The HoopsHype Daily: Giannis looked like the MVP and the Bucks like title favorites vs. the Lakers last night

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: Two title favorites made major statements in their wins. In what was rightfully billed as one of the biggest games of the year, the Milwaukee Bucks took down the Los Angeles Lakers by a final score of 111-104. Giannis …

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: Two title favorites made major statements in their wins.

🦌 In what was rightfully billed as one of the biggest games of the year, the Milwaukee Bucks took down the Los Angeles Lakers by a final score of 111-104. Giannis Antetokoinmpo led the way for Milwaukee with a monster performance, scoring 34 points, securing 11 rebounds and dishing out seven assists. He hit a career-high five three-pointers in the contest, too, making the Lakers pay for trying to defend him with Anthony Davis. Oh, and he also became the first player since Shaq to score 25-plus points on 50 percent shooting or better for 13 straight games. Decent. To be fair, though, Davis was also great last night, putting up a 36/10/5 stat line and helping keep the Lakers in it on a night LeBron James went 8-for-19. (LeBron did have a triple-double, to his credit.) These two teams face off again on March 6, in what will be another potential Finals preview.

🚀 The Rockets took down the Clippers in Los Angeles thanks to the superhuman efforts of one Russell Westbrook, who dropped 40 points, 10 boards and five assists (to go with eight turnovers). It was needed, too, because James Harden wasn’t his usual self (mostly thanks to Patrick Beverley); Harden had just 28 points on the night, a far-cry from his nearly 39-point-per-game average. It might be time we start paying attention to the Rockets as actual contenders.

GET YOUR MONEY: Zach Lowe has heard from league sources that Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris could double his current salary when hits free agency this summer. Harris has hit an absurd 44.5 percent of his threes over the past three seasons.

💰 Harris is making $7.7 million in 2019-20, and is the 160th highest-paid player in the league. That figure projects go way up next season.

TALKING TO AN ALL-STAR: We talked to Victor Oladipo about how his injury recovery is going, when he might come back and what he thinks of the Pacers’ season so far.

NO MAX FOR YOU: Andre Drummond likely won’t receive a max contract from the Pistons this summer, according to The Athletic, and if Detroit doesn’t turn things around soon, the team could even look into trading their All-Star big man.

BLAKE ON THE MOVE? Blake Griffin, on the other hand, probably won’t get dealt this season, which makes sense since his value is at an all-time low due to his age, recent (and long-term) injury history and poor production thus far in 2019-20.

HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS: The NBA announced yesterday the 2020 class of potential Hall-of-Fame inductees, and boy, is it a loaded group. Headlining the batch are Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Chris Bosh, who have 13 combined titles and four league MVP trophies to their illustrious names. Besides that awesome foursome are Shawn Marion, Michael Finley, Chauncey Billups and Tim Hardaway (among others), the latter two of whom have been nominated multiple times.

🏆 Previously, we’ve ranked the Top 10 greatest Hall of Fame classes ever, but after next year’s inductees are announced, we might have to revise that list, because this group could eclipse most of the other ones we ranked.

ROTATION PLAYER OUT: Nets guard David Nwaba, who had carved out a nice role as a tough defensive-minded wing, tore his achilles last night and will almost certainly miss the rest of the season.

🤔 Tough loss for Brooklyn, but maybe they can look into bringing back Iman Shumpert, who they recently cut.

MORE INJURIES: Toronto announced Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol and Norman Powell –  three of their starters, one of whom is their best player – will be out indefinitely with different injuries. That’s not great.

OVER IT: Jaylen Brown says he was misquoted when he said Kyrie Irving got too much of the blame for the Celtics’ terrible 2018-19 campaign, and that he’s done with talking about his former teammate.

WADE ON WAITERS: Dwyane Wade joined Matt Barnes’ new podcast and talked about the whole Dion Waiters situation this season. Wade feels bad for his former teammate, and hopes Waiters is able to bounce back before it’s too late and he’s out of the league.

GIVE MAGIC CREDIT: Despite the back-to-back losses, this season has been fantastic thus far for the Lakers. One person who has noticed is their former president of basketball operations Magic Johnson, who says he deserves credit for Los Angeles’ success this year. He seriously said that.

HEROIC RETURN: Reggie Bullock is set to return soon from a cervical injury and from the loss of a sibling, the second he’s lost over the past few years. He discusses his difficult return here.

WHO IS MIKE MILLER? (NOT THAT ONE): When the Knicks announced Mike Miller was going to be their interim head coach, many thought – for some reason – they meant the former Heat, Grizzlies and Wizards guard. Well, they didn’t.

🛣️ The path the actual Knicks-coaching Mike Miller took to get that gig is actually really interesting, and you can read about it here.

DRAFT WATCH: Potential No. 1 pick James Wiseman, who our aggregate mock draft has as the No. 3 player on the board for the 2020 draft, will leave Memphis and start preparing for the draft. Not a great return on investment there for the Tigers.

The HoopsHype Daily: The Miami Heat become the first team to beat the Sixers in Philadelphia this season

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: A commanding run at home was ended while another team made a fun bit of NBA history. The Heat went into Philadelphia and became the first team to beat the 76ers at home, snapping a perfect 14-0 run of dominance for …

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: A commanding run at home was ended while another team made a fun bit of NBA history.

🔥 The Heat went into Philadelphia and became the first team to beat the 76ers at home, snapping a perfect 14-0 run of dominance for Joel Embiid and Co. Bam Adebayo (23 points, nine boards and five assists) and Kendrick Nunn (26 points and five assists) led the way for Miami, which was needed considering Jimmy Butler (14 points on 5-of-11 shooting) was quiet in his second return game to Philadelphia. By winning last night’s game, the Heat became the first team in league history to snap multiple nine-game home win streaks to open seasons (they also ended Toronto’s perfect home record a few weeks ago). Random stat but impressive nonetheless.

⚡ For the second time in two games, the Thunder fell behind by 24 points, and for the second time in two games, they won. They’re the first team to do that in the last 20 seasons. Oklahoma City wound up beating the Grizzlies 126-122 behind 31 points from Dennis Schroeder and 20 points apiece from Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

DSJ ON THE MOVE? The Knicks reportedly might trade Dennis Smith Jr., who was a healthy scratch for three straight games recently. The point-guard needy Minnesota Timberwolves are one team that has already inquired about him.

