Warriors

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Mat Ishbia&rsquo;s five-month tenure as the new owner of the Phoenix Suns has produced a whirlwind of change.
Nobody seems completely safe &mdash; not even 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul &mdash; as the Michigan native continues his quest to deliver Phoenix its first NBA title.
The aggressive owner oversaw his latest big move Sunday, when the Suns&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/wizards-suns-trade-bradley-beal-55adab5fa31d5dfbc35b83223743d9c6">put together the framework for a trade</a>&nbsp;that would send Paul, Landry Shamet and other compensation to the Washington Wizards in exchange for three-time All-Star Bradley Beal.
Paul &mdash; making&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1670789719184089092" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an appearance on ABC&rsquo;s &lsquo;Good Morning America&rsquo; on Monday</a>&nbsp;morning to promote his new book &mdash; seemed just as shocked by the development as everyone else.
&ldquo;I was surprised, too,&rdquo; Paul said. &ldquo;I found out on the plane, yesterday, flying here for this. In this league, anything can happen, so you just figure out what&rsquo;s next.&rdquo;
Paul came to the desert in 2020, bringing instant credibility to the Suns, who had languished near the bottom of the standings for the better part of a decade. The point guard formed a formidable backcourt with Devin Booker, and the Suns came agonizingly close to a championship, winning the first two games of the NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 before losing the next four.
The Suns were also good in the past two regular seasons, but suffered back-to-back embarrassing playoff exits on their home floor.
That was apparently enough for Ishbia to decide that wholesale changes needed to be made.
Ishbia &mdash; who took over control of the team&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-brooklyn-nets-phoenix-suns-new-york-knicks-houston-rockets-3f59feda34360905962e1f9ff0bf6cc5">from the embattled Robert Sarver in February</a>&nbsp;&mdash; hasn&rsquo;t been shy about making big moves, even before their latest playoff exit. The Suns added 13-time All-Star Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade deadline deal that sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and a bevy of first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets.
The bold move failed to produce a championship, so Ishbia continued his overhaul.
The Suns&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/suns-monty-williams-fired-53f33c2c3c8d69af7449cbfbf931bc0a">recently fired coach Monty Williams</a>, who was the NBA&rsquo;s Coach of the Year in 2022,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/phoenix-suns-new-coach-frank-vogel-993576f1cc1daf71ac0adbaf76cc8e9b">and brought in Frank Vogel</a>, who led the Lakers to a title in the Florida bubble in 2020. Now the team is moving on from the 38-year-old Paul and bringing in Beal, who has averaged more than 22 points per game over his 11-year career.
More changes could be on the horizon.
The Suns now have a stellar nucleus of Booker, Durant, Beal and Deandre Ayton, but not much help around them. The foursome will make about $150 million next season and the Suns will have to be creative as they try to add quality role players.
Another option would be trading Ayton, a former No. 1 overall pick in 2018 who has had five up-and-down seasons with the franchise.
There doesn&rsquo;t seem to be a ton of obvious suitors for an Ayton deal, particularly after the 6-foot-11 center had an underwhelming performance in this year&rsquo;s playoffs.
But with Ishbia helping pull the strings these days, nothing seems impossible. The former Michigan State walk-on basketball player &mdash; who was part of the Spartans&rsquo; championship team in 2000 &mdash; has made it clear no one in the organization is sacred as he pushes for a title.
&ldquo;I want to think big,&rdquo; Ishbia said back in February.

Mat Ishbia’s five-month tenure as the new owner of the Phoenix Suns has produced a whirlwind of change.

Suns continue whirlwind of change under new owner Mat Ishbia

The 2023 NBA trade deadline is on Feb. 9, meaning trade season is rapidly approaching. Will it be an active deadline with a ton of wheeling-and-dealing or a relatively quiet one? That remains to be seen.
With so much parity around the league, there should be plenty of buyers. But which teams will emerge as sellers? That's what NBA executives are waiting to find out between now and the deadline.
Basketball News recently asked our staff the following question: Which trade do you want to see before the deadline? Here's what our writers had to say:&nbsp;
Ethan Fuller: "I don&rsquo;t know if the Toronto Raptors even should sell, but if they do, teams should be jostling to land Gary Trent Jr. Dallas could certainly use Trent&rsquo;s microwave scoring and active defensive hands, even if they stick with Tim Hardaway Jr. and their current guards. Luka Doncic is an offensive juggernaut, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean he should sustain his workload. Trent can help ease the burden."
Alex Kennedy: "I'm a sucker for a blockbuster. The most interesting trade deadlines typically feature a star player changing teams. As this year's deadline approaches, there aren't too many rumblings about a star asking out. The closest is rival executives wondering whether <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/whats-going-wrong-with-the-atlanta-hawks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trae Young may ask the Atlanta Hawks for a trade</a> since the team is struggling and dealing with some drama behind the scenes, but that just seems like speculation at this point.
"Assuming a star doesn't become available over the next month, I'll settle for Bojan Bogdanovic getting traded to a contender. He has been terrific this season, averaging a career-high 21.2 points along with 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.4 threes (while shooting 48.7% from the field, 41.5% from three and 88.5% from the free-throw line). Bogdanovic is 33 years old, so it'd be great to see him join a playoff team (such as the Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat or Phoenix Suns) rather than simply putting up great numbers on a bottom-feeder. The Detroit Pistons are rebuilding and would likely move Bogdanovic for the right offer, so I'm hoping we get to see him join a win-now squad."
Nekias Duncan: "I want the Denver Nuggets to trade Jeff Green, Davon Reed and a 2026 second-rounder to the New York Knicks for Isaiah Hartenstein. Frankly, it has pained me to watch Hartenstein &mdash; an underrated but effective passing hub &mdash; rarely get that usage. (To be fair, I&rsquo;m sure Thibs has been equally dismayed by Hartenstein&rsquo;s defense and rebounding presence. Fair play, Mr. Head Coach.) If he isn&rsquo;t going to be maximized on offense (and cause wincing on defense), a move may be best for both parties.
"The Nuggets are familiar with using their bigs as high post or Delay hubs; they have the best one in the league in Nikola Jokic. They&rsquo;ve attempted to use DeAndre Jordan as an elbow connector at times with the second unit; I&rsquo;ll go out on a limb and say Hartenstein would give them more juice in that regard. Green would give the Knicks some veteran depth in the frontcourt whenever he recovers from his hand injury. Reed is a nice flier on multi-positional defense. A light bit of draft capital wouldn&rsquo;t hurt either."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Spencer Davies: "For the love of all that is sacred, get Luka Doncic another ball-handler and/or a better shooter. It is clear and obvious that Jalen Brunson's departure has made things twice as difficult on the Slovenian sensation, yet he's still delivering &mdash; with no examples better than Thursday's game-tying stepback threes and a ridiculous comeback effort against the New York Knicks around the holidays.
"The Mavericks have contracts to float around, none more obvious than Tim Hardaway Jr.'s &nbsp;deal. They could also fetch a valuable player with Dorian Finney-Smith's four-year, $55 million extension that is in Year 1 this season. In addition, Reggie Bullock is mired in a shooting slump that's lasted for the first half of the campaign. And if you need a filler for a bigger contract coming back, Davis Bertans is making a boatload on money ($16 million, then $17 million and an ETO in 2024-25).
"With the Chicago Bulls going in the wrong direction, DeMar DeRozan makes a ton of sense. The Charlotte Hornets have Terry Rozier, who's quietly averaging 21 points a night (albeit on over 19 shots per game); he's been very hot in January. D'Angelo Russell seems like he could be an odd-man out in Minnesota, no? Fred VanVleet feels like a popular name around the trade mill too.
"As for shooters, your first thought is obviously Bojan Bogdanovic in Detroit. If you want to take it a step further, Kyle Kuzma is a little streakier, but he can also put it on the floor and be a secondary creator, as he's showing with the Washington Wizards. Dallas could also call its rival in the Southwest Division and ask the San Antonio Spurs for one of (if not both of) Doug McDermott and Josh Richardson? (The problem there is the Spurs will want draft picks, and because of the Kristaps Porzingis trade, Dallas will convey its first-round selection to New York if it falls between 11-30; it's like that for the next three years too). However, the Mavs do have first-round picks from 2026-2029 to offer.) As you can see, there are options out there to explore for Dallas. At least try, or else Luka will be gassed by early March!"
Brian Fritz: "I would love to see the Minnesota Timberwolves send Naz Reid to the Memphis Grizzlies for a lottery-protected 2024 first-round pick. While the Grizzlies could use some shooting from the wing (as could every team in the NBA), they also need a backup big. Reid is averaging 13.5 points and 6.8 rebounds since early December and would be a regular part of the rotation as well as insurance for Jaren Jackson Jr. and his foul issues.
"The Timberwolves may not even make it into the Play-In Tournament and could be best served moving Reid while his value is high and start recouping draft picks after giving up so many in the Rudy Gobert trade."
Is there a certain trade that you would like to see? If so, <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweet it to us! We'll share our favorites!</a>

Basketball News recently asked our staff: Which deal do you want to see before the NBA trade deadline?

NBA Roundtable: Which trade do you want to see before the deadline?

Nekias Duncan takes an early look at this year's NBA award races with an in-depth look at who leads the pack through mid-December.

