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Coaching Rumors: Magic, Bucks, Pacers, McMillan, Borrego

June 14th, 2021 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

Of all the active head coaching searches around the NBA, the Magic‘s appears to be the most fluid, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Kenny Atkinson, identified last week as a candidate for the job, has been the named most frequently linked to Orlando’s vacancy, says Fischer, but the search is expected to be wide-ranging.

Lakers assistant Jason Kidd has been connected more and more to the Magic’s opening, per Fischer, who notes that Kidd has a connection to Orlando general manager John Hammond — the two worked in Milwaukee together from 2014-17 after Hammond hired Kidd as the Bucks’ head coach.

Former Warriors assistant Jarron Collins has talked to the Magic, sources tell Bleacher Report. Fischer says Nets assistant Ime Udoka is another candidate league sources have “strongly linked” the Orlando job, though there’s a sense Udoka may have more interest in the Celtics‘ job. Sixers assistant Sam Cassell may also be on the Magic’s radar, according to Fischer, who says Cassell would be popular among Orlando’s returning players.

Here are several more coaching-related notes and rumors from Fischer’s latest report:

With the Bucks tied at 2-2 in their second-round series, Mike Budenholzer is in a better position now than he was a few days ago, but if Milwaukee falls short of the Finals, there’s an expectation the team may make a change, per Fischer. In that scenario, Bucks assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee could be candidates for a promotion, since the team may just want a change at the top rather than an overhaul of the entire coaching staff, Fischer notes.
If the Bucks make a change, Mike D’Antoni would likely have interest in the job, and Olimpia Milano coach Ettore Messina would be another name to keep an eye on, Fischer writes. Rick Carlisle could also receive interest from Milwaukee, Fischer adds, though Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has said Carlisle’s not going anywhere.
Among the teams seeking a new coach, the Pacers appear to be the club most focused on hiring someone with previous head coaching experience, Fischer reports. Given how badly the hire of first-time head coach Nate Bjorkgren worked out, that’s not a huge surprise.
All indications are that Nate McMillan will sign a new contract with the Hawks to become the team’s permanent head coach, but until that happens, he’ll likely receive interest from other teams with coaching openings, including the Celtics, says Fischer.
Sources tell Fischer that the Hornets and head coach James Borrego are expected to work out a contract extension this offseason.

Eastern Notes: Harris, Irving, Harden, Bucks, Martin

June 13th, 2021 at 9:03pm CST by JD Shaw

Sixers forward Tobias Harris has become a reliable secondary option on offense for the franchise, Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times writes.

Harris, a respected leader in the team’s locker room, is averaging 23.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 34.6 minutes per game during the playoffs. He’s shot 54% from the floor during those contests, trailing only Joel Embiid in points per game.

“I would list him right now as one of my favorite teammates ever,” teammate George Hill said. “He has a great sense of awareness of how things are going. He’s very open-minded, he listens (and is) just a great guy to be around. I think he’s a big leader for us and we’re going to continue to lean on him as we go through this journey.”

Here are some other notes from the Eastern Conference:

The Nets won’t allow Kyrie Irving‘s ankle sprain to impact James Harden‘s return from a hamstring injury, head coach Steve Nash said, as relayed by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Harden missed most of Game 1 and hasn’t played since, with Brooklyn now missing two of its top three players due to injuries. “I think it’s an independent case. I don’t want James to be rushed back,” Nash said. “If he’s able to play next game and the game after, that’s fantastic.” As of Sunday night, no return timeline has been issued for either player.
Eric Nehm of The Athletic examined how the Bucks can improve their offense prior to Game 4 on Sunday. Milwaukee bounced back with a much better offensive effort in the contest, winning 107-96 while shooting 44% from the floor. The team also recorded 27 assists in the outing.
Brendan Rourke of Pacers.com reviews the season from Kelan Martin, who appeared in a total of 35 games. The 25-year-old Martin joined the Pacers last November after playing 31 games with the Timberwolves in 2019/20.