💰 Smith could be an intriguing gamble for teams, as his potential coupled with his team-friendly salary (he’s the 221st highest-paid player this season) make him a solid value target.

MORE POTENTIAL TRADE TARGETS: We broke down the five players who have been mentioned the most in trade rumors over the past week. In what should come as no surprise, Kevin Love tops the list

ANOTHER COACH ON THE HOT SEAT? The Hawks have been a pretty huge disappointment this season, even when factoring in John Collins’ suspension-related absence most of the year. And when a team disappoints like that, the blame usually falls at the feet of the coach. This instance is no different.

😬 Lloyd Pierce is in Year-2 of leading Atlanta, and boasts a 35-75 record in that stretch. Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes is reporting that Pierce isn’t fully on the hot seat yet, but things aren’t great in Atlanta, and if they don’t turn it around when Collins returns, then Pierce’s job security could be in serious jeopardy.

HAPPY IN DC: Davis Bertans has become one of the best shooters in the league in 2019-20, which is good timing since he’ll be a free agent this summer. According to his agent, though, the sharpshooter wants to stay with the Wizards, so it’ll take a pretty penny to pry him out of the nation’s capital.

DISAPPOINTMENT CONTINUES: Mike Conley has had a brutal first year in Utah, and things aren’t getting better. The veteran floor general is set to potentially miss another few weeks of action after re-aggravating a hamstring injury.

ALIEN GOAT: Ahead of the much-anticipated Lakers/Bucks game tonight, Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked about the level LeBron James is at despite being 34. Giannis’ response? He expects LeBron to be at that level, since, well, you know, he’s an alien. He might not be wrong, to be honest.

KG WILDIN’: Kevin Garnett (and Adam Sandler) joined the Bill Simmons podcast, and KG absolutely went off, saying that he and his Celtics broke LeBron James in 2010, and that the league had an agenda, which helped LeBron and the Heat beat Boston in seven games when the two teams met in the playoffs in 2012.

👂 Tell us how you really feel, KG.

SUSPENSION APPEALED: The NBPA is appealing Dion Waiters’ third suspension of the season, just as they appealed his first two suspensions. Their goal isn’t to get him back on the court, however, but to help him recoup the money he’s lost (which is a lot).

BLATT BACK: The Knicks announced they are hiring former Cavs head coach David Blatt to join their front office in a role where he’ll be scouting and evaluating talent for New York and their G League team. Blatt had to retire earlier this year from coaching due to an MS diagnosis.

REVISITING FREE AGENCY: Jabari Parker says he had a decent amount of suitors as a free agent this summer prior to signing with Atlanta for two years and $13 million, but that he chose the Hawks because they were the main team prioritizing playing time to him

INSIDE THE LIFE OF A UNICORN: Bleacher Report spent some time with Karl-Anthony Towns recently, and went in-depth on his upbringing, his routine these days and how Minnesota is getting the most out of him.

RJ ACCLIMATING: Knicks rookie RJ Barrett says it was tough to see David Fizdale and Keith Smart go, but thanks to the guidance of veteran Taj Gibson, he’s focusing on moving on and continuing to ball.

IG KING: LeBron James used to not like how invasive Instagram felt, but now he embraces it. James joined the New York Times to talk about what he likes about the app and how he uses it. (He doesn’t have a social media person running his Instagram.)

SNEAKER PASSION: Clippers big man Montrezl Harrell claims he owns around 3,000 sneakers, and considers buying new shoes a “thrill”. What’s more, he changes sneakers at halftime of every game, even if he played well in the first half.

The HoopsHype Daily: Will Jrue Holiday become the first former All-Star to be traded in-season since 2017?

Unlike previous years, the Pelicans are making Holiday available if the right trade comes through. Holiday would be great on a contender.

TRADE SZN PICKING UP STEAM: On Tuesday, the New York Times’ Marc Stein reported Jrue Holiday has been made available for trade by the Pelicans. In previous years, New Orleans had become known for considering Holiday an untouchable, but, apparently, with the team struggling to the tune of a 6-22 record, including an ugly franchise-record 13-game losing streak, that might no longer the case.

It’s hard to fault Holiday for the Pelicans’ struggles, as the 29-year-old ball-handler is averaging 19.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.7 steals nightly while shooting 44.6 percent from the floor. What’s more, according to Synergy, Holiday ranks as an excellent scorer in isolation and as a cutter, which proves how effective the Pelicans guard remains as a point-producer.

If Holiday were to get dealt, he’d become the first at least one-time All-Star to get traded since 2017, when the Kings dealt DeMarcus Cousins to, coincidentally enough, the Pelicans. Holiday is the type of player who would fit in just about any situation, particularly on playoff-caliber teams, and we broke down four situations where he’d make a lot of sense if he were to get traded.

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: A long road winning streak ended while a team that made a coaching change picked up another impressive win.

🚒 The Lakers fell to the Pacers 105-102, snapping their insane 14-game road winning streak in the process. Domantas Sabonis was Indiana’s best player, going off for 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting to go with 10 rebounds and four assists. On the other side, LeBron James dropped a 20/9/9 stat line, but missed all six of his three-point attempts. Anthony Davis missed the contest to nurse an ankle injury.

😳 The Knicks won their third game in their last six tries, all following the dismissal of David Fizdale, taking down the Hawks 143-120. RJ Barrett had arguably his best game as a pro, scoring 27 points on 13 shot attempts, while Marcus Morris chipped in with 22 points and four rebounds. For Atlanta, Trae Young went off for 42 points and eight assists, but didn’t receive much help.

ANOTHER POTENTIAL DEAL? Julius Randle is another player who could reportedly be traded. Randle has taken a big step back this season, averaging 17.4 points (down from 21.4 last year) on 44.6 percent shooting. A change of scenery might do him some good.

💸 Randle is currently on Year-1 of a three-year, $62.1 million contract, which has him as the 26th highest-paid forward in the league this season.

TWO BIG RETURNS: Two of the league’s most promising young talents returned from long absences yesterday.

🤴 De’Aaron fox returned from a 17-game absence (ankle), playing 30 minutes for the Kings, and scoring 19 points to go with eight assists.

☀️ Deandre Ayton’s 25-game suspension ended last night, and the big man was solid in his return, scoring 18 points, securing 12 rebounds and dishing out three assists.

