Cam Newton lent his shoes to Oprah's boyfriend

Cam Newton has a passion for helping out kids. His foundation is dedicated to enhancing the lives of underprivileged youth and he's made it a habit of giving away footballs to young fans in the stands on a weekly basis.

But his charitable endeavors also extend to the billionaire class.

Oprah Winfrey gave the commencement address at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C. Sunday, but her longtime partner, Stedman Graham, forgot one of his shoes. According to the Charlotte Observer's Theoden Janes, Newton came to the rescue.

Ranking all 63 college football non-powers for 2016: Houston's No. 1, but not a runaway

That's 63 previews down, 65 to go. My annual preview series has basically reached the halfway point, with the Group of 5 conferences and non-Notre Dame independents in the books. Notre Dame will mark the official halfway point on Monday.

At the end of each set of conference previews, I have been releasing power rankings based not on numbers, but on my opinions after writing so many words about each team. You can catch them all here:

AAC
MAC
Mountain West
Sun Belt
Conference USA
Since we've reached a benchmark, it might be interesting to merge these power rankings into one giant set of mid-major power rankings.

I'll include three independents here -- including BYU, which has probably done enough to earn honorary major status -- with asterisks (*) that signify they technically aren't part of the Group of 5 (and therefore ineligible to get the New Year's Six's Group of 5 conference champion bid). They could still make big bowls by ranking highly, of course.

Capable of making (and winning) a major bowl

1. Houston
2. Boise State
3. BYU*
4. San Diego State
5. USF

These are the five with the fewest question marks to me.

I am not as high on Houston as many -- for all of the luck-related reasons I've mentioned many times before -- but I still trust the Cougars more than any other team in the mid-major universe.

That said, they are only a nose ahead of others, and as much as conventional wisdom has settled on UH as the de facto Group of 5 favorite, most of us were saying the same things about Boise State a year ago. The Broncos went 9-4.

Anyone from the second tier below could make a run at the major bowl bid, but I would be surprised if the bid didn't go to one of the four eligible teams above.

Definite conference title contenders

6. Western Kentucky
7. WMU
8. Appalachian State
9. Toledo
10. Temple
11. Georgia Southern
12. Memphis
13. Southern Miss
14. Marshall
15. Navy
16. Cincinnati
17. Air Force
18. NIU
19. Bowling Green
20. Arkansas State

Each of these is one or two answers away from making a run at 10-plus wins. Maybe a star quarterback left, or maybe there was a coaching change. Because of uncertainty, at least a few will disappoint this fall, but they all have sturdy foundations. Most will enter November with conference title hopes.

Bowls likely

21. UConn
22. Louisiana Tech
23. CMU
24. Utah State
25. ECU
26. Colorado State
27. Ohio
28. Tulsa

This is just a half-step down from the one above. Most or all should end up in the postseason.

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Bowls possible

29. Akron
30. UCF
31. New Mexico
32. Nevada
33. San Jose State
34. Middle Tennessee
35. Troy
36. Georgia State
37. Florida Atlantic

These teams are either completely rebuilding in one unit or the other or just really stunk in one unit last year. But there is decent talent and depth.

Hey, you never know

38. SMU
39. Fresno State
40. Kent State
41. UNLV
42. Florida International
43. UL-Lafayette
44. Buffalo
45. Rice
46. Ball State
47. Idaho
48. Old Dominion
49. Tulane
50. Miami (Ohio)
51. South Alabama
52. Army*
53. UTEP
54. UTSA
55. New Mexico State
56. Wyoming
57. UMass*
58. North Texas
59. Texas State

Most of my previews for these teams centered around building (or, in the case of teams like Rice and UL-Lafayette, rebuilding) for 2017, but hey, sometimes you arrive a year early.

:(

60. Charlotte
61. UL-Monroe
62. Hawaii
63. EMU

If one of these makes a serious bowl run, I will be stunned and thrilled.

***

Friday afternoon, I took some Facebook and Twitter questions on these rankings and the Group of 5 in general here:

There are still some decent players available in NFL free agency

The 2016 NFL Draft is a thing of the past, but free agency will continue onward and onward and onward ... through camp and into the regular season. The players without jobs at this moment are hoping to land with teams for training camp and the preseason to try and earn spots on regular season rosters.

But teams now have a better idea of their rosters and their needs following the draft. Now is the time for the second wave of free agency. The most notable change between the start of free agency and now is the fact that the deadline for signings to count against the compensatory pick formula for 2017 has passed. On May 12, it became possible for teams to sign free agents without them counting in the formula.

This is a big deal for teams, and the names still on the market should be able to find and sign with new teams sooner rather than later. Below, we'll take a look at a few of the biggest names.