Nekias Duncan's 2022-23 NBA award front-runners: MVP, DPOY, ROY, more

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Andrew Wiggins dominated his former Timberwolves teammates with a season-high 35 points, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 123-110 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday night.
Anthony Edwards scored a career-high 48 points for Minnesota, hitting seven three-pointers in the Timberwolves' sixth straight loss.
Wiggins made his initial 10 shots, scored 22 of his points on 9-for-9 shooting in the first half and delivered an emphatic one-handed dunk over Karl-Anthony Towns after driving the baseline.
Stephen Curry scored 25 points to go with six assists coming off a 50-point masterpiece Monday night against Atlanta. Jordan Poole had 14 points and five rebounds to help Golden State push its NBA-leading record to 10-1.
Kevon Looney added season-bests of 11 points and 16 rebound, delivering on both ends on a night Draymond Green exited with a bruised right thigh.

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

Edwards' three-pointer with 5:59 left pulled the Timberwolves to 105-98, and longtime Warriors nemesis Patrick Beverley made it 105-100 before Looney's dunk with 4:04 remaining.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Career-high 48 POINTS for <a href="https://twitter.com/theantedwards_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@theantedwards_</a> 😳 <a href="https://t.co/RgCOkWcB9s">pic.twitter.com/RgCOkWcB9s</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1458686176500465666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Minnesota's D&rsquo;Angelo Russell had 18 points and seven assists against his former team.
CONSISTENT WIGGINS
Wiggins shot 14 for 19, and he is the first Warriors player to go at least 9 for 9 in a half since Monta Ellis made all 10 of his shots in the first half against Memphis on Jan. 11, 2008.
HOOPS FOR TROOPS
As part of Warriors Hoops for Troops Week, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officers Camechie Baker and Syreeta Bromfield had courtside seats and even received a quick visit and hello from Draymond Green before his warmups.
&ldquo;It's a life dream right now,&rdquo; Baker said.
More than seats were donated by season ticket-holders to be used by military members.
Bromfield played basketball at Green's alma mater Michigan State, so that made it extra special.
&ldquo;Its more than a treat,&rdquo; Bromfield said. &ldquo;Just to be partnering with the Warriors and for the donors to give up their seats for us to be a part of this NBA Hoops for Troops, it's amazing. When would we ever get this opportunity to sit courtside and see a game?&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Minnesota shot 17 for 44 from deep and gave up 13 steals to Golden State.
Warriors: Golden State had its streak of five straight games with 30 or more assists snapped. ... Warriors assistant Mike Brown returned to the bench after he was ill and missed Monday's game. ... Golden State is 10-1 for the first time since starting 10-1 in 2018-19. ... F Otto Porter Jr. returned after getting Monday night to rest and protect a left foot injury.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Visit Lakers on Friday, then face the Clippers the following day to conclude a three-game California swing.
Warriors: Host the Bulls on Friday night to wrap up an eight-game homestand that matches a franchise record.

Andrew Wiggins had a season-high 35 points, leading the Warriors to a 123-110 victory over the Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