BUCKS CO-OWNER NOT WORRIED: Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lesry isn’t sweating any of the rumors about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future, since he believes in the team’s ownership and overall culture.

GET TO KNOW THE BEARD: USA Today wrote a fun feature breaking down five things people may not know about former league MVP James Harden.

SUPERMAN NOT ROBIN: The Rockets don’t want Russell Westbrook to change his strong personality, because they believe if Westbrook is enforcing his will, that’s the best potential version of the eight-time All-Star.

THE LONG THREE: The deep three-pointer is becoming a more popular shot over recent years; Damian Lillard joined ESPN to discuss why players are taking those looks more often, with ESPN taking a fascinating look at the analytics behind it.

PLAYER OPENS UP: 2018-19 was the hardest season of Will Barton’s career, due to injury and poor form upon returning. He’s bounced back wonderfully this season, averaging 15.0 points and 6.8 rebounds. Barton opened up about his resurgent campaign, and what the struggles last year were like.

AGGREGATE MOCK: We have the latest aggregate mock draft for 2020, where we take all of the top prognosticators and average them out to see where the top prospects are projected to be selected.

FRESH POD: Nine-year NBA veteran Etan Thomas joined Alex Kennedy to discuss his career, what open-heart surgery was like and what Michael Jordan was like as a teammate.

PROMISING ADDITION: The Lakers could have a diamond-in-the-rough in their newest addition, Devontae Cacok, who was an excellent rebounder and down-load scorer in the G League.

OLYMPIC PAU: The Spanish basketball federation wants Pau Gasol to suit up for his country at the 2020 Olympic Games. Gasol is currently rehabbing from a foot injury and is expected to join the Blazers’ coaching staff soon.

PRAYERS UP: The NBA announced yesterday that former league commissioner David Stern remains in serious condition following his brain hemorrhage last Thursday.

PARTY TIME: Shaquille O’Neal is throwing a massive party in Miami for Super Bowl LIV, a party that Shaq says will be the best party in Miami history. Bold words, but totally possible for the extravagant 7-footer.

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The HoopsHype Daily: The Mavericks, without Luka Doncic, shockingly ended the Bucks’ 18-game win streak

Facing a Luka Doncic-less Mavs team, the Bucks suffered a pretty shocking defeat last night despite Giannis going off for 48 points.

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: One major streak ended and two massive leads were blown.

😲 For the first time since Nov. 8, the Bucks have tasted defeat. Milwaukee fell to the Dallas Mavericks 120-116, a particularly surprising result considering Dallas was without their own MVP candidate Luka Doncic and the game took place in Milwaukee. Kristaps Porzingis led the way for the Mavs with 26 points on 9-of-19 shooting to go with 12 rebounds and four assists. Despite the loss, Giannis Antetokounmpo continued to dominate, scoring 48 points and securing 14 rebounds.

🤦 At one point last night, the Spurs (facing Houston) and Chicago (up against Oklahoma City) held 25- and 26-point leads, respectively. And they both wound up losing. Thaddeus Young recently spoke about the Bulls’ lack of comfort with each other, and that manifested itself in last night’s game. For San Antonio, DeMar DeRozan continues to struggle mightily, and he was benched for the last five minutes of the game against the Rockets. Probably not the ideal time for the former All-Star 2-guard to tank his trade value.

MVP RANKINGS: We have ranked the Top 10 players in the 2019-20 MVP race. Giannis Antetokounmpo still has the top spot firmly in his grasp.

HOT COMMODITY: Davis Bertans has become one of the best shooters in the world this year, and it’s come at the perfect time, since he’s set to hit free agency this summer. Regardless, Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard says Washington plans to keep their sharpshooting wing, and that business will take care of itself.

A NEW DAY: Woj says a major rebuild is coming for the Spurs, who sit at 10-16 and 11th in the West so far this year. That’s particularly interesting considering how much trade scuttle is surrounding LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan recently.

HARDEN SPEAKS: James Harden, Mike D’Antonio and Daryl Morey spoke to USA Today about a variety of topics, including what they think of the criticism Harden receives, how hard he works and his crazy basketball intellect.

ANOTHER KAWHI AWARD: The Athletic named Kawhi Leonard the NBA Person of the Year for 2019.

👀 Interesting tidbit from that article: Kawhi was heavily involved with trying to get Jimmy Butler to join him in Los Angeles before Butler chose the Heat. Paul George was a fantastic consolation prize (it’s unfair to even call him that), but landing Butler wouldn’t have cost the Clippers the enormous haul of draft picks that the Thunder got for George.

NO LOAD MANAGEMENT: LeBron James is looking as fresh as ever, and that’s despite the fact he’s closing in on Kobe Bryant’s career minutes total. Crazy longevity.

🙅‍♂️ LeBron is also firmly against load management, which is refreshing to hear in the current era of basketball.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Speaking of LeBron, the four-time MVP was named Western Conference Player of the Week yesterday. Miami’s Bam Adebayo won the award for the East. After the announcement, James went out of his way to show the young Heat big man some props on Twitter for the impressive accomplishment.

PROUD FRIEND: JJ Redick is extremely happy to see Markelle Fultz find his footing in Orlando, and spoke glowingly of his former teammate as a person.

NO BEEF: Jaylen Brown doesn’t think Kyrie Irving deserves all the blame he got last year for Boston’s failures, and that more of it should have been placed on the organization and coaching staff. He seriously said that.

ROTATION BIG MAN DOWN: Second-year Boston center Robert Williams will miss at least three more weeks with a hip injury. He’s an important piece for the Celtics.

FASHION KEMBA: Celtics point guard Kemba Walker is big on fashion, but he refuses to blow huge amounts of money for his clothes, so he goes the bargain route.

LIVING THE HIGH LIFE: The Warriors have suites, which are mini furnished apartments, to watch their games from that cost $2 million to rent for a season. The Athletic watched a game from there recently, and reported their findings.

SPEAKING OF GOLDEN STATE: Golden State was named the ‘Franchise of the Decade’ across all sports by the Sports Business Journal, thanks to their innovative business ventures, their three championships and the opening of their new state of the art arena, the Chase Center.

RATINGS CRAZE: USA Today’s Mark Medina makes a strong case for why the NBA’s broadcast partners are wise not to worry too much about the league’s low ratings this season. The main problem, at least in Medina’s opinion, has been how many nationally televised games have featured injured star players. Spoiler alert: It’s been a whole lot of them.

