Latest On Lakers’ Head Coaching Position
It’s widely assumed that Luke Walton will be relieved of his head coaching duties this offseason, but the Lakers‘ head coach isn’t fazed by the all the reports.
“I fully expect to be coaching this team again next year,” Walton tells Bill Oram of The Athletic.
Mark Jackson, Rick Carlisle, and Jason Kidd have all been rumored to be possible targets for the Lakers should the franchise let Walton go. Doc Rivers was brought up as a candidate before he shot down those rumors by announcing that he had signed a contract extension with the Clippers.
Tyronn Lue-to-Los Angeles chatter has been ongoing in NBA circles, though a source tells Oram that Lue recently called Walton to assure the coach that the franchise did not reach out to him about the position. Lue would let Walton know if he was speaking with the Lakers out of “courtesy and friendship,” the source said.
Lue and Walton both have championship rings as members of the Lakers. When Walton found out LeBron James was coming to town, Lue provided advice to him on coaching the four-time MVP.
James’ first season in Los Angeles has been a disaster. The NBA postseason will carry on without LBJ for the first time since the 2004/05 campaign, which also happened to be the first season for the Lakers post-Shaq-Kobe divorce.
Walton has long had an advocate in owner Jeanie Buss, though sources tell Oram that team president Magic Johnson will make the call on who’s coaching the team next season.
“Unless someone from within our group is telling me that, I just view it like all the other things we’ve gone through as a team this year,” Walton said. “Those are things that I don’t have the time to worry about. I’ve got more important things to do like getting the team better and doing my job.”
Bulls Shut Down Lauri Markkanen For Remainder Of Season
The Bulls are shutting down Lauri Markkanen for the remainder of the season, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter feed).
Markkanen left Tuesday’s game against the Raptors because of extreme fatigue and the team says that tests have been normal after “an episode of rapid heart rate and fatigue.” He’ll undergo additional testing in 10-14, per Charania.
Chicago has one of the worst records in the east, as our Reverse Standings show. The team has no real need to play one of their franchise cornerstones and risk further setbacks.
Six games remain for the Bulls. Robin Lopez, who will be a free agent after the season, and Cristiano Felicio are likely to see additional playing time. Both bigs saw at least 28 minutes of action tonight against the Blazers in a game which Markkanen missed.
Bradley Beal Talks All-NBA, Possible Extension With Wizards
The Wizards‘ season didn’t play out the way they had hoped but a bright spot among the woes has been Bradley Beal. Beal’s stellar season has put him in contention for an All-NBA spot, something that could have huge financial ramifications in his next contract, as our own Luke Adams recently detailed.
Beal would be eligible for a “super-max” contract, which would start at 35% of the salary cap with a selection, as opposed to 30% without it. The selection would leave Washington with a tough choice of whether or not to offer another guard a mammoth deal.
Let’s assume Washington is ready to make the commitment. Would Beal sign a super-max extension with the Wizards? Beal tells Fred Katz of The Athletic that he has “no idea.”
“I try not to [think about it],” Beal said. “I’m not gonna be naïve to it. I know about it. But … I haven’t even gotten that far, because I need to figure out what we’re gonna do in this offseason, where we’re going, which direction we’re going.”
Beal has said that he wants to retire in a Wizards’ jersey. He’s said he is “all about loyalty.” He’s also clashed with GM Ernie Grunfeld earlier this season and whispers that he wanted a trade persisted for most of the campaign.
Beal and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, have discussed the possibility of signing the “super-max,” though they don’t want to get ahead of themselves.
“It’s crazy. I mentioned it to my agent just out of curiosity and he said, ‘One, I don’t like talking about it because I don’t wanna jinx it.’ That’s what he was telling me. And then two, he said, ‘I’ve never done a super-max deal, so I can’t tell you what to expect, what not to expect.’ So, it’s kinda like we’re going in blind,” Beal said. “Granted, my job is to continue to play out these last seven (games), and we’ll see where we are at the end of the year.”
“If I make it, I make it. If I don’t, I don’t. But it’ll definitely be evaluated at the end of the year.”
Beal added that making the All-NBA team “wasn’t really” a goal until people started talking about it more and more. The team’s lack of success may hinder his chances at a selection but he believes he knows his standing among the league’s best.
