Nets name Jacque Vaughn their new head coach

The Brooklyn Nets have named Jacque Vaughn as head coach.

“Jacque’s basketball acumen, competitiveness and intimate knowledge of our team and organization make him the clear-cut best person to lead our group moving forward,” said General Manager Sean Marks. “He has a proven ability to get the best out of our players, hold them accountable and play a cohesive, team-first style of basketball.”

Vaughn was named acting head coach on November 1.

Per the New York Post, “the Nets, who reportedly were zeroing in on suspended Celtics coach Ime Udoka, instead have removed the “interim” label on Jacque Vaughn, who is now the head coach. The Nets have gone 2-2 in four games since Steve Nash was fired, but under Vaughn, they have held their opponents under 100 points for three games straight – the only three times they have done so this season.”

Vaughn, who was in his seventh season as an assistant coach with the Nets, also served as the team’s head coach for a 10-game regular season stint during the 2019-20 season. He compiled a 7-3 regular season record and guided the Nets through their first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors. He previously spent two-plus seasons (2012-15) as head coach of the Orlando Magic and was a pro scout for one season (2015-16) and assistant coach for two seasons (2010-12) with the San Antonio Spurs.

Prior to beginning his coaching career, the Los Angeles native enjoyed a 12-year playing career in the NBA after being selected with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 1997 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. In 776 career games with the Jazz (1997-2001), Hawks (2001-02, 2003-04), Magic (2002-03), Nets (2004-06) and Spurs (2006-09), Vaughn recorded averages of 4.5 points and 2.5 assists in 16.3 minutes per game. He made nine playoff appearances in his 12 NBA seasons and was a member of the 2007 NBA champion Spurs. Vaughn is one of the most decorated players in the storied history of Kansas basketball, both on and off the court, leaving Lawrence as a two-time consensus second-team All-American, the 1996 Big Eight Player of the Year and a two-time Academic All-American. Vaughn’s jersey (No. 11) was retired by the Jayhawks in 2002.

Timberwolves off to a 5-6 start

The Timberwolves are 5-6 this season, and perhaps had a bit of a wakeup call Monday that could help set a tone for things to come. Via the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

In some good news for the Timberwolves, and they could use some after the Knicks blew them out of Target Center on Monday night, center Rudy Gobert cleared COVID-19 protocols, practiced Tuesday and is available to play Wednesday against Phoenix.

That could help their defense, which is No. 9 in terms of defensive efficiency, but looked disinterested in making the Knicks work Monday.

That prompted guard Anthony Edwards to say the team was “soft” after the game, and they were likely developing that reputation around the league.

For Gobert, who spent the last two games watching from home, the Wolves need to concentrate on doing the “little things” right — like communication and playing with urgency on a consistent basis.

FULL ARTICLE

On the Lakers and their roster issues

The Lakers are off to a rough start this season, and if you look at the roster breakdown past the handful of obvious big names, there’s no clear reason to expect a big reversal of fortune. Via the OC Register:

Coach Darvin Ham called it being real. But for the Lakers, the truth might be a little too real.

On the heels of a 139-116 loss to the Utah Jazz, the Lakers’ eighth loss in just 10 games, Ham said his team needed to defend better, rebound better and communicate better. Then he reached outside of normal coaching discourse – into the Lakers’ payroll.

“We’re tax offenders, right?” Ham asked rhetorically. “We just can’t go out and start spending money everywhere to build a team. We have three big-time first-ballot future Hall of Famers that a chunk of our budget is being spent on. And there’s only so much left.”

The rookie head coach somewhat awkwardly exposed the flank of the front office, which would like to focus on anything else except the shaky build of the roster around three max-contract salary stars who still haven’t played well together, complemented by a host of largely veteran’s minimum contract players. And yet, after a discouraging start to the season, it’s an unavoidable sore spot as the organization teeters on the edge of another letdown year.

FULL ARTICLE

Spurs forward Zach Collins has leg fracture

San Antonio Spurs forward Zach Collins underwent an MRI examination in San Antonio that has confirmed a non-displaced fracture of the fibula head.

Collins suffered a left lower leg contusion during the Spurs-Clippers game on November 4 at the AT&T Center, which was later imaged and revealed the non-displaced fracture.

Per the San Antonio Express-News, “Collins’ injury comes at a time when he was beginning to find a groove as part of the Spurs’ bench unit. He averaged seven points and 6.3 rebounds in the Spurs’ first nine games, and is leading the club’s regulars in blocks at 1.2 per game.”

