LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who injured his left knee in Sunday’s loss at Tampa Bay, went through a walkthrough practice Wednesday and hopes to play against Atlanta.
Las Vegas coach Antonio Pierce wasn’t ready, however, to declare that O’Connell would start Monday night’s home game against the Falcons.
“We’ll see how the week goes,” Pierce said.
O’Connell also took a cautious approach, even as he didn’t show any outward signs of being hobbled when he walked in the indoor facility and locker room.
“I can obviously walk and move around and just obviously doing some stuff in the water, but trying to get on the field and move around today, which I did,” O’Connell said. “So just trying to progress and trusting the training staff to get me where I want to be.”
If O’Connell doesn’t play, Desmond Ridder will start against his former team. Ridder started 13 games for the Falcons last season before he was traded to Arizona. The Raiders signed him off the Cardinals practice squad Oct. 21.
“Whether it’s against the Falcons — it doesn’t matter who it’s against — any opportunity that I get to go out there and showcase my talents, it’s an exciting time,” Ridder said.
The Emirates NBA Cup returns to Las Vegas for the semifinals this Saturday and the championship game on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks already punched their tickets to T-Mobile Arena with quarterfinal wins on Tuesday.
Two more spots are up for grabs Wednesday as the Houston Rockets take on the Golden State Warriors and the New York Knicks face off against the Atlanta Hawks.
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Even if your team doesn't make it to the semifinals, there will be plenty of fun for NBA fans on the Las Vegas Strip.
Massimo Bizzaro, executive director and general manager for T-Mobile Arena, said the venue is ready to welcome the NBA's biggest stars.
"The NBA Cup has become such a huge deal," Bizzaro said. "It's a really unique event. The entire arena staff is fired up and ready to go."
Ticketed fans will be able to watch the live broadcast of pregame shows at Toshiba Plaza and participate in several activities.
Bill Belichick had seemingly been waiting for the right opportunity to return to an NFL sideline. Instead, the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach is headed to the college ranks to take over at North Carolina.
The school announced it had reached a five-year deal with Belichick on Wednesday night, roughly a week after Belichick’s name surfaced as an unlikely candidate to replace the program’s winningest all-time coach in Mack Brown. The deal requires approval by UNC trustees as well as the UNC public system’s governors; an introductory news conference has yet to be scheduled.
Moving on from the 73-year-old Brown to hire the 72-year-old Belichick means UNC is turning to a coach who has never worked at the college level, yet had incredible success in the NFL alongside quarterback Tom Brady throughout most of his 24-year tenure with the Patriots, which ended last season.