“I feel like behind James [Harden], I’m the best shooting guard in the league,” Beal said. “My numbers may show it, [but] we’re not winning. I think that hurts [an All-NBA case] in a lot of ways. But in terms of individual success, I feel like I’m right there.”
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/27/19
Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Thunder have recalled Deonte Burton from the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the team’s website. Burton accumulated 17 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one block during Monday’s G League playoff game against the Salt Lake City Stars.
- The Rockets have assigned Isaiah Hartenstein to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The Vipers are in the G League Western Conference Finals.
- The Knicks have assigned Luke Kornet to the Westchester Knicks, per the team’s Twitter feed. The big man will be available for the G League squad’s playoff game tonight.
Eastern Notes: Knight, Sixers, Bucks
Brandon Knight, who was sent to the Cavaliers at this season’s trade deadline, is embracing his role as a mentor to Collin Sexton, Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes.
“I don’t know what the process was before I got here … I do know since I’ve gotten here I try to talk to [Sexton] as much as I can,” Knight said. “I see myself a lot in him as a young guard having vets around me, having to learn when to score and when not to score, trying to use my speed but also trying to slow down. There’s a lot of things I had to deal with. So when I see him do certain things I’m like, ‘Man, I used to do that.’ ”
Knight and Sexton were each selected eighth overall in their respective drafts. Knight started for most of his career and he knows what it’s like to feel the pressure of being a top selection.
“It took me a couple years,” Knight said. “If we can get him to do that — what I learned year four — by year two, how much better will our team be? I just try to tell him those little things.”
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Sixers assistant coach Billy Lange has interviewed for the St. Joe’s head coaching job, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Lange has been with the team for six seasons.
- The Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks‘ G League affiliate, has fired coach Jordan Brady, according to the team’s Twitter feed. “We greatly appreciate Coach Brady and his staff for their efforts the past 2 seasons,” GM Dave Dean said. “While they have played a significant role in the organization’s growth on the court and in the community, we feel it’s in the best interest of the Herd to explore other options.”
- Something needs to change in Boston, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports contends. Inconsistency has plagued the Celtics all season, prompting Forsberg takes a look at some potential lineup changes that coach Brad Stevens could make.
Paul Millsap Wants Long-Term Future With Nuggets
Paul Millsap landed a massive, three-year, $90MM deal with the Nuggets following the 2016/17 season and while there was initially a frustrating adjustment period filled with injuries, he’s happy with where he is now.
“I could see myself being here long-term, for the rest of my career,” Millsap told Mike Singer of The Denver Post. “I can see this organization and this group of guys making a nice play at the championship. I feel like there’s a lot of youth, a lot of growth that can be made and you add that on top of what we’ve done this season with experience and you’ve got yourself a championship-caliber team. Definitely want to be a part of that, but I’ll deal with that when it gets there.”
Millsap’s contract contains a $30MM team option for next season. Denver has roughly $90MM in guaranteed salary on its books next year and the franchise will tiptoe over the luxury tax line should it bring him back with the current roster.
“It’s something that we’ll discuss at the end of the season with management, but I want to do something that fits for everybody,” Millsap said of his contract. “We’ll see.”
The most likely path for Millsap returning next season appears to be working out a new deal once the Nuggets declines his option, although that’s simply my speculation. The power forward has been a key contributor for Denver since the All-Star break, scoring 16.2 points per game (good for third on the team) during that stretch.
Millsap is much older than some of his teammates. Players like Jamal Murray and Monte Morris are each at least a decade younger than the 2006 second-round pick. Coach Mike Malone appreciates having a respected veteran around the squad.
“When he speaks, it carries such [weight]… because he picks his spots. Some guys that talk all the time, you start to tune them out a little bit,” Malone said. “I think he’s got a calming influence.”
It’s Time For The Stars To Align In Philadelphia
The Sixers have their ideal starting five after making separate in-season moves for Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris. However, their reward comes with a tax of unfamiliarity.
The J.J. Redick–Joel Embiid–Ben Simmons-Harris-Butler unit has played in just nine games together so far. While many playoff teams will try to give their starters some rest over the next two weeks, Philadelphia has no such luxury, as the team’s new pieces need as much time together as they can get to prepare for postseason battle.
