Northwest Notes: Jazz, Doncic, Markkanen, Murray, Roy
Is it within the realm of possibility that the Jazz could trade for Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic? Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune ponders that topic. Larsen confirms an earlier report the Jazz are keenly interested in Doncic. The Jazz would either have to deal All-Star Lauri Markkanen and a smaller assortment of picks and players, or give up a boatload of picks for Doncic, in Larsen’s estimation.
However, as Larsen acknowledges, Doncic would first have to request a trade and the Jazz’s draft assets from Cleveland and Minnesota aren’t all that attractive since both are playoff teams, though the Timberwolves could fall back to the lottery pack in the near future.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Speaking of Markkanen, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News notes that he displayed star power in his first year with the Jazz. After his breakthrough campaign, Markkanen can still build on his game by improving his ball-handling, defense, footwork and aggressiveness, Todd writes.
- Jamal Murray is officially listed as questionable to play in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday due to a non-COVID illness. However, the Nuggets’ point guard intends to play, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets.
- Former Trail Blazers star Brandon Roy will represent the team at the draft lottery on Tuesday. The Athletic’s Jason Quick writes that Roy, who retired at 28 due to knee issues, would like to return to the organization in an official capacity. “I do have confidence in myself in coaching, and I feel there is a lot I can offer,” Roy said. “But sometimes, I think about personnel, and what first, what works … and I think I’m good with chemistry and fit and understanding guys, so front office, scouting … or do something like Hersey Hawkins did when he was with the Blazers, mentoring and talking to guys. I’ve lived and experienced a lot of things, and I think I can help and give back to the younger players.’’
Suns Notes: Lee, Vanderbilt, Hachimura, Williams
Damion Lee saw his playing time diminish after the trade deadline, but the Suns guard still appeared in 74 games during the regular season and posted solid offensive numbers, averaging 8.2 points in 20.4 minutes while shooting a career high 44.5% on 3-point attempts and 90.4% from the foul line.
After signing a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal with the Suns last offseason, Lee feels confident as he heads back into free agency, Dana Scott of the Arizona Republic writes.
“You guys know the numbers: essentially top five all year in NBA 3-point percentage, that’s huge on a team that finished top four in the West; and the number one 3-point percentage in the fourth quarter all year. That stuff matters,” Lee said of his year with the Suns. “That’s not something I’m saying to toot my own horn, but that stuff to me matters because it put away all doubt that he’s here for a favor, stepped out by the grace of God. A lot of people counted me out that, ‘He’ll go to Phoenix, he won’t do anything, he’ll fizzle out.'”
We have more on the Suns:
- Phoenix was involved in trade talks for Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt, both of whom wound up in Los Angeles and helped the Lakers end their season, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic notes. The Suns tried to acquire Vanderbilt from Utah along with Bojan Bogdanovic prior to the season while attempting to deal Jae Crowder. That proposal fell through when Utah balked at trading Vanderbilt. In January, the Suns tried to work out a three-team deal involving Crowder and Hachimura.
- Monty Williams developed a winning culture within the organization. That’s now threatened by the Suns’ dismissal of Williams last week, according to Gerald Bourguet of GoPhnx.com. If new owner Mat Ishbia wants to sustain what Williams built, he and the front office will have to nail this coaching hire, Bourguet writes.
- The Suns are casting a wide net for their head coaching opening with as many as 10 candidates on the early internal list, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets. Mike Budenholzer, Nick Nurse and Suns assistant Kevin Young are among the candidates who have previously been mentioned as potential candidates.
- In case you missed it, Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul could also head out of door as the Suns desperately search for a championship.
Lakers Notes: James, Davis, Bamba, Schröder, Vanderbilt
Despite his age and two decades as an NBA player, Lakers superstar LeBron James continues to defy Father Time with his All-Star level performances. Teammate D’Angelo Russell has a simple explanation for why James continues to excel at an age when most NBA players have already retired, according to Greg Beacham of The Associated Press.
”Bron’s niche has always been preparedness,” Russell said. ”A lot of guys’ niches is shooting the ball, working hard, outworking guys. LeBron is a film junkie, a basketball junkie, a leadership junkie. To be able to watch it all from the front row, it’s almost like a cheat code.”
James has played in a league-record 278 postseason games, and his 7,912 career postseason points are nearly 2,000 more than Michael Jordan (5,987) atop the NBA’s career playoff scoring list, Beacham adds.
We have more on the Lakers:
- The team’s Game 1 injury report didn’t have any surprises. James and Anthony Davis were both listed as probable for Tuesday’s game, as they were for much of the Warriors series, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets. Both have been playing through right foot ailments. Mohamed Bamba is listed as out due to left ankle soreness.
- Bamba wasn’t at Monday’s practice in Denver because he’s back in Los Angeles after getting a PRP injection in his ankle earlier this postseason, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets. He has a follow-up appointment there on Tuesday and will rejoin the team afterward, Buha adds. Bamba has only made three cameo appearances during this postseason.
