2019 nba OFFSEASON news, rumors, drama, and recriminations

let's fire up the offseason!

Vlade Divac is pushing to consolidate his power as Kings top basketball executive, seriously weighing dismissal of coach Dave Joerger, league sources tell ESPN. Divac/Joerger set for meeting today. Joerger led Kings young core to a 39 win season. He has a year left on deal.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 11, 2019

kings gonna kangz

suns hired a new senior vice president of basketball operations
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26489024/bower-gets-suns-front-office-vp-job
apparently sarver brought in.... larry fitzgerald to help with interviews?

james jones hired as suns GM

Divac is set to fire Joerger in meeting today says woj

unbelievable

love to get fired for being too good at the job

kings gon king

james jones hired as suns GM

― but I can't let Trae do it I got Huerter on my mind (Spottie), Thursday, April 11, 2019 12:05 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lebron trade incoming

haha yes it needs to happen

#tradebron

Wolves suddenly seem to have put Ryan Saunders deal on pause.... want Joerger so bad....

Joerger did do some head-butting in Memphis iirc so I wonder if Vlade's maybe not quite 100% to blame for the failure of their interpersonal dynamic.

i do wonder about joerger. apparently he has beef with young players. he may hate the wolves if thats the case.

joeger seems like a pain in the ass, but he can coach

maybe he's Scott Skiles 2.0, a guy who can deliver some on-court results but quickly wears out his welcome.

was thinking the same, doesnt seem like the right guy for the wolves moody millennials

Sources: The Memphis Grizzlies are firing coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 11, 2019

cleaning house

The Grizzlies dismissed coach J.B. Bickerstaff and reassigned GM Chris Wallace to a scouting capacity in the front office, league sources tell ESPN. VP John Hollinger will also move into a senior advisory role.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 11, 2019

wow, finally

Bickerstaff seems like an assistant lifer

Larry drew and Cavs part ways

these two franchises lol
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D36BuN-UcAAq9us.jpg:large

fantastic

No words

— Mike Conley (@mconley11) April 11, 2019

Haha I’d like to see the cap math on those two squads. I guess the knicks would be paying boogie in soup cans?

like walton out, ty lue and monty williams frontrunners

lmao

cmon

Jason Kidd also in the mix, i.e. thank you god

who is making these decisions???

it shd be kidd, i feel strongly

with all thats going wrong in the world its important to reflect on our blessings, the illustrious lakers have become the worst nba franchise

call me when they send Pelinka packing

kinda hilarious when sacramento is seen as an upgrade to LA

people may point to that as evidence against LeBron being the GOAT but i feel the opposite. xxp

call your senator and urge them to support he lakers hiring jason kidd in this dark time

#BreakingNews #Lakers new head coach Jason Kidd pic.twitter.com/fOCz8ppn9H

— Terez Owens (@TerezOwens) April 12, 2019

madness

omg

(that's fake btw)

David Griffin VP of Bball Opps for New Orleans

haha tbh with the Lakers you can't tell

congrats to dave griffin for getting the job where you trade anthony davis

lol

Maybe he’ll bring lebron to New Orleans lol

bron for brow

str8 up

what can lebrown do for you

maybe the Lakers should give Thibs a call

one of the whiteboy youtube basketball celebs might actually be good

High-level Hoop Summit game with a monster showing from Nico Mannion. He was tremendous all week in practice also. Excellent blend of scoring instincts, passing feel, toughness at 6'3. Game comes easy to him. Have been really impressed with him at every stop since the U16 Euros. pic.twitter.com/DMDgE3akN2

— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) April 13, 2019

Luke Walton to the kangz

that was fast

I like it

yeah good fit

Breaking news: Zion declared for the draft

need to see him on the hawks

traeon must happen

hmm hadn't thought of that but i'm all for it now

I will call up my spindly hairless friend Adam Silver and tell him what must happen.

need to see him on the suns so i can watch him is what im thinking. but come to thin of it that would mean ticket prices would rise... so i am ok with this hawks vision. just not the knicks they deserve nothing good.

the ugly knicks must not be allowed to associate with beautiful zion

Lottery odds:

New York 14.0%
Cleveland 14.0%
Phoenix 14.0%
Chicago 12.5%
Atlanta 10.5%
Washington 9.0%
New Orleans 6.0%
Memphis 6.0%
Dallas 6.0%
Minnesota 3.0%
Los Angeles Lakers 2.0%
Charlotte 1.0%
Miami 1.0%
Sacramento (to Boston or to Philadelphia) . 1.0%

Cleveland reloading with Zion would be kind of wild

luka + zion 4ever

oh god dont put that in the universe i need the mavs to stink a lil while longer

If there's any truth to the Kristaps case then hopefully they will.

doncic-kristaps-zion would be a fuckin wet dream

if the kristaps thing had any legs i feel like we would know by now

feel like being a third option would be amazing for him

uh oh boogie looked pissed

oops wrong hoop thread

the plot thickens???

Andrew Lopez@_Andrew_Lopez

David Griffin on Anthony Davis: "We have a long successful history with Klutch Sports. Rich Paul and I have spoke about Anthony. We are both excited about what we could potentially build here."

Anthony Davis looks at the Pelicans and asks "why?" David Griffin looks at them and asks "why not?"

that would be good for basketball reasons but not sure if i buy it

they gotta pretend theyre not gonna trade him

natch

but also it would be cool if they didnt

he wore the thats all folks shirt its too late

but that wasnt his choice

doesnt matter if u wear the shirt u wear the shirt

debatable

i interpreted the shirt as 'end of season' not 'i am going to another team'

good, kemba needs new horizons

Report: Hornets not trading for Marc Gasol soured Kemba Walker on Hornets https://t.co/NP7caELIRW

— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) April 19, 2019

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26560005/sources-lue-meeting-lakers-vacancy

sounds like it's Lue, Juwan Howard or Monty Williams

lol

i pity whoever it is

... unless it is Scott Skiles.

Sad that Mark Jackson isn't on the shortlist anymore.

that klutch connection may have been a bridge too far for people to handle

really wanted to see j kidd cannonball pointlessly into those waters.

waht

Report: Lakers have no plans to replace Magic Johnson, who’ll still help team recruit FAs https://t.co/vOdRcvt4BR

— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) April 22, 2019

lakers are all like when you think about it what even is a president of basketball operations?

lakers are all magic doesnt work here and he does work here

magic gonna recruit players to LA by assuring them he won't be around to fuck things up

If the recent past is an indicator, Magic will recruit free agents by tampering with them.

i love being tampered with

Igor fired

bad luke walton news out there

yeah saw that

devin booker has had 5 coaches in 5 years very stable around here

really wanted to see j kidd cannonball pointlessly into those waters.

― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Friday, 19 April 2019 19:19 (four days ago) Permalink

New story: Jason Kidd interviewed with Rob Pelinka and Kurt Rambis for the Lakers' head coaching vacancy on Monday, league sources told ESPN https://t.co/4X2tVJVR1U

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 23, 2019

jeannie cant control herself letting dumb ass laker cast offs of yore run everything into the goddamn ground

i would read a robert caro-style bio of kurt rambis. dude is unkillable.

hahaha can he replicate the success he had coaching the legendary Rambis-era Timberwolves?

so close to the dream!

i dont think id want to be the team that maxes klay

oooh dang yeah

itll be an overpay for his narrow skillset and its really hard to win a chip burning that level of cap on a role player

I think he can do a lot more than he’s showed as a third banana.

Just because he’s not as good as two of the three best players of the decade doesn’t mean he’s not really fucking good

i dont think he'll be the worst player that gets maxed this offseason

bucher is like 10% trustable but this is funny if true

"My understanding is that there were some emails that were exchanged between Rob and Jeanie…about Magic and about what Magic was and wasn’t doing," Bucher told Cowherd.

If this betrayal from someone he describes as "his sister" wasn't enough, the way Johnson found out about their gossip only put salt in the wound.

"Somehow, someway, Jeanie, from what I understand, was CC’ing or blind CC’ing Magic on everything. That was sort of protocol. Standard issue," Bucher explained. "Somehow, the exchange between Rob and Jeanie ended up on that string of the blind CC’s that were going to Magic. So, Magic now is seeing emails from Rob to Jeanie that were critical of what he was doing... so when he talked about the backstabbing, to me, my understanding that’s what started it."

Today, Magic subtweeted "the truth will always come to light".

i read that and then saw the source lol

yeah haha

how does bucher still have a job

yes yesss

Rumor: Lakers want to make Kurt Rambis associate head coach https://t.co/8oecL5cU0T

— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) April 25, 2019

what does 'associate' head coach mean exactly? do other teams have one? also lol

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S0SwWOoxRYxjKtYsrA3Y9rjmVas=/0x8:2546x1705/1200x800/filters:focal(0x8:2546x1705)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48757505/usa-today-8436356.0.jpg

for anyone interested here is the 17 minute Russ exit interview. i think he even answers questions from the guy that he's been spurning for the last couple years. The gum chewing tho <<<<<<
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiM14B957Mo
he's a fascinating dude

is associate head coach just assistant head coach?

i think associate HC has a slightly elevated level of ranking/prestige/salary maybe. also maybe next in line should something unfortunate happen to Jason Kidd/Ty Lue...?

iirc a couple few teams have done it before as a way to lure an ex head coach who still has prospects in the big seat but i cant remember who it was

ah

Tom Thibodeau - Associate Head Coach. Tom Thibodeau embarks on his third season as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics and his 18th year of coaching in the NBA.
Tom Thibodeau - Associate Head Coach | Boston Celtics - NBA.com

*he hadnt head coached yet but was hott

Brian Shaw - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Shaw
Brian Keith Shaw (born March 22, 1966) is an American retired professional basketball player and former head coach for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). .... He was later promoted to associate head coach.

Jeff Bzdelik - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Bzdelik
Jeffrey Joseph Bzdelik (born December 1, 1952) is an American basketball coach who is associate coach of the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was head coach of the Denver Nuggets in the NBA for slightly over two .... On June 1, 2016, Bzdelik became associate head coach of the Houston ...

76ers hire Mike D'Antoni as associate head coach - ESPN Video
www.espn.com/video/clip?id=14396811
ESPN NBA Insider Amin Elhassan discusses why the 76ers hired Mike D'Antoni as an associate head coach.

Hm good info but still kinda confusing

oh man this needs to happen. iirc some not-great things were said about rambis and his relationship with players when he left the knicks.

in that thibodeau season doc wld sit down when the celtics were on D and thibs wld stand up

https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/newburyportnews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/02/a02918f7-9d26-561f-a5e7-6c2656bac60a/56c58f1b60f6c.image.jpg

every thibs/doc photo i see, doc looks so gloomy

thibs is bummer central

The uncertainty that hung over the San Antonio Spurs last April is not there this year. Despite losing in the first round for a second consecutive year, the Spurs enter the offseason with a much clearer path.