“Because we have played so few games together, the importance of keeping these guys as much as you can on the court and experiencing playing with each other is really important,” coach Brett Brown said (via Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer). “So somewhere out there, you hope to strike a balance [between resting players and keeping players fresh].”
Various injuries and nights of rest have limited the team’s time together on the court. However, when the stars align, Brown has attempted to make the most of the opportunities. The starting five has seen nearly 17 minutes per contest, which is the most minutes per game among any Sixers’ 5-man combination all season (per NBA.com, including lineups pre-trade lineups).
The Sixers have a hold on the third seed in the conference by just two games over the Pacers and they own the tiebreaker with Indiana after winning three of four tilts this year. No one in Philadelphia is going to discuss a preferred opponent, but the seeding matters, as falling to No. 4 would likely mean a first-round battle with the Celtics.
While they recently beat Boston in a statement win, the Sixers have earned just four victories over their last 25 games against their Atlantic Division rival (including last season’s 4-1 playoff series loss). Imagine having to go through Boston, Toronto, and Milwaukee to get to the NBA Finals and doing so without much rest leading up to the playoffs. That undesirable path remains in play.
The team has seven games remaining and the upcoming schedule isn’t strenuous. Embiid & Co. take on the Nets in Philadelphia before a three-game business trip through Minnesota, Dallas, and Atlanta. The Sixers could lock up a top-three seed before they return to Philadelphia to play the Bucks on April 4. Yet, after back-to-back losses to the Hawks and Magic, penciling in W’s is a fool’s task.
The Sixers arguably present Golden State with the greatest matchup challenge among all Eastern Conference contenders. Whether they get the opportunity to try to take down the two-time reigning champs will likely come down to two factors: the path taken and familiarity with one another. On Thursday vs. the Nets, Philly will get a chance to work on both components, as the five starters are expected to play game number 10 together.
NBA G League Assignment/Recalls: 3/26/19
Here are Tuesday’s G League assignment and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Raptors have assigned Chris Boucher and Malcolm Miller to their G League affiliate, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Both players are available for the Raptors 905 as they take on the Grand Rapids Drive in the G League playoffs tonight.
- The Thunder have assigned Deonte Burton to the Oklahoma City Blue, according to Adam Johnson of 2 Ways 10 Days (Twitter link). Burton is available for the team’s G League playoff game tonight.
- The Warriors have assigned Jacob Evans III to the Santa Cruz Warriors, per a team press release. Evans has played in 21 games with the G League club so far, averaging 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
Fred Hoiberg, University Of Nebraska Nearing Deal
Fred Hoiberg is the heavy favorite to become the next men’s basketball coach at the University of Nebraska, reports Evan Daniels of 247 Sports. “This shouldn’t take long,” a source told Daniels.
Hoiberg feels like the gig “just fits him,” a source close to the situation tells Stadium’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). The school parted ways with Tim Miles, who has been their coach for seven seasons, earlier today.
Hoiberg, who previously led Iowa State to four straight tournament appearances, most recently served as the Bulls‘ head coach for four seasons. He didn’t find much success at the professional level, owning a record of 115-155 with Chicago.
Stein’s Latest: Lakers, GM Openings, Sixers
Marc Stein of the New York Times released his latest newsletter today (subscribe here) and it’s filled with a handful of nuggets on coaching and front office movement. We passed along the latest on the Timberwolves’ management earlier today. Here’s the rest of the highlights from Stein’s latest newsletter:
- The Lakers have interest in nabbing Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle to the same position, Stein writes. Los Angeles is widely expected to let Luke Walton go at the end of the season.
- Tyronn Lue is believed to be a top candidate for the Lakers‘ job, Stein hears from coaches within the league, citing Lue’s “presumed acceptance” from LeBron James. Lue coached James for two-and-a-half seasons in Cleveland, helping to bring the franchise its lone NBA championship.
- Mike Zarren of the Celtics and Bucks executive Milt Newton are two names to watch out for with GM positions opening up, Stein hears. Zarren figures to be considered by the Pelicans (currently being run by interim GM Danny Ferry), and could also be a candidate for the Wizards, should owner Ted Leonsis decided to dismiss longtime executive Ernie Grunfeld.
- The Sixers would be smart to keep the core of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, and Tobias Harris together if they win the Eastern Conference, though Stein believes the chatter to break them up will intensify if they fail to reach that goal. Both Butler and Harris will be free agents this summer.