Raptors forward Pascal Siakam out with adductor muscle strain

Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam has been diagnosed with a strain of the right adductor muscle.

Siakam will be re-evaluated in two weeks, and his condition will be updated as appropriate.

Siakam is averaging team highs of 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists in nine games this season. He is shooting .479 (80-167) from the field and has six double-doubles, including two triple-doubles.

Jazz off to much better than expected start this season

Via the Salt Lake Tribune:

When the Utah Jazz traded Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Royce O’Neale this offseason for a collection of mostly young players and a haul of future draft picks, it was presumed the team would be pretty bad this season.

Some fans were fine with that, viewing the strategy of maximizing draft position as a means of potentially landing a future superstar as a pragmatic and even prudent approach. Others, however, perceived such a tactic as an affront to those who spend their money on tickets, expecting to see a quality product.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the tankathon …

The Utah Jazz have not only not been one of the worst teams in the NBA, they’ve actually been … well, good. Even after Wednesday’s 103-100 loss to the Mavericks in Dallas, they’re now 6-3 this season. They already have victories over multiple 2022 playoff teams, including the Grizzlies (twice), Nuggets, and Wolves, plus one over the much-hyped Pelicans.

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On the Knicks starting lineup

Via the New York Post:

Knicks fans eager to see change seven games into the season are going to need to be patient.

Tom Thibodeau doesn’t sound ready to make any alterations to his starting lineup yet despite the unit’s early struggles.

“We’ll see how it unfolds,” the Knicks’ coach said, when asked how much of a sample size is needed before considering a change. “So, you wanna make sure that you get a good look at everything.”

When the starters issues were pointed out, that the quintet of RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson, Mitchell Robinson, Evan Fournier and Julius Randle has a minus-9.2 rating per 100 possessions and a defensive rating of 116.9, which would be 27th in the league, Thibodeau pointed out how well the group started in Wednesday’s loss to the Hawks. The team’s third straight defeat, in which a 23-point, second-quarter lead became a noncompetitive 13-point loss, he felt was on everyone.

FULL ARTICLE

On the Warriors rotation

Via the Bay Area News Group:

An explanation for the defending champions’ disappointing start lies somewhere between the starters and the young bench.

The starters’ early turnover and foul sloppiness can be attributed to a little “championship hangover,” as coach Steve Kerr put it after Golden State’s fourth straight loss in Orlando on Thursday night.

But hangovers wear off. And that’s when reality sets in.

The time it could take for the young bench to produce within the Warriors’ scheme could prove costly unless changes are made. The Warriors’ 0-5 road record, league-worst defense and 3-6 record were enough for Kerr and his coaching staff to start considering changes.

“We’ve gotta find combinations that work off the bench. We’ll be making some changes,” Kerr said. “We’ve had a decent look at combinations, so it’s time to start something different.”

FULL ARTICLE

Warriors off to a rough start this season

Via the San Jose Mercury News:

The Warriors have treated the beginning of the regular season as if the end result is guaranteed.

It isn’t.

The Warriors are 3-6, and winless on the road. It’s too early to change expectations, but it’s clearly not too early to create some real problems.

The Dubs need to treat the next few games like something is on the line. That requires the whole team to share that mentality.

It’s time for the Warriors to swallow their pride.

Coach Steve Kerr and his staff need to shake things up. The veterans need to feel a real sense of urgency. The young players need to check themselves. The organization’s higher-ups — all the way up — need to slow their roll.

Even columnists and fans need to re-evaluate why it is they believed success would be so seamless to start the season.

The Warriors’ brass believes in a “two-timeline” plan.

Right now, the Warriors are facing a “no-timeline” reality.

FULL ARTICLE

Timberwolves set to face the 7-0 Bucks tonight

The 4-4 Timberwolves face the 7-0 Bucks tonight. Via the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

With two days off between their games against Phoenix and Milwaukee, the Timberwolves were able to get in a practice Thursday, and coach Chris Finch said the Wolves’ primary focus was in one area.

“Ball movement,” Finch said. “… Pretty much all we did was ball movement stuff.”

Anyone who has watched the Wolves over the last week can see this is one of the biggest issues they have. There is plenty of standing around, dribbling and isolation offense.

Their hope to improve on offense won’t get any easier on Friday night when unbeaten Milwaukee visits Minnesota and brings to town the No. 1 most-efficient defense in the league. The Bucks are allowing 101.3 points per 100 possessions, three points better than the next best team — the Lakers — entering Thursday.

The Wolves have the 23rd-rated offense (109.9).

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