Rudy Gobert Named Defensive Player Of The Year
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.
Outside Names Emerge In Celtics’ Coaching Search
New Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has begun reaching out to other organizations for permission to interview coaching candidates, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojanarowski.
The early group of candidates will likely be expansive, according to Woj. A few names he has heard from sources include Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups, Bucks assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee, Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley, and Nets assistant Ime Udoka.
Billups and Udoka have been mentioned before in relation to Boston, but the other three names are new. Ham, who played 12 NBA seasons, has been an assistant coach for the past decade, starting with the Lakers and then working under Mike Budenholzer in both Atlanta and Milwaukee. Lee is also a former NBA player with seven years as an assistant, all under Budenholzer. Mosley started his coaching career with the Nuggets in 2005 and has been with Dallas since 2014.
Stevens, who is in the unusual position of hiring his own replacement, recently completed interviews with several assistants who were on his staff this season. Prominent names in that group include Jay Larranaga, Scott Morrison, Jerome Allen, and Joe Mazzulla.
Follow the developments on all the coaching vacancies throughout the league with our Head Coaching Search Tracker.
Zero New COVID-19 Cases Among Players For Third Straight Week
The NBA and NBPA announced today in a press release that out of the 264 players tested for COVID-19 since June 2, none returned a new positive confirmed test.
This marks the third straight week that the league’s testing protocols have found no positive tests. Only two players have tested positive since May 5, a welcome development as the NBA attempts to conduct its post-season with as few COVID-related interruptions as possible.
The league has been extremely careful in its attempts to limit the spread of COVID from players and coaches, and with the draft process ramping up and MGM Resort Summer League establishing its schedule, their success so far in the playoffs is an encouraging sign for this off-season and the 2021/2022 season to come.
Cavaliers’ G League Affiliate Moving To Cleveland
The Canton Charge, G League affiliate of the Cavaliers, will be moving to Cleveland for next season, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Charge have played in Canton for nine seasons, but as their 10-year contract with the Canton Memorial Civic Center expires, Cavaliers ownership wanted to bring the team back to Cleveland.
“When we acquired the franchise and relocated it here to Northeast Ohio, our goal was to create the best operation and experience in the G League, both on the court and off,” said Cavaliers’ CEO Len Komoroski. “We’ve had success working towards both those goals and that remains our commitment and focus.”
The team will be called simply “The Charge” during the transition, but the team hopes to officially rebrand as “The Cleveland Charge” by the start of the 2021/22 season, which is set to tip off in November. The Charge will now be based out of Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center. The Cavs are hoping this will lead to a long-term partnership between the G League team and the Wolstein Center.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the Charge to the Wolstein Center and we look forward to collaborating with Rock Entertainment Group on what’s next,” said CSU President Harlan Sands.
As Fedor notes, this move by the Cavaliers is indicative of a larger league-wide trend of teams trying to keep their G League affiliates closer to home. The Charge are expected to use the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, the Cavaliers’ home court, as well as Cleveland Clinic Courts, the team’s player training and development facility.
As the relationships between professional teams and G-League teams become more dynamic, this will allow teams to optimize their player development goals, synchronize philosophies, and better monitor progress.
“As we look to the future, we’re very pleased to now be able to continue the growth of the Charge at the Wolstein Center,” said Charge general manager Brendon Yu. “The proximity to Cleveland Clinic Courts and Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse creates an enhanced synergy between the two teams and will foster even greater personnel development that will be very impactful for us.”
The team reiterated its commitment to remaining engaged in its relationship with the community of Canton, especially through youth programs, including the Junior Cavs Camp.
Harden Out For Game 3 With Hamstring Tightness
James Harden will be out for Game Three of the Nets series against the Bucks, tweets Adam Zagoria of NY Times Sports. Head coach Steve Nash, addressing the media, made it clear that both Harden and forward Jeff Green will miss at least another game, though he added that it’s “highly possible” that Green plays sooner rather than later.
