Wednesday, June 16 looked at Wednesday, June 2 and said hold my beer.
In case you don't quite remember exactly what happened in the basketball world two weeks ago (weird, but okay), allow me to remind you: Mike Krzyzewski announced he would be retiring after next season, Danny Ange moved from the Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens was promoted to GM and Joel Embiid had an MCL tear.
To be fair, we've lived a few lives since then... especially in the hours after 9 a.m. this morning.
If the NBA were my internet I would unplug and try rebooting the router hours ago. But seeing as how it didn't work out, I'll instead tell you the events of a wild day in the Association so you can also watch tonight's playoff action (Atlanta Hawks vs. Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers vs. Utah Jazz). Feel a little overwhelmed.
9:10 a.m. ET: Chris Paul placed in NBA health and safety protocol
The collective NBA high we were riding on Tuesday night (49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists) crashed after Kevin Durant's other performance as sources confirmed Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul is in the NBA's health. And upon entering the security protocol is out indefinitely. The timing of the league's mandatory coronavirus-related isolation period jeopardizes Star's availability for the Western Conference finals.
In a four-game sweep of the Denver Nuggets, 36-year-old Paul averaged 25.5 points on 61.8% shooting, 3 to 58.3%, 100% from the free throw line, as well as a 41-to-5 assist-to-turnover. Ratio. Health and safety protocols mark the most recent hurdle in the history of the playoff crisis for Point God, who this season led the Suns out of obscurity just a year after, I mean, traded from Houston to Oklahoma City. did.
9:12 a.m. ET: Kawhi Leonard out for Game 5
Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst have reported that Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will miss Wednesday's Game 5 against the Utah Jazz with a right knee injury and could be ruled out of the rest of the series. Sources told ESPN that more imaging needs to be done to determine the severity of the sprained ligament after the swelling has subsided, but "there is no timetable for its return."
Apart from Kevin Durant in the past, no one has been more impressive this season after. In the first round, Leonard became the first player since Shaquille O'Neill in 2000 to score 200 points and shoot 60% or better in the same series. He averaged 27.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in four matches against the Jazz. To say that the pawn is vital to the Clippers' playoff success would be put lightly.
11:02 am ET: Stan Van Gundy out with the New Orleans Pelicans
Here for a good while, not for a long time? After a season in New Orleans, Stan van Gundy is out as the head coach of the Pelicans. His limited stint with the franchise was short-lived as the team posted a disappointing 31–41 this past season and missed out on a place in the Western Conference play-in tournament.
New Orleans was Van Gundy's fourth stint as NBA head coach and his first after sitting out the previous two seasons. Van Gundy had success on his first two stops in Miami (.605 win percentage) and Orlando (.657). However, he only had one winning season in the four years he was with the Detroit Pistons from 2014 to 2018. Van Gundy joined as coach with Nate Björkgren, who parted ways with their teams after being hired prior to the season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the fifth time in the last 30 seasons that multiple teams have changed coaches who were with the franchise for just one season.
11:34AM ET: Scott Brooks and the Wizards Part Ways
The Washington Wizards announced that they would not extend the contract of coach Scott Brooks, which expired after a first-round loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Sources told Adrian Wojnarowski that the two sides failed to come to an agreement on a new deal.
Just last month, Brooks led the Wizards to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons despite a 34-38 season. In season five, Brooks—who was hired in hopes of wooing home Washington-area native Kevin Durant to play for the Wiz Kids (spoiler alert: it didn't)—was 183-207 in three playoffs. Performances were involved, including making it to the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2016-17.
2:22 PM ET: Donnie Nelson exits as Mavs president of basketball operations
It marked the end of an era for the Dallas Mavericks as the team announced longtime president of basketball operations and general manager Donnie Nelson is out after 24 seasons with the franchise. Nelson is widely credited with discovering and pushing two of the biggest takeovers in Mavericks history: draft-day trades 20 years apart for Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic.
According to sources, Nelson's departure follows internal friction due to the growing decision-making influence of Mavericks director of quantitative research and development Haralabos Volgaris. Sources said the former professional gambler was hired by the Mavs in 2018 and reported directly to owner Mark Cuban and communicated directly with coach Rick Carlisle, despite Nelson's objections.
2:53 PM ET: LaMelo Ball was voted Rookie of the Year
LaVar Ball tried to tell us how it was going to be. Sources told Adrian Wojnarowski that Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball was named Rookie of the Year. The path of Youngest Ball Brother was not traditional, as LaMelo expanded around the world to begin his professional career before taking his talents to the NBA. But his first season was undeniably special. Ball averaged 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game for Charlotte this season, shooting 35.2% from 3-point range and was an immediate factor in the Hornets winning basketball for the Rookies. was unusual.
Despite all this, his fellow Rookie of the Year finalist, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, was less convinced that Ball deserved the respect. As this tweet suggests:
— Anthony Edwards (@theantedwards_) June 16, 2021
Told y’all 😂🤷🏾 https://t.co/wTtQDhfYxf
— Miles Bridges (@MilesBridges) June 16, 2021
YESSIR GANG @MELOD1P https://t.co/J8FQnx89RW
— PJ Washington (@PJWashington) June 16, 2021