Do the Heat even have a shot to beat the Nuggets? Here's what our experts say

Email Not Displaying? Click Here

Happy Thursday, and welcome to June, everyone! It's a month packed with championships, one of which begins tonight.

Let's get right to it.

Good morning to everyone but especially to...

THE DENVER NUGGETS AND THE MIAMI HEAT

Welcome to the NBA Finals! The Nuggets and Heatmeet in a championship matchup few could have predicted, but now that they're here, we should be in for a terrific series.

Let's start with our expert predictions, and our crew really likes Denver. Unanimously so. Brad Botkin explains his reasoning:

Botkin: "Nuggets in 6. Miami deserves a lot of credit for making it this far, but Denver will not beat itself in the ways that Boston did. Nikola Jokic guarantees good looks every time down the court, Jamal Murray is cooking, Denver is defending, the shooters are shooting, everything is dialed in and the Nuggets are ready for the first championship in franchise history.MVP: Nikola Jokic"

I'm going with Denver too, and the biggest reason is the offense. Yes, Miami is outstanding defensively. But the Nuggets are on pace for one of the best offensive postseasons ever, and they absolutely shred zone defense, which Miami likes to deploy, notes our Jack Maloney.

But the Heat have been picked against before, and yet here they are. That's a huge credit to Erik Spoelstra, who our Bill Reiter calls an all-time great coach, and to Jimmy Butler, who was confident this group would be in the Finals before they even made the playoffs. I can't wait to see how Spoelstra and Butler attempt to solve their toughest task yet.

Here's what else to know:

Here's the series schedule.

Here's how Denver built its roster.

Butler

explained last year's skirmish between these teams.

Tyler Herro is out for Game 1 but expected to return at some point.

Honorable mentions

Reinforcements are coming for the Yankees in the form ofGiancarlo Stanton,Josh DonaldsonandTommy Kahnle.

Potential 2024 No. 1 pickMatas Buzelisis

headed to the NBA G League.

Same for Ron Holland, the top player in the 2023 recruiting class.

Raheem Morris

helped save a child from drowning.

The college football bowl schedule is here!

Sevilla won the Europa League, beating Roma in penalty kicks.

Former Kansas big man Ernest Udehis

transferring to TCU.

And not such a good morning for...

THE KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Kentuckyhas a lot of work to do, and not a lot of time to do it. The Wildcats lost two key pieces on Wednesday's NBA Draft deadline day, with 2022 national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe remaining in the draftalongsideChris Livingston.

Tshiebwe averaged 16.5 points and 13.7 rebounds last year, and in 2021-22, he averaged 15.1 rebounds, most by any player since 1980. Still, he barely madeKyle Boone's prospect rankings, and his decision could have gone either way.

Livingston, a 2022 five-star recruit, is an athletic, 6'6", 240-pound forward who showed flashes but sat outside Kyle's top 75 prospects.

Antonio Reeves, a sharpshooter who transferred in from Illinois State last offseason, is returning to college basketball. Whether that's to Kentucky remains to be seen.

Cason Wallaceand Jacob Toppin are also in the NBA Draft. Sahvir Wheeler, Lance Ware, CJ Fredrick and Daimion Collins are all transferring.

Kentucky does bring in the No. 1 recruiting class, with five five-star prospects, but depth and experience are major concerns.

Kentucky hasn't made it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019, and Calipari now has arguably the biggest makeover of his career on his hands -- and he's had a lot of them. It'll be an anxious next few months in Lexington.

Not so honorable mentions

What does DeAndre Hopkins's latest cryptic tweet mean?

More NBA Draft decisions: Zach Edey returns to Purdue, FAU reloads

Zach Edey spent last season becoming the face of college basketball and ended it as the face of the team that suffered the second-ever 16-1 upset. He's making sure that won't be the final image of him in a Purdue uniform.

Edey, the 2023 player of the year, withdrew from the NBA Draft and is returning for his senior season in West Lafayette.

Edey, the Boilermakers' 7'4" center, averaged 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks last season. The last player to produce that stat line was Adonal Foyle back in 1996-97.

Purdue won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles but fell to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the NCAA Tournament, joining 2018 Virginia as the only 1 seeds to lose to a 16 seed.

As for a team that won the title, UConn lost do-it-all starAndre Jackson Jr. to the draft. He joins Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins as Huskies leaving for the next level. Tristen Newton, however, will return.

