Intriguing: Coach Quits, Then Unquits

A look at this week’s Post Preps Top 10 for Class 5A, 4A and 3A: Class 5A Team Record Pvs LW 1. Cherry Creek 5-0 1 W (47-28 at No. 10 Regis Jesuit) Comment: Bruins begin Centennial League play this week and will try to do something Creek’s last two 5A champions did not: Win an outright league title. This week: vs.

Training camp begins soon for the Chicago Bulls — but that hasn’t slowed the NBA trade rumor mill, which continues to churn as key players seek new homes for the 2023-24 season. After two conservative seasons, should executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas and the front office make a major move? Speculation surrounding a Damian Lillard trade reignited this week after Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports reported the Bulls have entered conversations to negotiate a multiteam trade to “get into the Lillard sweepstakes.” A day later, The Athletic reported that Buddy Hield is seeking a trade from the Indiana Pacers, making one of the best 3-point shooters available. Lillard and Hield are enticing options for the Bulls, but a path to landing either star is unclear. Let’s start with the big one: Could the Bulls land Lillard? The Bulls have floated around the outskirts of the Lillard negotiations — which appear to be thoroughly focused on the Miami Heat as a destination — throughout the summer.

Forget the Super Bowl victory. Forget the three NFC championship appearances and nine playoff berths in New Orleans. In Denver, head coach Sean Payton faces a challenge that will take more than a glamorous coaching resume to overcome. It was evident as he was fighting for words following the Broncos’ 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon — one of the worst in NFL history. Against Miami, Payton might have been at his most vulnerable.

Just over a year ago, a baby-faced, 18-year-old Jackson Holliday was terrorizing high school pitchers in his hometown of Stillwater, Oklahoma. Flash forward to Monday and Holliday is still a teenager and he’s still terrorizing opposing pitchers — only now they’re professionals. The 19-year-old has put together an outstanding 2023 season and has reached Triple-A, where the average pitcher is 27 years old. For his standout season, Holliday was named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year, becoming the second straight Oriole with the accolade after Gunnar Henderson, another left-handed-hitting infielder drafted by Baltimore out of high school, won the award in 2022.

Jacob Gonzalez had a full day on Sept. 16 at Guaranteed Rate Field. The shortstop met with Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol, threw a ceremonial first pitch before the team’s game against the Minnesota Twins and even swung by the gift shop. The 2023 first-round MLB draft pick toured the ballpark he’s aiming to call the home after beginning his professional baseball journey. Gonzalez appeared in 34 games with the Arizona Complex League White Sox (four contests) and Class A Kannapolis (30) this season. “It was a lot of fun,” Gonzalez said.

Kiz: I’ve seen some stuff in 40 years covering your Denver Broncos, but never witnessed the Orange get crushed like this. Ten touchdowns? In one game? Are you kidding me? The pattern detected by our friend Tom Green of 9News — 17 points by the Raiders, 35 by the Commanders and 70 by the Dolphins — suggests the Bears might score 140 on the Broncos.