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Doc Rivers Plans To Remain Sixers’ Coach

May 14th, 2023 at 9:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Doc Rivers plans to coach the Sixers again next season, he told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and other media members after the team’s Game 7 flameout in Boston on Sunday.

“I think I have two years left (on my contract),” Rivers said.

Given that such coaching luminaries as Monty Williams and Mike Budenholzer have lost their jobs after early playoff exits, Rivers knows he may not get the chance.

“No one’s safe in our business, I get that,” Rivers said (Twitter video link via NBA Central).

As Bontemps points out, the Sixers have seen their regular season record improve during Rivers’ three seasons. They won 49 games in his first season with Philadelphia, 51 last season and 54 this year while claiming the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed. However, the Sixers have stalled in the conference semifinals for three consecutive seasons.

Most Valuable Player award winner Joel Embiid praised his coach after the loss. That could bode well for Rivers, considering the extent to which franchises cater to their superstars’ whims.

“Coach has been fantastic and he’s done a great job, in my opinion,” Embiid said.

James Harden, who can opt out of his contract, was much more subdued when asked about Rivers. “Our relationship is OK,” Harden said.

Rivers admits that the lopsided defeat on Sunday after the Sixers led 3-2 in the series will be the lasting memory of the season.

“We played great all year,” Rivers said, “and this loss absolutely diminishes that, what we did this year, in some ways.”

Western Notes: Lakers, Reaves, Curry, Miller

May 14th, 2023 at 8:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

On paper, the Nuggets are the favorites to reach the NBA Finals. But Lakers guard Austin Reaves doesn’t view his team – the West’s No. 7 seed – as the underdog, Jovan Buha of The Athletic relays.

“I think the seeding thing is, it’s just a number,” the Lakers guard said. “When you have guys like Bron, AD, that’s won championships … (you) always feel like you have a chance, especially with the roster that we have and the talent that we have.”

Lakers forward Anthony Davis echoed those sentiments: “Our expectations inside are way higher than showing up to the Western Conference Finals.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

The Lakers need to do whatever than can to retain Reaves, who will be a restricted free agent after the season, Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register writes. Reaves is averaging 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists during the playoffs. The Lakers hold his Early Bird rights and are limited to an $11.4MM offer in the first year of a new contract, but they can match an offer sheet.
Stephen Curry is still hopeful of getting another championship with the Warriors, Vince Goodwill of Yahoo Sports writes. “You can’t win it every year, but you wanna be in the position to be serious contenders,” Curry said after the Warriors were eliminated by the Lakers. “Final eight, you can retool and be back.”
A scout told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle that if the Rockets wind up with Brandon Miller, he can immediately be inserted into the team’s lineup. “His overall package is sort of the modern, NBA wing-type player,” the scout said. “I think he’ll be able to plug that in wherever he goes fairly quickly.”

Community Shootaround: Sixers’ Decisions

May 14th, 2023 at 6:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It all came crashing down on the Sixers on Sunday afternoon.

They positioned themselves to reach the Eastern Conference Finals by taking a 3-2 lead over the Celtics in their second-round series. Philadelphia failed to close out Boston at home, then got humiliated with a second-half flop on the Celtics’ home floor on Sunday afternoon.

Coach Doc Rivers is in a familiar place, failing to get his team to over the hump in the postseason. Rivers couldn’t get the Clippers to take the next step and that pattern has repeated in Philadelphia.

Joel Embiid achieved the highest individual honor this season, capturing his first Most Valuable Player, but he was a no-show in Game 7. He went 5-for-18 from the field and finished with 15 points in 38 minutes. Embiid also committed four turnovers, one fewer than the team’s other star.

James Harden had a couple of huge games in the series but he fizzled out with two chances to close out the series. He scored 13 points in Game 6 and nine in Game 7 while committing a combined 10 turnovers in the two games.

Harden holds a player option on his contract and there has been plenty of speculation that he’s eyeing a return to Houston for the next chapter of his career. Tobias Harris will make over $39MM in the final year of his contract next season.

Tyrese Maxey will be eligible for a rookie scale extension and will certainly be looking for big money, if not a max deal. The Sixers will have a lot of decisions to make regarding their bench as well, including whether to pursue some of their own free agents such as Paul Reed and Georges Niang.

That leads us to our topic of the day: Should the Sixers fire Doc Rivers after their latest postseason disappointment? Should top exec Daryl Morey go as well? Should they try to re-sign Harden if he opts out? How should they retool their roster to finally reach the Finals with Embiid in his prime?

