Minnesota Timberwolves

Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday is the recipient of the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award, the NBA announced today. This honor recognizes the player who's deemed the best teammate based on his selfless play, leadership and dedicaton to the team.
This is Holiday's third time winning the Teammate of the Year award, as he also won it last season and in 2019-20. The award has been around for a decade, as it was first handed out in the 2012-13 season.
Unlike the other end-of-season awards, this honor is voted on by NBA players, who choose the winner from a list of 12 finalists (six from each conference) selected by a panel of team executives. Nearly 400 NBA players voted on this award.
Holiday received 57 first-place votes and 1,359 total voting points. Brooklyn Nets wing Mikal Bridges was the runner-up, with 39 first-place votes and 1,190 total voting points.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (42 first-place votes, 1,117 total points), New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (36 first-place votes, 1,097 total points) and Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem (52 first-place votes, 1,023 total points) rounded out the top-five.
Here are the complete voting results:
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The Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award is named for Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes, whose storied friendship transcended their Hall-of-Fame accomplishments. Twyman and Stokes were teammates on the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals from 1955-58. In the last game of the 1957-58 regular season, Stokes sustained an injury that led to him falling into a coma days later and becoming permanently paralyzed. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic encephalopathy, a brain injury that damaged his motor-control center. Stokes was supported for the rest of his life by Twyman, who became his legal guardian and advocate.
Twyman helped organize the NBA&rsquo;s Maurice Stokes Memorial Basketball Game, which raised funds for Stokes&rsquo; medical care and, after Stokes&rsquo; death in 1970 at age 36, for other players in need. In 2004, after years of lobbying by Twyman, Stokes was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Twyman, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983, died in 2012.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday is the recipient of the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award, the NBA announced today.

Bucks' Jrue Holiday named NBA's Teammate of the Year once again

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the list of eligible candidates for the Class of 2023, including several high-profile, first-time nominees including Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Gregg Popovich, Dwyane Wade and the 1976 U.S. Olympic Women&rsquo;s Basketball Team. &nbsp; A first look at the list of eligible nominees was provided by &ldquo;NBA Today&rdquo; on ESPN; the complete list of eligible candidates can be found below. &nbsp; Finalists from the North American and Women&rsquo;s committee for the Class of 2023 will be announced on February 17, at 5:30 p.m. ET in Salt Lake City, Utah, during NBA All-Star Weekend. &nbsp; The entire Class of 2023, including those selected by the direct-elect committees, will be unveiled during the NCAA Final Four in Houston, Texas, on April 1, in a nationally televised broadcast at 11 a.m. EST.
NORTH AMERICAN NOMINATIONS &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ken Anderson (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Beilein (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gene Bess (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Chauncey Billups (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Chambers (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Clougherty (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Michael Cooper (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Joey Crawford (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Curran (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mark Eaton (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Cliff Ellis (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Michael Finley (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Pau Gasol (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leonard Hamilton (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lou Henson (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ed Hightower (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; David Hixon (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mark Jackson (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marques Johnson (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gene Keady (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jim Larranaga (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Maurice Lucas (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Shawn Marion (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Rollie Massimino (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Motta (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dirk Nowitzki (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jake O&rsquo;Donnell (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tony Parker (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jim Phelan (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gregg Popovich (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bo Ryan (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Stan Spirou (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Reggie Theus (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dwyane Wade (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Buck Williams (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Williamson (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Paul Westhead (COA)
WOMEN&rsquo;S NOMINATIONS &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leta Andrews (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jennifer Azzi (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gary Blair (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Doug Bruno (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Becky Hammon (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Becky Martin (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Debbie Miller-Palmore (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kim Mulkey (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Valerie Still (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marian Washington (COA) &nbsp; INTERNATIONAL DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jackie Chazalon &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mirza Delibasic &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dusan Ivkovic &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Semen Khalipski &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Vladimir Kondrashin &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Eduardo Lamas &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marcos Leite &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Shimon Mirrahi &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Amaury Pasos &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Manuel Sainz &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Togo Soares &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ranko Zeravica &nbsp; WOMEN&rsquo;S VETERANS DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1976 US Olympic Team (TEA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1982 Cheyney University NCAA Final Four Team (TEA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Alline Banks Sprouse (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Edmonton Commercial Grads (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Head (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Yolanda Laney (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Nashville Business College (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lometa Odom (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Harley Redin (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hazel Walker (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Valerie Walker (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dean Weese (COA)*
CONTRIBUTOR DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Pete Babcock &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Baumgartner &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Henry Bibby &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marty Blake &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Vic Bubas &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Doug Collins &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wayne Duke &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bill Foster &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bob Gibbons &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Simon Gourdine &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tim Grgurich &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Junius Kellogg &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Johnny &ldquo;Red&rdquo; Kerr &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Konchalski &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bobby Lewis &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Fred McCall &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack McCloskey &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jon McGlocklin &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Speedy Morris &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dennis Murphy &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Curly Neal &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Powers &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Will Robinson &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gene Shue &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jim Valvano &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Donnie Walsh &nbsp; VETERANS DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1936 US Olympic Team (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1972 US Olympic Team (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Barnett (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Blackburn (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Sid Borgia (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Charles Brown (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Freddie Brown (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Coleman (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Charles Eckman (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leroy Edwards (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leo Ferris (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hy Gotkin (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Travis Grant (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Hartman (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Cam Henderson (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Robert Hopkins (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Charles Keinath (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Greg Kelser (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kentucky Wesleyan 1966, 1968, 1969 (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bob Love (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Loyola of Chicago (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Billy Markward (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ed McCluskey (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack McKinney (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bill Melchionni (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Francis Meehan (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lucias Mitchell (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Donald &ldquo;Dudey&rdquo; Moore (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Joe Mullaney (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Willie Naulls (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; North Catholic High School Junior Varsity (Philadelphia, PA) (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Don Otten (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Philadelphia SPHAS (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kevin Porter (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Glenn Roberts (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lennie Rosenbluth (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kenny Sailors (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Fred Schaus (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Sam Schulman (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Paul Silas (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Van Arsdale (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Van Arsdale (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lambert Will (CONT)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Max Zaslofsky (PLA)

Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Gregg Popovich and Dwyane Wade are among the candidates for the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Basketball Hall of Fame announces candidates for Class of 2023

Michael Jordan was moments away from hoisting his third of what would become five NBA Most Valuable Player awards, and then-Commissioner David Stern greeted him at the midcourt ceremony with words that were both simple and profound.
&ldquo;You are simply the standard,&rdquo; Stern said that night in 1992, &ldquo;by which basketball excellence is measured.&rdquo;
That&rsquo;s never been more true.
The NBA MVP award has been renamed The Michael Jordan Trophy, the league announced Tuesday. Jordan is a five-time MVP so he has five trophies named for Maurice Podoloff &mdash; the league&rsquo;s first commissioner. But after six decades of the award bearing Podoloff&rsquo;s name, the NBA decided the time was right to rebrand.
The Jordan trophy will stand 23.6 inches tall and weigh 23.6 pounds -- nods to his jersey number and six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls -- but is not a depiction of him. The chairman of the Charlotte Hornets approved the design, one that symbolizes someone reaching for excellence, but did not want the statue to be of himself. He also declined a request for comment through the NBA.
&ldquo;Anybody should be able to see this and see themselves in it,&rdquo; said Mark Smith, a longtime designer at Jordan Brand and the person who oversaw the trophy&rsquo;s design. &ldquo;They should feel the excellence of Michael Jordan and his pursuit. It&rsquo;s got his name on it, but it isn&rsquo;t him. It&rsquo;s everybody. It could be a shipbuilder or it could be a teacher or a lawyer or a writer who looks at it and says, &lsquo;That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m trying to do.&rsquo;&rdquo;
The league has rebranded almost all its trophies in the last two seasons, even adding some new ones. As part of Tuesday&rsquo;s announcement, the league revealed that The Jerry West Award is being introduced and will be given to the NBA Clutch Player of the Year &mdash; which, like almost all other league awards, will be voted on by a media panel. NBA coaches will nominate players for the clutch award.
Also, the Defensive Player of the Year will now receive The Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy; the Rookie of the Year will receive The Wilt Chamberlain Trophy; the Sixth Man of the Year will now receive The John Havlicek Trophy; and the NBA&rsquo;s Most Improved Player will receive The George Mikan Trophy.
&ldquo;Our new collection of trophies celebrates some of the greatest and most impactful players in the history of the NBA,&rdquo; NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. &ldquo;As we recognize the league&rsquo;s top performers each season, we also pay tribute to the legends who embody these prestigious awards.&rdquo;
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-nikola-jokic-38e98ac99f4a71a971a5e626ef7e5209">It became evident last week that something was changing about the MVP trophy</a> when the NBA said Podoloff&rsquo;s name was going onto a new prize -- a trophy that will go to the team with the best regular season record.
The MVP trophy has many levels of numerical significance related to Jordan, besides its height and weight. It has a five-sided base, a tribute to his five MVP awards. The name badge is six-sided, one for each of his championships. The base is shaped at a 15-degree angle; he played 15 NBA seasons.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m always going to numbers and symbiology as key root DNA to make something specific and authentic for that person,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;When you start putting all these things together, there&rsquo;s only one person and it becomes very unique. Not different, but very unique.&rdquo;
Jordan was involved at every step of the design process, Smith said. The final product was a bronze trophy depicting a player &ldquo;breaking out of a rock to reach for the ultimate rock &mdash; a crystal basketball,&rdquo; the league said. The trophy becomes more refined closer to the top, meant to show how hard work leads to something more polished and finally something great.
Smith said he fully expects to be emotional when he sees the new trophy awarded for the first time this spring.
&ldquo;This is actually the highest achievement for a single player ... and it&rsquo;s mind-blowing,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be a mind-blower.&rdquo;
Other trophies renamed or reimagined in the last year or so include ones named for Joe Dumars (sportsmanship), Red Auerbach (coach of the year), the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP award &mdash; along with the Larry O&rsquo;Brien Trophy for the NBA champions and the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP trophy.
New Eastern Conference and Western Conference championship trophies named for Bob Cousy and Oscar Robertson respectively were added, along with the Larry Bird Trophy for East finals MVP and the Magic Johnson Trophy for West finals MVP. The league also began issuing divisional championship trophies, naming them for Nat &ldquo;Sweetwater&rdquo; Clifton (Atlantic Division), Wayne Embry (Central), Earl Lloyd (Southeast), Willis Reed (Southwest), Sam Jones (Northwest) and Chuck Cooper (Pacific).

