Bears

The Houston Rockets have formally extended head coach Ime Udoka to a multi-year deal, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA, according to ESPN&rsquo;s Shams Charania.
Initially set under contract through 2026&ndash;27, the new extension reflects owner Tilman Fertitta and GM Rafael Stone&rsquo;s commitment to Udoka&rsquo;s leadership following consecutive seasons of marked progress.&nbsp;
Udoka, the former Celtics coach turned Spurs assistant, guided Houston to a franchise-best 52‑30 record this past season, earning them the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and a first‑round playoff appearance &ndash; their best performance since 2018&ndash;19.&nbsp;
Alongside his impressive turnaround, Houston ranked fifth in defensive efficiency, with rookie Amen Thompson making All‑Defense and All-Star center Alperen Sengun blossoming under his system. According to Charania, the deal places Udoka among the NBA's top‑paid coaches, with "an eight‑figure annual" salary making him one of the league's richest at his position.
The extension arrives as Houston fends off interest from other teams, including the New York Knicks, who were denied permission to interview Udoka following their coaching vacancy. The Rockets have prioritized staff continuity, recently securing veteran center Steven Adams on a three‑year extension and weighing future options for Fred VanVleet amid potential Kevin Durant trade chatter.
Over two seasons, Udoka has led Houston to a combined 93‑71 record &ndash; an impressive leap from the 59 wins posted in the three years prior to his hire. His defensive mindset and emphasis on discipline transformed the young core into a playoff contender and earned him finalist consideration for the NBA Coach of the Year Award.
ANALYSIS: Ime Udoka&rsquo;s extension underscores Houston&rsquo;s belief in his vision to transform the Rockets into a modern contender. As the franchise eyes further growth, his leadership remains central to their blueprint for success.
The extension is Houston&rsquo;s second major offseason move, following the re-signing of Steven Adams and preceding key decisions on cap space and possible trades targeting major stars.

The Houston Rockets have formally extended head coach Ime Udoka to a multi-year deal, making him one of the highest-paid coaches.

Ime Udoka Nets Multi-Year Extension as Rockets’ Architect of Success

The NBA went into Christmas with a night like none other.
For the first time in NBA history, five players scored at least 43 points on the same day. It happened Friday, with Dallas&rsquo; Luka Doncic leading the way with 50 points against Houston.
The others: Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid scored 44 against the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a career-high 44 against New Orleans, New York&rsquo;s RJ Barrett had 44 against Chicago and Indiana&rsquo;s Tyrese Haliburton scored a career-best 43 against Miami.
&ldquo;Luka is Luka," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the best player in the world and he showed that tonight, carrying the load offensively again."
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THAT'S A 50-PIECE FOR THE DON 🔥🔥🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MFFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MFFL</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/dallasmavs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dallasmavs</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportsSW?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BallySportsSW</a> 📺 <a href="https://t.co/1deZTcSzwv">pic.twitter.com/1deZTcSzwv</a>
&mdash; Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportsSW/status/1606492306965659650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

