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Dwyane Wade keeping a close eye on Miami Heat playoff run

Former Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade is an observer now spoke with the Miami Herald on the team, who stepped up and convincingly eliminated the Bucks to reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

Future Hall of Fame guard Dwyane Wade, who retired at the end of last season and already had his No. 3 Heat jersey retired by the organization, is watching Miami’s playoff run closely but from afar in his home in the Los Angeles area.

“Even though I played for this organization and we’ve done some incredible things and I know these guys, I’m just a fan,” Wade said during an interview with the Miami Herald. “I watch from afar and I’m coaching like they can hear me. I’m screaming at them like they can hear me and I’m texting them after the game the same way. Hopefully they can hear me. I’m just a fan that knows the game very well and knows the organization and the team very well who has access to the players. It’s like the ultimate fan.” …

“You still have your connection to the team. It’s still there because it’s immediate,” Wade said. “Being able to be connected with the players and still have that conversation and back-and-forth banter, and giving encouragement or watching the game and giving my inside on what I see. It has been great. As I’ve been told for many years, you enjoy the success of others. I’ve been able to sit back from afar and enjoy the success of the individuals who I know that play for the team now.”

Game 1 of the Heat vs. Boston Celtics Eastern Conference Finals playoff series is tomorrow night.

Now on Celtics, Kemba Walker ready for renewed shot at Heat

Game 1 of the Celtics vs Heat Eastern Conference Finals series is Tuesday. Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel setting the scene on where Kemba Walker is coming from in approaching the series:

The Boston Celtics spent most of the past two weeks preoccupied with escaping the conference semifinals against the Toronto Raptors. But that doesn’t mean they weren’t taking note of what the Heat were accomplishing on the other side of the East bracket.

“Those guys, they balled last series, man,” Celtics guard Kemba Walker said of the Heat after Boston closed out Toronto in Friday’s Game 7 at Disney World. “Those guys are nothing but players.”

The Celtics took Saturday off to recover from going blow for blow with the Raptors. The Heat, by contrast, have been idle since closing out the Milwaukee Bucks in Tuesday’s Game 5 of that best-of-seven series, after sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the first round.

Walker’s only previous playoff experience prior to this season came against the Heat while with Charlotte, where he spent his first eight seasons. He was swept by the Heat 4-0 in the 2014 first round, then lost to the Heat in seven games in the 2016 first round.

Now in his first season with the Celtics, Walker, 30, is relishing the opportunity for payback.

A possible X-factor in the series could be Celtics forward Gordon Hayward, who is still healing from an ankle sprain but appears to be progressing. There’s no evidence suggesting he might be ready by Game 1, or Game 2, but it now seems possible that he could return sometime during the series. That’s not a prediction. Just a possibility.

James Johnson praises former teammate Jimmy Butler

It’s always fun seeing how NBA players discuss their former teammates. Usually, positive words are said. But even so, it’s always interesting to see the exact adjectives that get used. Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune reporting:

Timberwolves forward James Johnson only got to play with Jimmy Butler for a little more than half a season.

But when the Wolves visited Miami on Feb. 26 after Johnson came to Minnesota via trade from the Heat, the 11-year veteran had effusive praise for Butler.

“I loved him,” Johnson said. “I love his work ethic. I love what he stands for. It sometimes can be misconstrued. Me, personally, one of the best teammates I’ve ever had.”

It speaks to how well things were going for the Heat in Butler’s first year with the team. There were no leaks to the media about practice tirades or chewing out coaches in film sessions as there were in Butler’s previous stops with Minnesota and Philadelphia.

Butler and the Heat recently finished off the No. 1 seed Bucks in the second round of the playoffs, and are waiting the winner of tonight’s Game 7 between the Celtics and defending-champion Raptors.

Memphis Grizzlies hire Sonia Raman as an assistant coach

The Memphis Grizzlies have hired Sonia Raman as assistant coach. Raman (SOHN-ya RAH-mun) comes to Memphis following 12 seasons (2008-20) as the head women’s basketball coach at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Engineers enjoyed unprecedented success under Raman, winning the program’s first two New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championships (2018, 2019) and reaching the championship game in 2020.

Raman’s tenure also produced two NCAA Tournament berths for the program, while the Engineers compiled a 91-45 record (.669) in her final five seasons. Following her first season in 2008-09, MIT’s record improved in each of the next five seasons. Eighteen of Raman’s student-athletes earned NEWMAC All-Conference accolades, including four Rookie of the Year awards. She also had four seniors selected to participate in the New England Women’s Basketball Association Senior Classic.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of the Memphis Grizzlies coaching staff. I can’t wait to get to Memphis and get started with Taylor, his staff and the team’s emerging young core,” Raman said. “I must also give a truly special thank you to MIT and the women I’ve had the honor of coaching for the past 12 years. I wish the program continued success.”

