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Rockets will reportedly hire Ime Udoka as new coach

Via the Houston Chronicle:

Step one of a pivotal summer for the Houston Rockets is now complete as the franchise reportedly reached a deal Monday to hire Ime Udoka as its next head coach, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Udoka, 45, comes to Houston following an NBA career that spans two decades. He played for five different franchises from 2002-12, and then quickly moved to coaching as he took an assistant role on Gregg Popovich’s staff in San Antonio. Udoka parlayed that role into the head coaching job with the Celtics in 2021-22, in which Boston went 51–31 before reaching the NBA Finals.

Giannis Antetokounmpo set to return for Bucks at Heat Game 4

Via the Sun Sentinel:

The news was major for the Milwaukee Bucks and relatively minor for the Miami Heat on the injury front for the two teams ahead of Monday night’s Game 4 in their opening-round Eastern Conference playoff series at Kaseya Center.

Bucks All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the court Monday morning for the Bucks’ shootaround, the latest step in his recovery from the lower-back contusion sustained in the Heat’s Game 1 victory a week ago Sunday in Milwaukee.

Heat guard Victor Oladipo set to yet another surgery

Via the Sun Sentinel:

As Victor Oladipo moves toward surgery later this week for the torn patellar tendon in his left knee sustained in Saturday’s playoff victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra offered a window into the previous relentless approach by the guard from such procedures.

“I think all these times behind the scenes, when no one is watching, I feel like I’ve had a front-row seat at that on all these off days the last three years, on weekends, when no one is here, but he’s on the training table and then working his way to the weight room,” Spoelstra said, with the Heat hosting the Bucks on Monday night at Kaseya Center in Game 4 of their best-of-seven opening-round series. “And it’s usually like a four- or five-hour process, and then finishing up with all the post-rehab work after working out.”

This will be the third major procedure Oladipo will attempt to return from during his Heat tenure, since being acquired in March 2021, with a $9.5 million player option with the team for next season.

Status of Giannis Antetokounmpo not yet known for Bucks at Heat Game 4

It’s not yet known yet if the Bucks will have Giannis Antetokounmpo back in action for Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against the Heat.

Via ESPN.com:

“We’ll continue to monitor him,” Budenholzer said following a team film session Sunday. “We’ll see how he feels from the session today and see how he wakes up tomorrow.”

Antetokounmpo, who is listed as questionable for Monday’s game, missed the past two games with a lower-back contusion, which has limited him to 11 total minutes in the series. He has not played since April 16.

The Heat currently lead the series 2-1.

Heat guard Tyler Herro undergoes hand surgery

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro underwent open reduction and internal fixation surgery of the third and fourth metacarpal of his right hand.

The 90-minute procedure was performed by Dr. Ann Ouelette and observed by HEAT team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick at Doctors Hospital Ambulatory Surgery Center. He is expected to miss a minimum of six weeks.

Herro, who suffered the injury during Miami’s Game 1 win in Milwaukee on April 16, appeared in 67 regular season games (all starts) averaging 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 34.9 minutes. He shot a league-best and HEAT single-season franchise record 93.4 percent from the foul line. Additionally, he paired with Jimmy Butler (22.9) and Bam Adebayo (20.4) to become the first trio in team history to each average at least 20 points in a season.

Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon wins 2022-23 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award

Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon has been named the 2022-23 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, the NBA announced today.

Brogdon becomes the third Celtic to win the league’s annual honor, joining Kevin McHale (1984, 1985) and Bill Walton (1986).

“From day one, Malcolm has eagerly embraced his role as a game changer off the bench,” said Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations. “His emphasis on winning has been reflected daily in his work, his play, and his selflessness. Malcolm winning the award named after John Havlicek, an all-time Celtic, could not be more appropriate.”

In the 41 years since the award’s creation in 1982, only eight other players have won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in their first season with their team.

Brogdon was the only player in the NBA ranking in the top three in scoring, rebounding, and assists among players who didn’t start in a regular-season game as he finished with 14.9 points (1st), 4.2 rebounds (3rd), and 3.7 assists (2nd).

Brogdon finished the year ranked fourth in the NBA in three-point percentage with a career single-season high 44.4 percent from beyond the arc. He tied Ray Allen (2010-11) for the third-best single-season three-point percentage by a Celtic since 1979 behind Allen’s 2011-12 season (45.3%) and Al Horford this season (44.6%).

As an NBA reserve, Brogdon ranked first in minutes played (1743.8), second in made field goals (354), third in total points (1,000) and clutch points (42), and fourth in assists (248). Brogdon became the fourth player in Celtics history to score at least 1,000 points in a season off the bench, behind Ricky Davis in 2004-05 (1,121 points) and Kevin McHale twice, in 1989-90 (1,109) and 1990-91 (1,031).

The Georgia native earns his third NBA honor including winning the 2016-17 NBA Rookie of the Year award and the 2019-20 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.

