Sam Merrill Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Mitchell, Okoro, J. Smith, Dosunmu

January 8th, 2025 at 6:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

Donovan Mitchell already made up his mind to re-sign with the Cavaliers before last season ended, but he wanted to find a way to turn the team into a title contender, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The solution he came up with was to sacrifice some of his role in the offense so that other players — particularly Evan Mobley — could get more involved.

That strategy has worked perfectly for the Cavs, who have the league’s best record at 31-4 and are in the midst of a 10-game winning streak. They’re hosting the West-leading Thunder tonight in the most anticipated game of the season.

“When I signed back here my first intention was we need to get the most out of Ev,” Mitchell said. “Never played with a guy like Ev. So, how do we get the most out of that partnership? Saw it in that Boston (playoff) series. He has the talent. It was more about him believing it on a nightly basis. I want him to think, ‘I’m that dude.’ Now you surround him with a guy like myself and it makes it tough on any defense. Just being on the floor with him allows him to kind of play a certain way. It’s allowed myself to grow too.”

A five-time All-Star, Mitchell has revitalized basketball in Cleveland since being acquired in a trade two-plus seasons ago. He could have made almost any demand to sign the extension, so it was somewhat surprising that he wanted to share the ball more. He and new coach Kenny Atkinson started devising the revamped offense and increased usage for Mobley when they met for lunch in June.

“That was my growth,” Mitchell said. “When people ask, ‘What is the next level? What do you work on?’ This is what it takes. You don’t know what is going to come of that. It’s when you really have to sit down and ask yourself, ‘What do you want? Do you really want to win? How badly do you want to win?’ When I say these things, I’m still going to be myself but understanding when to pick the spots and being smart about it. It’s not easy. But it’s what’s needed. Everyone knows me as a scorer, but with this group it doesn’t have to be 30 every night. My job as a leader is to figure out where I impact the game that night. How do I make winning plays? It’s about being able to embrace that, understand that and be OK with that — and I am.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Isaac Okoro is active for tonight’s contest against Oklahoma City, Fedor states in a separate story. Okoro was cleared to return after missing the last eight games with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder. He’s expected to come off the bench in a limited role, with Dean Wade staying in the starting lineup, according to Fedor. Shooting specialist Sam Merrill will miss his third consecutive game with a sprained right ankle, Fedor adds, as the Cavaliers still haven’t fielded a fully healthy team in any game this season.
Before hosting the Bulls tonight, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle talked about the offseason loss of Jalen Smith in free agency, tweets Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. He said the organization was hoping to keep Smith, but couldn’t compete with the offer he got from Chicago. “We wanted him back but we were limited as to how much we could pay him,” Carlisle said. “… He had a very good year and he had a great second year for us that set him up for the Bulls. This was an opportunity he had to take because of the financial aspect.”
Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu has made significant improvement with his strained lower right calf, per K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). Coach Billy Donovan said Dosunmu has started running on a treadmill and is “getting closer and closer to playing.”

Eastern Notes: Merrill, Bulls, Butler, Heat

December 25th, 2024 at 6:03pm CST by Rory Maher

Fifth-year guard Sam Merrill snapped out of his season-long shooting slump on Monday as the Cavaliers defeated Utah, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).

Merrill, who grew up a Jazz fan in Bountiful, Utah, near Salt Lake City, notched a season-high 20 points in the 11-point victory, going 6-of-11 from three-point range while also chipping in four assists and three steals in 24 minutes.

A former second-round pick (No. 60 overall in 2020), Merrill has been a rotation mainstay in 2024/25 despite the slump, averaging a career-high 19.9 minutes per contest through 26 games. The 28-year-old has improved defensively and still draws attention with his outside shooting — he’s at 38.4% for his career from beyond the arc, though he has only made 34.0% this season.

Merrill will be an unrestricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign a veteran extension, which he’s eligible for through June 30.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

The Bulls have been prominently mentioned in trade rumors this season, but have yet to make a deal. Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times takes stock of where things currently stand for veterans Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball, writing that the Bulls would prefer to make moves “sooner rather than later” with the trade deadline set for Feb. 6.
Star forward Jimmy Butler, who prefers a trade out of Miami but hasn’t formally requested to be dealt, is doubtful for Thursday’s contest in Orlando with what the Heat are calling “return to competition; reconditioning,” tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. A person with knowledge of the situation insisted to Jackson that Butler has been “genuinely sick” of late, causing him to miss most of the past three games, and that his absences have nothing to do with a potential trade. According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), Butler didn’t travel with the Heat to Orlando, but there’s still a chance he could make the short flight north if he’s feeling better.
Although Shams Charania of ESPN reported that multiple teams have been in touch with the Heat to express interest in Butler, it’s unclear if Miami has actually received a formal trade offer, according to Jackson and Chiang. Neither the Heat nor Butler’s camp have denied that he’s unhappy, but he’s also not “simmering with rage” about the situation, as Jackson puts it (Twitter link).

