What's The 411Sports, hosts Keisha Wilson and Mike McDonald are also talking about a controversy at OKC Thunder; Kaepernick Update; Derek Jeter stays home, and more!

WHAT’S POPPIN’ PART 1:

The NBA PLAYOFFS are finally here

Q. Let’s talk about what we’ve seen so far and any predictions?

Cowboys cut Dez Bryant

The Dallas Cowboys released Dez Bryant and Bryant took to social media to express his frustrations and love for the Cowboys’ fans. Bryant also expressed his desire to stay in the NFC East.

Q. What are your thoughts on this Dez Bryant situation and do you think he could land in NFC East?

Will Colin Kaepernick get a meeting with the Seattle Seahawks?

The Seattle Seahawks invited NFL free agent quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, in for a workout and upon learning that Kaepernick may not have given up on kneeling for the National Anthem, reportedly Kaepernick’s workout has been postponed.

Q. Let’s dissect this.

QUICK BITES:

• Russell Westbrook clinched a triple-double average for the second consecutive season.
• If his team gets past the San Antonio Spurs, Stephen Curry is reportedly targeting a return for the second round of the NBA playoffs.
• Free agent Mark Sanchez has been suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2018 regular season for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances.
• Washington Wizards' veteran guard Jodie Meeks suspended for playoffs for a reported drug policy violation
• Sister Jean’s 15 minutes of fame is going into overtime. The Chicago Bulls looked into having Sister Jean rep the Bulls at the NBA Draft!

Quick Question: Adidas wants to sign Colin Kaepernick to an endorsement deal but has held off because the former 49ers quarterback isn’t on an NFL roster.

Q. Do you think this is just talk or could Adidas be sincere?

Poppin’ Part 2

Welcome back to What’s The 411Sports. The Oklahoma City Thunder suspended play-by-play announcer Brian Davis for one game for his offensive on-air comment about Russell Westbrook. During the second quarter of OKC’s last game of the season, Davis blurted out about Westbrook, Is he out of his cotton-picking mind?

Q. Did the Thunder do the right thing in suspending Davis for one game?

Andre Ingram's NBA Dream Comes True

After toiling 10 years in the NBA G-League, Andre Ingram’s number was called to play for the Los Angeles Lakers’ against the Houston Rockets. It was the second to last game of the season and Ingram scored 19 points and three blocks. Postgame, Lakers head coach Luke Walton, presented Ingram with the game ball.

Q. Should the Los Angeles Lakers keep Ingram on its roster? If not, do you think he might get picked up by another team?

NY SPORTS REPORT

New York Yankees

Welcome back to What’s The 411Sports. Former New York Yankees shortstop, and now an owner of the Florida Marlins, Derek Jeter, decided to skip the trip to New York City when the Marlins played the Yankees.

Q. Did Derek Jeter make the right decision?

Jeff Hornacek Gets Fired from New York Knicks

As predicted, the New York Knicks fired head coach Jeff Hornacek and assistant coach, Kurt Rambis.

Q. Lots of names are being floated, who do you think has the best chance?

Brooklyn Nets Get the Sale

Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has completed the sale of a 49% interest in the Brooklyn Nets to Joe Tsai. Mr. Tsai is executive vice chairman and co-founder of Alibaba Group, a global internet company with businesses in e-commerce, cloud computing, and digital entertainment.

OFF TOPIC:

Now, we’re going off-topic. Cleveland Cavaliers PF/center Tristan Thompson was caught cheating on Khloe Kardashian, who gave birth to their first child on April 11th. According to various reports, the entire Kardashian-Jenner clan was enraged — including Kanye West! In fact, Radar Online is reporting that Kanye was prepared to give Thompson a beat down.

VIDEO: New York Yankees' retire Derek Jeter's No. 2 in grand style

In a heartfelt ceremony with an extremely enthusiastic crowd showing their love and admiration for Derek Jeter, the Yankees retired the future Baseball Hall of Famer shortstop Derek Jeter’s #2.

