“But as far as coming back and all that, we’ve made a few adjustments, and he’s just got to come in and buy in and we’re going to be fine. Last year we were the No. 1 seed. You just got to buy in and we’re going to be fine.” Save for Embiid’s extended rant on how the team has catered to Simmons with their roster-building moves, the Sixers’ players have said all the right things about welcoming Simmons back. There has been no mystery about their stance — the players have stated firmly that Simmons coming back is good for the organization and gives them a better chance to win than if he spends the season sitting in his new L.A. home.
"But as far as coming back and all that, we've made a f…
June 2, 2023 | 2:53 pm EDT Update
Jovan Buha: The Lakers’ pre-draft workout participants on Friday: Nadir Hifi – France, Jalen Wilson – Kansas, Morris Udeze – New Mexico, Cam Shelton – LMU, Terquavion Smith – NC State, Oscar Tshiebwe – Kentucky
Madeline Kenney: Prospects invited for a pre-draft workout with the Warriors on Monday: Colin Castleton (Florida), Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State), Arthur Kaluma (Creighton), Dereck Lively II (Duke), Jalen Wilson (Kansas)
June 2, 2023 | 12:55 pm EDT Update
The Phoenix Suns are finalizing a five-year, $31 million deal with Frank Vogel to hire him as their coach, league sources tell The Athletic. Vogel, who guided the Lakers to the 2020 NBA championship, is known for his defensive acumen and detail-oriented approach.
After parting ways with Monty Williams on May 14, the Suns had a thorough coaching search process that led to five finalists. Vogel, former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers, now-76ers coach Nick Nurse, Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez and Suns assistant Kevin Young each met with Suns owner Mat Ishbia, president of basketball operations James Jones and other team officials in the final stage of the search over the past couple weeks. For the Suns, Vogel’s connectivity and collaborative approach provided the organization confidence that this could be a long-lasting partnership with staying power.
Evan Sidery: Frank Vogel is one of the best defensive tacticians in the NBA. Consistently has his teams elite on that end of the floor. Vogel also puts a heavy emphasis on rim protecting bigs (ex: Roy Hibbert and Anthony Davis). The big question now pivots to whether Deandre Ayton is a fit…
