Kevin Durant said he hasn’t slept in two days and isn’t eating due to his Twitter fiasco.
Draymond Green â who was mocked by his Team USA teammates, including Durant, over his own Snapchat snafu â said he got revenge.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic:
Green:
It’s a little payback. I stood right there, over there, laughing in his face. And it felt pretty damn good, too.
The Warriors’ chemistry is either in a touchy spot or light years ahead.
The Nets have two stars in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and the ammo to get a third star. Expectations are rising quickly in Brooklyn. Merely qualifying for the playoffs isn’t enough. Nobody felt that more than Kenny Atkinson, who got ousted historically late in the season for a postseason-bound team.
The next logical step: Hiring a blue-chip coach.
Former Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue, Irving’s reported preferred choice, was considered favorite. Jason Kidd, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy were also high-profile candidates.
Or maybe the Nets will just keep Jacque Vaughn, who took over for Atkinson.
People sometimes are treating Jacque Vaughn like he was named the interim coach when Kenny Atkinson and the Nets split up. But he’s not. He’s the head coach. They didn’t make him interim coach. And while I think the Nets are considering the possibility of a search, I would still give Jacque Vaughn, I would take Jacque Vaughn against the field right now to keep that job.
“Interim” is just a label. The Nets can call Vaughn whatever they want. He’s coaching the team right now, and no job is permanent.
But unless hearing otherwise, there’s an expectation a team will conduct a coaching search the offseason after an in-season coaching change.
This might be the otherwise.
Vaughn reportedly has a legitimate opportunity to win the job. But Brooklyn will be without Durant, Irving, DeAndre Jordan, Wilson Chandler, Nicolas Claxton and maybe Spencer Dinwiddie as the season resumes in Disney World. That’s not a recipe for impressing.
That’s especially true because Vaughn doesn’t fit the marquee image the Nets were reportedly seeking. In his only previous head-coaching position, Vaughn went 20-62, 23-59 and 15-37 with the Magic before they fired him in 2015.
One thing Vaughn has going for him: He reversed Atkinson’s strategy of starting Jarrett Allen over Jordan, who’s close with Durant and Irving. It’s practically impossible to see Brooklyn picking a coach â especially Vaughn â without the support of Durant and Irving.
The Nets should conduct a full coaching search. If Vaughn emerges as the best choice, great. But he hasn’t done enough to warrant Brooklyn ignoring other candidates.
The eight teams with the worst records in the NBA, the ones not invited to Orlando for the NBA’s restart â Warriors, Timberwolves, Cavaliers, Hawks, Pistons, Knicks, Bulls, and Hornets â have been asking the NBA to organize workouts and games for them, so they don’t lose ground to the teams in the bubble.
ESPN’s Jackie MacMullen reports that is close to coming together in the form of a second NBA bubble in Chicago.
The details are still being hammered out, and teams continue to push for an alternative plan that would enable them to hold mini-camps within their local markets and to explore the idea of establishing regional sites where teams could scrimmage against each other.
This second bubble likely would take place in September, while the playoffs take place down into Orlando. Not every team is fully on board.
Knicks reportedly were only one of 8 teams not on call regarding proposal to have Chicago bubble in September for mini-camps, games. Told Knicks donât care for games and would want just their young players. Their preference is to start training camp early after draft.
— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) July 2, 2020
The eight teams had been concerned that going from March to December without meaningful games â while the other 22 teams had training camps and played at least eight games â would put the development of their young players and cultures behind. Teams pushed for practices and some organized games, although some franchises have pushed harder than others.
Michelle Roberts, the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, reportedly is insistent that if the eight teams get together in Chicago the players be protected by the same protocols in place in Orlando.
