Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said he won't rule out bringing Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta back to the club after completing the signing of Dani Alves.

Alves, 38, has signed a contract with Barca until the end of the season and was presented at Camp Nou in front of over 10,000 supporters on Wednesday.

The Brazil international, who left Barca in 2016 after eight years at the club, cannot be registered until January but is already training with his new teammates.

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"I can't rule it out," Laporta said at Alves' presentation when asked whether Messi and Iniesta could follow the defender back to the club in the future.

"It's happened with Dani Alves, who has seen the situation and wanted to help. We're grateful for the financial sacrifice he's made. He wants to help us turn things around.

"Leo and Andres are two spectacular players. I can't predict the future. They are Barca greats and who made this club what it is and they will always be present, but they're players with contracts with other clubs. That must be respected, but in life you never know."

Messi, 34, left on a free transfer in the summer, joining Paris Saint-Germain because Barca couldn't afford to renew his deal, and Iniesta, 37, joined Japanese side Vissel Kobe in 2018.

Alves struck up a close friendship with Messi during his first spell at the club and joked that he would go and fetch him from Paris.

"If you give me a couple of hours, I will go and look for him," Alves laughed when asked what Messi might be thinking after seeing Alves and Xavi Hernandez return to the club this month.

"Leo is the greatest I have ever seen in the game, and you always miss the greats, especially when you have a good relationship with them.

"I love him very much. We're in a new process here, and I would encourage everyone to come back. I have been in a lot of places, but there's no place like this."

Laporta explained that Xavi, who replaced Ronald Koeman as coach earlier in November, gave the green light to Alves' return, and said he is "what we need" in the squad.

Alves, meanwhile, who won 23 trophies in his first spell at Barca, said he is aware of the size of the task facing him but is looking forward to it.

"I accepted the challenge because I feel up to it," he added. "We're going to transform this club because even though the challenge is huge, so is this desire and the spirit to fight.

"I wasn't born to come second. I have not come here to pass the time. I have come here to play and to fight for my place and to earn the right to play."

Alves encounters a very different Barca to the one he left. They had just won the double when he joined Juventus in 2016 but find themselves ninth in LaLiga after 12 games ahead of Saturday's Catalan derby against Espanyol.

Things are not much better off the pitch, with the club's gross debt standing at over €1.4 billion and, speaking alongside Alves, director of football Mateu Alemany said it will be difficult for the club to afford any more signings in January.

"The reality is we can register Xavi and his coaching staff but beyond that we can't do anything else right now," Alemany said, with Barca's spending limit for the season set at €97 million by LaLiga.

"We are working on different situations, but as of now it will not be possible to register [new signings] on Jan. 1. We will see if we can make room to remain within [LaLiga's] fair play [regulations]."

Joe Flacco will start at quarterback for the New York Jets against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, a source told ESPN's Rich Cimini on Wednesday.

Jets quarterback Mike White threw four interceptions in last week's 45-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Rookie Zach Wilson, meanwhile, has yet to return from a second-degree PCL sprain.

Flacco, who completed all three of his passing attempts and had a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the loss to the Bills, was acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 25. His experience is likely a factor in the decision with the Jets to face Miami's blitz-heavy defense.

Flacco started in a 24-0 loss to the Dolphins in 2020 while with the Jets.

Wilson ran sprints and threw a lot of passes during the pregame warm-ups prior to the Bills game, but coach Robert Saleh has been noncommittal as to when the No. 2 overall draft pick would return.

After throwing for 405 yards against the Bengals in his first start, White suffered a fluke injury in the first quarter vs. the Colts before his ineffective outing against the Bills. In four games this season, White has thrown for 953 yards with five touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 51.5 QBR.

Flacco served as Sam Darnold's primary backup in New York last season, starting four games when Darnold went down with a shoulder injury. The Jets lost all four, and Flacco struggled in three of the four.

The Jets did not re-sign the free agent following the 2020 season.

With Thanksgiving approaching and COVID-19 cases rising again nationwide, the NFL on Tuesday night issued a memo to its teams detailing changes to its COVID-19 protocols, including mandatory testing for all players and staff the Monday and Wednesday after the holiday and mandatory mask-wearing for all players and staff while inside club facilities from Nov. 25 through Dec. 1.

The memo, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, also establishes new requirements for surveillance cameras in team facilities for the purpose of enforcing COVID-19 protocols. The memo says the league has been "periodically reviewing footage from surveillance cameras in club facilities to ensure Protocol compliance. Discipline has been issued against individual players and clubs as warranted."