ANOTHER (NEAR) FIGHT! James Harden and Dejounte Murray nearly came to blows last night, or at least that’s what they want you to believe, before refs broke them up.

INSANE LAWSUIT: Remember the fan who was banned by the Utah Jazz for taking his heckling towards Russell Westbrook way too far? Well, he’s suing the Jazz and Russell Westbrook for a total of $100 million, claiming defamation of character and infliction of emotional distress. We’re going to go out on a limb and say he won’t be winning anywhere near that much money.

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With the NBA trade season starting to heat up, catch up on all the latest rumors

After a near silent few months of trade rumors, rumblings league-wide are beginning to pick up. We have the latest stirrings for you here.

TRADE SZN STIRRING: You know trade season is about to pick up when Woj is getting his own half-hour ESPN specials to discuss the latest rumblings in the Association. Among the rumors discussed by Woj and Zach Lowe:

Of course, ESPN isn’t the only outlet reporting trade rumors as the deadline approaches. According to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, the Magic are monitoring DeMar DeRozan for a potential deal, which would be a savvy move for the Floridian franchise considering their need for perimeter scoring. Zillgitt also says Cavs veteran big man Tristan Thompson could be shopped, and if you saw him get into it with his coach John Beilein over the weekend, you understand why.

LET THE TRADES BEGIN: Yesterday, 123 players had their trade restrictions – stemming from them signing new contracts this past summer – lifted. Here is every single guy who can now be traded.

YESTERDAY IN THE ASSOCIATION: One team continues to roll while another continues to do the opposite of that.

🔥 The Lakers defeated the Hawks 101-96 to improve to 24-3 on the year. It wasn’t their most impressive victory, but the fact they refuse to lose on the road this season is insane in its own right. LeBron James finished the contest with 32 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists while Anthony Davis had 27 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks.

😲 The Pelicans lost their 12th game in a row on Sunday, falling 130-119 to the Orlando Magic… at home. Head coach Alvin Gentry’s job appears to be safe for now, but if the losing continues, it would be easy to foresee first-year GM David Griffin bringing in his own guy to lead New Orleans. Markelle Fultz threw down this nifty dunk in that same game.

WAITERS ISLAND EVACUATED: According to the Miami Herald, the Heat are exploring multiple scenarios to get Dion Waiters off their payroll, including a trade, a buyout and a contract voiding. We’ll go ahead and say it: Miami finding a taker for Waiters is extremely unlikely.

(NOT) HOT SEAT: The Bulls have been an abject disaster this season relative to expectations, placing a lot of heat on head coach Jim Boylen’s job security. Regardless, Chicago general manager Jim Paxson publicly endorsed his head coach on Saturday anyway.

A RETURN APPROACHING: Jusuf Nurkic says he’s 60 percent complete with rehab, and was seen doing more physical activity at practice recently. Portland, 10-16, desperately needs their big man to get healthy as soon as possible.

MIDRANGE KINGS: Derrick Rose talked to Detroit News about wanting to be like Kobe Bryant, who played 20 seasons and didn’t need a knockdown three-point stroke to dominate.

MID-RANGE KINGS: Derrick Rose talked to Detroit News about wanting to be like Kobe Bryant, who played 20 seasons and didn’t need a knockdown three-point stroke to dominate. 

SWINGMAN RETURNS: Wilson Chandler made his return for the Nets yesterday after missing the first 25 games of the season due to testing positive for a banned substance. He played 19 minutes and scored seven points in a 109-89 Brooklyn victory over the Sixers.

⛹️ ESPN released a nice story on Chandler and how he spent the time he was suspended. He watched a lot of games from Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club in Manhattan.

MVP CANDIDATE GOES DOWN: Luka Doncic is set to miss at least two weeks with what the Mavs are calling a moderate ankle sprain.

BUCKS LOSE POINT GUARD: Bucks floor general Eric Bledsoe will also miss at least two weeks with a leg injury.

ATTEMPTED COMEBACK: Six-time All-Star Amare Stoudemire has left the Chinese CBA and returned to South Florida in hopes of making an NBA return.

FASCINATING JOURNEY: St. Thomas More is an all-boy boarding school with an enrollment of 125, located in Connecticut. Why are we telling you that? Because that tiny school somehow produced three NBA players, all of whom play on the Golden State Warriors this season. Crazy.

IMPRESSIVELY MEDIOCRE: Darius Garland is averaging 2.9 assists per game this season, which (somehow) is the highest assist average on the Cavaliers in 2019-20. If that holds, it’ll be the lowest assist average for a team leader in that stat since 1951.

ROCK ON, DUDE: Bill Walton teamed up with the Grateful Dead for a movie described as a “psychedelic sports adventure”. The film features clips of extreme skiing and surfing to the music of the Grateful Dead, with Walton narrating.

LEAGUE TURNING TO JAPAN: With the well-documented issues between the NBA and China this season, the NBA is turning to Japan, where the game of basketball is exploding in popularity, as its next key market. Rui Hachimura’s emergence this year has been huge for the NBA in Japan.

CLUTCH LIKE DADDY: LeBron James Jr., in a nationally televised game against his father’s alma mater, with his father in attendance, hit a game-winning layup and was named MVP of the contest over the weekend. It would be really cool if we got to see both James men in the NBA at the same time one day.

SALARY QUIZ: WHO’S THIS NBA PLAYER? 🤔

Click here for the answer.

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The HoopsHype Daily: The NBA is making a bold and historic move by expanding the G League into Mexico

LEAGUE ANNOUNCES HISTORIC EXPANSION: Prior to Thursday night’s contest between Dallas and Detroit, Adam Silver announced that the G League would be adding a 29th team , and that it would be based in Mexico City. The team in question is called the …

LEAGUE ANNOUNCES HISTORIC EXPANSION: Prior to Thursday night’s contest between Dallas and Detroit, Adam Silver announced that the G League would be adding a 29th team, and that it would be based in Mexico City. The team in question is called the Capitanes (the Captains in Spanish), and they currently play in the top pro league in Mexico. Starting in 2020-21, however, they’ll be moving to the NBA’s minor league for at least five seasons.

