- We’ll start with a must-watch clip of NBA players on Jimmy Kimmel reacting to mean tweets, if you missed it:
What will the Cleveland Cavaliers do with the No. 1 overall pick? Here’s one possibility, from Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio: “As can be expected, the Cavaliers are still kicking around ideas on what to do with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Should they try to trade it? Should they keep it and take Kentucky center Nerlens Noel and his rebuilt ACL? Should they stick with their philosophy of selecting the best player available, regardless of position, and let the chips fall where they may? The answers are perhaps, perhaps and perhaps again. It’s true, as Cavs general manager Chris Grant and his staff are exploring all options and seem to have settled on none. Their latest dose of due diligence is centered on Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore, a 6-foot-4 sharpshooter who’s been compared to NBA veteran Ray Allen, now of the Miami Heat.”
Lionel Hollins is out as the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, from The AP: “The Memphis Grizzlies have decided to part with the winningest coach in the franchise’s history, telling Lionel Hollins they will not be renewing his contract as head coach coming off their first trip to the Western Conference finals. Hollins confirmed Monday night to The Associated Press that he had been told his contract would not be renewed. He had no further comment. The Commercial Appeal first cited anonymous sources that Hollins had been told he would not be back as the Grizzlies’ head coach. WMC-TV in Memphis first reported Hollins said his contract would not be renewed before thanking former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley for giving him the opportunity to be head coach and Memphis fans for their support. The move finally came after Hollins attended each of the Grizzlies’ first three pre-draft workouts, including the third session Monday.”
As has been rumored for the past few weeks, Maurice Cheeks is in as the new head coach of the Detroit Pistons, from Stein of ESPN: “Former All-Star point guard Maurice Cheeks is getting his third shot as an NBA head coach. Cheeks, an assistant in Oklahoma City for the past four seasons, on Monday formally agreed to take over as coach of the Detroit Pistons, replacing Lawrence Frank, the team announced Monday. “After spending some time with Maurice, I was very impressed not only with his basketball knowledge but his communication and leadership skills,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “We are very excited to have someone of his experience and talent help take this franchise into the future.”
If you want Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, you better do it cleanly. The NBA has fined three teams – two of them identified as the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets – for tampering with league rules about free agents, from Stein of ESPN: “Three NBA teams have been fined an undisclosed amount for tampering, the league said Monday. The league said a memo was sent to the NBA’s 30 teams announcing the penalties, but with no specific teams or fines mentioned. The Atlanta Hawks say they were one of the three teams, saying that they “fully understand and respect the NBA’s decision.” ESPN.com has also learned that the Houston Rockets were also fined what one source called a “small” amount. The identity of the third team fined was not immediately known. The memo, according to USA Today, indicated the league fined the three teams because of respective “statements by a team employee to the media, a team email to prospective season ticket purchases, and articles posted online on a team website, each related to players who are currently under contract to other teams but who will become free agents this summer.”
LeBron James talked about the how there can be plenty of friction between the players and coaches during film sessions, from David Aldridge of NBA.com: “Especially in the playoffs, film sessions can be brutal. Players know when they’ve had a subpar performance, but they have to be accountable, especially in the postseason. There isn’t time for niceties.”We’ve had a couple [of sessions] where, you know, the players didn’t like the coaches,” James said. “Coaches didn’t like the players. And I think that’s very healthy. It happens. The coaches want the players to do everything right, and sometimes the players want to do it or believe that they’re doing everything right. So we’ve had film sessions where we both left out of it, I guess, not liking each other, but agreeing on what happened and owning it and seeing the ways we can get it better in the next game. And it usually happens during the playoffs. “I think everything is just magnified. It’s more emotions, more everything in the playoffs. For a veteran ballclub, we shouldn’t sugarcoat anything when it comes to wanting to get better and improving.”
