reasonable to project from here. But in the instance that he does return, what would that look like for the Celtics?

Beyond medical clearance, a return for Tatum in 2025-26 would likely be contingent on the Celtics being competitive. Gone are Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday from an offseason roster purge to get under the the NBA’s punitive second salary apron. 

But there is talent on the Celtics’ roster. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are still in Boston. And, thanks in part to the injuries to Lillard and Haliburton, the Eastern Conference projects to be wide open next season. 

From this vantage point in September, a lot of things have to go right for Tatum to return in 2025-26. First and foremost, he has to be physically and mentally ready. And the Celtics would have to remain afloat in the East without him, to the point that his return would give them hope of competing in the postseason. 

It adds up to a long shot. But it’s one that Tatum is not willing to rule out. 

For the first time since last season, Brandon Nimmo will be the Mets‘ starting center fielder on Tuesday night when they begin a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs.

Starling Marte will be in left field and Juan Soto remains in right field.

With the final week of the regular season underway and New York fighting for a playoff spot, Mendoza is shaking things up and leaving no stone unturned.

“Combination of a lot of different things,” the skipper said. “… I wanted to get some righties in there knowing that they have a lot of left-handed pitching out of the bullpen. 

“Kind of like a small outfield, if you want to call it (that), and you just never know how the wind’s blowing, but I thought that Marte is feeling almost 100 percent with the knee. That’s a big factor, we’ve been monitoring and kind of protecting him for a long time and we got to a point where he understands where we’re at.”

The decision comes as the Mets’ other options in center field — Cedric Mullins and Jose Siri — have failed to generate enough offense and also struggled defensively. 

In fact, one of them could be on the chopping block when Tyrone Taylor is activated from the IL as early as Wednesday, Mendoza noted.

“Obviously we gotta make a decision, but we gotta get through today, gotta make sure that TT’s ready to go and then we’re gonna have to make some decisions,” Mendoza said.

Meanwhile, Nimmo has played 144 games in left field this season and just four games in center field, although he hasn’t started a game there since 2024, when he made 22 starts in center.

After racing out to an MLB-best 45-24 start, it seemed that the 2025 Mets were going to coast to the playoffs.

Whether they won the NL East title or made it in as a Wild Card appeared to be the only question.

But since climbing to the above record on June 12, New York has gone 35-52. 

It’s been a stunning turn of events for a team that is this loaded with talent, has a well-regarded manager in Carlos Mendoza, is led by a terrific executive in David Stearns, and is owned by Steve Cohen — who has left no stone unturned when it comes to reshaping the franchise and putting it in position to contend year after year.

With six games to go in the regular season, the Mets no longer control their playoff destiny, having dropped into a tie with the Reds for the third and final Wild Card spot — with Cincinnati owning the tiebreaker.

As the Mets fight for their playoff lives this week in Chicago and Miami, here are the three biggest reasons they’re at this point…

The rotation was a question mark, and then it crumbled

Ahead of the season, it was clear the Mets had a very strong 40-man roster. But if there was one concern, it was the starting rotation.

While there were lots of options for the starting staff, it was the team’s biggest question mark — something I noted in my season preview.

Injuries to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas hurt early, leaving the Mets to rely on a rotation that had Clay Holmes (converting from relieving to starting), Kodai Senga (coming off an injury-riddled 2024), David Peterson (who had struggled with consistency), Griffin Canning (5.19 ERA/5.26 FIP in 2024), and Tylor Megill (career ERA of 4.56 and a lengthy injury history).

The rotation excelled early, but started to falter in May.

Megill had a 5.79 ERA from May 4 to June 14, and hasn’t pitched since due to injury.

Canning began to regress to the mean during his start on June 10 and was lost for the season on June 26 when he tore his Achilles.

Holmes has pitched admirably as he’s blown way past his prior high for innings pitched in a season, but hasn’t been able to provide much length. Since June 7, he has completed more than 5.0 innings in just three of his 16 starts (counting only the non-piggyback ones).

Senga has not been himself since returning from a hamstring injury, and made his last two starts in the minors.

After a hot start that led to an All-Star selection, Peterson has faded, with a 7.59 ERA in 40.1 innings since Aug. 6.