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As he usually does, Doncic deferred the credit.
&ldquo;My teammates trusted me," he said after his 17-for-30 night that also included 10 rebounds and eight assists.
The biggest shot of the night in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/doncic-scores-50-mavericks-edge-rockets-112106" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dallas' 112-106 win over Houston</a> might have been Doncic hitting a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left to give the Mavericks a five-point lead.
And that wasn't even the most dramatic 3 that the night's big scorers had.
That honor went to Haliburton, who made 10 3-pointers &mdash; the last of them with 4.3 seconds left to give the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/haliburton-hits-winning-3-scores-43-as-pacers-beat-heat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pacers a 111-108 win over the Heat</a>.
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Haliburton seals the deal with a clutch game-winner from downtown 🔥. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pacers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pacers</a> TV: Bally Sports Indiana Stream: <a href="https://t.co/dJ7DfL7kr9">https://t.co/dJ7DfL7kr9</a> <a href="https://t.co/1hfDgmDm20">pic.twitter.com/1hfDgmDm20</a>
&mdash; Bally Sports Indiana (@BallySportsIN) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportsIN/status/1606492549950197760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;Tyrese Haliburton is an artist," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said when asked about Haliburton's different-than-most shooting stroke. &ldquo;And you know, some people that have unconventional ways to be successful in this game, you have to just leave them alone and allow them to do what they do. His artistry is the way he gets the ball in the basket, the way he sees the game, the way he connects teammates and the special person that he is."
Embiid's big night came in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/embiid-harden-help-76ers-beat-clippers-for-homestand-sweep" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia's seventh consecutive win</a>. Barrett and the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/derozans-jumper-gives-bulls-118117-victory-over-knicks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Knicks wound up falling to the Bulls</a>, and Gilgeous-Alexander's 44&nbsp;came in an <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/murphy-scores-23-pelicans-beat-thunder-in-ot-without-zion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">overtime loss to New Orleans</a> &mdash; which he nearly extended into double overtime, with a 40-foot desperation shot at the end hitting the front rim at the buzzer of a 128-125 final.
&ldquo;It was close. Not close enough," said Gilgeous-Alexander, whose great start to this season has cemented himself as an early front-runner for NBA's Most Improved Player honors &mdash; not to mention other postseason accolades, and likely a trip to the All-Star Game as well.
There now have been just over 4,400 instances of a player scoring 40 or more points in a regular-season game. Friday was only the fifth time that five of those happened on the same day &mdash; and the second time it happened in 2022.
On April 10, the final day of the 2021-22 regular season, Obi Toppin had 42 for New York, Jalen Green had 41 for Houston, Malik Monk scored 41 for the Los Angeles Lakers, Klay Thompson had 41 for Golden State and Victor Oladipo scored 40 for Miami.
The other three instances of five 40-point scorers:
&mdash; Feb. 21, 2003:&nbsp;Tracy McGrady scored 52 for Orlando, Jamal Mashburn 50 for the New Orleans Hornets, Michael Jordan 43 for Washington, Allen Iverson 41 for Philadelphia and Kobe Bryant 40 for the Lakers.
&mdash; Feb. 2, 2001:&nbsp;Allen Iverson scored 47 for Philadelphia, Bryant 44 for the Lakers, Chris Webber 41 for Sacramento, Paul Pierce 40 for Boston and Jerry Stackhouse 40 for Detroit.
&mdash; Dec. 25, 1961:&nbsp;Wilt Chamberlain scored 59 for the Philadelphia Warriors, Tom Heinsohn 45 for Boston, Elgin Baylor 40 for the Lakers, Richie Guerin 40 for New York and Oscar Robertson 40 for Cincinnati.

The NBA went into Christmas with a night like none other. For the first time ever, five players scored at least 43 points on the same day.

A record NBA outburst: 5 players score 43 or more points on same day

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa analyzes how Chris Webber's decision-making unlocked the Kings' revolutionary offense.

Blazing the Trail: Chris Webber, the read-and-react king

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa analyzes Chauncey Billups' dual-threat nature and impact on the next generation of point guards.

Blazing the Trail: Chauncey Billups, the basketball cheat code

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa analyzes Penny Hardaway as a dual threat and how he stood out from other point guards.

Blazing the Trail: Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway, the floor giant