Effective Nov. 29, all NFL teams will be required to have video cameras installed in their weight rooms and cafeterias, including weight rooms that are outdoors or in practice bubbles. Teams must retain video from those cameras for 30 days in case the league requests to view it for the purpose of finding out whether people are following mask requirements at team facilities.

The memo seems especially concerned about Thanksgiving. It says NFL teams "are strongly encouraged to offer drive-through testing" for friends and family of staff and players who will be staying or visiting with them for the holiday. "Such testing should be conducted before friends and family interact with players and staff."

All Tier 1 and Tier 2 individuals, regardless of vaccination status, will be Mesa tested on Monday, Nov. 29, and Wednesday, Dec. 1. Under the current protocols, unvaccinated players must be tested every day and wait for their test results to come back negative before they are allowed to enter the building, while vaccinated players and staff are tested once a week and do not have to wait for their results before entering. For the week after Thanksgiving, vaccinated individuals will be tested on Monday and Wednesday.

The memo also offers reminders about how testing procedures are expected to be conducted and about the requirements for mask-wearing for all members of the team traveling party while on buses or airplanes.

Which underperforming teams should hit the panic button?

The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks and the team they beat to reach the Finals, the Atlanta Hawks, are both under .500 to start the season. Can the Bucks get healthy and begin a climb toward the top of the Eastern Conference, and can the Hawks right the ship on defense in time for another magical run?

The Boston Celtics have been one of the most unlucky teams in the league so far this season, dropping two double-overtime games and another on a buzzer-beating 3. The Portland Trail Blazers, meanwhile, have been up and down as star guard Damian Lillard tries to break away from one of the worst shooting slumps of his career.

And then there are the New Orleans Pelicans, mired in an early-season slide as the franchise waits on the season debut of star forward Zion Williamson while also dealing with a handful of other injuries to key players.

There's plenty of season left to turn things around. Which teams will? Our NBA insiders are breaking down where five teams fall on the panic meter.

Atlanta Hawks (6-9)

Panic meter: 3/10

The Hawks had high expectations for this season, but so far they have been a disappointment. However, if there's one team that should not panic after a lousy start, it's these guys, who endured a terrible stretch last season before turning it around and marching to the Eastern Conference finals.

Before Nate McMillan took over as interim head coach on March 1, the Hawks were mediocre at best, winning 14 of 34 games. But after March 1, the team went 27-11 to close the regular season before upending both the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers in intense postseason series.

This season, they're off to another bad start, winning just six of their first 15 games thanks to Atlanta's poor defense.

The Hawks are sixth in offensive efficiency and 27th in defensive efficiency -- point guard Trae Young is a key reason for both of those rankings.

Young deserves credit for helping Atlanta get buckets, but he also needs to improve on the defensive end. Opponents love to attack Young in the pick-and-roll for good reason. Whether he's defending the action with Clint Capela or with John Collins, the results haven't been great.

Out of 50 players who have defended the ball handler in at least 500 pick-and-roll actions this season, Young ranks 49th, allowing 1.11 points per chance on those plays.

It's not an accident Young led the league in picks defended last season, and he's leading in that category again this year -- opponents know he struggles at the point of attack and they exploit that weakness.

Atlanta might never be a defensive juggernaut, but in the 38 games McMillan coached last season, the Hawks ranked 12th in the league on defense. That's the stat to watch for Atlanta. With Young at the helm, the offense will be good -- the question is can the defense become decent?

-- Kirk Goldsberry

Boston Celtics (7-7)

Panic meter: 4/10

It's easy to look at Boston's .500 record entering Wednesday's game at Atlanta and see it as a disappointment. But when you consider this team has blown two double-digit, fourth-quarter leads, lost two double-overtime games and lost another on a last-second shot by Luka Doncic in Dallas, it wouldn't have taken much for things to look a lot rosier in Beantown than they do at the moment.

That's especially true when you factor in Jaylen Brown missing six of those 14 games because of COVID-19 and a sore hamstring, and Jayson Tatum mired in what easily is the biggest shooting slump of his career.

All of that is to remind things should end up fine in Boston -- eventually. Brown has to get back on the court, which should happen soon, and Tatum needs to get back on track.