Anthony Edwards scores career-high 48 points, but Warriors beat Wolves

Prior to the start of last season, Kyrie Irving <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2921968-nets-kyrie-irving-on-fine-for-media-policy-violation-i-do-not-talk-to-pawns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called the media &ldquo;pawns&rdquo;</a> and stated that it would be his preference if he didn&rsquo;t speak to them at all, and it appears as though many are dedicated to holding a grudge for the rest of their days.
But did Kyrie Irving have a valid point? Were the members of the media who fall into that category the only ones offended by those comments? I personally didn&rsquo;t take offense because I know he wasn&rsquo;t talking about me. But as the saying goes, if the shoe fits...
Irving's words should have resulted in a lot of the media taking a hard and long look in the mirror instead of getting their notepads in a bunch (see what I did there).
A pawn is defined as &ldquo;a person used by others for their own purposes.&rdquo;
So from that standpoint, was Kyrie onto something? For instance, recall last year&rsquo;s dramatic articles and commentary projecting disaster on the Brooklyn Nets in the preseason. A hypothetical (and eventual) combination of three of the game&rsquo;s most gifted scorers led to the media assuming they'd be unwilling to share the ball. There were accusations that Kyrie would be uncoachable. There were reports claiming he no longer cared about the game of basketball and more of the like.
But didn&rsquo;t all of that disappear as soon as the season started? Some members of the media were even calling for Kyrie to retire before the season even began.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z81VQBtWnYU" width="100%" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Creating baseless gossip and chit-chat for ratings, clicks and shares is very pawn-like.
Isn't that the script that the media is following?
Look at the evidence &mdash; articles with &ldquo;anonymous sources&rdquo; claiming that the Nets are looking to move Kyrie, commentators drumming up baseless trade chatter and spreading rumors that Kevin Durant secretly wants Kyrie gone, reports that if Kyrie is traded he&rsquo;ll retire, suggestions that a Ben Simmons swap is even in the realm of a possibility, etc.
Isn&rsquo;t it interesting that so much of the noise seems to magically disappear as soon as he starts playing? I&rsquo;m sure that will be the case again as soon as this season begins. That usually means the reports and commentary and &ldquo;anonymous sources&rdquo; never really had any substance in the first place, but were just more media noise that was manufactured to create chatter in the slow months tor ratings. Again, very pawn-like.
To weigh in on Kyrie Irving&rsquo;s never-ending battle with the media, I asked NBA Hall-of-Famer, Detroit Pistons legend and television analyst Isiah Thomas for his thoughts on the matter.
&ldquo;I respect the independence that Kyrie has shown throughout this entire process. Just like we [do] as professional athletes, we as human beings, we as fathers, husbands, brothers &mdash; sometimes we get it wrong. And at the same time, sometimes the media gets it wrong," Thomas told me. "And when the media gets called out on being wrong, their response is almost &lsquo;How dare you?&rsquo;
"Just like one side can be wrong, so can the other side. So, don&rsquo;t jump on me when I&rsquo;m wrong, but be quiet when you&rsquo;re wrong. You received information about me, and what I am thinking and what my intentions are, and whoever told you that didn&rsquo;t tell you correctly. Now, this is what I meant, this is my voice. This isn&rsquo;t whatever source, this is my voice. So respect my voice, and that&rsquo;s what Kyrie has been saying. And he has been very authentic in his voice."
It doesn&rsquo;t sound like he took Kyrie&rsquo;s &ldquo;pawn&rdquo; comment personally, does it?&nbsp;
Regarding the trade rumors surrounding the star point guard in Brooklyn, Thomas feels strongly that sending Kyrie elsewhere would be a mistake the Nets would regret.
&ldquo;The LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavs that came back and beat the Golden State Warriors after they had a 73-9 season &mdash; and LeBron James was off the charts in every statistical category &mdash; but the Cleveland Cavs do not win the championship without Kyrie Irving on that team," Thomas said. "Put me down on record. The Brooklyn Nets with the team constructed the way it currently is, cannot, and will not, win the championship if he is not there. Period.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s be clear: Kyrie is special. If he is not beating you from the perimeter off the dribble, he is knifing through the paint whenever he chooses with an array of dribble moves, crossovers, stepbacks and finishing in traffic. He is &ldquo;both-handed,&rdquo; which in basketball terms equates to being ambidextrous. He can finish with his left or right hand regardless of the size of the shot-blocker or the number of people occupying the lane. His layup package is on a different planet.
But don&rsquo;t take my word for it.
Allow legendary NBA point guard and New Jersey Nets fan favorite Kenny Anderson to tell you himself.
&ldquo;As far as [the great] point guards go: Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, [Allen] Iverson, Steph Curry, Oscar Robertson, and you gotta put Kyrie in the next mix," Anderson told me. "He&rsquo;s one of the best that ever played the game. He&rsquo;s so talented. His ball-handling skills are exceptional. He&rsquo;s hitting his shot from long range and short range. He can do it all. He&rsquo;s just a great player. I love watching him. He&rsquo;s one of my favorite players.
&ldquo;The Nets would be crazy to even think about trading him. They&rsquo;re favored to win everything. I don&rsquo;t even believe that they are seriously thinking about trading him. I think that&rsquo;s just something the media came up with to have something to talk about before the season starts. We got the best player in the league, Kevin Durant, with the best point guard in the league. Kyrie Irving. and an unstoppable scorer in James Harden. So no, trading Kyrie from the Nets perspective shouldn&rsquo;t even come into their minds and definitely shouldn&rsquo;t come out of their mouths as even a consideration.&rdquo;
There is statistical evidence to back up what both point guard legends are saying.
Last season, Kyrie had the best regular season of his 10-year career, averaging 26.9 points, 6.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game. He became just the ninth player in NBA history to join the exclusive 50/40/90 club and shot 50.6% from the field, 40.2% from the three, and 92.2% from the free-throw line. He joined the likes of Curry, Larry Bird, Mark Price, Reggie Miller, Dirk Nowitzki and Malcolm Brogdon, along with his teammate, Durant, and head coach, Steve Nash.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
To provide further insight, Syracuse University point guard icon Sherman Douglas &mdash; who played 11 seasons in the NBA and two with Nets &mdash; weighed in as the rumors as well.
&ldquo;Kyrie is vital to the Nets' success this season. To even think about trading him is absurd," Douglas said. "It&rsquo;s going to take the Lakers a while to get their chemistry [together], and we&rsquo;ll see how that works out. But if you trade him, you&rsquo;re not going to get equal value back, I don&rsquo;t care what package you come up with. He is a special talent, so what type of sense would it make to take a step back in a season where you should be favored to win it all? And if it weren&rsquo;t for injuries, you very well may have won it all last season. Of course, no disrespect to Milwaukee because they did an amazing job. But my point is, it would make no sense to break that team up.&rdquo;
Nicknamed &ldquo;The General&rdquo; for the way he ran the Orangemen and setting the NCAA record for assists in 1989, Douglas offered his evaluation of Kyrie Irving as a point guard and a leader.
&ldquo;Kyrie&rsquo;s skill level of not just ball-handling but of shooting, passing and scoring is one of the best I&rsquo;ve ever seen. He can do it all," Douglas said. "He is one of those point guards where you have to just say, 'I hope he&rsquo;s off tonight.' And [with] the way Brooklyn plays spreading the floor with shooters &mdash; which leaves the defender on an island by himself with Kyrie &mdash; you wanna send help, but you can&rsquo;t because of all of the shooters.
&ldquo;And as a leader, one of the many things that had impressed me with Kyrie is that he can take a step back and let other guys score. So when he sees Durant is scoring or Harden has it going or whoever, he has the humility to take a step back and allow those guys to get off when he knows he could be doing the same exact level of scoring. And I&rsquo;ve seen Harden do that as well. It&rsquo;s not a competition, and that&rsquo;s special. You don&rsquo;t just throw that away, because that chemistry isn&rsquo;t easy to come by and they jelled quickly.&rdquo;
So everyone agrees that, on the court, Kyrie is invaluable. But one of the things that makes him somewhat of an enigma to many is the fact that Kyrie cares about much more than basketball.&nbsp;
At one point last season, Irving divulged that he was participating in his first Ramadan, a sacred time for Muslims where they fast from dawn to sunset and can&rsquo;t eat or drink anything during the day. He also disclosed that the Israeli airstrikes that slaughtered dozens of Palestinians heavily weighed on him, and despite the fact that the playoffs were just days away and the Nets were significant favorites to win it all, his main focus wasn&rsquo;t at the time bouncing a ball.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Kyrie explained why, with everything going on in the world, basketball isn't the most important thing for him to talk about right now. <a href="https://t.co/y6YbMPoZq6">pic.twitter.com/y6YbMPoZq6</a>
&mdash; SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1393764602840768513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of stuff going on in this world, and basketball is just not the most important thing to me right now," he said. "There&rsquo;s a lot of stuff going on overseas. All my people are still in bondage all across the world. There&rsquo;s a lot of dehumanization going on, so I apologize if I&rsquo;m not going to be focused on your questions. There&rsquo;s just too much going on in the world for me to just be talking about basketball... and it&rsquo;s not just in Palestine and not just in Israel, it&rsquo;s all over the world, and I feel it.
"I&rsquo;m very compassionate to all races, all cultures, and to see so many people being discriminated against based on their religion, the color of their skin, what they believe in it&rsquo;s just sad. We all say we&rsquo;re human beings and we&rsquo;re compassionate and we care, but what are you doing to help?&rdquo;&nbsp;
Anybody with eyes could see the genuine hurt that Kyrie Irving was feeling at that moment. This is who he is. He cares deeply.&nbsp;
Shortly after the Jan. 6 insurrection &mdash; in which the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. was violently attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump as they sought to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election &mdash; Kyrie took a break from the team. Upon his return, he addressed the media. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"There are so many oppressed communities and so many things going on that are bigger than a ball going in the rim." Kyrie Irving discussed his absence, mental health and his goals off the court. (via <a href="https://twitter.com/SNYNets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SNYNets</a>) <a href="https://t.co/4LY7T8V327">pic.twitter.com/4LY7T8V327</a>
&mdash; Yahoo Sports NBA (@YahooSportsNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/YahooSportsNBA/status/1351601992280498178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
&ldquo;When things become overwhelming in life, you know, you just got to take a step back and realize what&rsquo;s important. I&rsquo;m not alone in this. And that&rsquo;s just a big thing about also mental health, you know, just coming in and being balanced with yourself and then being able to perform," Irving said. "So, with everything going on in the world politically, socially, it&rsquo;s hard to ignore. I want to make changes daily. You know, there are so many oppressed communities, so many things going on that are bigger than just a ball going into the rim. So it&rsquo;s just the balance of it.&rdquo;&nbsp;
No one is going to deny that Kyrie's absence from the team was unexpected, and the lack of details opened the door for speculation and chatter. And to be fair, the way he handled it wasn&rsquo;t the best either. Breaking the NBA&rsquo;s COVID-19 protocols and attending a party is obviously not the greatest thing to do, even if it&rsquo;s part of the taking a step away process.
However, at the same time, Irving&rsquo;s mental health is something that needs to be intact in order for him to perform at the optimal level fans desire. And taking a break doesn&rsquo;t always look the same for everyone. But in this society, athletes are still greatly ridiculed when they take time off for their mental health, just ask Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles. But that doesn&rsquo;t change the fact that mental health is something that should be valued, and Kyrie is not someone who is going to stop caring &mdash; because that&rsquo;s just who he is. 
On my show "<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rematch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Rematch</a>," while I was interviewing Stephen Jackson, <a href="nba-kyrie-irving-george-floyd-stephen-jackson-house-bought-gianna-lil-baby-barbra-streisand-brooklyn-nets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he revealed that Kyrie bought a house for the family of George Floyd</a>, who was murdered last year at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.&nbsp;
Irving also <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2021/01/01/brooklyn-nets-guard-kyrie-irving-pays-off-tuition-of-nine-students-at-hbcu-lincoln-university/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">paid off the college tuition of nine students from an HBCU</a> (Lincoln University) on Dec. 10 as part of his foundation&rsquo;s 11 Days of Giving.
At the height of an international covid pandemic, <a href="https://nothinbutnets.com/2020/07/27/nets-kyrie-irving-wnba-players/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he committed $1.5 million to help support the income of WNBA players</a> who chose to sit out the 2020 season due to health and other personal reasons.
This past August, <a href="https://www.michigandaily.com/news/kyrie-irving-donates-13000-to-umich-student-run-charity-for-solar-water-center-in-pakistan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he donated funds to help build a solar water center in Pakistan</a> that will provide clean water and electricity to over 1,000 people.
And I could go on and on and on, but in describing his character, many members of the media choose to focus on Kyrie not wanting to speak to them instead of constantly bringing up these facts.
It always goes back to him calling them pawns, or downplaying his need to take a mental break, or not being committed to the team or pulling up previous statements to add ridicule to him. A good example is his strong opposition to Thanksgiving.
(All the while ignoring the fact that he is very serious about his Native American heritage; his mother, Elizabeth, who passed away when he was 4, was a citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Irving and his older sister, Asia, were actually welcomed into the tribe with a ceremony in 2018. He was even given the Lakota name "Little Mountain" by tribal elders. So, yes, it should be more than understandable why he would not be as enthusiastic about a holiday that marks the slaughter of his people, but I digress.)&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
I asked Douglas why many in the media choose to focus on the negative instead of the positive so often with Kyrie. 
&ldquo;Unfortunately, the way of the media is to focus on the negative and not the positive. &nbsp;Negativity is what sells," Douglas said. "They are not looking to praise Kyrie for what he does off the court, and he is not looking for that. In fact, he wants to do things quietly and is looking to do the right thing, and you have to commend him for that. What he is doing off the court is just phenomenal. I think Kyrie has to just tune all of that out and keep doing what he has been doing. But he is an example to all on how to give of yourself and to be selfless and care for the well-being of others in thought, word and in deed."
Thomas reflected with the same sentiments.
&ldquo;I love the sensitivity that he shows to the community and in particular, people who are in poverty. I am one who grew up in poverty, so I benefitted from the charitable generosity and good will of others. And it is appreciated more than many people know because he doesn&rsquo;t have to do that," Thomas said. "And he doesn&rsquo;t do it to be seen doing it. Things leak out of course because that&rsquo;s the age we are living in, but he would rather keep everything quiet, and that shows how genuine of a person he is &mdash; because he is doing it out of the kindness of his heart, not for recognition or to embarrass the person who he is helping, which happens too often. So I have all the respect and admiration in the world for him.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Anderson had some closing comments, in addition.
"They just want him to just shut up and play basketball. He has things other than basketball that he feels passionately about, and there&rsquo;s nothing wrong with that," Anderson said. "He cares for people in a way that is foreign to a lot of folks, but he&rsquo;s supposed to care about people. He wants to make a difference in the world and that&rsquo;s what he is doing. He&rsquo;s looking at what&rsquo;s going on overseas, what&rsquo;s going on here in America, things affect him &mdash; but they are supposed to affect him. He&rsquo;s a human being with a huge heart and the financial ability to make a change.
"I think he is doing great, and he needs to keep doing everything he&rsquo;s doing &mdash; whether it&rsquo;s challenging whoever, or helping whoever, or speaking up for whoever. It obviously didn&rsquo;t take away from what he is doing on the court. He can&rsquo;t help injuries, but when he laced them up, he dominated. And if he wouldn&rsquo;t have gotten hurt, things would&rsquo;ve been different last year. So he just needs to ignore everyone and keep doing what he is doing. He definitely has my admiration and support.&rdquo;
All three are absolutely right about Kyrie Irving, and I couldn't agree more.

Etan Thomas defends Kyrie Irving along with three former NBA point guards that admire his game and, more importantly, his character.