New York Yankees’ retires Derek Jeter’s No. 2 in style, James Harden and the Houston Rockets exit the NBA Playoffs, Jeremy racism experiences in basketball

NBA Playoffs Update

What happened to James Harden?

We are into the Conference Finals round of the NBA Playoffs, and before we talk about where we are right now, let's step back a minute and ask what happened to Houston Rockets guard James Harden. The MVP candidate gave an atrocious effort in Game 6 and an elimination game against the Spurs. Are we being too hard on Harden or is all of the criticism warranted?

NBA Playoffs Final Four

The NBA playoffs are now down to four teams. What can we expect in the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Finals?

Big Ballin’

The three shoe giants, Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour, did not offer a shoe deal to NBA prospect Lonzo Ball. Ball's father, LaVar Ball, vowed to have a Lonzo Ball sneaker made. He succeeded and the ZO2 Primer hit the open market to the tune of $495. While some balked at the price, LaVar tweeted “If you can’t afford the ZO2s, you’re NOT a BIG BALLER!”

Will the shoe be a flop? Will people be on the LaVar train if his son Lonzo Ball turns out to be a “Bog Baller” in the NBA?

Rapper Future’s Fans Start a Mother’s Day Squabble

This past week was Mother’s Day and Seattle Seahawks quarterback, Russell Wilson, posted a sweet Mother’s Day note on Instagram to his wife, Ciara, and rapper Future’s fans came for Wilson’s head and fans of Wilson and Ciara clapped back. Here’s what the note said:

“Nothing better than spending time with you. You are an amazing mom & I'm so grateful I get to spend the rest of my life with you & raising our kids. I love you! #HappyMothersDay Weekend my love. @Ciara

People objected to Wilson saying “our kids.” Should Wilson have not said, “our”? Are those who objected to Wilson stating “our kids” out of line?

Volkswagen at the New York International Auto Show

Nikolai Jackson from our social media team delivered another new car video from the New York International Auto Show and this time it’s from Volkswagen.

New York Sports Report

New York Yankees

The Yankees retired future Baseball Hall of Famer shortstop Derek Jeter’s No. 2.

New York Mets

The Matt Harvey apology tour was in full effect this past week.

As if things couldn't get any worse for the NY Mets' pitching staff, the club announced that closer Jeurys Familia would be out of the lineup due to an anterior blood clot in his right shoulder.

Doctors say that Familia should be able to throw again in six weeks with a return to competition in about 3-4 months.

Brooklyn Nets' Jeremy Lin on Racism in Basketball

Jeremy Lin, the Nets guard, made some headlines recently when he mentioned that the racial slurs he heard in college were much worse than what he has had to deal with while playing in the NBA.

On The Bench

In view of the Brooklyn Nets guard, Jeremy Lin’s, story about the racism that he encountered in college, I am putting the NCAA and the NCAA's referees on the bench for allowing known racism to persist on the court and within the association.

When referees and coaches know that someone is being racially profiled, they have a responsibility to quash the activity.

WATCH VIDEO: What's The 411Sports Team Talk About Derek Jeter Day

Michael Jordan, Dave Winfield, Mariano Rivera, and others were on hand at Yankee Stadium to celebrate Derek Jeter's career as a New York Yankee.

The celebration was Derek Jeter Day on the road to Derek Jeter's retirement.

On September 26th, 2013, the New York Yankees hosted the Tampa Bay Rays in front of a sellout crowd of 48,675. With the Yankees playoffs fate sealed, the sellout crowd's interest focused on other reasons. This was Yankees closer Mariano Rivera's final game and his departure from the game as he retired his last batter featured one of the most touching and heartfelt signature moments for Major League Baseball as well as the Yankees organization.

