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Clippers

The UConn Huskies made history Monday night by becoming the first team since 2007 to win back-to-back NCAA Men&rsquo;s Basketball championships after defeating Purdue 75-60 at the State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona.
The last team to do the same feat was the Florida Gators, who won back-to-back in 2006 and 2007. They were led by then-head coach Billy Donovan and eventual NBA stars Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and Corey Brewer.&nbsp;
UConn capped off one of the most dominant runs ever in college basketball history with the best point differential in a single NCAA tournament all-time with a +140 spread. They beat the previous records set by Kentucky in 1996 (+129), Villanova in 2016 (+124), and Duke in 1999 (+123). This is their sixth championship in program history.
The Huskies were only up 36-30 after a tight first half but then poured it on after the break, showing why they were the defending champions from a year ago.
UConn used every offensive set they ran to perfection and executed their defensive game plan: let Zach Edey score and stay home on shooters. This limited Purdue to only one three-pointer made on just seven attempts overall.
The two-time National Player of the Year feasted with 37 points and 10 rebounds, but the rest of the team only managed to score 23 points. 
"We didn't want to give up 3's," UConn head coach Dan Hurley shared. "We didn't care if Edey took 25, 28 shots to get 35 points. The gameplan was no Smith, no Loyer, no Gillis, no Jones. Keep that collective to under 20 points as a group and they had no chance to win no matter what Edey did."
Tristen Newton, who was named the tournament's most outstanding player after the game, led UConn with 20 points on an efficient 6-of-13 shooting from the field along with 7 assists and 5 rebounds, while projected 2024 NBA draft first-rounders Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan added 15 and 11 points respectively for the Huskies.

UConn finished their dominant tournament run by beating Purdue 75-60, becoming the first back-to-back champ since Florida in 2007.

UConn overpowers Purdue to win back-to-back NCAA Men’s Basketball titles

College basketball is full of excitement and drama. While winning a national championship is the ultimate goal for every team, there have been many loaded squads that came up short.&nbsp;
While the teams on this list didn&rsquo;t win a title, they are still often mentioned among the best teams in the history of college basketball. Here are the best college-basketball teams that failed to win it all.&nbsp;
11. 1965-66 Kentucky Wildcats
The 1965-66 Kentucky Wildcats were coached by Adolph Rupp and their talented roster included future NBA stars Pat Riley and Louie Dampier. The Wildcats finished the season with a record of 27-2 and advanced to the national championship game, where they faced the Texas Western Miners. In a game that would later be immortalized in the movie "Glory Road," the Miners upset the Wildcats, 72-65.
10. 2006-07 Ohio State Buckeyes
Led by future No. 1 overall draft pick Greg Oden and longtime NBA point guard Mike Conley, the Buckeyes were hoping to win their second national championship in program history. Ohio State, traditionally a football school, finished the season 35-4 and ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. The Buckeyes advanced to the national championship game, where they faced a loaded Florida Gators squad that was led by future NBA All-Stars Joakim Noah and Al Horford.&nbsp;
In the national championship game, Oden avoided the foul trouble that had plagued him earlier in the tournament and put up a dominant 25 points and 12 rebounds. However, it wasn&rsquo;t enough, as the Gators defeated the Buckeyes 84-75 behind Horford's 18 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Four players from the Buckeyes' roster would go on to play in the NBA: Conley, Oden, Daequan Cook and Othello Hunter.
9. 2004-05 Illinois Fighting Illini
The 2004-05 Illinois Fighting Illini were a dominant force in college basketball. Coached by Bruce Weber and led by Dee Brown and Deron Williams, the Illini won their first 29 games of the season and finished with a 37-2 record.&nbsp;
Illinois advanced to the national championship game, where they faced the North Carolina Tar Heels (who were led by Raymond Felton, Sean May, Rashad McCants and Marvin Williams). Despite a valiant effort, the Illini fell just short, losing 75-70. Five of their players would go on to play in the NBA: Williams, Brown, Luther Head, Roger Powell and James Augustine.
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8. 2007-08 Memphis Tigers
Yes, John Calipari has back-to-back teams on this list. Coach Cal&rsquo;s 2007-08 Memphis Tigers were absolutely loaded and they were led by Derrick Rose, who would go on to be the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and the youngest MVP in NBA history in 2011. Chris Douglas-Roberts, Joey Dorsey and Antonio Anderson were also key contributors who eventually had stints in the NBA.
The Tigers finished the season with a record of 38-2 and they advanced to the national championship game, where they faced the Kansas Jayhawks. Despite a strong effort, the Tigers were unable to overcome the Jayhawks. Memphis missed a number of late free throws, which opened the door for Mario Chalmers to hit <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/march-madness-ranking-the-top11-ncaa-tournament-buzzerbeaters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the most memorable buzzer-beaters in modern NCAA Tournament history</a> and force overtime. Kansas would go on to win, 75-68.
7. 1974-75 Indiana Hoosiers
Led by head coach Bob Knight, the 1974-75 Indiana Hoosiers finished the season with a record of 31-1 and advanced to the Final Four, where they faced the Kentucky Wildcats. Despite a strong effort, the Hoosiers were upset by the Wildcats, 92-90.&nbsp;
The Hoosiers would have eight players who would go on to play in the NBA: Scott May, Steve Green, Kent Benson, Quinn Buckner, John Laskowski, Bob Wilkerson, Tom Abernethy and Wayne Radford.
6. 1996-97 Kansas Jayhawks
The 1996-97 Kansas Jayhawks featured a pair of future NBA stars (Paul Pierce and Raef LaFrentz) and one of the best coaches in college-basketball history (Roy Williams). The Jayhawks finished the season with a record of 34-2 and advanced to the Final Four, where they faced the&nbsp; Arizona Wildcats.&nbsp;
Pierce put together a monster performance &mdash; 27 points, 11 rebounds, 3 threes, 2 blocks and 2 steals on 69.2/60/100 shooting splits &mdash; but it wasn't enough to defeat Mike Bibby&rsquo;s Wildcats. The Jayhawks lost 85-82 in overtime. In addition to Pierce and LaFrentz, Kansas had four other players go on to the NBA: Scot Pollard, Billy Thomas, Jacque Vaughn and Ryan Robertson.
5. 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats
The 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats, coached by John Calipari, featured quite the collection of young, high-upside talent. Led by future NBA superstars Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker, the Wildcats finished the season with a perfect record of 38-0.
Kentucky advanced to the Final Four, where they faced the Wisconsin Badgers and were ultimately upset 71-64. In total, a whopping nine Wildcats would go on to play in the NBA: Towns, Booker, Trey Lyles, Willie Cauley-Stein, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Tyler Ulis, Dakari Johnson and Alex Poythress.
4. 1984-85 Georgetown Hoyas
The 1984-85 Georgetown Hoyas, coached by John Thompson, were a powerhouse team that featured future NBA star Patrick Ewing. The Hoyas finished the season with a record of 35-3 and advanced to the national championship game, where they faced the Villanova Wildcats.&nbsp;
In one of the biggest upsets in college-basketball history, the Wildcats defeated the Hoyas 66-64. In addition to Ewing, Georgetown had four other players who went on to play in the NBA: Reggie Williams, Bill Martin, David Wingate and Michael Jackson.
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3. 1992-93 Michigan Wolverines
The prior season, the Fab Five took college basketball by storm, with bald heads and baggy shorts. They started five true freshmen and had a great season, making it all the way to the national championship game, where they were handled by a veteran Duke squad that was led by Christian Laettner, Grant Hill and Bobby Hurley, losing 71-51.
In the 1992-93 season, the Wolverines were widely regarded as the most talented team in the country and they were the favorites to win it all. Unfortunately, they fell short to North Carolina in the national championship game in one of the most memorable endings in sports history. Future No. 1 pick Chris Webber called a timeout that Michigan didn&rsquo;t have, as they lost 77-71. Michigan had five players who would later play in the NBA: Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Eric Riley (plus Rob Pelinka would go on to run the Los Angeles Lakers' front office).
2. 1982-83 Houston Cougars
Led by future Hall-of-Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, the 1982-83 Houston Cougars were known as "Phi Slama Jama" for their high-flying style of play. The Cougars were a dominant force on both ends of the court. They advanced to the Final Four, where they faced the N.C. State Wolfpack. Despite a 20-point lead in the second half, the Cougars were upset by the Wolfpack, 54-52. In addition to the superstar pairing of Olajuwon and Drexler, Houston also had two other players who would go on to play in the NBA: Michael Young and Larry Micheaux.
1. 1990-91 UNLV Runnin' Rebels
The 1990-91 UNLV Runnin' Rebels are one of the greatest college basketball teams of all-time, despite not winning the national championship. Coached by Jerry Tarkanian, the Rebels had an incredible season, finishing with a record of 34-1.&nbsp;
Led by Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony, the Rebels played an up-tempo style of basketball that was both thrilling and effective. In the Final Four, they lost a close game to the Duke Blue Devils, who would go on to win the national championship. Johnson, Augmon and Anthony would go on to thrive in the NBA, and two other Rebels would also make it to the league (Elmore Spencer and Eyric Gray).
Would you rank these teams differently? Who is missing from this list? <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tweet us your thoughts now</a>!

Jamal Shakespeare looks back on 11 all-time great college basketball teams that failed to win a championship.

Revisiting 11 loaded NCAA-basketball teams that failed to win it all

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado&rsquo;s drifting 3-pointer clinched a 25-20 win for Team Pau (Gasol) over Team Joakim (Noah) in the title game of the Rising Stars event Friday at All-Star weekend.
Alvarado, who was named the Most Valuable Player, had five points in the title game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
A certified bucket getter. Peep Jose Alvarado's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JordanRisingStars?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JordanRisingStars</a> MVP mixtape 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/6SoruJRNsP">pic.twitter.com/6SoruJRNsP</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1626800481539354630?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

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The win capped a memorable day for Gasol, who was named a Basketball Hall of Fame finalist earlier Friday.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going out on top. It may be one and done for me,&rdquo; Gasol said of his coaching debut.
New York&rsquo;s Quentin Grimes scored 14 points in the final but was wrapped up &mdash; literally held at times &mdash; by Alvarado down the stretch.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know you could do that in the Rising Stars game. I should have alerted the refs to call a technical or something,&rdquo; Grimes said. &ldquo;It was all fun but I was going for the win tonight.&rdquo;
Said Alvarado: &ldquo;It might not have been (legal), but he was doing good.&rdquo;
The four teams, comprised of 21 first- and second-year NBA players along with seven G League players, competed in semifinals games to a target score of 40.
Alvarado&rsquo;s 13 points helped Team Pau top Team Deron (Williams) in the first game 40-27, despite an array of spectacular dunks by Trey Murphy III.
In the second semifinal, Grimes scored 13 points including the winning 3 to power Team Joakim over Team Jason (Terry), composed of the G Leaguers. Mac McClung, who is competing in Saturday&rsquo;s Dunk Contest, nearly stole the show with 10 points in the comeback bid but missed a jam on his last attempt.
CELEBRITY GAME
Team Dwyane rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Team Ryan 81-78 in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night. Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith and Basketball Hall of Fame finalist Dwyane Wade served as honorary captains of the celebrity teams.
Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf paced Team Dwyane with 20 points and 10 rebounds &mdash; but he&rsquo;ll be best remembered for an array of dunks. Actor Everett Osbourne led Team Ryan with 23 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Metcalf was named the game&rsquo;s MVP.
Each celebrity team included a WNBA All-Star. Phoenix Mercury guard Diamond DeShields played for Team Ryan. Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale played for Team Dwyane. Other notable athletes participating included former NFL player Calvin Johnson and former MLB player Albert Pujols.
Wade added former NBA player Carlos Boozer to his team in the second half. Smith countered by adding former NBA player Richard Jefferson. Jefferson served as part of the officiating crew during the first half; he also worked as an official for one quarter of a Summer League game in Las Vegas last year.
Between the game, and a 3-point shootout between Smith and Wade, $142,000 was raised for 5 for the Fight, a charitable foundation devoted to funding cancer research.
Smith said the funds raised on Friday would benefit the Huntsman Cancer Institute on the University of Utah campus.
JABARI ON JORDAN
Houston&rsquo;s Jabari Smith Jr. was asked if Michael Jordan &mdash; who turned 60 on Friday &mdash; could compete if they were were to play 1-on-1 now.
Smith was pretty sure Jordan wouldn&rsquo;t be getting buckets.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not beating me right now. If a 60-year-old is hooping on me, I need to hang it up,&rdquo; Smith said. He then added, &ldquo;Happy Birthday, MJ!&rdquo;
SHORT STUFF
Alvarado is listed at 6 feet, which might be a tiny bit generous.
He doesn&rsquo;t mind.
When told before Friday&rsquo;s Rising Stars event that he was a hero for the undersized, Alvarado had a message for others who consider themselves vertically challenged.
&ldquo;Hey short people, I&rsquo;m just like y&rsquo;all. We got a lot of heart,&rdquo; Alvarado said. &ldquo;I see lots of other little guys tagging me on Instagram. I see your love. Keep being yourself, don&rsquo;t try to be nobody else.&rdquo;
Alvarado admitted that the highlights of him hiding behind bigger players to get steals in the backcourt is making it tougher to surprise opponents.
&ldquo;Everybody seen those clips. Now, so I just got to find another way, but I&rsquo;m crafty,&rdquo; he said.
WELCOME MOMENT
Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Jalen Williams said the season has been like a dream. He used to wear Derrick Rose&rsquo;s shoes constantly when he was younger and then found himself guarding D-Rose in Madison Square Garden.
&ldquo;So wild,&rdquo; Williams said before the Rising Stars games. &ldquo;Going up against people that I watched on TV is definitely kind of surreal.&rdquo;

Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado’s drifting three clinched a 25-20 win for Team Pau over Team Joakim in the Rising Stars title game.

Jose Alvarado wins Rising Stars MVP, leads Team Pau over Team Joakim

The NBA announced the 28 players who have earned spots in the 2023 Jordan Rising Stars Games, which will take place on Feb. 17 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City as part of NBA All-Star Weekend.
The annual showcase of premier young talent features a mini-tournament with four teams and three games that will air live at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.
The player pool consists of 11 NBA rookies, 10 NBA sophomores and seven NBA G League players. The 21 NBA players, selected by NBA assistant coaches, will be drafted onto three teams consisting of seven players. The seven NBA G League players, selected by the league office, will comprise the fourth team.
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Four NBA legends will serve as honorary head coaches for the Jordan Rising Stars Games: six-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol, two-time NBA All-Star and 2013-14 Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah, 2008-09 NBA Sixth Man of the Year and 2011 NBA champion Jason Terry and three-time NBA All-Star Deron Williams.
Gasol (Team Pau), Noah (Team Joakim) and Williams (Team Deron) will select their teams through the NBA Rising Stars Draft, which will be held at a later date. Terry (Team Jason), a current Jazz assistant coach and a former head coach of the NBA G League&rsquo;s Grand Rapids Gold, will coach the team of NBA G League players.
All three Jordan Rising Stars games will be played to a Final Target Score, meaning that each game will end with a made basket or a made free throw instead of with the clock running out. The semifinal games will be played to a Final Target Score of 40. The final game will be played to a Final Target Score of 25.
Team A will face Team B in the first semifinal (Game 1), and Team C will play Team D in the second semifinal (Game 2). The winner of Game 1 will meet the winner of Game 2 in the final (Game 3).
In selecting the NBA players for the Jordan Rising Stars Games, each NBA team submitted one ballot per coaching staff. Each coaching staff selected four frontcourt players, four guards and two additional players at either position, in order of preference, for the rookie ballot and the sophomore ballot. Coaches were not permitted to vote for any player on their team.
The NBA participants for Jordan Rising Stars were determined by the total points each player received from the ballots. Points were awarded based on where a player was ranked on each ballot. The player pool includes an additional rookie based on the ballot results.
Assistant coaches from the NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs will join the NBA legends in coaching the Jordan Rising Stars teams. The Boston Celtics&rsquo; coaching staff will lead Team Giannis in the NBA All-Star Game, while Team LeBron&rsquo;s coaching staff has yet to be determined.&nbsp;

The NBA announced the 28 rookies, sophomores and G Leaguers who have earned spots in the 2023 Jordan Rising Stars Games.