“Unless we could replicate in every way the protocol that’s been established for Orlando, I’d be â I’m being tame now â suspicious,” Roberts said last week in a conference call with reporters. “I think there are conversations that could be had if there’s anything we can do with the other eight teams. I know there are some players, particularly young players, that seem concerned they’re not getting enough [opportunities]…
“But I am very concerned and frankly, my concern aside, our players, our teams are very concerned about any â in terms of play that doesn’t have the same guarantees of safety and health that we’ve provided for the teams in Orlando. So yeah, never say never, but there’s a standard. It’s a standard that’s got to be met.”
Mark Tatum, the NBA’s deputy commissioner, quickly agreed with Roberts.
Expect an NBA Chicago bubble to come together in some form. Some of the eight teams on the outside â the Atlanta Hawks with their young core, for example â have pushed hard to get their players opportunities for games and workouts. Each of the eight teams are in different spots, however, and have different motivations. Golden State likely will not send Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson, this would be about getting younger players some extra run.
Following their coronavirus diagnoses, Donovan Mitchell was clearly upset with Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert.
Gobert said he and Mitchell were good. Jazz executive Dennis Lindsey said Mitchell and Gobert were good.
Now, we’re actually hearing from Mitchell himself.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN:
Donovan Mitchell on his relationship with Rudy Gobert: "Right now, weâre good. Weâre going out there ready to hoop. I think the biggest thing that kind of sucked was that it took away from the guys on the team, took away from what the guys on the team were trying to do."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) July 2, 2020
Mitchell continued: "I really wish that, going forward, I think that will be the primary focus, us jelling as a team. Obviously, Rudy and I had COVID and whatever happened, happened. But now weâre ready to hoop and focus on the team as a whole."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) July 2, 2020
This goes WAY further than anyone else speaking for Mitchell.
Mitchell was entitled to carry a grudge for a while. Gobert’s reckless actions made him more likely to contract and spread coronavirus.
At minimum, Mitchell is willing to say publicly he’s on the same page as Gobert. That’s meaningful. Teammates needn’t be best friends to succeed. But they generally perform better when they set their differences aside. However he actually feels about Gobert, Mitchell is setting a tone of putting the team first.
This isn’t surprising. Mitchell has shown he can remain focused and work hard amid adversity. Gobert plays a supportive style that makes life easier for teammates (though he has sometimes drifted from it this season). These are professionals who were always likely to reach this point.
Of course, this coexistence could be fragile. Among the biggest variables: How will Utah perform in the resumption at Disney World? Winning tends to bond teammates more tightly. Losing can exacerbate wounds.
At least the Jazz will enter Orlando with their chemistry â relatively â intact. After all they’ve been through, that’s something.
The Kings are trying to end their historic playoff drought.
They’ll make that push as lead assistant Igor Kokoskov has one foot out the door.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Sacramento Kings assistant Igor Kokoskov has agreed in principle to become the next head coach of Fenerbahce in Istanbul, sources tell ESPN. Kokoskov had been the Suns head coach and is currently the Serbian national coach.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2020
Jason Jones of the The Athletic:
Kokoskov will still finish out the season with the Kings and be in Orlando, per source https://t.co/Q6LFbaCi0z
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) July 2, 2020
Kokoskov had a rough go in the NBA spotlight. After working his way up the coaching ladder and becoming the Suns’ head coach in 2018-19, he got fired after only one season. Phoenix gave him an ill-equipped roster, notably passing on Luka Doncic in the draft â perhaps despite the input of Kokoskov, who coached Doncic on the Slovenian national team. Maybe Kokoskov wasn’t a good-enough coach. He didn’t build a strong affirmative case. But getting only season in his first head-coaching job was a tough break.
Fenerbahce (Turkey) is a premier overseas job. Kokoskov will succeed a legend in Zeljko Obradovic, who recently drew attention for this, um, motivational speech.
For Sacramento, the timing is tricky. Luke Walton is still in charge. But with traveling parties limited for the resumption at Disney World, teams need the coaches in attendance to pull extra duty. Maybe Kokoskov is up for it. It’d also be completely natural if he’s at least somewhat distracted by his next job.