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Lakers Fire Darvin Ham

May 3rd, 2024 at 1:17pm CST by Rory Maher

1:17pm: Ham has officially been dismissed, the Lakers confirmed in a press release (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group).

1:09pm: The Lakers are firing head coach Darvin Ham, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).

According to Wojnarowski, general manager Rob Pelinka recently broke the news to Ham over the phone.

Sources tell Shams Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic that L.A. will soon begin an “extensive search” for a new head coach, with former Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer, Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, and former NBA player and current ESPN analyst J.J. Redick among the candidates.

Tyronn Lue is another name to watch, per Charania and Buha, though he is currently the Clippers‘ head coach. Lue has one year left on his contract, according to The Athletic.

Multiple reporters, including Marc Stein and ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, recently cited Redick as a candidate if Ham were to be fired. Redick co-hosts a podcast with Lakers superstar LeBron James. He’s also said to be a “serious candidate” for Charlotte’s head coaching position.

An eight-year NBA veteran as a player, Ham was a longtime assistant before getting his first head coaching job with the Lakers a couple years ago. He compiled a 90-74 regular season record (.549 win%) and a 9-12 playoff record (.429) in his two seasons at the helm. The team also won a play-in game in each of the past two seasons to advance as the No. 7 seed.

That postseason record is a little misleading, since L.A. made the Western Conference Finals last year before being swept by the Nuggets, who went on to win the championship. The Lakers lost to the Nuggets again in ’23/24, dropping their first-round series in five games.

“It’s been a hell of a two years … I’ll tell you that,” Ham said Monday after L.A. was eliminated, per McMenamin. “Sitting in this seat, it’s been a hell of a two years. A lot of good things that got done, but ultimately, you want to win that ultimate prize.”

Wojnarowski first reported that Ham would be on the hot seat if the Lakers were quickly dispatched by the Nuggets, with multiple subsequent reports indicating that the 50-year-old’s job was in “serious peril.” On Thursday, Buha stated on The Athletic’s NBA Show podcast that Ham would likely be fired by the end of the week and perhaps sooner (hat tip to RealGM).

Ham had two years remaining on his contract, which reportedly paid him $5MM annually. He has “a lot of supporters throughout the NBA,” tweets Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com.

A two-time Coach of the Year with Atlanta and Milwaukee, Budenholzer won a championship with the Bucks in 2021. He was dismissed last summer following a first-round playoff exit.

Atkinson is another former head coach, having previously worked for Brooklyn. He backed out of Charlotte’s coaching vacancy a couple years ago after being offered the job.

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Alex Caruso Wins NBA’s Hustle Award For 2023/24

May 2nd, 2024 at 11:24am CST by Rory Maher

Bulls guard/forward Alex Caruso has won the Hustle Award for the 2023/24 season, the NBA announced in a press release written by Brian Martin.

According to the league, the award “honors a player who makes impactful effort plays that might not appear in the box score.” The award was created eight years ago, with Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart being a three-time winner.

Some of the hustle statistics that the NBA tracks include deflections, loose balls recovered, charges drawn, screen assists, contested shots and box-outs. Caruso led in the league in deflections per game (3.7) and on a per-minute basis, he ranked first in loose balls recovered and seventh in charges drawn.

Caruso, who was named to the All-Defensive First Team in ’22/23, is one of the NBA’s top defenders and is known for his all-out playing style. He ranked fourth in the league in steals per game (1.7) and averaged a career-high 1.0 block per game this season.

As Martin details, when Caruso was on the court, Chicago had the equivalent of Boston’s 110.6 defensive rating, which ranked second in the NBA. When he wasn’t playing, the Bulls had the equivalent of the league’s 24th-ranked defense.

A former undrafted free agent who made it into the NBA by working his way through the G League, Caruso won a championship with the Lakers in 2020. The 30-year-old had a strong all-around season in ’23/24, averaging 10.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 3.5 APG on .468/.408/.760 shooting in 71 games (28.7 MPG). Several of those figures represented career highs.

Caruso will earn $9.89MM in ’24/25, which is the final season of his contract. He’ll be eligible for a veteran extension this offseason.

The top five finishers for the 2023/24 Hustle Award were, in order: Caruso, Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski, Thunder wing Luguentz Dort, and Hornets forward Grant Williams.

As Howard Beck of The Ringer tweets, the award is determined by aggregating the hustle stats the league tracks, so there is no voting panel.