Tatum, who is shooting career lows of 38.6% overall and 31.6% from 3-point range, has also seen his shot profile decline this season. In each year of his five-year career, his average shot distance has increased from 12.7 feet as a rookie to 15.1 feet this season. He is taking 26.5% of his shots from 10 feet away from the rim out to the 3-point line -- the dreaded long 2 -- after taking 23% of his shots from that range last season and 21.5% the year before.

More alarmingly, he has seen a drastic drop in his shooting percentages within 3 feet (from 73.5% last season to 54.5% now).

While Tatum needs to be more aggressive in attacking the rim, he's not going to shoot like this all season. He has too much of a track record of success to think he has reverted to a below-average volume scorer.

And, once he gets back on track -- and Brown stays on the court -- Boston's offensive woes should be rectified.

The Celtics are ranked 10th in the NBA in defensive rating -- right around where they were projected during the preseason. It is the offense, which is down to 24th, that has held them back.

Tatum isn't the only player struggling. Marcus Smart, Al Horford, Payton Pritchard and Aaron Nesmith are off to cold starts, with the those four all shooting below 30% from deep on multiple attempts per game.

One cause for concern is if Robert Williams III, who has been a big-time bright spot as Boston's starting center, has to miss extended time because of the left knee soreness that forced him to exit Monday's win in Cleveland. The loss of Williams for an extended period could be a big blow to Boston's strong defensive showing.

Still, this team should remain near the top 10 defensively and shouldn't stay in the bottom 10 offensively. Once the offense picks up, the Celtics will look better and perhaps win some of those close games.

-- Tim Bontemps

Milwaukee Bucks (6-8)

Panic meter: 4/10

The Bucks' first title defense in 50 years is off to a rocky start. They enter Wednesday's matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers (7:30 ET on ESPN) two games under .500, middling in both offensive (18th in the NBA) and defensive efficiency (20th).

Such struggles during the regular season have become foreign in Milwaukee since Mike Budenholzer took over as coach. The Bucks have won at a 58-win pace through Budenholzer's first three regular seasons, and the team has not been under .500 this late into the year since November 2017, the last season under coach Jason Kidd. So, it's understandable to wonder what's going on.

Milwaukee's biggest concern is availability -- its roster hasn't been whole since the start of the season.

Through their first 14 games, the Bucks have used eight different starting lineups; they needed only 12 different starting units to get through all of last season. Three players -- Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton and Jordan Nwora -- have appeared in all 14 games. Brook Lopez has not played since opening night because of a back injury. Jrue Holiday is still getting his legs under him after missing six games with an ankle injury. Khris Middleton is expected to return Wednesday against the Lakers, but he missed eight games in the NBA's health and safety protocols after testing positive for COVID-19.

It has left Giannis Antetokounmpo facing double teams nightly. Still, Antetokounmpo is fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 26.5 points per game, while grabbing 11.3 rebounds with a career-best 6.0 assists.

With injuries and illnesses depleting their rotation, the Bucks haven't expressed much worry about their early-season skid. Besides, Milwaukee has played its best basketball early in the season before, only to get bounced prematurely in the playoffs. In the aftermath of their championship, they have the confidence to pull it together as the season progresses.

Reinforcements should arrive at some point for Antetokounmpo. Middleton is likely to be eased back into action on a minutes limit, but he'll help take attention from defenses. The Bucks have been unclear about a timeline for Lopez or Donte Divincenzo, who is still recovering from an ankle injury suffered in last season's playoffs. Milwaukee doesn't have a reason to rush anybody back right now.

"We will play better," Antetokounmpo told reporters after Sunday's 20-point loss to the Hawks. "Once everybody comes back, Khris comes back, we start to play well, everybody goes to his role and we are aggressive and get into the paint and move the ball and we defend and we rebound and we crash the paint and all that, we're going to be where we want to be."

-- Jamal Collier

Portland Trail Blazers (7-8)

Panic meter: 5/10

The panic meter was escalating in Portland after a noncompetitive 124-95 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday without star Damian Lillard, as the Blazers fell to 1-7 this season on the road. Afterward, first-year coach Chauncey Billups expressed his frustration with his team's effort level, telling reporters, "I don't think we came to compete in this game."

A night later, back in the Moda Center with Lillard in the lineup, Portland bounced back with a 118-113 win against the Toronto Raptors that highlighted the team's potential this season thanks to the development of Nassir Little and Anfernee Simons and addition of Larry Nance Jr.

The funny thing about the Blazers' sub-.500 start is that much of what they had hoped for entering the season has come to fruition. A combination of better personnel off the bench and a more aggressive defensive scheme installed by Billups has allowed Portland to be more competitive at that end after finishing 29th in defensive rating in 2020-21.

