Getty Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden at Barclays Center.
In a weekend highlighted by the WWE Royal Rumble, NFL’s AFC and NFC championship games, and the Brooklyn Nets showdown with the Golden State Warriors nobody expected what was coming to rule the headlines. Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL on Saturday after 22 seasons in the league per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Tom Brady is retiring from football after 22 extraordinary seasons, multiple sources tell @JeffDarlington and me.
More coming on t.co/rDZaVFhcDQ.
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James Harden Has Strong Take After Tom Brady Announcement
Brady is widely considered by some as not just the greatest quarterback, or greatest football player of all time, but perhaps the greatest athlete of all time. As a 7-time Super Bowl winner, 5-time Super Bowl MVP, and 5-time NFL MVP award winner, Brady’s retirement announcement sent shockwaves through the sports world. After nearly a quarter of a century in the league, Brady’s retirement was expected by many but still surprising to hear. Athletes from a variety of sports leagues sent congratulations to Brady including Brooklyn Nets star James Harden who called Brady the GOAT (greatest of all time) after hearing the announcement per his Twitter account.
Kessler Edwards Credits Kyle Korver for Improved Shooting
The Nets have had several of their young rookies emerge this season, but perhaps none more than their forward Kessler Edwards who is currently on a two-way contract. There was a lot of concern about Edwards’ jump shot a the start of the season, but he has become a much-improved shooter. So much improved that the Nets are looking to convert his two-way deal into a standard NBA contract after the trade deadline according to Michael A. Scotto of HoopsHype.
Edwards’ improvement is largely due to the help of Nets’ assistant coach Kyle Korver who is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.
“Just making my shot more smooth, taking out a lot of the unnecessary movements – I used to do a whole lot of stuff, even just like with my face, [The coach is] telling me to stay relaxed when I shoot so I could be smooth,” Edwards said of Korver’s assistance to Brian Lewis of the “New York Post” per NetsDaily.
“To be honest, he’s improved his motion by 50 percent,” Nets head Steve Nash said to Lewis. “He’s really done a great job of making his motion much more streamlined and efficient. He’s shot the ball very well.”
Edwards Surprised by Fast Improvement
Edwards emergence has seemed to come out of nowhere when the Nets have needed it most. And though he knows how hard he and Korver have worked; Edwards admits even he is surprised by how quickly he has improved.
“I thought it was going to be later in the season – definitely didn’t think I’d be starting, doing all this at this time, “Edwards said to Lewis about his improvement. “But I knew with my skill set and how I play that I’d be able to find a way to contribute. … I’m finally starting to get into a rhythm.”
With Kyrie Irving’s status to remain part-time for the foreseeable future and Kevin Durant and Joe Harris still out with injuries, the emergence of Edward’s couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. He has started the last nine games for the Nets and could end up being a key rotation player as they gear up for the playoffs.
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