The Kawhi Leonard cloud is now replaced with a foundation of youth, role players and All-Star-level veterans. The Spurs not only will return 11 players, including the starting five, but also welcome back injured guard Dejounte Murray, who missed the entire 2018-19 season.

On the coaching front, once Gregg Popovich formally commits to return for his 24th season as San Antonio Spurs coach, he's expected to sign a three-year contract that will keep him as the highest-paid coach in the NBA, according to a report by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Now eliminated from the postseason, let's look ahead to the free agency, draft and trade decisions facing the Spurs this offseason.

Get more team-by-team NBA offseason guides here

The youth movement
The Spurs' No. 24 ranking league-wide in average roster age would indicate that this is an old team in need of an overhaul. But that ranking doesn't capture the fact that San Antonio returns eight players who have a mere 17 years of combined NBA experience. It also doesn't reflect the three additional draft picks on the way in June.

The Spurs' Surprising Youth
PLAYER/PICK AGE* YOS*
First-rounder (own) TBD 0
First-rounder (TOR) TBD 0
Second-rounder (own) TBD 0
Lonnie Walker IV 20 1
Chimezie Metu 22 1
Drew Eubanks 22 1
Dejounte Murray 23 3
Jakob Poeltl 24 3
Derrick White 25 2
Bryn Forbes 26 3
Davis Bertans 26 3
*Entering 2019 season
The concept of developing players is nothing new to the Spurs organization. The principles that were put in place in the late 1990s still exist for Derrick White, Murray, Bryn Forbes and Jakob Poeltl.

Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego, a former Spurs assistant, summarized it best in that piece above. "The reason we were able to sustain the success was these young, core pieces were able to develop at the right rate," he said. "And we had good players around them. Put that together with very good development coaches, and it was a wonderful formula to build these young guys. I think it was also a mixture of learning from great veterans, high-IQ basketball players. Put that together with the great development coaching that goes on there, and then the process there is probably the third layer.

"You're not thrust into an area where you're asked to do too much too early. You would ease your way into a role there in San Antonio, whether that's through the G League at times, whether that's through sitting on the bench, in practice. But you're able through all of that to watch great basketball, watch high-IQ basketball players taught by very good coaches. Then, when your time was called, all these guys seemed ready."

What the Spurs have mastered is having in place an infrastructure of young players ready to step into starting roles when veterans age or retire. That formula is why the product the Spurs put on the court is sustainable each season, and that should be no different in 2019-20.

The early free agency of DeMar DeRozan
The first order of business for the Spurs this offseason is to treat DeRozan like a free agent. DeRozan is under contract through the 2020-21 season, but he has a player option that could see him enter free agency a year early.

EDITOR'S PICKS

NBA draft Top 100 rankings: Best 2019 prospects
While some would say that DeRozan is unlikely to opt out of his $27.7 million contract in 2020-21, San Antonio has to take a proactive approach when it comes to an extension for these reasons:

1. The free-agent class of 2020

Outside of Anthony Davis, who is likely to be moved in the offseason and re-sign with his new team, DeRozan and Draymond Green rank among the best available unrestricted free agents in 2020.

Unlike the 2019 class that is deep with All-Stars, the group of free agents in 2020 consist of players who signed lucrative contracts during the salary-cap spike of 2016 (Evan Turner and Bismack Biyombo) and veterans such as Kyle Lowry, Paul Millsap, Danilo Gallinari and Serge Ibaka who will see significant financial reductions on their new deals.

2. Cap space in 2020

Though the league now projects the cap to come in at $116 million, down $2 million from earlier projections, the summer of 2020 could have close to 20 teams with significant cap space. Even with a DeRozan extension, San Antonio would be one of the teams with close to max room.

It won't be quite the same as 2016, but next summer will see teams having more money to spend on a shallow crop of free agents.

3. The extension option

DeRozan benefits from the veteran extension rules being changed in the 2017 CBA, allowing teams to give a maximum salary increase of 120 percent. Under the 2011 CBA that number was 107.5 percent.

Starting on July 6, San Antonio can amend his contract and eliminate the player option in 2020-21. Doing so would see his cap hit increase from $27.7 million to $33.3 million for that season. How the Spurs structure the remaining years would depend on the comfort level in salary and years for a player who will turn 31 in the first year of an extension.

Here is what a four-year, $149.1 million extension would look like compared to what DeRozan could sign in free agency on a max deal with a new team.

Extension Vs. Max Deal With New Team
YEAR SPURS NEW TEAM AGE
2020-21 $33.3M $40.6M 31
2021-22 $35.9M $42.6M 32
2022-23 $38.6M $44.7M 33
2023-24 $41.3M $46.7M 34
Total $149.1 $174.6
This extension is equal to the max amount a free agent with 7-9 years of service could earn when signing with a team using cap space. This is not to say that the Spurs should offer DeRozan the maximum allowed in an extension, or that the guard would even receive that amount as a free agent if he opts out next summer. But it shows that the Spurs have an opportunity to lock up a strong lead guard in the prime of his career.

One thing to keep an eye on regarding an extension is that San Antonio has taken an aggressive approach not allowing its own veterans to hit free agency. We saw that in October 2017, when LaMarcus Aldridge received a two-year $50 million extension.

Summer cap breakdown
Spurs Projected Cap Sheet
PLAYER 2019-20 SALARY
1. DeMar DeRozan $27,739,975
2. LaMarcus Aldridge $26,000,000
3. Patty Mills $12,428,571
4. Davis Bertans $7,000,000
5. Marco Belinelli $5,846,154
6. Jakob Poeltl $3,754,886
7. Bryn Forbes $2,875,000
8. Lonnie Walker IV $2,760,480
9. Dejounte Murray $2,321,735
10. Derrick White $1,948,080
11. Chimezie Metu $1,416,852
12. Drew Eubanks Two Way
13. First-rounder (own) (free agent hold) $2,794,440
14. First-rounder (via TOR) (free agent hold) $1,947,960
15. Rudy Gay1 (free agent hold) $13,113,360
16. Dante Cunningham2 (free agent hold) $2,984,400
17. Quincy Pondexter2 (free agent hold) $1,618,486
18. Ben Moore3 (free agent hold) $1,443,842
Pau Gasol (waiver) $5,074,856
Total $123.1 million
Salary cap $109.0 million
1. Early Bird
2. Non-Bird
3. Restricted non-Bird
The buyout of Pau Gasol gave the Spurs some minor financial relief, but the team will still be operating right at the cap when July approaches.

Expect San Antonio to have the full $9.2 million midlevel exception available. The Spurs will also have early Bird rights on Rudy Gay to sign him and exceed the salary cap. The Spurs do not have the biannual exception.

Spurs Projected Depth Chart
PG SG SF PF C
D. White B. Forbes D. DeRozan L. Aldridge J. Poeltl
D. Murray P. Mills M. Belinelli D. Bertans D. Eubanks (2)
L. Walker IV C. Metu
2 = Two way
Resources available to build the roster

The draft (two first-round picks)

Cash to buy draft picks

Own free agents: Rudy Gay, Dante Cunningham and Quincy Pondexter

$9.2 midlevel exception

The return of Murray

Restrictions
Aldridge has a 15 percent trade bonus in his contract, currently valued at $7.5 million.

Here is how the bonus would be spread out if Aldridge were traded before or after July 1 (when the 2019-20 league year officially begins):

LaMarcus Aldridge Trade Bonus
SEASON BEFORE JULY 1 AFTER JULY 1
2018-19 $3.3M N/A
2019-20 $3.3M $5.8M
2020-21 $954K $1.7M
Extension candidates
When Murray steps onto the court for training camp in October, the guard will have just turned 23. He will also be one year removed from tearing his right ACL in a game against the Rockets. While the Spurs will proceed with caution, one thing the front office will need to take into consideration is a possible rookie extension.

Murray is eligible for a four-year extension with the Spurs, having until Oct. 21 to reach an agreement. (While the Spurs could offer a five-year extension, it would have to be for the max.) Poeltl also is eligible, though since he and Murray were drafted in 2016 they both will carry low cap holds if they get to 2020 free agency -- $6.9 million for Murray and $11.2 million for Poeltl.

Depending on what happens with DeRozan, San Antonio could have create least $30 million in room in 2020 by holding off on new deals for their young players. And the Spurs haven't been aggressive with rookie extensions in the past. Tony Parker is the lone first-round pick signed to a rookie extension under this front office.

Besides DeRozan, Patty Mills (Aug. 4) and Aldridge (Oct. 1) are eligible for veteran extensions.

The draft assets
The Spurs have proved that there is value outside of the lottery. Of the players on the roster drafted by the Spurs, none was selected in the top 14.

Now with three selections in June, including two in the first round, the player development program in San Antonio will once again have a significant opportunity.

Here's how ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz have San Antonio picking in June:

No. 19 (own): Talen Horton-Tucker | G/F | Iowa State

No. 29 (via Toronto): KZ Okpala | F | Stanford

No. 49 (own): Tremont Waters | PG | LSU

The Spurs own all their future first-round picks.

bless u friend

also the spurs should...not extend demar

and they should see if there's any market for Aldridge.

totally. poeltl is good enough to be a starting C in this league right now and they can surround him with shooters.

god just looking at that max salary for derozan is making me shudder. DD's ideal place on a title team is...the 6th man. not as much of a defensive liability against the 2nd string, light up lesser talent where the offense can run through him. if someone wants to pay him that salary, let them and then murray, walker, and white can take more shots.

He'd be fine in a third/fourth option Rudy Gay role.

right!

i wonder if theres any fire to the smoke that lamarcus wants to retire in portland

light that fire if you have to

if it means spurs get nurkic lets do it

gotta make Spurk happen

vetoed

trading an up & coming giant manchild who is like bffs with damian for 34 and declining lamarcus who is prob still making like 26 mil a year or whatever just not sure that makes sense on paper

potland weedblazers gm clay thompson plz tell me whom you will trade for lamarcus balldridge

have you heard of this amazing young man meyers leonard tons of upside there

however i should stipulate that if nurk can never walk again i will consider throwing him in

we already have the austrian meyers leonard and his nickname is big jak (YOCK) its a good name for a good man

meyers leonard is too close to meyers lemon and it's criminal that lemon isn't his nickname.

i think he's trying to make Thor happen as a nickname, he like carries around a 100 lb hammer and stuff he's a super cool guy the spurs def want him long term

he's a lemon.

clay that is not a serious offer, please add some draft picks or im telling my mom

you get the hammer too he comes with the very cool hammer

no one is objecting to the hammer

don't know much about this guy, seems good?