Additionally, recent first-round picks Little and Simons have taken key steps forward. After emerging as a dangerous 3-point shooter during his third NBA season, the 22-year-old Simons has broadened his game in Year 4, averaging a career-high 22.5 minutes per game. Meanwhile, Little, 21, has increased his playing time from 13.3 minutes per game to 21.8 in his third season by translating his physical ability into positive plays at both ends.

Thus far, those upgrades have been necessary to offset the slow start by Lillard, the one anchor the Blazers could count on amid injuries and roster turnover in years past. Lillard began the season in one of the worst slumps of his career, making 34% of his shots and 22% of his 3s over the first nine games. Over the past five games, Lillard's shooting percentages have returned to normal (47% overall, 39% on 3s), albeit at a lower volume than in years past as he has averaged 24.8 PPG during that span.

No matter how good the supporting cast, Portland is going as far as Lillard leads them.

Assuring Lillard is healthy -- he has long dealt with an abdominal issue that caused him to miss Sunday's game -- the Blazers have time to turn things around. They're two games out of sixth in the West, the final assured playoff spot, and have a better point differential than three of the teams ahead of them in the standings.

Portland does face off-court issues, as the franchise investigates concerns about the workplace environment under president of basketball operations Neil Olshey. And despite his recent comments reaffirming his commitment to the team and city, the possibility of Lillard asking for a trade will remain a long-term concern as long as the Blazers don't look like championship contenders.

In the short term, however, it's too early and too much has gone right for Portland to panic.

-- Kevin Pelton

New Orleans Pelicans (2-13)

Panic meter: 9/10

A team that was built around Zion Williamson hasn't had Zion Williamson, and its record shows it. But even without the 21-year-old superstar, a two-win start shouldn't have been in the cards for the Pelicans.

At media day, the Pelicans announced Williamson suffered a right foot fracture in the offseason and wouldn't play in any preseason games. Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said the team was optimistic about Williamson's timeline, and Williamson himself said he planned on getting back on the court for the start of the regular season.

Unfortunately for New Orleans, that didn't happen. On Tuesday, Williamson was cleared to participate in contact drills.

The Pelicans have struggled in his absence; they've already lost a league-leading three games this season when leading by 15 or more points.

New Orleans has had to deal with injuries to more than just Williamson so far. Brandon Ingram missed seven games because of a right hip contusion. Josh Hart missed four games because of a quad injury. Rookie Herb Jones, who has been in and out of the starting lineup, missed one game because of a concussion and three more because of a sprained ankle.

Without Ingram and Williamson, the Pelicans are 0-7. With Ingram, they are 2-6. So there is some hope that when Williamson returns to the lineup, he'll give them a much-needed boost.

When Ingram returned from his seven-game absence, the Pelicans defeated the Memphis Grizzlies and then pushed the East-leading Washington Wizards (minus Bradley Beal) to the brink before collapsing in the fourth quarter.

The collapse on Monday was proof of the Pelicans' glaring need for one more playmaker. The ball stopped moving, and the offense stagnated. The Pelicans' 17-point halftime lead dissipated as Washington pulled out a 105-100 win.

Williamson, in his Point Zion form, could step in and handle ballhandling duties at times. It would also help to balance out some of the Pelicans' units, with Ingram and Williamson on the front line and Devonte' Graham and Jonas Valanciunas starting but helping the second unit.

Also, several Pelicans players are underperforming. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has had a roller-coaster season while struggling from the field, shooting 37.7% overall and 27.7% from deep. Kira Lewis, the Pelicans' 2020 first-round pick, has lost backup point guard minutes to Tomas Satoransky. Jaxson Hayes was briefly benched for Willy Hernangomez, forcing Valanciunas to play more minutes as the team's biggest offensive threat.

Williamson's presence should alleviate some of the Pelicans' issues. But when he steps on the court remains up in the air.

New Orleans has been here before. In 2019-20, the team started 6-22 while Williamson sat due to a torn meniscus. When he did return in January, the team's play and wins picked up. Two months later, the Pelicans were pushing for the final playoff spot with 15 games to go before COVID-19 paused the NBA season.

This time around, New Orleans has to get to only No. 10 in the standings in order to make the play-in tournament. While Williamson's return should make that easier, if the Pelicans continue to falter as they have to start the season, major changes could be on the horizon.

