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The Best of the Day: January 14th, 2021
See the best of the day in sports from January 14, 2021 including JAX hires Meyer, NYJ hires Saleh, Harden's tumultuous time in HOU, and more!
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The ‘Best of the Day’ is a daily PSO original series showcasing the most significant stories, highlights, and facts going on in the land of the NFL, NBA, & MLB every day. Get a recap on EVERYTHING that happened on 1/14 here.
The two teams with the top two picks in the 2021 NFL Draft announced their new head coaching hires Thursday. The Jacksonville Jaguars (No.1 pick) hired NCAA legend Urban Meyer and the New York Jets (No.2 pick) hired 49ers DC Robert Saleh. Both are first time head coaches in the NFL. Also, James Harden may have been the biggest problem in Houston despite his accolades and regular season awards, Nikola Jokic recorded another triple-double, and a look at some of the most interesting facts from the blockbuster Harden deal.
Here is the best of the day from January 14, 2021:
Jacksonville Jaguars hired Urban Meyer & New York Jets hired Robert Saleh
After much speculation, it was officially announced Thursday that Urban Meyer will be the new Head Coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. In 17 seasons, Meyer went 187-32 and won National Championships at Florida (2006, 2008) and Ohio State (2014). Meyer, who last coached in 2018, will take over for former HC Doug Marrone, who was fired following a 1-15 season. Holding the right to draft QB Trevor Lawrence with the No.1 overall pick was likely a huge factor in convincing Meyer to come out of retirement. Meyer and Lawrence, both legends at the college level, will form one of the most interesting HC-QB duos in the NFL.
Breaking: The Jaguars have named Urban Meyer as their head coach. pic.twitter.com/D9uBmilGQm
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 14, 2021
New #Jaguars HC Urban Meyer will have 11 picks in the draft, including double 1s & 2s. JAX is projected to have the most cap in the NFL this offseason. Young talent in place: Josh Allen, CJ Henderson, James Robinson, Chaisson, Shenault, Chark, Myles Jack, etc.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 14, 2021
Oh, and this guy. pic.twitter.com/50SLAcEWWt
Best Win % Among Head Coaches in FBS History:
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) January 14, 2021
(Min. 10 Seasons)
Win Pct
Knute Rockne .881
Frank Leahy .864
Urban Meyer .854 pic.twitter.com/1VMKYDXaGo
The Jets also announced that former 49ers DC Robert Saleh will be the next HC in NY. Saleh is the kind of culture changer a team like the Jets needed. Unlike their last hiring that could be seen as a clear failure right from the first press conference, New York finally got this one right. No Jets HC has ended their tenure with a winning record since 2000, so Saleh’s up for quite the challenge. His first major decision will be at QB, where he must decide between resetting the franchise by drafting a QB at No.2, or build around Sam Darnold, who has flashed at times but has also struggled. This decision could make or break his tenure in East Rutherford.
We've reached an agreement in principle with Robert Saleh to become our head coach.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) January 15, 2021
📰 https://t.co/CiIczkN97j pic.twitter.com/NC3nW27uNa
The hiring of Robert Saleh has less to do with getting an offensive or defensive mind. It's about finding a leader. Someone who can be a leader of men. The #Dolphins did just that in 2019 & they identified Brian Flores. #Jets are getting that with Saleh. Huge get for Joe Douglas.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 15, 2021
Related: Stories of the Day
The problem that Harden was referring to in Houston may have been himself
After a tumultuous past couple of months in Houston, the Rockets finally shaved their beard, shipping out James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets. The final straw was Harden’s postgame interview following back-to-back blowout losses to the Lakers, where he said the Rockets weren’t “good enough” to compete with the best teams in the league. Teammates John Wall and Demarcus Cousins didn’t hold back in their own interviews, and less than 24 hours later, Harden was gone. The Rockets trade looked to the future, as they gained four first-round picks and another four first-round swaps.
They did, however, secure Victor Oladipo in the trade, a 28-year old on an expiring deal who will be playing for a big contract in the offseason. On Thursday, the Rockets didn’t have Oladipo suited up yet, while Wall and Eric Gordon were out with injuries. Down by nine with 4:39 to go, this cohesive Rockets team played inspired basketball. They went into San Antonio, took down the mostly fully-loaded Spurs, and secured their first road win of the season. However, this new-found level of chemistry doesn’t mean this Rockets team is now going to win the Championship in July.
Their recent draft history hasn’t been great, but they’ll have a lot of cracks at hitting a winner over the next eight years, especially the back half of the deal when KD, Harden, and Kyrie are in the twilight years of their career. It’s not easy to trade a superstar and come away as a winner, but the Rockets put themselves in a position to be very successful in the future and proved to their current roster that the days of one player getting special treatment because of their talent are over. There’s a new era in Houston, and the current guys on the roster look very happy to be a part of it, which is a lot different than it was just 48 hours ago.
James Harden's accolades in Houston:
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) January 14, 2021
• 2018 NBA MVP
• 8x NBA All-Star
• 6x All NBA-First Team
• 3x Scoring Champion
• 2017 NBA Assists Leader pic.twitter.com/NAw5jZFnNM
James Harden made the postseason in each of his first 8 seasons with the Rockets, all without making the Finals.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 15, 2021
According to @EliasSports that's tied for the most playoff appearances with one franchise without making the Finals over the last 25 seasons. pic.twitter.com/BRkDdcpZer
The Beard & KD are back together again 🍿 pic.twitter.com/9ZKv4NWENp
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 13, 2021
Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day
Miles cocked back and unloaded on the Raptors.
Every angle of @MilesBridges' MONSTER JAM! pic.twitter.com/crU3M7i3rE
— NBA (@NBA) January 15, 2021
Related: NBA Highlights | Charlotte Hornets Highlights
C Nikola Jokic, DEN (W v.GS): 23 PTS (8-16 FG | 0-4 3P), 10 AST, 14 REB, 0 BLK, 3 STL, 3 TO
#PlayerOfTheDay (1/14/21) - C Nikola Jokic, DEN
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) January 15, 2021
THE FACTS:
- Most triple-doubles (5) in the NBA during 2020-21
- Leads NBA in assists per game (10.4) during 2020-21
- Averaging a triple-double (24.2 PPG|11.2 RPG|10.4 APG)
- 1st with 40p/20r/20a/10s in a 2-GP span since MJ 1989 https://t.co/dL0yCnjPUw
Related: Players of the Day
Houston Rockets (109) vs. San Antonio Spurs (105)
[Highlights] ROCKETS (+254; $7.62) d. @SPURS (-254; $12.88) 109-105 [HOU +7 | u219.5]
Related: Games of the Day
Related: Facts of the Day
Most Interesting Facts from the James Harden Trade by Arslan Ubul
The Nets now have two former MVPs and will form one of the best scoring trios in NBA history
James Harden made plenty of Rockets history, forms the greatest scoring duo ever (backed up with plenty of facts), and puts Brooklyn in a very unique position ⬇️ https://t.co/WBFXgPAxnN
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) January 16, 2021
Related: Latest PSO Posts
FULL ARTICLE: Most Significant Sports History on January 14th
YEAR: 1968 & 1973
SIGNIFICANCE: The Dolphins completed their perfect season in Super Bowl VII AND the Packers won Super Bowl II
Related: Significant Sports History
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