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick is still engaged in a stalemate with the New York Jets, a team that may not even be talking to him at this stage of the offseason. Fitzpatrick played hard, took an unreal amount of punishment and was a bright spot on a surprisingly competent Jets team last season. The two sides need each other, and something should get done as Fitzpatrick is a solid bridge to rookie Christian Hackenberg. Fitzpatrick completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 3,905 yards with 31 touchdowns and 15 interceptions last season.

Other notable QBs: Matt Flynn, Josh Freeman, Tarvaris Jackson

RB Arian Foster

Foster has had a brilliant career derailed by injury. He's rushed for 1,200-plus yards four times, but has played in all 16 games in a season just twice. In 2014, he played in 13 games and managed 1,246 yards and a 4.8 yards per carry average, but he followed that up with just 163 yards in four games last season. Foster is still recovering from injury and is looking for a new team for the first time in his career. But when healthy, he can still run ... if healthy is even a thing that Foster can be at this point.

Other notable RBs: Ahmad Bradshaw, Joique Bell, Bryce Brown

WR Anquan Boldin

There was little reported interest for Boldin, who has defied age and looked like a threat for the entirety of his career, even when playing for a very bad San Francisco 49ers team. Boldin had 789 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games last season and should be able to come on and be a legitimate possession receiver threat for a receiver-needy team.

Other notable WRs: Marques Colston, Roddy White, James Jones

Other notable offensive players: TE Scott Chandler, TE Owen Daniels, OT Will Beatty, OT Jake Long, OG Jahri Evans, OG Louis Vasquez

DE Dwight Freeney

Freeney was the case study for late free agent additions last year. He didn't sign until October 2015 when the Cardinals took a chance on the 35-year-old veteran to beef up their pass rush. It worked. In 11 games as a part-time player, Freeney had a team-leading eight sacks, and he added another one in Arizona's win over Green Bay in the divisional round of the playoffs. Freeney wants to play again this season at age 36, and should get a shot ... at some point.

Other notable DEs: Jason Jones, Jeremy Mincey

CB Leon Hall

Hall has slowed down in recent years, but he can start on many teams in the league and at the very least can be a nickel corner for most teams. He's a veteran who shouldn't get more than a one- or two-year deal, but he's a legitimate starter-level cornerback and he's the only one on the market. Hall had a pair of interceptions and nine pass deflections while playing in 14 games with the Cincinnati Bengals last season.

Other notable CBs: Antonio Cromartie, Chris Culliver, Cortez Allen

DB Walter Thurmond

There was reported interest in Thurmond early in the free agency period, and then there were rumors that Thurmond was considering retiring rather than taking another short contract. Still, he's a solid corner and an above-average safety at this stage of his career and it's hard to imagine a team won't give him a worthy one- to two-year deal. Thurmond played in 16 games last season, putting up three interceptions, two sacks, two forced fumbles, seven pass deflections and a fumble recovery.

Other notable DBs: Donte Whitner, Will Hill, Bacarri Rambo

Other notable defensive players: LB Mike Neal, DT Henry Melton, DT Sammie Lee Hill

NBA playoff scores 2016: Tim Duncan's potential last hurrah ends with a dud

If Thursday night's loss to Oklahoma City was Tim Duncan's final game in the NBA, it's one he would like to forget.

The surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer may have had a throwback 19-point performance, but his Spurs never trailed by fewer than double digits in the second half of a rout that sent the Thunder to the Western Conference Finals. In the end, a 67-win team laced with veteran talent and NBA Champions failed to advance to the league's Final Four.

On Thursday, the culprit was a younger, fresher Oklahoma City team. While Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were the headliners (65 points between them), a balanced attack from players like second-year center Steven Adams and third-year forward Andre Roberson gave the Thunder the 48-minute attack needed to bury San Antonio.

In the end, the Spurs couldn't keep up. When Duncan and Tony Parker left the court for a breather, the Thunder ran through San Antonio's bench to put this game out of reach. Gregg Popovich played 11 different players in the game's first 15 minutes as he sought a solution to his team's cold shooting. Unfortunately for the veteran coach, there was no sideline panacea on Thursday night. By the time a Duncan/Kawhi Leonard/LaMarcus Aldridge/Andre Miller-led lineup started to gel, it was too late for the Spurs to make a comeback in earnest.

Was this the last we've seen of Tim Duncan?

There's no way around it. This was the worst postseason performance of Tim Duncan's career.

In last year's playoffs, he averaged 17.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game while shooting 58.9 percent from the field. In 2016, his numbers slumped to 4.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and a vile 38.9 percent mark before Thursday's 19-point showing. His regular season was better, but still plagued by the ravages of time that Duncan had so effortlessly kept at bay as he entered his late 30s.

Duncan is still a useful player. He's a veteran leader who isn't just a Spur -- he is the Spurs. He willed himself to his best performance in over a month when his team's back was against the wall, and led the comeback effort that fell short in the fourth quarter of Thursday's loss. There's still life in the Big Fundamental's game, but the only person who knows if he'll be back for a 20th season is Duncan.