The Minnesota Timberwolves are moving forward with plans to hire Gersson Rosas as president of basketball operations, league sources tell me and @ShamsCharania

— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) May 1, 2019

dont know anything about ^ that guy

suns just hired monty williams as head coach for 5 years

@wojespn: The expectation is the Lakers will move toward Ty Lue as head coach, but there's been no offer made to him yet, league sources tell ESPN.

xpost I'm usually just happy when the Wolves hire someone that's at least on-paper qualified and not, like, Kevin McHale's kid or something

yeah def better than the recycled crop of usual names

Bulls extending Boylen O__o

lol

sarver says hes changed and is going to stay out of the way. WE SHALL SEE

He's the second Bulls coach named Jim Boyl[]n, which is weird.

that IS weird

Lue to the lakers is so boring.

It's GM LeBron back in the saddle again.

the bron gm tree

Suns GM James Jones: ‘We need to add guys in their prime’ https://t.co/3PqrGozu8j

— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) May 6, 2019

suns angling for that top 3 spot on my cursed teams list

he's a fascinating dude

no conflict w/ Spottie, but i really don't get this. i think he's a fascinating/incredible *player* but i don't understand why all the NBA stans/writers i follow on twitter breathlessly await every Russ interview/presser. sure, he occasionally pops off, but otherwise he rarely says anything interesting, and his act with the media has gotten super tiresome. if i were OKC, i think i'd be convinced at this point that i had the wrong guy leading my team.

if anyone wants to offer up why they find Russ interesting, i'd like to hear it. he's just become kind of a grey sullen blur to me.

for me i guess its just that i dont know what hes about really so hes kind of mysterious? why is his blood is always boiling, why is he unwilling to change? the media thing is super lame to me but it is not the norm so i find it interesting.

fair enough! the media thing is not that interesting to me - i just think he's being a dick - but i can totally buy the mystery and the boiling blood.

i think he has just pushed me away enough to not really care what he's all about. if he were winning championships it might be different. but that's just me, obviously everyone's different. (and again, no judgment!)

if I were OKC i'd try to trade him for ... i dunno, D'Aaron Fox or something. strike while people are still enamored by RW's stats.

Westbrook is not mysterious at all. If I were OKC, I'd look for a trade, but if I were any other GM, I'd only pick him up from the bargain bin.

if i were okc, i would simply move the team to seattle

Russ is set to make almost $79 million over the next two seasons. Probably not realistic to trade him unless it's in exchange for another contract albatross like Wall or CP3, or if you package him with more attractive pieces, which OKC would seem to lack (unless, like, Terence Ferguson gets your motor running).

Trading him would be the worst thing they could do. These small markets have to stick to the loyalty angle. And he means way too much to the area and their fanbase post KD. The correct basketball move would be to trade for sure but they’d have that stain when trying to lure free agents.

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/462-barreiro-conversati-30049087/

No idea if it's the right move but Gersson Rosas has a really interesting personal story, parents moved from Columbia when he was 3 years old to escape the cartel violence of the time, really comes off a cool, smart dude

I hope he keeps Ryan Saunders around for at least another year. He seems to have a good rapport with the players, though I imagine almost anyone would seem like a godsend after Thibs.

Local media ppl are saying that Saunders is likely to keep the job, but Rosas wants to have more staff/assistants and modernize the org...and obv stop ignoring the changes that the 3 has brought to the game

i have scouted rui hachimura and i covet him so i hope the spurs move up in the draft to get him

i havent seen much of rui, can he defend? his block numbers seem low

Rui seems like the kind of guy who will be out of the league in four years if he ends up in like Charlotte but who would have a productive 12 year career with the Spurs.

I’ve never gotten the Rui thing. Not a bad player but the top 10 consideration has always seemed weird to me. On the other hand this is a weak draft.

hahahaaaa Lakers and Lue quit negotiations

kidd back on the table baby

https://media.tenor.com/images/17a9945d3a97f9cc9fca7b4703760c0d/tenor.gif

Discussions have included talks on contract and assistant coaching staff, sources said. Among Lakers hopes on a Lue staff: Jason Kidd. He made a strong impression with management in his head coaching interview and had a productive history w/ Bucks developing young talent. https://t.co/uQxTjqWAm7

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 8, 2019

good assemble a staff w weird power dynamic issues very lakers

magic should also be an assistant coach

otm

maybe also and i'm spitballing here but Phil Jackson

he'd make a great video coordinator

Lance Stephenson as player-assistant coach?

kobe bryant: player development consultant

yess

Stephen A just said that a ton of people close to Jeanie Buss are telling her to trade LeBron James, who doesn’t have a no-trade clause 👀

— Mike Chiodo (@MHC_76) May 8, 2019

the rare maximum drama good idea

yes yes do it

bron for brow

So here for the kiddpocalypse

#tradebron has become real and I have lived to see it is this valhalla

lol trade lebron i love it

LA sports talk radio on the commute this evening gonna be lit

This is all unbelievable

Hire Phil or trade Bron imo

omg the return of phil wld be so beautiful

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1126264394550267905

The Los Angeles Lakers are adding these former NBA coaches to their coaching search: Lionel Hollins, Frank Vogel and Mike Woodson, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 8, 2019

Metta World Peace @MettaWorldPeace

No question I would win title as a @NBA head coach . I just had a debate with this guy. He said I don’t have the experience. Listen dude , it’s not difficult. Keep spacing , move to open areas , mix C with Triangle and play defense.

Metta World Peace @MettaWorldPeace

I coached two years at Palisades Highschool while playing for @Lakers in my last two seasons. And coached at Beverly Hills and Hillcrest on occasions. And a 5 time @DrewLeague head coach . I know exactly what I want to do .

Metta World Peace @MettaWorldPeace

Just because I’m a street legend and super QB , doesn’t mean I can’t run through the @NBA as a head coach . Don’t sleep on Metta World. Anyway, catch me coaching locally in LA.

Metta World Peace @MettaWorldPeace

Here is my pitch for head coach. Lol. Seriously . “ You wanna win or what”. Lol. I’m literally not bringing in any pad or plan. It is what it is. I’m dope and that’s that. Lol.

hired

having yr management team made up of people from 3 families seems normal and not weird

Source: The Buss family & Rob Pelinka signed off on hiring Ty Lue last week. Kurt & Linda Rambis were the only parties opposed, and convinced the Lakers to hold off, which lead to today.

— nick wright (@getnickwright) May 8, 2019

I’m lovin it

hello its us kurt and linda, the buss kids, and of course the guy who offers strange interpretations of books at press conference for some reason, we are were to pick an nba coach

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cdch5-FXIAEpXxr.jpg

sooooo kurt and linda are also saying trade bron then, right?

this is actually insane

god bless i hope there are no voices of reason on that team

Lakers advisor Kurt Rambis is playing a major role in the franchise's coaching search, league sources tell ESPN. He's emerging as a powerful voice in basketball operations.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 8, 2019

this rules

kurt rambis is 65-164 as an nba head coach

not great

just incredible how jerry buss had unprecedented success and immediately upon his death his idiot children got to work disassembling his legacy, its an artwork

v. american tale

the lakers are america

this rules

― lag∞n

Negotiations really deteriorated w/ Ty Lue when the Lakers refused to offer more than a three year deal that was designed to line up with LeBron James’ contract. Lue felt insulted the Lakers only saw him as a coach for LeBron, sources close to the process told ESPN.

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) May 9, 2019

my sides

Vincent Goodwill @VinceGoodwill

Terry Rozier to @YahooSports: "I don't give a f**k what nobody say, I sacrificed the most out of anybody."

this rules

― lag∞n

― Clay, Wednesday, May 8, 2019 9:56 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

#tradebron

good on lue imo

#tradebron

― gritty tigger reboot (agent hibachi), Thursday, May 9, 2019 6:42 AM

haha remember when they were saying Lebron was going to ruin the Lakers ?

this is an interesting passage from here: https://theathletic.com/961269/2019/05/09/tyronn-lue-lebron-james-lakers-blueprint/

If Lue would have coached the Lakers, whether LeBron brought the ball up the court or not, he would have gone to the low, mid, or high post next. From there he could make his move or pass out of the elbow. Under Walton, the Lakers played random offense, when any of four players (among starters) could push the ball, and players were expected to pick lanes and fill it.

In Lue’s view, LeBron is at his best when there is some semblance of an offense and he knows the order of the options in each set. The Cavs’ offense in Cleveland wasn’t exactly high tech, and both LeBron and Irving ran all sorts of isolation, but there was a paint-by-numbers aspect in which LeBron could catch the ball in designated spots and know, based on the system, where teammates would be to catch and shoot.

yeah that sort of approach kinda makes sense when u have someone as physically dominant as lebron

and with a cast of younger players it would be a hell of a lot better if they knew where they were supposed to be

Kurt Rambis rolled up a 32-132 record in Minnesota, went 9-19 as an interim coach in New York, floated the "maybe Kristaps is a small forward?" test balloon, liked a porn tweet, deleted his account mid-denial that he liked the porn tweet ... and *has grown more powerful.*

— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) May 8, 2019

trump's america qed

LA Radio - Richard Jefferson just said he knows a lot more than he can say, he talks to Lebron everyday, he's talked to TLue recently and was the best man at Luke Waltons wedding.

After saying that he said, to put it in the simplest terms, Rob Pelinka needs to go right now. #wow

— 🏀 Vino 🙇‍♂️ (@VinoUncorked) May 9, 2019

this rules

― lag∞n

― Clay, Wednesday, May 8, 2019 9:56 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

― gritty tigger reboot (agent hibachi), Thursday, May 9, 2019 3:42 AM (fifteen hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

omg hook that richard jefferson radio hit into my veins

i'm reading a bill plaschke column that includes the phrases "los angeles knicks" and "shadow owner linda rambis"

lmao @ that column

Walton soon could be coaching again in the NBA, maybe in Sacramento, and maybe there he will be allowed to continue growing with a young team. He never had that opportunity here.

i mean there's that other thing Luke is dealing with, Bill!!

who is plaschke's audience??

#Lakers fans are so frustrated they’re staging a protest outside of Staples Center tomorrow. When it comes to this, you’re in big trouble. The organizer will be with us @AM570LASports at 12:45.