NBA announces 28 players selected for 2023 Jordan Rising Stars Games

PARIS (AP) &mdash; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-basketball-las-vegas-6f4ac3d44f624ef36ddb00e314cf0401">Victor Wembanyama was sitting courtside,</a> the 19-year-old French phenom and presumed No. 1 NBA draft pick watching some of the players he&rsquo;ll go up against next season.
And a guy with a French surname put on quite a show.
Zach LaVine &mdash; who said his great-grandfather was French &mdash; scored 30 points and the Chicago Bulls never trailed in a 126-108 win over the Detroit Pistons at the NBA Paris Game on Thursday.
&ldquo;Maybe the air up here was good for me,&rdquo; LaVine said.
DeMar DeRozan added 26 points for the Bulls, and Nikola Vucevic finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds and six assists.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pistons with 25 points. Killian Hayes, the only French player on either roster, scored four points for Detroit on 2-of-13 shooting, but had a game-high eight assists.
Hamidou Diallo had 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting for Detroit, while Saddiq Bey and Jaden Ivey each scored 16 for the Pistons.
&ldquo;It was a bit frustrating to not be the winners tonight," Hayes said.
It was the capper to several days of celebrating the NBA in France, after both teams took part in clinics, touristy events like visits to the Eiffel Tower, some upscale dinners and even a private show for the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-nba-sports-detroit-pistons-rodney-mcgruder-268c20ad7406e6f162bc0dc0f5a3a410">Pistons at the Paris Opera House</a>.
And while the game counted &mdash; Chicago (21-24) stayed in 10th in the Eastern Conference and what would be the last play-in spot with the win, while Detroit fell to 12-36, the second-worst mark in the NBA &mdash; it also was no mundane middle-of-the-season regular-season matchup.
The celebrity list included NBA greats like Magic Johnson, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace and Tony Parker; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-nba-sports-detroit-pistons-richard-hamilton-8002bc599b1b4e27789f6624d61de0cc">a Bulls legend and native French son in Joakim Noah;</a> the rising star that everybody can&rsquo;t stop talking about in Wembanyama; WNBA players like Gabby Williams; even Grammy winners and Formula 1 drivers.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to quite compare this to All-Star,&rdquo; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-nba-sports-france-government-africa-efc212a60bce5820d7673a54fd4bea5b">NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said,</a> &ldquo;but it&rsquo;s the closest thing to a European All-Star Game that we have.&rdquo;
It was also a celebration of the continued strength of the international footprint on today&rsquo;s NBA game. When the Bulls and Michael Jordan &mdash; along with B.J. Armstrong, then a Bulls guard, now an NBA agent who was at the game Thursday &mdash; played in Paris during the preseason in 1997, about 1 of every 14 NBA players was born outside the U.S.
Now, that&rsquo;s about 1 in 4.
&ldquo;It is special because we&rsquo;re representing not only Detroit, but the NBA,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;And we&rsquo;re trying to put the brand in a good place &mdash; in a place where basketball is taking off.&rdquo;
<a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1616197195878830089?s=20&amp;t=gIeSQODhSY64TYUk1bgQew">Wembanyama and his family</a> made their way to courtside seats about 15 minutes before tip-off, immediately attracting a huge crowd. When the camera found him and he was shown to the French fans on the big in-arena screens in the second quarter, he clapped and smiled, as did his mother seated one row back over his right shoulder &mdash; as the crowd positively roared in delight.
Both teams are flying home Friday.
&ldquo;It's great for people here in Paris to get an up-close look at the NBA," Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. &ldquo;It makes you realize that the sport is followed so closely around the world. It was amazing. The place was sold out."
TIP-INS
Bulls: Derrick Jones Jr. had 12 points for Chicago, <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1616196916945031181?s=20&amp;t=gIeSQODhSY64TYUk1bgQew">including four highlight-reel dunks</a> &mdash; no surprise for a former NBA dunk champion. ... Ayo Dosunmu scored 13 for the Bulls. ... Chicago shot 54%.
Pistons: Jalen Duren had an imperfect start to the trip &mdash; he misplaced his passport &mdash; then got that settled and had a perfect shooting game, 4-for-4 from the field on his way to a 11-point, 12-rebound effort. ... Isaiah Stewart grabbed 11 rebounds.
GLOBAL GAME
The NBA has teams in the U.S. and Canada, of course, and this game in France pushed the list of nations where the league has played or practiced this season to seven.
Mexico played host to a game between San Antonio and Miami last month. The Heat also had training camp in the Bahamas, and the league went to two other countries for preseason games &mdash; Golden State and Washington played twice in Japan, while Milwaukee and Atlanta played twice in the United Arab Emirates.
ROAD TRIP
It was a &ldquo;home&rdquo; game for the Pistons, even though Paris is about 4,000 miles from Detroit. As the home team, the Pistons got to bring a slew of staffers on the trip &mdash; including some game operations workers and members of the stat crew that works at the scoring table.
James Capers, Karl Lane and Natalie Sago got sent to officiate the game. All three referees had games Saturday in the U.S., then traveled to Paris.
UP NEXT
Bulls: Host Atlanta on Monday.
Pistons: Host Milwaukee on Monday.

Zach LaVine scored 30 points and the Chicago Bulls never trailed in a 126-108 win over the Detroit Pistons.

LaVine scores 30, Bulls defeat Pistons 126-108 in Paris

Fresh off the 2023 Basketball Africa League Combine and heading toward the NBA Paris Game between the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons in France, retired 13-year basketball pro Joakim Noah is soaking up every second of the international scene.
With Noah on site for both, Basketball News had the chance to catch up with the longtime Bull and former national-champion Florida Gator to discuss the rise of the BAL, the Paris Game on Thursday, basketball expanding to a global stage and much more.
Being at the BAL Combine and seeing the momentum of the league going into its third season, what's the energy like there?
Joakim Noah: "Well, it's very special to be in Paris. This is a full-circle moment for me personally, and to be able to come to the Combine and to see the energy of the young men trying to get jobs and work in the BAL, I thought it was really special. Obviously, we're building a professional league and it's growing. To build something sustainable... to see the growth from year-to-year is really special, but also to see the energy of the kids who want to be a part of it. Kids who are from all around the world, and everybody, you can feel that the kids are just in really high spirits and want to be a part of it. This is obviously so much bigger than basketball, and everybody who was at the Combine felt that way."
There are many former players who are heavily invested in the BAL, including guys you've played with and against like Grant Hill, Dikembe Mutombo, Ian Mahinmi and Luol Deng to name a few. All of you coming together and contributing to this, how does that feel?
Noah: "I think the contributions of some of the players that were able to invest is great because it also changes our mindset. Because you know, we were raised as competitors and competition can be very divisive, and just to be able to be in a position to be able to grow and unite is special. Not everybody has an opportunity to have that, to be at the table with the big dogs and see how we can grow something from scratch is really special. And now that we have this platform, especially for African players, it's really powerful."
What is the ultimate goal for the league?
Noah: "I think just to have a really powerful league on the continent where African kids don't feel like they have to go anywhere to get paid off of basketball. The game is growing, it's the fastest growing sport in the world and a lot of the talent comes from the motherland. So just to be a part of this and to watch the growth and seeing it at the highest level, but also on a grassroot level, is what it's all about. And now, we're able to have those conversations at a table altogether and look at the big picture and see where the growth needs to happen.
"I mean, Africa's so big, so different culturally. I'm learning a lot, and I feel like not only am I involved in something that I know a little bit about &mdash; because basketball has been my whole life &mdash; but I feel like I found my purpose. And there's a lot to be proud of with that. I didn't grow up on the continent, I wasn't born on the continent, but this is my heritage, and I feel like a lot of people feel that way. I felt that at the Combine (Monday). It's like, people came from all around the world to be a part of this and the energy was that the people who were involved really understand that big picture, and just want to see this game grow. And it's bigger than them just playing and getting a check. A lot of the time with basketball, that's what it becomes, but with this opportunity, I think that people really feel the purpose and I'm proud to be a part of that."
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You kind of mentioned it, but internationally, the game is becoming so popular and has a ton of momentum. Even in the NBA, you're seeing more of that at a rapid pace, as there were 58 European players and nine different players from France on opening night. We know that Victor Wembanyama is at the top of NBA Draft conversations. In general, the way basketball is growing across the world, why do you think it's happened so fast and is this going to continue in that trajectory?
Noah: "You know, I remember being in Paris and going to my first NBA game and seeing Michael Jordan play and the power of his influence all around the world. My father brought me to the game in Bercy. And 25 years later, the Bulls are coming to play in Paris again. The French players have had that kind of access. And now, the future of not just French basketball, but the future of basketball is this kid Wemby, who's an unbelievable talent. He grew up seeing a lot of winning, not just in basketball, but you think of France with winning the World Cup. He was raised and he saw what winning is all about and he knows that it's very possible.
"So when I was coming up, [Tariq] Abdul-Wahad was the only NBA player. And I remember seeing Tony Parker coming up at 15 years old playing at ABCD Camp and seeing the career that he had, that was my inspiration. And now, there's just a whole generation of French players and they're just taking it to the next level. But France is a country that has all the resources to be the best. They have everything. They have the coaching, they have the structures, they have the stadiums. They have everything. So you see the growth, and that's what we're trying to do in Africa. The structures aren't there yet, and we have to build it step-by-step."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
You brought up the Paris game. The Bulls are going to be taking on the Detroit Pistons, and Killian Hayes is a French player who's found his stride this year. How special is it to play in your home country in such an event?
Noah: "Well I can't even imagine how he feels, but it's a beautiful story being able to play in front of your family and friends in your country. Nothing gets better than that. So it's gonna be really special for him. And just understanding that there's gonna be younger kids there watching him, and he's gonna be inspiring as well. So not only is it an unbelievable feeling to play on that court, but understanding every layup, every dunk, every opportunity that he gets on the court is inspiring for the next generation."
Going back to finding your purpose in working with the BAL, but on a broader subject, what has your transition to retirement been like? It sounds like you have a solid feel of what you're trying to accomplish post-career.
Noah: "Oh, a hundred percent. I think that everybody who's in this position, our careers are short. It's crazy to know that I won't be playing basketball anymore. It happens so fast. You have a dream from when you're a kid and not everybody gets to live out their dreams as players, and I was able to do that. I got to do it at the highest level, and I'm really proud of that. Now, I have my family. I just got married this summer, I have my kids. So I'm really happy, trying to find that balance of working and working on my purpose work and raising my family."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Joakim Noah (<a href="https://twitter.com/JoakimNoah?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoakimNoah</a>) lending a hand to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JrNBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JrNBA</a> ‼<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAParis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAParis</a> <a href="https://t.co/23ejEVVfqz">pic.twitter.com/23ejEVVfqz</a>
&mdash; NBA Cares (@nbacares) <a href="https://twitter.com/nbacares/status/1615701027122036736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Do you still keep in touch with your college teammates like Al Horford who's still playing and Corey Brewer who's coaching in New Orleans and your old Bulls teammates?
Noah: "Oh of course. These are people that I shared some of the most special times of my life with. I love Corey. We just sat down not long ago. Obviously, I have strong relationships with everybody and was able to do a beautiful trip with Derrick [Rose] to Africa, where he brought the Simeon (Academy) kids to Senegal this summer. These are all trips, these are all moments that I'm really proud of the relationships that I build off the court. And I just want to keep building."
If there are any players in the NBA today that you have your eye on, who would you say stands out?
Noah: "I love Bol Bol. Bol Bol is probably my favorite player to watch right now. I love to see his growth. Obviously, his back story is unbelievable. His father was so much more than just a basketball player. And just to see him become the player that he is and you just see him... you're not used to seeing somebody who's that tall &mdash; 7-foot-2 African guy &mdash; with handles, with that kind of ability. It just shows how much the game has grown. I just love watching him play. He's just a really exciting player. I wish him nothing but the best."
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More infomation regarding the BAL and the NBA Paris Game:
<ul>
<li>The third BAL season will tip off on March 11 and once again feature the top 12 club teams from 12 African cities playing games in Dakar, Senegal; Cairo, Egypt; and Kigali, Rwanda over three months in 2023</li>
</ul>
<ol>
<ol>
<li>The 12 club champions will be divided into two conferences.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
</ol>
<ul>
<ul>
<li>The Sahara Conference will play a 15-game group phase at the Dakar Arena in Dakar from March 11-21.</li>
<li>The Nile Conference will play a 15-game group phase at the Hassan Mostafa Indoor Sports Complex in Cairo from April 26 &ndash; May 6.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The top four teams from each conference will advance to an eight-game, single elimination Playoffs and Finals at BK Arena in Kigali from May 21-27.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Each of the 12 BAL teams will have up to 13 players, at least eight of whom will be citizens in their respective team&rsquo;s home country and up to four of whom can be from other countries, with no more than two players per team from outside of Africa.&nbsp;</li>
<ul>
<li>One roster spot on each team is reserved for an NBA Academy Africa prospect as part of the BAL Elevate program, which will once again provide an opportunity for the next generation of African prospects to participate in a professional league, showcase their talent on a global stage and help their respective teams compete for the 2023 BAL Championship.</li>
</ul>
<li>The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the NBA, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that completed its second season in May 2022.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, the BAL builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA Africa has organized in Africa and marks the NBA&rsquo;s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America.</li>
<li>On May 28, Tunisia&rsquo;s US Monastir defeated Angola&rsquo;s Petro de Luanda 83-72 to win the 2022 BAL Finals in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,000 at BK Arena.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The 2022 BAL season featured players from 23 countries across Africa, Europe, and the U.S, reached fans in 214 countries and territories in 14 languages - including all 54 African countries - and generated more than 600 million online engagements.</li>
</ul>
NBA Africa
<ul>
<li>With the support of strategic partners, in May the NBA launched NBA Africa as a new, standalone entity that conducts the league&rsquo;s business in Africa, including the BAL.</li>
</ul>
o&nbsp;&nbsp; The investors&rsquo; and strategic partners&rsquo; expertise in a wide range of industries and established relationships with African businesses, governments and NGOs will help accelerate the NBA&rsquo;s growth across the continent.&nbsp;
o&nbsp;&nbsp; The funding will contribute to the growth of the BAL, help expand the NBA&rsquo;s presence in priority African markets and Africa&rsquo;s basketball ecosystem, and deepen the league&rsquo;s engagement with players and fans through initiatives such as the launch of additional NBA Academies and social responsibility initiatives that improve the livelihoods of African youth and families.
<ul>
<li>The strategic investors include a consortium led by Babatunde &ldquo;Tunde&rdquo; Folawiyo, Chairman and CEO of Yinka Folawiyo Group; and Helios Fairfax Partners Corporation (HFP), led by Tope Lawani, Co-CEO of HFP and Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Helios Investment Partners.</li>
</ul>
o&nbsp;&nbsp; NBA Legends Junior Bridgeman, Luol Deng (South Sudan), Grant Hill, Ian Mahinmi (France; ties to Benin), Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Joakim Noah (grandfather from Cameroon) have also invested in NBA Africa and will use their collective influence to contribute to our growth goals.
<ul>
<li>In July, the NBA announced that former President Barack Obama has joined NBA Africa as a strategic partner and will help advance the league&rsquo;s social responsibility efforts across the continent, including programs and partnerships that support greater gender equality and economic inclusion.</li>
<li>In December, global economist and New York Times best-selling author Dr. Dambisa Moyo and Academy Award-winning actor and social activist Forest Whitaker joined NBA Africa as strategic investors.</li>
</ul>
The NBA Paris Game 2023
<ul>
<li>The NBA Paris Game 2023 will feature the six-time NBA champion Chicago Bulls and the three-time NBA champion Detroit Pistons playing a regular-season game at the Accor Arena in Paris on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023.</li>
<li>The NBA Paris Game 2023 will mark the first NBA game in Europe since 2020 and the league&rsquo;s 12th game in France since 1991.&nbsp; The NBA Paris Game 2020 &ndash; the first regular-season NBA game in Paris &ndash; took place Jan. 24, 2020, and featured the Charlotte Hornets and the Milwaukee Bucks.</li>
<li>The NBA Paris Game 2023 will mark the Bulls&rsquo; third game in Paris, having played two preseason games in the French capital in 1997.
<ul>
<li>The Bulls are among the top three most-popular NBA teams in international merchandise sales (No. 2 in Europe), among the top five most-popular teams on NBA League Pass outside the U.S. (No. 5), and among the top five most-popular NBA teams on social media in terms of following (No. 2 on Facebook, No. 4 on Instagram, No. 4 on Twitter)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Pistons will be playing their first game in France, having previously played regular-season games in London (2013) and Mexico City (2019).</li>
</ul>
NBA in France
<ul>
<li>NBA games and programming have aired in France since 1985.</li>
<li>During the 2022-23 NBA season, fan in France can watch the NBA on beIN SPORTS, the NBA&rsquo;s exclusive Broadcast &amp; Digital partner in France, and NBA League Pass. beIN SPORTS airs up to 14 live games per week during the regular season, as well as the Play-In, Playoffs, all Conference Finals, Finals, All-Star Weekend, the Draft and Classic Games.</li>
<li>The 2022-23 regular season features 45 games that will air in primetime in Europe, the Middle East and Africa as part of &ldquo;NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K23,&rdquo; marking the 10th consecutive regular season that the league has scheduled weekend games that air in primetime in EMEA.</li>
<li>France ranks fourth among European markets in League Pass subscriptions.</li>
<li>Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 games &ndash; featuring French star and top 2023 NBA Draft prospect Victor Wembanyama &ndash; are available for free on the new NBA App throughout the 2022-23 including the LNB All-Star Game and select LNB Betclic ELITE Playoffs and Finals games.</li>
<li>The NBA&rsquo;s localized social media channels in France (Facebook and Twitter) have more than 1.5M collective followers.</li>
<li>The NBA Paris Game 2023 will mark the second regular-season game in France, the 12th NBA game overall in France (dating back to 1991) and the 94th NBA game in Europe (dating back to 1984).</li>
<li>Opening-night rosters for the 2022-23 NBA season featured 58 European players, including nine players from France.
<ul>
<li>France has had more players drafted into the NBA than other country outside North America and has been the most-represented European country in the NBA for each of the last 16 seasons.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <a href="https://pr.nba.com/nba-fanatics-paris-store-open/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pr.nba.com/nba-fanatics-paris-store-open/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1674099893476000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2Pk9FJqixBAsT8n3qeg9n7">NBA Paris Store</a> &ndash; the first in France &ndash; opened&nbsp;in July 2022 and has featured player appearances by Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat and Alex Caruso of the Chicago Bulls. Top selling teams Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors.</li>
<li>The NBA works with 18 marketing partners in France: adidas, EA, FDJ/ParionsSport, Foot Locker, Hennessy, Hotels.com/Expedia, ISG, Kellogg&rsquo;s, Microsoft, Mitchell &amp; Ness, New Balance, New Era, Nike, Rakuten, SAP, Tissot, Under Armour, Yop, and 2K Sports</li>
</ul>