In September 2017, Raman was selected to serve a two-year term on the Coaches Council for the Alliance of Women Coaches. The Alliance of Women Coaches is dedicated to leading the field of women coaches, at all levels, by providing support, resources, events and programs which address the needs and interests of its members.

“We are beyond excited to welcome Sonia to the Memphis Grizzlies,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins. “She has a high basketball IQ and a tremendous ability to teach the game, as well as a strong passion for the game. She is going to be a great addition to our current coaching staff.”

Prior to her arrival in Cambridge, Raman was the top assistant coach at Wellesley College. During her six-year tenure, she scouted opponents, assisted with practice and game planning, managed individual player skill and leadership development, and served as the Blue’s primary recruiter.

Raman began her intercollegiate coaching career with a two-year stint as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Tufts University. A four-year player and a captain for the Jumbos, she graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations. Raman went on to receive a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School in 2001.

Lakers take 3-1 playoff series lead on Rockets

On Thursday, the Lakers beat the Rockets 110-100 to take a 3-1 second round playoff series lead. Things got close in the end, but lack of Rockets energy and execution through much of the game proved too much to overcome. The Lakers got their usual excellent production from stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but also got a boost from Alex Caruso, who came off the bench to score 16 points, contributing several clutch plays late in the game that helped secure the win. Here’s the Los Angeles Times with some thoughts on the game and beyond:

It’s pretty surprising to see a team be up 2-1 and unleash a drastic change, but here the Lakers were, inserting Markieff Morris, sitting JaVale McGee and trying out rookie Talen Horton-Tucker…

You can really feel when LeBron James takes over because he plays with so much force and power. Anthony Davis operates a little differently. His 29 on Thursday hit mostly with a whisper, silently being in the right spot – with a few exceptions when he loudly caught Rajon Rondo lobs…

Alex Caruso scored 16 – a playoff high, but more importantly, Vogel trusted him to play 30 minutes, his most this postseason. He’s been the Lakers’ most consistent defender on the perimeter, and he’s earning the Lakers’ trust.

The Rockets struggled from three-point range in the first half, but then woke up in the second, finishing 14 of 33 from beyond the arc. James Harden shot just 2 of 11 from the field, but got himself 20 free throw attempts to finish with 21 points and 10 assists. Russell Westbrook shot 8 of 16 for a team-high 25 points in the loss.

In NBA real estate news, Draymond Green buys new house

Warriors forward Draymond Green has reportedly bought a new $9.6 million house in California. Here’s the San Jose Mercury News reporting:

Though he’s played solely for the Golden State Warriors since the 2012 NBA draft, it appears Draymond Green is looking to spend his future off-seasons a bit further south of San Francisco. The three-time All-Star and Michigan native has bounced into a lavish estate in L.A.’s prestigious Brentwood area, the same neighborhood that is also home to other superstar ballers like LeBron James, Blake Griffin, and Russell Westbrook.

The $9.6 million house picked out by Green and his fiancee, television personality Hazel Renee (“Basketball Wives,” “Real Housewives of Atlanta”) is essentially all-new, completed in 2019 and described in listing materials as a “timeless Georgian Colonial.” Complete with elegant snow white paint and jet black trim, the mansion is indisputably grand and guaranteed to impress guests with its multitude of high-style sconces, plus its columned porch and soaring roofline.

Inside, a two-story foyer with paneled walls and checkerboard marble floors sets the tone for the rest of the public rooms, which are decidedly posh and veer toward the formal side of the decor spectrum. There’s a gourmet kitchen with Italian marble countertops and luxe Woolf appliances that connects to the dining room and adjoining wine closet, plus a butler’s pantry servicing a lounge-like den. The living room and downstairs private office are both equipped with fireplaces and bronze chandeliers, and European oak hardwood lines the floors.

Sounds solid.

Okay, it sounds fantastic.

We’ve enjoyed Dray’s commentary on Inside the NBA on TNT. He’s got a bright future as an NBA analyst once his playing days are over. But that’s not anytime soon. Right now, the Warriors will be focused on using their lottery pick to add to their already star-filled cast.

The 2020-21 NBA season might not start in December

As you know by now, just about all event dates in 2020 and perhaps 2021, sports-related or otherwise, that take place in public, or involve groups of people, are subject to change. And while the NBA bubble at Disney has been what we’d firmly call a complete success, once the league exits the bubble it’s still totally up in the air when next season will begin and what the conditions will be. Everything beyond the Finals is still being organized. Here’s the New York Post with the latest regarding when next season may begin:

Friday is the six-month mark of the Knicks’ last regular-season game.