The NBA MVP award has been renamed The Michael Jordan Trophy, the league announced Tuesday.

The Jordan Trophy: NBA rebrands, redesigns its MVP award

There&rsquo;s now another trophy for NBA teams to chase.
The league announced Tuesday that the team with the best regular season record will now receive The Maurice Podoloff Trophy, named for the first commissioner of the NBA.
And that name strongly suggests that another trophy tweak is coming &mdash; since until last season, the league&rsquo;s MVP trophy was named for Podoloff. Denver&rsquo;s Nikola Jokic received the Podoloff Trophy when he won his first MVP award in 2021; when he won MVP again last season, he also received a crystal ball amid a leaguewide redesign of many trophies.
The new Podoloff Trophy has a crystal ball cut into 82 panels &mdash; a nod to the 82-game regular season &mdash; and sits atop a pedestal that combines the structures of the Eastern Conference posts and Western Conference rings.
The league also unveiled several more redesigned trophies Tuesday. The Joe Dumars Trophy for sportsmanship, The Red Auerbach Trophy for coach of the year, The Twyman-Stokes Trophy for the league&rsquo;s best teammate and the NBA Executive of the Year Trophy all have new looks. Each features an embedment inside a 15-inch crystal net structure.
&ldquo;Winning the first NBA Sportsmanship Award and being the trophy&rsquo;s namesake are among the greatest honors of my career,&rdquo; said Dumars, who is now an NBA Executive Vice President and the league&rsquo;s head of basketball operations. &ldquo;The reimagined trophies represent the enduring legacy of past recipients and are a fitting way to honor those who will continue to raise the standard of excellence in our game.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The NBA today unveiled redesigned trophies for its end of season trophies. The trophies are designed in partnership with artist Victor Solomon, who previously worked with the league to redesign its trophy offerings throughout the NBA&rsquo;s 75th Anniversary Season.
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1600143568164691968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Last season, the league changed the look of the NBA&rsquo;s championship trophy, The Larry O&rsquo;Brien, with the golden ball atop it now tilting in a different direction than the previous version and with a rounded base instead of the square one that the trophy had for decades.
It also made design changes for many other awards, including the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP trophy along with the Eastern Conference and Western Conference championship trophies &mdash; naming them for Bob Cousy and Oscar Robertson, respectively. The league also added two new prizes last season, the Larry Bird Trophy for East finals MVP and the Magic Johnson Trophy for West finals MVP.
All the trophies handed out at All-Star weekend, including the Kobe Bryant MVP award, were also redesigned last season. The league also began issuing divisional championship trophies, naming them for Nat &ldquo;Sweetwater&rdquo; Clifton (Atlantic Division), Wayne Embry (Central), Earl Lloyd (Southeast), Willis Reed (Southwest), Sam Jones (Northwest) and Chuck Cooper (Pacific).

The league announced Tuesday that the team with the best regular season record will now receive The Maurice Podoloff Trophy.