This announcement is historic for a variety of reasons. For starters, it’s the league’s first true foray in trying to break into the Latin American market. Basketball is growing in Central and South America, but it’s still nowhere near as popular as it could be. By having a pro basketball team based in what is by far the biggest Latin market, Mexico City, the NBA could make ground in developing what could be a huge new fan base. 

Additionally, as Silver mentioned in his press conference, an enormous number of Americans either identify as full or partial Mexican descendants (over 11 percent of the American population, in fact, as of July 2018), so for the NBA to find a way into that market would be huge for the league. Even in the States, the ratings garnered when the biggest Mexican soccer clubs play each other are massive, so clearly the Association sees the value in developing a foothold in our southern neighbor.

We’ll see where this goes, but the NBA should be commended for their strong foresight in trying to make basketball more popular, both in new, unique markets and with those who immigrated to the United States from those markets.

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: One superstar responded to tough love from two legends while a burgeoning superstar put on a show in another country.

💪 Sixers All-Star Joel Embiid exploded for 38 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in a 115-109 win over Boston. The performance was especially noteworthy because it came on the heels of Embiid receiving harsh-but-fair criticism from Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley, who said the big man could be playing harder. Good on Embiid for responding with his best performance of the season, and not by moping. The Sixers center even thanked Chuck and Shaq after the game while being interviewed.

🔥 Luka Doncic was phenomenal yet again, scoring 41 points on 24 field-goal attempts while chipping in 12 rebounds and 11 assists. The masterful performance came in Mexico City, giving Doncic the highest-scoring performance outside of the U.S./Canada in league history. He is also now tied with Kevin Durant for second-most 40-plus point performances by a player prior to turning 21 with four. LeBron owns the record at eight. Dallas won the game against the Pistons 122-111.

FORMER COMMISH HOSPITALIZED: The league announced last night that David Stern underwent emergency surgery after suffering a sudden brain hemorrhage on Thursday. Our thoughts are with the former NBA commissioner.

MORE LOVE TRADE SCUTTLE: Apparently, it might not be that easy for the Cavs to move Kevin Love due to the enormity of his contract, which is worth four years and $120.4 million.

🤔 According to The Athletic, Cleveland expects a first-round pick in exchange for Love, while opposing teams expect the Cavaliers to give them a first-rounder for taking on that huge deal. That could change, however, as long as Cleveland takes back some bad salary in a potential Love deal; if they’re willing to do that, the Cavs might be able to nab themselves that coveted first-round pick.

SHUMP WAIVED: With Wilson Chandler set to return from suspension this weekend, the Nets were forced to waive Iman Shumpert yesterday. Shumpert averaged just 4.2 points and hit under 25 percent of his threes for Brooklyn, but did provide them with solid defense.

T-REX ARMS: We ranked active NBA players by the worst wingspan-to-height ratios. Most of those players having something in common, but we’ll let you guys figure out what it is.

BERTANS GETTING PAID: Wizards forward Davis Bertans is hitting free agency this summer, and it couldn’t come at a better time, as the Latvian sharpshooter is playing the best ball of his career, averaging 15.7 points and hitting an insane 46.5 percent of his threes.

💰 According to David Aldridge, one former league exec thinks Bertans could get a deal ranging between $15 million and $20 million annually this summer. That would be a huge leap for Bertans, who is making $7 million this season and ranks as the league’s 171st highest-paid player.

MORRIS HAPPY IN NY: Because of how poorly the Knicks are doing this year juxtaposed by how well Marcus Morris is playing (19 ppg/48.9 3P%), Morris is considered a potential trade candidate ahead of February’s deadline. However, the eight-year veteran claims to be happy in New York and is totally against a move.

IGGY ON THE MOVE? Shams listed the Nuggets, Mavericks, Rockets and Clippers as the main teams interested in an Andre Iguodala trade. What’s more, he also reported that the Grizzlies are confident they’ll be able to trade the 2015 Finals MVP, and won’t be forced to negotiate a costly buyout with him.

VETERAN BIG UNHAPPY: Bulls big man Thaddeus Young is reportedly unhappy with his usage this season, and could request a trade if things don’t change.

🤦 Young is currently playing the fewest nightly minutes he has since his rookie season (21.6). At the same time, he did sign for a lot of money with a team that has multiple high-level young frontcourt prospects (like Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr., just to name a couple), so we’re not really sure what he expected to happen there.

KNICKS COACHING SEARCH: The Athletic reports that the Knicks are likely to keep interim coach Mike Miller in that role for the rest of the season, but that if they do make an in-season hire, they’re looking at Jeff Van Gundy, Tom Thibodeau and Mark Jackson as the main candidates.

HEAT LOVE: Jimmy Butler says Bam Adebayo, a strong Most Improved Player candidate this year, is better than him at every aspect of basketball. That’s probably not true, but it’s high praise for Miami’s third-year big man.

A GOOD CAUSE: The Kings and Bucks are going to participate in basketball games at correctional facilities. It’s part of a pretty cool initiative organized by the Represent Justice Campaign.

The HoopsHype Daily: Kawhi Leonard shows up in Toronto for the first time since his offseason departure

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: Wednesday night was headlined by Kawhi making his Toronto return, but a few other noteworthy moments occurred. Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers made their yearly trip to Toronto last night, with this season’s matchup …

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: Wednesday night was headlined by Kawhi making his Toronto return, but a few other noteworthy moments occurred.

💍 Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers made their yearly trip to Toronto last night, with this season’s matchup having the added drama of it being Leonard’s first game against the Raptors since leaving the team last summer. Prior to tip-off, Kyle Lowry presented Kawhi with his championship ring as the Toronto crowd serenaded their former player with applause. For more on the Raptors’ championship rings, ESPN broke them down in this great piece. Anyway, Los Angeles won the game 112-92 behind 23 points and five rebounds from Leonard. Toronto has now dropped four of their last five games.

🔥 James Harden dropped 55 points (10 three-pointers) on the Cavs, and (for the Harden haters) he only needed five free-throws to reach that mark. Meanwhile, Hornets guard Devonte’ Graham exploded against the Nets, going off for 40 points on 21 field-goal attempts and 7-of-12 shooting from three. Graham, a Most Improved Player candidate, is now averaging 20 points and 7.6 assists per game on the year.