And-Ones: G League Trades, Charania, Breakout Candidates, More

October 8th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of teams have acquired the G League rights for players who are in camp with them on Exhibit 10 contracts.

The Wisconsin Herd (Bucks) sent Marquese Chriss‘ rights and a 2025 first-round pick to the Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans) in exchange for Liam Robbins‘ rights (Twitter link), while the Raptors 905 are receiving Jared Rhoden‘s rights from the College Park Skyhawks (Hawks) in exchange for the rights to Omari Moore and a 2025 first-rounder (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of Sportsnet).

Robbins is currently on Milwaukee’s preseason roster, while Rhoden is under contract with Toronto.

In other G League trade news, the Austin Spurs announced (via Twitter) that they’ve sent the returning rights for Yauhen Massalski to the San Diego Clippers in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick, while the Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers) acquired Elijah Hughes‘ rights from the Wisconsin Herd (Bucks) in exchange for the rights to Sam Merrill and a 2025 second-rounder.

Trading away Merrill’s returning rights won’t mean anything for the Cavaliers as long as he remains on Cleveland’s NBA roster, but if he were to be waived down the road, the Bucks’ affiliate would have first dibs on him as a G Leaguer.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Shams Charania, who has spent the past few years with The Athletic, is making the move to ESPN to replace Adrian Wojnarowski as the network’s senior NBA insider, Charania announced on Twitter. Recent reporting suggested that ESPN news-breakers currently covering other sports – including Jeff Passan (MLB) or Adam Schefter (NFL) – were among the candidates being considered to replace Wojnarowski, but Charania was always the more logical choice, given his lengthy history of major NBA scoops.
In an Insider-only story for ESPN, Jeremy Woo identifies 11 players he believes are prime breakout candidates in 2024/25. Woo’s 11 candidates fall into four groups: players who could make the leap to an All-Star level, such as Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley; players who could ascend to borderline All-Stars, like Hawks forward Jalen Johnson; players who will benefit from taking on larger roles, including Bulls guard Josh Giddey; and role players who could make bigger impacts, such as Kings guard Keon Ellis.
Kurt Helin of NBC Sports predicts the 10 players most likely to be traded in 2024/25, ranging from big names like Brandon Ingram and Zach LaVine to role players such as Bruce Brown and Jonas Valanciunas. Three of the players in Helin’s top 10 – Bojan Bogdanovic, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Cameron Johnson – are currently members of the Nets.

Cavaliers Notes: Mitchell, Game 3, Tweaks

May 12th, 2024 at 1:43pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The recent performances of Cavaliers players not named Donovan Mitchell are certainly not endearing Cleveland to the All-Star shooting guard, opines Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

On Saturday, the Cavaliers fell 106-93 to the Celtics in Game 3 of their ongoing second round matchup, which Cleveland now trails 2-1. Boston led for almost 42 of the contest’s 48 minutes, including by double digits for much of the second half.

Cleveland especially struggled on offense, making just 13 three point shots.

“At the end of the day, we didn’t score,” Mitchell said. “We didn’t score when we needed to respond back. We’ll be better. This series is not going to be easy. Continue to fight and claw like we have been.”

“A lot of it was self-induced,” Mitchell said of the defeat. “I think a lot of things we did wrong. You give them credit. But there were a bunch of things that we could have done better.”

Across the past five playoff games, Mitchell has score over 180 points and nailed 20 or more triples on 50% from the field or better. It’s the second time he’s achieved this feat. He’s also the only player in league history to have achieved this, per Fedor. His Cleveland comrades couldn’t help handle the offensive load effectively. He has one guaranteed season left on his current contract, and could ask for a trade this summer.

There’s more out of Cleveland:

After the Game 3 defeat, Mitchell seemed more noticeably upset than he had been at any prior point in the playoffs, notes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “We held them to 106, and that’s not a bad defensive game against a team like that, but it’s the key moments of when they get those points, the runs they get and then not being able to score back on the other end,” Mitchell said. “It just compounds, and it compounds. I think that’s the frustrating part of it.” With Game 4 forthcoming on Monday, the Cavaliers have little time to mope.
To win Game 4 and level the series, it may behoove the Cavaliers to consider starting newly-returned forward Dean Wade in the stead of defense-first Isaac Okoro, and tinkering more with a smaller lineup comprising Mitchell, Darius Garland, Sam Merrill, Caris LeVert and Evan Mobley, opines Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.
In case you missed it, the Cavaliers are considered to potentially be interested in trading for star Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram this summer, along with the Hawks.

