[ad_1]
3:20 p.m. ET
Tory Barron ESPN Editor
CloseTory Barron is a Bristol-based writer and editor for ESPN.com. After retiring from playing lacrosse at UConn, the D.C. native decided to try her hand at writing about people who play the sport.
Wednesday, June 16, saw Wednesday, June 2 and said grab my beer.
If you don’t quite remember what happened in the basketball world exactly two weeks ago (strange, but okay), let me remind you: Mike Krzyszowski announced he’s retiring after next season, Danny Inge moved from the Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens was promoted to GM and Joel Embiid was Has an MCL tear.
To be fair, we’ve had quite a bit of life since then…specifically in the hours since 9am ET today.
If NBA was my internet, I would have unplugged it and tried restarting the router hours ago. But given that that’s not how it works, I’ll instead be enjoying the events of a lively day in the league so you can also head into tonight’s playoff (Atlanta Hawks vs. Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers vs. Utah Jazz) feeling a little overwhelmed.
9:10AM ET: Chris Paul put into NBA health and safety protocols
The collegiate NBA highs we’ve been riding have collapsed after Kevin Durant’s underworld performance on Tuesday night (49 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists) as sources confirm Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul will be out indefinitely when entering protocols. Health and Safety in the NBA. The timing of the league’s mandatory coronavirus-related isolation period puts the star’s availability for the Western Conference Finals at risk.
In a four-game sweep of the Denver Nuggets, the 36-year-old Paul averaged 25.5 points at 61.8% from shots, 58.3% from 3, and 100% from the free throw line, plus 41 to 5 assists for turns. Rate. Health and safety protocols are the latest hurdle in the history of playoff woes for Point God who has taken the Suns out of obscurity this season after just one year after being turned away, I mean, trading him to Oklahoma City from Houston.
9:12AM ET: Kawhi Leonard heads out for Game 5
Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will miss Wednesday’s game five against the Utah Jazz with a right knee injury, Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhurst report and may be out of the remaining series. Sources told ESPN that more imaging is needed to determine the severity of the ligament sprain after the swelling has subsided, but “there is no timeline for it to return.”
Aside from Kevin Durant in the East, no one has been more impressive in postseason. In the first round, Leonard became the first player since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 to score 200 points and shoot 60% or better in a single series. In four games against the Jazz, he averaged 27.3 points and 7.5 rebounds. To say that Claw is critical to the success of the Clippers playoff match would be to say the least.
11:02 a.m. ET: Stan Van Gundy heads out with the New Orleans Pelicans
Here to have a good time and not too long? After one season at the helm in New Orleans, Stan Van Gundy came out as head coach of the Pelicans. His limited tenure with the franchise was a disappointment as the team finished a dismal 31-41 this last season and failed to reach the Western Conference’s Playing Championship.
New Orleans was Van Gundy’s fourth stop as a head coach in the NBA and the first since sitting out the previous two seasons. Van Gundy had success in his first two stops in Miami (.605 win percentage) and Orlando (.657). However, he only had one winning season in four years with the Detroit Pistons from 2014 to 2018. Van Gundy joined Nate Björkgren as coaches who parted ways with their teams after their pre-season appointment. According to Elias Sports Bureau, this is the fifth time in the past 30 seasons that multiple teams have changed coaches who were with the franchise for only one season.
11:34AM ET: Scott Brooks and Wizards part ways
The Washington Wizards have announced that they will not extend coach Scott Brooks’ contract, which expired after their first-round loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Adrian Wojnarowski’s sources told that the two sides had failed to reach agreement on a new deal.
Just last month, Brooks led the Wizards to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons despite a 34-38 season. In five seasons, Brooks — set in hopes of wooing Kevin Durant’s native Washington-area home to play for Wiz Kids (spoiler alert: it didn’t) — was 183-207 with three playoff appearances, including the Eastern Conference semifinals. in 2016-17.
2:22 p.m. ET: Donnie Nelson exits as Mavs head of basketball operations
It’s the end of an era for the Dallas Mavericks as the team announced that longtime chief of basketball operations and general manager Donnie Nelson is out after 24 seasons with the franchise. Nelson is widely credited with exploring and pushing for the two biggest acquisitions in Mavericks history: the enlistment-day deals of Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic are 20 years apart.
According to the sources, Nelson’s departure comes after internal friction due to the increasing decision-making influence of Mavericks director of quantitative research and development Haralabos Voulgaris. Sources explained that the former professional was hired by the Mavs in 2018 and reported owner Mark Cuban directly and communicated directly with coach Rick Carlisle despite Nelson’s objections.
2:53 p.m. ET: LaMelo Ball takes Rookie of the Year award
LaVar Ball tried to tell us what it would be like. Rookie Charlotte Hornets have voted LaMelo Ball New Player of the Year, sources report to Adrian Vojnarowski. Ball’s younger brother’s path wasn’t traditional, as LaMelo sprawled across the globe to kick-start his career before taking his talents to the NBA. But his first season was undoubtedly special. Ball averaged 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game for Charlotte this season, shooting 35.2% from a 3-point range and was an immediate factor in the Hornets’ winning basketball play unfamiliar to beginners.
Despite all this, fellow Rookie of the Year winner Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves wasn’t convinced Ball deserved the honor. As can be seen from this tweet:
💯💯 https://t.co/xz2HNeCAmA
– Anthony Edwards (@theantedwards_) June 16, 2021
…Hey, Edwards can’t be blamed for wanting to win.
On the other hand, Ball colleagues seemed satisfied with the choice:
I told you all 😂🤷🏾 https://t.co/wTtQDhfYxf
— Miles Bridges (@MilesBridges) June 16, 2021
YESSIR GANG @MELOD1P https://t.co/J8FQnx89RW
— PJ Washington (@PJWashington) June 16, 2021.
[ad_2]
Picture Credit!