Harden has played just 43 seconds of the Nets’ second round playoff series against Milwaukee after leaving Game One with right hamstring tightness. The Nets have won the first two games of the series in convincing fashion without him, which could give them more leeway to take the recovery process slowly with their star shooting guard. Nash stated that both Harden and Green continue to make progress, according to a tweet from Malika Andrews of ESPN.
With Harden out, the Nets have turned to guards Bruce Brown and Mike James, with Brown taking much of the available guard minutes. Brown responded well to getting the starting nod in Game Two, putting up 13 points, six rebounds and four assists with no turnovers while also proving quite effective as a small-ball roll man/rim runner. James has scored in double digits in both contests.
The Bucks had clearly hoped to take advantage of Harden’s absence, but that didn’t prove the case in Game Two, as the Nets cruised to a 39-point victory. Kevin Durant scored 32 points on 12-18 shooting while none of the Bucks’ three stars could find much of a rhythm offensively.
With the next two games being held in Milwaukee and no clear timetable for Harden’s return, Game Three will be crucial if the Bucks have any hope of climbing back into this series.
Pacers Fire Head Coach Nate Bjorkgren
12:15pm: The Pacers have officially announced in a press release that Bjorkgren won’t be retained for the 2021/22 season.
“The 2020/21 season was not what any of us hoped or anticipated it would be, and our results on the court certainly did not meet the standards for what our organization and our fans have come to expect,” Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said in a statement.
“We have determined this is the right time to move in a different direction, and on behalf of the Simon Family and the entire Pacers organization, I want to express my gratitude to Nate for his efforts leading our team. While we do not have a definite timetable for our search, we will move quickly to identify candidates who will make our team and our organization stronger.”
10:56am: The Pacers have decided to part ways with head coach Nate Bjorkgren after his first year on the job, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), Bjorkgren was informed today of the Pacers’ decision to let him go after he met with management on Tuesday. The team intends to seek out a more experienced, established head coach to replace Bjorkgren, who lost the locker room and “much of the organization” this season, Wojnarowski adds.
The Pacers moved on from Nate McMillan a year ago after a fourth consecutive first-round playoff exit in the hopes of hiring a new coach who would modernize the team’s offense and increase its ceiling. Although Bjorkgren did help improve Indiana’s offense, the defense took a major step backward and the former Raptors assistant reportedly had major communication issues with players and coaches alike.
Multiple reports during the final weeks of the regular season indicated that Bjorkgren was on the hot seat, and failing to secure a playoff spot in the play-in tournament presumably didn’t help his chances of sticking around.
Given how many injuries the Pacers dealt with during the 2020/21 campaign, it’s unclear how much more another coach could’ve gotten out of the roster. And since Bjorkgren had one more guaranteed year on his contract, there was a belief that the small-market Pacers may prefer to give him another chance rather than having to commit financially to a second head coaching contract. However, it sounds like the issues with Bjorkgren were too widespread to make continuing the relationship a viable choice.
Indiana becomes the fourth team to enter the market for a new head coach this spring, joining Boston, Portland, and Orlando. Because they conducted an extensive search for a coach in 2020 before landing on Bjorkgren, the Pacers may already have a leg up in this year’s search, having gotten familiar with several candidates who could be on their radar again. However, new candidates will be considered as well.
[RELATED: 2021 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]
One of those new candidates, who wasn’t available a year ago, is former Blazers coach Terry Stotts. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports (via Twitter) that the Pacers are expected to take a look at Stotts, while Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report says (via Twitter) league sources have increasingly identified Stotts as a leading candidate for the job in Indiana. Josh Robbins of The Athletic previously reported that league sources expect the Pacers to interview Steve Clifford following his exit from Orlando.