Injury Notes: Embiid, Sixers, Cavs, Hornets, Rozier

April 14th, 2024 at 12:15pm CST by Rory Maher

After previously being listed as questionable, reigning MVP Joel Embiid was subsequently ruled out by the Sixers ahead of Sunday’s season finale against Brooklyn, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports. Embiid’s official injury designation was left knee injury recovery, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

When asked if he expected Embiid to play as long as he didn’t have any issues pregame, head coach Nick Nurse shifted around a bit while saying, “Yeah, same on the (other) questionable guys” (Twitter video link via PHLY Sixers).

De’Anthony Melton (back injury recovery) and KJ Martin (left great toe contusion), the other two players with questionable tags, were later ruled out as well.

In his fifth game back following a torn left meniscus in January, which required surgery, Embiid appeared to tweak the same knee in Friday’s win over Orlando, calling to be subbed out a couple minutes before the first half ended. He returned for the second half and finished the game, but was noticeably grimacing at times.

Sunday’s game has major playoff implications for the 76ers, who currently have the same record as Orlando and Indiana at 46-35 but are the No. 7 seed due to tiebreakers. Still, Embiid’s health outlook is much more critical for the postseason and the future — Philadelphia went just 15-27 without the 30-year-old this season.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

The Cavaliers, who have secured at least the No. 4 seed in the East and could move as high as No. 2, will be without some of their top players on Sunday, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Donovan Mitchell (knee), Darius Garland (lower back contusion), Caris LeVert (knee soreness), Sam Merrill (neck strain) and Dean Wade (knee sprain) are all out. “It’s not rest,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said prior to tipoff. “Those guys have things they are dealing with that we are trying to protect over the long term. Not guys who are just taking today off. That was the thinking going into it — if we can get them yesterday and today and get out throughout this week, hopefully by Saturday or Sunday, whenever we play, that’s an advantage for us. We will go out and compete our tails off to make sure whatever may happen. So much is out of our control. It’s not a situation where we are going in and saying, ‘We need to do this or do that.’ We don’t control the outcome. So many other teams that have their own plans and own minds that they are trying to make up. We’re going out and trying to compete our tails off and see what happens.”
The Cavs are facing the Hornets on Sunday, and Charlotte will also be very undermanned, the team announced (via Twitter). Miles Bridges (right wrist), Brandon Miller (right wrist), Davis Bertans (left Achilles), Nick Richards (right plantar fascia) and Grant Williams (right ankle) were all downgraded from questionable to out, joining four other players who are dealing with long-term injuries.
Heat guard Terry Rozier underwent additional testing on his neck injury in recent days, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscriber link). Head coach Erik Spoelstra continues to refer to Rozier as day-to-day, but he’ll miss his fourth straight game on Sunday, leaving his postseason status up in the air. Rozier has been taking anti-inflammatories to deal with the issue, Winderman adds.

Central Notes: Wiseman, Sasser, Merrill, Bitim

March 3rd, 2024 at 1:51pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Pistons are still hoping reserve center James Wiseman can produce on a more consistent basis, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). During his first full season in Detroit, the seven-footer out of Memphis is averaging 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks across 40 appearances. The No. 2 pick in 2020 is now playing just 14.3 minutes per night for a 9-50 Pistons club.

“I just want him to be consistent,” head coach Monty Williams said. “The effort is always there. Communication in defense is improving. We love his presence in pick-and-rolls. We just want to see consistency.”

There’s more out of the Central Division:

Pistons rookie swingman Marcus Sasser, who’s dealing with a knee injury, is considered probable to suit up for today’s bout with the Magic, reports James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (via Twitter). Edwards notes that, should Sasser actually play, Detroit will field a completely healthy roster for the first time all season.
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com wonders if, after scoring 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting – all from long range – during a 110-100 victory over the Pistons on Friday, Cavaliers shooting guard Sam Merrill might have earned further consideration for legitimate rotation minutes. Merrill is already enjoying a career year with Cleveland. In 41 games this year, the Utah State product is averaging a career-best 7.8 PPG on a .435/.435/.917 shooting line, with career highs in rebounds (1.9) and assists (1.5) per game as well.
Bulls rookie shooting guard Onuralp Bitim has enjoyed a pair of solid games since being promoted from a two-way contract onto the injury-plagued club’s standard roster. He’s averaging 21.9 minutes across his last two contests and scoring 8.0 PPG on .455/.571/1.000 shooting, along with 5.0 RPG. As Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times details, the 24-year-old was a seasoned pro long before making his NBA debut with Chicago. The 6’6″ wing has been playing with Turkish clubs since he was 19. ‘‘Playing professionally since such a young age helped me a lot because, in the end, basketball is universal,’’ said Bitim, whose parents both suited up for professional Turkish teams. ‘‘[My mom] tells me that I got my IQ and vision from her… My dad says that the athleticism and other things are from him.’’