Spencer Davies speaks with Joakim Noah ahead of the 2023 NBA Paris Game about his BAL passion, international hoops and more.

Joakim Noah Q&A: NBA Paris Game, investing in BAL, basketball's growth

A champion will be crowned in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) today, as Tunisia&rsquo;s US Monastir and Angola&rsquo;s Petro de Luanda face off at noon ET.
The game will reach fans in 215 countries and territories, and will air in Africa on ESPN, Canal+, VisionView TV and Voice of America (VOA) radio, and around the world on American Forces Network (AFN), ESPNews, NBA TV International, Tencent Sports, TSN, the NBA App and <a href="NBA.com">NBA.com.</a> The BAL featured the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries.
On May 22-23, Indiana Pacers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce and Detroit Pistons assistant coach Bill Bayno led a BAL Coaches Clinic for more than 70 local basketball coaches in the Rwandan capital Kigali. The clinic offered tools and strategies to help the coaches enhance their player-development curriculum. Former NBA players Joakim Noah and Ian Mahinmi were in attendance along with BAL players from US Monastir.
BasketballNews.com caught up with Coach Pierce to discuss the camp, his growth as a coach, his experience as an assistant coach with Team USA, the Pacers&rsquo; young core and more.
You and Coach Bill Bayno just wrapped up the BAL Coaches Clinic. How did it go?
Lloyd Pierce: &ldquo;First and foremost, you have to give credit to the NBA and especially NBA Africa and the staff. [BAL President] Amadou Gallo Fall has done an amazing job of taking a vision and executing that vision to bring this together. The BAL league is really taking off over here in Africa, and I think the next layer of really trying to get this thing to grow and develop properly is teaching and trying to educate the coaches on the strategies and techniques so that they can not only coach it, but coach it better and find their passion. They have a huge impact by finding these players in the early stages in their career and teaching them and giving them the proper tools so that they can take off.
"So, this Coaches Clinic is probably as important as the games because it&rsquo;s education. It&rsquo;s educating an entire continent on the game of basketball that we all know so well, and they are eager to learn more and more about the different things that we have. I really feel blessed to be a part of this Coaches Clinic along with Coach Bayno and working with these coaches here and seeing the excitement that they have to teach the game, which really excites us as coaches as well.&rdquo;
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There was a classroom component and an on-court component. Can you walk me through each session and what kind of stuff you covered?
Pierce: &ldquo;Coach Bayno spoke in the classroom and really just gave them a ton of gems on player development and the different techniques that a coach needs to help a player get better. Using your imagination as a coach, the sweat equity &ndash; being able to get out there with your guys and work. But also the sweat technique &ndash; as you&rsquo;re working with those guys, giving them the proper technique and the essential tools to not just do it but do it correctly. The importance of that one-on-one relationship when it comes to connecting with players. Focusing on development, but being able to give them that same energy that you&rsquo;re expecting from them in return. He did a tremendous job on the player-development side.
"I tried to do more of a team-focused [lesson], both offensively and defensively. Offensively, we talked about some general principles and spacing &ndash; what spacing looks like, using cuts, using screens, using respace, our first three steps to open the floor up. These are a lot of strategies and techniques that we use in the NBA, but I think it&rsquo;s very important for young players too. There&rsquo;s commitment and a selflessness to spacing the floor that they have to learn and buy into. And defensively, we talked a lot about positioning, taking pride in being a good defender, understanding what a help defender looks like and just sticking to the basics &ndash; so a lot of shell-drill emphasis and a lot of one-on-one defensive emphasis.&rdquo;
The NBA has really prioritized globalization in recent years. What are your thoughts on the NBA&rsquo;s globalization efforts?&nbsp;
Pierce: &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s probably one of the most important things that we do. As the top professional basketball league in the world, I think it&rsquo;s an obligation of ours to help grow the game globally. Our game benefits from the globalization of [basketball] and from the millions of viewers who watch across the world, so it&rsquo;s our obligation to give back. And there&rsquo;s no shortage of talent on this continent, so our main contribution is not only discovering talent but helping develop that talent. You&rsquo;re looking at a guy like Joel Embiid or Giannis Antetokounmpo or any of these players who have come from different countries. But [when it comes to] players with African heritage, the [talent pool] is plentiful on this continent. I think they&rsquo;ve done a great job of not only discovering these players, but also trying to get to them early about the right habits, techniques, nutrition and strength development. I don&rsquo;t know if there&rsquo;s a more important global impact that we can have in our sport than being here on this continent and helping spread the game.&rdquo;
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I want to discuss how coaches can develop over time. There are many examples of a coach struggling early on and then doing a much better job after they&rsquo;ve learned from their mistakes and gained experience. Someone like Jason Kidd was labeled a &ldquo;bad coach,&rdquo; but he&rsquo;s gotten better over the years and silenced those doubters. Do you think fans and media sometimes throw that label around prematurely and underestimate how much coaches can grow over time?
Pierce: &ldquo;Yeah. I&rsquo;m a reader, and I try to learn things that I think can apply to basketball. In Malcolm Gladwell&rsquo;s book &lsquo;Outliers,&rsquo; he talked about the 10,000-Hour Rule. If you spend enough time on something, you&rsquo;re going to get better at it. As coaches, that can be youth development, that can be personal development (or how to connect with players), that can be strategy and technique. As a former head coach and current assistant coach, you have to continue to work at your craft &ndash; whether it&rsquo;s decision-making, making reads, connecting with players or finding your joy and the energy that you bring to the game. That last one is important; there are a lot of coaches you hear from who burn out &ndash; they lose [their passion], have a lack of energy and aren&rsquo;t as motivating anymore. I think it&rsquo;s important to go and find ways to challenge yourself.
"For me to be over here in this beautiful city of Kigali, Rwanda &ndash; one of the cleanest cities I&rsquo;ve ever been in &ndash; to work with players who are excited about us being here, there&rsquo;s a renowned joy of coaching because it&rsquo;s purposeful for me. That helps us as coaches grow. So, you see a lot of coaches like Jason Kidd who get their second or third opportunities and find a renewed sense of energy and strength and strategy. They see the game a little differently. Things they may have over-complicated before, they simplify those things now. These things are important for us. I have a saying that I use all the time: For me, coaching is about getting better and helping others get better. And I truly, really mean that. I&rsquo;ll get better if I&rsquo;m helping others get better, and that&rsquo;s my purpose in coaching.&rdquo;
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From when you started coaching to where you&rsquo;re at now, how much do you feel you have improved? I&rsquo;m sure it&rsquo;s a night-and-day difference.
Pierce: &ldquo;It is! And I think the biggest joy that you get to experience as a coach who&rsquo;s been through the ringer is Summer League. Most coaches in Summer League are player-development guys or front-of-the-bench assistants that are constantly working their way up. I think when you&rsquo;re an assistant, you think you know all of the answers. Then, when you&rsquo;re forced into that head-coach seat, you gotta make all of the decisions so there&rsquo;s no one else to blame or be pissed at for not taking your idea. (laughs) You make the decisions. When I first started coaching, my voice wasn&rsquo;t as strong. The eye-contact wasn&rsquo;t as great. The conviction wasn&rsquo;t always there. Now, it&rsquo;s simple. It&rsquo;s not the ideas; I have lots of ideas and I love listening to ideas. It&rsquo;s the decision. And when you make the decision, you&rsquo;ve gotta believe it. Because if you don&rsquo;t believe it, they won&rsquo;t believe it. And if you don&rsquo;t believe it, they&rsquo;ll know you don&rsquo;t believe it. That comes over a period of time. You might be down 20 points and you&rsquo;ve gotta sell it to your guys that the game ain&rsquo;t over. You might be up 20 and you&rsquo;ve gotta convince your guys that we shouldn&rsquo;t be complacent. You&rsquo;ve gotta do those things with conviction, and that just comes with experience, you know? Maybe as a first-time head coach, in your first game when you&rsquo;re up 20, you relax. Well, guess who else relaxes? The players! So, that&rsquo;s a lesson learned.
"All of those things, I think, are hard to measure from the outside looking in. Everyone always paints the picture of a coach &lsquo;not making the right adjustments&rsquo; or they really hate his rotations, but some of those things, you&rsquo;ve gotta have conviction and sell it with conviction. And if it doesn&rsquo;t work out, you&rsquo;ve gotta live with it. But if you&rsquo;re wishy-washy and going back and forth, it really puts your team in a bad spot, and it also puts you in a bad spot because now you don&rsquo;t believe what you&rsquo;re doing; you&rsquo;re just trying stuff. That all comes with experience. You see these coaches [in the playoffs]: I love Jason Kidd&rsquo;s demeanor on the sideline, I love Steve Kerr&rsquo;s demeanor on the sideline, I love Spo and Ime Udoka&rsquo;s demeanor. Because they are confident in what they&rsquo;re doing, and their players are playing to their confidence and their strengths right now. And that&rsquo;s all you can ask. You&rsquo;ve done all of the preparation and now it&rsquo;s [late in a series] and these guys know each other extremely well, so the coach just has to sit back and stay the course and be extremely confident, so that the players can do the same thing.&rdquo;
You were part of Gregg Popovich's Team USA coaching staff alongside Steve Kerr and Jay Wright among others. What were your biggest takeaways from that experience and how did that help you grow as a coach?
Pierce: &ldquo;Pop didn&rsquo;t show his angst. Pop is always cool under pressure, but he preached to us &lsquo;appropriate fear.&rsquo; You fear your opponents out of respect, not out of fear so it&rsquo;s appropriate. And if you have that level of respect, you know that you need to bring it and not go into any game feeling overconfident against any opponent. I just thought being around guys like Pop and Jay Wright and Steve Kerr and Jeff Van Gundy and all of those guys was tremendous for my development. Because you not only got to see how their minds work and how they communicate with each other and the respect they have for the game, but you got to experience high-level conversations with the players and that connectivity and then apply it to the game. The level of experience that those coaches have, it was unfair that I was able to gain the advantage of learning from them during the two summers that we had together. It&rsquo;s a different game and it was a different challenge for all of us, but we embraced it. We came together, we had great dinners and great conversations, and the gold medal was rewarding.&rdquo;
I love the core that your Indiana Pacers are assembling, with Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Duarte, Myles Turner and so on. What are your thoughts on the team&rsquo;s development throughout the season and how excited are you about this young core going forward?
Pierce: &ldquo;Extremely excited. I think we&rsquo;ve got some guys who, more importantly, want to be in Indiana. They&rsquo;re excited about starting and continuing their careers [here]. You&rsquo;re looking at a guy like Tyrese whose third year is coming up and he&rsquo;s now on his second team, and he&rsquo;s looking to make Indiana a home. Chris Duarte, after going through his rookie season, is looking to make Indiana a home and find some consistency. We&rsquo;re all excited about what we have, and we look forward to the draft and free agency. I&rsquo;ve talked to Coach [Rick] Carlisle often about this new group next year being his team and not the team that we inherited, and he gets an opportunity to really mold some young guys and some really talented guys and bring back some veterans who will get a fresh start with the youth and the guys that have talent. I think we&rsquo;re all looking forward to training camp and this summer of development to get back on the right track.&rdquo;
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Lloyd Pierce discusses the BAL Coaches Clinic, the Pacers' young core, his development as a coach, coaching Team USA and more.