Isiah Thomas, Kenny Anderson, Sherman Douglas have Kyrie Irving's back

Calm. Cool. Collected.
Those are three of the first words that come to mind for me when someone asks about Tyronn Lue. Whether it was the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, or a game where much less was on the line, Ty never lost his cool. It&rsquo;s one of his best qualities, and even though his Los Angeles Clippers ended up losing to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals, he deserves a round of applause for the job he did this past season.
Ty took over a team that had championship aspirations, and he had to earn the trust of his players. Even with the challenges of this condensed season and the Clippers' injury issues, he was able to lead the team to its first-ever Western Conference Finals. They fell down 0-2 to the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz and still managed to win those series, despite being without Kawhi Leonard for the last two games against Utah.
Maximum respect.
I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach under Ty in Cleveland, and helping bring a championship to my hometown is an accomplishment I&rsquo;ll always cherish.
It&rsquo;s funny how we ended up together. After my playing career ended, David Griffin got wind of me wanting to coach. Griff reached out to me to see if I&rsquo;d be interested in an assistant coaching opportunity with the Cavs&rsquo; D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge. I&rsquo;d just had my youngest son, though, and I really wanted to be around him at that time. But I told Griff that if the same opportunity existed the following year, I would be in.
Knowing what I know now, I realize how lucky I was. There are a lot of guys out there who are looking for an opportunity, and most of them would&rsquo;ve jumped at that chance when Griff presented it. But my family is very important to me and the timing just wasn&rsquo;t right. I turned it down, even though some guys wouldn&rsquo;t have.
Fortunately, Griff called me back the next year! And this time, I was happy to take on the challenge of beginning my coaching career. So, I took my talents to the D-League.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_9122751_lg.jpg" alt="" width="636" height="434" />
Ty, on the other hand, had already been an assistant coach in the league for a few years. He started out in Boston with Doc Rivers, then followed Doc to the Clippers. By the time I got involved with the Cavs, Ty had been hired as David Blatt&rsquo;s associate head coach in Cleveland. I eventually got called up from the D-League to join Blatt&rsquo;s staff along with Larry Drew, Jim Boylan, Phil Handy and Vitaly Potapenko. That&rsquo;s where it all started, and things worked out for the two of us while we were together there. So it was all thanks to Griff, to be honest.
I think most people assume that me and Ty were friends going back to our playing days, and it makes sense. He came into the league one year before me and we were contemporaries, but we weren&rsquo;t close at all. I mean, I knew who he was and I respected the hell out of him. We were similar in that we were role players, played tough defense and seemed to have similar values, but it wasn&rsquo;t until Griff brought us together that we really became friends. Our friendship developed naturally because I respected Ty and everything he brought to the table.
As a coach, he&rsquo;s extremely knowledgeable. He&rsquo;s well-prepared, he&rsquo;s creative and he just has a level of understanding for the game and how to make things work on the basketball court. As a player who played for great coaches, it&rsquo;s easy for me to recognize that Ty was coached by amazing basketball minds, including Phil Jackson. I think what most people appreciate about him, though, is the fact that he is someone who never, ever loses his cool. Even in 2016, when we were down 3-1 to the Warriors in the NBA Finals, we all knew that no team had ever come back from that deficit to win the championship, but Ty didn&rsquo;t change anything about his preparation or about his delivery.
Of course, we made some minor adjustments, but there was zero panic in this man. It&rsquo;s fair to say that he just exuded so much confidence that our plan would work that it was contagious.
I&rsquo;ll never forget, after Game 4, when Ty was doing his press conference with the media, he repeated to the press what he said to the team right after we lost the game: &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t think we can win, don&rsquo;t get on the plane.&rdquo;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SAbREQuU0WA" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Before you knew it, LeBron James was saying the same thing. Tristan Thompson was saying the same thing. It became a rallying cry.
Ty basically said, &ldquo;Hey look, we gotta go to Oakland to play a game. Then, whether we win or lose, we all gotta come back to Cleveland, right? So if we&rsquo;re going to Oakland to play a game and then coming back to Cleveland, we might as well play a game in Cleveland, too.&rdquo;
It might sound silly, but Ty being such a calm and collected person was what helped the team through, I think. That and, of course, LeBron and Kyrie Irving.
So I wasn't surprised at all to see the Clippers climb out of the 0-2 hole they found themselves in against Dallas and Utah, and even when they fell down 3-1 to Phoenix, I didn't count them out.
We all hear people talk about how much a player&rsquo;s confidence affects their ability to perform on the court (and yes, it is true)&hellip; I can tell you from experience that players who believe in their coach also play harder and play better. If they don&rsquo;t think you know what you&rsquo;re talking about, or if they don&rsquo;t think you&rsquo;re prepared, they&rsquo;re just not going to go out there and give you 100% effort.
But if they do? They&rsquo;ll run through a wall for you. That&rsquo;s why I&rsquo;m not surprised by what the Clippers were able to do this postseason, even without Kawhi Leonard. And I definitely wasn't surprised that they were able to go into Phoenix and win Game 5 of that series.
I&rsquo;ll also tell you this: Ty is a realist. He doesn&rsquo;t try to sell you B.S. or give you any false advertisements. He&rsquo;ll admit to you when your opponent made some big plays and did a few things that exploited some of his own weaknesses or his own team&rsquo;s weaknesses, and I think players respect that accountability.
But let me tell you this: By the time Ty comes to talk to you to tell you he recognizes an area where he or the team fell short, he already has a solution to the problem and a counter-solution to however he thinks the other coach is going to respond. At the same time, he doesn&rsquo;t walk around with his chest puffed out acting like he&rsquo;s the smartest guy in the room, or making others feel like he doesn&rsquo;t respect them or their opinions. He gives everybody a voice, even though he knows that at the end of the day, the route his team takes is going to be his decision.
Some coaches are good at making speeches and doing all the &ldquo;rah-rah&rdquo; stuff with the storytelling and the fables and the morals and all that; that&rsquo;s not Ty.
Ty never tried to be Pat Riley or Doc or any of those coaches. His thing has always been planning and showing guys the result of great preparation. He&rsquo;s always been about practicing hard, studying in film sessions and preparing his team for success by getting them on the same page and getting them to believe in a game plan. He&rsquo;s definitely more like Hubie Brown and Byron Scott in that regard, and he's always done things his way.
Being a former player, especially one who&rsquo;s experienced the highest level of success, Ty has been in those shoes before. He knows what pressure feels like, he&rsquo;s been in some tough locker rooms, he&rsquo;s been rattled and has overcome it all. There&rsquo;s nothing he hasn&rsquo;t already seen.
Unfortunately for the Clippers, Chris Paul just refused to be denied when it came down to it. He's been waiting 16 years to get to the Finals, and without Kawhi, Ty and the Clippers just didn't have enough. Even with that being the case, I&rsquo;m happy that Ty finally seems to be getting his just due.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
LeBron made it to the Finals 10 times and with five different coaches. He&rsquo;s won with three of them. A lot of people might have looked at Ty&rsquo;s success with the Cavs as a given because everyone has won with LeBron. They may have thought that we were able to overcome that 3-1 deficit against the Warriors in spite of him, and not necessarily because of him. After seeing what the Clippers did this past season, though, I think everyone now knows a little better.
Ty Lue is a master of preparation, and he has developed into one of the best coaches in the game. Although it ended in disappointment, this past season is definitely an example of that. I was by his side for five years, though, so I already knew.
But now, the secret is out, and it&rsquo;s about time we all put some respect on Ty Lue&rsquo;s name.

Even without Kawhi Leonard, Ty Lue led the Clippers to their first Western Conference Finals. Respect is due, writes James Posey.

