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NBA Announces All-Rookie Teams

May 8th, 2023 at 1:12pm CST by Rory Maher

Rookie of the Year winner Paolo Banchero was a unanimous choice for the 2022/23 All-Rookie First Team, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

Players receive two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote, and Banchero received the maximum possible 200 points.

Here’s the full five-man squad, listed in order of their total points received via voters:

Magic forward Banchero (200)
Thunder guard/forward Jalen Williams (199)
Jazz center Walker Kessler (195)
Kings forward Keegan Murray (185)
Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (170)

The All-Rookie Second Team was announced as well, with a couple of teammates headlining the group (Twitter link).

Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (142)
Pistons center Jalen Duren (85)
Rockets forward Jabari Smith (72)
Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (66)
Rockets forward Tari Eason (47)

In my opinion, the most surprising omission from the All-Rookie Second Team was Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, who received 46 points. Nembhard was actually listed on one more ballot than Eason, but Eason received two First Team votes versus Nembhard’s zero, giving him a narrow edge.

That’s not to say Eason (or anyone else) was undeserving — he had a strong season as a tenacious offensive rebounder and defender. I just thought Nembhard should have been honored because he started the majority of the season for a competitive Indiana team and was frequently tasked with guarding the opposing teams’ best player, as Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files notes (via Twitter).

According to the NBA (Twitter link), others receiving votes included Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe (36), Hawks wing AJ Griffin (26), Nuggets forward Christian Braun, Thunder center Jaylin Williams (seven), Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (four), Spurs guard Malaki Branham (three), Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels (two), Hornets center Mark Williams (two) and Bucks wing MarJon Beauchamp (one).

In case you missed it, more NBA awards will be coming later this week. The All-Defensive teams will be announced on Tuesday, followed by All-NBA on Wednesday and the Teammate of the Year award on Thursday.

Central Notes: Bucks, Cavaliers, Brooks, Vucevic

May 6th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Since the Bucks dismissed Mike Budenholzer on Thursday, we haven’t heard much about which head coaching candidates the team may be eyeing to replace him. Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Countdown on Friday (YouTube video link), Adrian Wojnarowski said he thinks Milwaukee can afford to be patient and perhaps wait for more teams to be eliminated from the playoffs in case a veteran coach employed by one of those clubs becomes available.

“Is there a coach or two who either becomes free with the team they’re at or there’s a conversation to be had with a team about a potential coach?” Wojnarowski said. “Because this is a Bucks team with Giannis Antetokounmpo, it’s an incredibly attractive job.”

It’s unclear which coaches Wojnarowski might be referring to. There was some speculation entering the postseason that Nuggets coach Michael Malone could be on the hot seat if Denver exited the playoffs quickly, but Malone’s club has looked pretty good so far.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com doesn’t expect the Cavaliers to view free agent forward Dillon Brooks as a good fit, arguing that Cleveland’s defense is good enough to win in the playoffs and observing that Brooks is a “half-court liability” on offense, where the team needs to improve. Fedor names Kelly Oubre, Donte DiVincenzo, Harrison Barnes, Max Strus, and several other players as more logical free agent targets.
Among the burning questions facing the Cavaliers this summer will be whether or not they bring back Caris LeVert and what Ricky Rubio‘s role will be going forward, says Kelsey Russo of The Athletic.
The fact that the Bulls didn’t trade Nikola Vucevic at February’s trade deadline signals that they probably intend to re-sign him this offseason, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who believes Vucevic’s price will be at least $18MM per year or so.

Community Shootaround: Open Head Coach Jobs

May 6th, 2023 at 9:29am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets completed their head coaching search a week-and-a-half ago, hiring Ime Udoka to replace Stephen Silas. However, there are still three NBA teams still in the market for new coaches.

Interestingly, those three clubs – the Bucks, Pistons, and Raptors – are at very different stages in terms of their development, so even if they consider some of the same candidates, they’ll likely have very different expectations for their new hires, especially in the short term.

Milwaukee won a title in 2021 and expected to make it back to the NBA Finals in each of the last two seasons. The fact that they only won a single playoff series during that stretch is why Mike Budenholzer is out of work — his replacement will be expected to make deeper postseason runs with a roster headed by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

While the Bucks’ roster has championship upside, the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will limit the front office’s flexibility going forward and could hamstring the team’s ability to make additional upgrades. It also may force management to make difficult decisions on upcoming contracts for key contributors on the wrong side of 30, including Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez.