Lloyd Pierce opens up about BAL Coaches Clinic, his growth as a coach

Hey yo. You know exactly what time of year this is. Now, for the purposes of this adventure, let&rsquo;s clarify a few things.
<ol>
<li>This is not a top-10. The headline does not read Top-10 &ndash; just 10.</li>
<li>Additionally, this is not necessarily a ranking of said 10. Just 10 awesome moments that&rsquo;ll make you nostalgic for previous NCAA Tournaments that may project what we we&rsquo;re about to endure with this month&rsquo;s March Madness. Not everything needs to turn into a Twitter-replies-section debate for us to have a good time.</li>
<li>If your favorite moment isn&rsquo;t here, it&rsquo;s gonna be OK. Life will go on.</li>
</ol>
Good? Good! Now, let&rsquo;s play with some emotions.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
March 20, 2010: Ali Farokhmanesh💦 It&rsquo;s been 11 years since Northern Iowa (+11) took down Kansas to reach the Sweet 16! &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t be serious with that shot!&rdquo;<a href="https://t.co/Qf3MWNY4xH">pic.twitter.com/Qf3MWNY4xH</a>
&mdash; PointsBet Iowa (@PointsBetIA) <a href="https://twitter.com/PointsBetIA/status/1373262014554894339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2021</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t be serious with that shot!&rdquo;
Kansas has made literally every NCAA Tournament since 1990, and every single time, they&rsquo;ve been the higher seed in round one. As a result, they&rsquo;ve had some embarrassing losses, and because they&rsquo;re a blue blood, some of us laugh at them every time. Arguably the best and ballsiest example of this came in 2010.
Kansas was a No. 1 seed in their region &ndash; as they normally are &ndash; facing ninth-seeded Northern Iowa in round two. Northern Iowa led 63-62 while breaking Kansas&rsquo; press with 42 seconds to go. Northern Iowa quickly broke said press, landing the ball in the hands of a senior guard named Ali Farokhmanesh.
As 37 seconds remained &ndash; with 30 on the shot clock &ndash; you&rsquo;d figure he&rsquo;d hold and either get fouled or just milk the clock. But his eyes made love to the net about 24-feet-away, and once Kansas realized he was actually going to take the shot, it was too late. Northern Iowa won 69-67, reaching the Sweet Sixteen for the only time in program history.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Five years ago today, RJ Hunter knocked his dad (and coach) off his stool with a game-winning three 🔥 (via @MarchMadness)<a href="https://t.co/XpbMLrFxVM">pic.twitter.com/XpbMLrFxVM</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1240712661957931008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2020</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;What are they doing?&rdquo;
Baylor led Georgia State 56-54 with 14.1 seconds to go in 2015. Ron Hunter, Georgia State&rsquo;s head coach, tore his Achilles while celebrating the team's Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship days before the NCAA Tournament, so he had been coaching from a stool. His son, RJ Hunter, was the best player on the team and, naturally, had the ball in his hands for the team&rsquo;s last possession. It was an objectively terrible possession, which caused the commentator to ask aloud, &ldquo;What are they doing?&rdquo;
Hunter basically pulled a near 30-foot three-point-attempt with around four seconds left, and made it, giving the 14th-seeded Panthers an upset win over the third-seeded Baylor Bears in round one. More importantly, the stool-sitting Ron Hunter fell on his face in celebration on the sideline.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
On this day 24 years ago, No. 16 Harvard upset No. 1 Stanford. This was the first major upset in tournament history!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchMadness</a> <a href="https://t.co/ij0qnl4oiz">pic.twitter.com/ij0qnl4oiz</a>
&mdash; NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessWBB/status/1503434534854926336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Real First Time
Before UMBC stunned Virginia in 2018, becoming the first No. 16 to defeat a No. 1 in the men&rsquo;s tournament, the Harvard women&rsquo;s squad made history 20 years earlier. The Crimson went 22-4 during the regular season, and ran into a Pac-10 heavyweight in Stanford, who had been in the previous three Final Fours and won two national championships earlier in the decade.
The win was not only impressive because Harvard matched Stanford blow for blow all night long, but they won in Stanford.
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Craziest comeback in March Madness history? In 2016, Texas A&amp;M rallied back from down 12 with 36 seconds left to force OT vs Northern Iowa Final: Texas A&amp;M 92 UNI 88<a href="https://t.co/awYiihgB9K">pic.twitter.com/awYiihgB9K</a>
&mdash; Barstool Bench Mob (@stoolbenchmob) <a href="https://twitter.com/stoolbenchmob/status/1443291894302318593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
Alright, let&rsquo;s play for real
As great as Northern Iowa&rsquo;s win over Kansas was in 2010, their 2016 loss against Texas A&amp;M was equally as impressive. Northern Iowa, as the No. 11 seed, led third-seeded A&amp;M 69-57 with 44 seconds to go en route to another Sweet Sixteen. And then, an A&amp;M squad, led by a couple seniors you may recognize named Alex Caruso and Danuel House, made the most ridiculous comeback you may have ever seen in such a short span, forcing overtime, and eventually winning 92-88 after multiple OTs.
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DUNK CITY! 8 years ago today No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast made its <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchMadness</a> debut &amp; beat No. 2 Georgetown! <a href="https://t.co/HL83ubO7qm">pic.twitter.com/HL83ubO7qm</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1374026020756537344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
Dunk City
The first time some of us heard of Florida Gulf Coast was during their 2013 NCAA Tournament run, which earned them the nickname Dunk City. Why? Because these dudes were catching bodies on a seemingly improbable run to the Sweet Sixteen. FGC wasn&rsquo;t even a Division I school until 2007, but as a 15-seed in 2013, they tomahawked their way to a 78-68 victory over No. 2 Georgetown &ndash; Otto Porter&rsquo;s last college game &ndash; and continued raising hell against No. 7 San Diego State, alley-ooping their way to an 81-71 win.
They lost to No. 3 and inner-state foe Florida 62-50, but made a memorable enough run that people still call them Dunk City to this day. They even pissed off Joakim Noah, who was in attendance, before bowing out gracefully. Thankfully, Kevin Harlan was the perfect broadcaster to take us on this experience. If there&rsquo;s anything to bring in the casual observer, it&rsquo;s a bunch of dudes you&rsquo;ve never heard of just unexpectedly yamming on people.
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Three years ago today, Mississippi State stunned unbeaten UConn in overtime at the Final Four. The Huskies had won 111 straight games 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/D39SdrhdnW">pic.twitter.com/D39SdrhdnW</a>
&mdash; ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1244991741431857153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
No room for 112
UConn had 111 straight wins heading into the 2017 Final Four, including the previous four-straight NCAA titles. A team including future WNBA&rsquo;ers Kia Nurse, Gabby Williams, Katie Lou Samuelson, Napheesa Collier, Crystal Dangerfield and Saniya Chong led UConn to wins of 116-55, 94-64, 86-71 and 90-52 heading into their match-up with Mississippi State. The Bulldogs had just gotten by Baylor in overtime in their Elite Eight game.
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Mississippi State &ndash; highlighted by future WNBA first rounders Teaira McCowan and Victoria Vivans &ndash; not only kept it close, but dragged UConn into overtime for the first time all season. Tied at 64 with 12 seconds left, Dominique Dillingham brought the ball up the floor, and when met with a double team, found guard Moran William around 30-feet from the basket at the top of the key with less than five seconds left. William faked a pass left, quickly knifed toward the right elbow, pulled up from outside the paint and splashed the game-winner, ending UConn&rsquo;s streak and sending Miss. St. to the national championship, where they lost to South Carolina.&nbsp;
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A GAME FOR THE AGES! Jalen Suggs drains a heave for No. 1 Gonzaga to take down No. 11 UCLA and advance to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NationalChampionship?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NationalChampionship</a>! (via <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CBSSports</a>) <a href="https://t.co/j5IYwYHZsL">pic.twitter.com/j5IYwYHZsL</a>
&mdash; Sports Illustrated (@SInow) <a href="https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1378546005839282183?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Insert your bad bank pun here
Last year&rsquo;s tournament had a different vibe due to the lack of crowds, but one of the most memorable moments came in the Final Four. No. 1 seed Gonzaga and No. 11 seed UCLA were in overtime during their national semifinal matchup. Johnny Juzang, who is back with UCLA this season, made a game-tying layup with 3.3 seconds left, putting this at 90 each.
Current Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs quickly got the inbound, sprinted the ball up the floor, pulled from a couple steps beyond half-court and banked in the game-winner to send them to the National Championship game with a 31-0 record. Like Mississippi State, they lost in the title game, but hell, at least they got there.
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Kris Jenkins called game 🤯 Four years ago today, Jenkins gave Nova its first national championship since '85 <a href="https://t.co/B1uopP2I84">pic.twitter.com/B1uopP2I84</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1246463363539963905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2020</a></blockquote>

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Okay, maybe this is &ldquo;The Shot&rdquo;
If anything deserves to be dubbed &ldquo;The Shot,&rdquo; it might be this one. It was so good and timely that we&rsquo;ve forgotten how sick Marcus Paige&rsquo;s was seconds before.
Villanova and North Carolina faced off in the 2016 National Title game, which had one of the illest finishes ever. Paige, with nine seconds left, barely received a pass while on the right wing. With seven seconds, he rose up, while double teamed, and double clutched, making a game-tying three, forcing a 74-74 score.
Villanova, with 4.7 seconds left, inbounded the ball to Ryan Arcidiacono, who found Kris Jenkins open at NBA-range above the key, and drilled home a game-winning three as time expired to win the title. Additionally, we got the best-timed confetti shot in sports history (PTSD warning).
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March 30th, 2018 🗓 Two years ago today, Notre Dame's Arike Ogunbowale hit this CLUTCH game-winner with 1 second left in OT to end UConn's undefeated season 🔥 (via <a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@espn</a>) | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OTD?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OTD</a><a href="https://t.co/X3IoK4dvw0">pic.twitter.com/X3IoK4dvw0</a>
&mdash; FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) <a href="https://twitter.com/FDSportsbook/status/1244655717929357313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
Mamba Mentality&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s really hard to have a better Final Four than Arike Ogunbowale did in 2018.
Many of the same UConn women mentioned earlier were back for their 2018 run, which included a match-up with Notre Dame in the Final Four. Ogunbowale missed a free throw in overtime to make it a 90-86 game, allowing for Crystal Dangerfield to hit a game-tying three. Notre Dame struggled to find Ogunbowale due to UConn&rsquo;s pressure, but eventually did with eight seconds left. She dribbled right, got the mismatch with the bigger Naphessa Collier, crossed over, had enough space and sunk the game-winner with one second to spare. Notre Dame won 91-89.
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ARIKE OGUNBOWALE CALLED GAME. FOR THE TITLE. (via @ncaawbb) <a href="https://t.co/EtY7HHq41z">pic.twitter.com/EtY7HHq41z</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/980600569373982720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2018</a></blockquote>

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Then, in the National Championship, Notre Dame drew Mississippi State. Tied 58-58 with eight seconds left, Ogunbowale forced a turnover and began pushing up the floor before Notre Dame regained possession with five seconds left, and called a timeout with three seconds to go. Off the inbound, the Fighting Irish found Ogunbowale, who hit the game-winner as time expired from a very similar spot to the one from two days prior. It&rsquo;s one of the coldest weekends a ballplayer could ever have.
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Lorenzo Charles' game-winning dunk gave <a href="https://twitter.com/PackMensBball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PackMensBball</a> a National Championship and left Jim Valvano looking for a hug. <a href="https://t.co/lXyyNyyiUS">pic.twitter.com/lXyyNyyiUS</a>
&mdash; CBS Sports (@CBSSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSports/status/1503404336524668929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
The Dunk
Younger generations might be more familiar with Jimmy V the week as opposed to Jimmy V the coach, but Jim Valvano and the North Carolina State Wolfpack shocked the world around this time nearly 40 years ago. NC State was a sixth-seed and opposite of a top-seeded Houston team that was engineered by Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.
Tied at 52, NC State was dribbling out the clock to hold for the final possession. As Houston inched closer to forcing a turnover, guard Dereck Whittenburg had to heave one with three seconds left well beyond 30-feet. Noticing it was going to be an airball, Lorenzo Charles got into position, rose up, caught and dunked the ball as time expired, giving NC State their first and only title.&nbsp;
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As basketball fans get pumped for March Madness, Bryan Fonseca looks back at some epic moments from past NCAA Tournaments.