It’s time we all put a little more respect on Tyronn Lue’s name

Monty Williams wasn't named NBA Coach of the Year, but he has something more monumental &mdash; a trip to the NBA Finals.
While Chris Paul was emotional Wednesday night after the Phoenix Suns eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers 130-103 in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, Williams was taking joy in seeing his players celebrate.
&ldquo;I really enjoyed watching him and his emotions after the game. I was like, I must be getting old now because I&rsquo;m enjoying watching other people,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;It used to be about me. Now, I&rsquo;m looking at everybody else having a good time and I&rsquo;m like, man, I&rsquo;m getting old.&rdquo;
Williams and Paul hugged after the game and took in the moment. Even though there were plenty of tears from Paul, there were none from Williams.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just authentic. I just felt like hugging him. I think his parents were right behind us and he was emotional,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;I felt for him. I had my emotional time before the game.&rdquo;
Before the Suns took to the Staples Center court, Williams and assistant coach Randy Ayers were in the locker room reflecting on their journey together &mdash; five years in New Orleans and the last two in Phoenix.
&ldquo;Today about 2:30 we were in the locker room. It was just Randy and I. I was like, &lsquo;Man, Randy, we&rsquo;re so close.&rsquo; And then Randy starts telling me what he felt about me, because he&rsquo;s been with me since day one in New Orleans. And I broke down before the game,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;So I understood the emotions that Chris was dealing with. I just ran out of tears. I used all mine up about 2:30, 3 p.m. today.
&ldquo;I was gone, because Randy had just spoke from the heart to me about some things that we have been through. He&rsquo;s been with me every step of the way since New Orleans and now."
While Paul's 16-year journey to his first NBA Finals will be one of the integral storylines, Williams also deserves his plaudits. When he was named coach on May 3, 2019, the Suns had just come off a 19-63 season in which they tied for the league's second-worst record.
Two years later, Phoenix broke a 10-year playoff drought by finishing with the league's second-best mark (51-21) in a pandemic-shortened season. Phoenix is just the third team in the last 45 years to improve from having one of the league's two worst records to a top-two mark in two seasons or less.
The Suns eliminated the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first round in six games, swept league MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in four in the semifinals and dispatched the Clippers in six to reach the NBA Finals for the third time in franchise history.
&ldquo;He respects the position. And that&rsquo;s really gratifying for me, to see how much work he puts into it,&rdquo; Ayres said. &ldquo;I told him today, like we&rsquo;ll have a situation that we want to talk about at the end of the day before we all go home. I know the next day he&rsquo;s put in the time to come up with a solution for that situation. And you respect that. I&rsquo;ve seen that for seven years.&rdquo;
Williams showed last season he had a good nucleus of young talent with Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton after improving by 15 wins. By adding Jae Crowder and Paul, it put them over the top, along with an additional improvement of 17 wins.
&ldquo;Monty coming in, building the culture, him leading us with the preparation meets opportunity. That was these moments right here, and we took it and we ran with it,&rdquo; Booker said.
Along with having home-court advantage, the Suns should be plenty rested going into the NBA Finals. If the Eastern Conference finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks ends in six games, the series will begin on Tuesday. If it goes the distance, it starts on July 8.
Phoenix should also be favored to capture its first championship. It last made the NBA Finals in 1993, losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games.
The Suns only other appearance was in 1976, a loss to the Boston Celtics in six games. That series still goes down in NBA Finals lore for the Celtics triple overtime win in Game 5.
&ldquo;I'm happy and proud of our team. Monty not winning Coach of the Year, but we know who he is,&rdquo; Paul said, &ldquo;They won two games in this series without me, and it just shows you how crazy it is. First series got the nerve thing. Win the second series, end up with COVID. It&rsquo;s been a lot and I want it not just for myself, but for everybody in that locker room.&rdquo;

Monty Williams and Chris Paul hugged after the Suns' Game 6 win and took in the moment that they were going to the Finals together.

Monty Williams, Chris Paul emotional after Phoenix reaches NBA Finals

In this series, Matt Babcock shares his experience growing up around the Milwaukee Bucks organization since his dad, Dave Babcock, has been an executive with the team for 23 years. He also provides an inside look at the rise and fall of the Bucks during the late 1990s and early 2000s. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/growing-up-a-buck-millewahque-milwaukee-bucks-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">For Part 1, click here</a>. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/growing-up-a-buck-george-karl-arrives-in-milwaukee" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> For Part 2, click here</a>. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/growing-up-a-milwaukee-bucks-its-reggie-miller-time-indiana-pacers-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">For Part 3, click here</a>.
After finishing the 2000-01 NBA regular season as the top team in the Central Division, the Milwaukee Bucks were headed to the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Thanks to my dad&rsquo;s job within the Bucks&rsquo; front office, I was lucky enough to be along for the ride. As a 16-year-old kid, I routinely shot around with the team before games, spent time in the locker room before and after games, and even traveled with the team. Of all my fortunate experiences with the Bucks during that time, nothing compares to the emotional roller coaster of the 2001 playoff run.&nbsp;
Here&rsquo;s how I remember it happening...
The Bucks' first playoff series that year was against the seventh-seeded Orlando Magic led by head coach Doc Rivers. The previous season, the Bucks and Magic played a &ldquo;do-or-die&rdquo; game on the last day of the regular season. The winner would secure a playoff spot, and the Bucks won in a nail biter. George Karl and Doc Rivers seemed to regularly take jabs at each other in the media during that time and the two teams had suddenly established a testy rivalry with one another.&nbsp;
However, the 2001 Orlando Magic team was a little different than the team the Bucks beat the previous season. The previous Magic team was led by a group of underdog journeymen, including Darrell Armstrong, Bo Outlaw, and Ben Wallace &mdash; they were a scrappy bunch of overachievers, which was their clear-cut identity as a team. Following the 1999-00 season, the Magic really opened up their wallets, signing superstar Grant Hill from the Detroit Pistons and young budding star Tracy McGrady from the Toronto Raptors. Their idea was, presumably, to have Hill be the leader and the face of the team as they slowly brought along McGrady. However, after signing that big contract, Hill only played four games that season as he battled ankle injuries &mdash; injuries that derailed the rest of his career, unfortunately. Subsequently, the idea of slowly developing McGrady was scratched and, suddenly, the Magic were dependent on the 21-year-old to carry their team.&nbsp;
However, McGrady did not have any problems stepping into this role, averaging 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game that season. In the first-round playoff series versus the Bucks, McGrady was outstanding, averaging 33.8 points, 8.3 assists, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game &mdash; superstar numbers. He did all of this while also holding All-Star Glenn &ldquo;Big Dog&rdquo; Robinson to only 14.8 points per game and 34.8% shooting from the field, which were well below his normal averages. I also remember McGrady relentlessly trash-talking &ldquo;Big Dog,&rdquo; infamously calling him &ldquo;Puppy Dog.&rdquo; Following that series, McGrady quickly became well known within the basketball world, and I guess you could say &ldquo;a star was born.&rdquo; He was a long, 6-foot-8 scoring machine who could essentially do everything on the offensive end.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
However, in hindsight, based on what I saw from McGrady in that series, I don&rsquo;t think he maximized his full potential over the course of his career (although he was an all-time great player). Although not a bad defender, he had the potential to be elite. He could have had a Scottie-Pippen-type of career on the defensive end and become a two-way star, if he had really applied himself. This was an early lesson for me in evaluating players: just because a player has the tools to be a great defender does not mean he will be. Intent and effort are absolutely necessary for a player to be productive on the defensive end. Regardless, McGrady was great during that series and it is still one of the best individual performances throughout a playoff series that I have ever seen. Nevertheless, despite McGrady&rsquo;s impressive performance during that series, the Bucks far outmatched the Magic talent-wise. The Bucks beat the Magic 3-1, and I suppose &ldquo;Big Dog&rdquo; got the last laugh in that matchup.
And on to the next round the Bucks went&hellip;
In the second round, the Bucks faced the Charlotte Hornets, who were led by star player Jamal Mashburn and second-year point guard Baron Davis. The first two games of that series went as expected; the Bucks protected their home court and won the tough games. The next two games were played on the road in Charlotte and that was an entirely different story.
As I mentioned, the Hornets&rsquo; top player was Mashburn. Having had somewhat of a roller-coaster career up to that point, the 28-year-old had really come into his own as a player. The Hornets traded for him the previous summer and it clearly seemed to be a good fit. At 6-foot-8 and a strong 240 pounds, the small forward from the University of Kentucky was a handful for any opponent. He could shoot from outside, handle the ball, post up, and pretty much score from all over the floor. He was simply a matchup nightmare due to his strength and versatility. He <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/roundtable-which-former-player-would-fit-perfectly-in-todays-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">would be perfect as a combo forward in today&rsquo;s modern style of play</a>. In Games 3, 4, and 5 of that series, his value really showed, as he was the top scorer in each contest and led the charge for the Hornets to win three games in a row over the Bucks.
And like a whirlwind, the Bucks went from being up a comfortable 2-0 to down a terrifying 3-2. The tide had turned quickly, and the pressure was on the Bucks.
Despite the Bucks having gone to the playoffs the previous couple of seasons, the 2001 playoffs were my first real taste of how intense playoff basketball can be for everyone involved -- including the families of the players, coaches, and management. The NBA is big business, and when a team goes far in the playoffs, everyone wins on some level or another. Player values in free agency increase, coaches and management get raises or new job opportunities, and, of course, playoff bonuses get bigger with each round. The family room at the Bradley Center following a loss in the playoffs felt like a funeral. Needless to say, stress levels were high now that the team&rsquo;s back was up against the wall, down 3-2.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Game 6 was played in Charlotte and it did not start off well. The Bucks went into the locker room at halftime down 10 points. However, in the second half, the &ldquo;Big Three&rdquo; of Ray Allen, Sam Cassell, and Glenn &ldquo;Big Dog&rdquo; Robinson lit it up. The Bucks outscored the Hornets 61-44 in the second half and won the game by seven points. Allen, Cassell and Robinson combined for 85 points. When it comes to perimeter shooting and scoring, they were probably the NBA&rsquo;s best trio at the time (and they&rsquo;re arguably one of the best ever). When Ray, Sam and &ldquo;Big Dog&rdquo; got hot, good luck trying to stop them!
That intense series would come down to one final deciding game. By that point, the Hornets had earned everyone&rsquo;s respect and in Game 7, Baron Davis put on a show. The 6-foot-3, strong, explosive point guard diced up the Bucks&rsquo; defense off the dribble, scoring 29 points. But that game was played in Milwaukee, in our house, the Bradley Center. The Bucks closed out that series, winning by nine points. &ldquo;The Big Three&rdquo; came through in the clutch again, as Ray and &ldquo;Big Dog&rdquo; combined for 57 points, and Sam chipped in 17 points and 13 assists.&nbsp;
The Bucks were moving on again. Now, to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they matched up against the Philadelphia 76ers, who were coached by Larry Brown and led by that season&rsquo;s NBA MVP Allen Iverson.
The 76ers had the best regular-season record in the East that year, so Philadelphia had home-court advantage. After a few bogus calls, non-calls, and just poor overall officiating at the First Union Center, the 76ers unfortunately pulled out a win over the Bucks in Game 1. The matchup between Allen Iverson and Ray Allen quickly proved to be entertaining in and of itself, as Ray scored 31 points and Iverson had 34 in Game 1. It was pretty evident that this would be a showdown we would all remember.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/ray_ai1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="412" />
The officiating in Game 1 was bad, but the team had to move on and get a win in Game 2 to tie up the series before heading back to Milwaukee &mdash; and that&rsquo;s exactly what they did. The Bucks&rsquo; defense was able to hold Iverson to 5-26 shooting from the field and just 16 points. Just as important, Ray absolutely went off, netting 38 points and hitting seven three-pointers. Heading back to Milwaukee for Game 3, tied up 1-1 with the Sixers, the Bucks&rsquo; confidence was already high, but then the news came out that Iverson was not even traveling with the team because of a sore hip. Going into Game 3 without their star player, Coach Brown clearly instructed his 76ers to &ldquo;muck it up.&rdquo; The team was built around Iverson and his scoring ability; the rest of the roster was made up of tough defenders with relatively little offensive talent and &ldquo;glue guys&rdquo; -- players such as Eric Snow, George Lynch, Tyrone Hill, Aaron McKie, and veteran center Dikembe Mutombo. 
The Sixers&rsquo; plan to make it a physical, sloppy game worked, as both teams struggled to score. Although it was an admirable effort, the Sixers could not overcome the Bucks&rsquo; talent without Iverson. Milwaukee defeated Philly 80-74, taking a 2-1 series lead. At that point, I couldn&rsquo;t help myself from getting excited about the idea of traveling with the team to Los Angeles, where they would most likely face Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal, and the Los Angeles Lakers in the sacred NBA Finals.
The Bucks needed to get past the 76ers first though, and with Iverson returning, that wouldn&rsquo;t be an easy task. Iverson returned from his injury in Game 4 as expected, and the Sixers won the next two games. The officiating continued to become more and more of a focal point in that series and the referees came under major scrutiny, especially after Game 4. There started to be a lot of chatter in the media about a conspiracy theory that the NBA and NBC did not want a small-market team like the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals. Needless to say, this series was quite dramatic.
The Bucks were up against the wall, again, and they needed to win two games in a row in order for my dream trip to L.A. for the NBA Finals to become a reality.
Down 3-2, the Bucks were facing elimination in Game 6 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Before that game, rumors circulated that a bellman at the 76ers&rsquo; hotel had found Iverson passed out drunk outside of his room earlier that morning. I&rsquo;m not quite sure if that story is true or not, but I do know that I watched Iverson drop 46 points on the Bucks that night! Still, despite Iverson&rsquo;s incredible game (in which he may or may not have been hungover), the Bucks won. This meant there would be a Game 7 in Philly &mdash; winner goes to the NBA Finals and the loser &ldquo;goes fishing.&rdquo;
Many fans in Milwaukee theorized that the NBA was trying to clear a path for Iverson and the 76ers to make the Finals. Then, the suspension of the Bucks veteran big man Scott Williams only added fuel to that fire. In Game 6, Williams, the &ldquo;heart and soul&rdquo; of that Bucks team, was called for a flagrant foul on Iverson. The day after the game, the NBA notified the Bucks that Williams would be suspended for Game 7, which was a huge blow.
Game 7 went on without Williams and Iverson was great again, scoring 44 points. The 76ers beat the Bucks, and just like that, the Bucks&rsquo; playoff run was over.
It was devastating...
The saddest part? I don&rsquo;t think that Bucks team was ever able to fully recover from that loss. Within a couple of years, Milwaukee traded Ray Allen (to the Seattle SuperSonics), Glenn &ldquo;Big Dog&rdquo; Robinson (to the Atlanta Hawks), and Sam Cassell (to the Minnesota Timberwolves). The team fired head coach George Karl, and general manager Ernie Grunfeld left to join the Washington Wizards. The Bucks went into rebuilding mode.
I really don&rsquo;t have any interest in debating whether that 76ers series was fixed; I sincerely hope it wasn't. However, there is no question that the poor officiating directly affected the results of that series. Years later, I&rsquo;m still left with a lot of &ldquo;what if?&rdquo; questions that send my mind spinning. If the officiating was better in that series, would the Bucks have beaten the Sixers? Could the Bucks have defeated the Lakers? Would my dad have a championship ring? Would that Bucks core have stayed together longer? Would Ray have retired a Buck and have his No. 34 retired in the rafters? What would Michael Redd&rsquo;s career have been like if Ray was never traded? What number would Giannis Antetokounmpo be wearing right now if No. 34 was retired? Would we even have Giannis? And on and on...
Despite the disappointing conclusion of that 2001 season, I can say, without hesitation, that from 1998 to 2001 were the greatest years of my life from a basketball perspective. I was an impressionable teenager going through a critical time in my life from a developmental standpoint, as a basketball person and as a young man. I was lucky enough to be able to experience the ins and outs of the NBA, learn the game from some all-time greats, make many lifelong friends, and create memories that now seem more like a dream than reality, memories that will certainly last a lifetime.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/growing-up-a-buck-from-ray-allen-to-giannis-antetokounmpo-dave-babcock-remains-milwaukee-bucks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out Part 5 of this series, which fast forwards and looks at the present-day Bucks.</a>
Also, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out Matt Babcock's latest 2021 NBA Mock Draft here.</a>

