However, a league source said Tuesday that DāAntoni was preparing to head to this area to interview for the job.
However, a league source said Tuesday that DāAntoni w…
September 26, 2020 | 11:57 am EDT Update
Mavs interested in Montrezl Harrell?
The Los Angeles Clippers, who downed the Dallas Mavericks in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs before their Round 2 collapse against underdog Denver, might be trying to re-tool the roster. … and might find it a struggle to hold onto the unrestricted free agents about to hit the market. Unrestricted free agents like power forward Montrezl Harrell. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Clippers and Harrell share a “mutual interest” in re-joining forces next season. And there is sense to that. Harrell, 26, is a 6-foot-8 big forward who plays on both ends of the floor, and who during the regular season averaged 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds. But he’s free – and NBA gossip says the Mavs are interested.
The Dallas reasoning? *He’s coming off a a two-year, $12 million contract, so maybe he’s not going to break somebody’s bank here. *He won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award this season due to a regular-season reliability that in Dallas would surely be allowed to carryover in the postseason. *The Mavs front office has made no secret of wishing to add some “tough-guy attitude” to the roster. … and Harrell, as he demonstrated with his racial-slur conflict with Doncic in Round 1, is not afraid to play the role of the heel.
Justin Kubatko: Jayson Tatum is the third player in NBA postseason history to record 25 or more 20-point games before turning 23 years old: 32 – Kobe Bryant. 29 – LeBron James. 25 – Tatum
Barry Jackson: If Lakers dispatch Denver tonight, the current NBA sentiment (not certain but sentiment) would be to schedule potential Heat-Celtics Game 7 on Wednesday on ABC to avoid presidential debate Tuesday. If Nuggets win tonight, Game 7 of Heat – if needed – would be Tuesday on ESPN.
September 26, 2020 | 7:47 am EDT Update
David Vanterpool a Thunder coaching candidate
Brian Windhorst: The Thunder are beginning to look at a rebuild, which is one of the reasons why Billy Donovan did not stay. So with the expectation this could be a first-time head coach. Some of the names that I’ve heard: David Vanterpool, who is an assistant with the Timberwolves. Adrian Griffin, who’s been a candidate for jobs over the years, recently with Toronto. And watch out for a sleeper candidate: Will Hardy, assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, a lot of people are very high on him.
Brian Windhorst on Rockets’ coaching search: Keep an eye on former Rocket, a guy who won a championship in Houston, Sam Cassell. And if not him, one of the favorites is our colleague here at ESPN, former Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, in the mix for this job.
Fox is the teamās best chance to accomplish that goal, although McNair has to make a major commitment to the former Kentucky Wildcat this season. League sources have confirmed to NBC Sports California that the Kings, under previous management, already had a discussion with Foxās representation on an extension. Depending on where the NBAās final salary cap numbers come in, Fox is eligible for a five-year max money contract worth between $150-180 million. Donāt expect a discounted rate. He will ask for and likely get whatever the maximum is allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.
Ntilikina and Smith both are in the final years of their rookie contracts and havenāt lit the league on fire yet. They have vastly different styles. Ntilikina is a playmaker and defender, while Smith is a scorer and penetrator. Smith has even changed his jersey number to No. 4 ā which he wore at North Carolina State. āWeāre three days in, so Iām getting to know both guys,āā Thibodeau said after the third day of voluntary group practices that is part of the NBAās in-market OTAs for the āDelete 8.āā
āI like what theyāve done so far. They got to continue to work. Thereās often times ups and downs for young players. Thereās a learning curve they have to go through. Some experiences will be better than others. āThey both have had some good moments in the league. You want to build a consistency. And how do you get there? You have to do it through your work. You have to learn from the experiences. And you have to be disciplined. And so, hopefully we can get there this is a very important offseason for both players.ā
As it happened, Butlerās hard-nosed approach wasnāt accepted by Minnesotaās ownership, management or their young players. Butler asked to be traded and Thibodeau was soon out of a job. āButler didnāt like some of the guysā lack of professionalism,ā one NBA source told The Post. ā[Jimmy] and Tom had long talks about how to deal with it. When Butler realized it was unsolvable, he lashed out at the organization. His clock was ticking on his prime and didnāt want to waste it and forced his way out. Tommy was telling him to have patience, see it through.ā
Boston overcame a 12-point first-half deficit, its largest comeback when facing elimination in 25 years, according to ESPN Stats & Info. “Boston played great in that second half,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They deserved and earned what they got. We understand how tough it is to win in the playoffs. We did not compete hard enough defensively, and we paid the price for that. But you do have to credit Boston. They played with great force, particularly off the dribble.”