Detroit is on the opposite side of the spectrum, having won no more than 23 games in a season in any of the last four years. There are some promising young pieces here – including Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and whichever player the team drafts in the top five next month – but the Pistons are all about unrealized potential.

No one on the roster has made an All-Star team, and the next step for the club will be contending for a play-in spot, not a championship. So while a new head coach will be expected to help Detroit take a step forward right away, there won’t be any immediate expectations of winning playoff series.

The Raptors are somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. The team’s 41-41 record this past season was a disappointment, given the presence of former All-Stars like Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, along with 2022 Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes and three-and-D standout OG Anunoby. But the roster probably lacks the star power and depth necessary to legitimate vie for a championship.

Toronto traded away its 2024 first-round pick with minimal (top-six) protection, so the team won’t want to take a step back next season, even if it makes some significant roster changes. The new head coach will be expected to get the Raptors back to the postseason and not just to make a quick exit.

We want to know what you think: which of the NBA’s three current head coaching vacancies do you view as the most and least appealing jobs? What sort of candidates do you think would be good fits in Milwaukee, Detroit, and Toronto?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Pistons Notes: Coaching Search, Ollie, Murphy, Draft Picks

May 5th, 2023 at 6:00pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pistons could hire a new head coach soon, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who reports in his latest mailbag that the top candidates for the job are set to meet with owner Tom Gores next week in Los Angeles.

Bucks associate head coach Charles Lee, former Connecticut and Overtime Elite coach Kevin Ollie, and Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins are considered the leading candidates. However, Edwards believes that Ollie, a former NBA player, is the frontrunner for the position.

Here’s more on the Pistons:

DeJanai Raska says she was sexually harassed and assaulted by former assistant GM Rob Murphy over a period of several months, she tells Tresa Baldas of The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link). There are too many details to list here, but Raska reported her allegations to the Pistons last fall. The team put Murphy on leave, but didn’t announce that he was fired until after Raska sued both the organization and Murphy. “I grew up in the city really looking up to the Pistons, the Bad Boys … and to be treated this way is heartbreaking,” Raska said.
Who are the top five prospects Detroit should be considering with its first-round pick, which can land no lower than fifth overall? Edwards ranks those players in order for The Athletic. Obviously Victor Wembanyama is No. 1, but Brandon Miller edges out Scoot Henderson for No. 2. Rounding out Edwards’ top five are Henderson, Houston forward Jarace Walker and Arkansas guard Anthony Black.
On a related topic, if the pick does land fifth in the lottery — and there’s a 47.9% chance that it will — who should the Pistons select? Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link) makes the case for Villanova wing Cam Whitmore, arguing that his physical tools and flashes of shooting make him the best choice at that spot.

Bucks Notes: Coaching Search, Giannis, Middleton, Lopez

May 5th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite the Bucks‘ regular season success in recent years, their playoff runs – with the exception of their 2021 championship – haven’t ended the way they wanted or expected, general manager Jon Horst told reporters on Friday in explaining why the team felt the need to move on from Mike Budenholzer.

As Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays, Horst said on Friday that the Bucks’ next head coach won’t necessarily need to have championship experience – or even NBA head coaching experience – since he doesn’t yet want to “put any boxes around” what sort of candidate the team is looking for.

“That could change. This is obviously very early in what will be a thorough process. Very early in terms of time after the decision’s been made,” Horst said. “… As we dive into the process and it evolves, obviously it becomes more narrow, but at this point, everything is and should be on the table. We’re very much in a phase of gathering and collecting and who’s interested and what that very large candidate pool can be and then we’ll work from there.

Horst, who said he’ll be seeking someone with many of the same traits as Budenholzer who can unlock more of the roster’s potential, added that he likes the idea of getting feedback from Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks’ other core players before officially hiring a new head coach.

“When it comes to our guys, I really hope and expect them to have a role and a voice in the process,” he said, per Owczarski. “Their opinion matters to me. I know it matters to our ownership group. It’s something that I trust and value. So as we go through the process, I think at the right time we’ll make sure that a group of our players weigh in and partake in this in the right way and the right time.”