Matt Babcock provides an inside look at the rise and fall of the Milwaukee Bucks in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Growing up a Buck: The 2001 Playoff Run

A few weeks ago, on an idyllic afternoon in Northern California, Tom Konchalski crossed my mind.
I hadn&rsquo;t spoken with Tom in a year, but the air was crisp, the sun was shining and the tree branches were vibrating in the breeze. I was holding my young son&rsquo;s hand as we walked to a local pond to see the ducks. The serenity made me think of Tom. Without hesitation, I took out my phone and called him.&nbsp;
Tom Konchalski, the rail-thin 6-foot-6 patron saint of basketball, a lifelong native of Queens, New York and a devout Catholic who attended mass daily, is regarded as the most respected evaluator of high school basketball talent in history. He nurtured countless New York City ball-players and helped change countless lives through basketball. My dad, Ernie, was one of the first New York City kids Tom discovered. He was like family to us. He looked after me as a young player just like he had looked after my dad.
Last week, Tom was transitioned to hospice care as he privately battled cancer. The basketball community was rocked by the news. On Monday, amidst an outpouring of prayers, Tom passed away, leaving the basketball world heartbroken and leaving behind one of basketball&rsquo;s holiest legacies.&nbsp;
Since Tom&rsquo;s death, condolences have poured in from every corner of the globe. Friends and admirers have shared stories of Tom&rsquo;s kindness, grace and humanity. He&rsquo;s been affectionately referred to by his nickname, &ldquo;The Glider,&rdquo; a moniker given by college coaches for how quietly Tom moved in and out of gyms. Tom&rsquo;s quirks have been described with love &ndash; that he didn&rsquo;t own a cell phone or answering machine, that he never learned to drive, that he didn&rsquo;t use a computer, that he produced his iconic scouting newsletter on a typewriter, that he had a photographic memory and a legendary handshake.
When the Naismith Basketball Memorial Hall of Fame Class of 2021's eligible candidates were announced in December, Tom Konchalski&rsquo;s name was on the list. He was a first-time nominee eligible to be inducted as a contributor to the game of basketball. Tom Konchalski may be a first-time nominee, but he belongs in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, period.
He is deserving both for what he did for the game and for how he did it. Tom&rsquo;s greatness as a basketball scout is unquestioned, but more importantly, his goodness as a human being was unparalleled. It is the latter &ndash; the supreme quality of his character &ndash; that made Tom the most beloved man in basketball. I&rsquo;ve never known someone as universally respected and adored. I&rsquo;ve never known someone whose opinion of players was so widely esteemed. I&rsquo;ve never known a contributor to the game more worthy of sanctification in the Hall.
I&rsquo;m fortunate to belong to a family that has experienced firsthand the sacred standard that Tom set in the world of basketball for the last five decades.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/tom_k_better_lg.png" alt="" width="800" height="AUTO" />
Tom first saw my dad play basketball in the mid-1960s during a local CYO game at The Church of the Ascension on Grant Avenue in Queens. Tom had been an altar boy at the church and was by then a hoops-obsessed college student at Fordham. My dad was in sixth grade, a Jewish immigrant who had just fled Communist Romania for New York City. He was still learning English and had just started playing basketball.
As would become Tom&rsquo;s custom, he saw talent in a New York ball-player when no one else was looking. Tom became my dad&rsquo;s guardian angel -- a confidante, mentor and friend, a constant source of guidance for navigating the perils of big-city basketball. He&rsquo;d put my dad on teams to play against top players across the boroughs, he&rsquo;d attend his junior high games and give pointers on his jump shot, he&rsquo;d help him with recruiting once colleges descended. My dad would turn into an All-American at Forest Hills High School in Queens, an All-American at the University of Tennessee and a top NBA draft pick in 1977. Tom was the first person to sense it was possible. He was there every step of the way.
There are thousands of basketball players in New York City who, like my dad, have had their lives changed by Tom&rsquo;s presence. He had a special eye for basketball ability, but that&rsquo;s not enough to make a permanent impact on a person&rsquo;s life. Tom did that by getting to know the players he evaluated, by asking them questions, by talking to their families, by investing his time in them, by caring about them. Tom not only supported my dad, but he also became one of my grandpa&rsquo;s best friends. Even after my dad was out of the house, Tom and my grandpa would travel around New York together watching high school basketball, whether at Archbishop Molloy High School, at Forest Hills High School or at Long Island Lutheran High School.
In an impersonal world, Tom created real interpersonal connections. In a world without time to waste, Tom never treated people like a waste of his time. Tom sat at the top of the bleachers with a yellow legal pad during games so he could concentrate on the action, but there was never anything transactional about his approach. When my dad&rsquo;s jersey was retired at the University of Tennessee in 2008, Tom was one of the only non-family members invited as a guest. That&rsquo;s how much he&rsquo;s meant to the players he&rsquo;s touched.
Everyone who knew Tom has a story about his memory &ndash; he remembered the starting lineup of my dad&rsquo;s junior high team, he remembered how many points my dad scored against Bryant High his senior year, he remembered the name of my dad&rsquo;s freshman year Math teacher in college &ndash; but it was not merely a feat of extraordinary mental acuity. More than anything, Tom&rsquo;s recall was a further demonstration of his commitment to other people. His incredible recollections were almost never about himself. He was always focused on others. He had programmed himself to listen, to absorb and to serve. He was giving of his energy and helpful to anyone who needed it. &nbsp; Though my grandpa passed away in 1986, Tom still called my grandma several times a year. In fact, he had called her every Yom Kippur for the last 50 years. Not every other Yom Kippur and not 48 out of 50 Yom Kippurs. He called her on that day every single year for half of a century. It&rsquo;s telling that, as a true man of God, Tom made a point to check in on my Holocaust-surviving grandmother on the year&rsquo;s most important Jewish holiday. It&rsquo;s also telling that, over such a long period of time, he did not once miss an opportunity to do so.
Tom&rsquo;s love for the game of basketball, its people and its places was divine. He was basketball&rsquo;s heart. His positive spirit was the lifeforce that bound together a complex system of players, coaches, fans, media, scouts and so many others. He is a man the world needs to honor. He is a man who belongs in basketball&rsquo;s most hallowed hall for eternity. He is a Hall-of-Famer in every sense of the word.
When Tom answered my call a few weeks ago while I was out walking with my son, it was as if we&rsquo;d spoken yesterday. Our chat lasted 20 minutes. He asked if my wife was still enjoying her job. He was able to conjure up the addresses of my dad&rsquo;s childhood apartment in Queens and my grandparent&rsquo;s old fabric store in the Bronx. He casually mentioned some health issues he was having, but said he was doing what he could.
When we hung up, I had no idea he&rsquo;d soon be in hospice care and that I&rsquo;d have no way to get in touch with him. I would not have believed that, in a matter of weeks, he&rsquo;d be gone.
Looking back, I wish I would have told him that I love and appreciate him. I wish I would have told him that I admire him. I wish I would have told him that his memory will always be a blessing, far beyond the game of basketball, and that the rightful last stop of his remarkable journey here on earth should be the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Dan Grunfeld pens a touching tribute to the late, great Tom Konchalski and shares his favorite memories of the legendary scout.

