Central Notes: Turner, Giannis, Bulls, Unseld, Cavs, Pacers

Asked by WNBA star Breanna Stewart during the latest episode of the Game Recognize Game podcast (YouTube link) whether NBA players face in-house fines for minor on- or off-court transgressions, Bucks center Myles Turner said “it depends on the coach.”

“Doc Rivers, he didn’t fine anybody, ever,” Turner said of the Bucks’ former head coach. “So guys were late all the time. Guys were showing up to film whenever they wanted to show up. Guys were missing meetings. It was one of the craziest things I’ve personally experienced.

“But any other team I’ve been on, guys got fined. And there was a sense of order and a sense of understanding. So yeah, you’re late to the plane? Fined. You’re late to treatment? Fined. You’re late to film? Fined. But I personally did not experience that last year for the first time in my career.”

When Stewart followed up to ask which of Turner’s teammates was most likely to show up late to a team activity, the big man singled out two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“Giannis is gonna show up whenever he wants, really,” Turner said. “I think that this kind of just came with the territory of that. And once I kind of saw what was going down, I was like, ‘Hey man, more power to you. (If) they ain’t going to fine you, s–t, do what you do.'”

We have more from around the Central:

• With the Bucks once again fielding inquiries on Antetokounmpo, ESPN’s Bobby Marks takes a closer look at the assets that 10 possible suitors have to offer for the superstar forward.
• Although the Bulls are hiring a new head coach, several of their assistants are expected to return in 2026/27, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network. One of those assistants, Wes Unseld Jr., is a candidate to be interviewed for the head coaching vacancy, Johnson adds. Unseld was the Wizards’ head coach for two-and-a-half seasons from 2021-24.
• Head coach Kenny Atkinson was critical of the Cavaliers‘ mental toughness after the team was upset by Indiana in the second round of the playoffs, but the Cavs are starting to rewire that narrative this spring, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic and Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). Cleveland has bounced back from a 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals and overcame Detroit’s nine-point lead with less than three minutes to go in Game 5 on Wednesday. “We just made big plays,” Atkinson said, per Fedor. “I think that stretch says a lot about our progress, mental performance progress, mental toughness progress. Kept at it. These guys, they never get down.”
• It could be a relatively quiet summer in Indiana, according to Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link), who notes within his offseason preview that the Pacers are hovering right below the luxury tax line with 14 players projected to be under contract. The team has some extension candidates and could make some tweaks around the margins, but the front office might not have a ton of work to do this offseason, Gozlan writes.