NBA adds Maurice Podoloff Trophy for team with best record

The Los Angeles Clippers have gotten their 2022-23 season off to a great start with a 103-97 win over their local rival, the Lakers, and everybody played a part.
In his first game since June 2021, Kawhi Leonard produced 14 points and 7 rebounds off the bench in 21 minutes. In another return over 18 months in the making, John Wall added 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in 24 minutes.
Paul George registered a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double to go along with 4 dimes, Marcus Morris dropped 14 points and Ivica Zubac had his own double-double with 14 points and 17 boards.
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Entering this year, there was a multitude of questions hovering over the entire Clippers organization:
<ul>
<li>How will Kawhi Leonard look after missing the entire last season? Did he put on too much muscle? How will load management be handled with him this season?</li>
<li>How will the acquisition of John Wall work after he missed almost two years of action? Will the Clippers be getting the old John Wall or just an older John Wall?</li>
<li>How will Paul George fare after also coming off of an injury that derailed what was a very productive season in 2021-22?</li>
</ul>
I caught up with two former Clippers greats, Darius Miles and Maurice Taylor, to explore these questions and much more.
Darius Miles
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Etan Thomas: The Clippers really looked good in their first few games. A lot of people are saying they could win it all. How good do they look to you?
Darius Miles: "I don&rsquo;t wanna jump out there too quickly; it&rsquo;s still early, but I think they look really good. Seeing the pieces, the depth, having Kawhi back, PG. I&rsquo;m so excited for John Wall. He&rsquo;s always been one of my favorites. I saw him get a little frustrated there at the end against the Lakers. This is a different kind of role; he wanted the ball in his hands at the end like he was back in D.C. So he is adjusting to the new role, and I think it&rsquo;s gonna be just fine."
Etan: One of the things with John Wall people were wondering was if he can he get back to the Washington Wizards-level version of himself on the court after sitting out two seasons, but he looks good to me so far.&nbsp;
Miles: "He definitely looks good, I really want John to embrace this new role because if he does, the sky's the limit. And he&rsquo;s been saying all the right things. I heard one interview and he kept saying, 'I&rsquo;m so excited that I don&rsquo;t have to do it myself.' So he has to really embrace the fact that, sometimes down the stretch, you&rsquo;re not going to have the ball in your hands. You may have to go to the corner and spot up and let Kawhi and PG run this two-man game like they were doing against the Lakers. And sometimes, they may need (John) to speed dribble it up and initiate the offense, but other times it may be something different. And he just has to fully embrace the different times, whatever they are, because really, he can &mdash; and I believe will &mdash; be vital for this team."
Etan: You know, I&rsquo;m really rooting for PG to have a great year. He has taken a lot of criticism really since the Bubble season.
Miles: "I think last season while Kawhi was out, he really just put his head down and went to work. He wasn&rsquo;t saying much, wasn&rsquo;t getting into too much, and, before the injury, he was having a great season. I think this year is gonna be the same thing. He came out and said, 'Yeah this is Kawhi&rsquo;s team, so I&rsquo;m not gonna let the media play that game with us of whose team it is.' He squashed all that. 'This is Kawhi&rsquo;s team, and that&rsquo;s going to go a long way for us.' Because it cuts down on the chatter, you know?"
Etan: Definitely, like how Magic Johnson did with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Miles: "Exactly, just so there&rsquo;s no discussion. I&rsquo;m very, very excited for the Clippers. I wanna see the Clippers win a chip in L.A. Now, of course we don&rsquo;t have the ridiculous number of championships like the Lakers have, but this year, I think this team could really pull it off. And we&rsquo;re not talking about the best team in L.A. &mdash; we already got that. We&rsquo;re talking about winning it all."
Etan: Let&rsquo;s stay on PG for a minute. Why do you think he receives so much criticism? He was really getting criticized heavily I thought.
Miles: "That&rsquo;s just this day and age. As soon as someone sees a vulnerable spot, they jump on it. That&rsquo;s just how it is unfortunately."
Etan: It&rsquo;s interesting though because PG talked about struggling with his mental health while in the Bubble, and it was like, people got mad at him. Other players like Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan talked about their mental health, and they were praised for their courage, given awards and sitting on panels. I mean, PG just announced not long ago that he was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/clippers-paul-george-giving-away-3-million-in-free-therapy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">giving away $3 million in free therapy</a>.
I just co-wrote <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Finding-My-Voice-Grieving-Pushing/dp/1642598313/ref=nodl_?dplnkId=64d1657e-59d6-4718-87b6-89b40eb80095" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Emerald Garner&rsquo;s book</a> (Eric Garner&rsquo;s daughter), "Finding My Voice," and she talked about how costly therapy is and how much her entire family should&rsquo;ve had it for their mental health, and he is giving away $3 million of free mental health therapy for people!
Miles: "Yeah, how could anyone be mad at that? I don&rsquo;t know. I never really understood it myself. I&rsquo;m happy when any athlete has the courage to talk about their mental health because them saying that gives other people the comfort that they don&rsquo;t have to be ashamed. So yeah, I agree with you. It should&rsquo;ve been praised not mocked."
Etan: You mentioned Russell Westbrook earlier, and that&rsquo;s my guy. I played with him in OKC for a year, but they got him in the matrix right now, nonstop criticism. It&rsquo;s like he is taking the heat for a poorly-constructed team.
Miles: "Man, I love Westbrook. And I&rsquo;m glad [Charles] Barkley said something about it. But people don&rsquo;t understand how the slander, the politics of the game, the wrong situation or construction of a team, like you said, how that can take away someone&rsquo;s love for the game, and it looks like that with Westbrook. His body language, that 'lion' that makes Westbrook, Westbrook you know? Now, he&rsquo;s second-guessing himself; not sure if he should pass or shoot, just everything is off. I hate to see my man go through this."
Etan: So last question, there have been built-up expectations before for the Clippers. The year in the Bubble and the season before the Bubble, everyone was waiting for them to match up with the Lakers. It seemed like those years could&rsquo;ve been the Clippers' years as well. And I know a lot of teams always say this, but this season, it does really feel like this could be the Clippers year to win it all.
Miles: "I hear you. I just don&rsquo;t want to get too ahead of myself &mdash; especially with guys coming off of injuries &mdash; but then, we came out the gate looking really good this year. And we have a really deep bench, like 10-11 deep. I&rsquo;m super excited for this season, but I don&rsquo;t wanna jump out there too soon. I appreciate the support from Barkley, but not yet. But do I feel like we could be a contender? Absolutely.
"Also, we gotta see what happens with Kawhi&rsquo;s injury and his load management, and if that is a plus or a minus. I love the team, love the coach, Ty Lue; they have the team built to win the championship. They have the ability to beat any team &mdash; Golden State, Portland, Phoenix, Denver, anyone in the West or the East. Of course a lot has to go right, but yes, I&rsquo;m excited. (It's) gonna be a great year for us."
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Maurice Taylor&nbsp;
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Etan Thomas: How good can the Clippers be this season?&nbsp;
Maurice Taylor: "I think they could be really good, top-tier even. If you look at how the team is constructed, they really have everything you need in today&rsquo;s game. They&rsquo;re a really good defensive team, they can run, they can shoot threes, they&rsquo;re athletic. They can play iso ball, but don&rsquo;t have to rely on iso ball in order to be productive. And they have an incredibly deep bench. And they&rsquo;re big. They had a lineup out there with [Nic] Batum, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George; those are 6-6 to 6-8 wing players. And for Kawhi and Paul George to be the elite defenders they are, what other team has guys that size who can all defend and score at that level at the same time?
Etan: And how much do you think John Wall can help this team? Here in D.C., we&rsquo;re all rooting for him to do well. I <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/marcin-gortat-a-lot-of-people-owe-john-wall-an-apology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interviewed his former teammate Marcin Gortat</a>, who also echoed those sentiments, especially taking into consideration everything he went through that he detailed over the summer. But how great of an addition was Wall to this team?&nbsp;
Taylor: "I don&rsquo;t understand why there weren&rsquo;t more teams in line to get John Wall, especially contenders. The only knock against him was that he hasn&rsquo;t played in two seasons for whatever reason &mdash; still not sure what was going on in Houston &mdash; but he looks good so far. He looked quick. He didn&rsquo;t look like he lost a step at all, which was what so many people were worried about. But I was definitely impressed. If he can be that for us, I don&rsquo;t see anyone in the East who would be able to stop us if we make it to the Finals.
Etan: Yeah I saw Charles Barkley picked the Clippers to win it all and doubled down after the game against the Lakers. So he is sticking with his pick. He may have even said, "GUARANTEED!" (Laughing)
Taylor: "Well, I&rsquo;m not going that far (laughing). But remember, I was with the Clippers during the down years. The bad old days (laughing). So for us, the guys I talk to from my era, it&rsquo;s amazing to be discussing the Clippers in terms of championship favorites. But yes, they could definitely win it all this season."
Etan: I agree, and does T-Lue get enough credit for his coaching? Especially the way he was able to keep the team together last season when Kawhi was out. I know he was my former teammate, so I may be a little biased, but I do think he doesn&rsquo;t get the recognition he should for the job he has done coaching.&nbsp;
Taylor: "I think he is definitely underrated. In today&rsquo;s NBA, the notion is almost that you don&rsquo;t really need a coach because of the level of talent. We heard that when he took over in Cleveland and was coaching LeBron [James]. You heard that in Brooklyn with Steve Nash..."
Etan: Well, that may not be the best example because of how disgruntled it seems Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are with Steve Nash, but continue.
Taylor: "Yeah that&rsquo;s true. But, point being, I think good coaches sometimes fall through the cracks because players are so good now. But in reality, coaching is the X-factor for each team. That&rsquo;s why Miami was so good, that&rsquo;s why Boston with Ime Udoka overachieved the way they did last season. But to answer your question, no, Ty Lue definitely doesn&rsquo;t get the credit he deserved, and for the very reason you mentioned. He held everything together while his star player was out for the entire season. And he really pieced together a team. Like, they have a great unit. If you look at the Lakers, they just have a bunch of guys who got signed together. That&rsquo;s a pickup game, what the Lakers have."
Etan: And no proven shooters. They have some developing shooters, but they need proven shooters who can contribute immediately, right?&nbsp;
Taylor: "Absolutely, I don&rsquo;t know what they&rsquo;re thinking over there, but that&rsquo;s not my problem. We&rsquo;re constructed as a complete team, and you have to give credit to Steve Ballmer &mdash; when you have a team governor who goes all out for his team? I mean, the Clippers haven&rsquo;t had that in history, at least not while I was there. We&rsquo;re in arguably the best market in the league, so to have an organization that&rsquo;s willing to invest in their players and open their checkbooks the way Steve Ballmer is, it&rsquo;s going to be attractive to free agents to come to the Clippers. And they&rsquo;re making moves to win the whole thing. They&rsquo;re not penny-pinching or trying to spend the bare minimum. They are investing the way a team is supposed to."
Etan: If only someone could&rsquo;ve recorded Donald Sterling earlier while you were there (laughing).
Taylor: "Man, don&rsquo;t get me started (laughing). It&rsquo;s a night and day difference, but that&rsquo;s why they are in the position they are in. People always say players make the team, and that&rsquo;s true, but the ownership, the way the organization is run makes all the difference. So a lot of this credit, like I said, has to go to Steve Ballmer."
Etan: I hear you, so last question: Kawhi Leonard. I don&rsquo;t know how they&rsquo;re going to do with the load management for the entire season. Against the Lakers he came off the bench well into the second quarter. I&rsquo;m sure that&rsquo;s not going to be the strategy for the entire season, but how good did Kawhi Leonard look to you?&nbsp;
Taylor: "He looked really good. He moved well. With wing guys, when they come back from injury, you wanna see how their lateral movement is, if they have that pop back, and he had all of that. He definitely looked strong. And he&rsquo;s only going to get better as the season progresses. But the thing I am a little concerned with is the very load management (subject) you mentioned.
"A team can load management themselves right out of the playoffs if they&rsquo;re not careful. Is it going to get to a point where he&rsquo;s back and he&rsquo;s at full strength and he is their main guy this season? Or is it going to be an ongoing situation where, 'Okay, we have a back-to-back, we&rsquo;re going to rest him this second game?' If you do that enough times, that could change the dynamic of your playoff run or position. Because Golden State doesn&rsquo;t have any load management players, and that&rsquo;s who you have to be eyeing on the way to the Finals. So I am a little concerned, to be honest. But, other than that, things look very good for the Clippers this season."
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Etan Thomas speaks with former Clippers greats Darius Miles and Maurice Taylor about LA's opening night win and the upcoming year.

Darius Miles and Maurice Taylor have high praise for the Clippers

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) &mdash; The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired veteran forward Maurice Harkless in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.
The Thunder also received a 2029 second-round pick and another draft consideration from the Hawks in exchange for V&iacute;t Krejci.
The 6-foot-9 Harkless averaged 4.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in 47 games with Sacramento last season. He was traded by the Kings to the Hawks in July.
Harkless made his NBA debut with Orlando in 2012. He has career averages of 6.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 621 games, also playing for Portland, Miami, the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks.
The 22-year-old Krejci was a second-round pick in the 2020 draft. The 6-foot-8 guard played in 30 games during his rookie season with Oklahoma City, averaging 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds.

The Thunder acquired veteran forward Maurice Harkless and a future second-rounder in a trade with the Hawks for Vit Krejci.

Thunder acquire forward Maurice Harkless in trade with Hawks

Is the NBA ready to add an expansion team? Evan Sidery explores what kind of team you could build in a present-day expansion draft.

NBA Expansion Mock Draft: What would a new expansion team look like?