Basketball's most beloved man: Tom Konchalski belongs in Hall of Fame

Each day, BasketballNews.com scours #NBATwitter to bring you the best tweets from the previous day. Some are insightful, some are just hilarious (so we had to include them).
Without further ado, here are the tweets of the day for January 15, 2021.
A 7-Foot Gentleman
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jaren Jackson Jr. has very specific ideas about what being a 7-footer means <a href="https://t.co/caGYypkK3h">pic.twitter.com/caGYypkK3h</a>
&mdash; Sabreena Merchant (@sabreenajm) <a href="https://twitter.com/sabreenajm/status/1349836332697223168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
Who said chivalry is dead?&nbsp;
Sharing is Caring
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
<a href="https://t.co/EMV7546ebK">https://t.co/EMV7546ebK</a> <a href="https://t.co/kyrjLTfzHD">pic.twitter.com/kyrjLTfzHD</a>
&mdash; Esfandiar | Es (@JustEsBaraheni) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustEsBaraheni/status/1349859496659722242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Just one, please. Even just to borrow. Preferably Jarrett Allen, but I&rsquo;m not picky.
Sassy Lil&rsquo; Rocket
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Shaq: "I owe you an apology. I wasn't really familiar with your game." Christian Wood: "Oh man, you're a casual." 😭😭😭 (via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBAonTNT</a>) <a href="https://t.co/OGiWtvhM0f">pic.twitter.com/OGiWtvhM0f</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1349917571416432644?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Christian Wood&rsquo;s ascension from G-League grinder to one of the most sought-after free agents to a key piece of the Rockets' lineup, and now, to &lsquo;person who says what we&rsquo;re all thinking&rsquo; is the storyline of the season.
Signed, A Woman Who Didn&rsquo;t Ask You
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
we won&rsquo;t miss you or your receding hairline. <a href="https://t.co/Q0WbWLpt2b">https://t.co/Q0WbWLpt2b</a>
&mdash; Lexie Brown (@lexiekiah_4) <a href="https://twitter.com/lexiekiah_4/status/1349807784175542272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
Minnesota Lynx guard Lexie Brown put her own spin on the #BussItChallenge, much to the dismay of someone who couldn&rsquo;t guard a parked car, let alone Lexie herself. Lexie dunked on him and left him lying on the court. Just another day of ruining sports for men.
Noodly Basketball is the Best Basketball
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Evidently, Wiseman got Bol back for this! <a href="https://t.co/dmb3CZaYL9">https://t.co/dmb3CZaYL9</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1349937489679671296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

It&rsquo;s like if two of those wacky inflatable tube man things got tangled up.&nbsp;
Old Dog, New Tricks
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
That was nasty, <a href="https://twitter.com/DeMar_DeRozan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeMar_DeRozan</a> 😳 <a href="https://t.co/CAafpfs51F">pic.twitter.com/CAafpfs51F</a>
&mdash; San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) <a href="https://twitter.com/spurs/status/1349884060026466306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
DeMar DeRozan has always been incredible to watch. Somehow, he adds something new to his game every year. This year, it was threes, but he let everyone know he can still score in the paint too, in case y&rsquo;all forgot.
These Sweatpants are All That Fit Me Right Now
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
I have been wearing the same outfit as LeBron in this pic for the past 10 months. <a href="https://t.co/Ui1Oiu61Ws">https://t.co/Ui1Oiu61Ws</a>
&mdash; Dana (@greatdane92) <a href="https://twitter.com/greatdane92/status/1349876490368909318?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
This is one of two Dana entries for the day, because nothing has ever been more relatable. Does anyone else have their &ldquo;going out&rdquo; sweatpants and then a separate set of &ldquo;staying home&rdquo; sweatpants? Don&rsquo;t lie.
Let It Go, Let It Go
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"if everything was different, does this team become a dynasty?" <a href="https://t.co/8EFowhRQWH">https://t.co/8EFowhRQWH</a>
&mdash; yasmin. (@carmelohdrama) <a href="https://twitter.com/carmelohdrama/status/1349839245528203265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Stop trying to make &ldquo;this Celtics team would have been a dynasty&rdquo; happen. It&rsquo;s not going to happen.
No Dude, It&rsquo;s A Bicep
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
<a href="https://t.co/Ti4aBs2Rvc">https://t.co/Ti4aBs2Rvc</a> <a href="https://t.co/tBHbJbg4HO">pic.twitter.com/tBHbJbg4HO</a>
&mdash; Dana (@greatdane92) <a href="https://twitter.com/greatdane92/status/1349710159698931713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
The Gang Models for GQ.
Open for a Surprise
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Anyways... here&rsquo;s Shake Milton and his dog <a href="https://t.co/QwRGqRhhb5">pic.twitter.com/QwRGqRhhb5</a>
&mdash; 𝕄𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕙🧤 (@MunchTVx) <a href="https://twitter.com/MunchTVx/status/1349909425654476800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
The Philadelphia 76ers have gone from tanking for the No. 1 pick every year to accumulating all of the most lovable young players in the league.&nbsp;
Time Flies When You&rsquo;re Swattin&rsquo; Shots
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
I was 13 last time we won in Portland 😅 <a href="https://t.co/GgcSpTIP9B">https://t.co/GgcSpTIP9B</a>
&mdash; Myles Turner (@Original_Turner) <a href="https://twitter.com/Original_Turner/status/1349964569548996608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">This means the last time Indiana won in Portland was in 2004.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Myles Turner is only 24???????</li>
</ol>
Hi Dad
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
TJ McConnell's first bucket as a dad: <a href="https://t.co/eU7ns8XGKg">pic.twitter.com/eU7ns8XGKg</a>
&mdash; Tony East (@TEastNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/TEastNBA/status/1349924920201981953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
T.J McConnell and his wife, Val, very very recently welcomed their first child. Congratulations to them and the entire Pacers family. Please show us the baby.
Welcome to the NBA&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Jokic went at the rook Wiseman 😲 <a href="https://t.co/fgln8BJ10f">pic.twitter.com/fgln8BJ10f</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1349928102177038336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
I am a sucker for a large man carrying a small child.&nbsp;

Kelsea O'Brien scours #NBATwitter to bring you the best tweets from the previous day.