Please take to the comments to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Eastern Notes: Rivers, Knicks, Nets, Murphy

May 14th, 2023 at 5:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Now that the Sixers have been eliminated by the Celtics, is Doc Rivers a goner? Marc Stein wrote in his latest Substack article prior to Game 7 on Sunday that there have been recent murmurs Rivers’ status could become precarious if the team failed to close out the series. It wouldn’t be surprising, considering that proven coaches like Mike Budenholzer and Monty Williams have recently been dismissed due to postseason disappointments.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

With a wealth of extra draft picks and some solid young players, the Knicks could be in line for the next star who demands a trade, Eric Pincus writes for Bleacher Report. The salaries of Derrick Rose and Evan Fournier could help facilitate a deal, along with potential younger trade pieces such as Mitchell Robinson, Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes and Obi Toppin.
After getting burned by trying to build around superstars, the Nets will be looking to build around players who want to stay with the franchise, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. GM Sean Marks will have a busy offseason but the thing he’ll be looking for the most is high-character guys who want to be part of the group. “It’s got to come authentically. It’s got to be real,” Marks said. “I mean, I think we’ve seen it before, not just here but around the league. You bring somebody in and it’s not authentic to who they are. We want to make sure people that want to come here want to be part of something special and being part of Brooklyn and part of this unique situation.”
Former Pistons executive Rob Murphy and his legal representatives are firing back at the woman who accused him of harassment, Tresa Baldas of the Detroit Free Press reports. His lawyer alleged the Pistons cleared his client months ago of sexual harassment following an internal investigation. The same counsel added that Murphy looks forward to defending his name through the judicial process.

Southwest Notes: Cash, Rockets, Mavericks, Morant

May 14th, 2023 at 4:08pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

WNBA Hall of Famer-turned-Pelicans executive Swin Cash is deftly juggling motherhood and her work with New Orleans, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscriber link).

“I’m not going to sit here and paint this rosy picture,” Cash said of her work-life balance. “Whenever I’m speaking or talking to other people, I tell them that it’s just about sacrificing. And if you’re willing to sacrifice, how much are you willing to sacrifice? My husband is an entrepreneur and we both played sports and understand teamwork, so we know what it’s like to be a team player and that helps us juggle it all.”

Now the Pelicans’ vice president of basketball operations and team development, Cash won three WNBA titles with the Detroit Shock and Seattle Storm while being named to four All-Star teams. She is the mother to two young sons.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

The rebuilding Rockets will know just how high they’ll be picking in the first round after the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday. In the meantime, Kelly Iko of The Athletic takes stock of what some hypothetical Houston lineups would look like if the team is able to add one of 2023’s top prospects, including Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, and Brandon Miller.
The Mavericks face an interesting offseason after falling from a 2022 Western Conference Finals berth to missing the 2023 playoffs entirely. In a new mailbag, Tim Cato of The Athletic wonders if Dallas might be best served by looking to build through the draft and retaining most of its free agents this summer, rather than undergoing a full roster teardown around All-Star Luka Doncic. He also addresses how he feels about the rest of the club’s personnel, Jason Kidd‘s top strengths as a coach, and more.
By not being named to an All-NBA team, Grizzlies All-Star point guard Ja Morant could actually help his Memphis’ future roster construction, as Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal details. By missing out on the accolade, Morant will also lose potentially up to $40MM over the five-year course of his current contract. That money could be allocated to other Memphis salaries, with several key players presently on rookie scale contracts.

Heat Notes: Butler, Adebayo, Spo, East Finals, Sixers

May 14th, 2023 at 2:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Heat stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are grateful for their extended break between last Friday’s series-sealing victory over the Knicks and Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Miami got to take Saturday and Sunday off before beginning its prep Monday, according to Chiang, who notes that Butler has an ankle sprain that kept him out of the Heat’s Game 2 loss to New York while Adebayo has been dealing with a left hamstring strain and left shoulder discomfort.

“When you want to win that bad, I feel like you’ll do anything,” Adebayo said. “You’ll put your body through a lot for wins and a series win.”

The Heat, who as the East’s eighth seed have been underdogs in both of their playoff rounds thus far, will face off against the winner of today’s Game 7 semifinals matchup between the Celtics and 76ers.