The Spurs' cold shooting allowed the Thunder to take charge

San Antonio seemed to be playing on carnival rims in the first half, as shot after shot clanked off the interior of the rim and caromed back to the court. The visitors had plenty of open looks, but they made only 31.1 percent of their field goals -- and missed all eight of their three-point attempts -- while Oklahoma City ran off to a 24-point halftime lead. In case you needed a visual on just how ugly that looks in chart form:

 
Unless the Spurs were right next to the rim, they weren't scoring in the first half. That's what turned an early six-point lead into an unfixable deficit on Thursday night.

Can the Thunder beat the Warriors in a Best-of-Seven Series?

Oklahoma City went 0-3 against the 72-win Warriors this winter, losing by an average deficit of nearly nine points per game. However, two of those losses came on the road, and one was decided by a Stephen Curry 38-foot shot in the final seconds. Granted, that's not the same kind of fluke it would be if say, Festus Ezeli bombed in a half-court three, but it's still encouraging news for a Thunder team that is hitting its stride in the postseason.

Durant and Westbrook already have the scalp of a 67-win team on their mantle. The added contributions of starters Adams (15 points, 11 rebounds on Thursday) and Roberson (14 points) can give them the dynamic scoring to keep pace with Golden State's high octane attack. And while Tony Parker and Danny Green are in no way, shape, or form Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, it's worth noting OKC held the Spurs' guards to just 10-of-28 shooting (35.7 percent) to hamstring San Antonio in Game 6. In fact, the defensive play of Roberson and Dion Waiters could be OKC's secret weapon to slowing down Golden State's shooters.

The Warriors just dispatched a binary star team when they eliminated Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and the rest of the Portland Trailblazers. Like Portland, Oklahoma City has two players who carry between 40 to 50 percent of its scoring load on any given night. Unlike the Blazers, the Thunder also have a cache of complimentary players who can step up to carry this team through slumps and valleys.

20 reasons to get excited about the WNBA's 20th season

with the 2016 season set to tip off this Saturday, the 20-year-old WNBA is stocked with stars and storylines. From personnel to apparel, the league is ready to take its next steps in growth.

It all begins with two months of play before the league breaks for the Rio Olympics. The second half of the season will resume once the league's superstars are back from Brazil and the schedule is set to run deeper into October due to the delay. That means US fans of the women's game will get to watch nearly six months of hoops.

To celebrate the start of all that basketball, here are 20 things we're looking forward to in the WNBA's 20th season:

1. Breanna Stewart is here

The most decorated college basketball player ever is set to make her rookie debut for the Seattle Storm. The former Connecticut Husky won four straight NCAA titles, was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player four times, National Player of the Year three times, and well, chances are the draft's No. 1 pick carries that success over.

It'll be weird to see Stewart lose games given she only lost five in her four-year UConn career.

2. No more boring white jerseys!

All teams are getting rid of their white home uniforms in exchange for these colorful new ones. Ten new teams are getting color designs because the Los Angeles Sparks and San Antonio Stars were already ahead of the curve.

Pacers to promote Nate McMillan to head coach, per report

The Pacers will promote Nate McMillan to head coach, according to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.

McMillan was hired by the Pacers in 2013 to be associate head coach on Frank Vogel's staff. After a year off, he returned to the team in 2015 to serve as an assistant. Now, he will take over the position left vacant by Vogel, whose contract ended and wasn't renewed.

It will be McMillan's third head coaching job after serving long stints in Seattle and Portland. In his 12-year career he amassed a .514 winning percentage, with his best season coming in 2009, when he led the Trail Blazers to 54 wins. He never had much playoff success, only advancing to the second round once with the SuperSonics.

McMillan seems like a safe choice by President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. He's experienced, has ties to the franchise and knows the roster. He's known as a disciplinarian, which could help energize the locker room. Whether he will be an upgrade over Vogel, however, remains to be seen.

Pacers to promote Nate McMillan to head coach, per report

The Pacers will promote Nate McMillan to head coach, according to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.

McMillan was hired by the Pacers in 2013 to be associate head coach on Frank Vogel's staff. After a year off, he returned to the team in 2015 to serve as an assistant. Now, he will take over the position left vacant by Vogel, whose contract ended and wasn't renewed.

It will be McMillan's third head coaching job after serving long stints in Seattle and Portland. In his 12-year career he amassed a .514 winning percentage, with his best season coming in 2009, when he led the Trail Blazers to 54 wins. He never had much playoff success, only advancing to the second round once with the SuperSonics.

McMillan seems like a safe choice by President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. He's experienced, has ties to the franchise and knows the roster. He's known as a disciplinarian, which could help energize the locker room. Whether he will be an upgrade over Vogel, however, remains to be seen.