-- Andrew Lopez

Roger Federer says he is unlikely to play Wimbledon next year and has confirmed he will miss the Australian Open as he recovers from injury.

The Swiss, 40, told Le Matin that he does not expect to return to competition until next summer.

"I would be extremely surprised if I could play Wimbledon," he said.

"I will be able to resume running quietly in January and resume sessions on the court with complex support in March or April.

"I therefore estimate my return to competition in the summer of 2022."

The 2022 Wimbledon Championships begin on 27 June.

Federer said he is determined to return to the top level and retire on his own terms.

"My ambition is to see what I'm capable of one last time," he said.

"I also wish I can say goodbye in my own way and on a tennis court. That's why I give my all in my rehabilitation.

"My life is not going to collapse if I don't play a Grand Slam final again.

"But it would be the ultimate dream to go back. And I still believe in it. I believe in these kinds of miracles."

Federer is tied with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the race to be the most successful men's singles Grand Slam champion of all time, and Australian Open organisers would have been hoping to have all three at Melbourne Park for the 2022 event, which starts on 17 January.

Nadal, who has been struggling with a foot injury, has said he will be there, but Djokovic has declined to confirm his presence until Tennis Australia reveals the health protocols for the tournament.

The Serbian world number one has not confirmed whether he has been vaccinated against Covid-19, a prerequisite for entering the country under current rules.

Scotland have become "one of the best teams in the world defensively" since their 2019 World Cup defeat by Japan, says scrum-half George Horne.

Japan visit Murrayfield in Scotland's final Autumn Nations Series match on Saturday.

"We're a completely different team," said Horne, who came off the bench in Saturday's loss to South Africa.

"We've developed our game a lot and we're up there as one of the best teams in the world defensively. Hopefully, we can put them under a lot of pressure and not let them play their offloading game.

Ali Price has started all three of Scotland's autumn internationals so far, including the wins against Tonga and Australia, and his Glasgow Warriors club-mate Horne is eager make his mark from the start on Saturday.

Horne also came off the bench in Yokohama when the Scots succumbed to Japan and he added: "It's not going to be anything like 2019, hopefully. If we put up a good performance, I think we'll be good enough to beat them."

When England last played South Africa, in the Rugby World Cup final of 2019, Freddie Steward was an 18-year-old Academy player who had only recently made his Premiership debut.

"If you'd have told me when I was watching that game [the final] that the next time England played South Africa I'd be involved I'd have laughed at you," Steward told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It's been an incredible two years."

After leaving out a handful of regulars for the autumn series, England boss Eddie Jones has dripped in some new blood this month, with the likes of Steward and Marcus Smith rubbing shoulders with modern-day greats such as Owen Farrell and Itoje.

"You come into camp and you're in awe of those guys," Steward said.

"Look at Faz and Maro - they've done incredible things for England.

"There are guys I watched as a kid and suddenly you're sat in the team room chilling with them - it is very strange.

"But it's important not to get too caught up in that aura. I'm here to do a job and we've got to bond as a team."

That combination of old and new was evident in the early stages at Twickenham against Australia last weekend, with Farrell combining with Smith and Steward bursting into the line to score.

"It was easily the best moment of my life," Steward explained.

"When Marcus put me through that gap I was just thinking 'get to the try-line'. To get over and be swarmed by the lads was just an unbelievable experience."

And with England failing to fire consistently with the ball over the past 18 months, Steward says there has been a "massive attack focus" over the past few weeks as the side looks to re-establish itself after a chastening Six Nations.

"It's something we want to build as new England, this massive, explosive attack," he added.

"That was a little glimpse of what there is to offer and hopefully we see more of that this weekend."

'If I get whacked I get whacked'

The Springboks are on a roll and provide a set of challenges unlike any other in world rugby.

Not only is their blitz defence devilishly hard to unpick, but there are other non-negotiables when facing the world champions, such as competing at the set-piece, the breakdown, and the aerial battle - where Steward will be under unprecedented scrutiny.

On that note, Steward's fearlessness in the air has set him apart in his short international career, with Jones describing his work under the high ball as "colossal", and "one of the best I've seen".

"I try not to think about anything other than the ball," Steward explained.

"It's not worrying about who's flying in, all it is is the ball and if I get whacked I get whacked. You can only control your own actions. It's about what you can do. Try and get as high as you can and dominate that space.

"It will be a real challenge - they [South Africa] are unbelievable at executing those contestable kicks.

"It's definitely something to be excited about though."