May 5, 2006. That was the last time the Sacramento Kings <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200605050SAC.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">played in a playoff game</a>. That contest took place 5,863 days ago.&nbsp; To put that into context: During that 2005-06 season, Chris Paul was a rookie and Bruce Bowen, who was born in 1971, was named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team. Steve Nash won his second consecutive MVP award and Boris Diaw was named the league's Most Improved Player.
The Kings made history last month, the type of history that no organization wants to be known for. Sacramento, who finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 30-52 record, failed to qualify for the postseason for the 16th straight season, breaking the NBA record for the longest playoff drought. (The Kings had been tied with the Buffalo Braves and Los Angeles Clippers prior.)
So, while <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-draft-lottery-teams-who-should-trade-to-win-now-or-at-least-sooner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many teams in this year's draft lottery</a> are rumored to be interested in potentially trading their pick, arguably no team is more motivated to add an established player (as opposed to an unproven rookie) in hopes of avoiding a return trip to the all-too-familiar lottery dais next May than the Kings.
As proof of their urgency to win now, the Kings shocked pundits back in February by trading away Tyrese Haliburton, one of the league's most promising young point guards, to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for a package that included Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis.&nbsp;
Thus, it isn't shocking to learn that Sacramento, who jumped up to land the No. 4 overall pick in last week's lottery, is reportedly willing to wheel and deal if presented with the right offer.&nbsp;
<a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10036369-nba-draft-buzz-insiders-explain-why-chet-holmgren-makes-sense-at-no-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report</a>, "there's a strong belief among rival teams that Sacramento will explore trading the fourth selection, either out of the draft entirely for an impact veteran or down later in the lottery to net a contributing rotation player in the process."
The other issue likely factoring into the Kings' thought process is that the top tier of the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft</a> consists of three players (Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero), with a bit of a dropoff after those elite prospects. Nonetheless, "the uncertainty of the fourth selection could prompt eager teams to leap up to secure their prized prospect" which puts the Kings' front office in a "<a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10036369-nba-draft-buzz-insiders-explain-why-chet-holmgren-makes-sense-at-no-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strong trade position</a>," per Fischer.&nbsp;
Additionally, Mike Scotto of HoopsHype recently <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/aggregate-nba-mock-draft-lottery-jabari-smith-chet-holmgren-paolo-banchero-trade-rumors/">reported</a> that NBA executives "are monitoring the Sacramento Kings" as a team that could trade their pick "in search of player(s) that can help immediately." Scotto added that after acquiring Sabonis, the Kings have "made it clear the goal is to end the franchise's playoff drought" and that "rival teams are keeping an eye on Sacramento to trade this pick."
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So, let's examine some deals that might make sense for both the Kings and a potential trading partner.
Detroit Pistons send Jerami Grant, Saben Lee, Isaiah Livers and a second-round pick (No. 46 overall) to the Kings in exchange for the No. 4 overall pick, Richaun Holmes, Maurice Harkless and Alex Len
Earlier this offseason, Sacramento general manager Monte McNair <a href="https://account.sacbee.com/paywall/subscriber-only?resume=260358905&amp;intcid=ab_archive">conceded</a> that the team needs to add players who can knock down shots and fit in alongside the franchise's cornerstones, Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox.
"I think shooting, we can clearly acknowledge, will be a huge priority," McNair declared. "Length, athleticism, versatility &mdash; we've talked about all that as well. Obviously, you want the whole package, but shooting will be a big priority for us."
Grant most certainly checks those boxes. During his two years in Detroit, he has averaged 20.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.0 made treys and 1.1 blocks per game. He has shot over 37% from downtown on 4.5 attempts over the past four seasons and is a versatile, plus defender. As a stretch-4, Grant &mdash; who just turned 28 and is in the heart of his prime &mdash; could conceivably fit in well in the frontcourt alongside Sabonis, who likes to operate on the low block and is a good passer from the post. Moreover, Fox-Grant pick-and-rolls would be difficult to defend.&nbsp;
The issue in this potential trade is that Grant has just one season left on the three-year, $60 million deal he signed in 2020. However, as long as Grant is traded before Aug. 9, he is eligible to sign an extension with his new team for up to $112 million over four years. After previously spurning the Nuggets to sign with the Pistons, we know that Grant is not afraid to join a team that hasn't enjoyed recent success. Would he be willing to commit to Sacramento long-term? If so, a Big Three of Fox, Grant and Sabonis might be talented enough to finally push the Kings into the postseason.&nbsp;
For the Pistons, they would add Holmes (a quality center on a team-friendly contract) and enter next month's draft with 2 of the top 5 picks, which would allow them to add a pair of promising prospects to a core centered around Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes. 
Washington Wizards send Kyle Kuzma and the No. 10 overall pick to the Kings for the No. 4 pick, Justin Holiday and Terence Davis
After a disappointing end to his tenure as a Los Angeles Laker, Kuzma bounced back with a very productive season for the Wizards in 2021-22. He averaged 17.1 points and 1.9 made three-pointers while setting career-highs in rebounds (8.5), assists (3.5) and blocks (0.9) per game. He led the Wiz in double-doubles with 24 (which ranked tied for the sixth-most among all forwards in the NBA). Adding Kuzma's offensive versatility would provide Sacramento with some much-needed depth at forward. In addition, the Kings would still have a lottery pick, dropping back just six spots, which would allow them to add another young asset to the roster.&nbsp;
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The Wizards would likely entertain such a deal if they fell in love with a prospect &mdash; such as Keegan Murray, Jaden Ivey or Shaedon Sharpe &mdash; whom they feel relatively sure won't still be on the board at 10.
Kuz has two years left on his current contract but can opt out in the summer of 2023. However, he will be eligible to sign a four-year extension for up to $70 million this October if his $13 million player option for 2023-24 is declined.&nbsp;
A similar package featuring one of the Wizards' other young forwards (Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija or Corey Kispert) instead of Kuzma might also be feasible, depending on the value the Kings/Wizards place on the respective players.&nbsp;
Houston Rockets send the No. 3 overall pick and Eric Gordon to the Kings for the No. 4 pick, a (protected) future first-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick, Richaun Holmes and Justin Holiday
Is it possible that Sacramento views Smith, Holmgren or Banchero as talented enough to make a substantial impact as a rookie? If so, would the team be willing to pony up sufficient capital to move up one spot?
The Kings would snag one of this draft's three most prized prospects in this hypothetical scenario. The 7-foot Holmgren is one of the most versatile prospects to enter the draft in recent history. Banchero possesses a freakish combination of size, strength and athleticism. Smith projects as a lethal stretch-4 who could fit in nicely alongside Sabonis.&nbsp;
Gordon is a respected, established veteran with just one year of guaranteed money left on his contract. He shot a scorching 41.2% from three-point territory this past season, the second-best mark of his career.&nbsp;
Such a deal would make sense for the Rockets if they feel whichever of the top-tier prospects that falls to them isn't significantly better than the next highest-ranked player on their board. During a post-lottery press conference last week, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said Houston is <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/1526739178557517824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1526739178557517824%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F10036145-rockets-open-to-trading-3rd-pick-in-2022-nba-draft-if-a-deal-makes-sense-gm-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open to trading the No. 3 pick</a>.
"I'm definitely not gonna block them out," Stone <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/1526739178557517824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1526739178557517824%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F10036145-rockets-open-to-trading-3rd-pick-in-2022-nba-draft-if-a-deal-makes-sense-gm-says">told reporters</a>. "If they wanna talk, I'm always available to talk... If it's the case that they're interested in doing something, we're always available to listen. If there's something that makes sense for both teams, something will get done."
Adding a quality young center in Holmes would give the Rockets leverage in negotiations with Christian Wood, or potentially enable them to trade him out of Houston.&nbsp;
New York Knicks trade Julius Randle and the No. 11 overall pick to the Kings for Harrison Barnes, the No. 4 pick and a second-round pick (No. 37 overall)&nbsp;
Randle playing alongside Sabonis could be viewed as a clunky fit, but Sabonis did play 80% of his minutes at center for Sacramento after arriving via the midseason trade. The pairing would undoubtedly be problematic defensively, but the duo would be dynamic on the offensive end. Over the past two seasons, Randle and Sabonis were 2 of only 4 NBA players to average double-digit boards and more than 5 assists per contest. (The other two players in this club were Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo.)
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After being named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2020-21, Randle's offensive inefficiency regressed dramatically this past season. In addition, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/julius-randle-and-the-knicks-should-part-ways-this-summer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the relationship between Randle and Knicks fans turned toxic</a> at various points during the year. Yet, even in a "down year," he averaged 20.1 points, 9.9 boards and 5.1 dimes per game. A fresh start in California might help Randle regain his All-Star form. Also, he is under team control for at least three more years (he has a player option for 2025-26), which means the Kings wouldn't have to worry about their key players entering free agency anytime soon.&nbsp;
From the Knicks' perspective, this move would allow them to jump up and snag a highly-touted prospect, possibly combo guard Jaden Ivey, who New York was rumored to be interested in. And, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/julius-randle-and-the-knicks-should-part-ways-this-summer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as I wrote last month</a>, moving Randle would enable the Knicks to insert Obi Toppin (who averaged 27.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 made three-pointers per game in April) into the starting lineup while also clearing Randle's contract off their books. Barnes will celebrate his 30th birthday next week, but is still playing at a high level and has just one year left on his current deal.&nbsp;
Atlanta Hawks trade John Collins and the No. 16 pick to the Kings for Harrison Barnes and the No. 4 pick
After signing a massive five-year contract worth $125 million last summer, Collins struggled with injuries and inconsistency in 2021-22. His disappointing production was one of the reasons Atlanta failed to meet lofty expectations this season. One year after advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Hawks spent much of this past season below .500 and were easily eliminated by the Miami Heat in the first round.
Would they be willing to part way with Collins (and his contract) to jump 12 spots in the draft?&nbsp;
Much like the aforementioned Randle/Knicks deal, the Kings would have to decide if Collins could mesh with Sabonis and Fox.&nbsp;
Charlotte Hornets trade Gordon Hayward, the No. 13 pick and the No. 15 pick (via NOLA) to the Kings in exchange for Harrison Barnes, Maurice Harkless, Alex Len and the No. 4 pick
Attempting to determine Hayward's value league-wide is difficult. When healthy, he's been remarkably productive throughout his career. However, he's been plagued by injury issues and has missed 58 games since signing a four-year, $120 million pact with the Hornets in 2020. He has two years and $61.5 million left on his current contract, which also contains a 15% trade kicker.&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer highlights a number of possible trades that the Kings could execute to improve their roster this summer.