Here are other key developments:

After a magical run to the Final Four, FAU is returning bothJohnell Davis andAlijah Martin.

Terrence Shannon Jr. and Coleman Hawkins are back for Illinois.

Julian Phillips, who was in the transfer portal, is staying in the draft, andArthur Kalumawithdrew his name from the draft and is still in the transfer portal.

Kaluma's Creighton teammate, Trey Alexander, is returning to the Bluejays

Michigan State is bringing back both A.J. Hoggard and Jaden Akins

NFL potential post-June 1 cuts, plus why today matters so much

It's been quiet on the NFL front over the past few weeks. Too quiet, if you will. That's all about to change, though, because today is June 1, and June 1 is a huge day on the calendar.

Let a former NFL agent, Joel Corry, explain.

Teams can release up to two players each league year before June 2, and they'll be treated under the salary cap as if they were released after June 1.

The team must carry the player's full cap number until June 2, even though he's not on the roster. The player's salary comes off the books at that time unless it's guaranteed.

The remaining money on players released with a post-June 1 designation can be spread over two years.

Basically, it gives team a little more flexibility financially and allows players designated for a post-June 1 release to hit free agency earlier and potentially cash in on a bigger payday.

The Cardinals for example, used their designations on J.J. Watt and Rodney Hudson. Then, last week, theyreleasedDeAndre Hopkinsand will eat over $21 million in dead cap, all in 2023.

So, we could see big names on the move soon. Our Cody Benjamin has eight prominent veterans potentially finding new teams, including...

Benjamin: "Vikings RB Dalvin Cook -- Probably the favorite among all the big names listed to be cut loose, Cook has a sterling resume with four straight 1,100-yard rushing seasons to his name. It's very possible he'll eventually take a pay cut to stick in Minnesota, where the offensively minded Kevin O'Connell adores his natural athleticism. ... His release would save an instant$9M."

Pistons hire Monty Williams on a massive contract

The Pistons' up-and-down young core is getting a steady, successful guiding hand: Monty Williamsreportedly has agreed to become Detroit's head coach, andhe's getting a deal worth up to $100 million to lead the long-term rebuild.

The Suns fired Williams, 51, after they lost to the Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs.

Williams had a strong run in Phoenix, with a 194-115 record overall, playoff appearances in three of his four seasons, one Finals appearance and one Coach of the Year award.

Williams' Suns had the third-best record in the NBA over the past four years, behind the Bucks and 76ers, both of whom also fired their coaches this offseason.

Williams also coached the Hornets from 2010-15, posting a 173-221 record and making the playoffs twice.

Williams is regarded as one of the game's top coaches, and his exit from Phoenix was a tough one. There were impossibly high expectations after Kevin Durant joined midseason, and new owner Mat Ishbia was eager to make a big move on the coaching front, too.

In Detroit, Williams inherits a roster that has intriguing young talent in Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren and James Wisemanbut also joins a franchise that has the NBA's worst record over the past half-decade. The Pistons moved Dwane Casey, another former Coach of the Year, from coach to the front office earlier this offseason.

The Pistons hold the fifth pick in the NBA Draft. In his latest mock draft, Kyle has them taking Houston forwardJarace Walker.

What we're watching Thursday

Angels at Astros, 8:10 p.m. on FS1 Heat at Nuggets, 8:30 p.m. on ABC

The First Cut

Attacking Third

The First Cut takes you inside the ropes of the golf world, on the PGA Tour and beyond. Tournament previews and picks, deep dives into the players and storylines that matter in the sport of golf.Listen Now

A soccer podcast from CBS Sports covering the NWSL, US Women's National Team and more. Attacking Third will bring you insider analysis, commentary, preview & recaps while tackling the biggest news stories from the sport you love.Listen Now

FOLLOW CBS SPORTS

You are receiving this email because you're opted in to receive the CBS Sports HQ newsletter from CBSSports.com.

To ensure delivery of emails from CBSSports.com, please add to your address book.

Privacy Policy|Manage Subscriptions|

Unsubscribe

Not a HQ AM/PM newsletter subscriber? Sign up here.

2023 CBS Interactive Inc. | 1401 West Cypress Creek Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309

2023 CBS Interactive Inc.

1401 West Cypress Creek Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309