As for Bjorkgren’s future, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca tweets that he wouldn’t be surprised if Nick Nurse‘s former assistant – and good friend – ends up returning to Toronto. The Raptors lost a top assistant midway through the 2020/21 season when Chris Finch was hired as Minnesota’s head coach, and Nurse strongly defended Bjorkgren amidst last month’s negative reports.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pat Riley Fined $25K By NBA For Tampering Violation
Heat president Pat Riley has been fined $25K for violating the NBA’s anti-tampering rule, the league announced today in a press release. The fine is a result of Riley’s recent comments about former Heat star LeBron James.
As we relayed earlier this week, Riley made his comments during a casual appearance on a live stream hosted by Dan Le Batard (video link). A glass of wine in hand during his appearance, the Heat president actually misinterpreted a question about whether he was still leaving a “key under the door mat” for Dwyane Wade, who is now a part-owner of the Jazz. Riley thought the question was in reference to James.
“LeBron, look, he’s one of the greatest of all time, and for four years down here, if we want to go back and remember what those four years were like, it was four years in the Finals, four years of excitement, two world championships… It was the best time for the Heat,” Riley said. “So I wish him nothing but the best, and if he ever wanted to come back, I’ll put a new shiny key under the mat.”
Riley seemed immediately aware he’d said too much about the current Lakers star, stating that his comments on LeBron “will just get me fined.” Still, a $25K penalty essentially amounts to a slap on the wrist when it comes to tampering violations, so the NBA is implicitly acknowledging that Riley’s violation was minor.
By comparison, Daryl Morey and the Sixers were each hit with a $75K fine earlier this week as a result of a two-word Morey tweet responding to Warriors star Stephen Curry. Morey tweeted, “Join ’em,” in reply to Curry’s post about his brother, Sixers guard Seth Curry.
Mike D’Antoni Drawing Interest As Head Coaching Candidate
Mike D’Antoni, a two-time Coach of the Year who has coached five different NBA teams since 1998, is once again expected to be a candidate for teams making head coaching changes this offseason, according to Jordan Schultz of ESPN (Twitter link).
League sources tell Schultz that D’Antoni is receiving interest from all three teams that currently have head coaching vacancies — the Trail Blazers, Celtics, and Magic.
D’Antoni is currently an assistant on Steve Nash‘s staff in Brooklyn, and Schultz suggests the Nets may not grant interview requests for D’Antoni until after their season is over. Brooklyn is currently the championship favorite, meaning the club could be playing into mid-July — that timeline may dissuade D’Antoni’s potential suitors from making him a top target.
Still, D’Antoni has an impressive résumé that includes a 672-527 (.560) regular season record as the head coach of the Rockets, Lakers, Knicks, Suns, and Nuggets. He has a 54-56 (.491) career mark in the playoffs — his teams have won 10 postseason series, but have never appeared in the NBA Finals. The closest D’Antoni came to the Finals was in 2018 when the Rockets lost in seven games to the eventual-champion Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
Even if Portland, Boston, and Orlando go in another direction with their respective head coaching hires, D’Antoni could have other options. For instance, the Pacers – who continue to mull Nate Bjogkren‘s future – were said to have interest a year ago and could renew that interest if they move on from Bjorkgren.
Nikola Jokic Wins Most Valuable Player Award
6:45pm: Jokic was the runaway winner, per an official press release from the NBA.
[RELATED: MVP Makes Jokic Eligible For Super-Max In 2022]
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.
Mike Conley To Miss Game 1 Vs. Clippers
Jazz guard Mike Conley won’t play in tonight’s opener of the Western Conference Semifinals, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The team announced he will miss the game with a mild right hamstring strain.
Conley felt tightness in the hamstring in the first quarter of Utah’s closeout win against the Grizzlies last Wednesday, according to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. He was ruled out of the game at halftime.
Conley was only a partial participant at Monday’s practice, and the team decided to sit him out tonight after today’s shootaround, Walden adds.
“Hopefully we get him back as quickly as possible, but those things are tricky,” coach Quin Snyder told reporters (Twitter link from Walden).
Conley is coming off the first All-Star season in his 14-year NBA career, averaging 16.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 51 games. Game 2 of the series will be Thursday night.