March Madness: 10 historic moments you'll want to watch again

Much has been written about Luol Deng&rsquo;s contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.&nbsp;
Deng signed a four-year, $72M deal with the Lakers in 2016, but played just 57 games with the team over two seasons. He inked the contract right after Kobe Bryant retired, but the Lakers leaned toward a youth movement despite signing Deng, and the veteran forward was relegated to the bench.&nbsp;
Deng retired from the NBA in 2019; however, due to his contract's cap hold, the Lakers had to stretch his deal after waiving him in Sept. 2018. This was done so that the team would have cap flexibility to be able to sign LeBron James over that offseason.
As a result, the Lakers have been paying him every year since, including $4.9 million this season, which continuously raises a lot of eyebrows. In fact, Deng&rsquo;s earnings in retained salary are around the same amount this season as DeAndre Jordan, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard, who will be making a combined $5,007,534.
Instead of listening to rumors that have been swirling since 2016 &mdash; accusations of taking the money and laying down or quitting on the team &mdash; I simply asked Luol to explain what exactly happened during his stint in L.A. Luol discussed this and much more on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rematch/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-41-luol-deng-on-his-nba-career,-lakers-contract,-misdiagnosis-with-the-bulls,-duke-stint,-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the latest episode</a> of "The Rematch."
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Etan Thomas: You alluded to it, so we can discuss it now. You went to Miami, and you went to Cleveland. But then, you went to the Lakers in 2016 and you signed up for a four-year, $72 million contract. And then, they didn't really play you. It was weird. It wasn't like you were hurt. You could [play], correct? I'm telling your story like I know. You tell. Were you hurt, or was it they just didn't play you?
You looked fine all before. It's like you were just sitting there just ready to go. And you had a good attitude. They didn't try to say that you were a problem. Everybody spoke very highly of you. They just didn't play you. So everybody was like, "Well, y'all just signed him to this big contract. Why wouldn't you play him?" Tell me, what was going on?
Luol Deng: "I think the people that were there, they will always know. I swear to you Etan, I worked so hard there, but it just didn't work out. When I first got there, the idea was I'm a bit older now, not even that old at the time, but we have a young team. We need you to play. We need to get to the playoffs. We need to get these guys right. We need to do this. And I said okay. I was convinced.
"But just to set this story straight, because everyone thinks I just went for the money. I had the same offer from Utah, and I had almost this closer offer from the Wizards. And I took the Lakers because I felt that what they pitched to me sounded better than what everyone else pitched to me at the time. So I wanted to go there and be a part of it. As I got there, right away, I knew we had a young team, and I was okay with that. I said, 'I'll play my role until we get going.' And the pitch was we're going to be better each year.
"I knew that they wanted to move some pieces, some young pieces, but they had to showcase them. So the first year, what happened was we moved from trying to make the playoffs to we are developing. We are a young team. And I sat down with the organization halfway during the season. A new GM came in and everything. So they sat me down and said, 'Look, we're going to go young. We're gonna play the young guys. We need your leadership. We need you to mentor them. And next year, we have a chance. We're not going to have a chance this year, but we want to really be competitive and get these guys to catch up to speed.'
"And I was like, 'Alright. Cool.' Never missed a practice. Never missed anything. The next year, that summer, I worked as hard as I can. And I came in, I was in shape. I was ready to play, and I thought that we're going to get going. We're going to get to playing. As you remember, I played the first game. The first game of the season. I played maybe 15 minutes, 14 minutes. I had two points. I got yanked out. I didn't play. So it was fine. It was the first game.
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"Right away from the first game, the decision was made that we're going to play the young guys again. So I was like, 'Okay, so what's the situation here?' So they're like, 'No, we're going to play the young guys. We're going to try to trade you,' this and this. So okay, how are you going to trade all this money without me actually playing? Everyone thinks I'm hurt or something happened or whatever. I can't showcase nothing.
"And so it's like, 'Okay, this is what we're going to do. We're going to try move you.' Try to move me, try to move me. I don't blame anyone why. Even if I'm a GM, I'm not moving for someone who hasn't played with all the money. Why would I? So the strategy wasn't right.
"But I always felt, okay, if I'm in the organization, and this is what I was telling you earlier, I had a mindset of just &mdash; be respectful, do the right thing, and get on. The people that are close to you is who matters and who needs to know.
"I didn't care about anything else outside. So the strategy wasn't right. So just kept going. Couldn't move me. Couldn't move me. There came a time in the season where they're like, 'Okay, we want you to play.' So I said, 'Okay, no problem. I'm ready to play.'
"So they said, 'Okay, we're going to just put you in. You've got to jump in with the team. Get more reps and everything.' So I started jumping in, getting more reps, getting ready and everything. Then, I was called upstairs. The coach wanted me to play, but the direction wasn't going that way. Because I was going to be playing, and they wanted these young guys to play. So then again, the decision was made right there, after three weeks of training and working out that, 'Okay, you're not going to play.'
"So at that point, I just got up. I said, 'You guys just let me know. I'm not going to skip no practice, no nothing.' All year again, I went the whole year; the whole year I was in the locker room. I worked out. I never missed a practice. I trained. Everything.
"And then it started becoming obvious to everyone that this is a big organization. So what everyone started focusing on was, 'Oh, he's getting paid all this money. And he's just staying there, whatever.' And then know, as an athlete and somebody who's crafted their skill for so many years, there comes a time where you're just like, 'Okay, this is the image that you're portraying me as now. I've never been this guy.' But I'm like, 'Okay. It is what it is. I'm just going to do what's right.'
"So then came the summer. And that's the year, actually, when they moved some pieces and LeBron came on the team. When LeBron came on the team at that time, I spoke to whoever was in charge at the time. And I said, 'Look, I'm just going to trust you guys. So let's make something happen here. I'm just going to trust you guys.' So they're like, 'Okay, what's the best way to make something happen?' And I said, 'Let's come to terms with something. I don't care if I have to leave money behind.'
"And everybody's talking about the money that I'm making. I gave a lot of money back to get out of L.A. A lot of other people, they just said, 'Nah, F that. I'm going to stay around. I don't care what, whatever.' And people could post whatever they want to post, but the Lakers were not posting how much I gave them back. But I'm always going to be the guy who just took the money, but I could have been somewhere else with the same money playing. I made a decision to go there [to L.A.], and I never said I don't want to play. They made that decision.
"Even if you don't like the way I play, or even if I'm struggling, there's no way I wasn't good enough to play on that team. No way. And I showed it in practice. I showed it every day. It's a decision that you made that you didn't want me to play. There's a lot of other teams in the league that I could have been playing for. So that's really the situation with that. And that's how it went down."
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What was it like for Luol Deng to deal with criticism about his contract with the Lakers? He shares on The Rematch with <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@etanthomas36</a>. Full episode:<a href="https://t.co/w8fbQsogBr">https://t.co/w8fbQsogBr</a> <a href="https://t.co/bAw8dLeY5o">pic.twitter.com/bAw8dLeY5o</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1476184871877890050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Etan: Do you think that they put the narrative out there? Because sometimes things, I want to say, "leak," but they're purposely placed. And narratives were out there, but they could have easily cleared it all up. I thought the Lakers organization could have cleared up the false narratives about that you didn't want to play, that you were injured, that you were sitting down, that you didn't... They could have easily cleared that up, but they never did. Did you ever question why they never told exactly what happened while you were in the middle of it happening?
Deng: "I don't think they wanted to. One, I think everybody was trying to protect themself. I think, as a GM, you don't want to explain why you're not playing him. So it's easier to just, okay, whatever you want to put out there, whatever people think. And then as a coach, you are caught in, 'Oh, we want to go young.' You just say, 'Right now, we're focused on the young guys. We want to play the young guys. We got to give them minutes.' So there's always excuses and an outlet.
"But I think what's happening is with social media, and you see it all the time &mdash; if you are about the people, or if you really care about individuals or even athletes, or whoever, or you're just on the right side &mdash; I like to say the right side of history &mdash; I think you always stand with people that you know are trying to do the right thing. Or what you think is the right thing. I think what happens now, people are just so quick never to question their teams.
"And the thing with teams is teams make so much money that, for me, for any person, as they should, the rest of the world &mdash; the money that I'm being given is crazy. It a lot of money. To these organizations, that's nothing, and people need to understand that. It's just, 'Play it out there. Go.'
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"And people complain about athletes taking off a day, or doing this. 'They're getting paid all this money. Why are they taking off a day?' But fans never actually question teams that tank for a year while your money is being used. But at the end of the day, the owner can tank for a year, and they still get paid. But nobody really says anything about... 'We just paid tickets for this when we are losing just to get a pick.' But you don't question all that money, all that billions that the teams are making, or the owner are making, when they're having a bad season also. It's always the players, and it's the players' fault.
"You have to be okay with that, and you have to move on. But if you ask me, honestly, it was such a blessing the way it went. And I try to explain to people, everything that I'm doing off the court is really a result of everything that I was going through on the court. And you know how it is. We give it so much and playing and the pressure and wanting to perform. They told me I wasn't going to play, so I focused on my business. I focused on other things that I got. I focused on my foundation. And I really think that with God's way, just telling me that, 'You got so many other things going on for you. You can't just dwell and stress on one thing. Take that opportunity and make something else out of it.' And that's really what allowed me to focus on other things."
Etan: And you did an amazing job with it. A lot of people will be hearing this, and haven't heard you tell this story this way ever. They don't know this story. They look at, "Okay. Oh, Luol Deng is still getting paid for the Lakers. How's that possible?" And they tell that story. Or they say, "Oh, he swindled them. How's he still getting?" And I was like, "Yeah, I'm sure there's more to the story than that."
And that's why it's good that now you're telling this because it shapes people's perception of athletes when they're only told one story. And everything that so many guys from all your teams that you've played on, they talk about you in such glowing descriptions. You're this great teammate. And you come work hard, and you do all this. And you help everybody out.
Joakim Noah said he felt like he lost a brother when you left, when you got traded from the Bulls. The way that guys are talking about you, they wouldn't talk about you like that if you were someone who was the media depiction of you. Somebody who just laid down, didn't want to play anymore, got your money. It's completely different. So without even knowing all the details, I knew that there was more to the story. So I'm glad that you told this.
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Luol Deng set the record straight about his shortened stay with the Lakers and why he didn't play many games for the team.

Luol Deng on short Lakers stint: 'I never said I didn’t want to play'

Quite indecisive, he&rsquo;d often commit a cardinal sin.&nbsp;
Ever the defensive unit, he&rsquo;d streak up the floor off of a turnover, ball in hand. Teammates flanking.
Quite indecisive, he was. He&rsquo;d take flight before figuring out what came next.
Feed Joakim Noah for the flush? Kick it out to Kyle Korver for the three? Finish it myself?
The court was Derrick Rose&rsquo;s oyster. Why think when you can fly?
Zion Williamson gives us those same feels.
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Even as Rose has enjoyed quite the renaissance, we can only look back at who he was and wonder what may have been. The youngest MVP in league history, after suffering a fair share of early-career injuries, Rose has valiantly scratched and clawed his way back toward the top of the NBA&rsquo;s relevancy mountain.&nbsp;
Still, he remains this generation&rsquo;s finest example of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-derrick-rose-a-future-halloffamer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">what could&rsquo;ve been</a>.
All the talent in the world can&rsquo;t save you if your body isn&rsquo;t on your side. Health is the universal equalizer; it makes superheroes mere mortals, and grounds the ability to defy gravity.
Indeed, NBA history is littered with examples of players whose promise was undercut by their mortality. Aside from Rose and the obvious additions of Grant Hill and Penny Hardaway, we can cite Greg Oden and Brandon Roy. Yao Ming.
As a basketball-viewing public, our hope is that those with the promise to become all-time greats have that opportunity. And within the class of those we call greats, there are plenty of others who have shaken off their early bouts with injuries and put them so far behind that you can&rsquo;t even see them in a rearview mirror.
Nobody remembers that Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid each missed what should&rsquo;ve been their rookie seasons. Ditto for Blake Griffin. Many others were able to overcome early trips to the infirmary and become all-world performers. The hope for the New Orleans Pelicans is that this will eventually be true for Zion.
So yeah, while he can fly, as Williamson enters his third year, we are still yet to find out whether he can do something much more important &mdash; stay healthy.
Missing all but 24 games in his rookie year, Zion put up jaw-dropping numbers in his sophomore season.&nbsp;
He played in 61 of the Pelicans&rsquo; 72 games and became the first player in NBA history to score as many as 27 points per contest while shooting at least 60% from the field (he made 61.1% of his shots). Additional on-ball repetitions helped him dish out 3.7 assists per game to go along with 7.2 rebounds, and all things considered, for a 20-year-old, those numbers are downright terrifying. It&rsquo;s scary to ponder about just how dominant Zion could be.
As a pro player, Zion is able to bend opposing defenses to his will, but it&rsquo;s his blinding combination of size, athleticism and agility that allow him to be who he is.
It&rsquo;s no secret that, on the developmental curve, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-big-men-take-more-time-to-develop-in-the-nba-than-guards-and-wings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">big men tend to take a little longer to reach their peaks</a>. Teenagers often find themselves going from playing against other teens in college to being pounded on by grown men 10 years their senior in the league. The neophyte&rsquo;s challenge is to take his body&rsquo;s development seriously and chisel himself. He needs to harden his body and become conditioned to the rigors of an 82-game season, plus the playoffs on top of that.
To this point, New York&rsquo;s Mitchell Robinson <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/its-been-three-years-and-mitchell-robinson-still-has-a-lot-to-prove" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has had similar issues with nagging injuries and missing games</a>. Robinson has responded by putting on 60 pounds of muscle since being drafted in 2018.
Now, it&rsquo;s Zion&rsquo;s turn to rid himself of the injury bug.
In many instances, as players' bodies adapt, they break. Just &mdash; as was the case in Zion&rsquo;s situation &mdash; not literally.
On Sept. 27, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin revealed that Williamson had undergone surgery to repair a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot.
The recent news comes two years after Zion previously underwent surgery to repair a torn right meniscus just prior to New Orleans beginning regular-season competition in Oct. 2019.
And that surgical procedure came less than 10 months after Williamson famously suffered a Grade 1 right knee sprain after&nbsp;breaking his shoe in the opening minute of Duke&rsquo;s Feb. 2019 contest against North Carolina.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Two years ago today, Zion broke his shoe 🤯 📽️: <a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPN</a> <a href="https://t.co/FnnmGXKB0b">pic.twitter.com/FnnmGXKB0b</a>
&mdash; FanDuel (@FanDuel) <a href="https://twitter.com/FanDuel/status/1363133809693102080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2021</a></blockquote>

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And before then? Zion had some injury issues, as well.
While not uncommon for a growing player with his size and weight, one of the benefits of landing in a professional setting is access to world-class trainers and facilities. No matter how much promise a player has, they&rsquo;ll only go as far as their body allows them. That&rsquo;s why the Pelicans have done all they can to protect a player with such potential.
So, despite those facts, Griffin&rsquo;s revelation on Sept. 27 was quite noteworthy. Still, the Pels' EVP was optimistic that Williamson would be ready for the team&rsquo;s season opener, so it was easy enough to consider Zion&rsquo;s latest procedure as just another blip on the radar.
Until today.
On Thursday, Griffin provided an update on Williamson. According to NOLA's executive vice president, doctors have reviewed scans on Williamson&rsquo;s foot and have cleared him for the &ldquo;next step&rdquo; in his rehabilitation. Still, there is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/zion-williamson-to-be-reevaluated-in-two-weeks-due-to-foot-injury" target="_blank" rel="noopener">no &ldquo;fixed timeline&rdquo; for his return</a>, with Williamson scheduled to be reevaluated in approximately two weeks.
Said differently, Zion will now certainly begin yet another season on the shelf. He will miss at least the first five games of the 2021-22 season, and considering how cautious the Pelicans have been with him, the team will likely want him to get at least a few practices under his belt before returning to game action.&nbsp;
Those practice sessions will help with his timing and conditioning, both of which will need some work.
As we collectively sit back and wonder whether the likes of Trae Young, Ja Morant and RJ Barrett will take the next step in their respective careers, we have the same question about Zion.
Unfortunately for him, though, the hurdle he hasn&rsquo;t yet cleared is far more important than his ability to defy gravity or break defenses. Right now, the more pertinent question is whether he can stay healthy long enough for him to have the opportunity to fulfill his mighty potential.
For most of the NBA&rsquo;s superstars, the leap forward into superstardom happens during their third season. Zion, perhaps appropriately, cleared that hurdle earlier than most.&nbsp;
Clearly, though, there&rsquo;s still some work to be done.&nbsp;
And as he enters his third season in New Orleans with yet another ailment keeping him on the shelf, it&rsquo;s time we, at the very least, begin to get a tad bit concerned.