👑 The Lakers and Bucks, the league’s No. 1 and No. 2 teams in net rating, continue to roll, the latter without their best player, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Both squads now sit at 22-3 on the season. We’re only one week away from the two teams facing off for the first time this season, which should be a fantastic showdown.

BLAZERS STAYING QUIET? There’s been some scuttle lately connecting Kevin Love to the Blazers, but according to general manager Neil Olshey, Portland is going to remain disciplined even as the trade market league-wide starts to heat up. By that he means the team won’t ship away long-term assets or add a huge long-term contract just to make a shortsighted addition now.

🤑 That certainly seems to rule out the Blazers as a potential Love landing spot, considering his enormous four-year, $120.4 million deal.

ONE PORTLAND OPTION: Just because the Blazers don’t want to add long-term salary to their books doesn’t mean they’re going to be totally silent on the trade market. One solid option for Portland could be Thunder swingman Danilo Gallinari, who is on the last year of his contract. We broke down the potential fit here.

KAWHI TALKS FREE AGENCY: Kawhi Leonard says he heavily considered re-signing with Toronto last summer, and that the decision to eventually leave was a very difficult one to make.

FAVORS BEING MONITORED: Teams are keeping an eye on the Pelicans, who are struggling mighty this season, in hopes of getting a shot at trading for veteran big man Derrick Favors. Between injury and the untimely passing of his mother, Favors is having a quiet campaign, averaging just 8.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, but there’s no doubt he can help out playoff-caliber teams when he’s performing at peak capacity.

DAR OPENS UP: The Athletic got Warriors guard D’Angelo Russell to open up about his past, touching on a variety of topics, including his hectic time with the Lakers, how he bounced back with the Nets and what his future may hold.

🤔 For the trade-scuttle fiends, the common belief is that Russell is a likely candidate to get dealt by the trade deadline, but Russell mentions in the piece that he hopes to earn a long-term spot with Golden State. We’ll see if the Warriors feel the same way. 

ON ANOTHER KNICKS FAIL: Woj and Ramona Shelburne go behind the scenes on the latest batch of Knicks failures, from the Kristaps Porzingis trade to the David Fizdale tenure to all the free-agent misses in the summer of 2019. If you’re a Knicks fan, shield your eyes.

KNICKS’ NEW MASTERPLAN? According to Stephen A. Smith, the Knicks want to hire Lakers assistant Jason Kidd as their head coach in order to lure Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign with them in free agency. Regardless of who their head coach is, recruiting Giannis, who is on one of the two best teams in the league this season, will be extremely difficult for New York, but it’s worth a shot.

ALL-STAR DOWN AGAIN: Gordon Hayward had to exit Wednesday night’s game against the Pacers with another injury, this time to his head. Luckily, he doesn’t think this one will force him to miss much, if any, time.

TIME HEALS ALL WOUNDS: Dwight Howard is hopeful that Magic fans will be able to get over his ugly departure at some point. On his end, he says he’s already forgiven them for the way they treated him when he first departed them for Los Angeles.

DUNK OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE: Ja Morant absolutely obliterated Aron Baynes with this dunk yesterday. The dude jumped off two feet and switched the ball from his left hand to his right while already in the air. That’s scary stuff. 

FIGHT! (SORT OF): The Lakers and Magic got into a little scuffle last night, one that led to the ejections of Jared Dudley and Wes Iwundu. It may seem like nothing, but these days, that’s what passes for a fight in the NBA. The Bad Boys Pistons are laughing somewhere.

The HoopsHype Daily: After a very long dry spell, trade rumors are starting to heat up around the Association

On Dec. 15, players signed this past summer become eligible to get traded and trade rumors are starting to heat up around the league.

TRADE SZN HEATING UP: On Dec. 15, pretty much every player signed this past summer becomes eligible to be traded. As such, after a slow spell of trade rumors for the past few months, talks are about to heat up around the Association. In fact, scuttle around the league is already picking up, as The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor released an article discussing what he’s hearing from league executives as trade season approaches.

🚀 For starter’s, according to KOC, the Rockets have interest in Timberwolves swingman Robert Covington, a defensive expert shooting 36.9 percent from three this season. Covington would be a great fit there, as Houston could use a 3-and-D expert to put around James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

😲 Furthermore, per O’Connor, despite Portland adding Carmelo Anthony recently, the Blazers are also looking into acquiring Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari, who is averaging 18.3 points and shooting 40.3 percent from three this season. Gallinari’s addition, surrounding Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, would make Portland’s offense legitimately scary.

🏠 Finally, O’Connor reported that Kevin Love, who has sprung up a lot in trade rumors recently, would prefer a trade to Portland over anything else. Adding Love would move Anthony to bench, but could help the Blazers turn things around this season and begin a true playoff push.

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: An embarrassing preemptive declaration and multiple sharpshooting performances headlined last night’s of NBA action.

😬 With under a minute remaining in Atlanta’s game against Miami, Trae Young found Alex Len open for a dunk to put the Hawks up by six. Young then decided it was good time to talk trash to the crowd, emphatically declaring the game over. Lo and behold, the game wasn’t quite over, as two threes helped the Heat tie game, forcing overtime, in which Miami then went on to score the first 16 points. The Heat eventually won the game 135-121. Jimmy Butler couldn’t resist needling Young on social media after the contest. Petty wars, indeed. For what it’s worth, Young was a good sport about it after the game, too.

🔥 Wizards forward Davis Bertans was on fire last night, scoring a career-high 32 points and shooting 8-for-12 from three in a 114-107 Washington loss against the Hornets. Bertans wasn’t the only sharpshooter to go off last night, either, as Heat swingman Duncan Robinson made 10-of-14 triples for Miami. Good night for the sharpshooting wings last night.

A DIFFERENT OUTCOME: According to a report from SNY, Carmelo Anthony’s last few years could have gone much differently if one Knicks official got his way. That unnamed official supposedly tried to get Anthony to rescind his trade request before he got shipped to the Thunder, but ultimately failed.

🤔 Another interesting tidbit from that article: Anthony had a couple of unreported suitors this offseason – the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers. Melo would have been an interesting fit on both teams, who both reside near the top of their conferences at the moment.

MASAI ON THE MOVE? According to SportsNet’s Michael Grange, the Raptors did not, contrary to reports, offer Masai Ujiri a contract extension this past summer, which could have subdued some of the recent noise about the elite executive having eyes for the Knicks. That could come back to bite them in the you-know-what.