Breaking down 6 hypothetical trades for the Kings' No. 4 draft pick

Nah'Shon "Bones" Hyland can light up a room with ease.&nbsp;
The 20-year-old is confident that he has the best personality of any player in the 2021 NBA Draft, and he has tried to display this during the pre-draft process. When he interviewed with teams at the NBA Combine, he kicked off some of his meetings with a rap performance. Hyland is extremely personable, treating complete strangers like close friends that he&rsquo;s known for years.
On the court, he has drawn comparisons to Jamal Crawford, Lou Williams and Jordan Clarkson, among others. As a sophomore at VCU, Hyland averaged 19.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 threes, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals on 53.9/37.1/86.2 shooting splits. BasketballNews.com recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/behind-the-scenes-with-2021-nba-draft-prospect-nahshon-bones-hyland-vcu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spent time in the gym with Hyland to get a behind-the-scenes look</a> at his pre-draft training.
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In <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's latest 2021 NBA Mock Draft</a>, our Matt Babcock has Hyland going No. 27 overall to the Brooklyn Nets. Babcock&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/nah-shon-hyland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scouting profile of Hyland</a> reads: 
&ldquo;Nah'shon &lsquo;Bones&rsquo; Hyland is a skilled guard who easily has legitimate NBA range as a three-point shooter. In two seasons at VCU, he hit 39.9% of his 331 three-point attempts. He broke out as a sophomore, averaging 19.5 points per game. He lacks the ability to play as a true point guard, but he's a good playmaker who can create looks for both himself and others. If he cleans up his shot selection and defensive discipline, he projects nicely at the next level.&rdquo;
Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Hyland, and he opened up about his game, why he feels he&rsquo;s the top point guard in this draft, his outgoing personality, how he can help an NBA team, his off-court interests, how a childhood tragedy changed his life and much more.
I love your confidence. Early on in this process, you talked about how you were going to shine at the Combine and dominate workouts, and then you did exactly that. Have you always been like that? And where does that confidence come from?
Nah'Shon "Bones" Hyland: &ldquo;Yeah, honestly, that confidence really came from, first of all, the man above &ndash; God gave it to me &ndash; but also it came from me trusting in my work. I&rsquo;ve always lived by: 'Nobody works harder than me.' So, it came from that as well. I&rsquo;m always ready for the moment. I&rsquo;m never a step or two behind, I&rsquo;m always three steps forward.&rdquo;
After the Combine, there was a lot of buzz about your performance. What did it mean to you to make the most of that opportunity and shine on that stage?
Hyland: &ldquo;It just shows them how much I&rsquo;ve been working and how much I&rsquo;ve been waiting for this moment my whole life. March Madness was taken away from me, so I came into that Combine like, &lsquo;This is my March Madness; this is my coming-out party. I&rsquo;m about to show the world that I&rsquo;m the top point guard in this draft class.&rsquo; I wanted to show them that, and I feel as though I displayed a lot of my talents. I definitely put them on notice, and I turned a lot of heads toward me, for sure.&rdquo;
Over the years, I&rsquo;ve seen a number of scorers who really helped their stock during the pre-draft process because they were able to get hot and dominate their workouts. I feel like this process is perfect for someone with your skill set. Would you agree with that?
Hyland: &ldquo;Exactly. Yeah! (laughs) -- It almost feels like all of these teams are playing catch-up with me, honestly. I say that because I feel as though they was [high] on a lot of other players and now they&rsquo;re [high] on me, and it feels great. I really showed these teams that I could&rsquo;ve helped them during this playoff run, or that I can help them go from a losing team to a winning team with my attributes. I feel as though I put them on notice, in a lot of ways.&rdquo;
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Another thing I like about you is that you really seem to love the game. I&rsquo;ve heard that a lot of today&rsquo;s younger players don&rsquo;t really play pick-up or 21 or anything &ndash; they just do their drills and then only play the games on their team&rsquo;s schedule.&nbsp;
Hyland: &ldquo;Yup! Exactly.&rdquo;
But with you, I&rsquo;ve seen videos of you playing streetball and pick-up. I feel like you&rsquo;d be playing basketball every day even if you weren&rsquo;t trying to make it to the NBA. Is that rare nowadays? And if so, why do you think that is?
Hyland: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s very rare. It just shows you that the love of the game has gone away from a lot of players, honestly. They just want to work out and they don&rsquo;t want to play as much. They don&rsquo;t want to get no bump in; they just want to work out and then leave the gym. And, man, I get mad. I get frustrated because I&rsquo;m like, &lsquo;What are you coming to the gym for if you only want to work out? You aren&rsquo;t gonna play?! You don&rsquo;t want to get better by playing?&rsquo; I&rsquo;m the type of kid where I want to play basketball! Basketball is so fun! First, I want to dominate everybody in the gym, but I want to have fun in the gym as well. It don&rsquo;t matter if it&rsquo;s 1-on-1, 2-on-2, 3-on-3 or 5-on-5 -- I can play [a] mad [amount of] games in one day and then have a game the next day and still kill, because that&rsquo;s just the type of player that I am.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I just have a different love of the game. You can speak to anyone about that, and they&rsquo;ll tell you the same thing: I get mad at people who don&rsquo;t like to play basketball. Even in college, when a lot of the players just wanted to sit out and nobody wanted to come have runs in the gym at night or during the day, I was like, &lsquo;What are we here for?! You all just want to sit in your rooms?&rsquo; It made me frustrated, but I can only control what I can control. Whether we had the runs or not, I still got my work in. And I&rsquo;d always try to get at least a little bump in here and there.&rdquo;&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ve talked to some older players about that and they were confused by it. I remember Jamal Crawford was confused by it, like, &ldquo;Playing pick-up is the fun part! What do you mean you don&rsquo;t want to play?!&rdquo;&nbsp;
Hyland: &ldquo;Exactly! (laughs) Like, I look forward to that type of stuff! I&rsquo;m gon&rsquo; go at them guys! It&rsquo;s sort of like why I should be that No. 1 guy, for sure. [I] just have them vibes on the court, you know? For a lot of people, the love of the game went away.&rdquo;
Speaking of which, when did you first fall in love with basketball?
Hyland: &ldquo;When I was about 2 years old, honestly. My brother installed basketball into my life. We went to the park and he just gave me a basketball, and I just fell in love with how the ball bounces, how it sounds, how the ball goes into the net&hellip; And ever since then, I just ran with it and it&rsquo;s been my passion.&rdquo;&nbsp;
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Who are some players that you&rsquo;ve modeled your game after or studied?
Hyland: &ldquo;None, honestly. I do like to watch players like Jamal Crawford. I like to watch Ja [Morant]. I like to watch Trae [Young]. But nah, I don&rsquo;t try to model my game after anybody. I feel I have a very unique game. But I definitely like those players, though.&rdquo;
You love to get out in transition and pull up for deep threes and things like that. Do you think your game is a perfect fit for today&rsquo;s NBA?
Hyland: &ldquo;Most definitely. Like I said, a lot of teams are starting to inch toward me because they&rsquo;ve seen how much my game translates to the next level &ndash; more than a lot of these players in this draft class, honestly. I&rsquo;m the type of kid who has the kind of scoring ability that a lot of teams need. I&rsquo;m that spark. You see guys like J.C. (Jordan Clarkson) of the Jazz and a lot of guys like that; I have that kind of scoring ability, but I can score in many more ways and I can do many more things than just the things that he does. I feel as though I&rsquo;m that guy that teams should invest in, for sure.&rdquo;
What are some aspects of your game that you&rsquo;re focused on improving?
Hyland: &ldquo;All areas. I feel as though I&rsquo;m a very solid defender, but I&rsquo;m working on my defense. I want to just keep improving on everything, honestly.&rdquo;
You got the nickname &ldquo;Bones&rdquo; because you were so skinny. When did that nickname first come about and who gave it to you?
Hyland: &ldquo;When I was younger. Her name is Chicken. She&rsquo;s a female, and she was my best friend. She gave me that name and it was probably when we were, like, 10. It just stuck with me. Ever since then, I was like, &lsquo;Man, that&rsquo;s a nice name, I&rsquo;m gonna run with that!&rsquo; And ever since then, it&rsquo;s just been legendary.&rdquo;&nbsp;
So since you were best friends, you two were &ldquo;Chicken Bones&rdquo; then?
Hyland: &ldquo;Yes! (laughs) And everyone would always say both names because we would always be with each other. So, it was like, &lsquo;Chicken and Bones,&rsquo; &lsquo;Chicken and Bones,&rsquo; &lsquo;Chicken and Bones,&rsquo; and then it just went from there. (laughs) That just shows those names are legendary, for sure. Like, those are some nice names!&rdquo;
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Are there any misconceptions about you or your game that you&rsquo;re trying to disprove throughout this process?&nbsp;
Hyland: &ldquo;Uh, no, not at all. I&rsquo;m the same man, and I don&rsquo;t want to change nothing about me. I don&rsquo;t have no regrets. I just want the world to know: I&rsquo;m that guy who got the best personality. No matter what, I can light up a room. I can light up a locker room. I just want the world to know that.&rdquo;
You&rsquo;re very personable and easy to talk to, which I&rsquo;m sure helps you when you&rsquo;re interviewing with teams.
Hyland: &ldquo;Yeah, they love me. Every single one! In every interview, they love me. (laughs) Just my confidence, my personality... I rap for some of the teams. I&rsquo;m just so outgoing, and when I step into a room, it [feels] like I&rsquo;ve known them for so long. It&rsquo;s like we knew each other already. That&rsquo;s the level of confidence that I have and that&rsquo;s also the personality that I have. I can light up a room in seconds.&rdquo;
You rapped when you interviewed with some teams? That&rsquo;s incredible!
Hyland: &ldquo;Yeah, I have some songs that I&rsquo;ve made and I did a little snippet of those for them, and they loved it! Just right off the bat, from the rip, I was rapping. I ain&rsquo;t shy, I ain&rsquo;t nothing. They just loved me, honestly.&rdquo;
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I found some of your tracks on YouTube. When did you start rapping?
Hyland: &ldquo;Back in 2018, I started rapping because I faced the house tragedy. I just found a different passion and love, and it was rapping &ndash; releasing my thoughts through the mic, and it would help me. It was very therapeutic for me.&rdquo;&nbsp;
[Editor&rsquo;s Note: In 2018, when Hyland was 17, his house caught on fire, killing his grandmother, Fay, and his 11-month-old brother, Maurice. He escaped through a second-story window, tearing his patella when he landed on the ground.]
I <a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/2021/06/nba-draft-bones-hyland-nahshon-vcu-top-prospects-sleepers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">read about the tragedy</a>, and I&rsquo;m so sorry you had to go through that. I didn&rsquo;t realize that you turned to rap as a way to cope with that.
Hyland: &ldquo;It was more so, like... I couldn&rsquo;t hoop, so I had to find something else or I was gonna go crazy.&rdquo;
I&rsquo;m glad you found music. How did that life-changing tragedy change you?&nbsp;
Hyland: &ldquo;It shaped me into a wise young man, honestly. I just showed a lot of people how tough I really am. And no matter how much adversity is coming my way, I won&rsquo;t ever give up. God kept his palm on me, and I&rsquo;m just blessed to be here. I wake up with a smile every day. That changed my life forever.&rdquo;
That&rsquo;s a great way of looking at it. You mentioned having the best personality. Do you try to be that glue guy in the locker room who is friendly with everyone? And do you think your personality allows you to make an impact off the court as well?&nbsp;
Hyland: &ldquo;Yeah. You know how on some teams, they&rsquo;re with each other a little bit, but you can tell that there&rsquo;s a little bit of animosity within them? I feel as though I can come in and be that middle man and make everyone get on the same page and get everyone to respect me. Even if I&rsquo;m young, I&rsquo;m wise beyond my years. They will listen to me and hear where I&rsquo;m coming from, and I can help solve their problems. Honestly, that&rsquo;s why I think I can help a losing team become a winning team. I&rsquo;m big on building relationships.&rdquo;
You mentioned being the best point guard in this class. What are some of your long-term goals for your NBA career?
Hyland: &ldquo;Just being the best person that I can be, controlling what I can control day-in and day-out. I don&rsquo;t ever like to look too far ahead; I like to stay in the moment, honestly. But whoever misses out on me, they&rsquo;re gonna regret it in the next few years &ndash; because I&rsquo;m that golden child, I&rsquo;m that gem that you need, honestly.&rdquo;&nbsp;
What will it mean to you to hear your name called on draft night? Has it sunk in yet?
Hyland: &ldquo;Yeah, I like to dream about that a lot and look forward to that a lot. That&rsquo;s the only thing I look ahead to. (laughs) It&rsquo;s going to be a dream come true. It&rsquo;s going to be like, &lsquo;Wow, I really did it. I really overcame so much and accomplished my goal.&rsquo; I can show the kids back home that no matter how much adversity you face, you can do it as well.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Keep God first, keep your faith, keep working and keep your love for the game. Never let nobody steer you wrong. Stay on your path and just show everyone that you can do it. That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m doing. That&rsquo;s what I feel I&rsquo;m on this earth for: to display my story and showcase my talents to the world.&rdquo;
Let&rsquo;s say you run into an NBA executive and they ask you, &ldquo;Why should I draft you? Why should I want you on my roster?&rdquo; What would you tell them?
Hyland: &ldquo;I have the best personality. I&rsquo;m a kid that you&rsquo;re gonna fall in love with. I&rsquo;m a kid that&rsquo;s going to change your program around, or I&rsquo;m a kid that can keep your program at a high level. I can help in many ways, with my scoring abilities, my shooting abilities, my playmaking abilities and also on the defensive end. I&rsquo;m a great kid to invest in. I&rsquo;m a kid who has his head on straight. On and off the court, I&rsquo;m a great kid and I&rsquo;m definitely the best investment that you&rsquo;ll make.&rdquo;
What&rsquo;s the best piece of advice you were ever given?
Hyland: &ldquo;Never give up. From my mom. No matter how tough life gets, never give up.&rdquo;

