Toronto Raptors Rumors
Get a free trial Lakers want to use D'Angelo Russell in sign-and-trade?
My read on the situation is that the Lakers would prefer to use D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade, but I’m not sure the market is there. Landing Kyrie Irving for Russell is shaping up to be a pipe dream, especially with Dallas unlikely to help Los Angeles out. Fred VanVleet, a Klutch client, looms as a possibility, but adding him would require Toronto to agree to terms with Russell (or take on the Beasley and Bamba contracts). Where, exactly, is the free-agency and trade market for Russell? I just don’t see it.
Since the start of the first round of the NBA playoffs, four coaches — Williams (Suns), Mike Budenholzer (Bucks), Doc Rivers (76ers) and Nick Nurse (Raptors) — have been fired. Williams, immediately, was on Detroit’s radar, per league sources. Milwaukee, too, heavily pursued Williams, per league sources.
“I’ve never once missed it,” Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray says. “That explains my professionalism, my attention to detail. I gotta have it. Every game day, gotta be the same. Whether at home or on the road.” Says Toronto Raptors veteran Chris Boucher: “It’s just to make sure that I’m in the right state of mind. It makes you feel good. I never miss sleep.” The thing is, NBA players almost have to be good at day-sleeping, because their schedules are profoundly abnormal. It’s easy to forget that they work nights, with most games starting at 7:30 and finishing around 10 p.m. They might not get home, or to the hotel, until midnight—or possibly 2 or 3 a.m., if the team flew immediately after the game. And of course there are, uh, lifestyle factors in play, too. Pro athletes are known to enjoy the nightlife—yet even for those that don’t, it can be a challenge to wind down after spending two to three hours hopped up on adrenaline. And because most teams hold a morning shootaround—sometime between 9-11 a.m.—they can’t just sleep in on game days.
Toronto Raptors center Chris Boucher says he’s often so tired that nothing else in his surroundings matters. “When I fall asleep, I don’t even know what’s going on—firefighters could come in my house, and I won’t hear it.” Closed eyelids provide enough, he says. “When I sleep, it’s dark anyway. I don’t dream about much.” For the most refined nappers, room temperature is also key.
Sergio Scariolo among the three candidates to replace Nick Nurse as Raptors head coach?
After parting ways with Nick Nurse, the Toronto Raptors have been searching for their next coach. One of the finalists is reportedly a famous European. According to Andrea Tosi from the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, Virtus Segafredo Bologna head coach Sergio Scariolo is among the Top 3 candidates to replace Nurse. The outlet reports that a final meeting is about to be held to determine whether Scariolo will be the new Raptors head coach.
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Joel Embiid met with Nick Nurse during interview process
Keith Pompey: Nick Nurse met with Joel Embiid during the #Sixers coaching interview process, according to a league source. The source said the meeting went well. pic.twitter.com/eGUyFjlaV3