— Fred Roggin (@FredNBCLA) May 9, 2019

whose streets, lakers fan's streets

my w1fe will be down there, i'll have her get the inside scoop

I asked these Lakers fans what they hope to accomplish with this protest pic.twitter.com/0JQVJmNeub

— Ali B (@ali_behpoornia) May 10, 2019

lakers bros at their best

lol these bros getting their message out

'We want another superstar...we want to fire everyone': Lakers fans protest outside Staples Center in frustration over direction of the franchise after missing the NBA playoffs yet again https://t.co/DyipWW4DLR pic.twitter.com/uKxQfkJc2t

— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) May 10, 2019

This guy’s plan to bring the Lakers back to greatness is 🤯 pic.twitter.com/rtSu7dKiUD

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 10, 2019

tough to argue with that plan

otm i find no fault in the logic

houston calls philly to offer cp3 for ben simmons, who says no first

just thinking about how insane itll drive lakers fans if kawhi signs w the clippers

Vogel to coach lal ok

lolll kidd is an asst, wild

<3 the lakers deliver

what could go wrong

vogel does not strike me as any sort of fit for that situation

bit of a head scratcher, hes been consistently mediocre of late and as far as i know isnt particularly well connected either. even his pacers defense can be attributed to dan burke

curious what role lebron had in all this

lol kidd is going to be coaching this team by like next february

it kinda seems like lebron/mav carter tried to flex to get lue and the rambis/buss kids didnt like that

lakers absolutely must #tradebron

its karma

No, Kuzma

The Lakers did not know what they were buying when they signed LeBron. They thought they were just signing another future Hall of Famer who'd drag the franchise back into title contention, not a guy who insists he should run the whole franchise.

they were dumbshits before LeBron and will be dumbshits after, getting him is literally the only good thing they've done in forever.

They're probably doing worse on their own than James could do on his own. This is not a full-throated endorsement of LeBron's GM abilities.

It’s a sad state of affairs when it would be an improvement if they hired David Kahn to run basketball operations.

Apparently Bron washed his hands of this coaching choice process and didn’t want to do anything with it

i mean the whole situation is amazingly bad but hiring Kidd to instantly create drama and undermine your new hire is really next level bad decision making

Ramona on Phil involved " Accurate, if you look at where they ended up it mirrors the Knicks coaching search. What Rambis & Phil learned from the Knicks was the destructive nature of what oversize superstardom could do to your team. They had Melo who had a NTC, LeBron doesn't."

— UnwrittenRules (@UnwrittenRul3s) May 12, 2019

GUFFAW

morey calls lakers and offers harden for lebron straight up, who says no

would be pretty rude to call someone up with an offer and then say no

*crosses morey off list*

maybe he’s a prankster tho

john beilein??

As a Michigan fan, lemme tell you that news can politely be described as a “punch in the dick”

we doing draft stuff on this thread? anyone want to post espn's new mock?

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26738647/embiid-says-idea-firing-76ers-brown-bs

coaching decisions are so funny, like if that ball ricochets off the rim instead of bouncing in, it's a whole different conversation (i don't know enough to say whether he's good or bad, ILH seems down on him)

sixers fans seem to like him but idk why

seems like a players coach

if there were a clear upgrade available it would be one thing, but i think they overachieved in the toronto series.

imo he shd be fired, obvs u gotta find someone better which isnt a "slam dunk" but still

Ramona on 710: "I think whats happened and no one wants to say it, but this is the Lakers passive aggressive way of resetting the LeBron era. Their way of saying we need to empower our young guys and get back to being a team, not just LeBron and the satellites around LeBron."

— UnwrittenRules (@UnwrittenRul3s) May 13, 2019

teams should try making good rosters rather than throwing coaches under the bus

gms wld rather fire coaches than themselves, tho tbf magic did fire himself

draft lottery tomorrow btw someone gettin zion

I hope Dallas wins the draft

i want atl

Me too. Anyone but phx so their ticket prices stay cheap

Anyone but the Knicks, Cavs or Lakers

yeah i dont want zion on a cursed franchise

Not Chicago either

chicago i think cld actually work

places i could handle zion going: atl, dallas, new orleans, chicago

places zion is not allowed to go: new york, LAL, washington, minny, phoenix, basically the places with abominable managment

How is Chicago not part of your abominable management list?

i like the good people and the city of chicago that is pretty much that

somehow i feel zion cld lift "the curse of jordan"

also they have some pieces

yeah it is time for the bulls to be good again and not in the weird gross way of the rose and noah teams

otm

I too don’t hate the bulls and feel they deserve some good things. La and ny need to stay trash for life

ilh hivemind (aka hoopmind) concurs

the bulls will not be good until their management changes sorry its just the way it is

Exactly. I have nothing against the city of Chicago but this management group of Reinsdorf/Paxton/Forman is horrible

they had a good team like a few years ago

good, if as clay said a bit gross

zion is salvation let us not forget

hmm

Much to think about. pic.twitter.com/8Er6a0qANY

— Billy Ray Cyrus (@billyraycyrus) June 9, 2015

Brett Brown will return as the Philadelphia 76ers coach next season, managing partner Josh Harris told ESPN on Monday night. Harris, Brown and GM Elton Brand met today to discuss offseason priorities, including draft and free agency.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 14, 2019

but he's not good

they def shdve factored that into their decision imo

clay could you reconsider I would like the Timberwolves to get Zion :)

yeah i mean imo when you're thinking about coaching always pick a good coach over a coach who is not good xp

seems pretty straight forward idk

umsd, i def factored you into my consideration bc i do not want to see you hurt but the thing is the wolves have just squandered so much so badly the last few years i can't really handle it anymore

& they have that family operation feel like the lakers and knicks and you just cannot run a modern franchise that way

never thought of it that way but yeah otm

i read several headlines where joel said brett being bad is, and i quote "bulls--t", are you saying u know more thna A Player everyone

i know more than lebron james

Xxxpost

Clay, tough but fair, we are run by the whims of a very strange old man

This really surprised me though, everyone locally thought Saunders was going to get the job. The fact they are bringing in ppl probably a bad sign for him

ESPN Sources: New Minnesota president Gersson Rosas plans to interview candidates for franchise's coaching job, including Miami assistant Juwan Howard and Portland's David Vanterpool. Ryan Saunders remains a prominent candidate in process. Story: https://t.co/10o52U4RZl

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 14, 2019

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D6imHr8XoAEoKk2.jpg:large

we doing draft stuff on this thread? anyone want to post espn's new mock?

― Heez, Monday, May 13, 2019 11:20 AM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

1. New York Knicks | No. 1 pick odds: 14 percent

Zion Williamson
Duke
Age: 18.8
F

Height: 6-foot-6 | Weight: 272

Williamson emerged as both the best player in college basketball and the best long-term prospect in this draft class the moment he stepped on the court for Duke, making him the easy choice as the No. 1 pick. We've never seen a prospect quite like him in terms of his combination of productivity, athleticism, competitiveness, skill and feel for the game -- not to mention the sheer star power he'll bring to whatever NBA team is lucky enough to draft him.

He would give the Knicks a huge boost in their rebuilding effort.

Statistical projection: No. 1

More:

The education of Zion Williamson

Ranking the best fits for Zion

Full scouting reporting

play
5:01
62 dunks in 28 games: Every Zion dunk from his season at DukeZion Williamson has electrified college hoops this season with highlight-reel dunks. Here's every slam from the regular season and the ACC tournament.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers | No. 1 pick odds: 14 percent

Ja Morant
Murray State
Age: 19.7
G

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 170

Morant's emergence from no-name high school recruit to NCAA tournament darling was one of the better stories of the college basketball season. He's one of the best athletes in this draft. He's a highly creative and ambidextrous passer who should fit into the NBA game seamlessly with his ability to navigate pick-and-rolls and make plays in the open floor. He's a better shooter than he gets credit for, though his casual approach to defense and decision-making sometimes works against him.

Should the draft order hold true after the lottery, the Cavs will have a very interesting decision to make between Morant and RJ Barrett. Barrett's fit with Collin Sexton isn't ideal -- both are ball-dominant guards -- so it wouldn't be shocking if Cleveland went with a best-player-available approach, taking Morant here if it feels passionately about him being the better long-term prospect.

The Cavs are too early in their rebuilding process to draft with team need in mind, but there's certainly an argument to be made that Barrett is both a better positional fit and a better prospect, which will make for a fascinating internal debate.

Statistical projection: No. 2

Full scouting reporting

play
2:17
Ja Morant projects to be an NBA star with his dynamic skillsCheck out all the highlights and reaction to Ja Morant's breakout season at Murray State, where he went from relative unknown to college superstar thanks to his high-flying dunks.
3. Phoenix Suns | No. 1 pick odds: 14 percent

RJ Barrett
Duke
Age: 18.9
G/F

Height: 6-7 | Weight: 208

Barrett broke Duke's and the ACC's freshman scoring records while being named a consensus first-team All-American, even if he was lost in the shadow of Williamson at times. Barrett emerged as Duke's full-time playmaker as the season moved on, showing impressive passing ability operating out of pick-and-rolls, something that will serve him well in the NBA once he's surrounded by better shooters. He was inconsistent from the perimeter, he demonstrated questionable decision-making and shot selection at times, and he wasn't the defender his physical tools suggest he should have been at the college level.

The Suns have a gaping hole at point guard, but Barrett essentially played that position anyway for most of the season at Duke, and he would give the Suns great size at every position. Regardless of fit, Barrett is simply too talented to pass on, especially considering the massive drop-off in talent after No. 3. It's difficult to see the preseason favorite at No. 1 dropping any more than this.

Statistical projection: No. 3

Full scouting reporting

play
2:11
Barrett has cemented himself as a top-3 pick after standout seasonDuke's RJ Barrett projects as a top-3 pick with his prototypical NBA size and high basketball IQ.
4. Chicago Bulls | No. 1 pick odds: 12.5 percent

Darius Garland
Vanderbilt
Age: 19.2
G

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 173

Garland's freshman season ended abruptly due to a knee injury just five games in, leaving a cloud of mystery regarding exactly what to expect from him as an NBA rookie. Nevertheless, there's a lot to like about his ability to operate at different speeds, handle the ball on a string and make pull-up jumpers from difficult vantage points. The lack of star power overall and general depth at point guard gradually pushed Garland up the lottery as executives expressed disenchantment with the alternatives.

Garland's slender frame, negative assist-to-turnover ratio and lack of experience at the college level are things he'll have to address during the pre-draft process, but he's a natural option for any team that needs a PG once Morant comes off the board.

The Bulls are in desperate need of a franchise-caliber point guard, making Garland an easy fit, considering the pieces they already have in place.

Statistical projection: No. 4

Full scouting reporting

5. Atlanta Hawks | No. 1 pick odds: 10.5 percent

De'Andre Hunter
Virginia
Age: 21.4
F

Height: 6-8 | Weight: 222

Hunter had one of the best national championship performances in recent memory, dropping 27 points and nine rebounds while converting 4 of 5 3-pointers, including some clutch shots late. He had already established himself as one of the best defenders in the college game. He brings positional versatility with long arms, elite lateral quickness and outstanding instincts. While he has some clear limitations offensively as a shot-creator and likely isn't the 3-point shooter his college numbers suggest, his game is made for the modern NBA, and there's a comfort level in his high floor.