In this Q&A, Nah'Shon "Bones" Hyland opens up about his game, his personality, how he can help an NBA team and much more.

Q&A: Draft prospect Nah'Shon 'Bones' Hyland demands your attention

The Denver Nuggets' season came to an ignominious end with Jamal Murray looking on from the bench and newly crowned league MVP Nikola Jokic watching from the locker room.
The Phoenix Suns completed their second-round sweep with a 125-118 win Sunday night in Denver, holding off an inspired effort by the Nuggets following Jokic's stunning third-quarter ejection.
Long have the Nuggets chafed at the lack of respect and calls that Jokic gets, particularly this season as the 7-foot Serbian blossomed into the NBA's <a href="https://apnews.com/article/denver-nuggets-nikola-jokic-kobe-bryant-europe-nba-403d6cca735519dfd230e6b61675222e">runaway best player</a>.
Frustration boiled over 48 hours after Jokic humbly accepted the Maurice Podoloff Trophy that he dedicated to his teammates, coaches, trainers, front office and family.
Infuriated at no whistle for the contact on his one-handed runner that bounced off the rim with the Nuggets down seven late in the third quarter, Jokic gestured at the official before racing to Cameron Payne, whom he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nikola-jokic-ejected-from-game-4-for-excessive-contact-with-cam-payne" target="_blank" rel="noopener">swatted across the face as he took a hard swipe at the ball</a>.
That led Suns star Devin Booker to confront the Nuggets' 7-foot big man, leading to a double technical. After the two were separated, the crew reviewed the play at midcourt as Jokic retreated to the bench.
&ldquo;I thought honestly, they&rsquo;re not going to eject me," said Jokic, who hadn't even been assessed a Flagrant 1 foul in 345 games and who isn't known as a dirty player.
Jokic apologized to Payne before he was escorted through the tunnel.
To players across the league, <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTraeYoung/status/1404253358928666627?s=20">the Joker's bewildering ejection was a joke</a>.
&ldquo;A Flagrant 2? Wow.&rdquo; tweeted Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks.
Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies chimed in, &ldquo;playoffs. elimination game. give him a flagrant 1 and play ball man.&rdquo;
Crew chief David Guthrie explained afterward that &ldquo;the wind-up, the impact, the follow-through, the unnecessary and excessive contact above the shoulders into the face&rdquo; met the criteria for a Flagrant 2.
The Nuggets played valiantly without Jokic but couldn't extend the series.
&ldquo;I wish we could have played them at full strength,&rdquo; said Nuggets coach Michael Malone.
A year after leading the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals in the Walt Disney World bubble in Florida, Jokic steered his team through a trying season marked by a rash of injuries, most notably to fellow star Murray, who tore his left ACL in April.
They also lost Monte Morris, P.J. Dozier and Will Barton III down the stretch.
Amid all those injuries &mdash; not to mention a jampacked season where virtually everyone got some rest along the way &mdash; Jokic was a rare everyday player, a big man who logged big minutes. He&rsquo;s the only player to start all his team&rsquo;s regular-season games in the last two seasons, being on the floor for tip-off all 145 times.
Despite that ever-changing cast around him, Jokic guided Denver to the No. 3 playoff seed in the West. Behind Jokic, the Nuggets went 13-5 after Murray tore his ACL on April 12 and he led Denver past Portland in the first round of the playoffs.
And his numbers against the Blazers? Historic. He averaged 33 points and 10.5 rebounds on 53% shooting from the field, 43% from 3-point range and 92% from the free throw line &mdash; making him the first player in NBA history to average 30 points and 10 rebounds with the lofty benchmarks of 50% from the field, 40% from 3 and 90% from the foul line in a playoff series.
Michael Porter Jr.'s breakout season took an unfortunate turn when he tweaked his surgically repaired back in the second-round opener at Phoenix, and that proved one injury too many for Denver.
With their second scoring option at less than full strength, even Jokic's best wasn't good enough.
On the night he celebrated his MVP award, Jokic joined Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players with 30 points, 20 boards and 10 assists in an NBA playoff game. Yet, he apologized to his teammates for not doing more in Denver's 116-102 loss.
&ldquo;He was beating himself up because he's striving for perfection and he knows with the injuries that we have and the quality of opponent that we're facing that he needs to be phenomenal for us to have a chance,&rdquo; Malone said before Game 4.
Jokic had 22 points and 11 rebounds in 28 minutes before his ejection Sunday night.
&ldquo;Tough loss, tough way to go out,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;I was thinking about this today, after we&rsquo;d gotten Aaron Gordon, we went into L.A. and played the Clippers on April 1st and we beat them. At that point in time, I really felt we had a chance to win it all this year, I really did.&rdquo;
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Denver's season came to an end with Jamal Murray looking on from the bench and MVP Nikola Jokic watching from the locker room.