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Stephen Curry "Taking Notes" During Playoff Absence

April 27th, 2024 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill
  • Warriors guard Stephen Curry doesn’t expect missing the playoffs to become a habit, relays Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Appearing on “Inside the NBA” after winning the Clutch Player of the Year award, Curry said he’s been keeping a close eye on postseason action. “I’m taking notes, doing a little scouting, just on the feels of how much I miss that environment, that atmosphere,” he said. “I don’t want our absence to be another year next year.” 
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Pacific Notes: M. Brown, Moody, Westbrook, Durant

April 26th, 2024 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

While there has been some chatter about Mike Brown‘s contract situation since the Kings‘ season ended last week, Brown denied on Wednesday that the issue is “top of mind” as he enters the summer, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

“It’s not, really, at the end of the day,” Brown said. “I have one year left on my deal. Everybody knows that, but I’m excited about being here. I’m excited about our future, so I’m going to go into this summer trying to figure out how we can be better next year.”

Brown technically has two years left on his contract, but the 2025/26 season is a mutual option, meaning both he and the Kings would have to opt in. Since ’24/25 is his last guaranteed season, the two sides may feel compelled to try to get a new deal done sooner rather than later. Brown is reportedly expected to seek a deal that’s in line with the new market for head coaches after Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich, and Monty Williams signed lucrative contracts in the past year.

“Look at a two-year horizon here, which is when Coach Brown and his staff came in, and (there are) a lot of positives,” general manager Monte McNair said on Wednesday. “We’re certainly disappointed this year, and Mike and I will sit down and try to figure out how we get back to where we want to get to. And, yeah, we’ll have all those conversations here starting soon.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • Within a discussion about a few Warriors-related subjects, Anthony Slater of The Athletic notes that it will be an interesting offseason for Moses Moody. The former 14th overall pick will be extension-eligible beginning in July and should be in line for a larger role next season, especially if Klay Thompson leaves in free agency or if Golden State trades Andrew Wiggins. “I think it’s really important coming into year four for (Moody) that there is some reasonable playing time available for him where he can impact our team and be out there and continue to improve,” general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said this week.
  • The Clippers have been better both offensively and defensively when Russell Westbrook is on the court during the first two games of their series against Dallas, according to Law Murray of The Athletic, who suggests that Westbrook’s contributions are critical to counter the Mavericks’ small lineups. Westbrook can become a free agent this offseason if he turns down a $4MM player option for 2024/25.
  • In a feature for ESPN.com, Baxter Holmes explores Kevin Durant‘s return from a 2019 Achilles tear, an injury that the Suns‘ star forward thought might end his run as an All-NBA-level player. As Holmes writes, Durant’s intense love of the game helped fuel his recovery process and allowed him to eventually regain his All-NBA form.
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Stephen Curry Named 2023/24 Clutch Player Of The Year

April 25th, 2024 at 6:45pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Warriors superstar guard Stephen Curry has won the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award for the 2023/24 season, according to an announcement from the league (Twitter link). The Clutch Player of the Year is defined as the player who “best comes through for his teammates in the clutch” during the regular season.

Curry beat out Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan for the honor. In his age-35 season, Curry averaged 26.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 74 games while shooting 45.0% from the field and 40.8% from beyond the arc on 11.8 attempts per game.

According to Warriors PR, Curry ranked first in points (189), field goals (59) and three-pointers (32) in the clutch this season. Clutch time is defined by the league as the last five minutes of a game in which the score is within five points. He shot 45.7% on three-pointers in clutch scenarios this year and the Warriors went 24-24 in clutch games this season.

Curry received 45 of 99 possible first-place votes and tallied 298 points, with DeRozan finishing as a close runner-up (34 first-place votes; 272 points), per the NBA (Twitter link). Gilgeous-Alexander received 11 first-place votes and 160 points.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic each received first-place votes and rounded out the top six finishers. A total of 15 players showed up on at least one ballot, with Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum also earning one first-place vote apiece.

Curry helped lead the Warriors to the No. 10 seed and a play-in berth before they were eliminated by the Kings.

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2024 NBA Draft Tiebreaker Results

April 22nd, 2024 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Tiebreakers among teams with identical regular-season records were broken on Monday through random drawings to determine the order for this year’s draft prior to the lottery.

The results are as follows, according to a press release from the league:

  • Charlotte Hornets (No. 3) over Portland Trail Blazers (No. 4).
    • Note: The Hornets will get one more lottery ball combination (out of 1,000) than the Trail Blazers.
  • Sacramento Kings (No. 13) over Golden State Warriors (No. 14)
    • Note: The Kings will get one more lottery ball combination (out of 1,000) than the Warriors.
    • Note: The Warriors will send their pick to the Trail Blazers unless it moves into the top four.
  • Philadelphia 76ers (No. 16) over Los Angeles Lakers (No. 17) over Orlando Magic (No. 18) over Indiana Pacers (No. 19)
    • Note: The Pelicans have until June 1 to decide whether to acquire the Lakers’ pick or defer it to 2025.
    • Note: The Pacers will send their pick to the Raptors.
  • Milwaukee Bucks (No. 21) over Phoenix Suns (No. 22) over New Orleans Pelicans (No. 23).
    • Note: The Pelicans will exercise their swap rights with the Bucks and move up to No. 21.
  • Dallas Mavericks (No. 24) over New York Knicks (No. 25).
    • Note: The Mavericks will send their pick to the Knicks.
  • Denver Nuggets (No. 28) over Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 29).
    • Note: The Thunder will send their pick to the Jazz.