Central Notes: Merrill, Haliburton, Bucks, Ivey, Duren

February 2nd, 2024 at 11:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have continued to fire on all cylinders with Evan Mobley and Darius Garland making their respective returns from injuries this week — they’ve won four games in a row and 12 of their last 13.

In a look at Cleveland’s hot streak, Joe Vardon of The Athletic highlights the role that sharpshooter Sam Merrill has played in the team’s recent success. The 27-year-old, who wasn’t part of the Cavaliers’ rotation earlier in the season, has made 3.4 three-pointers per game at a 43.5% clip over the club’s past 14 contests.

Merrill has a non-guaranteed minimum salary for 2024/25, so if he continues to produce for the Cavs in a part-time role, the team will certainly guarantee that money and consider it a bargain. The fourth-year wing will become eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2025.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Although Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has confirmed that Tyrese Haliburton is on a minutes restriction following his return from a hamstring injury, Carlisle has declined to offer any details on the distribution of those minutes or explain why the star point guard hasn’t played in the fourth quarter of either of his first two games back, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. On both Tuesday in Boston and Thursday in New York, Haliburton was subbed out for good with about six minutes left in the third quarter — in each case, Indiana held a lead at some point after that, but faded down the stretch and lost the game.
The Bucks have made another addition to Doc Rivers‘ coaching staff, hiring Pete Dominguez as an assistant, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Dominguez previously worked under Rivers with the Clippers and Sixers.
Former eighth overall pick Marquese Chriss has joined the Wisconsin Herd, per an announcement from the Bucks‘ G League affiliate (Twitter link). The 26-year-old power forward last played in the NBA with Dallas in 2022.
The Pistons‘ two 2022 lottery picks, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, were named to the Rising Stars event for the second straight year, but both players have higher expectations for themselves going forward, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). “The goal is still to be an All-Star one day,” Duren said. “That’s what I want to come back for.”

Central Notes: White, LaVine, Holiday, Strus

January 11th, 2024 at 8:17pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Coby White is in the midst of a career year and a bounce-back season with the Bulls, averaging 18.5 points in 39 games (all starts) after registering 9.7 PPG across 74 games (two starts) in 2022/23. Head coach Billy Donovan spoke highly of White’s season, suggesting the fifth-year guard is on an All-Star trajectory, according to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley.

“I think Coby going forward, if he can continue to stay on this path, he’ll be a guy that will be considered for an All-Star Game,” Donovan said. “I think he’s got that kind of ability. I think the other thing that’s come out is his leadership. He’s got an ability to lead. And I would consider him still moving into his prime.”

White, who averaged 22.6 points in December, ranks third on the team in scoring, behind six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan and two-time All-Star Zach LaVine. The UNC product isn’t just scoring the ball a lot — he’s doing it at an efficient clip, shooting career highs of 44.9% from the field and 40.2% from deep (7.3 attempts). Additionally, he’s second on the team in assists per game (4.9, a career best).

“I think what happened early on is that it’s really hard to be a leader when you’re one-dimensional, and he was a one-dimensional player,” Donovan said of White early in his career. “Because he’s become so multidimensional, it’s a lot easier leading. When you’re in there rebounding and you’re defending — I mean, he never took charges. He’s taking charges now.

“When you start doing all those things, you have a much bigger voice where you can start holding other players accountable because you’re doing the things yourself and you would expect others to do those along with you. All those things, he can be a great piece for us.”