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; When things got tight down the stretch, the Bulls' experience &mdash; and their All-Star power &mdash; showed up.
The Cavaliers caved.
Zach LaVine scored 26 points, DeMar DeRozan added 20 and Chicago stayed alone in the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 98-94 win Saturday night over Cleveland, which didn't wake up until the second half.
The Bulls held the Cavs to just 35 points in the first half, then held off Cleveland's comeback in the fourth quarter to win on the road for the first time since March 9.
Chicago came in holding a one-game lead over Cleveland for the fifth playoff spot. The Bulls were determined not to give it up.
&ldquo;We played desperate tonight and it showed,&rdquo; said center Nikola Vucevic, who had 16 points and nine rebounds. "We needed to. It goes to our approach, knowing how important these games are.&rdquo;
With the loss and Toronto's win, the Cavs fell into seventh place &mdash; one of the play-in positions &mdash; and are one game behind the Raptors, who beat Indiana 131-91.
&ldquo;Reality is what reality is. We've got young guys who are trying to figure it out and you never figure it out until you&rsquo;re in those positions,&rdquo; said Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m proud of our guys because it didn&rsquo;t take them the whole game to figure it out.&rdquo;
Darius Garland scored 28 points and Caris LeVert had 17 in his second start for Cleveland since coming over in a February trade.
Down by 18 at halftime, the Cavs woke up and kept chipping away. They got within 10 several times before finally making a run and closing to 83-80 on LeVert's dunk &mdash; off a nice dish from Garland &mdash; with 5:35 left.
The Cavs were still within four when the Bulls reeled off eight straight points on buckets by LaVine, DeRozan and two by rookie Ayo Dosunmu to open a 95-83 lead, sending many in the sellout crowd at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse toward the exits.
DeRozan missed the Bulls' previous game with a groin strain, and spent a good chunk of the first half on the bench in foul trouble. But when Chicago needed a bucket, the All-Star forward came through with a mid-range jumper or drive.
&ldquo;DeMar DeRozan is one of the best small possession offensive players we have in this league,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. "His efficiency, his ability to get a two-point make is top tier. You put yourself in that position and you put the ball in his hands, he&rsquo;s a guy who can close on you and we saw that tonight.&rdquo;
The Cavs came out flat, sloppy and disconnected defensively in their biggest game so far in this turnaround season.
They weren't much better on the offensive end, committing eight turnovers and going 1 of 18 on 3-pointers in scoring 35 points &mdash; matching a season low &mdash; in the first half.
&ldquo;We allowed them to keep pushing, pushing, pushing and at no point in the first half did we say, &lsquo;Enough is enough&rsquo; and push back,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said.
TIP-INS
Bulls: G Alex Caruso added 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. ... F Tristan Thompson was fined $20,000 by the NBA for directing profane language at a game official Thursday in New Orleans. ... Chicago plays five of its final eight games at home and owns the season-ending tiebreaker over Toronto.
Cavaliers: Rookie F Evan Mobley had 11 rebounds. ... Kevin Love made his 1,000th 3-pointer with Cleveland, joining LeBron James (1,251) as the only players in team history to reach the plateau. ... Love didn't play in the fourth quarter. ... Dropped to 6-1 in home games against Central Division opponents. ... All-Star C Jarrett Allen missed his 10th straight game with a broken finger. Bickerstaff said Allen's pain has decreased, which has allowed him to do more on-court activity without risking further injury.
CELEBRATING THE CAVS
World B. Free, a flashy scoring guard who kept the Cavs relevant in the 1980s, was honored with a spot on the team&rsquo;s Wall of Honor along with former owner Gordon Gund, Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens and forward Campy Russell.
Free only played four seasons in Cleveland, and was the only good thing for a franchise during some lean years and one that nearly moved.
Gund stopped that, buying the Cavs from Ted Stepien. He was the team&rsquo;s principal owner from 1983-2005.
Wilkens has the most coaching wins (316) in team history. Russell was a member of Cleveland&rsquo;s &ldquo;Miracle of Richfield&rdquo; team in the 1970s.
UP NEXT
Bulls: Visit New York on Monday night.
Cavaliers: Host Orlando on Monday night.

Zach LaVine scored 26 points as Chicago stayed alone in the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 98-94 win over Cleveland.