NBA Tweets of the Day: January 15, 2021

Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul and Dallas Mavericks forward-center Dwight Powell have received the 2019-20 End-of-Season NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente in recognition of their continued commitment to positively impacting their communities through sustained efforts over the course of the season, the NBA announced today.&nbsp;
This year&rsquo;s end-of-season award recognizes five players whose exemplary work advanced social justice and provided COVID-19 relief and support, reflecting the longstanding passion of NBA players to give back to their communities and stand up for the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion.
The five recipients made concerted efforts throughout the 2019-20 season &ndash; which extended nearly a full calendar year including the league&rsquo;s hiatus and restart &ndash; to leverage their platforms and voices to engage, empower and support different communities amidst the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic and social justice movement following continued incidents of racialized violence against Black men and women.&nbsp; Each winning player will receive $10,000 to their charity of choice, a donation from the NBA and Kaiser Permanente.
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings
Barnes has provided meaningful support to youth, families and frontline workers in Sacramento, Dallas and Ames, IA.&nbsp; Barnes and his wife, Brittany, donated $40,000 to deliver weekly groceries for families and senior citizens in Sacramento and contributed an additional $40,000 to Hunger Busters, a local non-profit that provides daily meals for Dallas Independent School District students, and $10,000 to the Boys &amp; Girls Club of Greater Dallas.&nbsp; Barnes provided nearly $200,000 for refurbishments to his alma mater Ames High School to assist with safe and healthy learning.&nbsp; He continues to take a leadership role in fighting for meaningful change to combat racial and social inequities, speaking about the importance of civic engagement and voting at a peaceful protest in downtown Sacramento in support of Black Lives Matter following the tragic murder of George Floyd.&nbsp; As part of the season restart, Barnes dedicated each Kings game to a different organization, including the Trayvon Martin Foundation, The Botham Jean Foundation, The Atatiana Project, Mothers Against Police Brutality, The Michael Brown Foundation, Tamir Rice Foundation, Champion in the Making and the African American Policy Forum, contributing $25,000 to each non-profit created by the families of victims of police brutality and gun violence.&nbsp; Barnes has selected the African American Policy Forum as the recipient of his donation.
&ldquo;It is a great honor to be named among the winners of the NBA Community Assist Award, which I proudly share with my wife, Brittany,&rdquo; said Barnes.&nbsp; &ldquo;Brittany and I remain committed to helping the communities we are connected to, specifically showing our support for families affected by police brutality.&nbsp; We dedicate this award to the legacy of Breonna Taylor and we stand with organizations such as #SayHerName with African American Policy Forum to shine a light on Black women and girls who have been victims of police brutality.&nbsp; We cannot forget them, and the Black men senselessly killed.&nbsp; Our efforts are not done, and we will continue to make a difference to fuel racial and social justice.&rdquo;
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Brown has continuously demonstrated leadership in Boston and Atlanta and throughout the hiatus and restart, organizing action and advocating for racial and educational equity.&nbsp; Following the killing of George Floyd, Brown drove 15 hours to his native Atlanta and organized a peaceful march on May 30.&nbsp; Brown&rsquo;s impassioned advocacy towards social justice inspired the Boston Celtics United for Social Justice campaign, a multi-focus commitment to addressing racial injustice and social inequities in the greater Boston area.&nbsp; In response to the pandemic, Brown made a significant contribution to the Boston Resiliency Fund, a city-led effort to assist communities most impacted by the pandemic.&nbsp; His generous donation provided meals for senior citizens and families most in need, new technology for students as they transitioned to remote learning as well as continued support for first responders.&nbsp; Brown has selected the 7uice Foundation as the recipient of his donation.
On receiving the 2019-20 End-of-Season NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente, Brown shared, &ldquo;There is so much more work to be done.&rdquo;
George Hill, Milwaukee Bucks
Hill and his teammates were instrumental in encouraging members of the NBA family to leverage their collective platforms to advance social justice. &nbsp;Electing not to play on Aug. 26, Hill and the Bucks organized a call with Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes&nbsp;to discuss meaningful measures to address criminal justice reform.&nbsp; In April, he partnered with Represent Justice for a conversation with Xavier McElrath-Bey, who was formerly incarcerated, about the criminal justice system following the Bucks&rsquo; Play for Justice game at Racine Correctional Institution in December.&nbsp; Particularly focused on education, Hill collaborated with community leaders in his hometown of Indianapolis to open Him By Her Collegiate School for the Arts, preparing underserved students for college entry and postgraduate success, and created a youth mentorship program to help Milwaukee Public School students stay engaged during the pandemic called George&rsquo;s Gentlemen.&nbsp; To support those impacted by COVID-19, Hill donated meals to health care workers and contributed to the Bucks Emergency Relief Fund to provide financial relief to Fiserv Forum employees.&nbsp; Hill has selected Represent Justice as the recipient of his donation.
&ldquo;Every day we have to live our lives with greater respect and purpose.&nbsp; This isn&rsquo;t a one-person battle, it&rsquo;s a battle for the entire world,&rdquo; Hill said.&nbsp; &ldquo;Now is the time for us to come together as one and embrace each other, love one another and grow together.&nbsp; Humanity is something we&rsquo;re lacking, and I will continue to do my job to bring back those attributes that we lack today in every community.&rdquo;
Chris Paul, Oklahoma City Thunder
As President of the National Basketball Players Association, Paul played an integral role in ensuring the goal of the season restart would be to take collective action to combat systemic racism and promote social justice, working in partnership with the NBPA and NBA to create social justice messages on jerseys and the court, provide on campus programs and resources for players and use the game&rsquo;s platform to increase awareness around civic engagement.&nbsp; Paul, Portland&rsquo;s Carmelo Anthony and NBA legend Dwyane Wade launched the Social Change Fund in July dedicated to addressing social and economic justice issues facing Black communities and breaking down the discriminatory barriers to success.&nbsp; In March, he collaborated with Live Nation to launch an internship program at North Carolina A&amp;T State University, providing students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities with an opportunity to gain experience in the music industry.&nbsp; As part of the Chris Paul Family Foundation&rsquo;s efforts to strengthen communities, Paul donated meals to feed more than 200 hospital workers in North Carolina during the pandemic.&nbsp; Paul&rsquo;s foundation also partnered with State Farm and Spalding in January to renovate a 30-year-old court at Family T.R.E.E, an organization dedicated to renewing and reunifying families in Oklahoma City, and hosted 100 children from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma on a holiday shopping spree, teaching children how to budget their money and give during the holidays.&nbsp; Paul has selected the Chris Paul Family Foundation as the recipient of his donation.
&ldquo;The community assist award is such an honor to me any year, but this year in particular,&rdquo; said Paul.&nbsp; &ldquo;Given everything 2020 has thrown our way, it&rsquo;s important that we the players continue to use our NBA platform to be the voice of the voiceless.&nbsp; I will continue to amplify and support the front-line organizations fighting for racial and economic justice as well as the tireless efforts of the health care workers keeping us healthy and safe during the COVID-19 health crisis.&nbsp; I am so thankful for this acknowledgement as it is one of the proudest accolades an NBA player can receive.&rdquo;
Dwight Powell, Dallas Mavericks
During the pandemic, Powell organized immediate support for families and frontline workers in Dallas.&nbsp; He joined teammate Luka Dončić, Mavericks governor Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks Foundation in donating $500,000 to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Hospital to assist with childcare for frontline workers and provide meals from local restaurants for more than 11,000 health care workers and first responders at the City of Dallas&rsquo; Emergency Operations Center, COVID-19 testing sites and local hospitals.&nbsp; Powell also lifted the spirits of youth during periods of physical distancing, participating in children&rsquo;s hospital virtual room visits, delivering congratulatory messages for 2020 graduates, and making personal phone calls and videos encouraging positivity.&nbsp; He continues to support cancer patients and their families through the Dwight Powell Children and Family Support Fund and as part of NBA restart, orchestrated the entire Mavericks roster to select &ldquo;Equality&rdquo; to wear on their jerseys. Powell has selected Champions of Discovery as the recipient of his donation.
&ldquo;In my opinion, being a member of a community means lending your neighbor a hand whenever needed and searching for ways to help make your community a better place for all who live there,&rdquo; Powell stated. &ldquo;Furthermore, this year has presented us all with challenges that I feel should have reminded us that we are part of a much larger community than our NBA market.&nbsp; The issues at hand regarding public health and equality are far reaching and demand all of our attention.&nbsp; So it goes without saying we as NBA players have felt the need to step up in whatever way we can to try and find ways to help keep people safe, fight for racial justice and urge everyone to register to vote so they too can use their voices. As members of the greater community I feel that&rsquo;s all of our duties.&rdquo;
The NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente recognizes an NBA player each month who best reflects the passion that the league and its players share for giving back to their communities, and honors the standard set by NBA Legend David Robinson, who improved the community piece by piece.&nbsp; The monthly award recipients in the 2019-20 NBA season included Gorgui Dieng of the Memphis Grizzlies, Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, DeAndre Jordan of the Brooklyn Nets, Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks and Langston Galloway of the Detroit Pistons.&nbsp;

Harrison Barnes, Jaylen Brown, George Hill, Chris Paul and Dwight Powell received the 2019-20 NBA Cares Community Assist award.

Luke