Manaea, who is pitching with loose bodies in his elbow that he says are not impacting his performance, has a 5.59 ERA in 58.0 innings and is now part of the aforementioned piggyback with Holmes.

Then there’s Montas, who had a 6.28 ERA in 38.2 innings after returning and was then lost for the year on Aug. 15 due to Tommy John surgery.

All of this has put tons of pressure (and an enormous workload) on the bullpen, led to the Mets playing from behind way too often, and resulted in them having three rookies anchoring their staff down the stretch (more on that in a bit).

An offense that has been too inconsistent

The Mets’ offense has shown the ability to bludgeon its opponents, but it has also had long stretches where it has been among the most anemic in the league.

That includes the eight-game losing streak from Sept. 6 to 13, when New York scored just 24 runs — an average of three per game.

Over the weekend as the Mets were losing two of three games to the last-place Nationals, they mustered only three runs during an 11-inning loss on Saturday and scratched across only two as they lost by a run on Sunday. On Saturday specifically, it came down to a failure to execute with runners on base in the ninth and 10th innings.

Given that Juan Soto will likely finish in the top three in MVP voting, that Pete Alonso has an .876 OPS and 38 home runs (and has been red hot for a month), and that Francisco Lindor is having another phenomenal season, the level of inconsistency and depth of the struggles at times has been odd.

In addition to the big three of Soto, Alonso, and Lindor, the Mets are also getting strong seasons from Jeff McNeil (115 OPS+), Francisco Alvarez (118 OPS+), Brandon Nimmo (114 OPS+), Starling Marte (118 OPS+), and Brett Baty (109 OPS+).

Mark Vientos‘ up-and-down year has hurt a bit — as has the absence of Jesse Winker and lack of production from center field. But those relatively minor things don’t explain how alarming the struggles have sometimes been.

Not enough proactivity in July

When the rotation was in need of arms in July, the Mets opted to rely on bullpen games — and to keep a struggling Paul Blackburn in the rotation (they lost his last four starts).

Specifically, they were swept by the Orioles in a doubleheader where they used Brandon Waddell, Justin Hagenman, and Richard Lovelady in Game 2. And they lost a game to the Yankees where Waddell put them in an early 5-0 hole before they fought back. But Zach Pop was used in relief, and struggled as they game slipped away.

During that time, the club also relied on Blade Tidwell for starts and bulk innings as he pitched to a 9.00 ERA over four appearances.

While this was going on, Nolan McLean was excelling for Triple-A Syracuse and Brandon Sproat was starting to find his form. It is totally understandable that the team didn’t turn to Sproat in July, given how his season started. But had New York called up McLean at that point, it can be argued that they would’ve won a few of the games they in effect punted.

It’s impossible to know how ready McLean would’ve been on July 4 or July 10 as opposed to Aug. 16 (when he made his big league debut). But it made sense to find out, given the alternatives.

Now, as the Mets try to salvage a once-promising season, all eyes are on McLean — who has become their stopper. He has been joined recently in the rotation by Sproat and Jonah Tong, who will all make starts this week.

***

Even though it was possible to see the Mets’ rotation issues coming, and even though the offense has been perplexing at times, the team should not have fallen this far — even with the rotation and offensive problems.

That they find themselves fighting for a playoff spot falls primarily on the players for too often failing to execute.

Meanwhile, I’ve seen lots of consternation regarding the trade deadline Stearns had. But it’s mostly revisionist history.

The trades for Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers, and Gregory Soto were lauded at the time, and Cedric Mullins was viewed as a needed offensive upgrade.

Sometimes, players don’t perform up to their standards, as has been the case with Helsley (whose pitch-tipping played a hand in it) and Mullins (whose power has mostly vanished as a Met). Rogers (2.25 ERA) and Soto (3.86 ERA) have been good since being acquired.

Could Stearns have traded for starting pitching help at the deadline? Sure. But the prices were sky-high and the impact pitchers rumored to be available were not moved.

In any event, the Mets still have a week left to write their story.

If it’s one that ends in the playoffs, what has happened since the middle of June will be a footnote. If it ends with New York on the outside looking in, it might become a book.