There’s more out of South Beach:

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra believes that the team’s improbable 2023 postseason run can be seen as a teachable moment for the future, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “These are the kinds of lessons that hopefully that we impart on our children, that you can develop perseverance and grit when things are tough and when people are criticizing you,” Spoelstra said. A year removed from being the East’s top seed, the Heat started off with a 12-15 record before eventually finishing at 44-38. Even still, Miami barely snuck into the playoffs thanks to a fourth quarter play-in game rally. Now, the Heat find themselves just four wins away from a return to the NBA Finals. “I’ve said many times about our regular season, there was nothing easy about it,” Spoelstra said. “But the guys came in with a spirit every single day to try to get better and not make excuses for everything. “We were well aware of all the injuries and moving parts and changing lineups. I think we got better in a lot of areas, and finding different solutions. But we had to do a lot of things the hard way.”
Although the Heat are returning to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in four seasons, the club’s circuitous route back has resonated in a new way, given Miami’s perennial underdog status this year, Chiang notes in a separate piece. “It’s a crazy story being written,” Adebayo said. “Through all the ups and downs of this season, a lot of people counting us out and saying we weren’t even going to make it past the first round and now we’re in the Eastern Conference finals. It just shows the determination and the will that this team has.”
As the Heat wait to discover the identity of their opponent in the next round, one rival scout is convinced that Miami should hope to face the Sixers instead of the deeper, more consistent Celtics, Winderman writer in another Sun Sentinel article. “[MVP Philadelphia center Joel Embiid] is a given,” the scout said. “How is Bam going to do against him? As well as anybody. He’s going to get his 29. But [James] Harden is defensible. Miami’s got a bunch of guys who can guard him. And they’re too dependent on him. And then the rest, [Tyrese] Maxey is great. But you’re seeing what’s happening with Tobias Harris. When it counts, he’s a no-show.”

Bucks To Interview Mark Jackson For Coaching Job

May 14th, 2023 at 12:54pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Current ABC/ESPN broadcaster Mark Jackson will interview with the Bucks for a chance to take over as the team’s new head coach, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Jackson, a longtime NBA point guard, served as the Warriors’ head coach from 2011-14. He improved Golden State from its lottery malaise into a solid playoff club.

Jackson owns a 121-109 (.526) regular season head coaching record. He led the Warriors to consecutive playoff appearances in 2012/13 and ’13/14. As a sixth seed after finishing 47-35 in 2013, Golden State upset the third-seeded Nuggets to advance to the second round, where the team fell in six games to the Spurs. The next year, the Warriors were eliminated in a hard-fought, seven-game first round series by the Clippers.

Given that the team struggled to break through in the postseason for two straight runs, Jackson was let go by the Warriors. Steve Kerr replaced him, leading the Warriors to their first of four NBA championships during the 2014/15 season.

As Charania notes, Jackson was one of the finalists for the Kings’ head coaching gig last summer before Mike Brown ultimately secured the role. Brown would go on to be named the 2023 Coach of the Year after he improved Sacramento’s record to 48-34 and help the club return to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.

Milwaukee let go five-year head coach Mike Budenholzer earlier this offseason after his top-seeded Bucks were eliminated in five games by the No. 8 Heat. Budenholzer led Milwaukee to the 2021 title just two seasons ago.

Suns Notes: Ayton, Paul, Coaching Search, Front Office Changes

May 14th, 2023 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Following the end of the Suns‘ season, center Deandre Ayton, point guard Chris Paul, and head coach Monty Williams were the three names that came up most frequently in speculation about major changes, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

The Suns have already parted ways with one of those three, announcing late on Saturday that that Williams had been let go from his position. While Ayton or Paul could be next, neither player suggested during Friday’s end-of-season exit interviews with the media that he’s seeking an exit ramp out of Phoenix.

“I love Phoenix, man,” Ayton said, per Rankin. “I’m going to continue playing hard for Phoenix and keep representing. I don’t listen to the outside noise. I’m here, I’m happy. We didn’t finish how we wanted to, but there’s always next year. This summer is just more work.”

Ayton is under contract for three more seasons, but is considered a possible trade candidate. Paul has a $30.8MM salary for 2023/24, but it’s only partially guaranteed for $15.8MM.

“My contract is not up,” Paul said when asked if he expected to remain with the Suns. “Unfortunately, I’m not the GM or anything like that. We’ll see.”

Here’s more on the Suns:

Doug Haller of The Athletic takes a closer look at why Mat Ishbia and the Suns decided to move on from Williams, discussing the coach’s lineup and rotation decisions and his shaky relationship with Ayton, among other factors. Within his story, Haller observes that Ishbia’s involvement in the Williams’ dismissal signals that the new owner intends to be very involved in basketball operations and personnel decisions.
Before firing Williams, the Suns had already started to make some organizational changes, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the team fired a front office executive and a pair of scouts on Friday.
Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports profiles a handful of contenders to replace Williams on the Suns’ bench, including previously reported head coaching candidates like Mike Budenholzer, Nick Nurse, and Kevin Young. Bourguet thinks the team would be wise to consider Frank Vogel too, but views Tyronn Lue as the best fit if he’s attainable.