We have more from the Central Division:

LaVine recently returned from a 17-game absence and has played three games, all Bulls victories, since his return. After recording 25 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and three steals in Chicago’s latest win over the Rockets, LaVine spoke about his return to play to reporters. “I’m just happy we’re winning,” LaVine said (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry. “I’m going out there giving guys a little boost, hopefully defensively. And offensively, obviously [on] that side of the floor being a weapon people have to worry about.“
Celtics guard Jrue Holiday is making his return to Fiserv Forum on Thursday where he played in front of Bucks fans as a member of the organization for three seasons. The Bucks won the 2021 title with Holiday and fans showed him love with an ovation on Thursday (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Eric Nehm). However, Holiday was all business when asked about the topic before traveling there. “So to be able to go back to Milwaukee should be fun,” Holiday said via The Athletic’s Jay King (Twitter link). “I was there for three years and we did great things there but I’m on to better things.“
Cavaliers forward Max Strus left Cleveland’s Thursday game against the Nets in the first quarter and did not return with what the team said was right knee soreness, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon (Twitter link). The Cavaliers don’t play again until Monday, so it’s possible Strus is good to go for that game. Sam Merrill started the second half in place of Strus on Thursday and finished with six points and nine rebounds in 32 minutes.

Injury Notes: Martin, Porzingis, Tatum, Towns, Cavs

December 22nd, 2023 at 11:13pm CST by Rory Maher

Fifth-year wing Cody Martin was unfortunately limited to seven games last season following left knee surgery, and he has yet to play in 2023/24. However, he could make his season debut on Saturday against Denver, as the Hornets have officially listed him as questionable (Twitter link).

As Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer tweets, Martin’s last appearance was on January 14, so it’s been 11-plus months since he suited up. Second-year center Mark Williams (low back contusion) seems likely to miss his seventh straight game though, as he’s doubtful for Saturday’s contest.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

After sustaining a left ankle sprain on Wednesday against Sacramento, Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out for Saturday’s contest vs. the Clippers, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Jayson Tatum, who missed his first game on Wednesday, is questionable with the same injury as Porzingis. Adam Himmselsbach of The Boston Globe speculates (via Twitter) that Porzingis won’t be sidelined for very long, as he spotted the Latvian big man carrying his own massage table at the team’s hotel on Friday.
Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns (left knee soreness) is out for Saturday’s contest in Sacramento, the team announced (via Twitter). However, Towns’ absence is only “precautionary,” according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who reports that the big man isn’t expected to miss extended time (Twitter link).
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell will miss his third consecutive game on Saturday due to an illness, while Sam Merrill is questionable for the matchup with Chicago with a right wrist sprain, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Central Notes: Merrill, Craig, LaVine, Nembhard, Pistons

December 22nd, 2023 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

In the midst of his best stretch of the season, Cavaliers wing Sam Merrill woke up on Thursday morning with a sore right wrist after falling on it on Wednesday, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).

Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to continue playing an increased role for the banged-up Cavs, Merrill attempted to fight through the pain, but was clearly bothered by the injury and didn’t play in the second half of Thursday’s loss to New Orleans, as Fedor details.

“When it rains, it pours,” forward Dean Wade said of Merrill joining an increasingly crowded Cavs injury list. “It sucks, but we’ve still got to go out there and play a game. We’ve got, I don’t know how many healthy bodies we’ve got, but still got to go out there and fight.”

“It was definitely tough for us. He’s been lights out the last two games,” Jarrett Allen added. “He came in and he tried to pull through, tried to rough it out with the hurt hand. Sadly, he couldn’t do it. But it happens. It’s been the cascade of players going down for us, so we just have to keep going.”

With Ty Jerome, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley sidelined due to longer-term injuries, the Cavaliers could theoretically qualify for a hardship exception if a fourth player goes down. But hardship exceptions are only available to teams with full rosters — Cleveland already has an open spot that the team has thus far been unwilling to fill due to luxury tax concerns.

As we await more details on Merrill’s injury, here are more notes from around the Central:

Bulls forward Torrey Craig believes the eight-to-10 week recovery timeline the team provided when announcing his right foot injury is too long, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Craig said on Thursday that he’s a fast healer and that he intends to beat that timeline, assuming his rehab goes well.
In other Bulls injury news, Zach LaVine is making good progress in his recovery from his own right foot injury and is expected to start cutting next week, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “He’s going to hopefully start to jump shooting, running, increase the speed,” Donovan said of what LaVine’s rehab. “He’s actually running at a pretty good clip straight ahead, and then moving toward next week is when they would probably start some of that running, changing direction, kind of curve running to see how he responds.” As Cowley details, LaVine could be cleared to resume basketball activities and begin practicing again if he responds well next week.
After missing six games due to a bone bruise, Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard returned to action on Friday in Memphis and looked good in his 16 minutes on the court, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.
Something has to change for the 2-26 Pistons, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who says that “a shakeup needed to happen yesterday” and that everyone – from players to coaches to the front office to ownership – bears blame for this season’s disaster.