Malone on Nuggets' injury-riddled year: 'I really felt we had a chance to win it all'

Chris Paul continues to race up NBA career leaderboards. One night after surpassing Scottie Pippen, Paul overtook Maurice Cheeks for fifth all-time in career steals.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
And he does it again folks!<a href="https://twitter.com/CP3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CP3</a> moves into 5th on the <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a>&rsquo;s all-time steals leaderboard! Keep climbing CP! <a href="https://t.co/sKa6Fis4Aw">pic.twitter.com/sKa6Fis4Aw</a>
&mdash; Phoenix Suns (@Suns) <a href="https://twitter.com/Suns/status/1382188730006466560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Paul swiped three in the Phoenix Suns' 106-86 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday. He's now at 2,311 steals in his NBA tenure, sitting a little ways from fourth-place Gary Payton's 2,445 career steals. Paul is well behind the all-time mark of 3,265 set by John Stockton. The Suns floor general has continued to defy age with his two-way dominance, helping Phoenix slot in second in the Western Conference.

Paul has surpassed both Scottie Pippen and Maurice Cheeks in the past week.

Chris Paul moves to fifth all-time in career steals

Ethan Fuller breaks down the state of each NBA franchise and ranks the most frustrating teams ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season.

NBA 'Sour' Rankings: Preseason Prelude

Moe Harkless has agreed to sign a one-year, $3.6 million contract with the Miami Heat.
Source: Adrian Wojnarowski/Twitter
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Harkless split time between the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks last season, averaging 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds across 62 games with both teams. He brings a steady veteran presence to a Heat team looking to return to the NBA Finals.

The forward spent 2019-20 with the L.A. Clippers and New York Knicks.

Moe Harkless agrees to one-year deal with Miami Heat

NBA players have selected New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday as the recipient of the 2019-20 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award, the NBA announced today.&nbsp;
The award, presented annually since the 2012-13 season, recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.
More than 250 NBA players submitted their votes for the 2019-20 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award through confidential balloting conducted by the league office.&nbsp; NBA players determined the winner from among the 12 nominees who were selected by a panel of league executives.
Holiday received 53 of 267 first-place votes and finished with 1,041 total points.&nbsp; Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris (806 points; 48 first-place votes) and Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Korver (796 points; 26 first-place votes) finished in second and third place, respectively.&nbsp; Players were awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five points for each third-place vote, three points for each fourth-place vote and one point for each fifth-place vote.
In addition to Holiday, Harris and Korver, the other finalists were Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea, Denver Nuggets forward Torrey Craig, Los Angeles Lakers forward Jared Dudley, Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem, Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward, Toronto Raptors forward-center Serge Ibaka, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills and Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner.
Holiday, 30, has spent the last seven seasons with New Orleans after playing his first four seasons with Philadelphia.&nbsp; The 6-3 guard was selected as an NBA All-Star in the 2012-13 season and named to the NBA All-Defensive Team in 2017-18 and 2018-19.&nbsp; In the 2019-20 season, he averaged 19.1 points, 6.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.62 steals in 61 games across regular-season games and seeding games.&nbsp;&nbsp;
In July, Holiday announced that he would use the remainder of his 2019-20 season salary to start a social justice fund with his wife, Lauren, a former player for the U.S. Women&rsquo;s National Soccer Team.&nbsp; The Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Justice Impact Fund is designed to address socioeconomic inequalities across communities in New Orleans, the Los Angeles area and Indianapolis.&nbsp; Jrue and Lauren are Los Angeles and Indianapolis natives, respectively, and Jrue&rsquo;s two brothers, Aaron and Justin, both play for the Pacers.
The Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award is named for Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes, whose storied friendship transcended their Hall of Fame accomplishments.&nbsp; Twyman and Stokes were teammates on the Rochester/Cincinnati Royals from 1955-58.&nbsp; In the last game of the 1957-58 regular season, Stokes sustained an injury that led to his falling into a coma days later and becoming permanently paralyzed.&nbsp; He was diagnosed with post-traumatic encephalopathy, a brain injury that damaged his motor-control center.&nbsp; Stokes was supported for the rest of his life by Twyman, who became his legal guardian and advocate.
Twyman helped organize the NBA&rsquo;s Maurice Stokes Memorial Basketball Game, which raised funds for Stokes&rsquo; medical care and, after Stokes&rsquo; death in 1970 at age 36, for other players in need.&nbsp; In 2004, after years of lobbying by Twyman, Stokes was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.&nbsp; Twyman, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1983, died in 2012.
Below are voting totals for the 2019-20 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award and the list of all-time winners:
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/tyw_lg.jpg" alt="" width="478" height="AUTO" />
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/wine_lg.jpg" alt="" width="759" height="AUTO" />

NBA players selected Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday as the recipient of the 2019-20 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award.

Jrue Holiday wins Teammate of the Year Award

Memo to the next coach of the Los Angeles Clippers: Make Kawhi Leonard and Paul George play 82 games together (or as many as possible) and excise &ldquo;load management&rdquo; from the NBA vocabulary.
Head coach Doc Rivers is looking for a new job tonight in large part because he failed to meet expectations, failed to make the proper adjustments in three straight games when his team was one win away from the Western Conference Finals, and because the blame game is part of the NBA life. Nobody is immune from getting fired except Gregg Popovich, and probably Erik Spoelstra.
But what crippled the Clippers more than anything was a lack of chemistry, which was evident to anyone with two working eyeballs and an appreciation for the one intangible that separates great teams from good teams: chemistry.
George and Leonard played in only 38 of 72 regular-season games games together and were 27-11 in those games (and they averaged 118.3 PPG and held opponents to 109.8 PPG, compared to 105.5 PPG and 111 PPG allowed when neither star played). This was explained as &ldquo;load management,&rdquo; which became NBA parlance for resting players who are paid extraordinary amounts of money to play basketball. Former NBA Commissioner David Stern never would have stood for it. Adam Silver allows it, because happy players are compliant players, and Silver does business differently than his predecessor and mentor.
But &ldquo;load management&rdquo; is bad for Clippers fans, who paid good money to see Leonard and George play together after the team acquired PG from Oklahoma City in the offseason. Rivers kept using load management in bubble games, too, even though four and a half months off should have been enough rest for just about anybody after the NBA shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Get this: Rivers used 33 different starting lineups during the regular season. Thirty-three.
And when the starting five was Leonard, George, Patrick Beverley (whose absences from the lineup were because of injury, not rest), Ivica Zubac and Maurice Harkless, the Clippers were 13-4.
When the lineup was Leonard, George, Marcus Morris, Beverley and Zubac after the Clippers got Morris from the New York Knicks at the trade deadline, the record was 13-4.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/kp3_lg.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="352" />
Many people believe load management helped the Toronto Raptors win a title with Leonard in 2019, which may be true. But Leonard and George, under Rivers, took it to an extreme. And when you consider that Wilt Chamberlain once averaged 48.6 minutes per game, it gives you a different historical perspective on how expectations of players have changed over the decades. Wilt never took a minute off.
The Clippers were the only team in the NBA to have four players average at least 18.0 points per game (Leonard 27.1; George 21.5; Montrezl Harrell 18.6; Lou Williams 18.2), which made them the first team since 1967-68 San Francisco Warriors to have that many guys averaging at least 18.
So the talent was there for Rivers, but the chemistry never developed. And whenever the Clippers got down in the fourth quarter of a playoff game, especially against the Nuggets, their body language was horrible. They blew leads of 16, 19 and 12 points in Games 5, 6 and 7 against Denver.
It was a series of epic meltdowns, and Rivers took the blame. This is not the first time he has been fired, and it will probably not be the last. And judging from the &ldquo;it&rsquo;s all copacetic&rdquo; language of the press release that the Clippers put out, Rivers likely got bought out of his final two years. But let&rsquo;s call this what it is: a firing. Steve Ballmer clearly axed him.
"We didn't meet them," Rivers said of the expectations. "That's the bottom line. I'm the coach, and I'll take any blame for it. But we didn't meet our expectations, clearly, because if we had, in my opinion, we'd still be playing."
The Clippers' job now becomes, along with the Houston job, the most coveted open position in the NBA. Somebody will get it, but that somebody should be ready to tell owner Steve Ballmer that the players have to play, not rest.
If not, that new guy will be a dead man walking too.