Sixers Hope To Bring Back Danny Green Soon

June 13th, 2021 at 5:26pm CST by JD Shaw

The Sixers sent Danny Green home to Philadelphia to get treatment on his right calf strain, but hope to get him back around the team as quickly as possible due to his veteran leadership, head coach Doc Rivers said on Sunday (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com). Of course, the team would love to welcome a healthy Green back on the court too, but he’s expected to miss at least two or three more weeks due to his calf injury.

Danny Green Out 2-3 Weeks Due To Calf Strain

June 12th, 2021 at 2:47pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The right calf strain that Sixers starting swingman Danny Green suffered in the first half of Philadelphia’s Game 3 victory over the Hawks will keep him sidelined for 2-3 weeks, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The Sixers, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, will thus be without Green’s services for the rest of their series against the scrappy Hawks.

Should the Sixers advance, Green may be available at some point during the Eastern Conference Finals. The 76ers are ahead of the Hawks 2-1 in their best-of-seven second-round series. The Nets currently lead the Bucks 2-1 on the other side of the bracket.

Shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz started the second half of Game 3 Friday, and appears to be the choice of Philadelphia head coach Doc Rivers to start in Green’s stead while the two-time reigning champ (with the Lakers in 2020 and the Raptors in 2019) recuperates.

Green averaged 4.5 PPG, 6.0 APG, 2.5 RPG and 2.0 SPG during the first two games of the series, for which he was fully healthy. He was available for just 3:45 of Game 3 action in Atlanta before leaving for the team’s locker room with the injury.

Rudy Gobert Named Defensive Player Of The Year

June 9th, 2021 at 8:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jazz center Rudy Gobert has been selected as the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. This is the third DPOY honor for Gobert, who also won the award in 2018 and 2019.

During his eight NBA seasons, Gobert has established himself as one of the league’s best shot blockers. He averaged a career-best 2.7 rejections per game this season and ranked first in a number of defensive analytics stats, including defensive real plus-minus and defensive RAPTOR, by a wide margin.

“It takes team effort, mental toughness, hard work and dedication,” Gobert told Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). “Every day you have to come in with a mindset to make your team better on that end.”

Gobert received 84 first-place votes, along with 14 for second place and two for third place for an overall total of 464 points, the NBA announced in its official press release.

The Sixers‘ Ben Simmons was second with 15/67/11 and 287 points, followed by the Warriors‘ Draymond Green with 0/13/37 and 76 points. The other first-place vote went to Bam Adebayo of the Heat, who came in fourth.

Eight other players received at least one DPOY vote, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Clint Capela, Joel Embiid, and Jrue Holiday. Perhaps the most unexpected vote belonged to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was placed third on one ballot.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Milton, Simmons, Curry

June 9th, 2021 at 6:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

Joel Embiid didn’t get the MVP trophy he thought he deserved, so he turned his attention back to the pursuit of an NBA title, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Shortly before the start of Tuesday’s game, Denver’s Nikola Jokic was announced as this year’s MVP, with Embiid finishing a distant second. The Sixers center responded to the news with 40 points and 13 rebounds in a Game 2 win over Atlanta.

“It’s disappointing because as a player, you work hard for moments like this,” Embiid said. “But then again, it’s out of my control. There’s nothing I can do about it. You just got to come out every year and just be ready and do my job. But I’m focused on the playoffs, I’m focused on winning the championship. … So I’m not worried about those awards and stuff. If and when I’m holding that (Larry O’Brien) Trophy, anything else won’t matter.”

Embiid has been dominant in the first two games against the Hawks, averaging 39.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game despite dealing with a small meniscus tear in his right knee that he suffered in round one. He admits having “limited mobility,” but said he’s found ways to adjust his game to still be effective.

“No excuses,” teammate Tobias Harris said. “He understands that. This is the playoffs. The way the NBA season was, I don’t think anybody is 100%. So when he steps on the floor, he has that attitude and that mentality that it’s, ‘win.'”