As Zion Williamson begins yet another season on the shelf, it's fair to wonder whether he'll be able to become an ironman in the NBA.

We should be worried about Zion Williamson’s ability to stay healthy

The NBA&rsquo;s trade season usually ramps up on draft night and intensifies on the first day of free agency. So far this offseason, we&rsquo;ve seen Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan traded to the Chicago Bulls, Spencer Dinwiddie dealt to the Washington Wizards and Russell Westbrook moved to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Teams are always discussing possible trades and doing their due diligence &ndash; seeing who&rsquo;s available around the league and gauging interest in their own players. Every now and then, these talks lead to a major trade that shakes up the power structure of the NBA. Other times however, for various reasons, the talks fizzle out, leaving fans to dream about what could have been.
So with that being said, let&rsquo;s examine five of the biggest trades in NBA history that almost happened.
HONORABLE MENTION
Amar&rsquo;e Stoudemire to the Golden State Warriors &ndash; This one is really more of a Steph Curry trade, but Curry hadn&rsquo;t yet played a game as of the rumors, so we&rsquo;ll file it away as a Stoudemire trade. The deal would have sent Stoudemire and the 14th pick in the 2009 draft to Golden State in exchange for the rights to Curry. Had this deal happened, Curry and then-Suns general manager Steve Kerr would have found themselves working together far sooner, but it would have undone the Warriors&rsquo; dynasty. This one would have rocked the league.
Scottie Pippen to the Toronto Raptors for Tracy McGrady &ndash; The Chicago Bulls have received a lot of bad press since &ldquo;The Last Dance&rdquo; aired in 2020, and it became public knowledge that they tried to trade Pippen, and rightfully so. The less explosive of the two deals was this one, a 1997 draft-day deal that would have sent Pippen to Toronto in exchange for McGrady. According to McGrady, Michael Jordan ultimately nixed the deal. In a vacuum, this one wouldn&rsquo;t have been that bad for Chicago, but in reality it could have led to Jordan retiring or leaving Chicago sooner and, thus, leaving a championship on the table.
Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors &ndash; This one is another Curry near-trade, and it was allegedly instigated by Golden State. In 2011, the Warriors tried to package Curry and Klay Thompson in exchange for Paul. The Warriors planned to also add Tyson Chandler to create a quasi-super-team. Imagine that? Some people close to the Warriors still deny this rumor, as they should. Either Curry trade happening probably wouldn't have resulted in Golden State winning a championship, but it also probably would've pushed Kevin Durant to either remain in Oklahoma City or sign elsewhere. Who knows how far the butterfly effect reaches?
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5. Charles Barkley to the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers to receive: Charles Barkley and Ron Anderson
Philadelphia 76ers to receive: James Worthy and Elden Campbell
This one is interesting because of the immediate impact it had on Barkley once it was clear it wasn&rsquo;t going through. According to Barkley in a conversation with Zach Lowe on <a href="http://www.espn.com/espnradio/podcast/archive/_/id/10528553" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Lowe Post</a>, Barkley responded to a call from his agent alerting him of the deal by celebrating over drinks with friends. Later that day, Barkley received another call from his agent, letting him know that the deal wasn&rsquo;t going through. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;m drunk as [expletive] and we got a game that night,&rdquo; Barkley said.
Ultimately, Barkley was dealt to the Phoenix Suns later that season. He led the Suns to the NBA Finals the following year. Comparatively, the Lakers&rsquo; roster was relatively barren by 1992, so it probably worked out better for Barkley that he wasn&rsquo;t dealt to Los Angeles. Still, it resulted in one of the weirder trade-related stories in NBA history. And just imagine Barkley in Los Angeles&hellip;
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4. Scottie Pippen to Seattle for Shawn Kemp
Seattle SuperSonics to receive: Scottie Pippen
Chicago Bulls to receive: Shawn Kemp and Ricky Pierce
The Pippen-for-McGrady rumor was in 1997. Pippen-for-Kemp was a rumored draft-day deal in 1994, shortly after Pippen refused to go back into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks &mdash; and long before Pippen, Jordan, and the Bulls reconnected for the second three-peat. It&rsquo;s a good thing that this never went through. According to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/halloffame10/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&amp;page=100812-pippen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN&rsquo;s J.A. Adande</a>, when asked if he would have returned to the Bulls with Kemp, Jordan said, &ldquo;Probably not. I could have played with Shawn, but I wouldn't have been as comfortable as I was with Scottie."
Had this deal been approved, does Jordan return to the NBA? If he doesn&rsquo;t, is he still widely regarded as the best ever (with just three championships)? Or does he stick with baseball? Thankfully, we&rsquo;ll never know.
3. Kevin Garnett to the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers to receive: Kevin Garnett
Minnesota Timberwolves to receive: Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum
This one&rsquo;s pretty straight forward. Garnett wanted out of Minnesota, and the Timberwolves subsequently began accepting bids for Garnett&rsquo;s services. Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor told Lakers owner Jerry Buss that he&rsquo;d like to make the swap with the Lakers, but he needed Minnesota's general manager at the time, Kevin McHale, to sign off.
According to an <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2445357-kg-the-oral-history-part-2-glory-in-boston-quirky-traits-and-returning-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">oral history of Garnett&rsquo;s career</a> from Bleacher Report&rsquo;s Howard Beck, Taylor &ldquo;&hellip;didn&rsquo;t know if I wanted [KG] in the West&rdquo; &ndash; so who knows how close this was to going down. On <a href="https://twitter.com/alexkennedynba/status/1305612441796120577" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Posecast</a>, Ray Allen said that Garnett to Los Angeles was looking likely, and that KG was leaning toward joining the Lakers, but he ultimately changed his mind once Boston acquired Allen. Had this trade happened, the impact could have been tremendous, robbing Boston of the 2008 championship and probably gifting at least one more title to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
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2. Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers to receive: Chris Paul
New Orleans Pelicans to receive: Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic
Houston Rockets to receive: Pau Gasol
While Paul was nearly dealt to the Warriors for Curry and Thompson, this deal is higher profile because of the drama surrounding it. This deal was done. Paul was set to join Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. Instead, NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed the trade on behalf of the Hornets because the deal didn&rsquo;t return adequate value to New Orleans, a franchise that was being run by the league due to former owner George Shinn&rsquo;s unprecedented move to sell the team to the NBA. If you weren&rsquo;t an NBA fan in 2011, you missed a hell of a situation.
Ultimately, this one may have robbed a championship from the Lakers, too. The deal would have enabled Los Angeles to keep Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum while adding Paul. The team lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round (4-1), but would the addition of Paul have given the Lakers enough firepower to overcome the Thunder (and LeBron James and the Miami Heat)? We&rsquo;ll never know.
1. Kobe Bryant to the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls to receive: Kobe Bryant
Los Angeles Lakers to receive: Luol Deng, Tyus Thomas, Ben Gordon Joakim Noah
In 2007, Kobe Bryant was nearly traded to the Chicago Bulls. Why? Bryant was incredibly frustrated with the inactivity of the Lakers&rsquo; management. It escalated to the point where, according to Bryant, he and his family were looking at houses and schools in the Windy City. When some fans asked Bryant if he was staying in Los Angeles, he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/sports/basketball/29kobe.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told them</a> to &ldquo;buy a Bulls uniform.&rdquo;
Back in 2018, BasketballNews.com&rsquo;s Alex Kennedy spoke with Bryant <a href="https://hoopshype.com/2018/06/12/free-agents-lebron-john-williams-oscar-shaq-chicago-bulls/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on The HoopsHype Podcast</a> about how the trade would have impacted his career.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Ah, yeah, it would&rsquo;ve changed things a lot,&rdquo; Bryant said. &ldquo;I believe we still would&rsquo;ve won championships in Chicago. That&rsquo;s what I think, but I do feel like everything happens for a reason. Honestly, the biggest shock to me was that Shaq didn&rsquo;t know that [I wanted to be traded]. That was the biggest surprise to me, that he was unaware of that! I think had he known how serious I was about going someplace else, he never would&rsquo;ve demanded a trade [from the Lakers]. But when he got traded, that stopped me from going anywhere else, because there was no way that Jerry Buss was going to lose Shaq and me in the same summer. So if he had known how serious I was about leaving, I don&rsquo;t think he ever would&rsquo;ve demanded a trade.&rdquo;
Ultimately, the timing worked out in Bryant&rsquo;s favor. Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, which led to Bryant working things out with management. And things worked out just fine for Bryant professionally, as he went on to win two more championships in Los Angeles and he remained with the Lakers for the rest of his career.
***
Trade rumors captivate sports fans more than anything. Most don&rsquo;t come to fruition, and that&rsquo;s fine. They captivate us, distract us and allow us to imagine ideal outcomes for our favorite teams, even if they were never really that close to happening.
Each of the deals mentioned above would have shaken up the league, leading to far different outcomes for a number of franchises.

Drew Maresca examines five blockbuster trades that almost happened, and how they would've altered NBA history.

5 blockbuster trades that almost changed NBA history

The NBA has announced a partnership with former president of the United States, Barack Obama. Obama will join the NBA's new 'NBA Africa' as a strategic partner. <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/former-president-barack-obama-joins-nba-africa-as-strategic-partner?%24web_only=true&amp;_branch_match_id=712679623240598614" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Here</a> is the full release:
The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced that former President Barack Obama has joined NBA Africa as a strategic partner.
President Obama will help advance the league&rsquo;s social responsibility efforts across the continent, including programs and partnerships that support greater gender equality and economic inclusion. &nbsp;In this capacity, President Obama will have a minority equity stake in the new venture, which over time he intends to use to fund Obama Foundation youth and leadership programs across Africa.
NBA Africa conducts the league&rsquo;s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL), which held its inaugural season in May featuring 12 of the top club teams from 12 African countries. &nbsp;NBA Africa is focused on expanding the NBA&rsquo;s presence in priority African markets, deepening the league&rsquo;s engagement with players and fans across the continent, and continuing to grow Africa&rsquo;s basketball ecosystem through programs like the Jr. NBA, Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa and NBA Academy Africa. &nbsp;In addition, NBA Africa has launched several social responsibility initiatives aimed at raising awareness of gender-based violence, supporting girls&rsquo; education, and improving the livelihoods of African youth and families.
&ldquo;The NBA has always been a great ambassador for the United States&mdash;using the game to create deeper connections around the world, and in Africa, basketball has the power to promote opportunity, wellness, equality, and empowerment across the continent,&rdquo; said President Barack Obama. &nbsp;&ldquo;By investing in communities, promoting gender equality, and cultivating the love of the game of basketball, I believe that NBA Africa can make a difference for so many of Africa&rsquo;s young people. &nbsp;I&rsquo;ve been impressed by the league&rsquo;s commitment to Africa, including the leadership shown by so many African players who want to give back to their own countries and communities. &nbsp;That&rsquo;s why I&rsquo;m proud to join the team at NBA Africa and look forward to a partnership that benefits the youth of so many countries.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We are honored that President Obama has become a strategic partner in NBA Africa and will support our wide-ranging efforts to grow the game of basketball on the continent,&rdquo; said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. &nbsp;&ldquo;In addition to his well-documented love for basketball, President Obama has a firm belief in Africa&rsquo;s potential and the enormous growth opportunities that exist through sports. &nbsp;NBA Africa will benefit tremendously from his engagement.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We have ambitious growth plans for NBA Africa and having President Obama join our efforts is a recognition that through sport, Africa can take its rightful place on the world stage,&rdquo; said NBA Africa CEO Victor Williams. &nbsp;&ldquo;We look forward to working with President Obama and our strategic investors to use basketball as an economic growth engine across the continent and as a platform to improve the health and wellness of one of the world&rsquo;s youngest and fastest-growing populations.&rdquo;
Strategic investors in NBA Africa include a consortium led by Babatunde &ldquo;Tunde&rdquo; Folawiyo, Chairman and CEO of Yinka Folawiyo Group, and Helios Fairfax Partners Corporation (HFP), led by Co-CEO Tope Lawani. &nbsp;Additional investors in NBA Africa include NBA Legends Junior Bridgeman, Luol Deng (South Sudan), Grant Hill, Ian Mahinmi (France; ties to Benin), Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Joakim Noah (ties to Cameroon).
The NBA has a decades-long history in Africa and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg in 2010. &nbsp;Since then, the league&rsquo;s efforts on the continent have focused on increasing access to basketball and the NBA through social responsibility, grassroots and elite development, media distribution, corporate partnerships, NBA Africa Games, the launch of the BAL, and more.
The inaugural BAL season was broadcast to fans in 215 countries and territories in 15 languages. &nbsp;On Sunday, May 30, Zamalek (Egypt) defeated US Monastir (Tunisia) 76-63 to win the first BAL Championship. &nbsp;Fans can follow @NBA_Africa and @theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

The NBA announced that former president Barack Obama has joined NBA Africa as a strategic partner.