PERFECT FIT: Pat Riley gives rare public comments, discussing his recruitment of Jimmy Butler, as well as why he thinks the four-time All-Star is such a good fit with the Heat. Also some interesting quotes from Butler in there.

FIXING WHAT WAS BROKEN: ESPN goes in-depth on how the Pelicans and Lonzo Ball are fixing his jump shot. Ball is shooting a career-high 34 percent from three this season.

LONG ARMS: We rank the players with the freakiest wingspan-to-height ratios. It should come as no surprise that Magic big man Mo Bamba checked in at No. 1.

LOYAL SUPERSTAR: Damian Lillard pens a wonderful piece for The Players’ Tribune talking about his childhood as well as his time in college, and how those two times in his life helped shape him into the loyal superstar he is now.

LAVINE DETERMINED: Despite some late-game flubs recently, Zach LaVine is determined to establish himself as a superstar, not a No. 2 or No. 3 option. An admirable mindset, but maybe if LaVine were more willing to do the dirty work of a secondary or tertiary option, he’d be a more impactful NBA player.

FIRST ROUNDER HEADED TO G LEAGUE: The Warriors are finally, mercifully, sending 2019’s No. 28 overall pick Jordan Poole down to the G League

😱 He’s been one of the worst, if not the worst, big-minute players in the league this season, averaging 7.9 points in 24 minutes nightly in 2019-20, on horrific 25.8/24.6/85.7 shooting splits.

MOVE THE CAMERAMEN BACK: After being injured by falling into one, Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant wants the league to consider moving the under-the-basket cameramen back a few feet. Seems like a reasonable request, especially since Morant says their presence is affecting the way he attacks the basket. He can’t be the only player who feels that way, either.

LESS PHONE TIME: The Wizards are doing some interesting things with their young team in an attempt to get them to be on their phones less. Probably something all of us should consider doing, to be honest.

BUSINESSMAN KD: Kevin Durant and his manager Rich Kleiman talk to Forbes about KD’s business ventures and how life in Brooklyn is going.

BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP: Robert Covington and a young cancer survivor named Gio Toribio have formed a wonderful bond over the years, and The Undefeated interviewed both of them for this uplifting article.

INJURY STATUS: Otto Porter is out at least another month for the Bulls due to a foot injury. That won’t help one of this season’s most disappointing teams turn things around.

BUTLER REMEMBERED: Friends, trainers, coaches and players remember Rasual Butler, the 13-year NBA veteran who tragically passed away early last year.

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The HoopsHype Daily: Paul George made cryptic comments about the Pacers following big Clippers win

After dropping 36 points and guiding the Clippers to a win against his former team, the Pacers, George made cryptic comments about Indiana.

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: Two buzzer-beating game-winners, both within moments of each other, and a star return to face his former team headlined a busy Monday night of NBA action.

🔥 Paul George played just his second game in Indiana as an opponent last night, and he showed out, dropping 36 points, nine boards and five assists against his former club. George was booed and chanted at multiple times throughout the game, and he didn’t seem too happy about it. After the game, George told the media that Pacers fans are directing their anger at the wrong person, and the people who should be getting booed have been in Indiana longer than he was. He refused to expound on his comments beyond that, though he did say he might one day do a tell-all about his Indiana departure. Weird.

🏀 First, Derrick Rose drove the lane with fewer than five seconds remaining in a tie game between Detroit and New Orleans, and hit a beautiful spinning mid-range fadeaway jumper from the elbow as the clock expired. Then, minutes later, Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica hit a 34-foot bomb against the Rockets to give Sacramento a huge road win. If we had to pick which game-winner was more impressive, we’d have to go with Bjelica’s considering his team was down by two at the time, and he shot it from a different area code.

🦌 We’d be remiss not to mention the Bucks won their 15th game in a row last night, beating the Magic 110-101 behind 32 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists from Giannis Antetokounmpo. That team looks unstoppable right now.

LOVE DISCUSSES POTENTIAL TRADE: Kevin Love spoke to ESPN about the latest rumors regarding the Cavs making him available for trade. He says nothing has changed, and that since he’s gotten to Cleveland, there have always been trade rumors hovering around his name, so this is no different. By his tone, though, it sounded like he doesn’t expect to be a Cavalier much longer.

🤦 For what it’s worth, Shams reported that Love would prefer a trade to a contender, which…well…duh.

MORE TRADE SCUTTLE: Shams also reported that teams are interested in Hornets forward Marvin Williams, who is shooting a tidy 40 percent from three this season, as well as in Nuggets guard Malik Beasley, who broke out in 2018-19 but has had a slow start to this campaign, despite nailing 41.2 percent of his three-point looks.

BUTLER/HERRO LOVE: Four-time All-Star Jimmy Butler and rookie Tyler Herro have a ton of respect for each other, particularly on Butler’s end towards the young buck. So much for the narrative about Butler being a terrible locker-room presence and too harsh towards young players, huh?

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Speaking of Butler, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week yesterday after averaging 27.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game the week prior. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis won it for the West after putting up a 35.0/8.0/2.5 stat line over four games for the Lakers.

🏆 Both players ranked highly in our latest MVP rankings, with Butler coming in at No. 6 and Davis at No. 5.

PROTEST DENIED: The Rockets’ protest over James Harden’s missed dunk was denied by the NBA, primarily because the league determined Houston had enough time in the fourth quarter and the two overtimes to overcome the mistake. Now, let’s hope we never have to hear about this story ever again.

WHO’S NEXT? Following the dismissal of David Fizdale, The Athletic breaks down which coach could be the next to get fired. Lots of juicy sourced information in there, including that Jim Boylen’s job appears to be safe, despite the Bulls being so disappointing this season.

A STERN WARNING: After his debacle of a tenure with Houston came to an end, Carmelo Anthony warned his buddy and fellow banana-boat team member Chris Paul to be wary of the Rockets. Turns out: He was right.

NEVER A DOUBT: While speaking to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, Markelle Fultz claims he never had a doubt he could become a productive NBA player, he just needed to get past his injury troubles. Fultz dropped 13 points and nine assists against the Bucks last night.