Grizzlies Suspend Ja Morant As NBA Investigates Social Media Video

May 14th, 2023 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

A familiar scene is unfolding in Memphis, as the Grizzlies announced today that they’ve suspended Ja Morant from all team activities while the NBA investigates a social media video involving the star guard.

As Wynston Wilcox of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes, Morant appeared to brandish a gun in a new Instagram Live video that went viral on Sunday morning (video link).

The incident comes less than two-and-a-half months after Morant flashed a gun at a Denver-area strip club while streaming on Instagram Live. That video, which immediately prompted an investigation from the NBA, eventually led to an eight-game suspension.

League spokesperson Mike Bass issued a statement today nearly identical the one he put out on March 4 when Morant’s video from Colorado surfaced: “We are aware of the social media post involving Ja Morant and are in the process of gathering more information.”

Morant’s live stream in March was part of a series of troubling off-court incidents allegedly involving the 23-year-old, who punched a 17-year-old during a pickup game last summer, was accused of threatening a security guard at a Memphis mall, and was reportedly involved in a confrontation with members of the Pacers’ traveling party after a January game.

Morant didn’t face any criminal charges for the March incident and almost certainly won’t face any for this video either, but the NBA has significant latitude to fine or suspend its players for conduct it deems detrimental to the league.

During Morant’s hiatus from the Grizzlies in March, he attended a counseling program in Florida and met with commissioner Adam Silver. When Silver eventually announced an eight-game suspension for the Memphis guard, he referred to Morant’s behavior as “irresponsible, reckless, and potentially very dangerous,” but said that Ja “expressed sincere contrition and remorse” and made it clear that he had learned from the incident.

It seems likely that Morant will face a harsher penalty from the league this time around, not only for repeating the behavior that earned him his previous suspension, but for making the league office look foolish for any lenience it may have shown last time.

On the court, Morant was his usual productive self for the Grizzlies in 2022/23, averaging 26.2 points, 8.1 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game in 61 regular season contests (31.9 MPG).

Morant’s five-year, maximum-salary extension with Memphis, projected to be worth about $194MM, will go into effect beginning in ’23/24. That contract would have been worth a projected $233MM if the two-time All-Star had made an All-NBA team, but he missed out, finishing seventh in voting among guards. His All-NBA case was hurt by the time he missed due to that eight-game suspension.

The Grizzlies won 51 games and finished second in the Western Conference, but saw their season come to an abrupt, disappointing end with a first-round loss to the No. 7 Lakers. Following Memphis’ elimination, Morant spoke about a need to “be better with my decision-making” and to avoid “off-the-court issues.”

Budenholzer, Nurse, Young Among Suns’ HC Candidates

May 14th, 2023 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

Following their dismissal of head coach Monty Williams on Saturday, the Suns are putting together a list of candidates for the vacancy that includes Mike Budenholzer, Nick Nurse, and Kevin Young, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). According to Haynes, that list of candidates will continue to grow.

It’s unclear whether Phoenix has lined up interviews yet with Budenholzer, Nurse, or Young, but the team won’t need to seek permission to speak to any of them. Budenholzer and Nurse were recently let go by their teams, while Young is the associate head coach on the Suns’ own staff, having served as Williams’ top assistant.

Budenholzer has a career regular season record 484-317 (.604) as a head coach, with a 56-48 (.538) mark in the playoffs. He coached the Hawks from 2013-18 and the Bucks from 2018-23, winning a title in Milwaukee in 2021 and earning Coach of the Year honors in both 2015 and 2019.

Nurse, who is coming off a five-year stint as head coach of the Raptors, won a championship in 2019 and was named Coach of the Year in 2020. He had a 227-163 (.582) regular season record and a 25-16 (.610) postseason mark in Toronto.

Young coached multiple G League teams and was an assistant coach with the Sixers before joining the Suns in 2020.

Marc Stein reported on Saturday that the Suns will also look into the possibility of trying to lure Tyronn Lue away to the Clippers, but it’s unclear if Phoenix will have any success on that front, Stein writes in his latest Substack story.

Lue remains under contract with Los Angeles and reportedly has the support of team owner Steve Ballmer, according to Stein. As such, it seems unlikely that the Clippers would let him leave for a division rival without receiving some form of compensation. For what it’s worth though, there has been chatter in league circles about the Suns’ interest in Lue for several days, tweets Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times.