The Hawks are well on their way in their rebuilding effort, and Hunter's offensive limitations can certainly be minimized playing alongside the likes of Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and John Collins, as they have a huge positional need for a big wing/combo forward in Hunter's mold.

Statistical projection: No. 15

Full scouting reporting

play
2:00
Hunter's versatility as a two-way player makes him a top prospectDe'Andre Hunter is a tough and versatile defender out of Virginia who also has an efficient scoring touch.
6. Washington Wizards | No. 1 pick odds: 9 percent

Jarrett Culver
Texas Tech
Age: 20.2
G

Height: 6-6 | Weight: 195

Culver helped Texas Tech overachieve significantly in reaching the national championship game. Although he struggled at times in the NCAA tournament, there is quite a bit to like about what he brings on both ends of the floor. Culver has the versatility to slide between any of the backcourt spots, and he's an active defender and rebounder. He displayed impressive shot-making and shot-creation prowess en route to winning Big 12 player of the year.

A slow release on his jump shot and average explosiveness beating defenders off the dribble are things he'll have to address in the pre-draft process, but he has as high a floor as any prospect and plenty of room to grow, considering his youth and late-blooming trajectory. Culver is a terrific fit for the Wizards' rebuilding effort from a character and culture standpoint. Positionally, he brings another creator alongside Bradley Beal.

Statistical projection: No. 7

Full scouting reporting

play
2:03
Culver's breakout season may lead to him being a top 5 pickJarrett Culver's finishing ability at the rim led Texas Tech to the national title game and potentially a top 5 selection in the NBA draft.
7. New Orleans Pelicans | No. 1 pick odds: 6 percent

Cam Reddish
Duke
Age: 19.6
F

Height: 6-9 | Weight: 205

Reddish is one of the biggest enigmas of this draft class, as he rarely produced up to his talent level as a freshman and mysteriously missed an NCAA tournament game. Still, his combination of size, length, fluidity and perimeter shooting ability is highly intriguing in a draft that is lacking deep star power. He's too talented to fall much further than this.

The Pelicans can afford to be patient with Reddish early. Playing in a smaller market with less pressure to be an immediate star will be beneficial for him.

Statistical projection: No. 5

Full scouting reporting

play
3:02
Reddish is a tantalizing prospect in terms of pure talentDuke's Cam Reddish is a dynamic shooter with an elite physical profile, giving him unique lineup versatility in the modern game.
8. Memphis Grizzlies | No. 1 pick odds: 6 percent

Coby White
UNC
Age: 19.2
G

Height: 6-5 | Weight: 191

The Celtics will get the Grizzlies' pick if it falls outside the top eight. Memphis has a 55.6 percent chance to keep its pick.

White was somewhat of an afterthought in recruiting circles among guard prospects in this class, but he was able to take advantage of the green light he received in Roy Williams' system and his seemingly unlimited confidence to jump into the lottery.

His impressive size, open-court quickness and shot-making ability make him an ideal fit in the modern NBA game and a strong pairing with Jaren Jackson Jr., and White should make strides as a passer and defender as he continues to gain strength and experience.

Statistical projection: No. 12

Full scouting reporting

9. Atlanta Hawks (via Mavs) | No. 1 pick odds: 6 percent

Jaxson Hayes
Texas
Age: 18.9
C

Height: 7-0 | Weight: 220

The Hawks will get the Mavericks' pick if it falls outside the top five. Dallas has a 26.2 percent chance to keep its pick.

Hayes came into the season as a complete unknown after hitting a significant growth spurt in high school and registering little productivity prior to college. He proved to be a high-end NBA prospect early on, thanks to his phenomenal physical tools, mobility and instincts on both ends of the floor, cementing himself as the top center prospect in the draft.

Hayes' lack of experience, relatively raw offensive game and still-developing feel will likely relegate him to project status for most NBA teams, but that shouldn't be too much of a deterrent at this point in the draft.

The Hawks have been developing Collins at both big spots. They could be attracted to a 7-footer who projects as an ideal pick-and-roll partner for Young while also anchoring their defense with his rim-protection prowess.

Statistical projection: No. 17

Full scouting reporting

10. Minnesota Timberwolves | No. 1 pick odds: 3 percent

Sekou Doumbouya
Limoges
Age: 18.3
F

Height: 6-9 | Weight: 210

Doumbouya rebounded from a slow start and has been productive in Pro A France since returning from a hand injury.

He has outstanding physical tools for a modern-day NBA forward, particularly defensively, where he shows significant potential, and he has a projectable skill level offensively.

Full scouting reporting

11. Los Angeles Lakers | No. 1 pick odds: 2 percent

Bol Bol
Oregon
Age: 19.4
C

Height: 7-2 | Weight: 222

The Lakers are in a tricky spot. LeBron James turns 35 later this year, and L.A. wants to win now, which could steer the team toward one of the older players in this draft (Brandon Clarke, Cam Johnson or Rui Hachimura). But the Lakers have a glaring hole at center. They also need to add 3-point shooting and rim protection to balance a poorly constructed roster.

Bol has both of those things, and he's a top-five talent in this draft, finding himself this low due to a season-ending foot injury, which is certainly a concern. If the Lakers are thinking about the long term and are willing to roll the dice a bit, Bol's long-term upside could be intriguing.

Statistical projection: No. 6

Full scouting reporting

12. Charlotte Hornets | No. 1 pick odds: 1 percent

PJ Washington
Kentucky
Age: 20.7
F

Height: 6-8 | Weight: 223

No matter what happens in free agency, the Hornets could use frontcourt help. Washington has the length to defend multiple positions on the interior, he can stretch the floor from the perimeter and he brings plenty of long-term upside.

His toughness and versatility will fit well next to Miles Bridges.

13. Miami Heat | No. 1 pick odds: 1 percent

Romeo Langford
Indiana
Age: 19.5
F

Height: 6-6 | Weight: 202

Miami's backcourt was in flux as the offensively challenged team searched for answers in what ended up being a disappointing season. With Dwyane Wade off to retirement, it's natural to look at the wing position as an area of need, and Langford will be one of the players under consideration.

The Indiana freshman played most of the season with a torn ligament in his shooting hand, but he displayed impressive glimpses of potential as a shot-creator operating out of the pick-and-roll.

Statistical projection: No. 21

Full scouting reporting

14. Boston Celtics (via Kings) | No. 1 pick odds: 1 percent

Brandon Clarke
Gonzaga
Age: 22.6
F

Height: 6-8 | Weight: 210

The 76ers will get the Kings' pick if it jumps to No. 1. Otherwise, this pick goes to the Celtics.

With Boston's bigs potentially hitting free agency, frontcourt could be a real position of need for the Celtics at the draft.

Clarke's versatility as a rim-protecting, pick-and-roll-switching lob-catcher is intriguing on this roster. He will turn 23 prior to his first NBA game and should be ready to step in and help right away.

Statistical projection: No. 10

Full scouting reporting

15. Detroit Pistons

Kevin Porter Jr.
USC
Age: 19.0
G

Height: 6-6 | Weight: 217

Porter will start getting looks as high as the middle of the lottery, but he has some questions to answer about his approach to the game during the pre-draft process.

At this stage of the draft, the rewards likely outweigh the risks, as Detroit is in desperate need of another creator on the perimeter who can shoulder some scoring load. Porter has the size and versatility to slot into a variety of lineup configurations.

Statistical projection: No. 19

Full scouting reporting

16. Orlando Magic

Tyler Herro
Kentucky
Age: 19.3
G

Height: 6-5 | Weight: 193

The Magic have been cycling through backcourt options all season. Although point guard is more of a long-term need, they have Markelle Fultz waiting in the wings and will need to think about Terrence Ross' impending free-agency situation.

Adding a combo guard such as Herro -- who can play pick-and-roll, make shots while set or on the move and bring competitiveness and feel -- makes a lot of sense.

Statistical projection: No. 24

17. Brooklyn Nets

Nassir Little
UNC
Age: 19.2
F

Height: 6-6 | Weight: 215

Little's toughness, athleticism and long-term potential will be attractive to an organization that prides itself on character and work ethic. The team has done a phenomenal job with player development, which would bode well for Little.

The former top-five recruit saw his stock drop after an inconsistent freshman season, but he could work his way back in the lottery with a strong pre-draft process.

Statistical projection: No. 25

18. Indiana Pacers

Rui Hachimura
Gonzaga
Age: 21.2
F

Height: 6-9 | Weight: 234

A huge chunk of Indiana's rotation is entering free agency this summer, which means the front office probably will go with the best player available, regardless of position.

Hachimura is blessed with outstanding physical tools and impressive athletic ability. He brings the type of character and work ethic the franchise typically values. His ability to play both small forward and power forward in different lineup configurations should be appealing to the franchise.

19. San Antonio Spurs

Cameron Johnson
UNC
Age: 23.1
F

Height: 6-9 | Weight: 210

Johnson was one of the best shooters in college basketball. He also has excellent size and high basketball IQ.

As one of the oldest players projected to be drafted, he will be ready to contribute to this Spurs squad right away.

20. Boston Celtics (via Clippers)

Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Virginia Tech
Age: 20.6
G

Height: 6-6 | Weight: 200

The Celtics are loaded at the guard spots, but with both Kyrie Irving and Terry Rozier entering free agency, finding a strong backup in the draft would be wise.

Alexander-Walker is coming off an outstanding sophomore season, making significant strides on both ends of the floor. He has the perimeter-shooting ability, length, feel and versatility that Boston typically covets.

Statistical projection: No. 20

21. Oklahoma City Thunder

Talen Horton-Tucker
Iowa State
Age: 18.4
F

Height: 6-4 | Weight: 239

Horton-Tucker is the youngest college player in the first round, and he has intriguing versatility, thanks to his unique build, exceptionally long wingspan and budding ability to shoot off the dribble.

His ability to slide between the shooting guard and power forward positions could be attractive here.

Statistical projection: No. 13

22. Boston Celtics

Keldon Johnson
Kentucky
Age: 19.5
F

Height: 6-6 | Weight: 210

Danny Ainge has long valued toughness, versatility and 3-point shooting -- all strengths for Johnson.

Although his struggles creating offense off the dribble caused his stock to fall somewhat, Johnson won't need to be much of a ball handler on a team with this much star power.

23. Utah Jazz

Grant Williams
Tennessee
Age: 20.4
F

Height: 6-7 | Weight: 241

If the Jazz are considering moving on from Derrick Favors in free agency, finding a long-term replacement at his position in the draft would help.

Williams possesses the type of feel, toughness and character important to the Jazz organization. He has some untapped upside as a perimeter shooter, which Utah's strong player development staff likely can uncover.

Statistical projection: No. 30

24. Philadelphia 76ers

Matisse Thybulle
Washington
Age: 22.1
F

Height: 6-6 | Weight: 201

The Sixers are flush with creators and scoring at every position, but they could stand to add some defensive versatility on the wing. A player such as Thybulle, arguably the best perimeter defender in college basketball, could fit well, especially since he's a willing ball mover who will have no issue deferring to the team's plethora of stars.