LaVine's 25 lead Bulls to 98-94 win over young Cavaliers

When the Golden State Warriors won the right to the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the prevailing sentiment was that the rich were getting richer.
And as he nears his 2021-22 season debut, Wiseman may end up being instrumental in determining whether the Warriors can truly hit the jackpot.
According to Dieter Kurtenbach of the Bay Area News Group, Wiseman <a href="https://twitter.com/LockedOnDubs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will return to the lineup</a> for the Warriors on March 1 when the team opens up a four-game road trip in Minnesota. For Golden State head coach Steve Kerr, the second-year big man will probably be a sight for sore eyes.
During his rookie campaign, Wiseman had some flashes of brilliance, but his first stint was cut short after he suffered a torn meniscus last April. Now, about 10 months later, Wiseman will be joining a club that has since seen Steph Curry return to being an MVP-caliber contributor and Klay Thompson return to its lineup looking as strong as ever.
Andrew Wiggins has become an All-Star, while Jordan Poole has become one of the league&rsquo;s most effective reserves. From Jonathan Kuminga to Gary Payton II to Otto Porter Jr., the Warriors have gotten consistent, high-level production across the board.
But what&rsquo;s even better for Wiseman is this: He represents what is perhaps the only glaring need on the club &mdash; depth up front.
For the sophomore, opportunity knocks.
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With Draymond Green still on the shelf due to a nagging back injury, Kerr has gone to smaller lineups, with Kevon Looney remaining the only true 5-man pivoting the paint for the club.&nbsp;
But as serviceable as Looney has been as the team&rsquo;s starting center, his lack of a scoring punch on the offensive end has been one of the few weaknesses that the team has had. Despite being one of the league&rsquo;s top defensive teams, the Warriors' relative mediocrity on offense has been apparent in some of the close contests they&rsquo;ve lost this season.
Fortunately for Golden State, that&rsquo;s the area where Wiseman has shown the most upside.
And fortunately for him &mdash; unlike during his rookie season &mdash; he will have the luxury of playing off of the likes of both Curry and Thompson. Wiseman won&rsquo;t be the focus of any opposing team&rsquo;s scouting report, and that is what will help him quickly become a difference-maker for the Warriors.
As a rookie, in just 21.4 minutes per game, Wiseman managed to score 11.5 points and grab 5.8 rebounds per contest. More impressive, though, was the fact that he connected on just under 39% of his shots that came from beyond 16 feet of the basket.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s hard to imagine him not being the beneficiary of more open looks playing with a relatively healthy club. With his size and athleticism, he will give Kerr a type of big-man weapon that hasn&rsquo;t been at his disposal during the Warriors&rsquo; dynasty run, and that&rsquo;s with all due respect to Andrew Bogut.
Looney is the only player on the team&rsquo;s roster to appear in all 59 Warriors games this season, and he&rsquo;s started each and every one of them. He himself admitted to being a little beat up and he, more than anyone else, was looking forward to the break.
In comes the 20-year-old savior.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Some quick hitters from James Wiseman's presser Wednesday morning: -The 5on5 scrimmage -The procedure in December -Frustration of rehab -Weight room work -Value of patience -Staying off Social Media -Hobbies outside of hoops <a href="https://t.co/lpYJGagOnz">pic.twitter.com/lpYJGagOnz</a>
&mdash; Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDumasReports/status/1494031835369594883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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As always, the Western Conference playoffs will be incredibly competitive. But the Warriors will enter play on Feb. 24 with the league&rsquo;s top Defensive Rating (104.8) and third-best Net Rating (plus-7.0). With only 23 games remaining on their regular-season schedule, they trail the Phoenix Suns by 6.5 games for the conference&rsquo;s top seed. It would take a relative collapse on the part of the Suns for them to yield the position to the Warriors, but with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/chris-pauls-absence-could-actually-benefit-suns-longterm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Paul set to miss the next 6-to-8 weeks</a>, the possibility can&rsquo;t be completely dismissed.
In most instances, the most highly-touted young players don&rsquo;t get drafted into situations where they&rsquo;ll be flanking future Hall-of-Famers still in their prime or joining rotations with championship aspirations. And when they have in the past, those players haven&rsquo;t usually been afforded the opportunity to play meaningful minutes during the chase.
Wiseman is original in that sense.
As a prospect, it&rsquo;s difficult to not be excited by his size and potential, and for the Warriors in particular, he fills one of the few needs on the team&rsquo;s roster.
Usually, teams that are 42-17 don&rsquo;t end up adding difference-making pieces with fresh legs this late in the season. Golden State, though, will soon receive that infusion.
Already considered the cream of the West, the rich will indeed get richer.
To the tune of a 7-foot big man with an impressive offensive repertoire, Steph Curry, Steve Kerr and the rest of organization remain hopeful that Wiseman can help them cash in.&nbsp;
After being selected with the No. 2 overall pick less than two years ago, the timing seems just right; he&rsquo;ll now have every opportunity to make good.
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Moke Hamilton writes on James Wiseman's impending return to the Warriors and how unique his opportunity will be.