With the draft being pushed back from Oct. 16 to mid-November, league sources told The Post that the season opener will almost certainly be pushed back until after Jan. 1 – with no consensus on even the month.

According to a source, some league executives would like to see next season’s opener land on Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 18 — considering the climate of the times.

However, sources have suggested the NBA is completely open-minded about a starting date for February – and March has not been completely ruled out either.

For now, we are of course focused primarily on enjoying the 2020 NBA playoffs, which by any measure have been fantastic.

Heat star Jimmy Butler speaks on next possible playoff opponent

The Miami Heat are waiting to see who their opponent will be in the Eastern Conference Finals. It’ll either be the Celtics or Raptors, who on Friday will play a Game 7. NBA players tend to not name a preference as to who they’re about to face. And as outspoken as Jimmy Butler often is, he took that route as well. Per the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

“We know either way it goes, we’ve got a really good team that we’ve got to play against,” forward Jimmy Butler said. “But we still have to play our style of basketball. We’re not discouraged. We’re not scared. We’re not running from any matchups. I think that’s what makes us us.”

Based on the regular-season series, the preference might be Toronto, with the Heat 2-1 this season against the Raptors, but 1-2 against the Celtics. But that script was flipped after the NBA’s four-month layoff, with the Heat losing their lone matchup against the Raptors at Disney and winning their lone bubble matchup against the Celtics.

As the No. 5 seed in the East, the Heat will enter as the “road” team against either the No. 2 Raptors or No. 3 Celtics. However, with all games played on the neutral courts of Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex, such homecourt advantage is removed. The only spectators allowed are a limited amount of friends and families of the teams.

“It just gets harder from here,” center Kelly Olynyk said of either of the Heat’s potential opponents.

In disposing of the Bucks, who had the best record in the NBA this season, Heat sent the entire NBA a loud message, that they’re as much of a championship contender as any squad in the league.

Yes, Playoff Rondo exists

Yes, Playoff Rondo does exist. Here’s the OC Register diving into the hot-button, room-dividing topic:

He doesn’t always arrive on time, so he’s not like Santa Claus. But he’s not so rarely glimpsed as Bigfoot.

So it’s hard to find the perfect match among mythic characters for Playoff Rondo — most importantly because he’s not mythical at all…

“It’s real: Playoff Rondo is real,” Anthony Davis said. “His intensity picks up, he wants to guard the best perimeter guy. We see he guards James and Russ sometimes, he wants to… on the floor he’s shooting the ball very well, making the right passes, so his IQ is on another level.”

Historically, Rondo has distaste when people point out the difference between his regular season persona and who he is in the playoffs. But there’s a definitive gulf: His scoring, assists and net rating all rise in his playoff career versus his regular season career. He’s tied for fourth on the postseason triple-doubles list (10), and two of the four guys ahead of him are on the Lakers sideline.

But to really appreciate Playoff Rondo, you have to examine where he really shines. Looking at his Game 3 dimes, it’s telling to see how they came: off verticality, like the two times Davis spun off of his man, and Rondo delivered a picture perfect lay-up. They also came on cuts, like a bounce pass to a driving Kyle Kuzma in the fourth quarter that was close to a clinching basket.

Rondo has played in three playoff games so for in 2020 for the Lakers, all in the current round against the Rockets, for an average of 13.0 points and 7.3 assists per outing.

2020 NBA draft may take place in November instead of October

The NBA draft usually takes place in late June, but due to the coronavirus pandemic it was tentatively pushed back to October. But now reportedly may take place in November. Here’s the Bay Area News Group reporting:

The Warriors will have to wait to make the No. 2 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, as the league plans to delay the current Oct. 16 date by as much as a month.

Sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the NBA informed teams Wednesday that the draft will be pushed back, potentially to Nov. 18, though negotiations between the league and Players’ Association are ongoing. A decision could be made as soon as this week.

Pushing the date of the draft back from Oct. 16 allows the league more time to hold a virtual combine, and for teams to gather crucial information on this draft class. It also allows the NBA to formulate a potential start date for next season — which Commissioner Adam Silver said won’t be Dec. 1 as initially intended after the league went on hiatus — and for the NBA and NBAPA to negotiate a new salary cap for 2020-21.

A guess is that the 2020-21 NBA regular season may start in late December, but we won’t be surprised at all if it tips off a bit later.

But, there’s no reason to think too much about that right now. We’re in the playoffs. The Eastern conference No. 1 seed Bucks got eliminated yesterday. And the Raptors are playing a must-win game against the Celtics in a few hours. Enjoy the action.