There’s more on the Sixers:

After playing just 38 seconds in the series opener, Shake Milton became a difference maker in Game 2, notes John Schuhmann of NBA.com. The third-year guard came off the bench to score 14 points and help Philadelphia break open a close game.
Another low-scoring performance by Ben Simmons is reviving questions about how far the Sixers can advance in the playoffs with minimal production from their second-best player, points out Brad Botkin of CBS Sports. Simmons finished with four points and only took three shots from the field in Game 2.
Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic looks at how Seth Curry has been able to rise from his early days in the G League to be an important contributor on a playoff team. Curry, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Mavericks, is averaging 24.0 PPG in his last three games.

Doc Collects Clips Of 'Unfair' Calls Vs. Simmons

June 8th, 2021 at 6:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Sixers coach Doc Rivers has compiled a series of video clips to demonstrate to the league that Ben Simmons doesn’t get a fair shake when guarding smaller players, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “You should never be penalized for playing straight, solid, legal, physical defense,” Rivers said. Rivers has an ulterior motive to lobby for Simmons since the Sixers would prefer to have him guard the Hawks’ top scorer, Trae Young, during the conference semifinals.

Nikola Jokic Wins Most Valuable Player Award

June 8th, 2021 at 6:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

6:45pm: Jokic was the runaway winner, per an official press release from the NBA.

Jokic received 91 of 100 first-place votes and racked up 971 points. Embiid finished second despite receiving just one first-place vote; he had 586 points, aided by 62 second-place votes; Curry finished third with five first-place votes and 453 points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Chris Paul rounded out the top five finishers, while 10 other players received at least one vote. The only real surprise among that group was Derrick Rose, who, oddly, received a first-place vote.

4:39pm: Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has won the league’s Most Valuable Player award, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Jokic averaged a career-high 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game this season. In an era in which players are regularly given nights off for rest, Jokic showed his toughness and durability by appearing in all 72 regular-season games.

As the 41st selection in the 2014 draft, Jokic is by far the lowest draft pick to ever earn the honor. He’s also the first Nuggets player to win the award.

Sixers center Joel Embiid and Warriors guard Stephen Curry were the other finalists for the award.

Embiid averaged 28.5 PPG and 1o.6 RPG but only appeared in 51 regular-season games, mainly due to a knee injury. Curry led the NBA in scoring at 32.0 PPG along with 5.8 APG while playing 63 games.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sport Images.

Daryl Morey, Sixers Fined For Tampering Violation

June 8th, 2021 at 8:06am CST by Luke Adams

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey received a $75K fine on Monday evening for violating the NBA’s anti-tampering rules, the league announced in a press release. The 76ers were also hit with a separate $75K fine for the violation.

The NBA explained in its statement that the penalty was a response to a social media post Morey made on June 3 regarding Warriors star Stephen Curry.

Morey, on Twitter, shared a screenshot of an Instagram post in which Curry praised his brother, Sixers sharpshooter Seth Curry, following Seth’s 30-point outburst in Game 5 of the 76ers’ first-round series vs. Washington. Morey added the caption, “Join ’em,” which was widely interpreted as a call for this season’s scoring champ to join his younger brother in Philadelphia.

Morey later responded to his tweet with the following clarification: “My goodness folks I am talking about the fact that we are all thrilled @sdotcurry is here with the @sixers — nothing else.” However, that wasn’t enough to dissuade the NBA from fining both the Sixers and their head of basketball operations.

This is the second time this season that Morey has been fined for a violation of the NBA’s anti-tampering rules. He was also hit with a $50K penalty in December for a tweet about James Harden.

Sixers Center Joel Embiid Will Play In Game 1; Hawks’ De’Andre Hunter Out

June 6th, 2021 at 11:34am CST by Arthur Hill

Joel Embiid will be in the Sixers‘ starting lineup for today’s opener of their second-round series with the Hawks, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Embiid, who was diagnosed with a small lateral meniscus tear in his right knee, was considered a game-time decision. He went through warm-ups before the team determined he was ready to play.

He suffered the injury in Monday’s playoff game against the Wizards, and the medical staff has been doing treatments on the knee all week. Embiid was limited to individual workouts during practices the last two days.

The Hawks announced that De’Andre Hunter will miss today’s game with soreness in his right knee, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team’s top perimeter defender was able to play all five games in the first-round series with the Knicks, but he has been dealing with pain in his knee since having surgery in February.

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