Here’s more on the Bucks:

Faced with a new CBA that will introduce more restrictive measures for teams well above the tax line, the Bucks are in a difficult position as they weigh what to do with Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, two important players who are in their 30s and are up for new contracts, Brian Windhorst said during a TV appearance on ESPN’s Get Up (Twitter video link). Windhorst suggests that Marc Lasry‘s decision to sell his stake in the team this year was likely related to the cap-related “quagmire” Milwaukee will face in the coming years.
In a subscriber-only story for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jim Owczarski examines whether the new CBA will shorten the Bucks’ championship window and digs into what the market will look like for Middleton and Lopez this offseason, assuming Middleton opts out. While rival teams will covet both players and neither will come cheap, sources tell Owczarski that Middleton won’t command a maximum-salary deal and Lopez’s age and 2021 back surgery will work against him.
Elsewhere at The Journal Sentinel, Owczarski identifies some head coaching candidates the Bucks could consider and breaks down contract details for every player on the roster.

Trajan Langdon, Milt Newton Among Wizards’ GM Candidates

May 5th, 2023 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards are taking their time as they seek out a replacement for former president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard, who was let go last month. However, they have identified at least a couple initial candidates, per Ava Wallace of The Washington Post.

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis and a “small group of decision-makers” have spoken to Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon and Bucks assistant GM Milt Newton, according to Wallace, who adds that the team is still believed to be in the “information-gathering” stage of its search.

Langdon has been with the Pelicans since 2019, when he left his role as an assistant GM with the Nets to work under David Griffin in New Orleans. He received consideration from the Timberwolves when they sought a new head of basketball operations in 2019 and from the Kings when they did the same in 2020.

Newton, hired by the Bucks in the summer of 2017, was the Timberwolves’ general manager from 2013 to 2016 and has also previously worked for the Sixers and the NBA’s league office. Perhaps most notably, he was employed by the Wizards as their VP of player personnel from 2003-13, so he’s no stranger to Washington. Newton was a candidate for the Bulls’ top front office job in 2020 before they hired Arturas Karnisovas.

Wizards VP of player programs John Thompson III and assistant GM Brett Greenberg are running the team’s basketball operations department while the search for a new head of basketball operations continues.

Charles Lee Interviews With Raptors

May 5th, 2023 at 1:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors interviewed Bucks assistant Charles Lee for their head coaching position on Thursday, league sources tell Stein (Twitter link). ESPN previously reported that Toronto met with Lee, who is also in the mix for the head coaching opening in Detroit and could emerge as a candidate in Milwaukee if the Bucks are willing to consider an in-house replacement for Mike Budenholzer.

Mike Budenholzer Fired By Bucks

May 4th, 2023 at 5:06pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

5:06pm: The Bucks have made the news official in a press release.

“The decision to make this change was very difficult,” Bucks GM Jon Horst said in the statement. “Bud helped lead our team for five incredible seasons, to the Bucks’ first title in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success… This is an opportunity for us to refocus and reenergize our efforts as we continue building toward our next championship season.”

4:57pm: Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer has been let go by the team, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Budenholzer had two years left on his contract with Milwaukee.

The 58-24 Bucks, owners of the top record in the league this season, were defeated in five games by the eighth-seeded Heat in a massive first round upset.

A perfect storm of circumstances led to the Bucks’ early ouster after they had been widely considered the team to beat in the East this season. All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had to depart the first game of the series with a back injury and missed the subsequent two bouts. He played well in the fourth and fifth contests, both losses.

All-NBA Miami swingman Jimmy Butler, meanwhile, enjoyed the series of his life, averaging 37.6 PPG on .597/.444/.708 shooting. He also chipped in 6.0 RPG, 4.8 APG, and 1.8 SPG. The Heat were without their second-leading scorer, guard Tyler Herro, following the first half of Game 1 in the series.

Budenholzer’s decision-making during the series came under scrutiny in its immediate aftermath, particularly his decision to not leave Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Brook Lopez in to wall off the paint from Butler during the closing seconds of regulation in Game 5. Instead, against smaller Bucks guards, Butler pulled off a miracle shot thanks to a perfect Gabe Vincent inbound pass, which propelled the Heat to an eventual overtime victory. Budenholzer was also criticized for not employing all his timeouts during the closing minutes of that must-win contest.

