Leadoff with Lee 3.1.16

By Chris Lee, @TripleThreatLee

- Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams is expected to miss at least two weeks with knee injury according to coach Tyronn Lue. The team will reevaluated after that time period and Williams will continue treatment on his knee. Last week Mo visited orthopedist Dr.James Andrews, who diagnosed Williams with chondramalacia under the knee cap.

- The Toronto Raptors will waive former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett in order to sign free-agent forward Jason Thompson. The Raptors gave Bennett a chance this season after he bombed out with the Minnesota Timberwolves last year. The Cleveland Cavaliers made the 22-year-old the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, but he had a historically bad rookie season and was sent to Minnesota along with Andrew Wiggins. 

Bennett hasn't been productive for the Raptors, appearing in 19 games and averaging 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds while shooting just 29.6 percent in 4.4 minutes per game. Anthony Bennett maybe the biggest NBA bust of this decade.

- Former NBA player Michael Beasley was named Foreign Most Valuable Player of the Chinese Basketball Association. Beasley is eligible to be signed by any NBA team and would be playoff-eligible as long as he is signed by the final day of the regular season. He averaged 31.7 points and 13.2 rebounds in his 37 games, with Shandong Golden Stars and they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.   

- NFLPA announced that the 2016 salary cap will be at $155.27 million per team. With that being said here are the official franchise and transition figures:

- Tom Brady and the Patriots agree to a 2 year contract extension,the deal will run through the 2019 season when Brady will be 42 years old. Brady had two years left on his contract, paying him $9 million for 2016 and $10 million for 2017. Immediate details on his 2018 and 2019 are currently unavailable.

- Browns safety Donte Whitner has talked to Tashaun Gipson: "I don't think he's too hopeful he's going to be back" "It would be a blow" if Gipson is gone in free agency.

- The New Orleans Saints released veteran wide receiver Marques Colston Monday with a failed physical designation. Colston, 32, was in the final year of his five-year, $36.3 million contract that included $17.7 million guaranteed. In 2015, Colston appeared in 13 games and caught 45 passes for 520 yards receiving and four touchdowns.

- The Los Angeles Rams are discussing an extension with head coach Jeff Fisher. In his four seasons with the Rams, Fisher’s teams have compiled a 27-36-1 record and have never gone over .500. The Rams finished 7-9 last season which was the third time they’ve won seven games under Fisher.

- Finally, during the halftime of the Clippers game last night, the team unveiled their new mascot: Chuck the Condor. Uhh.... yea.

Leadoff with Lee 3.8.15 #NFLFreeAgency #Kentucky #Boeheim #Browns

By @cleeverizon

- The Green Bay Packers and WR Randall Cobb agreed to a 4 year, $40 million contract. While he was offered more from other teams, like the Raiders, Cobb decided to stay in Green Bay and catch passes from the MVP, Aaron Rodgers.

- Cornerback Kareem Jackson and the Houston Texans agreed to a 4 year, $34 million deal, that includes $20 million in guaranteed money. The soon to be 27 year old Jackson has 10 interceptions and 50 passes defensed in his career with the Texans. If Kareem Jackson can pull in this type of contract, what will be offered to Browns (or former Browns) cornerback Buster Skrine?

- Mary Kay Cabot of Northeast Ohio Media Group reported 8 teams have expressed interest in Browns cornerback Buster Skrine in the first 3 hours of the negotiating window on Saturday. With so many teams involved, I don't see the Browns getting into a bidding war to re-sign Skrine. Ray Farmer has said multiple times he wants to build a team through the draft. It seems as if Farmer has his eyes set on another slot/nickel corner in the draft. And with the emergence of K'Wuan Williams and the depth of Pierre Desir, Skrine becomes expendable.
- According to a league source 4 teams have showed interest in quarterback Brian Hoyer, including the Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills.

- The Browns announce they resigned punter Spencer Lanning and running back Shawn Draughns. Recently released former Eagles defensive end, Trent Cole, is scheduled to meet without the Browns on Sunday. Cole has played defensive end in the 4-3 and outside linebacker in the 3-4 schemes.

- The Chicago Bears trade the often troubled wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets for a 5th round draft pick. In 13 games last season with the Bears, Marshall had 61 receptions for 721 yards, scoring 8 touchdowns.Prior to the 2014 season Marshall had 7 consecutive seasons with 1,000 plus yards receiving. The Jets are expected to cut ties with wide receiver Percy Harvin, who is rumored to sign with the New England Patriots.

- Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch agrees to a 3 year, $31 million dollar contract extension. Lynch will receive $12 million this year, in the form $7.5 million signing bonus and a $4.5 million fully-guaranteed base salary. In 2016, Lynch  will receive a base salary of $9 million dollars, and  In 2017 a base salary of $7 million in addition to a $3 million roster bonus due on the fifth day of the 2017 league year.

- Former Colts safety LaRon Landry suspended 10 games for violation of the Performance Enhancing Drug policy. In the 2014 season, Landry was suspended 4 games for the same violation. Indianapolis released the veteran in February.

- Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski has signed his franchise tag tender worth $4.59M for the 2015 season.

- The New Orleans Saints and wide receiver Marques Colston have agreed to restructure his contract and will remain with the team next season. The Saints were debating releasing the teams all-time leading receiver if the two side couldn't come to terms. Colston was set to make $9.7 million next season and it would have went against the Saints low salary cap. Details on his restructured contract are expected to be made public as early as Monday.

- The Saints also agreed to a new 4-year, $16 million deal with running back Mark Ingram.

- The Colts have announced they won’t re-sign wide receiver Reggie Wayne. The 14-year veteran of the team had 64 receptions for 779 yards in 15 games and scoring only 2 touchdowns last season. Wayne ranks 7th in all-time NFL receptions and 8th in all-time receiving yards.

- The NCAA suspended Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim for nine ACC games, took away 12 scholarships, and ordered that 108 wins be vacated as a result of a multiyear investigation into the university's athletic programs. The following article by Emily Jones from NCAA.org details the infractions and penalties for the university. Click here to read that

- The University of Kentucky men's basketball team and number one team in the country finishes the regular season 31-0. Kentucky is the first team from a major power conference to complete the regular season unbeaten since Indiana did it in 1976. This is the Wildcats first unbeaten regular season since 1954. The Wildcats wore t-shirts after the game that read "31-0 Not Done". With nine more wins Kentucky will finish 40-0 and be crowned "National Champions" (Alcorn State was also undefeated in the 1976 season but didn't make it to the national tournament. The field at the time was only 32).

- Cavaliers forward LeBron James tied Mark Price for the Cavaliers' career assist record of 4,206.