While the tiebreaker winner will pick ahead of the loser(s) in the first round, that order will be flipped in the second round. For instance, the Pacers’ second-round pick (traded to the Clippers) will be at No. 46, followed by the Magic at No. 47, and the Lakers (traded to San Antonio) at No. 48. Philadelphia’s second-round pick (which would have been No. 49) is forfeited due a previous free agency violation.

For lottery teams that finished with identical records, the second-round order is still to be determined depending on the lottery results.

For example, if the Trail Blazers win the No. 1 overall pick on lottery night and Charlotte slips to No. 5, the Hornets’ pick in the second round would be at No. 33, while Portland’s would be at No. 34 (Charlotte has traded its second-rounder to Portland, however, while the Blazers have sent theirs to Milwaukee).

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They'll Try To Renew Interest In Wiggins

April 21st, 2024 at 9:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder
  • The Warriors are likely to pursue upgrades via the trade market this offseason, with Andrew Wiggins among the players they’ll be willing to deal, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post. Stein notes the Warriors made unsuccessful attempts to create a market for Wiggins during the season. Stein also believes Golden State will find common ground with free agent Klay Thompson, though the veteran guard will have other suitors despite his 0-for-10 clunker in the Warriors’ play-in tournament loss.
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Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic Named MVP Finalists

April 21st, 2024 at 6:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic were revealed on Sunday as the finalists for the Most Valuable Player award, according to the NBA (Twitter link).

Doncic led the league in scoring (33.9 points per game) and finished second in assists (9.8) while also grabbing 9.2 rebounds per contest. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to the top seed in the Western Conference by averaging 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.0 steals per contest. Jokic, who is widely considered the favorite to win his third MVP trophy, averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists per night.

The NBA also announced the finalists for six other postseason awards. Here are the finalists for all of those awards:

Most Valuable Player

Sixth Man

Defensive Player of the Year

Most Improved Player

Note: Sengun appeared in just 63 games but was eligible for award consideration based on the season-ending injury exception described in our glossary entry on the 65-game rule.

Coach of the Year

  • Mark Daigneault, Thunder
  • Chris Finch, Timberwolves
  • Jamahl Mosley, Magic

Rookie of the Year

Clutch Player of the Year

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Warriors Need To Aggressively Pursue Trades

April 20th, 2024 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill
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Hawks Notes: Young, Agent, Murray, Saleh

April 20th, 2024 at 4:25pm CST by Rory Maher

After previously reporting — multiple times — that Atlanta is going to attempt to move Trae Young or Dejounte Murray this offseason, Marc Stein hears the “leaguewide expectation” of that scenario has only grown since his initial story in February (Substack link).

There’s also “a growing belief in many corners of the league” that the Hawks would rather trade Young than Murray, Stein reports.

Still, Young might not have as much trade value as Atlanta hopes, Stein observes, since he’s on a maximum-salary rookie scale extension and isn’t exactly known for his defense.

League sources tell Stein that while Young still has Klutch Sports as an agency, his father, Rayford Young, recently became a certified NBA agent. Murray is also represented by Klutch, Stein notes.

Here’s more on the Hawks:

  • Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution passes along several highlights from Friday’s end-of-season press conference. The Hawks were eliminated from postseason contention after losing to the Bulls in the play-in tournament. “Every year teams are different,” Young said. “I mean, obviously, I want to be here. I want to be here, but I want to win, too. I’ve said that since I’ve been here. I want to be here. I want to win championships here and do that. But I want to win. So, that’s pretty much all it is for me. That’s my motto, and that’s been me from the beginning.”
  • Young also said he was comfortable with taking on a reduced role if it benefits the team, as Williams relays. “People may think that I have to feel like I’m the best player on the team or 1A or first option,” Young said. “I mean, I’m not that way. I’ve never been that way. So I’m just a guy that’s trying to get everybody involved and win the game, and I know when we win, everybody eats.”
  • The Hawks plan to hire Onsi Saleh away from the Warriors to be an assistant general manager, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Saleh was Golden State’s VP of basketball strategy and team counsel, Woj adds. According to Stein, Saleh was a “highly regarded salary-cap specialist” with the Warriors. The hiring won’t impact the job status of current assistant GM Kyle Korver, per Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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