- Coach Darvin Ham tweaked his lineup in the series finale against the Warriors, inserting guard Dennis Schröder in favor of small forward Jarred Vanderbilt, Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register notes. Will Ham stick with the lineup switch for the Nuggets’ series? That’s TBD, though Ham liked how Schröder hounded Stephen Curry, which could lead to a similar defensive assignment against Jamal Murray. “Dennis came in and set an unbelievable tone defensively,” Ham said.
Kevin Young To Interview For Bucks’ Job
The Bucks have received permission from the Suns to interview assistant Kevin Young for their head coaching job, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Young has emerged as one of the hottest names for a head coach position. He has been mentioned as a candidate for the Raptors’ job, as well as the Suns’ potential replacement for Monty Williams, who was let go last week.
The Bucks are also reportedly interested in Young’s former boss, Williams, in their search to replace Mike Budenholzer. Additionally, they’ve received permission to interview Heat assistant Chris Quinn and plan to interview ABC/ESPN analyst and former Warriors head coach Mark Jackson. Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin is also on that list, and they’ve also been granted permission to interview Trail Blazers assistant Scott Brooks.
Young coached multiple G League teams and was an assistant coach with the Sixers before joining Williams’ staff in Phoenix in 2020.
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Mazzulla, Brown
Jayson Tatum, who shot 5-for-21 from the field in the Celtics’ Game 6 win over the Sixers, bounced back with a 51-point eruption in Game 7 and said the key was being more relaxed, ESPN’s Jamal Collier writes.
“Going into Game 6 — it sounds crazy, I was too locked in,” Tatum said. “I was too tight. I was too in my own head thinking about what I need to do. How many points I need to score. It’s a big moment. And (Sunday) I was more myself. Pregame, I was relaxed, laughing, joking. That’s when I play my best, when I’m having fun. I just tried not to think about the pressure, what everybody is going to say. Just focus on the game and having fun.”
We have more on the Celtics:
- First-year coach Joe Mazzulla believes Tatum’s understanding of the game and the coverages thrown at him led to his huge performance, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “I mean, that’s the word, he’s learned how to problem solve,” Mazzulla said. “So he can recognize matchups, coverages, he can anticipate the next coverage, he can see the spacing. He can put guys where they are and make the right play, so that to me is the evolution of players is can they problem solve over and over again, and he’s done that.”
- Mazzulla was taking heavy criticism after the Celtics trailed 3-2 in the series but he showed his poise and coaching acumen during the last two games, Jay King of The Athletic notes. Marcus Smart was impressed how Mazzulla handled the situation. “I think it’s fair to say that if Joe freaked out, nobody would have blamed him,” Smart said. “He’s a first-year coach put into this situation, he’s put into the hot seat and then you have a team that’s not playing up to its standards, then you’re getting the criticism and then you come back and win two games. I think nobody would have been surprised if he blew up, but he kept his composure, he kept his poise.”
- Jaylen Brown‘s technical foul from Game 7 has been rescinded by the league, NBA Official tweets. Brown reacted when Sixers forward Georges Niang grabbed his leg near the Sixers’ bench.
Doc Rivers Plans To Remain Sixers’ Coach
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
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
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
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.
Lakers Notes: James, Reaves, Injury Report, Walker
LeBron James isn’t concerned about the Lakers getting complacent after taking a 3-1 series lead against the Warriors, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times writes.
“I think we’ll be ready. One thing about when you play Golden State, you don’t have an opportunity to relax. You just don’t,” James said. “So I’m not worried about us going in there comfortable. You just can’t do it versus Golden State. It’s not possible.”
Game 5 will be played Wednesday night.
We have more on the Lakers:
- Austin Reaves broke out of a shooting slump to contribute 21 points in Game 4, six fewer than he had in the first three games combined against Warriors, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times notes. Reaves went 7-of-15 from the field and made half of his six 3-point tries. “He just has to stay fearless, stay aggressive and stay locked in like he always has been,” coach Darvin Ham said of Reaves, who will enter restricted free agency after the season. “He’ll make it through the rough patches of the game.”
- The Lakers’ injury report for Game 5 hasn’t changed at all from Game 4. James and Anthony Davis, who have dealt with right foot ailments, are listed as probable by the team’s PR department (Twitter link) and it would be a big surprise if either missed the game. Mohamed Bamba is questionable again with left ankle soreness. Bamba hasn’t appeared in the series.
- Lonnie Walker IV, a free agent after the season, is brimming with self satisfaction after scoring 15 fourth-quarter points in Game 4. Walker has given the club a huge boost in the last two games. “The greatest feeling you could ever imagine,” Walker told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and other media members. “As a kid, this is something I’ve been dreaming of doing. Not just being a part of the playoffs, but impacting it, let alone winning in the playoffs. I’m truly proud of myself. It really shows my capabilities. Just my mental fortitude. I think the hardest thing of being able to play a lot and then not playing at all is sticking with it.”