The Rams have placed the franchise tag on cornerback Trumaine Johnson. It’s the 2nd year in a row that Johnson was placed under the franchise tag, which likely means Johnson will be spending at least one more season with the Rams.
After making $14 million last year, he will earn nearly $17 million under a $167-million salary cap set by the NFL. The Rams can still work out a long-term deal with Johnson. However, If Johnson signs with another team, the Rams would receive two No. 1 draft picks as compensation.
Johnson had a career-high 7 interceptions last season. He is an important part of defense that ranked 9th in the NFL last season, and was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal season.
Johnson was one of seven NFL players who were tagged this week in the run-up to Wednesday’s deadline.
The Lakers gave a much better effort against Charlotte on Tuesday night Staples, but they failed to make plays late as the Hornets beat LA 109-104.
Kemba Walker scored 30 points for the Hornets, including a clutch 3-pointer in the last two minutes to give Charlotte the lead for good. The Hornets also got 24 points and 12 rebounds from Frank Kaminsky.
Laker Coach Luke Walton was very disappointed in his teams effort on Sunday against San Antonio, but got a much better effort on Tuesday, despite poor late game execution. Julius Randle scored 23 points, had 18 rebounds, and 6 assists. D’Angelo Russell had 23 points and 9 assists on another efficient shooting game as well.
Jordan Clarkson’s basket gave the Lakers a 1 point lead with 2:21 to play. However, Waker’s 3-pointer put the Hornets back in front 100-98, about a half a minute later. With 1:07 left Marvin Williams hit another 3-pointer to make it 103-98 Charlotte. The Lakers never recovered. D’Angelo Russell made two late three pointers, but the Hornets made 6 straight free throws to get the win.
The win was just the 3rd in the last 16 games for Charlotte, but also their 2nd in the last 3 games. The Lakers on the other hand lost their 5th straight game, and still have the third worst record in the NBA. Phoenix is just half a game behind them in the standings (for those of you interested in a tanking update).
Once again, Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng did not play for the Lakers. It was the 4h straight game Mozgov didn’t play, and the 1st for Deng, although he only played 13 minutes in the game against San Antonio.
The Lakers are off until Friday. That night they’ll take on the Boston Celtics, for the only matchup at Staples Center this year between the two clubs.
The Kings overtime luck is finally running out, and it’s happening at the worst time. For the 2nd night in a row, LA lost in OT. This time, it was a critical 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames.
TJ Brodie got loose on a breakaway just 1:47 into overtime, as the Flames spoiled goaltender Ben Bishop’s debut as a King. Brodie got behind the LA defense, and received a long pass from Mikael Backlund before making a nice move to beat Bishop. It was Brodie’s 5th goal of the season.
Coming into Tuesday’s game, the Kings were 10-2 in overtime games this season, and over the last two years had been the best team in the NHL in the extra session. Despite LA’s offensive struggles the last few years, they have been excellent since the NHL implemented 3-on-3 during overtime.
Tanner Pearson scored the Kings only goal of the game, knocking in a power play goal at the 8:42 mark of the 1st period. It was Pearson’s 21st of the season, and had to be reviewed by the officials to be sure that it had crossed the goal line before the whistle blew.
The Flames would tie things up in the 2nd period, when Michael Ferland slapped in a pass from Mark Giordano. Ferland took advantage of the fact that Kings defenseman, Jake Muzzin, had fallen down on the play, which allowed him to get open in front of the LA net.
Ben Bishop was spectacular in his Kings debut, stopping 28 shots, including several big saves in the 2nd period. As many feared though, Bishop was unable to help LA’s struggling offense.
Although the Kings did salvage a point in the standings, they remained 1 point behind St. Louis for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. With the win, Calgary has now opened up a 6 point lead on the Kings. The teams will meet three more times before the season is over, with two of them in Calgary.
It’s going to be an interesting next two days for the Kings before they begin a 7 game home stand on Thursday against Toronto. Wednesday at 12 pm PST is the trade deadline. It’s the last chance for Dean Lombardi to try and bring in some more help offensively before the season is over. Then on Thursday, Kings play-by-play announcer Bob Miller will be holding a press conference regarding his future. Miller has been home recuperating from a stroke he suffered in late January, and is expected to announce his retirement.