Add the fact that he's a senior -- and thus more in line with the Sixers' timetable -- and he makes a lot of sense.

Statistical projection: No. 18

25. Portland Trail Blazers

Luguentz Dort
ASU
Age: 20.0
G

Height: 6-5 | Weight: 224

The Blazers don't have a great deal of backcourt depth and will see two of their main rotation options, Seth Curry and Rodney Hood, hit free agency this summer.

Dort's impressive physical tools, defensive versatility and willingness to do the little things could be attractive in lineups that stagger CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard.

26. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Rockets)

Goga Bitadze
Buducnost
Age: 19.8
C

Height: 6-11 | Weight: 251

The Cavs could be looking to shore up their center position long term. Bitadze has been extremely productive at the highest levels of competition outside the NBA, considering his age.

His excellent skill level offensively -- including his budding ability to stretch the floor -- is attractive, given his combination of size and reach.

27. Brooklyn Nets (via Nuggets)

Mfiondu Kabengele
FSU
Age: 21.7
C

Height: 6--9 | Weight: 235

The Nets have their starting center of the future, Jarrett Allen, in place, but they might look to add another frontcourt piece to the roster with a player who can play either big spot and has the ability to stretch the floor.

Kabengele made huge strides in his sophomore season, and he's on an impressive trajectory considering his late-bloomer status.

28. Golden State Warriors

Carsen Edwards
Purdue
Age: 21.0
G

Height: 6-0 | Weight: 196

The Warriors will need to be creative in adding young, cheap players to their somewhat shallow rotation, considering their luxury-tax situation.

Edwards' shooting range, ability to play on or off the ball and readiness as one of the top scorers in college basketball make him a strong candidate.

29. San Antonio Spurs (via Raptors)

KZ Okpala
Stanford
Age: 20.0
F

Height: 6-9 | Weight: 210

The Spurs don't have a great deal of depth at the forward spots, and they can afford to roll the dice a bit this late in the draft on an upside-laden player in need of development.

Okpala had a late start to basketball, and he's raw in terms of his strength and understanding of the game. However, his physical tools are impressive, and the flashes he has shown as a slasher, defender and perimeter shooter make him worth a long-term investment.

30. Milwaukee Bucks

Ty Jerome
Virginia
Age: 21.8
G

Height: 6-5 | Weight: 200

The Bucks' backcourt rotation was tested in a serious way with a series of late-season injuries, which could prompt the team to add some depth at the guard spots.

Jerome had a phenomenal junior season culminating in a national championship. His tremendous feel, perimeter-shooting ability and competitiveness stand out at this point in the draft.

Statistical projection: No. 26

Second round
31. Nets (via NYK)

Dylan Windler | SF | Age: 22.5 | Belmont

32. Suns

Eric Paschall | PF | Age: 22.4 | Villanova

33. 76ers (via CLE)

Admiral Schofield | SF/PF | Age: 22.0 | Tennessee

34. 76ers (via CHI)

Bruno Fernando | C | Age: 20.6 | Maryland

35. Hawks

Louis King | SF/PF | Age: 20.0 | Oregon

36. Hornets (via WAS)

Daniel Gafford | C | Age: 20.5 | Arkansas

37. Mavericks

Isaiah Roby | PF | Age: 21.1 | Nebraska

38. Bulls (via MEM)

Jalen McDaniels | SF/PF | Age: 21.1 | San Diego State

39. Pelicans

Luka Samanic | PF | Age: 19.2 | Olimpija Ljubljana

40. Kings (via MIN)

Ignas Brazdeikis | PF | Age: 20.2 | Michigan

41. Hawks (via LAL)

Nic Claxton | C | Age: 19.9 | Georgia

42. 76ers (via SAC)

Chuma Okeke | SF/PF | Age: 20.6 | Auburn

43. Wolves (via MIA)

Jontay Porter | C | Age: 19.4 | Missouri

44. Hawks (via CHA)

Darius Bazley | SF/PF | Age: 18.8 | N/A

45. Pistons

Dedric Lawson | PF | Age: 21.5 | Kansas

46. Magic (via BKN)

Joshua Obiesie | PG/SG | Age: 18.8 | Wuerzburg

47. Kings (via ORL)

Deividas Sirvydis | SF | Age: 18.8 | Lietuvos Rytas

48. Clippers

Tremont Waters | PG | Age: 21.2 | LSU

49. Spurs

Naz Reid | PF/C | Age: 19.6 | LSU

50. Pacers

Shamorie Ponds | PG | Age: 20.7 | St. John's

51. Celtics

Jaylen Hoard | PF | Age: 20.0 | Wake Forest

52. Hornets (via OKC)

Charles Bassey | C | Age: 18.4 | Western Kentucky

53. Jazz

Justin Robinson | PG | Age: 21.5 | Virginia Tech

54. 76ers

Miye Oni | SF | Age: 21.6 | Yale

55. Knicks (via HOU)

DaQuan Jeffries | SG | Age: 21.6 | Tulsa

56. Clippers (via POR)

Brian Bowen | SF | Age: 20.5 | Sydney

57. Pelicans (via DEN)

Zylan Cheatham | PF | Age: 23.3 | Arizona State

58. Warriors

Alen Smailagic | PF/C | Age: 18.6 | Santa Cruz

59. Raptors

Quinndary Weatherspoon | SG | Age: 22.6 | Mississippi State

60. Kings (via MIL)

Justin Wright-Foreman | PG | Age: 21.4 | Hofstra

knicks fans going wild today lol

talen horton-tucker is interesting, 6'4, 239 pounds, can play 2-4. is he related to pj tucker, or is it just a coincidence that two people so similarly shaped and skilled share a last name?

thanks goon! down with the hunter pick, not so much with hayes

PJ Washington is probably the dude I saw in the tournament who most impressed me, non-Zion division. for his sake I hope he doesn't go too high, I could see him being a really valuable fifth or sixth guy on a good team. I think Culver and Hunter will be solid too, maybe borderline All-Stars. I also wouldn't be shocked if Coby White ends up being as good as Morant, a lot depends on where each guy ends up.

Garland being so high is wild to me. I'm looking at the class of '18 HS rankings and he was like #14, and then my man played basically four games in college, and suddenly he's the #4 pick?

rumors heating up

.@ColinCowherd just said a veteran NBA player DMed him 10 minutes ago that KD to the Knicks is "100% done" and that he has made calls to other players.

— Bobby Burack (@burackbobby_) May 14, 2019

i welcome more competition in the east

hey everyone i made a couple of posts on other spots but i was originally writing it for this spot so i am also gonna post it here. i think it's really good sportswriting and i'd love your feedback before i submit both of these pieces to the ringer! thanks

Hi Internet! like dozens of you, i will be watching with rapt attention tonight as the golden state warriors face off against their friends to the north, the portland trail blazers. but before I do that, I will be watching perhaps the most important and unpredictable matchup of the year: the draft lottery.

after careful examination, i have ranked all 14 teams in the draft lottery who are eligible to take the #1 pick, with which they will either take Zion Williamson, aka Zion William's Son, aka im dad, or fuck up their franchise so permanently and so profoundly that it will have no choice but to move to Seattle (or Montreal if i'm lucky! haha just kidding we can't support a sports team).

keep in mind this isn't personal! i mean i personally don't care about or like some of these teams but it's nothing against YOU, the FANS of those teams, who are all excellent and wonderful. (i can say this because the celtics are ineligible for a first-overall pick.*)

FRIENDS, FOES, AND PPL I HAVE A NEUTRAL OPINION OF, I PRESENT: A SABERMETRIC RANKING OF THE ZION SWEEPSTAKES OUTCOMES.

TIER 1 SCENARIOS AKA "VERY NICE SCENARIOS"
- Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, Wolves, Philly (via Sacramento)

REASONS: I like the Hawks, Donc-zion-gis (yes that's the name of those 3 now) would be thrilling, I am nostalgic for the Hornets of yore and have a vintage jacket of theirs, I feel like the Wolves deserve a break for some reason? and omg if the 76ers got Zion it'd be profoundly bullshit but also profoundly THE PROCESS and im here for it.

TIER 2 SCENARIOS AKA "NICE, BUT CURSED SCENARIOS"
- Knicks, Suns, Pelicans, Bulls

REASONS: The VOLTRON KNICKS RETALIATIO sounds like GREAT fun drama to follow. imagine durant and kyrie moping around manhattan!!! the suns are a CURSED FRANCHISE and worst-case zion languishes in desert obscurity but seriously how do they fuck up ayton, booker, zion, bridges? i'm morbidly excited to find out! pelicans davis drama maybe gets turned around if zion shows up but honestly i think it's too late so he's just "new brow" so it's a wash. the bulls haven't inspired anyone in a while, zion might help, but even though it's been like 30 years since jordan was drafted i still kinda feel like they've had their share.

TIER 3 SCENARIOS AKA "I DON'T CARE SCENARIOS... DONTCARIOS? CAN I PORTMANTEAU THAT? SCENARIOS"
- Washington, Memphis, Miami
REASONS: I don't care, really. Miami ok I guess, Beal+Zion maybe fun, I can't even remember a Memphis player off the top of my head

TIER 4 AKA "I'M WATCHING HOCKEY NEXT YEAR, WHO'S GOOD IN HOCKEY, I HAVEN'T WATCHED IN A WHILE SCENARIOS"
- Cleveland, Lakers

REASONS: I don't want Cleveland to get bailed out of the Lebron situation, and I don't want LA to get bailed out of the Lebron situation

ODDS OF VERY NICE: 10.5+6+3+1+1 = 21.5% odds
ODDS OF NICE BUT CURSED: 14+14+6+12.5 = 46.5% odds
ODDS OF WHO CARES: 9+6+1 = 16% odds
ODDS OF HOCKEY: 14+2 = 16% odds

I know some of you are visual learners and prefer charts! thankfully i am a DATA FIEND who WRANGLES STATS like a SCIENCE COWBOY at the DUDE RANCH OF FACTS, so i've included a chart (see attached image).

if you are visually impaired and require an audio version of this post please ask and i will yell it into a microphone. of course you've already listened to it all in text to speech at this point, but you DO probably want to hear it again and i am happy to help. please don't ask me to do this unless you need it because i swear to fuck i'll do it.

BONNE CHANCE POUR TOUS LES EQUIPES DU BALLE, ET VIVE LE BALLE! ET LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS BALLER!

https://i.imgur.com/J2RwzqJ.png

* i love you guys too i just had to pick on someone for the joke. thanks for being a good sport

thats my first piece. here's the second one. i think i've nailed their tone but i'd love tips on any stats i could include, or if the word count is correct. thanks!