The Rays were ahead four to the Yankees nil in the top of the ninth inning. On a 1-0 count with 1 out in the inning, Rivera threw a pitch to Rays SS Yunel Escobar, popping him out recording the final out of his career. It was time for Rivera to exit this inning, the mound, the Yankees, and his career as a Major League Baseball player. Usually, Yankees manager Joe Girardi makes his call to the bullpen and walking out to the mound to retrieve his pitcher, but on this night, acknowledging the moment, Girardi sent two of the men who began their careers alongside Rivera in pitcher Andy Pettitte and shortstop Derek Jeter. These two faces were all too familiar for Rivera, and when they finally reached the mound, as Jesus once did, Rivera wept as he was embraced by both Pettitte and Jeter. Rivera left the mound to a standing ovation which he ultimately deserves from the Yankees faithful, as well as, the entire baseball community for the excellence he exhibited throughout the duration of his career.

Another Yankees Dynasty Ends

The MLB 2013 regular season is over, and with its closing introduces the MLB 2013 postseason, a postseason the Yankees aren't apart of for the second time in 19 years, which raises numerous questions beginning with Why? Why didn't the Yankees make the postseason this year? I think I have the answer and it's pretty simple actually so here it is: The Dynasty is over. Yes I just said that. "The Sandman's" exit symbolizes what once was and used to be the base of the ingredients: Their core, which has been unable to solve the enigma that is father time which will and always be undefeated. Jeter is 39 years of age, Pettitte announced his retirement on September 20th, 2013, Yankees catcher Jorge Posada recently retired last year, and Rivera has just completed his Goodbye tour this year, leaving Jeter as the lone member remaining of this dominant group. This four also known as "The Core Four" all made their major league debuts during the summer of 1995 and since that summer, have produced 34 All-Star appearances, 5 world series championships, 2 World Series MVP awards and the MLB record for career saves. Four players can never make up for what the significance and strength lies within an entire team but if there were ever a group of four players to lead and help further establish the prestigious brand that is the Yankees organization, it what this group. This four contributed once and a lifetime experiences and are probably responsible for the Yankee fitted being universally recognized.

Back to reality. The Yankees lineup that management envisioned struggled to stay on the field battling injuries which resulted in midseason utility player rentals and you guessed it, poor play. With the initial breaking of his left ankle in game 1 of the AL Championship series against the Detroit Tigers last postseason, Jeter experienced those longing effects into the 2013 season acting as a hangover as he found himself on the DL countless times this season due to a tight right quadricep, a strained right calf and an injury to his left ankle allowing him to generate only 17 games this season accumulating a .190 average, a homer and seven RBI's.

Former All-Star 1st basemen Mark Texeira slightly tore the tendon sheath in his right wrist while playing for team USA in the World Baseball Classic. Texeira made his regular season debut late in May only to provoke the same injury in June in which he elected to remove himself from the show deciding to have surgery in July, ending his season with a .151 average, three home runs and 12 RBI's in 15 games.

Outfielder Curtis Granderson, "The Grandy Man", adds to the list of fallen Yankees aching with an injury from a Spring Training game before the 2013 season began by breaking his right forearm in a hit-by-pitch, a fate he suffered once more breaking his left pinkie in another hit by pitch, two injuries which cost him to miss most of the season but playing more games than the previously mentioned individuals, making appearances in 61 games, ending the season with a .229 average, seven home runs and 15 RBI's.

The Yankees also witnessed a number of departures to their ball club due to injuries and free agency including first basemen Kevin Youkilis, SS Eduardo Nunez, Catcher Francisco Cervelli, and others including most notably Raul Ibanez, Nick Swisher, Russell Martin and Eric Chavez. It's safe to say that the Yankees are no longer the "Bronx Bombers", but what will the team that leads MLB in championships won do moving forward into the future. Jeter's days are numbered and a number of players that have contributed to the Yankees success in previous years have reached free agency which include pitchers Phil Hughes, Hiroki Kuroda, Boone Logan and Joba Chamberlain. Second basemen Robinson Cano, a player who was once expected to receive the torch from the most recent prominent Yankees to lead the next generation of a possible Yankee resurgence, is awaiting free agency to test the market, looking for a contract that will induce a sum of money that our economy needs more than he.