NBA announces Barack Obama will join NBA Africa as strategic partner

As things currently stand, the Detroit Pistons will shell out their biggest player paycheck for 2021-22 to someone who isn't on the roster. The Portland Trail Blazers owe money to one player through 2024, even though he never played a game for the team. The Indiana Pacers are still paying Monta Ellis.
In the complex world of the NBA salary cap, "dead money" is one oft-forgotten consequence of buyouts and cuts around the league. These situations happen when a player is released with guaranteed money left on his contract. The team has to pay the rest of the salary, so they'll either foot the bill as the contract originally stated, or stretch the remaining salary over a longer period to make the payments more manageable per-year. These still count against the team's salary cap (<a href="https://www.slamonline.com/nba/cba-explained-the-stretch-provision/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here's a good explainer</a>).
In many cases, the cap and financial impacts look insignificant on their own. But dead money can range from a nuisance to a handicap for franchises that often brush right up against salary-cap constraints.
When the league calendar flips in August, half of the NBA will be completely free of dead money, according to salary figures provided by <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotrac</a> and <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/contracts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Basketball Reference</a>. The Memphis Grizzlies, for example, had over $29 million tied to Gorgui Dieng and Dion Waiters through this past season.
However, half of the league remains tethered to players and cap holds. A browse though the books reveals some surprising names still on NBA payrolls.&nbsp;
Let's start with the Pistons, who are far and away the most hamstrung organization. They'll be paying Blake Griffin approximately $29.8 million next season, easily the highest dead-money total in the NBA. Unless the franchise makes a major splash in the offseason, that number shatters the $20 million owed to Detroit's highest-paid active player, Jerami Grant.&nbsp;
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Griffin isn't alone on the payroll. Former 2018 first-round pick Zhaire Smith is owed $1.068 million and change into the 2022-23 season. Then there's Dewayne Dedmon, who checks in as one of my favorite players in this unique circumstance.
The Pistons acquired Dedmon via trade from Atlanta last November and promptly waived the 31-year-old center. But they stretched the remainder of his three-year, $40 million deal&nbsp;way out. Detroit plans to pay Dedmon $2.87 million each year through the 2024-25 NBA season &mdash; without him ever suiting up for the Motor City.
Dedmon is one of two players who will assuredly get a paycheck from an NBA team without ever playing a game for them. The other is Andrew Nicholson, who has been out of the NBA since 2017. Still, the Portland Trail Blazers must pay him $2.84 million per year through the 2023-24 season. That means he'll still be cashing NBA paychecks seven years after his last game.
Most dead-contract situations are less complicated than Detroit's traffic jam. The Oklahoma City Thunder are the only other franchise with three players in dead-money territory. But the penalties are much less severe; Admiral Schofield will receive $300,000 next season, Patrick Patterson will make $737,066 next year, and Kyle Singler (inactive since 2018) will earn $999,200 per year through 2022-23.
Aside from Griffin, Nicolas Batum wields the largest single dead-cap hold. When the Charlotte Hornets waived him last November, they stretched the rest of his five-year, $120 million deal. The franchise owes Batum a bit over $9 million through 2022-23.
Including Batum, most of the biggest dead-cap condundrums stem from the lucrative 2016 free-agency period. It resulted in a ton of eye-popping deals for players, and even after things went south with the respective teams, they're still making money from that fateful July.
Batum, Joakim Noah (tied to the Knicks), Ryan Anderson (Heat) and Luol Deng (Lakers) are all making at least $5 million in 2021-22 because of contracts they signed in 2016.
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How are other contenders doing in the dead-money department? Ten of the 2021 playoff squads are free of dead-cap hits. The Golden State Warriors owe $666,667 to Shaun Livingston next season, while the Boston Celtics owe just under $1.2 million combined to Guerschon Yabusele and Demetrius Jackson.
The Milwaukee Bucks join the aforementioned three franchises with a notable chunk of dead money; they're giving up over $5 million to the duo of Jon Leuer and Larry Sanders. Five million dollars may not seem like a ton in the grand scheme of NBA money-spending. But during the quest for an NBA title, droplets of cap space matter as teams try to facilitate trades, make small additions and even avoid the luxury tax.
So next time you hear a buyout rumor, think about the potential dead-money impact. One case on the horizon could involve Kevin Love. According to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle, there is "growing sentiment around the league" that Love and the Cleveland Cavaliers <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/warriors-flirting-with-the-idea-of-acquiring-kevin-love" target="_blank" rel="noopener">could reach a buyout agreement</a>.
Love still has over $60 million left on his contract over the next two seasons. As the Cavs eventually try to move from rebuilder to contender, do they want that kind of money on their books over the next two seasons? Or, if they waive and stretch Love, how would the stretched contract affect their cap standing over the next decade?
It's a tricky space to navigate, and only one of the many challenges on the plates of every NBA front office.

When a guaranteed-contract player is cut, their salary becomes dead money. Which teams have the most dead money on their books?

As NBA offseason nears, which teams are in the dead money doldrums?

Previously, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/new-york-knicks-202021-report-card-guards-and-wings-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I handed out grades for the New York Knicks' guards and wings</a> based on their performance this past season. In this final installment of the Knicks' 2020-21 report card, let's focus on the forwards and centers.
Julius Randle
Although his struggles against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round may have left a sour taste, it's important to remember that the Knicks would not have earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and secured home-court advantage in the postseason if it wasn't for Randle's awe-inspiring play during the regular season.
Randle, named the NBA's Most Improved Player for the 2020-21 season, averaged 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game, ranking in the top-20 in all three categories. He also led the NBA in minutes. (The only other players to average at least 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6.0 assists over an entire season are Wilt Chamberlain, Nikola Jokić, Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird and Russell Westbrook.)
Randle also averaged 2.3 made three-pointers and 0.9 steals while shooting 45.6% from the floor, 41.1% from downtown and 81.1% from the free-throw line. He became just the second player in NBA history to average at least 20/10/6 as well as two made treys per game, joining Westbrook, who matched those numbers during his 2016-17 MVP campaign.&nbsp;
<a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/pgl_finder.cgi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Basketball-Reference</a>, Randle is also just the second player ever to average more than 10 rebounds and five assists while shooting over 40% from three-point territory and over 80% from the charity stripe. The only other player in this exclusive club is Bird, who posted those numbers in 1984-85 on his way to winning the MVP.&nbsp;
Earlier this week, Randle was named to the All-NBA Second Team, alongside Chris Paul, Damian Lillard, Joel Embiid and LeBron James.
Grade: A
Nerlens Noel
New York's performance on the defensive end was a critical factor in their success this past season. (The 2020-21 Knicks became just the second team in NBA history to lead the league in opponents&rsquo; points per game, opponents&rsquo; field-goal percentage and opponents&rsquo; three-point percentage.) And Noel was a crucial contributor to the team's surprisingly stout defense.&nbsp;
New York signed Noel to a one-year, $5 million deal last summer, and it turned out to be one of the team's best-value contracts. With Mitchell Robinson sidelined by a pair of significant injuries and available for only four of the team's final 44 games, Noel was asked to shoulder more responsibility than he or the team anticipated heading into the season. However, he significantly exceeded expectations.
Noel was the only player in the league to average more than two swats and one swipe this season, finishing the campaign with per-game averages of 2.2 blocks and 1.1 steals. Over the past decade, the only other players to average at least two blocks and a steal over a full season were Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard and Joakim Noah. Noel is the first player in NBA history to post those averages while logging fewer than 25 minutes a night. Considering his contributions to one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, it was surprising that he received only one vote for the All-Defensive Second Team.
Noel also grabbed 6.4 rebounds per game and shot over 61% of the floor. The Knicks could not have asked for much more.&nbsp;
Grade: B
Obi Toppin
It was assumed that one of the reasons the Knicks selected Toppin with the eighth overall pick in the 2020 draft was because of his NBA-ready game.&nbsp;
Toppin was named the NCAA National Player of the Year in 2020 due to his dominant play at Dayton, where he averaged 20.0 points per game to go along with 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He shot a scorching 63.3% percent from the field and 39% from behind the arc. Per Basketball-Reference, he was just the sixth underclassman in the last 25 years to average at least 20 points and shoot over 60% from the floor.
Considering he was already 22 years old on draft day, Knicks fans expected Toppin to make an immediate impact. However, the youngster got off to a disappointingly slow start. After shooting 3-for-12 in the season opener, Toppin suffered a right calf injury that sidelined him for the team's next 10 games. After returning to the lineup, he showed flashes of his impressive combination of size and athleticism but never fully found his rhythm. He scored in double-figures just three times over the entire regular season, never topping 12 points.&nbsp;
Yet, it's worth noting that Randle's breakout season undoubtedly impacted how the Knicks deployed Toppin. The rookie logged 24 minutes in the first game of the season, but by the time he returned from his injury, Randle was proving himself indispensable, and coach Tom Thibodeau wanted his All-Star on the floor as often as possible (hence, Randle leading the league in minutes). Thus, Toppin usually only played the first six minutes of the second and fourth quarters, making it challenging for him to contribute consistently.&nbsp;
Toppin finished the season averaging just 4.1 points and 2.2 rebounds, shooting below 50% from the floor and 31% from downtown.&nbsp;
However, Toppin encouragingly closed the season on a high note, providing the Knicks with a much-needed spark in their first-round matchup with the Hawks. He was aggressive throughout the series, scoring eight points in Game 2 and then poured in a season-high 13 points in 18 minutes in Game 4, becoming just the fourth Knick rookie to score more than 12 points in a playoff game over the last 35 years. Game 4 was the first time all year Toppin attempted at least four free throws and multiple three-pointers in the same contest. We'll see if he can build on that momentum heading into 2021-22.&nbsp;
Grade: C-
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Taj Gibson
After New York waived Gibson last offseason to clear cap space, they invited him to training camp but decided to keep Omari Spellman on the regular-season roster. However, by early January, Gibson was re-signed and reunited with Thibs. Taj saw only sporadic minutes early on, but became an important rotation player over the second half of the season.&nbsp;
By the time the playoffs arrived, the veteran was shockingly one of the Knicks' most consistent and reliable contributors. Thibodeau inserted Gibson into the starting lineup in Game 3 vs. Atlanta, and he ended up averaging nearly 28 minutes per game in the postseason.&nbsp;
At 36 years of age, Gibson has proven he can still hold his own, especially on the defensive end, due to his high-basketball IQ and veteran savvy. Fully expect New York to bring back Gibson next season, as he is also one of the team's leaders in the locker room.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Grade: B-
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_16065595_lg.jpg" alt="" width="746" height="579" /> Mitchell Robinson
Drafted with the 36th overall pick in the 2018 draft, Robinson emerged as an absolute steal for the Knicks. During his first pro season, he led all rookies in blocks (2.4) and field goal percentage (69.4%) to go along with 7.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in just 20.6 minutes. His 2.4 blocks per game ranked second in the NBA and was the highest average by a rookie since Shaquille O'Neal in the 1992-93 season.
Robinson also led all rookies in PER and Win Shares, besting Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic and Trae Young, who finished second, third and fifth, respectively. Robinson also ranked first in VORP and Box Plus/Minus, just ahead of Doncic in both categories.
As a sophomore in 2019-20, Robinson made 74.2% of all field goals he attempted, setting the all-time NBA record for the highest single-season field goal percentage ever, passing Wilt Chamberlain. Over his first two years in the league, Robinson had more blocks (280) than missed field goal attempts (177) and turnovers (72) combined.&nbsp;
Thus, Knicks fans had high hopes that he'd establish himself as a star in 2020-21. They would end up bitterly disappointed.
In February, Robinson underwent surgery after breaking his right hand. After returning to action in late March, he lasted just four games before fracturing the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and would remain sidelined the rest of the season.&nbsp;
Yet, not only did Robinson's durability issues cause consternation, but his regression on the court was also distressing.&nbsp;
Despite logging a career-high 27.5 minutes in his 31 appearances, his production dipped. Robinson averaged 14 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per-36 minutes over his first two NBA seasons. (Only <a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&amp;match=combined&amp;order_by_asc=0&amp;order_by=ws&amp;type=totals&amp;per_minute_base=36&amp;per_poss_base=100&amp;is_playoffs=N&amp;ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B1%5D=13.9&amp;cstat%5B1%5D=pts_per_mp&amp;ccomp%5B2%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B2%5D=3&amp;cstat%5B2%5D=blk_per_mp&amp;ccomp%5B3%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B3%5D=11&amp;cstat%5B3%5D=trb_per_mp&amp;lg_id=NBA&amp;birth_country_is=Y&amp;age_min=0&amp;age_max=99&amp;height_min=0&amp;height_max=99&amp;season_start=1&amp;season_end=2&amp;as_comp=gt&amp;as_val=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three other players</a> posted 14/11/3 per-36-minute averages over their first two seasons: David Robinson, ‪Dikembe Mutombo, ‪and ‪Hakeem Olajuwon.)
Yet, Robinson's numbers dropped to 10.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and just 1.9 blocks per-36 in 2020-21. And after vowing to expand his range, Robinson has shown no signs of a mid-range jumper, let alone a three-point stroke. Worse yet, after shooting 60% from the charity stripe as a rookie, he converted an embarrassingly low 49% of his free throws this past season.
New York has a team option to retain Robinson next season at just $1.8 million. Yet, if they exercise that option instead of signing him to a long-term extension this summer, Robinson would become an unrestricted free agent in 2022. It will be fascinating to see how negotiations are handled by both parties this summer.&nbsp;
Grade: D+
Kevin Knox
Like Robinson, Knox's Knicks career got off to a great start. In December of his debut season, Knox was named NBA Rookie of the Month after averaging 17.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.4 made three-pointers in 34.9 minutes a night. On Dec. 9, he joined LeBron James as the second-youngest player in NBA history to record at least 25 points and 15 rebounds in a game.&nbsp;
He finished the season averaging 12.8 points and 4.5 boards, but shot just 37% from the floor. As a sophomore, he was somehow even more inefficient. His scoring average dropped to 6.4 points per game, as he shot below 36% from the field, 33% from downtown and 65% from the free-throw line.&nbsp;
After starting 57 games as a rookie, Knox found himself out of the rotation for much of the 2020-21 campaign. Over the final three months of the season, Knox appeared in just 22 of the team's last 52 contests and averaged fewer than five minutes (mostly checking in during garbage time). Thus, it's probably unfair to give him a failing grade, considering he didn't have a chance to prove himself.&nbsp;
For fans looking for a sliver of optimism, Knox is still just 21 years old and shot a career-high 39.3% from behind the arc (35-for-89) and 80% from the charity stripe this past season. He also was effective camped out in the corner, converting 60.9% of his corner three-point attempts over the first month of the season while he was a regular part of the rotation.
Knox has only one more year of guaranteed money left on his rookie contract, so 2021-22 could be a make-or-break season, despite the fact he'll be just 22 years of age.&nbsp;
Grade: Incomplete
---
Although the 2020-21 season ended on a sour note for the Knicks, there were some positives, and contributions from their frontcourt were among them.
The NBA&rsquo;s Coach of the Year will now hope that his club takes another step forward in 2021-22.

Julius Randle admirably led the Knicks last season, and they got contributions from the other members of their frontcourt, as well.