Long-awaited return of James Wiseman will fill Warriors’ only void

In short order, Kyrie Irving is going to cross a defender out of his shoes, and Klay Thompson will begin raining threes like it&rsquo;s nobody&rsquo;s business.
The rich stand to get richer in Brooklyn and San Francisco while the Los Angeles Lakers live as paupers.
LeBron James has been incredible, and despite his best efforts, the Lakers brought in the New Year one game under .500. Worse yet, they haven&rsquo;t exactly looked like a team that knows what it&rsquo;s doing &mdash; neither on the basketball court nor in the front office.&nbsp;
Having ripped off three wins in a row, there&rsquo;s still a chance for them to turn things around. But until they do, the team&rsquo;s relative lack of success opens it up to plenty of second-guessing.
In an alternate reality, the Lakers could&rsquo;ve had Kyle Lowry and Buddy Hield, the latter of which was in town Tuesday evening. Perhaps they could still have Montrezl Harrell and Alex Caruso. Maybe, just maybe, they could&rsquo;ve still resembled the champion they once were.
Instead, they&rsquo;ve look every bit like puzzle pieces that don&rsquo;t fit.
Had Anthony Davis not gotten injured during last season&rsquo;s first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, there&rsquo;s no telling where the 2020-21 season would&rsquo;ve ended for LeBron and company.&nbsp;
In most instances, a defending champion that saw one of its top players' season end early would exhibit a certain amount of patience and attempt to plug holes rather than blow the entire team up, but not in Tinseltown.
Between then and now, the team added talent without considering fit, playing an NBA version of supermarket sweep. A mad dash down the aisles, the Lakers have grabbed any and everyone they could, and they&rsquo;ve done so all at the expense of the identity and harmony that brought them a championship in 2020.
Aside from James and Davis, Dwight Howard and Talen Horton-Tucker are the only members of the championship team that remain. And although Avery Bradley was technically a member of the squad, he didn&rsquo;t play in the Orlando Bubble. In all, the team brought in nine new faces, not including replacement players.
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And to what end?
It would be foolish to believe that the Lakers would have reinvented themselves without James at least blessing the moves, if not downright advocating for them. But to this point, it&rsquo;s been more of a car wreck than a smooth drive down the I-110 freeway.
Russell Westbrook appears to have lost a step and hasn&rsquo;t exactly thrived alongside James and Davis. It&rsquo;s damning considering the fact that Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were sent to Washington along with Harrell. And it gets even worse when one considers that Westbrook&rsquo;s $44 million salary probably had something to do with the team deciding to let Caruso take his talents to Chicago.
According to Kuzma himself, a deal that would have <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/lakers/news/laker-news-kyle-kuzma-reveals-he-was-almost-previously-traded-to-the-kings-for-buddy-hield" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sent him to Sacramento</a> in exchange for Hield &ldquo;was done,&rdquo; but the Lakers obviously opted to pursue the deal for the bigger-named superstar &mdash; not the piece that would have better augmented the team&rsquo;s core duo.
Last February, seeking an upgrade at point guard, the team pursued Toronto Raptors veteran Kyle Lowry. A deal failed to materialize because the Lakers reportedly <a href="https://theathletic.com/2477311/2021/03/25/what-the-lakers-were-willing-to-trade-for-kyle-lowry-and-what-it-says-about-the-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refused to include Horton-Tucker</a>.&nbsp;
On. Jan. 5, with Los Angeles sitting one game over .500 at 20-19, one can&rsquo;t help but to wonder how a Lowry-Hield-James triumvirate would&rsquo;ve looked, particularly when Lowry and Hield possess the gifts that seem to be lacking around James in Los Angeles.
Hindsight might be 20/20, but in the NBA, the best general managers can tell the future.
At the time the Westbrook trade was made, it wasn&rsquo;t completely unreasonable to believe that he could create for both Davis and James and relieve some of the pressure on James to play point guard. But Westbrook&rsquo;s poor decision-making and errant shooting has undercut his value to the team. That they sacrificed so much to bring him in can&rsquo;t be ignored.
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Russell Westbrook 😬 <a href="https://t.co/rR7EHchRu3">pic.twitter.com/rR7EHchRu3</a>
&mdash; The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ActionNetworkHQ/status/1478579437968916480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Needing to build a core around Westbrook, James, Davis, Carmelo Anthony and Kent Bazemore, the Lakers would eventually re-sign Horton-Tucker and sign both Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn. Together, the three represented much-needed upside, but the moves that followed created logjams that only made Vogel&rsquo;s job more difficult.&nbsp;
At least on paper, Trevor Ariza and Dwight Howard brought championship pedigree back to the team, as did Rajon Rondo. But each are over the hill, with Rondo, ironically, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/cavs-smart-and-swift-to-acquire-backup-point-guard-but-is-rondo-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">being traded to Cleveland</a> in a move that amounted to a roster spot-opening, cost-cutting measure for the franchise.
Brought in individually, when including DeAndre Jordan, the Lakers managed to add talented players to a core consisting of generational talents.&nbsp;
But as a team?&nbsp;
They have left a lot to be desired. Someone watching from afar could fairly wonder whether the team has just been making it up as it went along.
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In the NBA, you&rsquo;re only as good as your record, not your past accomplishments. So as Kyrie&nbsp; prepares to suit up for Brooklyn and Klay prepares to write a new chapter in his story, we can&rsquo;t help but to look at the Lakers and wonder whether the team&rsquo;s moves will ultimately pay off.
Perhaps the team will find a way to trade for Hield; after all, he did showcase his unlimited range by knocking down seven threes last night. Maybe the likes of Jerami Grant can be had.
But if there&rsquo;s one thing the Lakers shouldn&rsquo;t have been looking for this season, it&rsquo;s a savior. Yet, that appears to be precisely where we are.
In an alternate reality, the team could&rsquo;ve kept its core together while still adding Anthony, Howard, Monk and Nunn.&nbsp;
Maybe they trade for Lowry, maybe they don&rsquo;t.&nbsp;
Maybe Hield is drilling three-pointers at Crypto.com Arena, or maybe he isn&rsquo;t.
But based on what the Lakers have done and the return yielded, there&rsquo;s reason to second-guess all that has transpired.
As we approach the halfway point of the season and the Lakers fail to resemble close to a championship contender, we can&rsquo;t help but to remember when they did.
We similarly can&rsquo;t help but to wonder what they will eventually become.&nbsp;
Unfortunately, the early returns don&rsquo;t suggest much.