Reading ESPN's latest NBA Mock Draft results, and while some have called 2019 a "weak year" for the draft, I have decided that this is a bumper crop... FOR NAMES I AM EXCITED TO SAY OUT LOUD. I tried to be conservative when copy/pasting my favourite names from the list of sixty, but still ended up pulling... 22 of them? Obviously this was too many to simply rank so I put them in nine tiers. FRIENDS, FOES AND PEOPLE I'VE YET TO CATEGORIZE AS EITHER, PLEASE ENJOY THIS PRESENTATION OF "WILL RANKS THE TOP NAMES OF THE ESPN MOCK DRAFT 2019 OF THE NBA IN MAY BEFORE THE LOTTERY."

TIER 9: The "mock drafters picked these players 20th and 21st, and i'll be goddamned if i don't mix them and/or their names up forever" tier: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Talen Horton-Tucker
TIER 8: the "hey that's who i cosplayed in my most recent historical recreation" tier: Admiral Schofield, Louis King
TIER 7: the "wwe local competitor/enhancement talent" tier: Jaxson Hayes, Nic Claxton
TIER 6: the "basketball player? or retirement village?" tier: Tremont Waters, Shamorie Ponds
TIER 5: the "doesn't afraid of anything" tier: Tyler Herro
TIER 4: the "it'll take america 5 years to learn to pronounce this" tier: Matisse Thybulle, Luguentz Dort, Mfiondu Kabengele, Deividas Sirvydis
TIER 3: the "it'll take america 5 seconds to learn to pronounce this, and they will say it over and over because it's so fun" tier: Chuma Okeke, Rui Hachimura, Miye Oni
TIER 2: the "didn't that guy die in a Bauhaus song?" tier: Goga Bitadze

and finally the TIER 1 OPERATORS, the TOP 5 NAMES, the names so good they never need to play a game of basketball to be burnt into my memory forever (but i hope they all play and succeed and make up an entire all-star team one day):
5. K.Z. Okpala
4. Quinndary Weatherspoon
3. Zion Williamson
2. Zylan Cheatham
1. Bol Bol

what are the lottery changes, just flattened odds and they draw 4 teams instead of 3 before going to record?

yes and yes

ja morant is very nervous

v excited to learn where my son will be playing basketball this fall

rooting for the knicks tbh sue me

ny/phx/cle is some sort of reverse sophie's choice scenario

jay williams just called zion a change agent

he also said he "composited a list"

lol

rmde

lakers moved up........

the fuuuuuuuuuuuuck

they deserve it

Oh my

grizz in the mix

Damn chi

jesus

if the fuckin lakers get the goddamn #1 pick

pelis too

lol knicks and lakers my stars

this is cray

these new odds

chaos reigns

Fuuuuuuuck

the fix is in

Rigged fake hoax imo

Wow this is madness

Tanking is dead

praying for griz & pelicans

Tanking is dead

― but I can't let Trae do it I got Huerter on my mind (Spottie), Tuesday, May 14, 2019 7:47 PM (forty-six seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yupppppppp

i dont care who gets #1 as long as its not the lakers, jesus

zion 50/50 chance of going to LA or NY in like 2 minutes this is not ideal my boy

YES

lmaoooooooooooooo

haa yess

fuckin lol

Ok ok

saved

pelicans should trade this pick for anthony davis

ant davis is staying

Hahahahaha

this is the funniest outcome possible

Amazing

ja is a great fit for memphis imo

dude what the hell this is madness

the pelicans don't deserve zion imo this is lame

hahahahahah

new york and la got owned so i'm good

that was funny as hell

it was very satisfying

i love this new era of chaos draft

god bless the knicks

if i were davis id still want to be traded i mean zion is 18 and davis time is now, and it actually wldnt be bad for nola to stock up w guys more on zions timeline

that was my first thought....trade a.d. and do a full reset.

also i know it's dumb to talk about positional overlap this early but zion and a.d. don't really seem like they would ever fit together.

two thumbs all the way up

hm suspect there may be an ulterior motive to this analysis xps

davis wld have to me more of a perimeter player w zion which he cld do but isnt really playing to his strengths

xp nah the celtics aren't getting a.d.

So happy for my bud back home in NOLA who has been texting me Zion's each and every dunk this year.

At least New York created $1.6M more in cap space.

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) May 15, 2019

nice shade from bobby

griz low key building something w ja & jackson jr

Glad for fetchboys friend
Sad for everyone else on earth
Lakers tho damn coulda been real worst case scenario shit

griz low key building something w ja & jackson jr

― lag∞n, Tuesday, May 14, 2019 9:08 PM (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah this could be a lot of fun. getting #2 makes it easier to move conley for some assets.

there's something unsatisfying about a team that spent the whole season trying to trade away their franchise-altering #1 pick getting another franchise-altering #1 pick

on the other hand it's not NY or LA and I really didn't want to see Cleveland get it AGAIN

as with most years there was no team that really "deserved" the #1 pick whatever that means. i like what gayle benson has been doing and hopefully this reinforces her desire to modernize and invest in the team.

its really shdve been atl

eh i guess. even when atl has had good teams it's felt pretty hollow.

i feel zion + trey cldve finally made atlanta the hawks town it shd be

lol

Knicks fans cheering when the Lakers got the 4th pick...

...Then they got the third pick 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/A75FvKkU2C

— Master (@MasterTes) May 15, 2019

Hopefully the Hawks can hit with one of their two top 10 picks.

hawks fans, i am the spurs gm and i covet one of your picks, who/what do you want from the spurs

Coach Alvin Gentry reacts to the @PelicansNBA winning the 2019 #NBADraftLottery. pic.twitter.com/miV5cmVT3Y

— NBA (@NBA) May 15, 2019

alvin is HYPE

cash in on derrick white bise?

a story in trends

https://i.imgur.com/lGC0ISo.png

My suns friends are very sad

They should have started sooner.

Does that mean RJ Barrett going to be in Knicks hell?

someone's got to be

i really hope this finally shuts up all the weirdos who think the lottery is rigged*

*i know this will not happen

I mean Lakers getting a Top 4 and then getting #4 was pretty funny

SAS in peak form

Working in a cubicle near Stephen A. Smith is approximately 500x better than I thought it would be. pic.twitter.com/9oqwwGdUWU

— Pablo S. Torre (@PabloTorre) May 15, 2019

Knicks are probably gonna shop the 3rd pick. Personally, I’m hoping that Memphis galaxy brains themselves into taking Barrett over Morant, but I’m not expecting that lol

lmao stephen a

UCF's Tacko Fall official measurements at the NBA Combine: 7'5 1/4 without shoes, 7'7 with shoes, 289 pounds, 8'2 1/4 wingspan, 10'2 1/2 standing reach, 6.8% body fat. Tacko just broke every figure in our database for height, wingspan and reach, dating back to the 80s. 😳😲 pic.twitter.com/xNNwRuKZcK

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 15, 2019

Is he going to get drafted?

Some teams will certainly want to see him work out. But the main question will be can he move his feet well enough to survive in the NBA? If he can move, he gets drafted for sure.

i havent seen him in the mocks but i bet hell get there, hes not good at basketball but idk he looks good in these videos lol

I watched one game w him and he was bad against better than avg competition

it wld be very not hard to talk yrself into him in the 2nd round

zion failed to dunk on him

I've seen a few pels fans hoping they trade AD to the knicks for the #3 and some combo of DSJ/ Knox/Mitchell Robinson/other picks.

knicks just have nothing outside that #3 pick

I honestly think some of it is just them wanting AD to languish on a doomed franchise.

Porzingus bailed out of NY as soon as he could. Wise move on his part.

guys i have some very spicy drama about p0rzinger do we have a 77 thread for hoops?

i dont think so make one tho

I just went to 77 and made one. Spill the beans.

the blair smith project

DAMMIT!!!!! Typical KNICKS!!!!! pic.twitter.com/rn0hDF0JdE

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) May 15, 2019

haha

i feel like this is gonna be one of those drafts where there's only like 2 halfway decent players drafted between 3 and 20

has 2015 reached awful draft status yet or is it still too early to call

2013 turned out pretty good in the end despite the best efforts of certain people here

embiid is cool again

Hell of a season. Proud of my guys and I appreciate all the support you guys gave us all season long. Extremely disappointed and fell short of our goal but this is the motivation I needed and best believe I’ll be BACK EVEN BETTER AND STRONGER #TheProcess pic.twitter.com/sN7ufCM1pD

— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) May 15, 2019

Fat Joe Jadakiss & Desus & Mero reacting to the Knicks Getting the 3rd overall pick in REAL TIME 🤦🏽‍♂️😢 pic.twitter.com/3J1Wy9Di9h

— 2CooI2Blog (@2Cool2Bl0g) May 17, 2019

knicks fans man lol

respect

Report: Pelicans owner Gayle Benson would trade Anthony Davis to Lakers only ‘over my dead body’
https://nba.nbcsports.com/2019/05/17/report-pelicans-owner-gayle-benson-would-trade-anthony-davis-to-lakers-only-over-my-dead-body/

haa

respect to all owners engaging in nba drama

:)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D6yHbfKWsAEL591.jpg

has boris stepped foot on ground since he retired? lmao every single picture or video of him i see he's out at sea. what a life

gayle benson kind of rules

pels have been making all the right moves, sad that all their good moves came after brow joined klutch.

brow is compromised

people who have figured out how to live

Bleacher Report@BleacherReport

Dirk’s eating GOOD.

Big man says he’s gained 15 pounds since retiring: “I have not worked out once. … I’ve had ice cream almost every day”

i will buy a fat dirk bobblehead

did not know this rule tbh

No, this shot cannot be scored in the NBA ... ball bouncing to the floor and into the basket is not illegal currently. But who can say that it wouldn’t be in the future ... 😊🏀 https://t.co/ul5Mg0lkCG

— Ronnie Nunn (@NunnBetterRefs) May 17, 2019

yikes

Tyreke Evans "dismissed and disqualified" from the NBA for violating drug program. pic.twitter.com/X83jwstzs8

— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) May 17, 2019

so that means he's been caught multiple times right? cant remember but you basically have to get busted like 5 times for it to get to that point iirc

think it has to be multiple offenses of any of these
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D6zAj_BW0AAfOG-.jpg:large

bron for ben simmons makes too much sense, simmons needs to leave embiid in order to fulfill his destiny as large draymond

draymond is a genius, ben simmons is not is the problem

im guessing reke was on painkillers, hes been playing through serious knee pain all season

2 years seems so extreme

a. ben simmons is kinda a genius b. hes large

hes just playing out of position, like all the way out

T. rex arms tho

they look fine

https://i.imgur.com/LYv1lI0.jpg

‘shopped

get rext

no

https://i.imgur.com/mJBydOs.png

biannis simmons

Haha more like Giannis Simmons

Lol

haw

So looks like the Rox are firing Bzdelik, who they begged out of retirement earlier this year to save their abysmal defense. Not sure what's going on there.

cmon massive overhaul of the roster CMONNNNNNNN

Interesting

There is speculation that Jason Kidd was brought to LA in an attempt to attract Giannis to the Lakers when he becomes a free agent in 2 Years, per @Newsday.