The Sixth Man of the Year trophy honors Celtics Hall of Famer John Havlicek, who excelled off the bench like no player before him. Havlicek came off the bench for the first seven seasons of his career and was an All-Star in four of those seasons. His career highlights include eight NBA championships, 13 NBA All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA Team selections, an NBA Finals MVP, eight NBA All-Defensive Team selections, and inclusion on the league’s 35th, 50th, and 75th Anniversary Teams.

Warriors need more from Jordan Poole

Via the San Jose Mercury News:

Jordan Poole posing more of a downhill threat and getting to the free-throw line could be the difference-maker the Warriors need to counter the upstart Sacramento Kings.

Poole can be most impactful when he’s aggressive attacking the rim and making smart plays with the ball. He led the team with 550 points in the paint this season. He also got to the free throw line a team-high 415 times. But concern over his bum left ankle might hinder him from being able to do that.

Poole started this first-round series strong. He was smart and effective on offense and disrupted some on defense.

Poole scored 13 points on 4 of 7 shooting and got to the free-throw line four times in the first half of Game 1 on Saturday.

But he sprained his ankle late third quarter and hasn’t been the same since.

Wizards fire President and GM Tommy Sheppard

Statement from Ted Leonsis, Founder, Principal Partner, Chairman & CEO, Monumental Sports & Entertainment:

Tommy Sheppard was relieved from his duties as General Manager and President of the Washington Wizards. Failure to make the playoffs the last two seasons was very disappointing to our organization and our fans.

A search for new leadership will begin immediately for an executive from outside the organization.

I would like to thank Tommy for his dedication to the Wizards organization and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Per the Washington Post, “Sheppard’s downfall was Washington’s inability to progress during his tenure despite multiple roster revamps and a new coach. The team finished 35-47 for the second consecutive season and missed the postseason for the fourth time in five years. Overall, the team went 129-179 under his leadership, a winning percentage of just .419. Sheppard took over the team from longtime general manager Ernie Grunfeld in an official capacity in July 2019 and led the Wizards during a time of great change both within the organization and for the NBA broadly.”

Kings coach Mike Brown wins 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year award

The NBA announced yesterday that Sacramento Kings Head Coach Mike Brown has been named the unanimous 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year. Brown is the third head coach in franchise history to win the yearly award, joining Cotton Fitzsimmons (1978-79) and Phil Johnson (1974-75) and is the first to receive the honor in the Sacramento era.

Brown received (500) points (100 first-place votes) from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. The honor marks the second time Brown has been named Coach of the Year during his coaching career, including his first since the 2008-09 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since the award’s inception in 1962-63, Brown is the 11th coach in NBA history to receive the Coach of the Year award at least twice in his coaching career.

In his first season as head coach of the Sacramento Kings, Brown led the club to one of the best seasons in franchise history. Brown guided Sacramento to the seventh-best record in the NBA this season and helped the Kings secure the third seed in the Western Conference, marking the Kings best finish in the West since the 2002-03 season. Behind Brown, Sacramento finished with the third-most wins in the Western Conference (48-34) and matched a franchise record for most wins on the road (25-16), which also ranked first in the Western Conference. He is the second coach in the Sac era to finish above .500 in a single season, joining Rick Adelman.

Brown coached the Kings to the highest offensive rating in NBA history (118.6) with the team scoring the most points per game by an NBA team in 40 years, which was last done by the Denver Nuggets (1983-84). For his efforts, Brown was selected as the Michael Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year after the Kings earned its first Pacific Division title since 2003.

Among league leaders, the Kings led the NBA in offensive efficiency and points per game while finishing second in field goal percentage (49.4%), third in assists (27.3), fifth in three-pointers made (1,128) and ninth in three-point percentage (37.3%). Sacramento also ranked first in true shooting percentage (60.8%), second in effective field goal percentage (57.2), second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.02), eighth in net rating (2.6) and seventh in assists percentage (62.6%).

In February, Brown was named the NBA Western Conference Coach of the month as the Kings led the NBA with seven games where they scored 120+ points, which included a 176-175 win in double overtime against the LA Clippers on Feb. 24, marking the second-highest scoring game in NBA history. During the stretch, the Kings ranked first in the NBA in points per game (125.8) and offensive rating (121.2) and went a perfect 7-0 in February in games where they scored 120 points or more.

Warriors forward Draymond Green suspended for Game 3 vs. Kings

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been suspended one game without pay for stepping on the chest of Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis, it was announced yesterday by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations. The suspension was based in part on Green’s history of unsportsmanlike acts.

Green’s actions were in response to Sabonis grabbing and holding Green’s right ankle after falling to the floor. Green received a Flagrant Foul 2 and was ejected, and Sabonis was assessed a technical foul.

The incident occurred with 7:03 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ 114-106 loss to the Kings in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series on April 17 at Golden 1 Center.

Green will serve his suspension April 20 when the Warriors host the Kings for Game 3 of the series at Chase Center.