The Lakers haven't looked like a championship contender, and at this point, it's fair to wonder whether the current core ever will.

It’s hard to look at the Lakers' struggles and not wonder, 'What if?’

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Warriors general manager Bob Myers has little doubt Golden State will sign newly crowned scoring champion Stephen Curry to a contract extension this offseason.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see any reason not to be optimistic,&rdquo; Myers said Monday, three days after his team's season ended in a play-in game against the Grizzlies. &ldquo;He seems like he&rsquo;s motivated, we&rsquo;re motivated. I would say pretty confident we&rsquo;ll get something done.&rdquo;
In December, Curry said discussions were <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-coronavirus-pandemic-golden-state-warriors-james-harden-stephen-curry-44767afbe9656a9f1c2e4ae1dfa884cb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">underway and that he is &ldquo;fully committed.&rdquo;</a> The two-time NBA MVP signed a $201 million, five-year contract in July 2017 that initially was the richest ever, until James Harden topped it with a $228 million extension from the Rockets.
&ldquo;Obviously, we want Steph back in the worst way," coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no reason to think why that won&rsquo;t happen.&rdquo;
The shock of the season's abrupt end hadn't quite sunk in for two-time MVP Curry after Friday's <a href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-grizzlies-utah-jazz-golden-state-warriors-nba-sports-aad5d35e360922422aa645ccdd5d10b9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loss at home to the Grizzlies</a>, but he was already looking at what moves might be needed to build the Warriors back into a championship contender &mdash; and not just his own situation.
&ldquo;Those conversations are going to pick up now, but you know, there&rsquo;s a lot of uncertainty and decisions that need to go into this summer for sure,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s keep it real, about how we become that team again and we&rsquo;ll figure those things out as we go."
At 33 and in his 12th NBA season, Curry became the oldest scoring champion since Michael Jordan did it at age 35 in 1998. Curry averaged 32.0 points to lead the league for the second time in his career after also doing it in 2015-16. Curry also joined Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players with multiple scoring titles, MVPs and championships.
Curry, who played down the stretch with a hairline fracture in his tailbone from a March 17 fall onto a bleacher step at Houston, had exit interviews with Myers and Kerr and they said he's still pondering whether to play in the Tokyo Olympics.
Myers stressed how Golden State must add some veteran players to the mix to join Curry, Draymond Green and a healthy Klay Thompson.
&ldquo;Klay will be a huge addition but there&rsquo;s other areas we need to improve on as well,&rdquo; he said.
Everybody is eager to see Thompson back on the court after a second straight season-ending injury, this time a torn right Achilles tendon suffered just before training camp that required surgery.
Thompson also missed the 2019-20 season after tearing the ACL in his left knee during the deciding Game 6 NBA Finals loss to Toronto in 2019.
Myers guarded against the expectation that Thompson would be ready to return right away.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know that it&rsquo;ll be the start of the year. We&rsquo;ll see more as camp gets closer,&rdquo; Myers said. &ldquo;When I say start of the year, I mean Game 1. I don&rsquo;t know if that&rsquo;s realistic or not. That&rsquo;ll be less than a year. I don&rsquo;t know what date the season opens up, but I think that&rsquo;ll be 11 months. I don&rsquo;t know that that&rsquo;s realistic.&rdquo;
Myers and Kerr would love to have Kelly Oubre Jr. back next season, though with Thompson returning to the starting lineup it's unclear whether Oubre would accept a reserve role. He missed the final 12 games with an injured left wrist.
The hope is big man James Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft, will be healthy in time to participate in training camp. He underwent surgery in mid-April to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee.
&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s an unbelievable talent, and we absolutely should nurture his talent and continue to help him grow, and that over time there&rsquo;s no doubt in our minds this guy is going to help us,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be a really good player in this league.&rdquo;
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