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 19, 2019

lolllllllllll good lord, giannis spends ONE YEAR with bud and is the mvp and prob going to the finals, but nah he really wants to play with jason kidd, jesus christ

Lakers rumors will never not be extreme and funny

2-D chess

lakers becoming a joke of a franchise in my lifetime is one of the greatest joys on nba fandom

ps also fuck jason kidd 4 life

lol lakers

whatre the chances kidd is still even working for them in 2 years

noted long-term thinker jason kidd

now this is gonna be fun

we looked around the hoops world, talked to the best of the best and found that the one we were looking for was there all along. shocking development

BREAKING: Ryan Saunders to remain as #Twolves head coach. https://t.co/tYv5lRaPDo #NBA pic.twitter.com/E34cmNX1an

— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) May 20, 2019

i was impressed with him

Magic Johnson identifies Rob Pelinka is the person who was backstabbing him. pic.twitter.com/3mul9lJuzi

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 20, 2019

Backstabbing me with hateful comments such as 'why is Magic not at work today' and 'has anyone seen Magic in the office the past two weeks'

love how he dropped all this just a few hours before vogel is to be introduced to the media accompanied by pelinka

magics mad lol

what if j kidd actually stabs vogel in the back as a pre-orchestrated introduction to j kidd as head coach

omggggg

Bruh the amount of disrespect in this question 😂😂😂😂 #Lakers @WorldWideWob pic.twitter.com/Wl80hcwtZC

— Josh (@JMoneyMikita) May 20, 2019

Who has had the better *career?*

Let's frame it as, who is MORE fitting to go into the Hall of Fame? (Both will go in, no question, whether you agree or not, they'll get in.)

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) May 20, 2019

i love this poll

currently 50%/50% with 6000 votes!

dwight seems obviously better like he was definitely better through age 29 and i can't believe draymond's playstyle will age well into his 30s

i also can't think of draymond as more than a very good role player until i see him on a team that doesn't have 1-2 MVPs warping things

yeah i mean dwight was the second best player in the league for a few years, best player on a finals team etc

I went back and checked the player model I made during the pre-season and it ranked Giannis as the 19th best player in the NBA. I guess it’s true that all models are wrong!

That poll is pretty entertaining. Some of the anti-dray replies are so dumb they are entertaining. I truly have no idea what people mean when they talk about “role players” and use Dray as an example.

Finally, I miss ILH. I don’t know why I haven’t kept up this year. I’m still watching a ton of basketball and most NBA talk (on Reddit or Twitter or wherever) is compartively shit! Anyway, this has been my favorite post season in forever. I genuinely love all four teams and would be stoked about any combination of finals.

(btw I’m not hating on you ciderpress. Nothing but love.)

love all four teams and would be stoked about any combination of finals

Any combination will most definitely not include the Blazers. They're tapped out. But I love that they made a deep run to the WCF as the lowest of the surviving seeds -- in a playoffs where they were expected to die quietly against OKC in the first round.

I would have voted Dwight except it seems like everyone who ever played with him hated his fucking guts whereas the only teammate who I know hates Draymond is KD and that’s honestly a point in his favor.

by the criteria they give the answer is dwight and it isn't really close

i know dray is better than a 'role-player' but the point is he does very specific things that are complementary to a star player rather than being a guy who can elevate an otherwise bad team himself

He would help any team.

Dwight clearly a better career peak and cad otm. We can revisit in 7-8 years tho

drays a defensive superstar and very bad at scoring while being able to do some other good things on offense

we know what a team where dwight is the best player looks like, they made the finals. what does a team where dray is the best player look like?

Dunno don’t really care!

Hope we never have to find out

it looks like the lottery

dray cld absolutely end up w/ a better career than dwight if his body holds up bc of how hard dwight fell off but right now its not close

<3

“There’s no place he’d rather have me get my start in coaching.”

An emotional Ryan Saunders thanks his father, Flip, and the rest of his family. #AllEyesNorth pic.twitter.com/wYUtEveHoP

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) May 21, 2019

oh that got me

hope he does well

messy messy

Report: Magic Johnson revealed problems with Rob Pelinka only on TV, not to inquiring Lakers owner Jeanie Buss https://t.co/iFSVMvy7tY

— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) May 21, 2019

how are they going to convince any FAs that they are a stable org? maybe lebro should demand a trade

If I'm a free agent, I'd rather sign there this year than last year tbh. It's hard to see how losing Johnson or Walton hurts them. They're a mess but the situation is still pretty good.

it is?

the biggest selling point as far as I can see is that the warriors and rockets could both plausibly be on their last legs as dominant teams, but then you still have 35 year old lebron (who gets injured now like normal humans), a bunch of young but unproven talent, and a front office that is a complete trash fire

id rather go to the clippers for sure. especially if you want to be the man and not have to worry about dealing with lebron

I'm not saying it's a top destination. But would you rather sign with the Wizards?

oh, well if that's who we are comparing them to

projected cap space:
https://i.imgur.com/B1roHKM.png

The fans in LA have been pretty supportive of Magic's ridiculous assault on the front office. I'm sure Pelinka sucks but from what I can tell Magic is the guy who put this years team together that was terrible, demanded full authority on decision making and then barely showed up to work half the time. They're pretty lucky he quit because he's impossible to fire.

Magic has kinda been a weirdo ever since he made his comeback in '95-'96, i mean that in an affectionate kind of way, he's like the Lakers' awkward uncle. He's not a deep deep uncanny valley weirdo like Dwight, of course.

this is what ive been thinking about his upcoming choice

Kevin Durant is “100 percent undecided” on where he’s playing next, his manager @RichKleiman says at The #WSJFuture Of Everything Festival. “He really doesn’t know, and I really don’t know.” pic.twitter.com/1fEw2kYZqm

— WSJ Sports (@WSJSports) May 21, 2019

he's lying your honor

that does not seem great for the warriors on either the playing in the finals or coming back next year front

there must be a Yoko Ono joke lurking somewhere in there

i will be playing in the finals in his place

it’s fundamentally a lie... he’s re-signing with the dubs or going to new york. he has a pretty good idea of where he’s gonna he playing next year.

Yah true it’s down to a few spots. Could do sign n trade w Boston too

lol we all know that isn't happening

I pray for it every day

plz dont do that

You don’t want the best player in the league?

yeah i want steph

My man

heh

ugly ass shot tho

Jarrett Culver shooting it really well off the catch in a gym packed full of NBA scouts and high level executives. pic.twitter.com/0wJ0AMLDPk

— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) May 22, 2019

yeah he's not gonna shoot off the bounce with that form

i wld not take him in the top 10, the place he is currently ranked

better to take the guy who shoots an easy ball and under performed on a stacked team

Cam Reddish clearly the most naturally gifted player to take the floor today. Tantalizing at 6-8 with a smooth jumper. Shoots such an easy ball. pic.twitter.com/KD0zBgtJj8

— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) May 22, 2019

this article is a hell of an emotinal ride. meyers leonard seems like a good dude
https://theathletic.com/984417/2019/05/19/a-hero-some-hope-and-deep-heartache-why-game-3-was-about-more-than-basketball-for-three-men/

xp not just a smooth jumper. he definitely shoots an easy ball, as well. in addition to. what the fuck does that mean again?

low effort, not a lot of moving parts, easy to replicate over and over, etc

an easy ball is what i like to see

KEVIN DURANT WHY DO YOU BOTHER GETTING INTO AN INTERNET BEEF WITH CHRIS FUCKING BROUSSARD

lol

hey at least CB has a following he's usually beefin with random twitter eggs and such.

But Harden and Paul had tense moments with one another throughout Game 6, culminating in a verbal back-and-forth postgame that went into the locker room, sources with knowledge of the situation told The Athletic. Sources said the verbal exchange between Harden and Paul was regarding the ball distribution throughout Game 6. By the time the remainder of the locker room was ready to talk, Paul and Harden had gone their separate ways, with Paul swiftly making his way to the postgame podium. The Rockets dispensed with exit interviews this year, so the media hasn’t been able to ask Paul or Harden about the disappointment.

https://theathletic.com/989763/2019/05/23/charania-rockets-balance-of-styles-and-stars-to-mark-this-summer-in-houston/

chris paul wearing out his welcome on a team that lost in the second round... you don't say...

lol :(

can't wait for mike d'antoni to not do anything about this and for the team to have the exact same problems.

The NBA has announced its All-NBA teams. By being named to one of the three teams, Damian Lillard is now eligible for four-year, $191 million extensions this summer, and Kemba Walker is eligible to sign a five-year, $221 million deal as a free agent July 1. No Beal or Thompson.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 23, 2019

whee

$191 million is a lot of money. /magicjohnson

not if you're magic johnson of course

thats cool my last bonus was $192 million

i cld watch an hour of this easy

Everyone knows that first guy to bust yo ass! 😂

✊🏾😎✊🏾 #KnuckleUp pic.twitter.com/PWl5TYIe2R

— Quentin Richardson (@QRich) May 23, 2019

someone needs to cut that w highlights from the games

Lol pat bev not breaking character

Knuckleheads pod is great btw

lebron he is just like us

So much for subtlety 🙄

LeBron James just 'liked' a photo of Kyrie Irving in a Lakers uniform on Instagram:https://t.co/qe0BHkXZrB pic.twitter.com/5yyEWfnVuG

— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) May 24, 2019

Lebron James is having dinner with Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook at Nobu in Malibu right now 👀

— ñatasha ⚾️ (@tashcoug) May 23, 2019

“From what I understand, [LeBron] has already begun the recruiting process. I’ve heard he has had contact with Kawhi Leonard. I’ve heard he’s had contact with Jimmy Butler.”

—@WindhorstESPN reporting on @PTI pic.twitter.com/2ppJjjL60h

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 24, 2019

He’s going hard

desperation

What’s up guys

man bucks are in a weird spot. middleton, lopez, brogdon, and mirotic are all FAs.

george hill could be, too. if they wanna keep this team together, theyre gonna have to go into the luxury to do so imo. gotta feel like the experience this year gets them closer to the finals next year, esp if kawhi leaves. but dang its gonna be a tough call on some of these.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/contracts/MIL.html

also lololol bucks are paying larry sanders until 2022, what a legend

would love to see Brogdon stay but I feel he's gonna get a big offer elsewhere

dan gilbert hospitalized with stroke symptoms

: /