MORE REFEREE COMPLAINTS: The Wizards went public with their belief that their lone All-Star, Bradley Beal, isn’t getting a fair whistle this season. Beal himself referred to the way he’s officiated as “unacceptable”. For what it’s worth, Beal’s free-throw assist rate this year is 34 percent. In comparison, James Harden’s is 60.3. Maybe Beal has a point.

TWO BIG RETURNS: Gordon Hayward returned for the Celtics last night without limitations. He dropped 14 points in 26 minutes, going 7-for-10 from the floor and contributing five rebounds and four assists against the hapless Cleveland Cavaliers.

🐻 Rookie of the Year contender Ja Morant also made his return last night, and he picked up right where left off, dropping 26 points on 14 field-goal attempts and dishing out seven assists. He was kind of mean to the Warriors’ defense most of the night.

JAMEER OPENS UP: Jameer Nelson spent 10-plus seasons in Orlando, and one of the major storylines during his time was there was the Dwight Howard exit drama. He talked to us about that whole saga, and he did not hold back.

FRESH POD: Our very own Alex Kennedy is joined by colleague Bryan Kalbrosky to discuss the Knicks’ coaching search and how sustainable the Lakers’ early-season success is.

QUICK DEVELOPMENT: The 76ers probably didn’t expect Matisse Thybulle, a defense-first player, to be nailing 44.0 percent of his threes at this point in his career after being a 35.8 percent three-point shooter over four years in college. We broke down his excellent shooting start here.

NBA OPEN TO BUSINESS: League commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that the NBA could launch an investment vehicle for private equity firms to buy minority stakes in franchises. Investors might even be able to invest in multiple teams, which is probably the most interesting part of that news.  

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The HoopsHype Daily: The Cavs are finally making Kevin Love available, and he could have interesting suitors

According to a Woj report, the Cavaliers have finally come to their senses and are willing to part with Kevin Love for the right price.

LOVE ON THE BLOCK? On Friday, Woj reported that the Cavs are finally willing to entertain trade offers for the lone All-Star on their depleted roster, Kevin Love. On the year, Love is averaging 16.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game on 44.0/37.1/88.2 shooting splits. What’s more, according to Synergy, Love ranks as an excellent scorer out of the pick-and-roll and in isolation opportunities.

That’s all to say: Even despite his age (31) and enormous contract (four years, $120.4 million), if Love is on the trade block, contenders will come calling, as the five-time All-Star can still contribute and produce at a high level. 

🔮 There are a few franchises that immediately come to mind as potential Love suitors, primarily teams on the second (or third) tiers of their respective conferences in need of scoring and rebounding. We broke down four such situations here.

CAVS REVOLT: Another Cleveland note: Various anonymous Cavs players went to The Athletic to complain about their first-year head coach John Beilein and his old-school, collegiate style of coaching. They did not hold back.

LAST NIGHT IN THE ASSOCIATION: The Lakers continue to roll and the Heat refuse to lose at home.

🔥 The Lakers are 21-3 after destroying the Timberwolves 142-125. Since losing to the Mavs last Sunday, Los Angeles is 4-0, averaging 126 points per game over those four outings and holding a plus-84 point-differential. Against Minnesota, Anthony Davis exploded for 50 points while LeBron James contributed 32 points and 13 assists. In the process, James and Davis became the first pair of Lakers teammates to combine for 70-plus points in consecutive games since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal back in 2003. That’s solid company for L.A.’s new super duo.

👶 Miami rookie Tyler Herro had his best game as a pro, scoring 27 points and hitting five three-pointers to help lead the Heat to a 110-105 victory against Chicago. In what was a tight contest late, Herro scored 16 of Miami’s last 18 points, 11 of those coming in overtime, and hit the eventual go-ahead triple with under a minute remaining. Miami is now 10-0 at home.

GENTRY ON THE HOT SEAT? The Pelicans have been one of this season’s biggest disappointments. Even despite the injury to Zion, New Orleans was not expected to be at 6-17 with the league’s seventh-worst net rating (-7.0) through the campaign’s quarter mark.

🤔 Regardless, according to The Athletic, head coach Alvin Gentry is safe for the time being, though that could change quickly if the Pelicans continue to look so futile.

SILVER STAYING OUT OF IT: During a radio spot with New York media, Adam Silver said he would not intervene with anything related to the Knicks because it wouldn’t be fair to the other 29 teams.

A BIT LATE: Literal days after firing David Fizdale, the Knicks finally released a statement thanking Fizdale for his time with the team. Mind you, New York had already played a game by the time the press release came out. Never change, James Dolan.

THE NEXT SCAPEGOAT: Speaking of that Knicks’ job opening, although that head coaching gig may not be the most desirable in the NBA, there’s only 30 of those so of course there’s going to be candidates willing to jump on that grenade. We take a look at some of them.

🏥 On a related note, coaching in the NBA is not good for health.

ALL-STAR SET TO RETURN? Just a month after breaking his left hand, Gordon Hayward says he might be able to return tonight, when the Celtics face the Cavs. Impressive turnaround considering the original prognosis had him out at least six weeks.

SHARPSHOOTER: Wizards forward Davis Bertans has always been an elite shooter, but thanks to new wrinkles in his game implemented by his coach, Scott Brooks, he’s reached another level this season.

LIFE ON THE ROAD: We spoke with beat writers covering typically lousy NBA franchises to see what that’s like. Drama can make great copy.

CONFIDENT DWIGHT: Lakers big man Dwight Howard reportedly requested his contract with the Lakers be non-guaranteed, just so he could prove how committed to the team he was.

ENOUGH WHINING: Luka Doncic is becoming notorious for complaining to officials after missed calls, and he admits he needs to tone it down moving forward. Pretty mature of him to realize, especially considering he said all this after a missed call in favor of the Kings cost Dallas a close game yesterday.

🔢 In that same contest vs. Sacramento, Luka Doncic broke Michael Jordan’s record for most consecutive games with at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. Doncic is now at 19 straight such games.

DRAFT WATCH: Potential No. 1 overall pick for 2020 LaMelo Ball will miss a month of the NBL season due to a foot injury. Luckily, Ball should have the chance to return this campaign and continue to make his case for being next year’s top prospect, unless he decides to shut things down and solely prepare for the draft.

KICKS MASTER: Salvador Amezcua, a very popular sneaker artist who works with Luka Doncic, Karl-Anthony Towns and Donovan Mitchell, among many others, discusses how he forged his path to reach the top of the game.

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