New York Knicks 2020-21 Report Card: Forwards and Centers

Horrific on offense. Terrific on defense. So the New York Knicks are halfway there, but what we learned about them in the first round is that they are a long, long way from being a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.
To say the Knicks surrendered meekly would be a misstatement, because they were as physical in Game 5 as they were throughout the entire first round. But it was telling that when they made their last final burst early in the fourth quarter, Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin were leading the charge while Julius Randle was watching from the bench.
This was the first year of the Leon Rose/Tom Thibodeau era, and it will go down as a success simply because of the fact that the Knicks made the postseason for the first time in eight years and actually won a playoff game. Madison Square Garden came back to life with unbridled passion following a 14-month virtual lockdown in New York that decimated the city&rsquo;s economy, and the Knicks were by far the most talked about team in the metropolitan area for a full week, Brooklyn&rsquo;s disassembly of Boston notwithstanding.
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But the offseason has arrived on this particular Thursday, and a team that the Knicks swept in the regular season &ndash; the Atlanta Hawks &ndash; is advancing to play the Philadelphia 76ers in what could be a more competitive matchup than many would anticipate if Joel Embiid remains injured and Ben Simmons remains a liability at the free-throw line.
The blame for New York&rsquo;s failure must be placed squarely on the broad shoulders of the NBA's Most Improved Player Award winner, Randle, who shot 8-for-21 (38.1 percent) Wednesday night in what turned out to be his most proficient game of the series. He was 6-for-23 in Game 1, 5-for-16 in Game 2, 2-for-15 in Game 3 and 7-for-19 in Game 4.&nbsp;
After averaging 6.0 assists in the regular season, that number dropped to 4.0 in the playoffs. In addition, he did not block one single shot.
Some soul searching is in order for the Knicks today, and in the weeks ahead. It would be easy for them to blame the absence of Mitchell Robinson at center and the slow development of Toppin in his first year, but that is somewhat disingenuous. Robinson is not exactly the second coming of Embiid (whose team also won without him last night), and Toppin was kept on a short leash, as was Quickley, because Thibodeau treats rookies differently and gets a pass on it because that is just how he rolls.
But coaches must evolve, and Thibs has not. He remains a basketball lifer whose players are extremely loyal and dedicated and actually follow his game plans, which is a credit to his effectiveness as a coach. He got the most out of Taj Gibson and midseason acquisition Derrick Rose, who were known commodities in his mind because of their shared histories.&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_16088851_lg.jpg" alt="" />
Thibodeau also stuck with Elfrid Payton as the starter when Payton was clearly a lost cause, and he never established a consistent secondary-scorer role for Alec Burks in the playoffs despite the fact that Burks was clearly stoked for this opportunity. Some of that is on Burks, too, because after a 27-point Game 1, he shot 5-for-19 from three-point range. Rose was their best three-point shooter at 47.1%, but he made only eight of them all series.
RJ Barrett was okay, but okay is not what you expect from the No. 3 pick in the draft after showing such discernible improvement in the reglar season. The Knicks shot just 39.8% overall in the series, second-last to Miami (who got swept by Milwaukee) by fourth-tenths of a percentage point.&nbsp;
The Knicks had more personal fouls (99) than assists (93), and their talent pool was vastly inferior to Atlanta&rsquo;s. Randle, an All-Star, had eight turnovers and three assists in Game 5. For the series, he had 23 turnovers, and the Knicks brain trust now must question whether he is still worth the four-year, $106 million extension offer he was expecting to receive. A better idea may be picking up Randle&rsquo;s $19.8 team option and making him earn those bigger bucks. The last thing the Knicks need is dead money on their cap. They still have that with Joakim Noah.
&ldquo;I thought Atlanta added some good pieces to compliment Trae [Young] and I think that helped them,&rdquo; Thibodeau said when asked about the Knicks&rsquo; personnel priorities last offseason.
New York is desperate for shooting and size.
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Rose, Burks, Payton, Gibson, Nerlens Noel, Reggie Bullock and Frank Ntilikina (team option via a qualifying offer) will all be free agents. Depending on who they choose to keep and who they choose to let leave, the Knicks will have somewhere in the area of $40 million in salary cap space to spend in a free agency pool that will include guards Lonzo Ball (restricted), Kyle Lowry, Mike Conley, Spencer Dinwiddie (payer option), Bruce Brown (restricted), Devonte' Graham (restricted), J.J. Redick, Kelly Oubre Jr., T.J. McConnell, Alex Caruso, Kendrick Nunn (restricted), Bryn Forbes (player option), Chris Paul (player option), DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills, Gary Trent Jr., Raul Neto and Ish Smith.
The two best unrestricted free agents among big men are Richaun Holmes of Sacramento and Kelly Olynyk of Houston, who likely played himself into a massive contract after getting dealt to the Rockets in the Victor Oladipo deal and averaging 19.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in 27 games.
So Leon Rose, William Wesley, Scott Perry and Thibs will have options. If they can make the right free agent pickups, and if Thibs loosens the reins on Quickley and Toppin, next year can be better. Knicks fans were happy with the fourth-place finish and the lone postseason victory, but they are not thrilled. New York had the perfect first round matchup, or so it seemed, yet the franchise is now dormant again until draft night, when they will select at Nos. 19, 21, 32 and 58.
By this time a year from now, we shall know whether they made the proper next steps or regressed to their norm. For now, there is no hiding the fact that although this was a better season, it was still a disappointment.
Once again for Knicks fans, it is time to look to next season for hope instead of this season.

Chris Sheridan dissects the Knicks' season coming to an end and points out what needs to change in the summer and going forward.

Autopsy on Knicks: Offense desperately needed, and Thibs has to change

The NBA has formed a new entity, NBA Africa, that will conduct the league's operations in Africa including the Basketball Africa League &mdash; with investors Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Grant Hill, Dikembe Mutombo and Junior Bridgeman.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1396851017141080068" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/Twitter</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;The Basketball Africa League has gained recent popularity after kicking off its season, with rap star J. Cole among the players in the league. Chris Sheridan of BasketballNews.com detailed the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bal-news-amadou-gallo-fall-basketball-africa-league-seen-as-euroleague-alternative-not-nba-feeder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hopes of the league</a>, which now has increased backing from the NBA and notable former players.

The Basketball Africa League recently kicked off its inaugural season.

NBA forms NBA Africa branch with Grant Hill, Dikembe Mutombo among investors

Center Joakim Noah is "effectively retiring from basketball" and plans to eventually retire as a Chicago Bull.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1366439451162005507" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/Twitter</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Noah is not currently on an NBA roster, and would end a successful 13-year NBA career. The ninth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Noah made a name for himself on the Chicago Bulls teams in the early 2010's as one of the league's premier interior defenders. He won Defensive Player of the Year in 2013-14, along with an All-NBA bid, and is a two-time All-Star.&nbsp;
After signing a lucrative deal in 2016 with the New York Knicks, Noah struggled to overcome injuries in the twilight of his career. He bounced around from the Knicks, to the Memphis Grizzlies, to the Los Angeles Clippers in the last four seasons of his career. Noah retires at age 36. The Knicks still owe him $6.1 million per year through the 2021-22 season.

Noah won NBA Defensive Player of the Year with the Bulls in 2013-14.

Joakim Noah retiring from basketball, plans to end career with Bulls

Clippers are waiving center Joakim Noah -- and his agent, Bill Duffy of @BDA_Sports, tells ESPN that Noah is &ldquo;likely headed toward retirement.&rdquo; 
Source: <a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1333960932989472768" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: After being waived by the Clippers, Joakim Noah looks to be heading towards retirement. Noah had an illustrious 13-year career in the NBA and established himself as one of the most ferocious competitors in the league during his days in Chicago. Noah played for four different franchises (Bulls, Knicks, Grizzlies, Clippers) and will end with career averages of 8.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
&nbsp;

The Clippers announced they have waived center Joakim Noah, and his agent tells the press that Noah will likely head into retirement.

Clippers waive Joakim Noah, likely ending his career

Now that the Bulls have landed Donovan &mdash; the next move should be to sign Joakim Noah to be a veteran presence in the locker room. Noah has a great deal of respect for Donovan dating back to their days at Florida and still loves Chicago. He can be the Udonis Haslem for the Bulls.
Source: <a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://twitter.com/NickFriedell/status/1308527692405379072" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nick Friedell of ESPN (Twitter) </a>
ANALYSIS: With Billy Donovan now coaching the Bulls, it would make a ton of sense for the team to bring back Joakim Noah given his ties with Coach Donovan and the city of Chicago. He would be more of a locker-room-presence signing for Chicago, as Noah's best playing days are behind him. Nonetheless, Joakim is an excellent veteran and plays the game the right way. He could be a strong leader for this young Bulls team.

With Billy Donovan now in Chicago, Joakim Noah may be an option to sign as a locker room presence given his ties with Donovan and Chicago.

Bulls interested in Joakim Noah?

Entering this season, the Los Angeles Clippers were considered the favorites to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy. They were deemed the winners of the offseason after signing Kawhi Leonard and trading for Paul George, while bringing back many of their key contributors from the year before. Then, they continued to improve with midseason acquisitions like Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson.
However, being stacked on paper didn&rsquo;t translate to postseason success for the Clippers, who were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. The Clippers were up 3-1 over the Nuggets and seemed poised to make the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history, but they ultimately lost Game 7, 104-89.
There were <a href="https://theathletic.com/1557316/2020/01/23/chemistry-setting-behind-the-scenes-of-kawhi-leonard-and-the-clippers-merging-culture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> throughout the season that the Clippers were struggling to develop chemistry and having some issues behind the scenes. While the players and coaches <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2872930-patrick-beverley-calls-rumors-of-clippers-chemistry-issues-fake-fake-fake-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shot</a> <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-lou-williams-laughs-off-rumored-chemistry-issues/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">down</a> those reports during the year, they seemed to confirm them after the Game 7 loss.
"We came up short. We did have championship expectations," Lou Williams said. "We had the talent to do it. We didn't have the chemistry to do it and it showed."
"Internally, we've always felt this isn't a championship-or-bust year for us," Paul George <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2909353-excuses-abound-after-clippers-historic-playoff-collapse-vs-nuggets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "We didn't have enough time together&hellip; Year one together, [our] first run together, of course we wanted to win this. But we&rsquo;ve been very optimistic about us being together and building something going down the road.&rdquo;
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers believes that the Nuggets&rsquo; continuity and chemistry gave them an advantage and helped them pull off this upset.
&ldquo;Honestly, you could just see the difference in the two teams. That team&rsquo;s been together. We haven&rsquo;t,&rdquo; Rivers <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2909353-excuses-abound-after-clippers-historic-playoff-collapse-vs-nuggets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;And you could see it as the games went on.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We can&rsquo;t even say we want to change our roster; we like what we got,&rdquo; George <a href="https://larrybrownsports.com/basketball/lou-williams-paul-george-point-to-clippers-chemistry-as-problem/563686" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been saying it all year - just chemistry, being together... The more we&rsquo;re together, the better we will be. It&rsquo;s year one. Year one. We&rsquo;ve got a lot to reflect on.&rdquo;
Where do the Clippers go from here?&nbsp;
While it&rsquo;s possible that Los Angeles just needs more time together, it remains to be seen what this team will look like next season. The Clippers currently have $109,039,053 in guaranteed salaries on their books for next year, and that number could be $116,737,394 (if JaMychal Green opts in and Joakim Noah&rsquo;s $2,692,991 salary for 2020-21 becomes guaranteed).
L.A. has several players hitting unrestricted free agency this offseason including Montrezl Harrell, Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson and Patrick Patterson. Green&rsquo;s player option is worth $5,005,350 and he could also become an unrestricted free agent if he opts out.&nbsp;
Harrell won the NBA&rsquo;s Sixth Man of the Year award and he's helped his stock tremendously with his play over the last two years. After averaging 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting 58 percent from the field, he's expected to generate a lot of interest from teams. In a free-agent class that&rsquo;s widely regarded as mediocre, the 26-year-old will be one of the top players available (especially <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ranking-top-10-nba-free-agent-centers-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at his position</a>).
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/Harrell_lg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="AUTO" />
Morris should also be highly coveted. He started this season with the New York Knicks and played some of the best basketball of his career, averaging 19.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 threes (on 43.9 percent shooting). When the Knicks shopped him prior to the trade deadline, multiple contenders reportedly pursued him (including the Los Angeles Lakers) before he joined the Clippers. While his numbers came back down to Earth in L.A. (particularly his three-point shooting), he can help most teams with his toughness and two-way production.
The Clippers are <a href="https://theathletic.com/1636284/2020/02/26/analyzing-the-questions-the-clippers-will-face-in-the-2020-offseason/?source=shared-article">reportedly</a> interested in re-signing Harrell and Morris, but the team is over the cap even before agreeing to deals with either player. The NBA salary cap for the 2019-20 season was set at $109.1 million. Given how the pandemic has impacted the NBA&rsquo;s revenue (plus the early-season controversy with China), it&rsquo;s unclear how the NBA will adjust the 2020-21 salary cap. It could remain at $109.1 million next season, or it could even decrease a bit.
Steve Ballmer has been very aggressive since purchasing the franchise, so paying the luxury tax shouldn&rsquo;t be a concern. Still, keeping this team together won&rsquo;t be cheap. As HoopsHype <a href="https://hoopshype.com/2020/03/16/los-angeles-clippers-their-salary-cap-situation-right-now/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently noted</a>, if the Clippers decide to re-sign Harrell and Morris, their combined payroll and luxury-tax payment could be close to $200 million.&nbsp;
Here&rsquo;s the problem for the Clippers: If they don&rsquo;t re-sign Harrell or Morris, it will be very difficult to find a replacement given their cap situation. If Harrell signs elsewhere, it&rsquo;s not like they can just go sign another free agent for the same amount they offered him. They have Harrell&rsquo;s Bird rights, so they&rsquo;re able to go over the cap to re-sign him. And they have Morris' non-Bird rights, meaning they can pay him 120 percent of his previous salary (so they can offer $18,000,000 annually). For any other free agents, the most that the Clippers have to offer is the mid-level exception since they are over the cap.
The Clippers will either have the standard MLE (which is worth approximately $9,755,000) or the taxpayer MLE (which is worth approximately $6,025,000), depending on what happens with Harrell and Morris. The players who would be available to the Clippers for either MLE likely wouldn&rsquo;t replicate Harrell or Morris&rsquo; production. L.A. would be searching for bargains and hoping that veteran would be willing to take a discount in order to compete for a championship and play in Los Angeles, but there would be a clear drop-off in talent from Harrell or Morris.
This is the same situation that the Cleveland Cavaliers <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/tristan-thompson-contract-82-million-cavaliers-cleveland/1f21eaapw3eho14uycqtctp96f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found themselves in</a> back in 2015 when they had championship expectations but very little cap flexibility. They had no cap space, so they focused on re-signing Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert among others because replacing those players through free agency was impossible. Basically, their options were to re-sign their own players using their Bird rights or let those key contributors walk and try to replace them with veteran-minimum players. Because they were trying to build a championship contender around LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, they re-signed their role players (even though it was very expensive) and the team ultimately hoisted the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy in 2016.
In addition to the Clippers&rsquo; cap restrictions, they have limited draft capital as well (which could make it tough for them to improve their roster through trades too). L.A. doesn&rsquo;t have a first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft because they traded it to the Knicks for Morris. They have a 2021 first-rounder, but they can't trade it due to the Stepien Rule (which blocks teams from trading their first-round pick in consecutive years). In order to acquire George, the Clippers dealt five first-round picks (MIA's 2021 unprotected first, LAC's 2022 unprotected first, MIA's 2023 lottery-protected first, LAC's 2024 unprotected first and LAC's 2026 unprotected first) as well as the right for the Oklahoma City Thunder to swap first-round picks with them in 2023 and 2025.
When the Clippers decided to add George and Leonard, they went all-in on this current group of players. They sacrificed their future and long-term flexibility to build a star-studded team that could potentially win them their first championship in franchise history. They knew that this experiment would be expensive and restrict them going forward, but they decided to swing for the fences anyway. If the Clippers win their first-ever title, this will all be worth it.&nbsp;
But if the team continues to struggle and fails to live up to expectations, it could be very hard for the Clippers to dig their way out of this hole. What makes this even scarier for the Clippers is that Leonard and George only have one more guaranteed year on their contracts (and then they have player options for 2021-22).&nbsp;
Given the Clippers&rsquo; financial situation and draft capital, their best option is likely to re-sign their own free agents, run it back and hope that this current group does just need more time together to develop chemistry and realize its full potential.

After losing to the Nuggets in the playoffs, where do the Clippers go from here? Alex Kennedy breaks down their offseason options.