What was special about the dynasty that the Yankees enjoyed for the duration of almost two decades was the fact that they won from within. The "Core Four" were all products of the Yankees farm system, talents that were so superior that each version of their previous championship runs were all built around those four stars. The Yankees' solid farm system still prevails, boasting catcher Gary Sanchez, pitcher Manny Banuelos and Outfielders Mason Williams and Tyler Austin.

However, what happens to the Yankees from this day forward lies in the hands of General Manager and Senior Vice President Brian Cashman, the man behind the construction of the five world championships. There are not many GMs with five world championships on their resume in baseball today. Nevertheless, if the late former principal owner and managing partner George Steinbrenner were alive and well today, he would make it known that Cashman's job and position in the organization were on thin ice. The "what have you done for me lately" owner would be incensed that the Yankees last World Series visit and win came in 2009.

Brace yourself, Yankees fans as it may be a long time before we see the equivalent success that the "The Core Four" have enjoyed. The farm players previously listed are promising, but have yet to step foot on the biggest stage. Consequently, the Yankees future for now is an unknown, which makes it even more painful when discussing what used to be, and that is quite frankly greatness.

October 30, 2013 is long gone and will never be revisited in reality. It can be revisited as far as MLB History is concerned through all media outlets. That was the day the Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 2, to capture their eight world-series title in franchise history. If you're a Red Sox fan, you enjoyed it, you celebrated it and you relished it. Your team just won the World Series and that feat is something you probably savored, especially at the expense of the New York Yankees.

The Red Sox and the Yankees produce the greatest rivalry in sports all-together, and with the Red Sox winning the most recent championship, it's only fitting that the Yankees re-modified and improved their roster to make a championship run of their own. I mean it's what the Yankees do. They are no stranger to winning titles, they own 27 of them, the most in MLB history.

Due to the Yankees rich history, their fan-base is nothing short of spoiled and this year will be even worse regarding the off-season the Yankees have been able to organize and subject their fans to for 2014. Brian McCann signed a five-year $85 million-dollar contract on November 23, 2013 to sport the pinstripes for the foreseeable future. A future Hall-Of-Famer and now the age-less wonder in Carlos Beltran brings his excellence to the Bronx agreeing to a three-year $45 million-dollar contract on December 6, 2013. Jacoby Ellsbury elected to switch his red sox for navy blue ones, leaving the red sox for the Bronx bombers, collecting $153 million dollars over the course of seven years, confirmed December 3, 2013. Utility man Kelly Johnson brings his bat and many gloves to the Bronx for one year worth $3 million, also signed in December 2013. Brian Roberts's heads brings his wisdom to the infield for one year and $2 million dollars and Japanese import Masahiro Tanaka joins the association for seven years at $155 million dollars.
That's an expensive off-season class, warranted at the expense of losing Robinson Cano to the Seattle Mariners, who signed on to be a sailor for $240 million dollars. It's difficult to lose a player with the magnitude of a Cano but in doing so, the Yankees were able to spend the money they would've spent on Cano in other necessary and dire places. I think it worked out for the best and the Yankees will be able to add those pieces along with the personnel already in place.

Like that free-agent class, other headlines the Yankees have occupied regard the fact that this will be "The Captain", Derek Jeter's final season manning shortstop for the Yankees. The 13-time All-Star and 5-time world champion announced on February 12, 2014, that the upcoming 2014 season would be his last. Jeter will be the last of the prolific "Core Four", which features Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte, all of whom are held responsible for the Yankees dynasty beginning in the late 90's to the 2000s. These four all made their major league debuts in the year of 1995. Pettitte retired twice in years 2011 and 2013, while Posada retired in 2012 and Rivera in 2013. 14' will be for Jeter. At his advanced age of 39, questions regarding Jeter will surface all pertaining to production. Can he still man the shortstop position? Can he still bat effectively and not be a 0 in the lineup? If Jeter can bat above a .250 average hit 15 homeruns and drive home 70 RBI's, the Yankees will appreciate his efforts as this year will be a celebration of his career, as backups in Brendan Ryan and Eduardo Nunez will serve as insurance.