The Los Angeles Clippers fired Doc Rivers on Monday. The next head coach should get rid of load management, writes Chris Sheridan.

Clippers fire Doc Rivers; will next coach end load management?

The second round of the NBA playoffs is underway and a champion will be crowned in a month. After that happens, we'll transition into one of the most unique offseasons in NBA history. The NBA has announced that it will push back the start of free agency, but transaction season is still rapidly approaching. 
BasketballNews.com has sorted out the top 50 free agents position-by-position. We've already ranked the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ranking-top-10-nba-free-agent-point-guards-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">point guards</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ranking-top-10-nba-free-agent-shooting-guards-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shooting guards</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ranking-top-10-nba-free-agent-power-forwards-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">power forwards</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ranking-top-10-nba-free-agent-centers-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">centers</a>. Here's a look at the available small forwards. 
Honorable Mention: Maurice Harkless, New York Knicks -- Unrestricted 
STATS: 5.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 BPG, 0.9 SPG
Harkless started the season with an NBA-title favorite and ended it with one of the worst teams in the league. The constant you get with him is his defensive awareness and intensity, which almost always results in deflections and steals going the other way in transition. At 27 years old, he's been both a starter and a key bench piece for four different franchises. Harkless is in his prime and, at this point, his offensive game is just a bonus on top of what he provides defensively. 
10. Torrey Craig, Denver Nuggets -- Restricted
STATS: 5.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.6 BPG, 0.4 SPG 
Every team could use somebody like Craig. He cracked the Nuggets&rsquo; rotation several years ago by playing harder than everybody else on the court. His primary contribution comes through picking up tough matchups on the defensive end. The numbers seem to show that he has little impact on offense; however, head coach Michael Malone clearly trusts him (and sometimes starts him), so clearly he has a positive impact on the game.
9. Rodney Hood, Portland Trail Blazers -- Unrestricted 
STATS: 11 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.2 BPG, 0.8 SPG 
Hood was dealt a bad hand when he went down with an Achilles injury in December. He had a pep in his step, playing the three next to Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum and improving his decision-making and shot selection in the process. He was money from the corner, knew when it was his turn to score and seamlessly fit into head coach Terry Stotts&rsquo; system. With Gary Trent Jr. bursting onto the scene in the bubble, it will be interesting to see whether Hood returns to Portland. In April, <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/2020/04/rodney-hood-continues-to-make-steady-progress-in-recovery-from-injury-fully-expects-to-be-with-portland-trail-blazers-next-season.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he said</a> that he&rsquo;s expecting to stay -- new contract or not -- and he declined his player option to explore the free-agent market. 
8. Glenn Robinson III, Philadelphia 76ers -- Unrestricted
STATS: 11.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.3 BPG, 0.9 SPG 
A victim of poor circumstances, Robinson went from having a tremendous contract-year with the Golden State Warriors to playing half as many minutes once he got traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. When <a href="http://www.basketballinsiders.com/nba-daily-glenn-robinson-iii-navigating-change-of-direction-with-76ers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I spoke with him in March</a>, he aired his frustration about his limited playing time. In the bubble, outside of the injuries forcing the team&rsquo;s hand, he was booted from Brett Brown&rsquo;s rotation. Before that, Robinson was producing the best numbers in his career (by far). He had confidence in his jumper and put plenty of pressure on his opponents on the perimeter. That&rsquo;s who Robinson really is, not this square peg in a round hole that we&rsquo;ve seen since the move.
7. Otto Porter Jr., Chicago Bulls -- Back with Bulls 
STATS: 11.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.4 BPG, 1.1 SPG 
Before we get into Porter&rsquo;s short season, there was no reason for him to opt-out. He&rsquo;s had injury after injury during his tenure in Chicago, so he opted into the $28,489,239 player option that he's owed next season. With that said, Porter hasn&rsquo;t quite had the chance to show everybody that he&rsquo;s one of the better forwards in the league because he hasn't been on the floor. When he&rsquo;s healthy, he should be able to showcase his three-and-D prowess.
6. Jae Crowder, Miami HEAT -- Unrestricted
STATS: 10.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.4 BPG, 1.1 SPG 
Crowder started this season with the Memphis Grizzlies and wasn't quite as successful as one would hope in a contract year. But since being traded to the HEAT, he has looked as good as ever. Defensively, he&rsquo;s bought into Erik Spoelstra&rsquo;s team-first scheme. Offensively, he&rsquo;s benefiting from the attention drawn by Jimmy Butler and Miami&rsquo;s plethora of shooters. He&rsquo;s one of many sizzling shooters that just waits for an opportunity to strike. Credit Crowder for making the most out of his opportunity after being sent to a different team. It should pay off in the offseason.
5. Joe Harris, Brooklyn Nets -- Unrestricted
STATS: 14.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.2 BPG, 0.6 SPG 
Harris should get a significant raise this offseason. He's one of the best shooters in the league, as he's averaged 2.3 three-pointers per game (on a ridiculous 43.9 percent shooting) over the last three seasons. He&rsquo;s also steadily gotten better on dribble-drives, being able to put the ball on the floor to attack the rim for lay-ups. Harris has gotten more aggressive and turned into an all-around contributor rather than just a three-point specialist. He's become a solid, consistent starter in the league (right in time to get paid).
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/gl_lg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="AUTO" />
4. Danilo Gallinari, Oklahoma City Thunder -- Unrestricted
STATS: 18.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.1 BPG, 0.7 SPG
Perhaps the most overlooked player in the NBA, Gallo is always going to put the basketball in the bucket. As a three-level scorer, he can hurt you by penetrating the defense, getting to the free-throw line and, most noticeably, draining triples. What he lacks in lateral ability, he makes up for with his length as a defender. As somebody who&rsquo;s gone through a ton of injuries and trades in his life, Gallinari is a sure bet to stay the course and produce. Several teams tried to acquire Gallinari prior to this year's trade deadline, which was likely a preview of the interest he'll receive in free agency.
3. Gordon Hayward, Boston Celtics -- Unrestricted
STATS: 17.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.1 APG, 0.4 BPG, 0.7 SPG 
About three years after a gruesome leg injury left him on the sidelines for his debut season with the Celtics, Hayward returned to form and is confident in what he&rsquo;s doing on the floor. He&rsquo;s no longer hesitating to drive the lane, and he can take contact and finish as strong as he did pre-injury. He was super efficient this season, shooting 50 percent from the field, 38.3 percent from three and 85.5 percent from the free-throw line. And he was able to score all over the floor, with <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/haywago01.html#shooting::none" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impressive shooting percentages</a> whether he was finishing at the rim, shooting mid-range jumpers or attempting three-pointers. On defense, he held his own next to some of the best young guards in the league. It's unfortunate he missed a good chunk of the postseason with an ankle injury, but he bounced back nicely for Boston when he came back. Despite $34 million on the line courtesy of his player option, Hayward declined to enter unrestricted free agency. 
2. DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs -- Back with Spurs 
STATS: 22.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.6 APG, 0.3 BPG, 1 SPG 
Individually, year two in San Antonio went much better for DeRozan even though the team missed the postseason. He got back to his normal self, dribbling to the nail or the baseline and letting it fly from the mid-range with great success. He took the initiative to go to the cup with a full head of steam and play-make for his teammates. His willingness to get others involved has really made him a complete offensive player. Earlier in the year, <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-de-mar-de-rozan-intends-to-decline-277-m-option-if-he-cant-agree-to-extension-with-spurs-004545646.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported</a> that DeRozan plans on declining his player option to become an unrestricted free agent. DeRozan changed his mind, seemingly though, since he exercised his $27 million player option this past week. 
1. Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans -- Restricted
STATS: 23.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 4.2 APG, 0.6 BPG, 1 SPG 
Ingram adapted well to a change of scenery and found a niche with the fast-paced Pelicans, winning the Most Improved Player award. The 22-year-old quickly became the focal point of the team, notching magnificent performance after magnificent performance before ZionMania came around. He&rsquo;s put in the work to freely take looks instead of being timid to do so, improving his shot selection in the process. He effectively finds different angles to get to point-blank distance. A first-time All-Star, Ingram&rsquo;s development curve is rising quickly. It&rsquo;d be wise for New Orleans to match any offer that comes his way because we could be looking at a max-contract player.

Spencer Davies ranks his best available small forwards in the upcoming 2020 NBA free-agent class.