The Key for the week of April 20
Do you feel a draft?
If you’re a Bengals fan, probably not. The 10th pick in Thursday’s draft now belongs to the New York Giants, while the Bengals get the G-men’s All-Pro defensive tackle, Dexter Lawrence. The Bengals now have seven picks (none in the fifth round, two in the sixth and two in the seventh) and won’t pick until #41 in the second round. Lawrence may be the pass rusher the Bengals traded away when Trey Hendrickson left, and while there are still defensive needs, Lawrence checks a lot of the boxes. It’s so un-Bengals like, many fans had to do a double take when they heard the news. It’s a smart move in the short term and gives Defensive Coordinator Al Golden time to groom a draft choice to fill some of the other needs on that side of the ball.
No aces, no problem
While the Reds are waiting for their aces, Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, to come off the IR, the rest of the staff is holding up its end of the bargain while the Reds bats are slowly coming to life. A road sweep of the Twins helped Cincinnati solidify first place in the Central, while Rhett Lowder represents the second half of the starting rotation that is starting to flex its muscle on the mound. Against Tampa Bay Monday night he gave up two hits and two walks in the first inning, then in the next five he gave up a total of three hits with no walks in the win. Team batting still is at the bottom of the league with a .204 average, but the hits they DO get are timely.
Ben’s Best Bet
The play-in games are out of the way, and the NBA is now in its first round of the playoffs. While much of the talk surrounds whether this is LeBron’s last rodeo, Victor Wembanyama also is garnering attention as the Spurs face the Blazers in the first round. Wemby already has been named the NBA’s defensive player of the year (first unanimous choice) and is in the running for MVP. As for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, BetMGM has the Thunder as heavy favorites to repeat as champions, with the Spurs second favorite just ahead of Boston. Ben says it would not be out of the realm of possibility to see Wemby and the Spurs dethrone Oklahoma City and take this year’s title.