Other than Jeter, Ellsbury, Beltran, Teixeira, McCann, Alfonso Soriano, Brett Gardner, Johnson and Roberts will join him in the opening day lineup. Teixeira's last two seasons have been sabotaged by a number of injuries which include wrist inflammation, calf strain and a strained wrist tendon. Those injuries have limited Teixeira's time on the field, participating in only 15 games in 2013 and 123 in 2012. As much as the Yankees would greatly welcome the Teixeira who hit 39 homeruns, drove in 122 RBI's all while batting .292 with 707 plate appearances in his first initial season with the Yankees in 2009, Teixeira's 2011 production of 156 games, with 684 plate appearances batting .248, launching 39 homeruns and 111, RBI's would be sufficient enough to solidify his spot within the lineup, if he stays healthy.

The Yanks signed Ellsbury because he is capable of 32 homeruns, a .321 batting average, driving in 105 runs, while appearing in +150 games, a stat line that presents his 2011 season, which is what they should expect, especially at a cost of $153 million over the course of 7 years. Beltran has yet to display signs of rust, now at 36 as he achieved his 8th All-Star award last season. McCann is in his prime and can further enhance his legacy in pinstripes as long as he continues to slug homeruns, hitting 20 homeruns or more in seven of his nine year career thus far. Gardner, Suzuki and Soriano all make up significant chunks of the outfield as Roberts, Johnson and Ryan will all take turns defending the infield.

On paper, the hitters the Yankees contain suggest a trip to the postseason with a chance to earn a World Series berth, but no team can obtain those opportunities without pitching. The 5-man starting rotation the Yankees will exhibit this season features: CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Masahiro Tanaka, Ivan Nova and Michael Pineda. CC is now Slim-Slim and much believe the loss in mass will result in less velocity. All in all, Sabathia's days of winning 19 games are over, and with the decrease in velocity, CC will have to become a different pitcher, pitching smarter, using location and the variety of pitches he has at his disposal to hopefully avoid the 4.78 ERA, he produced last season being the highest earned run total of his career.

Kuroda has been Mister Reliable for the Yankees, pitching over 200 innings in his last three seasons, two of which have been with the Yankees. Continue that. We will all observe when Tanaka takes the mound every 5th day, and even though his 99 wins opposed to 35 losses with an average ERA of 2.30 was not attained in the MLB but the Japanese League, for what he's being paid and a quotable which Tanaka expresses, "I don't speak English, so I'll just have to win the trust and confidence of the fans with my performance on the field," it compels me to believe that he wants to excel.

I think he will. Nova and Pineda have what it takes to anchor the back end of the rotation, and I think they will. The questions and skepticism should be targeted at the Yankees bullpen. How will that group hold up? Can they survive with the absence of Mariano Rivera forever and ever? Can David Robertson be the successor of Rivera? I believe in Robertson but setup man in Dellin Betances struggles with control posting a 10.80 ERA and Mid-reliever Matt Thornton is on the decline at 37 years old among others. There is no sure win now with a modified bullpen without the consistent dominance of Rivera, but other arms will have to suffice. I think the Yankees are capable of 90 wins despite having a lineup which features no one player under the age of 30. The Yankees need youth, but this is not a rebuilding year. You know the Yankees. They insert talent as much as they output and this year is no different. The offseason damage for the Yankees translates to $503 million dollars. For a team in the media market of the world with a precedent pre-established on nothing short of excellence, mediocre won't do. More like brilliance.