Following Milwaukee’s elimination, former Bucks assistant Darvin Ham disclosed that one of Budenholzer’s brothers passed away before Game 4 of the series.

After serving as an assistant for the Spurs under head coach Gregg Popovich from 1996-2013, Budenholzer took his first head coaching assignment with the Hawks for the 2013/14 season. Budenholzer led the club as far as the Eastern Conference Finals in ’14/15 and won his first Coach of the Year award for his efforts. He also served as the team president from 2015-18.

Budenholzer joined the Bucks in the summer of 2018, immediately leading the club to the Eastern Conference Finals and earning Coach of the Year honors in his first year. Under his stewardship, Antetokounmpo won two MVP awards, and Milwaukee won its first title since 1971, beating the Suns in six games in 2021.

Budenholzer owns a lifetime regular season coaching record of 484-317, having led the Bucks to a 271-120 (.693) record over the last five seasons. His career postseason record is 56-48, with a 39-26 mark for Milwaukee.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (Twitter link), replacing Budenholzer will be among many items on a busy summer agenda for the Bucks. Lopez will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, three-time All-Star swingman Khris Middleton could join him on the open market if he declines his 2023/24 player option, and Antetkounmpo is eligible for what promises to be a pricey extension.

Kings’ Monte McNair Named Executive Of The Year

May 3rd, 2023 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

Having constructed the roster that snapped a record-setting 16-year playoff drought, Kings general manager Monte McNair has been named the NBA’s Executive of the Year for the 2022/23 season, the league announced today.

McNair, who controversially sent ascendant guard Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana in a blockbuster deal for Domantas Sabonis at last season’s trade deadline, supplemented the star duo of Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox this past offseason by drafting Keegan Murray, signing Malik Monk, and trading for Kevin Huerter.

Perhaps most importantly, McNair hired Mike Brown as the Kings’ new head coach after parting ways with Alvin Gentry. Brown won Coach of the Year honors after leading Sacramento to a 48-34 record and its first postseason berth since 2006.

Unlike most of the NBA’s other major postseason awards, the Executive of the Year is voted on by the league’s 30 general managers instead of 100 media members.

McNair received 16 first-place votes and showed up on 24 ballots, earning 98 total points. He beat out runner-up Koby Altman of the Cavaliers, who got seven first-place votes and was included on 21 ballots, finishing with 63 total points.

No other executive received more than two first-place votes or 20 total points. Jazz GM Justin Zanik, Nuggets GM Calvin Booth, and Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens rounded out the top five vote-getters, while sixth-place finisher Bucks general manager Jon Horst joined Stevens as the other executives who received two first-place votes. Nine additional execs received at least one vote.

Sixers Center Joel Embiid Wins First MVP Award

May 2nd, 2023 at 6:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Joel Embiid has been named the league’s Most Valuable Player, according to the NBA (Twitter link).

The Sixers center surged during the second half of the season and topped Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who won the award the past two seasons, and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who captured the league’s most prestigious individual award in 2019 and 2020.

Embiid, the third overall pick of the 2014 draft, led Philadelphia to the Eastern Conference’s third-best record while topping the league in scoring at 33.1 points per game. He also averaged 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 66 regular-season games.

Jokic, who was considered the frontrunner a majority of the season, averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and a career-best 9.8 assists in 69 games while leading Denver to the Western Conference’s top seed. Jokic’s assist average ranked fourth in the league, an unusual feat for a center.

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the league’s best record by averaging 31.1 points (fifth in the league), 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 63 games. Milwaukee’s superstar tied for third in the league in rebounding with Jokic.

The votes were based only on the regular season, so Milwaukee’s first-round playoff exit had no bearing on the voting.

Considering the MVP debate raged throughout the season, it was a little surprising that Embiid won by such a wide margin. He picked up 73 of the 100 first-place votes, while Jokic received 15 and Antetokounmpo got the other 12.

Overall, Embiid had 915 points with Jokic in second place (674 points) and the Bucks star in third (606). The Celtics‘ Jayson Tatum received most of the fourth-place votes and the Thunder‘s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished fifth.

Donovan Mitchell, Domantas Sabonis, Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, De’Aaron Fox, Jalen Brunson, and Ja Morant also received at least one vote apiece.

Embiid is the first Sixers player to win the award since Allen Iverson (2000-01).