News, notes and observations as I emerge from my post-bubble sleep …
There is a lot at stake for everyone in Nuggets-Clippers Game 7 on Tuesday night, though perhaps none more so than Paul George. George was excellent in Game 6, scoring 33 points, six rebounds and five steals, while shooting over 40% from the field and the three-point line. But his playoff shooting rates were well below his regular-season averages and, after early exits, a poor performance in a Clippers defeat would remain in the last two postseason. On the flip side, a strong effort in a Clippers win would obliterate much of what has happened in the past two seasons in Oklahoma City and draw back the young star who put up big numbers by taking Indiana to the consecutive conference finals.
Frank Vogel finished right behind Nick Nurse in my Coach of the Year vote, and in these playoffs he’s showing why. LeBron James deserves the lion’s share of the Lakers’ post-season success, with Anthony Davis behind him, but Vogel has been excellent. He kept the squad – and rotations – steady after leaving Race 1 in Portland. He didn’t panic and rocked the lineup after crashing in their first game against Houston. He did not yield to public pressure to limit Rajon Rondo’s role following the first game of the conference semifinals, and his confidence was rewarded by Rondo’s brilliant play in the last three games of that series. Vogel wasn’t the biggest name on the Lakers’ coaching list last summer, but he has proven all season to be the one.
Is there a more obvious exchange than that between Chris Paul and Milwaukee? Oklahoma City looks poised to begin a full rebuild, and Paul’s salary ($ 86 million over the next two seasons) limits potential business partners. Enter the Bucks, in dire need of proven talent. At 35, Paul is not without risk. But he’s coming out of an All-Star season and is still a strong defender. Milwaukee can make the math work: Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, Ersan Ilyasova, and some salary can do it, and the Bucks can add a choice to the draft as a sweetener – and the ever-creative Sam Presti can turn around and potentially move those pieces elsewhere. Also, don’t the Bucks have to roll the dice? Miami uncovered the Milwaukee offense and didn’t even try to use Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ankle as a motive. If Antetokounmpo doesn’t sign a long-term extension – and really, why should it? – the Bucks may have a chance to sell it on Milwaukee’s ability to build a winner. Paul is the easiest path.
Add the Rockets to the list of coaching openings with the release of Mike D’Antoni, although it’s fair to wonder how attractive Houston’s job is. The Rockets have two elite talents in James Harden and Russell Westbrook. But both are on the other side of 30, and with Westbrook it’s fair to wonder how his game will age as his superior athleticism dwindles. And all of Daryl Morey’s businesses in recent years have left Houston with no resources and limited flexibility to improve. Ty Lue and Jeff Van Gundy are the seasoned coaches Houston will kick the tires, while Sam Cassell and Stephen Silas, finalists for the Rockets job in 2016, could be considered.
· Celtics-Heat will have a personal flavor for a couple of Miami players. Jae Crowder spent 2 and a half seasons with Boston, helping the Celtics reach a couple of conference finals. Kelly Olynyk spent her first four seasons in green, stepping out in 2017 to sign a $ 50 million four-year deal with the Heat. On Monday, Olynyk admitted that he wondered what might have happened if he stayed in Boston.
“I guess there is always the ‘If it ain’t broke don’t fix it’,” Olynyk said. “Everyone was just doing their job. obviously [Celtics president] Danny Ainge was just doing his job. Sometimes it’s tough. You are trying to improve every single year. It is also a business. There goes the money. We had a great team. We really played together. We had a good run there. Of course it would have been nice to see what we could have done next year or the next, but sometimes in life that doesn’t happen. “
So let me get this straight: Joe Dumars, the most experienced basketball executive on the Kings payroll, is not involved in Sacramento’s search for a new general manager? That’s the report from Atletico, which says the Kings coaching research is run by owner Vivek Ranadivé and Mike Forde, a headhunter at a research firm. The Kings have some nice names on their interview list: Wes Wilcox is a seasoned executive, while Nuggets GM Calvin Booth is a rising star, but the idea that Ranadive, whose latest move was to hand over the franchise to a former player, Vlade Divac, with no front-office experience, is leading the search for a Divac replacement is really crazy.
· Finally, I do not I hate Matt Tumbleson. Last week I amicably shot Oklahoma City pr man in my “farewell to the bubble” column. At least me thought it would be read as friendly. Tumbleson couldn’t get me a host on a podcast I had been chasing for a few months, so I warned him I was going to beat him. Tumbleson is, in fact, a terrific PR guy and a better person. Not sure how in a column calling myself fat, he bumped into several media pals and admitted wearing the same pants for two months that Tumbleson’s crack is what was taken seriously, but for some it was, so I set up the record directly. But I warn you, Tumbleson: I’ll be coming for that podcast next year.
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